Unexpected Humor: Trailer Park Boys

So a couple weeks ago I was looking for something to watch on Netflix. I was pretty tired so I didn’t think too much about what it was. I figured I would be asleep fairly quickly so it wouldn’t really matter if it was that great. I don’t even remember how I decided, it might have just been a random click, but I settled on the show Trailer Park Boys, a show I have never even heard of before. I settled in with a decent amount of certainly that it was going to be lame, but before I knew it, I was on the third episode and I was anything but asleep.

            It is a mocumentary style show that follows two newly released cons Julian and Ricky, including their friends and foes, as they try to survive in the Sunnyvale Trailer Park community. What’s great about the show is that it leaves a lot of room for adlibbing. It is minimally scripted which makes it easy to see how connected each actor is to his or her character. The mocumentary style also calls for a more intimate atmosphere and makes the viewer feel even that more involved in the show.

            When I first started watching it, I had a hard time finding any sort of sympathy for Julian and Ricky. From the minute they were released from jail they returned to their old tricks and schemes, not even imagining that they would ever get caught again. But as I watched more and more episodes, I found myself understanding their characters and seeing how kind hearted they actually were. Even though they continuously made poor choices, the final scene of the show was always something sweet that would make me go right back to liking them again.

            Their friend Bubbles, a Sunnyvale icon, also made me become gradually sympathetic to every other scummy character. Bubbles is the moral silver lining of the show, and seems to constantly bring Julian and Ricky back down to earth. Without him, I don’t think the two would have any kindheartedness left in them.

            I highly recommend this show even though I do realize that it is an acquired taste. It is a different type of humor that might not be for everyone. But it is a lighthearted comedy that has many touching moments and I think everyone should give it a try.

Filming complete for final Trailer Park Boys Movie

I recently read that the filming for the final installment of the Canadian comedy series, Trailer Park Boys. For those of you unfamiliar with the series it follows the lives of Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles three loveable low-lives who make their living by committing various petty crimes. It started off as a television series, but grew in popularity to the point of producing three major picture adaptations of the franchise. The series uses a mocumentary-style of directing and often the filming crew becomes involved in the plot of the story. 

Unfortunate news struck the cast when one of the shows main characters, Philadelphia Collins, died just days after shooting his scenes. His character is known for having an enormous gut and short temper. He also possesses many hilarious catchphrases such as: Bam! The character is one of my all time favorite because of how rare of an actor and character he is. I really look forward to seeing his last work.

 

Like many devoted fans of various T.V. and movie series I am skeptical that this installment will not meet the standards of the earlier work. That said, I cannot wait to see this film and if you have not watched the series before you should check it out, it is entirely on Netflix. It is one of the best TV shows on the network.

Addiction to The Office

An addiction is defined as a persistent, compulsive dependence on a behavior or substance. For me, this substance is The Office. I spend most nights before going to sleep watching this show, but now it's getting to the point where I skip class jus to watch a few episodes. (Don't worry Arturo never your class). I even had a dream about The Office. 

I love this show because of the uniqueness and sense of humor this show has. The show is filmed in a single-camera set-up and shot sort of like a mocumentary. There are "confessionals" where the character's tell the cameras their personal opinions or thoughts about a subject, or just tell a story. For me these confessionals make the show. There will be cutaways during these to demonstrate what the character is talking about, or the facial expressions will show all that needs to be said. The characters on this show obviously are aware that the cameras are there, and the slight looks they give to the cameras directly make this show work so well. 

Although the U.S. version of the Office is a recreation of a british show, there have been many shows that base their camera style and show set-up like the Office. Currently, Parks and Rec is a very popular show that uses the same single-camera set-up with confessionals. Clearly this style seems to work, and I'm sure new shows are in the making working off of this style. Another popular show, although cancelled but being brought back next year with a similar style is Arrested Development. This show does not have confessionals but uses the single-camera method that makes you feel right there with the family. The Office is a great show for a good laugh, although there isn't much depth or complex stories. 

Faking Reality

     This past weekend I saw the new film Apollo 18.  It was a good movie, a great idea, good acting   (crapy ending), but the most interesting thing was that throughout the entire movie, both before and after, it pretended that it was an actual collection of leaked footage from the government.  This seems to be a phenomena that has taken hold since the Blair Witch Project. Thriller movies pretending to be based on true events.

   
 This is different than a Mocumentary.  A mocumentary is a fiction film that presents itself as a documentary, they are usually a satire or a parody, and almost always comedic.  The new trend of thriller films that present themselves as fact are serious or scary. Films like Paranormal Activity and Cloverfield are filmed in such a way as to appear to be raw footage.  Apollo 18 uses this technique as well, as if the footage we are seeing was originally filmed by those in the movie.  Some films take this a little to far.  The Fourth Kind is a film about an alien abduction and the film makers made it seem as if it were real.  they even went through the trouble of have two lead actresses, one as the "Real" women in "Historical" footage, and another to be the actress playing the "real" woman in the dramatizations.  They faked news releases and created a website of facts so that if you looked into the film it would seem true.  They even went as far as to not credit the actress who played the "Real" women in the historical footage, to make her seem like a real person.
 
 This new take on thrillers is an interesting trend.  I believe that this way of marketing and presenting a story makes more people want to see it. Inside every viewer is a little part of them that wants movies to be true.  So if the film presents itself as true, it makes it more interesting and gives it an edge.  I feel that in the near future we will see many more films that are completely fictitious but present themselves as factual, simply because it sells.