If not, I’m afraid there is no excuse. We all know Wil, we all enjoyed Star Trek : The Next Generation so he was part of our childhoods. Some of the best times in the evenings were watching a group fail at Knightmare, then switching over to BBC 2 at 6pm to watch Star Trek : TNG. If I was very lucky “The Crystal Maze” would be on a little later (but I’m not sure they happened on the same days.. so I might be making that up).

Either way Wil is about to publish a book called Memories of the Future : Volume One. He has started at the beginning of Star Trek : TNG and takes a look at episode, what it was about, how it fitted in the series, and just his general observation about what was going on and off set at the time.

To go along with this he is doing a series of shot pod casts talking about the book, reading excepts, and just generally being funny. The second episode has just come out, and Wil’s thoughts and observations are excellent. I especially like how he is not precious about the work he did, the show has it flaws, but on the whole its great and he just had fun.

Check out this episode, then the first one (or in order if you are crazy like that) and bask in the glory of Wil.

*When I say everyone.. I might mean the geeks among us.

Mini Review
Not a bad film, but not great. John C. Reilly is always funny, but Apatow takes the comedy too far. Would have been much better if they had stoped most jokes one line earlier.

This made me think. Most of my favourite films are either comedy, or have something funny at their core. But while they are playful, and sometimes hilarious they have a seriousness and a substance that I find mostly missing from current films.

You can be funny and serious at the same time?

There are so many comedy films that are coming out, that are just goof-ball stupid. They are not especially clever, or in many cases all that funny. But they can get away with making a terrible film by claiming its a comedy or a satire, and anything stupid that happens.. well that’s the funny part.

How wrong can you get? A great comedy film is possibly one of the hardest things to make, and a serious film with a comic overtone has to be harder still. You want people to laugh, but you want them to think as well. For me this is when a film goes from being just good to being great.

Some of my favourite films

• Kind Hearts & Coronets
• The Ladykillers
• The Flight of the Phoenix
• The Green Man
• Dr Strangelove
• The Great Escape
• North by Northwest

Something different

When character and plot are king, comedy and action take a back seat. When you have truly talented actors they can bring the film to life in a way others just can’t. Above all, this is something I miss, it seems the the true gem’s of films are few and far between. If you look over my list you will see a few comedy’s, some action films, and even drama. But all of them have something else to say, and in the case of “Dr Stangelove”, “The Great Escape”, and “”the Flight of the Phoenix” its a very serious message indeed. But they all know how to balance that with comedy and action.

Black Heart

At the heart of all these films is a black core. What could be classed as an overridingly  evil idea that should in no way be fun. But all of these films play with that idea and find a way to turn it into something more meaningful. Most change the idea and turn it inside-out until you are left with a ending that is entirely unexpected.

“The Ladykillers” and “Flight of the Phoenix” have to be the best examples of that. Through out the film you feel sure you know there will be a grizzly end, there is no way it can be any other way. But the ending comes quickly, and twists in the most unexpected way just when you think you have it all understood.

The flight of a great film

“The Flight of the Phoenix” has to be one best examples (at least for me) of something you did not expect. The story is initially very straight forward. A plane crashes in the middle of the desert, and the men have to survive until help comes. It become obvious help is not going to reach them in time, and they have to come up with a plan to escape this dire situation.

But what makes it special was when I had one of those most joyous moments you can have when you watch a film. When you suddenly understand the twist just as the characters understand it. I was right with the director as he unveiled his revelation, and it is funny, shocking, and pure genius all at the same time. But all you can think is “Holy crap, its going to work!”.

All these films have touches of comedy. Some more than others, but they all have it when it is needed. It is something that makes you love the film just a little more.

Not such a kind heart

“Kind Hearts and Coronets” is outrageously dark. The main character is so outraged at how his mother is treated by the rest of his more noble family he decides he wants to become the next duke. The only problem of course are the eight heirs who stand between him and the title. But there is a very simple solution to that minor problem.

This film always brings a smile to my face, and the ending has to be one of the best ever committed to film. Plus seeing such a great actor like Alex Guinness do something a little more challenging than Obi Wan is a bonus.

Final Thoughts

If you have never seen any of these films, then you are missing some of the best films ever made (that is my opinion of course). They all have something to offer, they will all make you laugh, and think.