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Go on, make me laugh!

3 May

A night out at the Leicester Square View Club (The 99 Club)

A Saturday comedy soiree can be touch and go. There’s a risk of the mediocre, the crass and the downright unfunny. You tend to arrive at the night already primed with the lowest of expectations of the comedians and fears that your latent humour will be assaulted with desperate tales that barely manage to tickle your tongue.

This night surpassed the worries – in a positive way – the comedians were funny. However, I hadn’t considered the other risks – the chance of the most raucous stag do or maybe even the most cackling of hen nights. On this night, the former coloured the event with extremes of macho heckling and derision that didn’t reflect how the rest of the audience felt. In the end, the majority of the rest of the audience seemed desperate for that group to go, not just the put-upon comedians.

The air was tense and still for the first two acts. The first comedian Spencer Brown, with his slightly foppish, delicate but amusing performance coped well with our encouragement. The second brave funny-man Nick Doody managed to overcome the challenges altogether and get the joyless group to leave halfway through his performance. The remaining audience then relaxed to enjoy the night. The third comedian Ian Stone, was free to give us his commentary on life unfettered.

There was definitely a lot to recommend the evening, not just the humour, but the stunning view of across London you get from being in a venue so high up. Though I didn’t try it, you can also go on to the nightclub upstairs that opens directly after the show. The London View Club is somewhere I would experience again.

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Film review: Submarine

29 Apr

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IVFfiv6wpY

There hasn’t been a huge amount of fanfare about the British comedy drama Submarine but you should try and catch it if you’re looking for amusement, convincing performances and to be entertained. No there aren’t any big name stars but don’t let this deter you from seeking it out at your cinema.

Directed by one of the IT Crowd’s leads Richard Ayoade, he who plays the nerd Maurice, and based on the book by Joe Dunthorne, the film covers a poignant time in the life of teenager Oliver (Craig Roberts). We see him embark on his first serious relationship with a challenging young girl called Jordana (Yasmin Paige) and watch him struggle through the break down of his parents’ marriage.

Oliver is a bit of a loner, trying to find ways to fit in at school, avoid being bullied and understand the complexities of love. You’re with him as he tries to defeat what seems like the inevitable attraction that his mother Jill (Sally Hawkins) has for a past boyfriend new age guru Graham (Paddy Considine) who moves in next door while simultaneously jeopardising his own chances with Jordana. He doesn’t communicate his fears or the reasons behind his own actions when Jordana’s also going through a tough time and needs to hear from him. It doesn’t sound like a comedy, but there are many amusing moments and trust me, you should have a fine experience, nurtured by a suitably melodious soundtrack by Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys.

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