It’s like a game of Jenga that's got out of hand

Poor Karl!  It's his misfortune that he attracted the attention of merry pranksters Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (the creative team behind "The Office").  Karl Pilkington was working as a radio producer for Ricky Gervais' radio program when his unique personality and unusual views of the world caused Gervais and Merchant to recognize his comic potential.    Because Karl is completely uninterested in life outside of his own little area, his "friends" decide to send him on a trip to the Seven Wonders of the World to "broaden his mind."  And so An Idiot Abroad was born.

The 2-disc set of the first series of An Idiot Abroad was released on Jan. 20.  If you haven't seen the series, you're in for a treat!  At the beginning of each of the travel episodes, Karl meets with Ricky and Stephen for an overview of what "wonder" he'll be visiting soon.  Karl remains singularly unimpressed.  His expression of bewilderment and lack of enthusiasm for any of the trips help to set the tone for the latest expedition.

Here is an overview of the wonders that Karl is going to visit, and his take on some of them:

The wonders visited include the Great Wall of China (re-named the "OK Wall of China" by Karl), the rock city of Petra, the Taj Mahal, Chichen Itza, the Great Pyramids, the Christ the Redeemer Statue, and Machu Picchu.  Although generally unexcited to be visiting such landmarks, Karl generally has to endure several unexpected surprises before getting to the wonder.  Here is a look at Karl getting some training in the martial arts:

Food is a constant source of anxiety during the trips.  In one memorable whinge, Karl wonders why the people in his host country "don't just eat normal food."  I would be interested to know how the Monster Munch that is packed for every trip manages to survive without being reduced to dust!

My favorite episode by far was the one where Karl travelled to Mexico.  Before being allowed to visit the wonder at Chichen Itza, he goes a few rounds with Mexican wrestlers, is invited by cowboys to ride a bull, harvests and eats some wasp larva, and goes on a fruitless search for the elusive Mexican Jumping Bean.  The most hilarious part of the entire series occurs when Karl is given the great honor of eating the worm from a bottle of tequila he's sharing with the cowboys.  After surviving meals of toad, goat eyes, and other disgusting things, the worm nearly does him in!

I really enjoyed watching Karl's experiences as An Idiot Abroad.  Whether you've endured similar culture shock as a traveller, or just want to laugh at Karl's pronouncements on the inexplicable oddities of other countries, you'll get a kick out of this series.  There is some bad language and a bit of nudity, so keep that in mind if you want to watch with younger or sensitive viewers!  Otherwise, prepare for a thoroughly enjoyable time as Karl is wrenched out of his comfort zone, Monster Much and toilet paper in hand!

Disclaimer:  I received a review copy of An Idiot Abroad from BBC.

Final verdict for An Idiot Abroad: Five Gherkins, for allowing us to see the wonders of the world with the ever unenthusiastic Karl Pilkington

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The Office Collection Special Edition

This holiday season celebrate with The Office Collection Special Edition available on November 22.  Written and created by Golden Globe winners Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the DVD Special Edition features the complete, original UK series plus all new bonus features.

BBC AMERICA first introduced U.S. audiences to the comedy genius of Ricky and Stephen when it premiered the show in 2003.  At its launch The New York Times called it “pretty much the funniest show ever” while Newsweek declared it the “best comedy on television.”  It went on to win two Golden Globes, inspire the U.S. version on NBC and continues to influence the tone and look of everything from television comedy and movies to commercials and pop culture at large. 

The Special Edition DVD has all 12 episodes and the 2-part Holiday Special with bonus features including:

·         The original pilot

·         Six specially recorded introductions of every episode  from Season 1 by Ricky and Stephen

·         An exclusive documentary  Comedy Connections: The Office which traces the history of the show

·         Interviews with the original cast including Ricky, Stephen, Lucy Davies, Mackenzie Crook, Martin Freeman and Ewen Macintosh as well as celebrity fans Ben Stiller, Christopher Guest, Matthew Perry, Richard Curtis and David Baddiel.

Check out the official site.

Here is a clip of Ricky Gervais, as David Brent, "cheering up" an employee on his 30th birthday:

Ricky Gervais shines as slimy, clueless boss David Brent in the "docusoap" series The Office. The premise of the show is that a documentary film crew is recording the daily goings-on of the paper company Wernham Hogg in lovely industrial Slough.  The title credits show a gray, boring, office in the middle of a gray, boring town.  David Brent is the Managing Director of the company, but he never seems to do much work beyond annoying employees and making them feel uncomfortable.  He is never shy about addressing the viewer directly and imparting his vast wisdom on how to motivate employees to get the best out of them, while at the same time lightening the mood all round by being an "entertainer."  The David Brent character does become a more sympathetic character as the series evolves and his odd behavior catches up to him.

This Special Edition collection of the program consists of 4 disks which include both seasons of the series, as well as the series finale, a 2-part Christmas episode shown in 2003. One disk contains the original pilot episode, with actors who didn't continue on to the main series.  It is interesting to see David Brent in all his original glory, when the principle actors had no idea that this project would evolve into a series!  This disk also includes an interesting documentary with an interview with creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant discussing how the program came to be, and how unenthused the-powers-that-be at the BBC were at the beginning.

The first season's episodes are all introduced by Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais discussing various aspects of the show, illustrated by clips from the series.   The very first episode also features short clips of various well-known actors, including Ben Stiller, Christopher Guest and Matthew Perry discussing their admiration for the innovative and influential show.  It was a little difficult for me at times to figure out when the reminiscences had ended and the actual episode began, though!

Some of the other actors who appear in the series have also become famous since the airing of the show.  Martin Freeman (Dr. Watson and soon to be Bilbo Baggins) plays Tim, who seems to be the only person interested in doing any actual work at Wernham Hogg.  He is constantly thwarted in his efforts to concentrate by his annoying cubicle-mate (although they are unfortunately missing the walls which might have made the situation bearable) Gareth, played by Mackenzie Crook, best know for his role as a somewhat ramshackle pirate in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.  The other main character is the receptionist Dawn, who is part of a love-triangle between the mild-mannered Tim and her tough boyfriend Lee.  Lucy Davis (known for coaching her fellow survivors on how to play zombie in Shaun of the Dead) plays the conflicted Dawn.

The disk containing the final episodes of the series also contains the documentary Closed for Business, where Gervais and Merchant and the various actors discuss why they decided to end the show at that point.  The Christmas episodes were intended to be the series finale, so there are no cliffhangers that never get resolved or other annoying plot holes.

New and old fans will enjoy this full series of the iconic British series.  Fans of the American version of The Office will enjoy seeing where it all began! 

On a side note, I was very pleased to note the Eastenders reference in the first episode (Rickaaay!). Just one iconic show paying tribute to another!

Disclaimer:  I was provided a review copy of The Office Collection Special Edition by BBC.

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Can you see me now?

After dying during a routine medical procedure, Dr. Bertram Pincus discovers that he can see ghosts. This might be unnerving in and of itself, but the ghosts all want Dr. Pincus to do something for them. The most persistent ghost, Frank, wants to prevent the upcoming wedding of his widow. Dr. Pincus is a very nasty piece of work, rude to coworkers and patients, as well as inconsiderate to members of the general public. In order to avoid the non-stop parade of favor-requesting ghosts, he agrees to help Frank. Of course, in the meantime, he falls in love with the soon-to-be-married widow, played by a skeletal Tea Leoni.

Dr. Pincus is portrayed, of course, by Ricky Gervais. I know he is the "flavor of the month" in comedy circles, but I honestly never "got" him. This movie doesn't do anything to help explain his appeal to me. First of all, he's supposed to be a "cosmetic dentist", but he himself has a mouth that looks like it's full of thumbtacks. That would hardly inspire confidence in prospective patients, would it? I was wondering at the beginning of the film why in the world his character had to be a dentist, but all was explained when he is called upon by the merry widow to provide dental expertise on a mummy. Aside from his prickly personality, he's somewhat, um, odd looking, so it isn't really believable that someone whom he had offended on a regular basis for years would suddenly fall in love with him. Call me the Grinch, but it doesn't make sense.

Other than those gaping plot problems, the film itself is enjoyable enough. The audience was laughing hysterically at some points, although I didn't find the film as funny as they apparently did. It's a pleasant enough film, but I would hesitate to pay $8.75 to see it. Wait for the $1 movie showing, or rent the DVD.

Final Verdict on Ghost Town: Two Gherkins, for some humorous moments, but no great contributions to cinematic history

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