This Life +10 C/D?

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i was sort of glad they kept to the mid-nineties shaky-cam, it was at least true to itself in that way.

― temporary enrique (temporary enrique), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 12:17 (seventeen years ago) link

It was deeply contrived and stupid for a lot of utterly transparent reasons, but come on, it's not supposed to the Rules of the Game, there were a few amusing lines and it was pefectly enjoyable telly. I mean, of course The Thick of It kicked its arse, but who would have expected otherwise?

(Also -- and you'll have to trust me on this -- having worked as a repertory theatre reviewer for the past half-decade, the script really wasn't that bad. I've seen a lot fucking worse.)

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 12:24 (seventeen years ago) link

probably because even the revived 'cracker' was less crass, the miles/egg 'it was about OIL' bit was when i mentally switched over.

― temporary enrique (temporary enrique), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 12:31 (seventeen years ago) link

Revived House of Eliot next please.

― Dom Passantino (DomPassantino), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 12:33 (seventeen years ago) link

'on the up + 10'

― temporary enrique (temporary enrique), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 12:35 (seventeen years ago) link

But that's the point -- it was always crass, and the dialogue always kinda half-sucked. In that sense, I was impressed by how much it seemed like business as usual, pat ending notwithstanding.

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 12:44 (seventeen years ago) link

Whatever Happened To Ally Mc Beal?

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 12:46 (seventeen years ago) link

On The Up +10 would be fucking ace - Mrs Wembley almost rebuilt, etc.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 13:06 (seventeen years ago) link

This Life is one of those rare things where most imitations seem to be better than the original.

such as? NyLon? C'mon now!

I'm not even sure my actual life is better than This Life was - not that I was imitating it, but...y'know.

House Of Elliot +100 please! Um, hold on, that might not work in exactly the way I meant it.

― CharlieNo4 (CharlieNo4), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 13:08 (seventeen years ago) link

I think Secret Life Of Us, Perfect Day, even Cold Feet if that counts were all more entertaining than This Life. Metrosexuality, possibly, was not.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 13:17 (seventeen years ago) link

it was ace to have them back. didn't like the contrived fly-on-wall-reunion idea, would have much preferred an actual "window opening on their lives and then closing again" or whatever wotsit said it was meant to be. god though, i'd forgotten how unpleasant they can all be. milly + ten years of BITTERNESS, wow!

― emsk ( emsk ), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 13:19 (seventeen years ago) link

Oh, and they should totally bring back NY-LON.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 13:24 (seventeen years ago) link

This Life is just a Get On Board With The Double Deckers rip-off anyway.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 13:28 (seventeen years ago) link

Double-Deckers! Peter Firth, Brinsley Forde and......Melvyn Hayes!

Did Matt DC say why he thought TL was 'better than expected'? I think we must be told.

― Dr.C (Dr.C), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 14:01 (seventeen years ago) link

it was GOOD because it was the SAME.

i also laffed at the "protection" bit...

― CarsmileSteve (Carsmile Steve), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 14:08 (seventeen years ago) link

The Kaiser Cheese joke was cute.

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 14:14 (seventeen years ago) link

wasn't egg saying he hadn't heard of them? he later played 'i predict a riot', i think.

― temporary enrique (temporary enrique), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 14:16 (seventeen years ago) link

i also laffed at the "protection" bit...

yes! and when anna was playing drugstore just before it, but on an I-POD ooh didn't 'ave them back in teh day eh?

― emsk ( emsk ), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 14:17 (seventeen years ago) link

haha we commented on exactly that moment too, emsk! "ooh, Old Music on a New Machine, straddling the years, DO YOU SEE?" etc...

― CharlieNo4 (CharlieNo4), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 14:52 (seventeen years ago) link

It was Miles who hadn't heard of teh Kaiser Cheeses, so I presume that Egg had brought his own music for "look, it's just like me in our old flat in 1996 but with NEW MUSIC, DO YOU SEE?" purposes. (also look, they're taking coke but they aren't lawyers any more, ho ho)

Why was Egg's name spelt Edgar Cooke on the book when it's been Edgar Cook elsewhere (including on the documentary afterwards). Also how can someone so ridiculously inarticulate and unable to comprehend any emotions past "I love you Milly, nearly as much as I love Man Utd" possibly have written such a successful and critically-acclaimed* novel?

* presume that shitey books don't often get launched at the British Library by Mark Lawson

― ailsa_xx (ailsa_xx), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 14:57 (seventeen years ago) link

There has just been a discussion of it in my office. I won't bore you with the details. Glad I couldn't join in really.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:06 (seventeen years ago) link

Yes I noticed Cook/Cooke. Maybe a nom-de-plume?

― Dr.C (Dr.C), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:09 (seventeen years ago) link

The improbability of a "me and my mates living in the mid-90s" novel (with that kind of cover) being launched at the British Library by Mark Lawson was an early warning signal, I think.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:11 (seventeen years ago) link

vying for likelihood with miles becoming a hotel millionaire with a (vile) country house (erm whose large and possibly multuinational business apparently puts his own private assets at risk of bailiffs who visit at two in the morning...).

― temporary enrique (temporary enrique), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:13 (seventeen years ago) link

I wonder what the characters from Game On are doing now?

― DavidM (DavidM), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:15 (seventeen years ago) link

Miles was left the vile house off his Dad, wasn't he?

― ailsa_xx (ailsa_xx), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:15 (seventeen years ago) link

I wonder what happened to Francesca?

― Dr.C (Dr.C), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:18 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah, a shit rom-com novel could never get popular. The whole scenario was bascially science fiction, wasn't it?

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:23 (seventeen years ago) link

the british library isn't much of a 'popular rom-com' kind of gaff.

― temporary enrique (temporary enrique), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:24 (seventeen years ago) link

It was the level of popular (British Library / fly-on-the-wall documentary/ cover of every paper ever) that was ridiculous.

Egg = Amy Jenkins (in her dreams), yes?

― ailsa_xx (ailsa_xx), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:27 (seventeen years ago) link

But it's a fictional show that was never remotely plausible in the first place, so does that -- you know -- matter?

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:31 (seventeen years ago) link

How was it "never remotely plausible in the first place"?

― ailsa_xx (ailsa_xx), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:33 (seventeen years ago) link

But it sold itself on its plausibliity on being an uncensored, naturalistic slice of the lives of 20-somethings in modern Britain. It thrusting that in your face was what was so annoying about it in the first place, to anyone with a "don't tell me what my life is like" bone in their body.

x-post

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:37 (seventeen years ago) link

(It never told me what my life was like, it just made me bloody glad it wasn't like that)

― ailsa_xx (ailsa_xx), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:39 (seventeen years ago) link

I dunno, Egg quitting law to run a cafe? Anna taking an E and shagging her flatmate's dad? If they burst into song occasionally, it could be Ally McBeal.

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:39 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah, I've *never* chucked in a job to try and do something different. I've *never* shagged someone I shouldn't done. oh fuck, they *are* like me.

― ailsa_xx (ailsa_xx), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:42 (seventeen years ago) link

shagged someone I shouldn't done

Yes, but your flatmate's dad?

― Onimo drank ALL the wine! (nu_onimo), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:44 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah, I don't really see how those two things are so odd either.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:44 (seventeen years ago) link

stranger things have happened. but miles' wealth was pushing it, partly because it was unexplained.

― temporary enrique (temporary enrique), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:45 (seventeen years ago) link

I thought he inherited it too.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:47 (seventeen years ago) link

Ha, once again, I guess everyone's life is much more exciting then mine.

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:47 (seventeen years ago) link

miles inherited some money (i surmise) but he's also rich from being a hotel 'magnate' or something.

― temporary enrique (temporary enrique), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 15:51 (seventeen years ago) link

magnates don't have hair like that.

― Dr.C (Dr.C), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 16:19 (seventeen years ago) link

The knee-jerk negativity on this thread is of course entirely predictable. What you all really want is your youth back!

no, what we all wanted was a decent programme!

― grimly fiendish (simon), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 16:23 (seventeen years ago) link

Surely inherited lots of money* then became very poor again by being a shit hotel magnate?

Didn't he say his hotel chain was called "Hobotel"? Who the fuck would want to stay in something called "Hobotel"?! (actually, I'm guessing no-one, hence appearance of rubbish night-time bailiffs with an eye for antique chairs)

* Rich Dad, plus rich ex-wife (the latter either big ol' divorce settlement or big ol' life insurance policy, depending on what happened to Francesca).

― ailsa_xx (ailsa_xx), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 16:27 (seventeen years ago) link

Did no one, implausibilities aside, find it, y'know, fun?

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 16:38 (seventeen years ago) link

Yes, it was.

― Dr.C (Dr.C), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 16:39 (seventeen years ago) link

Fly-on-the-wall camera chick pointing out that it was no fun watching a bunch of cunts was the highlight, and was OTM.

― onimo (nu_onimo), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 16:40 (seventeen years ago) link

the whole anti-fly-on-the-wall thing was very early 00s and while an interesting theme the 'non-involvement/involvement' thing with the girl belonged elsewhere and wasn't well done anyway.

― temporary enrique (temporary enrique), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 16:46 (seventeen years ago) link

x-post But you still watched it?

― Dr.C (Dr.C), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 16:46 (seventeen years ago) link

It was ridiculously This-Life-by-numbers

1) Egg is happiest when cooking, but still has no idea how to deal with his girlfriend (and now son)
2) Warren has "issues"
3) Anna is "complex"
4) Milly is neurotic
5) Miles is a twat

Give them all (Anna excepted) implausible careers, add an "edgy" (except it wasn't) "zeitgest-friendly" (except it wasn't) plot device (which didn't really work anyway since so much took place away from the reality TV lassie) and, hurrah, you have a cobbled-together-in-minutes TV show and Amy Jenkins is a bit more rich.

(I liked some of the nods to the old series, and some of the one-liners were nice, and the cast all fell back into character very quickly. But it was exceptionally unsatisfying)

― ailsa_xx (ailsa_xx), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 16:47 (seventeen years ago) link

Yes sometimes people watch crap telly.

xpost

― onimo (nu_onimo), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 16:48 (seventeen years ago) link

Also, no-one has roffled at Warren's website yet?

― ailsa_xx (ailsa_xx), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 16:48 (seventeen years ago) link

i liked the two of them in the audience for book launch thing. had potential. the rest of it seemed to be pointless argument after pointless argument.

i also liked camera girl's accent. and the one scene where she started recording warren taking overdose and which relied on you knowing the significance of an out of focus red led.

how long has cocaine come in little glass bottles? i'm out of touch with my druglord friends obv.

― koogs (koogs), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 18:03 (seventeen years ago) link

Phials.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Thursday, 4 January 2007 08:40 (seventeen years ago) link

no, but thanks for caring.

― temporary enrique (temporary enrique), Thursday, 4 January 2007 08:54 (seventeen years ago) link

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