Dolly Wells Archives - MoodyComedy

Film Review: Benny & Jolene

October 21, 2015 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

Benny & Jolene (2014) is a film about folk-singing duo Ben (Craig Roberts) and Jo (Charlotte Ritchie) who are attempting to navigate their way through the confusing ins and outs of the music industry as well as finding their place within it.

This film is bursting with familiar comedy faces including the likes of Tom Rosenthal, Dolly Wells and Laura Patch. Rosamund Hanson stars in a role she is well-practiced in: that of a dopey PR girl (note her previous role as Cheryl in Life’s Too Short). Hanson is one of the stars of the show, being the source of the majority of laughs and serving as a real tension-releaser for when the situations the characters find themselves in become a little too exasperating, which is often. Roberts (Submarine) and Ritchie (Fresh Meat, Siblings) are excellent throughout and they just keep getting better; they’re sure to become household names within the next few years if they continue at this pace.

With beautiful lighting and a frequent cut and pasting of narrative, this piece of work is visually pleasing as well as being successful at holding pace. There are definite, and most likely deliberate, imperfections in the smoothness of camera shots which add to the personal feel of the production, making it feel more natural and endearing as a result. I found that many aspects of Benny & Jolene shared similarities with the television series Doll & Em, not least because Dolly Wells stars but also due to the intentional style of awkward-comedy that jars at first but gradually warms and softens.

Though this is probably rare, in the case of Benny & Jolene the plot of the film doesn’t feel as important as the general feel of the whole production. I will probably forget the story in time. Instead, however, this film is valuable as the warm, funny heart-warmer it undeniably is, with sharp writing from Jamie Adams. The competency of the cast shines through both in and around the dialogue, showing an applied understanding of tension and comedic relief. This is a production with true soul.

‘BENNY AND JOLENE’ IS AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE HERE

TV Review: Doll & Em, Series 2

September 16, 2015 by Becca Moody 1 Comment

Airing in June of this year, series 2 of Doll & Em has been a relatively long time coming, but it was worth the wait. The premise is simple enough: Dolly and Emily are best friends and have been since they were children. Both women are British, but Emily has since become a considerably successful Hollywood actress, as well as marrying an American and having two children. Dolly, on the other hand, currently has less going on in her life. The beginning of the first series saw her break up with her long-term boyfriend and move to LA to become Em’s personal assistant. Since then, Dolly has proven that she is not personal assistant material and now works with Emily, rather than for her: the pair are writing a play which is inspired by their long-lasting friendship.

An interesting aspect of Doll & Em is that it feels as though the writers (Mortimer, Wells and Azazel Jacobs) feel no particular need or desire to have their audience fall in love with the core characters. It seems that all viewers, women in particular, can identify elements of their own personalities, their friends, their sisters, their mothers, reflected in Dolly and Emily.

There is a great deal of skill present in the writing that has enabled Wells and Mortimer to tackle serious topics like marriage problems, friendship issues and creative disagreements whilst maintaining a definite bright and airy feel to the whole production, perhaps presenting a more natural representation of how people deal with struggles in their lives whilst getting on with whatever also needs to be done. Here we have a British sitcom that is entirely binge-watchable. It isn’t a psychological drain to watch too many episodes in one sitting, unlike many other cringe-style comedy shows such as The Office, Peep Show or Lead Balloon, making Doll & Em feel almost of its own genre altogether.

Doll & Em is a comedy about what is important, to the writers yes, but also to people in general. It considers what it is that makes us continue to invest our energy into certain things, whether that be friendship, family or a creative process like the crafting of Doll and Em’s play. It shows life as a string of incidents, of positive and negative experiences that make up who we are. The laughs are not riotous, but they are certainly there. They are not forced, manufactured or pitiful; they are honest. This is a comedy that truly warms the heart.

SERIES TWO OF DOLL & EM IS AVAILABLE ON SKY.

TV Review: Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy, Series 2

September 11, 2014 by Becca Moody 5 Comments

I wrote a post towards the end of July reflecting on the first episode of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy: Tales from Painted Hawaii (series two) but this series has been so dense with artistic talent and clear passion, that I couldn’t possibly not revisit it after all five episodes.

It’s no secret that I am a massive fan of Noel Fielding and his work, so was obviously hugely excited that the long-anticipated second series had finally arrived. These episodes have taken a long time to produce because they are one of a kind; the process of making them seems to be more rigorous than that of various other Sitcom style shows. Love Luxury Comedy or hate it, it is impossible to deny that the makers of this show have presented their audience with great innovation: with the bright and complex animation from Nigel Coan; an eccentric soundtrack from Fielding and Kasabian‘s Serge Pizzorno; along with brilliantly intricate set and costume design from James Dillon and Ameena Kara Callender.

As well as the obvious beauty and detail involved in the visuals of Luxury Comedy, the stories are also packed full of references to art and literary culture such as Andy Warhol (of course), George Orwell and Yoko Ono. This alone is proof for me that the makers of Luxury Comedy have not been lazy during the creative process: every scene is punchy, a little bit mad, but also intelligent.

Watchers of series one who weren’t impressed may be pleased to know that this series is a lot more relatable for audiences, with occasional cynical statements that can catch you off guard.

Smooth: “What do you do to escape?”

Reality Man: “Panel shows. What’s funnier than five men in shiny shirts taking a side-ways look at the week’s news?”

In this way, I think this series is a lot more self-aware, in fact, one episode even focuses on the idea of the show only having one viewer (a Brummie named Terry, played by Steve Oram) and the fact that they must save him from certain death.

In addition to the lovely Noel, the show is full of immense comedic talents such as his Mighty Boosh co-stars (Dave Brown, Rich Fulcher, Richard Ayoade, Simon Farnaby and Tom Meeten) and of course, the delightful star of Doll & Em: Dolly Wells and Tom Meeten’s partner-in-crime: Steve Oram (Sightseers).

I would have to say that this programme is probably one of my favourites to ever appear on television, particularly this new series. It appeals to all of my interests: comedy, music and art (and Noel Fielding of course) but most importantly of all: Luxury Comedy is a source of inspiration to me. Every aspect screams quality and I sincerely hope the show and its creators flourish in the coming months as a result.

The whole of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy: Tales From Painted Hawaii is available on 4OD.

TV Review: Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy: Tales From Painted Hawaii

July 25, 2014 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

Yesterday, on the 24th of July, 4OD previewed the first episode of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy: Tales of Painted Hawaii, which was, of course, greeted with open arms by the Fielding community. Noel has previously said that this series took a lot longer to write than the first, and that audiences should be prepared for a very different show format. This is down to the fact that the making of series one of Luxury Comedy was a chance for Fielding and the other creative minds behind the show to throw lots of ideas into the mix, as well as there being an obvious need to establish a few core characters and concepts, and as a result, the show’s debut was a colourful combination of the insane and the psychedelic.

Although this first series was adored by fans all over the world, it also received a fair amount of criticism from people who thought it was a step too far and many suggested it was self-indulgent. I can’t say I disagree with the latter, but I wouldn’t say it was a bad thing: it is important that creators of content are in love with what they are producing, and I think Fielding’s passion for both art and comedy shone through. From what has been shown of series two, however, Luxury Comedy has evolved into a wonderful sitcom, rather than the fast-paced sketch show it was previously. By approaching the format in this way, Noel and Nigel Coan (who co-wrote the show) have been able to add a great deal of depth to all the characters, which is evident from the first episode alone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmND4XGw0zE

There is a fresh new energy within the cast, that is made up of Noel Fielding, Mike Fielding, Tom Meeten and Dolly Wells, but still has the same feelings of warmth and familiarity of previous episodes. Actually, there are many subtle changes as well, such as the way Noel is much more self-depreciating and, therefore, more ‘human’. That is a definite theme I picked up on: the show has suddenly become a lot more human. This is made clear in the dialogue where characters often refer to the audience, or the fact that the show didn’t have many viewers (though it did, of course).

With the immense talent that is Serge Pizzorno (Kasabian) working with Noel to create the show’s music and the famously gifted Dave Brown putting together the unique and recognisable animation, the programme is absolutely seamless. Subsequently, right at the start of this first episode, with the title sequence that features efforts from both sides, there really is a lot to sing and dance about.

I cannot wait to see the rest of the new series of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy and will probably write up a full post about it when it finishes as I just can’t help myself; Noel is my idol.

TV Review: Doll & Em

April 23, 2014 by Becca Moody 3 Comments

Yesterday, I visited my best friend, Phoebe, and we watched the final two episodes of the gorgeous show that is Doll & Em. I knew I would love this show because I had seen a pilot clip of Dolly & Laura (a very simliar concept with Dolly Wells and Laura Patch) before from quite a few years ago, which features Noel Fielding (my absolute favourite), and I definitely wasn’t disappointed. Doll & Em follows two best friends, both aged fourty-something. They are Dolly, a clumsy, almost naive but entirely loveable lady who has just broken up with her longterm boyfriend, and Emily, the successful Hollywood actress with a load of famous phone contacts. At the start of the first episode, Em decides to hire Dolly as her personal assistant as an excuse for the two of them to spend more time together while the actress films for her latest movie project in LA.

Phoebe (left) and I (right)

The show is endearing, hilarious and extremely uncomfortable in places because Dolly often manages to say or do the wrong thing that leads to her either looking an idiot to the Hollywood stars or completely showing up Emily. The funniest moment for me happened pretty early on, where Dolly goes for a swim in the pool outside Emily’s apartment and ends up getting locked out there all day. Both Doll’s clumsiness and charm really come out in this scene and it had me and my friend laughing until we were in tears. The fact this show appeals to both of our senses of humour is great and I definitely feel that Phoebe and I have a similar relationship to that of Doll and Em (though we have never had an argument and neither of us are good at acting). This might be why I like it so much, it’s almost a sneak-peek into the future of our own friendship in a weird way.

What really makes the programme work is the fact that Doll and Em, much like Phoebe and I, have been best friends since they were little girls in real life and it really shines through beautifully. Their personalities are entirely different yet they bounce off each other brilliantly and have such a close relationship that it borders on dysfunctional. Also, I have loved Dolly for a long time due to her role in Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy but had never come across Emily Mortimer before… until it was pointed out by a hilariously slow customer at the restaurant where Dolly works that it was her in Shutter Island. I love that film, and almost feel like I have achieved something from learning this information: I feel like I already know Emily in the way I already knew Dolly.

Doll (left) and Em (right)

The absolute cherry on the cake was the appearance of Noel towards the end of the final episode. Although he is acting so has toned his fashion sense down ever so slightly (he still wears a poncho, of course), when the camera pans out you can see the glimmer of his silver chelsea boots which I thought was fantastic. The final few scenes of the series featured Noel, which is always a positive, but the performances of both ladies were flawless: I could feel the love they have for each other radiating through the screen.

I’ve never seen a programme quite like Doll & Em and I can really tell it is a product of love, both for the show and for each other. I will be over the moon if this beauty is commissioned for a second series and I can imagine there being a wonderful film adaptation of Doll & Em one day.

Noel’s scene

Some Girls, Series 2

November 3, 2013 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

I tend to try and watch all new sitcoms that appear on the BBC and Channel 4 in particular as comedy is clearly thriving in Britain at the moment, but the main thing that originally drew me to series 1 of Some Girls was the fact that it starred Dolly Wells (Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy).

some girls

Some Girls follows a small friendship group through their experiences at high school; most of the girls in the group are very odd. Viva is the character with the main focus as we are introduced to her family, which includes her pregnant stepmother Anna Hitchcock (‘Bitchcock’) who is played by Wells. Anna is also the girls’ school football coach and has most of the funniest lines in the whole show. One of my favourites from this new series was along the lines of: [In a full school assembly] “As most of you know, Mr Andrews has died. For those of you who didn’t know, Mr Andrews has died”. I found her sarcasm and impatience throughout the episodes hysterically funny.

The cast is refreshingly young and skilled. Amber (Alice Felgate) and Saz (Mandeep Dhillon) are completely insane characters and have such contrasting personalities- Amber is a typical ‘dumb blonde’ character with a really kind heart and Saz is sarcastic, angry and hilarious. Some Girls is surprisingly original and enjoyable; I found myself laughing out loud a lot.