StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Bereamic Awesome Movie

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

RaspberryLucozade This witty series of short films helped put 'alternative comedy' on the comedy map in the early '80's. 'The Comic Strip Presents' started life in the Comedy Store club in Soho in 1980 when a young group of comedians banded together to form 'The Comic Strip Club' which consisted of three double acts - Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson ( under the name '20th Century Coyote' ), Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders ( who simply became known as 'French & Saunders' ) and Peter Richardson and Nigel Planer ( who became known as 'The Outer Limits' ). Alexei Sayle acted as compere. Along with Pete Richens, Peter Richardson decided that there was potential to bring the team to television and so 'The Comic Strip Presents' was born. It debuted on Channel 4 in 1982 ( one of the first things to be shown on the newly launched channel, the first being the dreadful Liverpudlian soap 'Brookside' ) a week before 'The Young Ones' debuted on BBC2. The first edition, 'Five Go Mad In Dorset' was a spoof of Enid Blyton's 'The Famous Five' and drew complaints from viewers for the way it satirised the show.The first series of films was patchy at best but when it returned at the end of 1983 with a second season, it had taken a huge leap in quality, bringing us some wonderful editions such as 'Dirty Movie' and 'Susie'. The films, which were a cross between 'Carry On' and 'Monty Python', were often beautifully written and proved highly influential. Keith Allen, Peter Richardson and Robbie Coltrane featured in a one off television spin-off 'The Bullshitters' which was a blatant spoof of 'The Professionals'. Several cinematic releases also came about as a result of the show's success. The first film, 'The Supergrass' ( which had Ade Edmondson as a reluctant police informer ) came in 1985, the second film, made in 1987 was 'Eat The Rich' ( which sees a disgruntled restaurant owner fall on hard times ), 'The Pope Must Die', made in 1991 saw Robbie Coltrane unwittingly becoming the new pontiff and lastly, in 2004 we were given 'Churchill: The Hollywood Years' which saw Hitler trying to marry into the monarchy.Of all the show's stars, Rik Mayall was probably the one to profit the most from the success of the show. Mayall had previously gained television exposure in as eccentric investigator Kevin Turvey in the BBC Scotland sketch show 'A Kick Up The Eighties' but it was with 'The Young Ones' and 'The Comic Strip Presents' that he really found his niche.Unfortunately, 'The Comic Strip Presents' overstayed it welcome but when it was funny it was hilarious and for many helped brighten up many's a dark night throughout the 80's and 90's.Favourite edition? 'Mr. Jolly Lives Next Door' in which Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson play two bumbling assassins who are hired to 'take out' Nicholas Parsons.

didi-5 The first 'Comic Strip Presents ...' production came to our screens on the opening night of Channel 4 (I think) with one of the best editions, 'Five Go Mad In Dorset' (Peter Richardson as Julian, Ade Edmondson as Dick, Jennifer Saunders as Anne, Dawn French as George, and Ronald Allen aka David from Crossroads as Uncle Quentin. Also featured Daniel Peacock, now there's a blast from the past, as Toby).Future editions were a bit hit and miss but I'm glad to have been around when these were new: 'The Bad News Tour' (including Rik Mayall and Nigel Planer as well as Ade from The Young Ones); 'Gino' (with Keith Allen and Robbie Coltrane); 'The Bullshitters' (the Professionals spoof with Keith Allen as Bonehead and Peter Richardson as Foyle; Scum's Julian Firth; Esther Freud as a backstage floozy, and Elvis Costello as an A&R man); 'The Strike' (following the miners' strike, this appeared - three Allens (Keith, Kevin, Ronald) and the loud Scouser Alexei Sayle); the wonderful 'Mr Jolly Lives Next Door' (Peter Cook, Nicholas Parsons, and I seem to remember Rowland Rivron in this?); and 'The Yob' (Keith Allen again; Julian Firth as a coke addict; Warren Clarke; Gary Olsen; and Derrick Branche).By the mid-1990s though the series was looking tired - a new generation of comedians was starting to appear and the Comic Strip gang were all heading into their 40s and beyond. Some went on to greater things, some disappeared. I doubt a series like this would survive for nearly twenty years if it started now, with largely the same core cast. 'The Comic Strip Presents ...' was groundbreaking and largely a lot of fun.

varsania You what? You what you what you what? Keith Allen is the master of yob culture telly. The Yob! is like my favourite all time classic Comic Strip Presents episode. A yobbo Arsenal fan racist thug swaps brains with a yuppie pop video director. Only a genius like Keith Allen could have come up with an idea like this. Especially like the scene where he physically transforms into the yob and his frontal lobes protrudes outwardly. Brilliant. Then the scene where he goes out of the pub shouting "You're gonna get you're f*ing head kicked!" in true yob like style.Brilliant.

Sam Bozman unique, hilarious parodies of cliche-ridden entertainment by a semiregular group of brits. I particularly remember their spoofs of spaghetti westerns ('a fistful of travelers checks') and post-apocalyptic flicks ('the slags'), as well as shots at kids shows, Rebecca, back-to-the-wilderness retreats, and a pre-Spinal Tap metal band's misfortunes. the Slags featured a young Anthony Stewart Head (Giles on Buffy tVS) as the leader of a gang called the Hawaiians ('that's not...nice!'). my personal favorite is the 'Travelers Checks' episode; the music and scenery and camera work would have made a perfectly good movie of the genre (especially the guitar-and-whistle music); and who could forget 'Billy Balfour, the Man with No Name'?! some of the regulars (Ade Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer) played in the bizzare 'Young Ones' series.