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Extras is a sitcom about (wait for it) film extras. Gervais plays Andy Millman, a lovable guy who is both very funny but also very vulnerable - a comic mix. Office co-creator Stephen Merchant also takes a role in the show, playing the idiotic agent and ex-Carphone Warehouse worker Darren ... Read review
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Gareth Carrivick - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Kathryn Drysdale, Sheridan Smith, Natalie Casey, Will Mellor, Ralf Little
Extras is a sitcom about (wait for it) film extras. Gervais plays Andy Millman, a lovable guy who is both very funny but also very vulnerable - a comic mix. Office co-creator Stephen Merchant also takes a role in the show, playing the idiotic agent and ex-Carphone Warehouse worker Darren Lamb.
Andy Millman is very different to David Brent, sharing only a couple of facial expressions. Millman is more down to ... ...humour and a vulnerable desire to achieve.
Each episode sees Andy working as an extra on a film or theatre show, and stars a celebrity. The celebrity plays themselves but (this quote is from Wikipedia) 'twisted versions of themselves; an exaggerated or inverted parody of their famous public personas'.
The best episode in series 1 is week 3: Kate Winslett. Kate is playing a nun in a film, but is foul mouthed and dirty ... more
When Ricky Gervais finished 'The Office', he was in an interesting position; dozens of Hollywood stars and British favourites were asking him to include them in his next project. The unprecedented success of his show meant he was in a powerful position, and one he used well.
Extras is a sitcom about (wait for it) film extras. Gervais plays Andy Millman, a lovable guy who is both very funny but also very vulnerable - a comic mix. Office co-creator Stephen Merchant also takes a role in the show, playing the idiotic agent and ex-Carphone Warehouse worker Darren Lamb.
Andy Millman is very different to David Brent, sharing only a couple of facial expressions. Millman is more down to earth, a very cynical guy with a biting sense of humour and a vulnerable desire to achieve.
Each episode sees Andy working as an extra on a film or theatre show, and stars a celebrity. The celebrity plays themselves but (this quote is from Wikipedia) 'twisted versions of themselves; an exaggerated or inverted parody of their famous public personas'.
The best episode in series 1 is week 3: Kate Winslett. Kate is playing a nun in a film, but is foul mouthed and dirty which is absolutely hilarious.
Because each episode contains a different star, the quality of each episode varies depending on who is in it. Myself, I didn't much enjoy Ross Kemp or Samuel L Jackson, but Les Dennis was absolutely great, as was Kate Winslett. Ben Stiller was OK, and Patrick Stewart was just crazy funny.
The regular characters are well written and lovable, particularly Andy and Maggie, his friend. Suggestions of a romance between the two add a bit of spice to the show too.
After a cracking first series, the pressure was on to match it, and they have. Guest stars in this series are Orlando Bloom, David Bowie, Daniel Radcliffe, Chris Martin, Sir Ian McKellen and Jonathan Ross.
The plot has moved on from series 1; Andy has been commissioned for his own Sitcom with the BBC, but it's far from great. We see Gervais and co satirising sitcom, with numerous jabs at Little Britain painfully obvious. Gervais is making fun of the world he works in, and it works brilliantly.
As with series one, some episodes are stronger than others, but the episode with Sir Ian McKellen is mindblowingly funny. Millman is starring in a play of McKellen's, but the role he has is of a gay man. Disturbed by the role, Millman forces himself to do it, and it's just so funny to watch I can't explain!
The Jonathan Ross episode is very funny too, and the real friendship the two have is evident on screen with a great chemistry show.
The character of Maggie is more developed in this series, and she's so lovable - she's Britain's answer to Phoebe in Friends I suppose. Again, the chemistry between Andy and Maggie is always present - will they get it together or not? You'll have to watch and find out.
In conclusion, for £18 from Amazon, this is an excellent collection to have.
Advantages: Great fight scenes Disadvantages: Quite long
Watching this film is an amazing experience. A true epic, you feel like you're caught up in a true Roman power struggle where you actually care what happens.
The battle sequences are second to none, and characters play their parts superbly despite the lack of long dialogue.
The fact that everyone speaks in the same language no matter where they ar from doesn't matter...just close your mind and enjoy it. Right from the opening sequence to the final battle scene, we are treated to film at its best.
For the ladies there's a love story as our Gladiator remembers his lost family and is attracted to Ceaser's sister.
Russell Crowe will be remembered as the Gladiator forever!
ExtraDVD with added extras makes it a must for your DVDcollection. ...
Advantages: The final episode is great Disadvantages: this is the final series
The 9th and final series of the classic BBC comedy Dad's Army, is just as enjoyable as the everyother series before it despite a number of the cast showing their age and illness.
This includes, 6 episodes some of the highlights are the Home Guard and the Wardens dress up as St. George and the Dragon and fight each other! A bomb gets stuck on top of important military phone lines which they are meant to be protecting and of course the final episode of Dad's Army which see Lance Corporal Jones Marry his wartime sweetheart Mrs. Fox and ends with a fitting tribute to those who were in the home guard. The final two are my favourite, although this isn't the best series in the collection. On the Region 2 DVD it has the short extra " We Are the boys" here they look at the Role Ian Lavender had in the show as Pike. Which is intersting part ...
Advantages: Owen Wilson delivering some classic lines, nostalga, cinematography Disadvantages: ungripping storyline, weak supporting cast
With a mix of good action scenes, witty (corny) dialogue and more than a touch of nostalga, this is an easy film to watch and quite enjoyable, whether you remember the original programme or not. Owen Wilson lights the movie up in a variety of places with his not-quite-on-the-same performance and Ben Stiller delivers a performance up to his usual standards, though never pushing the boundaries. Unfortunately it just never gets to the stage of really drawing you in or gripping you and I was left feeling that an opportunity to make a real blockbuster had been let slip away. On the plus side the cinematography is good and the special effects haven't been skimped on. There's the normal collection of extras on the DVD, but overall for me this is one to rent when there's nothing on TV one night. ...
Contains strong language, racial stereotyping, drug references and use and moderate sex references
Video Category
Television
Plot
Contains series one and two of the comedy show EXTRAS, as well as the EXTRAS special. In series one, Andy Millman (Ricky Gervais) is an actor but his agent cannot get him an acting job. Instead he is just an extra in films, ever hopeful that one day he will actually get some lines. Series two of EXTRAS finds extra Andy Millman commissioned by the BBC to create and star in the sitcom 'When The Whistle Blows'. However, Andy's initial happiness with his achievement is soon quelled when he finds he has to make a lowest common denominator show in order to appeal to the broadest possible audience. The two series of the deadpan comedy come to a close in this sensational finale. At this point, Ricky Gervais's lowly extra, Andy Millman, has finally made some headway in the entertainment industry. Millman's sitcom, WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS, has been commissioned and is an outright hit. Unfortunately its three series of predictable plotlines and critical beatings have begun to weigh on its creator. In this climax to the celebrity-studded series, Andy Millman has to make the tough decision on whether to give up all he's worked for in a bid for respectability.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK; CINRAM LOGISTICS (SWINDON)
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Behind the scenes , Featurettes, Documentary, Easter eggs, Outtakes, Deleted scenes, Audio commentary by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant
Aspect Ratio
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital Stereo
Professional reviews
Review
[Series 1]...A televisual comedy masterclass (The Observer, 06/10/2008)
[EXTRAS Special]...The Brits certainly have a luxury in their freedom to craft little gems such as this that need only generate a dozen or so installments, but that hardly diminishes what Gervais and Merchant have accomplished by again living up to the elements in this project's title: It's extra, it's a finale and it is, indeed, special (Variety, 06/10/2008)
DVD Description
Contains series one and two of the comedy show EXTRAS, as well as the EXTRAS special. In series one, Andy Millman (Ricky Gervais) is an actor but his agent cannot get him an acting job. Instead he is just an extra in films, ever hopeful that one day he will actually get some lines. Ricky Gervais' follow up series to the enormously successful THE OFFICE sees Gervais repeating the acute observations on real life used in THE OFFICE, this time in the world of films. Guest stars on EXTRAS include both Hollywood actors (Ben Stiller, Kate Winslett, Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Stewart) and actors familiar to British television viewers (Ross Kemp and Les Dennis). All the actors are more than happy to send themselves up, whether it be Patrick Stewart and his sex obsession or Kate Winslett only deciding to do a Holocaust film because she thinks she'll win an Oscar for it. Series two of EXTRAS finds extra Andy Millman commissioned by the BBC to create and star in the sitcom 'When The Whistle Blows'. However, Andy's initial happiness with his achievement is soon quelled when he finds he has to make a lowest common denominator show in order to appeal to the broadest possible audience. Andy's sitcom has been transformed from a show that was in many ways like Gervais' groundbreaking previous show THE OFFICE into a catchphrase-driven show that's filmed in front of a studio audience. Additionally, he has been told that he has to wear large glasses and a curly perm wig. The second series of EXTRAS sees Millman attempting to adjust to fame and life in the public eye and the compromises that come with. Guest stars include Robert De Niro, Orlando Bloom, David Bowie, Coldplay's Chris Martin, Jonathan Ross, Sir Ian McKellen, and Daniel Radcliffe. The two series of the deadpan comedy come to a close in this sensational finale. At this point, Ricky Gervais's lowly extra, Andy Millman, has finally made some headway in the entertainment industry. Millman's sitcom, WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS, has been commissioned and is an outright hit. Unfortunately its three series of predictable plotlines and critical beatings have begun to weigh on its creator. In this climax to the celebrity-studded series, Andy Millman has to make the tough decision on whether to give up all he's worked for in a bid for respectability.
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