ere are the shockingly delusional, and then there
isDavid Brent. At 55, he’s taken a step down from
management for a rep job at loo product purveyors
Lavichem. But he has a dream – that he can still
become a rock sensation. He’s so confident in his
ambition that he cashes in his pension fund and
sets out on the road, rockumentary crew in tow, for
a rather localised tour of England, hiring a backing
band who are only in it for the cash. He’ll prove his
doubters wrong, won’t he? Possibly the most cringe-
inducing and least self-aware character to ever have ever peered out
of our screens, Ricky Gervais' brilliant – and increasingly desperate –
creation pushes everything (and everybody) to the limit here. At times
you might actually feel sorry for him. Briefly.
AF
(See page 32)
Out of the office.
DAVID BRENT: LIFE ON THE ROAD
Release Date:
14/12/16
Format:
Her work life’s running like clockwork, but her
biological clock is ticking like mad. Yes, while all her
friends are getting married, world famous singleton
Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) is still living up to
the title, now 43, companionless and childless. Plus
she hasn’t had a shag in ages! She changes that
with a quick bonk at a music festival with a mystery
American (Patrick Dempsey). A fortnight later she
bumps into now-married old flame Mark Darcy (Colin
Firth) at a christening, and they make up for lost time.
Weeks later Bridget discovers she’s pregnant. But who’s the daddy?
Like a giant pair of comfy knickers, it’s great having Bridget back,
ably helped by some riotous cameos from the supporting cast –
especially Emma Thompson’s OB/GYN.
AF
She's going to need bigger pants.
BRIDGET JONES'S baby
Release Date: 14/12/16
Format:
He’s big, he’s friendly and he’s giant – he’s the Big Friendly
Giant! Why is this a thing? Well, giants are usually nasty
types. How nasty? They eat children! But the BFG doesn’t
glean any culinary satisfaction from devouring kiddies, instead
finding them fascinating – in particular their dreams. One such
child is Sophie, a 10-year-old insomniac who’s captured by the
BFG one night and taken to Giant Country (hey, ‘The Land of
the Giants’ was taken), telling her that she must stay there
now so as not to reveal the existence of giants to the human
world. But upon witnessing how he’s picked on by other
giants, Sophie hatches a cunning plan to save the BFG and solve mysteries of
missing children back in her own world. Based on the beloved book by Roald
Dahl, this is a delightful family fantasy from the king, Steven Spielberg, who
also proves that he can drop a wicked fart gag. PARP!
AF
A Spielberg-sized serving of Dahl.
THE BFG
Release Date:
07/12/16
Format:
Everybody knows those stories about storks bringing
babies is a big load of hooey. After all, they’re found
incabbage patches! Anyway, this entirely fictional tale
sees the storks out of their alleged baby-courier gig in
favour of something altogether more lucrative – delivering
packages for the rather Amazon-like
cornerstore.com. But when a little boy sends a letter requesting a little
brother, and that letter is misfiled by the rather inept Tulip,
the old baby-making machine is accidentally switched on
and pops out a bouncy, burbling bundle of secretions.
It’s all hands on deck for Tulip and her pal Junior, as they need to sneak
the bub out and deliver it. But that’s just the start... A fun cartoon romp
with plenty of stuff to keep adults awake – from Key and Peale and Andy
Samberg in particular – dare we say that
Storks
delivers?
AF
A change in the pecking order.
STORKS
Release Date:
21/12/16
Format:
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