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Mr_Prowse
Reviews
Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale (2007)
a staggering work of incredible genius, an unbiased look at the finale
Before this finale, I loved Extras, but I did not hold it up there with the legendary television programs. I thought it was excellent, but if every show could end with a finale like this the would of television would be a better place.
First, let it be said that there is not that much comedy to the finale. Some people might have a problem with this, but anyone invested in the characters will be fine. This is not to say that there is no comedy. Wonderful little gags are placed around the "finale" or basically a made-for-TV-movie more than a finale. And the jokes hit their mark very well. Stephen Merchant, scene-stealer of the entire program, has some great scenes, and the only down part of the finale is that he does not have many scenes in it. I know he is a supporting character, but in my opinion he was the funniest character in the show.
But there is little room for Merchant in an episode that spends most of time with Andy and Maggie evaluating their lives. This is the main point of the episode, and I'm not going to give any thing away here, but while many writers over the years have had character tackle this existential question of 'what am i doing with my life?', no one has done it better than these two fellows here. I never thought that a comedy could almost bring me to tears, but this finale did it without feeling like a depressing Oscar story.
Job well done. Every time you expect a cliché plot point to pop up and take the story where every story like this usually goes, they go the other way.
It's even more sad that this is the end of a great television show, but I guess Gervais and Merchant take quality over quantity to heart.
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
look past the negative reviews and see it for the good movie it is
First off, I will say that I walked out of Spider-Man 3 half-happy, half-sad. Though it was quite a great movie, I don't think it lives up to the greatness of Spider-Man 2.
But most movies can't live up to Spider-Man 2 either. Besides Batman Begins, it is probably the great comic book movie of all time. Most people will go into this movie expecting it to top the last one and when it doesn't they will think it sucks.
Trust me, it doesn't. Spider-Man 3 has more emotional depth than the second and it boasts one of the greatest third acts of an action movie I have ever seen. True, it is uneven at times and there is a slight feeling of it being too much plot for one movie.
But in the end, it all works. You just have to let it grow on you. The evil Spider-man storyline is amazing, and every villain is emotionally complex. Not to mention that Raimi actually takes the time in this action-filled movie to deliver some real human drama for the characters.
There is a large comedy element to the film, and some people might feel that it's out of place but that is the way that Spider-Man is in the comics. It's meant to be funny.
So to all those that do not like Spider-Man 3, watch it again with a new outlook. You might find it's better than you first thought.