1974 - Muppets Most Wanted

I’m a big Muppets nerd, so I’m programmed to like this by default.  It scored a lot of points with it’s opening number about sequels that eased us in nicely.  I love how this builds upon the previous film, with the ever-present self deprecation the Muppets didn’t actually set the world on fire, and the only reason they’re selling out on their world tour is because it’s all an elaborate cover for a international jewel thief.  Perfect, classic, muppet. 

My son complained about the length of the film, and I guess I noticed it was long as well - but man, what kind of asshole complains about too much Muppet?  Not this guy!  I thought Ty, Tina, and Ricky were perfect as the human companions to our heroes.  I thought the wiring was clever, the jokes hit with a few solid laugh-out-louders.  

If you’ve ever loved the Muppets, it’s well worth your time.  Here’s to many more new adventures with them!

1922 - The Office: Christmas Special

I haven't seen this in years and since I'm re-studying the mockumentary style there's few finer examples.  This series has inspired me to no end, and I believe it's the awkward humour and the way it tickles the heart that's absolutely seeped into my own style.  There's something so admirable about the way that the British do their series, short and sweet, and never any waste.  It's surprising to think that this is over a decade old now, or around that.  I love the honest and simple closure that this gave the world and the characters we'd grown to love.  David Brent doesn't ride off into the sunset, but we see he's grown a backbone and making choices he never would have made at the beginning of the series.  It's simple and so effective.  If you haven't watch this, the original version of The Office, I don't want to ruin anything for you.  There's much debate over Jim and Pam Vs. Tim and Dawn - and while I love them both, it's hard to beat the original.
Please, if you've never see it, get on it.  There's only 14 episode of the entire series - it's a crime not to give it that 7hrs of your life, even this many years later.  Pretty please, with sugar on top, watch this!

1679 - Life's Too Short: season one

I think that it goes without saying that Merchant and Gervais are two of the most inspiring people working in comedy today.  Their first two series The Office and Extras are near perfect - especially their finales. I was ridiculously excited to see this new series, the title alone along with the concept was a lot of fun, and the idea that Merchant and Gervais would be playing themselves.  It's their usual awkward humour, and it's probably never more awkward than it is here.  And I know that I'm echoing this from other reviewers, but it really does feel that Warwick has been asked to turn himself into the next David Brent (which he does wonderfully).  You're never rooting for him so much as you're excited to see just how terribly he's going to mess up whatever situation he's in.  Or when something good happens, how bad it's going to become shortly thanks to karma.  I can't imagine that in real life that Davis is anything even close to the asshole he plays on the show, but he's quite terrible here, and it ultimately makes me wonder if this show isn't just about amusing the creators themselves... all you need to do is watch some one of the behind the scenes videos to see how enjoyable it is for Gervais to watch Warwick doing uncomfortable things.  And it's not unlike their reality series An Idiot Abroad, where he admits to the show being about him really like watching him put his friend in terrible situations.  Given that another season on this series has already been announced it might be far too early to write it off, but given where and how it ends I'm just not sure where it can and will go, and sadly, I'm not sure I care.  Unlike Extras and The Office there aren't any characters here who I actually like and want to root for, instead it's more like slowing down to watch a car wreck - which is fine the first time through, but hard to talk yourself into going back for a second glance.  The Huffington Post put it quite well:

There were laughs of course, and by the standards of average TV sitcoms Life's Too Short was excellent. But Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant will never be measured against the standards of average TV sitcoms - nor would they wish to be. The Office and Extras, particularly the denouements, made comedy into something stirring and beautiful and new.
In the end the disappointing thing about Life's Too Short wasn't that the falling out of cars and not reaching door bells felt like exploitation - it's that they felt like the freshest ideas on offer.

So if you love Gervais and Merchant then you'll want to give this a go, but it's far from their best work. 

1655 - Talking Funny

Ricky Gervais has a pretty great career at this point.  He's in a place where he can, more or less, do whatever he wants and more importantly do things that amuse him.  He even says that in this special, that he's not an every man, but there are enough people out there that respond to what he does, that he's able to be successful at it.  And here he's assembled some of the top comedy minds to talk with him for an HBO special.  Clever man, doing something he wants to do anyway and get paid for it.  So as you can see above he's with Seinfeld, Chris Rock, and my personal favorite of the group, Louis CK. 
For something that is really just four people sitting around talking this is a very very fast moving hour long special.  What I especially love about these four is how individually gifted they are, but how much they respect each other's opinions.  I love the different sides of the different topics.  I love listening to them and how they work their material and how much care and craft they put into it.
For any lover of comedy, and especially students of it, this is absolutely required viewing. 

1440 - Ghost Town

I'll watch pretty much anything that Ricky Gervais is involved in - you throw Tea Leoni and David Koepp into the mix and I'm in for sure. The premise of this film is a lot of fun - it's by no means original to tell a story about people that can hear ghosts - but putting it under the guise of a romantic comedy gives it a fresh spin, and using this cast does wonders for it. The film itself is filled with such great characters, dialogue and a sweetness that just creeps up and takes over you. Despite how horrible the main character is, Gervais makes you want to spend time with him. I knew I'd enjoy this film, but I wasn't expecting to love it like I did. It's a bit formulaic sure, but goddamn if it isn't entertaining, and if it doesn't just hit that sweet spot.

1364 - The Invention of Lying

Like most geeks, I'm a fan of Gervais, in particular his series work for the BBC. And when I first heard the premise of this film it was one of those moments a lot of writers get when they get really pissed off that they didn't come up with this premise themselves. It's pretty simple, really - which makes it all that more awesome.

I had a hard time getting into this film. The tone felt... off. The narration didn't work to me and felt a tad bit like a 'fix'. I found it a bit odd that, in an addition to always telling the truth that people were suddenly unable to keep any thoughts to themselves. I realize that most of the comedy comes from that, but I'm sure there could have been a way to make it work a little more organically.

As the film went on the barrage of cameos felt like it was getting to be a bit too much and instead of relaxing into the flow of the story, I kept getting pulled out - and for the most part, they don't add much to it.

I enjoyed this film enough, but I don't quite think Gervais has quite perfected this medium just yet. But don't worry. He will. I look forward to his Cemetary Junction.

Despite any negativity above, the film is definitely worth watching, there's a lot of smart and funny things going on - the ultimate is when we realize that the beginning of lying is also the beginning of religion. Very fun stuff, Mr. Gervais. If I have to nitpick though...

*SPOILER ALERT*

Why is it that the majority of the romantic arc is spent questioning why Garner's character can't get over her shallow behaviour and admit to herself that she loves Gervais, and yet absolutely no time is spent on why Gervais loves her, besides the obvious shallow reasons. Found that to be a missed opportunity and a bit of a contradiction.

*END SPOILER*