Lance Around Orlando

The Trip to Italy was Fabulous

The Trip to Italy. What a trip! And definitely worth the trip to the Florida Film Festival.

Like many Americans, I was not familiar with the British humourist Steve Coogan until I saw the delightful Oscar-nominated film Philomena last year. But our friends across the pond are very familiar with his work as they have awarded him with five BAFTAs from 1995 through 2014.

This film, a hilarious sequel to the well reviewed 2010 film The Trip, reunites Coogan with fellow co-star Rob Brydon and director Michael Winterbottom. In 2010, the duo was asked by the British paper, The Observer, to tour the country’s finest restaurants and film it. Reprising the same concept, this time Coogan and Brydon tour the great restaurants and hotels of Italy.

With comedic, extemporaneous interactions which might remind American audiences of the work of Robin Williams, the duo continually spoof famous movie scenes with spot on accents and witty dialogue that is so insightful it’s difficult to believe it was all ad-libbed.

Complimenting the interactions between the stars is a culinary feast for the eyes. Every town they visit includes a scrumptious meal. The camera catches master chefs as they create their works of art. My mouth was watering as I watched the two comedians enjoy fresh made Italian food between their riffs.

It’s a shame that the opening night film only plays one time at the FFF. If you missed it on Friday, you’re out of luck. That is, until it opens in theatres on August 15. Mark your calendars. This is one comedy you don’t want to miss.

Oh Sheep

Prior to the opening night movie, filmgoers were treated to a seven minute, computer animated short film, Oh Sheep. This funny, albeit macabre ditty had no dialogue but plenty of humor as two shepherds try their best to keep their flocks away from one another. The sheep are so determined to intermingle they risk life and limb in an attempt to thwart the efforts to keep them apart. The film is the brainchild of German filmmaker Gottfried Mentor. On his Facebook page he describes the piece as “A tragicomedy which reminds us that we are all of one flock.” It is a very clever and quite enjoyable film–If you don’t mind some dark humor!

This entry was posted on April 6, 2014 at 12:54 pm and is filed under Art Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.