TheThickOfIt Tagged Articles at Cinematical
I Think We Liked 'In the Loop'
Filed under: Comedy », Sundance », IFC », Trailers and Clips »
Embedded above is the trailer for Armando Iannucci's political spin farce, In the Loop, which James and others had been talking up since Sundance. I suppose that's a fitting response, for them to talk about a movie that's all about talk, as the trailer capably demonstrates (well, a commenter or two on Funny or Die still demand to know what the movie's really about). I myself was initially skeptical of anything dealing with labyrinthine political dealings, but I've been assured that that isn't really the point of it all -- and I've gotta say, the phrase "difficult-difficult-lemon-difficult" still tickles me so.
IFC will release this in select theaters and (thankfully, for us non-NY/LAers) on-demand come July 24th. That's enough time for me to catch up on original series "The Thick of It," though I've been told that familiarity with it wouldn't be necessary. At least, that's what I think they said...
Sundance Review: In the Loop
Filed under: Comedy », Sundance », IFC », Theatrical Reviews », Festival Reports », Politics », Sundance Reviews 2009 »
In the Loop, which was picked up for U.S. release by IFC at Sundance, seemed tailor-made for easy summations: "It's The Office meets The West Wing," the early-screening set said, along with raving endorsements about how funny In the Loop actually was. And the latter part of that was proven right when I saw In the Loop at Sundance; it's achingly, wrenchingly, dizzyingly funny, with a bleak, bitter sense of humor that makes each laugh feel like the people behind In the Loop are not so much tickling your funny bone as they are going at it with an ice pick.
And yes, In the Loop has the handheld-yet-slightly-too-steady camerawork of The Office, where the comedy of uncomfortable silence builds and builds as the camera lingers and stays on, and it also has the petty rivalries and silly squabbles of The Office; it seems that whether you're selling paper or pushing it, work is work. And In the Loop also has the insider-y, rushed feeling of The West Wing, where many scenes are done as a walk-and-talk and we're reminded that they talk about the corridors of power because that's usually where the deals get cut.
But In the Loop also transcends those easy comparisons, and does so to great effect. The idea that government is as messy and petty and foolish as any other workplace is scary, and funny; the insider's view of politics in it isn't warm walk-and-talk idealism but the ugly, mean pragmatism of the stalk-and-talk, or even the prowl-and-growl. On the surface level, In the Loop is The Office meets The West Wing, sure; what it winds up feeling more like is as if John Cleese and George Orwell wrote Dr. Strangelove for our media-soaked age where wars are conducted in part through press releases and focus groups, or Catch-22 for the 24/7 news era.
'In the Loop' Finds a Old Child Star and a Soprano
Filed under: Comedy », Casting », Politics »
Back in January, I blogged about the BBC show The Thick of It getting the feature treatment. The film, tentatively titled In the Loop, will be set in the same world as the television show, but it hadn't been determined whether the same characters would pop up. According to the latest post over at The Hollywood Reporter, it seems that the production is going half-fresh. This is particularly noteworthy because the actors are James Gandolfini, David Rasche (United 93), and ... My Girl Anna Chlumsky. Yes, Anna his swam out of the ether and right to BBC remakes!The film will focus on the inner workings of US and British government agencies and international relations, Chlumsky will play a State Department official, Gandolfini will play a general, and Rasche has signed on to play an undersecretary of state. On the British side of things, Peter Capaldi, Chris Addison, and Paul Higgins from the series are starring with Tom Hollander and Gina McKee.
The Team Behind Alan Partridge Will Soon Be 'In the Loop'
Filed under: Comedy », Scripts »
First came Alan Partridge, the character that helped actor Steve Coogan make a name for himself. (And make this cinema-goer very happy.) The team responsible for the shows, led by Armando Iannucci, went on to create a political satire television program called The Thick of It -- which "takes a wry look at the inner workings of British government." But it's not a sleek, slick, political show. Handheld cameras are used to give it a documentary feel, and the comedy is also partially improvised. Now BBC reports that a film adaptation of the show is gearing up with BBC Films.The project, which is currently titled In the Loop, is said to be "set in the same world" as Thick, but they won't say whether the same characters will be appearing in the film. When Thick popped up in 2005, it scored a BAFTA for best sitcom and actor Chris Langham (who played "blundering minister Hugh Abbot") nabbed one for best comedy performance. However, he was later arrested and served time in prison for having child pornography on his computer, which led other actors in the series to be featured more prominently. Now, they could find themselves large and glimmering on the big screen, or stuck inside the boob tube.
I imagine that the writers are deciding whether they should just stick with the characters that the UK has become familiar with, or get more international, wide-spread names like oh, Coogan. And with that, I'll end my public pitch for more Coog. Stay tuned!
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