Advantages: Clever humour
Disadvantages: Transmission time

...Globelink News - a beacon shining in the dark night of television news coverage. Or so Gus would have us believe! I must confess that I love Drop the Dead Donkey, and was ecstatic (well, pretty pleased!) when I found out that Paramount were repeating all the episodes. OK, so the ultra-topical news items referred to are now consigned to history, but the razor-sharp wit still makes me laugh out loud. The characters are excellent - all utterly flawed and totally hilarious. Sally and Henry engage in a war of one-upmanship and bitch about each other constantly; George tries (and fails) to cope with the pressures of running the newsroom, his failed marriage and completely uncontrollable daughter whilst wearing some decidedly dodgy cardigans; Dave and Damian are often their own worst enemies; and Joy is the PA from hell. Fantastic! Gus... Read review

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Advantages: Sharply observed current affairs humour
Disadvantages: Stereotyped characters

...Drop the Dead Donkey was a Channel 4 production and regarded as cutting-edge humour in its time. It broke new ground in its current affairs satire and its office-based sitcom, and was a frequent allusion in newspaper columns and conversations round the coffee machine. I enjoyed it at the time, and having missed the re-runs, thought it was worth another look. It is set in the newsroom of an independent TV station. In the first episode the characters are established and delineated. George the editor, anxious and lacking in authority, Alex the thrusting professional deputy editor, Damian who would mug his grandmother for a good story, Dave, a bit of a lad, Gus the smooth corporate spy, Henry the lecherous old hack turned newsreader, Sally the posh airhead newsreader. The new ingredient in the standard sitcom mix is the current... Read review

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Advantages: Concise yet easy to follow, some impressive looking projects, well presented
Disadvantages: Special effects section, a little light (sic) on explanations

...One thing that often separates an average photo from a great one is the quality of light. Real life rarely serves up the sort of light we'd like (especially in the UK) and so we have to fall back on post processing and editing to tweak things. To the inexperienced user, this can be a bit of a hit and miss affair so I was very pleased to spot a copy of Photoshop Elements Drop Dead Lighting Techniques in the bookshop. The author Barry Huggins runs a multimedia and training consultancy at www.matrixtraining.com and has had his images used around the world so he ought to know a thing or two. The first thing that strikes you is the gorgeous presentation of the book. Ilex Press titles we have seen have always been impressive in this respect with superb quality brilliant white paper, excellent layout and flaps on the thick glossy cover... Read review

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Advantages: based on a good idea, humorous at times
Disadvantages: not-so-humorous at times

...Elizabeth (Phoebe Cates) has just realised that her marriage is well and truly over. In the same day, she manages to get fired from her job. At this point, she decides to cut her losses and give into her mother's demands that she come and stay with her. As a result, she is in a bit of an odd place, both emotionally and physically - her marriage over, no job, at her family's home. Basically, she has come full circle and has in a way reverted back to her childhood. And it is at this point that she comes across the box her childhood friend Drop Dead Fred (Rik Mayall) was trapped in by her mother many years previously, and sets him free. Drop Dead Fred isn't a real friend, but an imaginary one. However, Elizabeth can see the physical manifestation of him, as can we. But no one else on screen can. Fred is delighted to be reunited... Read review

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Advantages: Its sooooooo funny!
Disadvantages: Its kinda sad

...Drop Dead Fred! WHAT A QUALITY FILM! its all about a girl who grew up with an imaginary friend (Fred) Fred used to cause all sorts or trouble. Things like shaving the cat and other humerous things. Only problem is, the little girl (Elizabeth)got blamed for everything! (How horrible) So anyway, one day Elizabeths evil mother decides to lock Fred up in a jack in a box and seal it so he could never get out. Elizabeth grew older and like any other women, got married etc. One day Elizabeth caught her husband in the act and left him. She went back home to live with her annoyingly evil mother, when she came across a little box (a little sealed box) As you can probably imagine, she opened up the box and guess what..............out popped Fred! Genius! Never guess what happens next?! The past starts to repeat itself... Read review

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Advantages: Mickey taking of beauty pagents, amusing!
Disadvantages: Not the funniest, ludicrous story line!

...I’m a sucker for girly chick flicks, give me Bridget Jones or Sweet Home Alabama any day above some action or horror film. It’s the fact that the majority of them are just so simple (not be any means meaning to degrade the plot or the acting) but the fact you don’t need a huge amount of intelligence of excessive quantities of concentration to follow the plot and also enjoy it! My boyfriend has been known to get me to watch thrillers in my time but the thing it takes so much of my energy to just concentrate on remembering whose who, who hired which hit man and who are the goodies that I can’t even enjoy the film! That’s why Drop Dead Gorgeous caught my eye, it was being shown on the free Sky films (Sky Premier, etc.) about a year ago now and was ideal for my Friday night in, best friend at the ready to giggle with and a shared bottle... Read review

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Advantages: It does come to an end
Disadvantages: It is total rubbish

...Drop Dead Gorgeous is supposed to be the latest in a line of black comedies which have come out of Hollywood in recent years. If you’ve seen the trailer it looks funny, but it comes off horribly badly on screen. Basically set around a beauty pageant in Minnesota it descends into a sick farce. The death and frequent injuries which occur don’t come off the way they do in the trailer, which suggests some fault in the production. There is no sort of anticipation, no ironic remarks, no build up – just death. It just lacks something. And as for some of the other humour, well, I’m not so sure I’ve ever been in a quieter cinema in my life. It just seemed like no-one found it funny. In fact some of it was just plain offensive and the farthest thing from humour that I could imagine. With the likes of Kirstie Alley and Denise Richards I... Read review

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Advantages: Hilarious entertainment
Disadvantages: none

...childhood 'Drop dead Fred', (played by Rik Mayall), who only Lizzie can hear or see. With many flashback later, the story unfolds as to how Lizzie happened upon Fred and how Fred would always get Lizzie into trouble. But as Lizzie was now in the same state of mind as when she was younger, being depressed and alone, she unleashes the power of the very naughty Fred. As Lizzie tries to get her life back on track, attempting to patch up her marriage, Fred is at her side, trying to help in his own haphazard way… **IN CONCLUSION** Well what can I say about this movie..??? Hilarious?, comical?, side-splittingly funny? Well all three spring to mind. As most people had/have imaginary friends when they are kids this movie opens your mind to just how difficult a friend like that can be. The story is well written and the all round... Read review

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Advantages: Acting
Disadvantages: Everything else

...is over and done with and then we're onto the state finals and then the national finals in this short space of time. Everything goes really quickly, the whole film has been building up to the pageant climax and it goes so quickly it's pretty stupid. Apart from thinking this was a pretty abismal film, I thought the actors were brilliant, with many recognisable faces, I enjoyed their performances. Also look out for: Ambers mums permanent can of bear Ambers sort-of second mum The girls in the bogs How Amber travels Ambers DEAD job A group of drunk lads The Jesus show/dance (The funniest part of the movie for me!!!) The whole movie is recorded by a crew which is very different to other movies I have seen. They are a school crew that are making a film on the pageant, obviously this is a very clever and appealing way to make... Read review

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Advantages:
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