Val Falvey TD

FearDark

Nobodys mentioned that Ardal O Hanlon is a completely unfunny man yet? So there Ive said it. Un-funny man.

Feeky Magee

FearDark wrote: »

Nobodys mentioned that Ardal O Hanlon is a completely unfunny man yet? So there Ive said it. Un-funny man.

Blasphemy! :eek:

johnfunk

Wertz wrote: »

Semi OT: I see a lot of people mentioning that we need the likes of an Irish Peep Show or similar....there's something we lack in this country though...where are the comedy based radio shows and such? It would seem a much better way or trialing new ideas, new producers or new talent, rather than the huge cost of putting turkeys on the telly.

But Dustin is funny!

HankScorpio

A very poor effort to start with. As posters have already alluded to:

1. The dithering, dimwit local TD has been seen before in Killinascully. That TD character even has a small part because it's a very one dimensional character. Don't know how they are going to squeeze a whole series out of the same schtick.
2. I feel sorry sorry for Arthur Matthews because if this is the best he can do, then its a sad state of affairs. It really makes you think how many of the genius moments of Father Ted did he actually contribute to, or was he simply riding on the coat-tails of the great Mr Linehan.
3. If Val inherited his seat from his apparently successful father, why are his constituency offices a run down caravan(very similar to the one when Ted & Dougal go on holidays where they met Father Furlong).
4. O'Hanlon has always been a sh*te actor. He got away with it in Father Ted because of Linehan's writing and most importantly the brilliant Dermot Morgan. He just can't escape or improve on that character which results in very painful veiwing. Maybe in another actor's hands this might of had a chance but under O'Hanlon it is surely doomed.

The whole thing looked cheap,dull but most notably predictable. A real of sense of been there, done that , seen it all before.

maryxyz

As there is so little good comedy on RTE I was really looking forward to this in the belief it would measure up to the Father Ted series - what a total disappointment ! ! ! !

Maryxyz

Dubh Geannain

I can't believe I was actually looking forward to this. Somebody above mentioned clichés. That's all I could think of. Poo

d.a.r.r.a.g.h

I have to say it was awful. There was no part I could find, that anyone would laugh at.

Euro_Kraut

He fell of his bicycle!! Brilliant!

Very poor effort. Amateurish and very clichéd. Even down to the daughter going 'oh my gawd my parents are soo embarrassing'

TarfHead

I had hoped that this could be good, then when I saw 'Sunday 19:30', I realised that it wasn't to be ..

Wyndman

Meeja Ireland wrote: »

i

That's a fair point, and it leads to a point that I've seldom seen tackled: that Ireland's national self-image as a land rich in talent is just delusional.

Actaully I've heard that a lot. Normally from producers, RTE hacks and other media administration types as an excuse for the poor product they're signing off on.

Ireland has proportionally more or less the same amount of talent as other nations but the reason it doesn't show up on camera is the uselessness of the self-appointed few (normally with marketing, accounting or PR backgrounds) who control the resources.

And to those who are spouting ingorance that Matthews was being carried by Linehan. As a team they worked on some of the greatest comedies of the last two decades, Alan Patridge, The Fast Show, Brasseye, The Day Today... Matthews on his own wrote the second series of Big Train, which is an amazing achivement for just one writer.

He has created, and originally played on stage, Father Ted. He is a downright legend and one of the funniest men alive. RTE, and the ballsless play-it-safe Irish media in general, are to blame here.

jonas7

Cant believe that Arthur Mathews put his name to this,times must be tough if this shyte is the best he can come up with.

Wyndman

I do agree re: the actors though. It's not that Irish actors are talentless, indeed some are wonderful, it's just the ones that only make a living in Ireland have no idea how to act on screen.

If they think they're in a comedy, they ham and gurn. If they think its the opposite pole (serious drama) they go dead eyed and [The] Clinical. Bacically they're playing to the back row of the Gate, our directors (normally promoted techies) don't have the skill or experince to tone them down. (Again, the directing on Val Falvey was woeful)

There really needs to be some Film Board course on screen acting. The average clothes-horse on a American teen drama is more comfortable on screen than any of our actors.

Lemondrop kid

Drat Fr Ted on now. back later Val very bad, more anon)

CliffHuxtabel

A Disgrace wrote: »

There's a reason Matthews isn't writing with Graham Linehan anymore folks..

As one of my close friends said tonight 'it's easy to see who was the Art Garfunkel of that particular relationship..

Maybe, but the IT crowd is crap too.

Its clear Fr. Ted was a product of an inspired period at the start of their career

JonathanAnon

Wyndman wrote: »

I do agree re: the actors though. It's not that Irish actors are talentless, indeed some are wonderful, it's just the ones that only make a living in Ireland have no idea how to act on screen.

Ardal O'Hanlon was terrible in My Hero, though the show was popular I think. He's a really limited actor. He should never be given a lead role as he is just too weak an actor to carry any scene on his own and make it credible.

However, I think there is very little that even good actors can do when the material is soooo poor. The whole thing about the bicycle was so juvenile. There was a lot of satirical potential here, but was all missed. Same with the scene where he met the constituents regarding local issues. Where can it go from here?

Lemondrop kid

meep wrote: »

Watched this with a none too critical eye hoping for a modicum of entertainment but it really was an appalling half hour of television.

Everything about it seemed one dimensional. I didn't think much of the script but what got me in particular was the execution. The shot selection, editing and performances were so stilted as to be unbelievable. There was no coherent flow whatsoever. Production standards were rock bottom, exemplified by the obviously accidental camera shake left in about 1/3 way through as characters exit the caravan as well as the awful shakey tilt up to the photo at the end.

And this is something that seems to be common across many comedy productions. Production techniques that work (a relative term) in SoapLand are transferred across to projects like this where they are wholly inappropriate.

Making a programme like this function smoothly and with a degree of professionalism would go a long way towards allowing the viewer focus on the script - instead you are constantly jolted back to reality with a poor performance here, a bad edit there, tacky location, poor set dressing, poor camera angle etc. When those gaffs come along at a faster rate than the jokes, what hope has it?

And why should I give it another chance? I'm not going to watch this again in the vain hope that it gets better. Producers should be aiming for the best possible in the first episode - this is the chance to set the standard and encourage the viewer back for more.

There's just a comedy by numbers feel to this and a lot of other local output that leaves a bad taste.

No I couldn't do better but that's not the point. The point is why produce anything at all if the results are this medicore. Someone should have known better.

Not funny. Not even entertaining.

Peter

This is what is wrong. Again have to watch second FR ted so no time

Lemondrop kid

Wyndman wrote: »

Actaully I've heard that a lot. Normally from producers, RTE hacks and other media administration types as an excuse for the poor product they're signing off on.

Ireland has proportionally more or less the same amount of talent as other nations but the reason it doesn't show up on camera is the uselessness of the self-appointed few (normally with marketing, accounting or PR backgrounds) who control the resources.

And to those who are spouting ingorance that Matthews was being carried by Linehan. As a team they worked on some of the greatest comedies of the last two decades, Alan Patridge, The Fast Show, Brasseye, The Day Today... Matthews on his own wrote the second series of Big Train, which is an amazing achivement for just one writer.

He has created, and originally played on stage, Father Ted. He is a downright legend and one of the funniest men alive. RTE, and the ballsless play-it-safe Irish media in general, are to blame here.

This is the second correct aspect. However this was supposed to be an ind. prod - so how did it go wrong? Can rte be blamed for the production values, clearly the biggest problem.
Well have to watch Ted 'kick the bishop up the arse', bye for now.
Speaking of kicking Bishops, I'm also looking forward to the Savage Eye.
As for 'Irish humour is different' I'll get back to that later:)

Wyndman

Lemondrop kid wrote: »

This is the second correct aspect. However this was supposed to be an ind. prod - so how did it go wrong? Can rte be blamed for the production values, clearly the biggest problem.

"Independent production" just means the crew /producers aren't on long term contracts with RTE. RTE Entertainment still meant to oversee and bring their zero experince to bear on every aspect of the production. They are accountable.

As for production values, it's clear that wheather to save money or wasting money in the wrong areas, the whole project - from scripts to editing - was rushed. This is standard practice with RTE.

baalthor

Well, even though it's a comedy about a politician I don't think anyone is going to confuse it with "Yes Minister!" or even "The New Statesman" ...

Ardal is playing the same lovable idiot role we've become used to from "Father Ted" and "My Hero". Several times I expected him to say "Ah now, Ted"

The absence to laughs made me focus on the unbelievability of the concept:

1. Could any TD really be this stupid and unassertive?

2. Why would a TD hold constituent meetings in a caravan?
They usually run clinics in hotels and even lowly councillors have constituency offices.

3. In real life,if someone swam in a river near a factory and developed a huge rash they would go to the newspapers, Joe Duffy, the county council, the EPA and so on. It would be a BIG story, I mean there's already a huge campaign in progress against the alleged health effects of pylons that haven't even been built yet. So I can't imagine any-one in this situation(even a complete idiot) being bought off by an independent local TD.

4. Why would a factory owner bribe an incompetent Independent TD, surely they would be better bribing an intelligent but corrupt government TD? What could Falvey do for them anyway?

The fact that he's an Independent is also a problem for the story line. It means that there won't be any interaction with party colleagues or any addressing of national political issues. I guess the writers wanted to play it safe here but it's a bit like "Father Ted" trying not to offend the Catholic Church.

I get the feeling that the central idea was "idiot rural TD" and the writers don't actually know very much about the lifestyle of a typical TD. Contrast this with "Yes Minister" where you end up thinking "Oh God, I bet that's what really does happen .."

The other main problem is that the lead character is an unassertive idiot.
I think the lead character in a sitcom can either be one or the other but not both. Homer Simpson, Peter Griffin, Frank Drebbin, the guy in Kilnaskully are all "dumb" characters but they make things happen. Falvey on the other hand is dumb but seems to be completely dominated by his adviser.

Then there's the cliched OMG-this-family-is-so-embarrassing daughter and the bit with the bicycle was laughable in completely the wrong way.

But maybe it will get better as it goes on although you would think a new series would start with its best foot forward so to speak.

baalthor

johnfunk wrote: »

But wasn't Father Ted Irish humour?

I always got the impression it was written with a UK audience in mind

I think Irish people are great at having a laugh and slagging each other, especially over a pint or ten. They then expect this hilarity to transfer to TV and movies and are disappointed when it doesn't.

But as someone mentioned, comedy requires a lot of writing and acting talent and there's only so much talent in a country of 4-6 million people.

We also seem to be disproportionately represented internationally when it comes to fiction writing and music so maybe it's expecting a bit much to be good at everything.

When it comes to comedy we compare ourselves to the US and Britain but how does our comedy compare to smaller countries like Denmark or New Zealand for example ?

Den_M

Jack Sheehan wrote: »

The IT crowd's first few episodes were cac

Say whaaaat?

copacetic

Wyndman wrote: »

"Independent production" just means the crew /producers aren't on long term contracts with RTE. RTE Entertainment still meant to oversee and bring their zero experince to bear on every aspect of the production. They are accountable.

Thats rubbish, this is made by grand pictures, they agree a budget in advance and provide all the staff and facilities. No-one on it would have any kind of contract with RTÉ, long term or not. In fact they appear to have done a fair bit of work for TV3 also. http://www.grandpictures.ie/profile/grandprofile.htm

Someone in RTE comissioned it and would have viewed rushes and given feedback but thats it. It's been in production since February according to google, so it's hardly rushed either.

And to those who are spouting ingorance that Matthews was being carried by Linehan. As a team they worked on some of the greatest comedies of the last two decades, Alan Patridge, The Fast Show, Brasseye, The Day Today... Matthews on his own wrote the second series of Big Train, which is an amazing achivement for just one writer.

He has created, and originally played on stage, Father Ted. He is a downright legend and one of the funniest men alive. RTE, and the ballsless play-it-safe Irish media in general, are to blame here.

The guy wrote this and appears to be closely involved with other grand pictures productions, so if he is the funniest man alive then you would think it would be funny whatever the production values. It was very poor.

Lemondrop kid

copacetic wrote: »

Thats rubbish, this is made by grand pictures, they agree a budget in advance and provide all the staff and facilities. No-one on it would have any kind of contract with RTÉ, long term or not. In fact they appear to have done a fair bit of work for TV3 also. http://www.grandpictures.ie/profile/grandprofile.htm

Someone in RTE comissioned it and would have viewed rushes and given feedback but thats it. It's been in production since February according to google, so it's hardly rushed either.



The guy wrote this and appears to be closely involved with other grand pictures productions, so if he is the funniest man alive then you would think it would be funny whatever the production values. It was very poor.

It was dreadful, but i really think the script editing,scene sequencing/ editing/direction crushed whatever might have existed.

baalthor wrote: »

I always got the impression it was written with a UK audience in mind

well i'd have to say a lot of the referencing is very insider Irish Catholic, with a broad appeal

When it comes to comedy we compare ourselves to the US and Britain but how does our comedy compare to smaller countries like Denmark or New Zealand for example ?

Good question - NZ's Outrageous Fortune was pretty well put together if not neccessarily brill

Lemondrop kid

Have to say the best comedy i've ever seen from this country was Spin the Bottle - a spinoff of Paths of Freedom. I assume this was also made by the same co.?

I'd also have to say that Meave Higgin's Fancy Vittles was stunning - almost too subtle for most to see, but amazing use of subtext and the surreal.
Now if she and Spin got together...

Lemondrop kid

so I'm excited, so what?

Have to say (really have to) that Savage was ok, nothing cringe worthy anyway. The Home Alone sketch was outrageous - loved it - wonder if it'll get any flak.

I think the prob with Val also is the commission guidelines which i imagine are essentially "this is the Irish public, complete with children etc - treat as imbiciles and at least we won't get complaints"

johnfunk

baalthor wrote: »

When it comes to comedy we compare ourselves to the US and Britain but how does our comedy compare to smaller countries like Denmark or New Zealand for example ?

New Zealand gave us Flight of the Conchords granted with a little help of HBO.

Wyndman

copacetic wrote: »

Thats rubbish, this is made by grand pictures, they agree a budget in advance and provide all the staff and facilities. No-one on it would have any kind of contract with RTÉ, long term or not. In fact they appear to have done a fair bit of work for TV3 also. http://www.grandpictures.ie/profile/grandprofile.htm

Someone in RTE comissioned it and would have viewed rushes and given feedback but thats it. It's been in production since February according to google, so it's hardly rushed either.

I never said they had contracts with RTE. Just that they weren't on full-time staff.

That "in production since Febuary" is nonsense. The company may have put that up on IFTN or whatever when they got the go ahead but the show wasn't taped until mid-summer. (which by the way is not enough time to write and polish six scripts. Rushed.)

Actual active production is ALWAYS left untill the last possible minute. That's how RTE work, they alot the smallest possible budget so the whole thing has to be crammed (shooting, editing- that's not cheap- into the smallest amount of days. Quality is not a concern. It was probably sat on for months (rte are very slow at getting back to people) until of course the hasty re-edits ordered by Fianna fail.

MMD

Just watched on RTE player - godawful

Did not laugh once!

Judgement Day

Well thanks for the reviews everybody but I am just amazed that so many people expected it to be any good - the trailer was ****e so what did you expect? Usually the funny highlights are included in the trailer to entice the viewers to watch and it follows that as the trailer was crap the series would be too. Ardal O'Hanlon is, again, out of his depth and has never really developed since his Father Ted days. At least I am saved for having to watch it now and will just continue to read comments here instead.

stephen_mch

johnfunk wrote: »

New Zealand gave us Flight of the Conchords granted with a little help of HBO.

Yeah but in fairness a lot of Irish stuff is better than that! But then thats just my opinion