Angry Boys
Chris Lilley’s ‘Angry Boys’ premiered last week winning its time-slot with close to 1.37 million viewers tuning in for Lilley’s comedy genius. Chris Lilley has become famous for his work in the hit series ‘Summer Heights High’ and ‘We Can Be Heroes’ both mockumentaries which saw Lilley play all of the leading characters. Lilley has always portrayed Australian stereotypes, however the second episode of Angry Boys saw the introduction of a new American character known as ‘S.Mouse’. S.Mouse has become a controversial character because of his African-American appearance and because the show is set to be shown to American audiences who may find the use of ‘black-face’ racially discriminative.
Chris Lilley’s shows have always been controversial however with American TV network HBO pouring money into the production Angry Boys success could be a pivotal point in Lilley’s career. Angry Boys is set to be a cult hit in Australia with many teenagers already raving about the show and the success of various ‘Facebook groups’ will serve to only push the show’s popularity towards newer audiences. The show’s popularity is undoubted with the tag ‘#angryboys’ becoming a world trending topic on Twitter last week, however despite the high viewer ratings the show has received many critics claiming Lilley’s earlier work is more funny. Angry Boys does however have more of a target audience than Lilley’s earlier work targeting the show towards teenagers and early adults predominantly males.
Although much controversy surrounds the show, two weeks in and strong audience figures mean Angry Boys is set to become another comedy series success from the mastermind that is Chris Lilley. Whether the show meets the high stakes demands of the US television audience is what Angry Boys and Chris Lilley will both be hopefully ‘slapping their elbows’ to.
- J.
Game of Thrones
Exquisite storytelling, exceptional acting, and breathtaking visual effects. HBO’s latest drama series, ‘Game of Thrones’, offers these elements to you in absolute spades.
Based on the best selling fantasy novels ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ by George R.R. Martin and produced by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, Game of Thrones entices you with it’s tales of interweaving family feuds, dense concept of mythology, action infused battles, and crowd-pleasing humour.
The story takes place in the fictional land of Westeros, where various clans have fought and battled for superiority for generations. That is, until the seven kingdoms were united under a single throne through the invasion of the Targaryens. But years later, the king is gone and agitation has become evident between the various kingdoms. All of a sudden an all out onslaught for the right to the throne is looming.
A good series should challenge it’s viewers to pay attention and connect the dots between story lines and the story of Game of Thrones is so meticulously narrated you learn complexities that thoroughly define characters whilst still leaving enough to the imagination. The pace of the story is so carefully crafted, it reveals and conceals just enough to ensure that there will never be a single character who will always be priority one. Every character chronicle will be as important as the last.
Game of Thrones can be a bit complicated to follow with it’s numerous characters and their rich back story, demanding constant attention, but never will it become stale. It is one of those few shows that leave you kicking yourself after an episode because you immediately wish that the next was available to you. And if you don’t believe me, just take a look at the figures. HBO has already renewed Game of Thrones for a second season after the premiere episode encapsulated 2.2million viewers. Not bad for a completely new series. You’d be as crazy as the ‘Mad King’ to miss out on the latest legendary fantasy saga.
- K.
Video
American synthpop band Cobra Starship have released the latest single from their upcoming album ‘Night Shades’ titled ‘You make me feel…’ which features newcomer singer/rapper Sabi. The artist Sabi scored her first big break with Britney Spears, rapping on the track ‘(Drop Dead) Beautiful’ from the ‘Femme Fatale’ album and may just be the catalyst that Cobra Starship need to jump back into the charts. This definitely can be the band’s next potential hit since ‘Good Girls Go Bad’ with Leighton Meester.
- K.
Childish Gambino ‘EP’ - review
Childish Gambino’s latest project EP may only be 5 tracks long spanning a mere 20 minutes however the story depicted through his raps shows a troubled background. Childish Gambino is the rapping alter-ego of Community star Donald Glover, although Donald has become famous due to the success of Community Childish Gambino has been rapping since 2008 releasing ‘Sick Boi’.
Childish Gambino’s lyrics are confronting to say the least with many derogatory remarks about females which at first may shock listeners, however the style in which he raps is reminiscing of Lil’ Wayne. ‘Lights Turned On’ also has a vague resemblance to much of Kanye West’s more electronic Euro-trash sound, however Gambino has much more of a focus on badmouthing ex-girlfriends rather than Taylor Swift.
EP was released via Donald Glover’s official site free of charge and although the track list is short and the use of swearing is high it a step in the right direction if Gambino has real ambitions to be a real recording artist. With a very hardcore underground hip-hop sound, featuring ‘emo’ lines and an over appreciated penis Childish Gambino seems bound for more internet success than commercial/mainstream success. I enjoyed the album thoroughly and it isn’t far from mainstream success, however Donald has to decide which character he wishes to play; Childish Gambino or Troy Barnes.
Download the album free HERE
- J.
