Entertainment Binge

By Isaac White.

Ahoy there. No, I’m not asking for cookies, and I’m not writing this from the deck of a

mammoth sailing vessel. Thankfully, I’m writing this in the offices of Indian Time. As you all

likely saw, there was a bit of a shakeup here at the paper. Fortunately, we came out okay. Best of

all, I’m here to lead you through the wilderness of choosing streaming content to watch. Is there

anything you look forward to more than this?

I expect to see some letters to the editor (my boss) expressing how the best thing about reading

the paper every week is Entertainment Binge. If you’ve already done that…we’re cool. Since it’s

been a little while, I’ve had some shows and movies I’ve watched that you should hear about. I

guess that’s why I’m here after all, and I shall continue in my duties as your most trusted voice on, well, what to watch on TV. Or your phone. Or tablet. Now on with the show.

Have I ever asked if you like British shows and films? Raise your hand if you do. Now, please

put it back down because I can’t see it. In all seriousness, though, I’m a pretty large (I’m not

going to make a joke about myself yet) fan of English TV. I’m not entirely certain where this came from, actually. I can’t remember viewing any British shows when I was a kid. To the best

of my recollection, I came across The Inbetweeners somehow. I watched and loved it and have been an enormous fan of English TV ever since.

If you haven’t seen The Inbetweeners, you’re missing out. It’s a fantastic series about four high school-age boys in suburban London and their misadventures. I remember my stepfather being a

fan of Monty Python, but I never quite got it, so I think that may be why I was never drawn to

British TV. To this day, I don’t understand why Monty Python and the Holy Grail is so revered.

However, The Inbetweeners opened my eyes to British television. If you love to laugh, The

Inbetweeners is a must-see. It’s not just hilarious, but also heartwarming in parts, and a prime

example of British wit. The show’s humor and heartwarming moments will keep you entertained and emotionally engaged.

I’ll do a future piece featuring newer British shows or maybe a roundup of the best from the last

year. Something along those lines. I needed that introduction because I came across a new

Apple+ TV series I had to check out. The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin, is a

new entry from the media giant in the comedy sphere and delivers all around.

Dick Turpin (Noel Fielding) is a man dissatisfied with his station in his life during the early

1700’s. The son of a butcher, Dick has a taste for showmanship; he has no interest in the

humdrum life he is living with his father and brother. So, what is his solution? He decides the

most adventurous and life-affirming career he can attain is to be a highwayman.

Of course, you understand immediately that Dick isn’t a true villain. He’s simply a man who is

unsatisfied with what he sees as the drudgery of cutting meat daily. Turpin is a kind man, a

flashy lad (yeah, I did say that in my head with an English accent; I know you do it too), as they

say, with his self-proclaimed extraordinary locks flowing in the human-generated wind. That sentence will make sense when you get to the episode with Tommy Silversides.

What Dick seeks out is adventure. He wants fame and fortune. What separates him from the vast majority of highway robbers and thieves? Turpin is a gentle soul. Avoidance of violence is something that Dick does his best to adhere to. That’s not to say violence is altogether escapable.

Simply that, Dick Turpin is not a frothing-at-the-mouth psycho criminal killer. In fact, he’s pretty charming and seeks other avenues of conflict resolution than violence. Those resolutions are filled with hilarity.

So, what’s interesting about this show is that it’s based on a real-life person. Dick Turpin was

indeed an English Highwayman in the early 1700’s. I’m not going to claim that I did an

extensive look into the historical accounts of the actual Dick Turpin. I did take a bit of a glance at him and his exploits, though, as any good writer would.

I’m not saying I see a comedy series in what I’ve read about IRL Dick Turpin at a cursory level.

He and his Essex Gang certainly did some terrible things. What I understand about him, though,

is that his exploits were written about quite romantically back then. If you watch the show, you’ll

see that Dick hits the highway robbery scene with a flare. Due to his fast rise to infamy, a writer

is determined to account for his exploits for their own personal gain. I tell you, those writers are

really something. Just writing about things to draw attention to themselves. I can’t imagine a

writer who would do that. I see you looking at me with a raised brow.

In my mind, I imagine that’s the genesis for turning the real-life Dick Turpin into a comedy series character. It appears the stories that were written about the true Dick Turpin were romanticized in such a way that you’d forget he was robbing people and committing acts of

violence with his gang. So, the show creators took that and made their series version of him a

lovable, mischievous scamp.

They succeeded wonderfully. TV Turpin is a man who wants to rob the rich, without violence, if possible, with great flourish and flash. His emphasis on clothing and the regular references to his

hair let you know he’s in it more for the game and fame than the riches alone.

Fielding is excellent as Turpin. The cast, in general, is great. The Essex Gang, consisting of

Moose (Marc Wooton), Honesty Barebone (Duayne Boachie), and Nell (Ellie White) are great supporting characters to Dick. The entirety of the gang and that chemistry is fantastic. You’ll fall out of your seat laughing at how Dick came to be the head of the Essex Gang in the first place,

and I’m not going to tell so that you have a zero balance going in.

There is one character I want to give praise to. Mark Heap plays Dick’s father, John. This will be a bit of inside baseball, perhaps, if you don’t watch much British TV. Mark Heap played a

character named Jim on Friday Night Dinner. I loved that show, and Jim was undoubtedly the

funniest character. Many of you won’t know who he is, but he’s an outstanding comedic actor with excellent timing. If you’ve not seen Friday Night Dinner, you should also watch that.

Most of all, watch The Completely Made Up Adventures of Dick Turpin. You can’t go wrong.

The laughs are all over the place. My favorite episode is The Reddlehag. Take a look at the

series, and we’ll compare the notes afterward.

Let’s take a different path. How about a horror movie? No objections, I already watched it, and I

have a controversial take. I’m referencing The Exorcist Believer, directed by David Gordon

Green. You may know him from directing comedy films such as Pineapple Express and The

Sitter. He has since directed multiple horror movies, including a couple of Halloween entries.

Who doesn’t enjoy a couple of hours with good ole’ Mike Myers?

Maybe you’ve looked at some of the ratings for this movie and brushed off the idea of watching

it. If so, I understand. Yes, the ratings and most of the reviews are bleak. However, I don’t

understand some of the hate I’m seeing for this movie. Is it really good? No. Is it on the level of

the original Exorcist? No. But is it a fun horror movie? Yes.

In this version of The Exorcist, two girls enter a creepy underground tunnel (I know, I know) to

conduct a séance. Yes, this is a recipe for disaster. But when you think about it, nearly all horror movies telegraph HOW the terror will start. I mean, that’s kind of the point, right? It’s the

manner in which they “getcha” that matters, how they scare you, naturally.

The girls, Angela (Lidya Jewett) and Katharine (Olivia West) conduct the séance and go missing for three days. Their parents finally find them, and while they’re recovering in the hospital, some disturbing things are uncovered. First, the girls have no idea how long they’ve been gone. And,

dang, I’m forgetting it; what else is wrong with them? Oh yeah, they’re possessed by the devil.

Hum, drum, right? Seriously though, this movie is a good thriller. I can’t imagine any of you reading this haven’t watched the original 1973 Exorcist movie. The original Texas Chainsaw

Massacre is still my favorite horror movie, but The Exorcist is right there with it. Maybe they’re

tied.

But this one is cool in how they build the tension. The angles are right, I like the soundtrack, the

music sets the correct tone for the story. What’s super cool is that we get to see Ellyn Burstyn

included in this film as her original character Chris MacNeill. Angela’s father Victor (Leslie

Odom Jr.) seeks out answers when trying to figure out what’s wrong with his daughter. He finds the book Chris wrote about her experience in the 70’s with her daughter Regan. Let’s just say she

makes an impression in this movie too.

So, I liked this horror movie. All-time great? No. Plenty of horrific fun? Yes. I thought the acting was pretty good around the cast. The girls did a great job conveying the pain they were going through. If you like horror or the Exorcist, check this out. The canon is there.

I’m out of time.

Thanks for reading and until next week…..