How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989) - Robinson harpoons advertising world with pointed satire

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A giant screen crushes through the earth on this mysterious poster for Bruce Robinson's How to Get Ahead in Advertising

A successful advertising man in London is pressured by deadlines and develops a zit on his throat, which talks, and which grows bigger and stronger ...

How to Get Ahead in Advertising is written and directed by Bruce Robinson (Withnail & I (1987)).

For a British film, Robinson's are uncharacteristically outspoken and frank, and this one is a gem in the absurd-comedy genre with high energy, many good ideas, - the story's premise in itself is a minor stroke of genius, - and good acting: Rachel Ward (Double Jeopardy (1992, TV movie)) is lovely as the wife; both Richard Wilson (Women Talking Dirty (2001)) as the boss, and John Shrapnel (Alien Autopsy (2006)) as the psychiatrist are excellent, and Richard E. Grant (Tooth (2004)) is impressively credible as the mentally unwrapping protagonist.

Towards the end, the film seems to give up on its plot and develop in an almost entirely polemic direction, as the contrast between the now materialistically rejecting ad man and the excited consumerist personality grown from his neck gets the main stage, which is a shame. But How to Get Ahead in Advertising is still a very funny and original film.

 

Related posts:

 

Bruce Robinson: 2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2011 in films - according to Film Excess

The Rum Diary (2011) or, The Puerto Rican Adventure of Mr. Kemp 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: Unknown

Box office: 670k $ - North America and the UK only

= Uncertain

[How to Get Ahead in Advertising premiered 30 March (New York) and runs 94 minutes. Shooting took place around June 1988 in England, including in London. The film grossed 418k $ in North America, and 201k £ in the UK, coming to around 252k $, and around 670k $ combined. It was also released in West Germany and Japan. The film's theatrical status is impossible to ascertain without knowing more, especially its budget. Robinson returned with Jennifer 8 (1992). Grant returned in Warlock (1989); Ward in Shadow of the Cobra (1989, miniseries) and theatrically in After Dark, My Sweet (1990). How to Get Ahead in Advertising is fresh at 60 % with a 6.30/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of How to Get Ahead in Advertising?

For No Good Reason (2012, documentary) or, Ralph Steadman, Artist

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Johnny Depp and Ralph Steadman walk together as friends in a landscape made up of the latter's humorous and grotesque art characters on this poster for Charlie Paul's For No Good Reason

For No Good Reason tells the story of British artist Ralph Steadman, who went from the tyranny of an authoritative school to friendship with American writer Hunter S. Thompson, protest in several of his works, inspiration from Leonardo Da Vinci, - up to a look at the artist's life as an aging gentleman at the time of the documentary.

For No Good Reason is a great biographical documentary by debuting Charlie Paul (Prophecy (2019, documentary)).
Steadman seems like an inevitable artist, and his urge to create and his expressive works are impressive, poignant and inspiring. The documentary is exciting and intimate, also giving us the artist at work and incorporating an element that Steadman himself shuns, namely the fight about taking credit for the Steadman/Thompson cooperation.
The title of the film, which is a Steadman quote, isn't bad, but perhaps another one could have invoked the man better. For No Good Reason has animation of some of Steadman's works, incredibly (and enigmatically) achieved, and it is a generous and lively portrait of a true artist.

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: Unknown
Box office: 67k $ (North America online)
= Uncertain - but certainly a mega-flop
[For No Good Reason premiered 12 October (London Film Festival) and runs 89 minutes. The film screened at 4 film festivals, and in unspecified releases in Japan and South Korea. It opened #87 to a 4k $ first weekend in 2 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #73 and in 21 theaters, grossing 67k $. It has been shown on TV in at least 3 countries. If made on a tiny 0.5 mil. $ budget, the film would still rank as a mega-flop with the gross registered. Paul returned with Cherrywood Cannon (2012, short) and theatrically with Prophecy (2019, documentary). For No Good Reason is fresh at 62 % with a 6.15/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of For No Good Reason?

The Iron Lady (2011) - Meryl Streep's global triumph as Lady Thatcher

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2 Time Film Excess Nominee:

Best Actress: Meryl Streep (lost to Bérénice Bejo for The Artist)
Best Make-up and Hair: Mark Coulier (lost to J. Edgar)

Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher, conjoined with London's buildings of government on the poster for Phyllida Lloyd's The Iron Lady

QUICK REVIEW:

Margaret Thatcher, a merchant's daughter, stand behind the counter during World War II and grows up to develop great political flair and ambitions, which are fulfilled when she becomes the first female prime minister of Great Britain. Her life gets rolled out in Iron Lady from the vantage point of Thatcher the overprotected senior citizen and widow, who suffers from burgeoning dementia.

Meryl Streep (The Hours (2002)) is - once again - outstanding in this complete change of character here as England's Iron Lady, which won her her third Oscar. Jim Broadbent (Pattington (2014)) is amusing as her husband, and the two of them make this original entry point to her life rather moving.
Iron Lady is written by Abi Morgan (Shame (2011)) and directed by Phyllida Lloyd (Mamma Mia! (2008)). It accomplishes depicting a lot of England's development during Thatcher's reign. However, it almost appears in the film to have been one long period of violent uprisings, which wasn't altogether the case. - And where was Reagan, the American president that Thatcher stood politically shoulder by shoulder with for years?
Still, The Iron Lady is a solid job made of an extremely difficult task, to make a broad-appealing biopic about one of the most controversial figures of the 20th century. It also features impressive, Oscar-winning make-up by Mark Coulier (The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)) and J. Roy Helland (Doubt (2008)). It is an almost great film.

Related post:

2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 

Watch the trailer for the film here

Cost: 8.2 mil. £
Box office: 114.9 mil. $
= Huge hit
[Though many people still resent Thatcher so much that they won't go near a film about her, and many others were angry at Iron Lady for not glorifying its subject more than it does, the film was seen by many in a wide range of countries; lead by the US (30 mil. $/26 %), the UK (15.3 mil. $/13 %), Australia (10.6 mil. $/9 %), Japan (10.3 mil. $/9 %) and followed by many other countries.]

What do you think of The Iron Lady?