Spend enough time taking notes of upcoming boutique blu-ray releases and you get an overall impression of certain trends occurring. More recently, my hope of New French Extremity films getting the lavish home format treatment seems to be becoming a reality with Calvaire (2004) (technically Belgian, though) and Frontier(s) (2007) having been released this year. However, I would be lying if I told you I knew about alternative British comedy getting the same kind of love. Following on from the BBC's blu-ray collection of the anarchic sitcom The Young Ones (1982 - 1984) from last year, Severin films released the complete collection of The Comic Strip Presents... this year, and now Vinegar Syndrome have announced Guest House Paradiso (1999) as one of their upcoming releases.
Confession time: your host hasn't actually seen Guest House Paradiso, but I'm guessing it'll be more my cup o' tea than Cinema Paradiso (1988), though. Despite being a fan of the slapstick sitcom Bottom (1991 - 1995); the feature film always kind of evaded me, even whenever it was on TV. Both Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmonson were the shining lights of the alternative comedy scene during the adolescent years for your host, so seeing Rik Mayall's turn at serious acting in that one episode of The Bill, or Adrian Edmonson's cameo in that God awful Star Wars film that pretentious cinephilles pretend to like, was completely surreal to me. If Guest House Paradiso is the last hurrah for the comedic duo that went together like salt and vinegar, then this release might well be a considered blind buy if it ever goes on sale.
Not only have I never seen this, I was completely oblivious to its existence
ReplyDeleteKnew of it, just never saw it. Simon Pegg's feature film debut, too.
ReplyDeleteShould have mentioned that Vinegar Syndrome also released Drop Dead Fred a while back. Equally bizarre.