About Ed Parnell

Marilyn Monroe in her second outing as a ambitious and talented chorus girl. It has to be said that while she had great potential, there isn’t a lot of it to see in this film. It’s very much a film where she is still learning her craft. This may be due to inexperience of the film making process, or simply an over eager desire to shine out in a world where competition was not only cut throat...

Sometimes, when you hear a cover version or you see a remake, as opposed to the original, you tend to subconciously prefer the remake. It was the first one you saw; you make comparisons. The 39 Steps is most famous for Robert Powell doing the deed in John Buchans’ complex tale. Indeed, my first encounter with this story is the Robert Powell incarnation, and especially the scenes of him....

There is something about Some Like It Hot, which is always endearing and, at the same time, quintessentially classic. It’s the hoary old line of men being dressed as women, but so much more. For those who don’t know the plot, it’s a story of two musicians, played by Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, who witness the St Valentines’ Day massacre, and have to flee with the mob in pursuit. The only...

There is something vaguely reassuring about a film which says it's okay to be different. In a world where everyone is judged by what they have, who they appear to be, Billy Elliott shines out like some beacon, a lighthouse across the bay of banality. What a pretentious drivel ridden little man I am...

I loved Big Train. I loved the madness and the concept that things didn't have to make sense to work. This is the complete set, series one and two, and frankly I have spent a good deal of time laughing. Simon Pegg & co created what was a sketch show masterpiece, in both conception and execution, with everything from the sexually obsessed antiques road show man to Christ sacking the devil; from....

One thing you can be sure of, is that buying into hype doesn't do you any favours. There are very few comedy narratives which survive resurrection, and in a lot of cases the original is marred by the newer commercially backed sequel. In Bridget Jones, The Edge of Reason, an example of this is practically impossible to miss. Yes, there are some nice moments - but in reality that's all they....

Disk One. The Many Moods of Larry David. Actually it's three disks. Who can forget Seinfeld. The series which the BBC hid away just before breakfast television. Those who have digital TV may have seen Curb, which is about as different in style from Seinfeld as you could get. Larry David, co-creator and writer on Seinfeld, made this show with the kind folks at HBO, and frankly, it's brilliant....

Sex, Lies and the Simpsons is another in the Classic Simpsons DVD series, and again four episodes are given ample space in 88 minutes to amuse and entertain. The Last Temptation of Homer, Bark After Dark (With the French House of Ass which I am not going to try and spell), New Kid on the Block, where Bart meets his first love, an older female version of himself and Lisa's Rival...

A while ago, there was a film industry which didn't work solely for money. Before the big names bought franchises and everything had to be nice and neat and packaged and clean, there were people at the helm who were making great films which not only stood up in their own right, but actually left you altered by watching them. Fortunately, this art is not dead. Dirty Pretty Things is a film about ho

There has been a trend recently in sitcom to leave out the audience. Certainly the Office, The Royal Family and American offerings such as Curb your Enthusiasm and the lamented Larry Sanders show have all benefited from this. Early Doors is another of this ilk. Set in a northern pub called The Grapes, it's a series of threads woven into a fantastic tapestry of comedy and drama...

Occasionally, you come across a film which has everything. This is one of those films. Working not so much on a gore factor but on a psychological level, The Ring is a fine example of mastery of a genre..

I have watched this twice. I can't make up my mind whether it's an honest attempt to showcase new talent and broaden an actresses' perceived range, or simply rather a lazy film. It focusses on Honey Daniels, played by Jessica Alba.

Let me just say - I am not a sports fan. I don't mind taking part but sitting there watching is, to me, a waste of time. Which is why I was so surprised when I found myself enjoying Jump London.

I have to admit a slight bias here in that I think Laurel and Hardy are probably the funniest double act of all time. No one supasses their genius ; there are those later who equalled it, but none who beat them, as it were on their own turf.

Stan inherits a fortune and a massive house. Oliver is naturally ready and eager to help him in his new life. Unfortunately, there are other less pleasant people who also have their eyes on the loot, and Stan is in the way...

Ollie Suffers a debilitating illness ; he cannot stand the sound of a horn. Which is bad news as he works, with Stan - in a horn factory. I don’t have to write anymore.

National Lampoon. Yes, there have been many classic moments. Animal House and that thing where they went to Europe which had some nice moments. National Lampoons' Xmas Vacation is in a class of it's own.

I never liked it to start off with. Tucked away on Channel Four, so late it was almost interfering with Breakfast TV, I reached the conclusion, wrongly, that this would be another disastrous Comedy Lab series, free from direction and, strangely comed

Probably the best effort post python, Ripping Yarns is an excellent parody of those boys' adventure books of the 50s and 60s. Written by Jones and Palin, the jokes are as fresh as they were in the mid seventies, and this is a great set of laughs ever

As part of the classic collection of films, Silver Dream Racer is one in a series which seemed to say, to me at least 'look at me, I'm David Essex'. In the seventies, you only had to mention David Essex and women would go gooey eyed and stare into th