Office Space (1999)

 "The thing is, Bob, it's not that I'm lazy. It's that I just don't care."

It's a shame I waited so damn long to see this film. So long, in fact, that the office life it depicts is not really that of the present generation with its working from home, no office dress code and less use of printers.

This is, simply put, brilliant. It's interesting that this is the year before The Office and ploughs similar ground- albeit through the delightfully twisted mind of Mike "underappreciated because a lot of his stuff is animation" Judge. Yet it's extraordinary how low budget this film is, and how- Jennifer Aniston aside, for 'tis the 90s- there is so little star wattage. This film stands or falls by whether or not it's funny. And it is, by God.

We've all been Peter. I certainly was, circa 2003 to '05, only without the embezzlement, or the cubicles, which seem to be very much an American thing. But the petty office jealousies over things like staplers ring very true. And I love the concept of Peter ceasing to give a crap about work and suddenly finding his career in the ascendant; alas, the world isn't quite like that. 

The period details have dated. But the underlying points haven't. The gentle digs at the "I can't be bothered to pronounce your name" racism directed at Samir rings true. So do all those annoying microaggressions of management. Fortunately I'm now promoted just far enough for that not to be a part of my life, but I've certainly been there.

This film is exquisite. Watch it. And be glad it isn't 1999 any more.

Angel: First Impressions

"Somebody better attack me soon. I can't take much more of this."

At last it begins. This feels like Angel has finally finished evolving and embraced its destiny as a fast-moving, arc-heavy mix of plot threads that weave themselves around the action and give the sense of there being no status quo. Suddenly, there seems to be an awful lot going on.

It's good to see the Host again, and also David Nabbitt, a handy excuse for how Angel is able to buy such a swanky old hotel on the earnings of a not exactly money-grabbing private eye. But it's shocking to suddenly see how Darla is occupying Angel's dreams, seducing him in increasingly erotic ways and gradually encouraging him to look to his own needs instead of helping others. She inhabits his sleeping hours like a drug, and already it's being noticed that he's sleeping longer. Worse, this is probably connected with the fact that he has an "off day" fighting the vampires that initially attack Gunn. The implication is that this has been going on for a while, too. This sub-plot clearly has a long way to run.

The episode manages to nicely establish a bond between Gunn and the increasingly brave Cordelia- although not Wesley, at least not yet, from a position of awkwardness between him and "C-3PO and Stick Figure Barbie". We get a lot of subtle allusions to the gulfs of race and class that separate Gunn from the other regulars, but he and Cordelia also get to know and care about each other in spite of their very different backgrounds. We get a fair bit more depth to Gunn's character, too. His responsibilities are huge. He puts the weight of the world on to his shoulders an a way that is ultimately self-destructive, and being so defensive when others try to help him isn't helping. Cordelia's right to call him self-destructive, yet he's also right to call her out for several ill-judged stereotyping comments as he shows her all around the world he lives in.

There's a definite social commentary to this episode. As with War Zone, we get to see a lot of working class LA locations and a lot of the side of life we don't usually see on Angel. Indeed, this episode is set almost entirely within that world, and we're given quite a tour. It's interesting that uber-billionaire David Nabbitt should appear at the beginning, too, and be given dialogue paralleling Gunn's. The comparison we're being invited to make is clear, but it's done with subtlety.

There's humour here too, though. I love Angel and the girly helmet. Although I had to raise an eyebrow at Wesley calling Angel a wanker, which most definitely would have had to have been censored when shown on British TV. Note to American TV scriptwriters: the word "wanker" is a rather strong swear word, not some quirky thing that British people say. Wesley calling Angel a wanker is about on a par with calling him a prick. It is not a friendly insult.

This season is getting very, very exciting, and it's only been three episodes.

Angel: War Zone

"There's a whole world in LA that no one ever sees."

So we get to meet Gunn, at last. Feels almost as though the gang's all here and this show is emerging from its experimental early phase towards what it will become. It's odd seeing Gunn as the heroic leader of a street gang, a parallel to Angel in many ways. It's also odd that his own sister addresses him by his surname, but I can overlook that. This is perfect as an introduction (and I'm sure it was obvious to all viewers that this was the introduction of an eventual regular) - the character of Gunn is strong, with enough hinterland to establish him, and J. August Richards is a superb actor. Ok, I suppose that it's obvious from the beginning, to anyone who's remotely TV literate, that Alonna is going to die, but I think that's intentional.

Of course, there's a clear theme of poverty, social class, and the invisibility of the urban poor (even the local vampires are almost as obnoxious for their snobbery as for their evil ways), and an obvious contrast with a billionaire nerd who plays D&D. Incidentally, I play D&D and, contrary to much annoying media stereotyping, I possess a modicum of social skills and have never been in a demon brothel. Just wanted to make that clear.

Oddly enough, the structure of this episode's plot reminded me a lot of The A-Team, especially with the more than usually obvious use of LA settings. A fugitive gang fighting evildoers with makeshift weapons in abandoned warehouses- that's close enough. It's also nice that the potentially annoying trope of other good guys not believing in Angel's good intentions doesn't last for long enough to truly irritate.

Gunn is essentially given something akin to a superhero origin story here, with the agony of his sister's turning into a vampire, taunting him and having to be dusted by him being a sort of equivalent of Bruce Wayne's parents getting shot, if you ignore the inconvenient fact that he seems to have already been doing his stuff for some time. I like his parting with Angel: one of mutual respect, with Angel refusing to act all fatherly or patronising.

As far as the regulars are concerned, Cordelia and Wesley are turning out to be a fantastic double act, and almost seem like brother and sister. And it's beginning to look as though Angel will never, ever learn how to use mobile phones.

We're getting very close to the end of the season now, so it's interesting that we get an episode full of set-up for the future. How is the season going to end? Is there going to be a big, Buffy-style season finale, or will Angel do things differently? Two episodes to go…