The Death of Stalin
dir. Armando Iannucci (2017)
Though not always historically accurate or in good taste, The Death of Stalin is very well acted and a rare example of black comedy done well, being both damnably funny and yet carrying the same serious undertones as, say, Blackadder Goes Forth.
Hogfather
by Terry Pratchett (Gollancz, 1996); audiobook read by Nigel Planer (Isis, 1999)
Pratchett might belabour the point, yet his stark critique of Christmas is so lavishly adorned that the humour tends to dominate. Perhaps unsurprisingly for a black comedy, it is Death (no less) and his granddaughter who bring the magic back to Hogswatchnight.
Derelict Space Sheep is pleased to announce the forthcoming release of Sirens, an original novel by Simon Messingham.
cover art by Emily Coelli
The authorities called it The Moment.
Without warning, without explanation, two hundred human beings on Earth simultaneously gained a new mental ability that would alter the planet forever. They called the power The Glamour and its recipients Sirens.
Alien invasion? Divine intervention? Evolution? Before anyone could work it out, it was too late.
Anthony Graves didn’t want to be a Siren. He just wanted to be liked. Once a shy, suburban London office worker, five years on he is ruler of Europe and responsible for the deaths of millions.
To fight loneliness, Anthony writes his life story. The result is Sirens; a black comedy of how a Nobody unwittingly became an all-powerful tyrant.
Sirens is satire on a global scale; a cautionary tale of absolute power and its inevitable consequences.
You’re going to love Anthony. You’d better.
Simon Messingham is the author of eight novels for the BBC’s Doctor Who range. Sirens is due for release on 18 April 2017.
Falling Down
dir. Joel Schumacher (1993)
Broken by the oppressive heat and intolerance of Los Angeles, William Foster embarks on an impromptu suburban odyssey, striking back ever more violently. Michael Douglas gives his best-ever performance in this surprisingly poignant black comedy about the way people treat each other.
The Goodies – Earthanasia
(Series 7, Episode 6; first broadcast 22 December 1977)
Surely the darkest, funniest Christmas special ever made. Set at half an hour to midnight and playing out in real time, the Goodies must observe the requisite festivities yet make peace with each other and within themselves before the Earth is destroyed.
Snatch
dir. Guy Ritchie (2000)
This spiritual sequel to black crime comedy Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels punches hard and fast through the convolutions of London’s underworld, scoring points from its protagonists’ interconnectedness and bouts of ineptness. Brad Pitt stands out as Irish ‘pikey’ Mickey O’Neil.