Case Study: Mamma Mia!

Mamma Mia! is the the 2008 musical/romantic comedy film adapted from the hit West End musical of the same name directed by Phyllida Lloyd. Mamma Mia! is the first time Lloyd directed a film, as she is typically a stage director. The screenplay was written by Catherine Johnson otherwise most notable for the stage show version of Mamma Mia!. Eventually becoming the 3rd (domestically) highest-grossing musical film since 1974 & the highest-grossing British film in the UK ever, and only second highest behind Titanic.
Most of the filming was done during August and September 2007 on the Greek island of Skopelos, with most filming being done on Kastani beach. Additional on location filming done at Damouchari in the Pelion area of Greece. Due to setting demands, producers built a beach bar and jetty, but removed them after on-location filming was done. Off location filming was done in London at the Lloyd's building in the City of London. Also, Bill's "yacht" (which is not actually a yacht, but a ketch) is the Tai-Mo-Shan built in 1934 by H. S. Rouse.
Mamma Mia! got varied reviews according to Rotten Tomatoes, with a an average rating of 5.5 out of 10.Radio 5 live reviewer Mark Kermode said it was enjoyable, but "the closest you get to see A-list actors doing drunken karaoke". Whereas others, including The Guardian were a lot more negative, giving it one star & saying the reviewer "felt a need to vomit", yet the film was one of the biggest commercial successes of the 21st century.
Prior to the films release, it had virtually no advertising or PR, and only had premieres in Western Europe, yet it was a massive success becoming one of the world's most loved films. 1 in 4 British households own a type of the DVD and grossed $609,841,637 from box office alone. This goes to show just how much word of mouth PR is the best way to advertise.

British cinema: Using American Themes

British cinema has been showing a pattern in recent years, taking inspiration from big Hollywood films or genres, and giving it a British flavour. This has been a prominent theme especially in the comedy genre. In this article, we will look at 3 British comedy films that have really taken full advantage of their inspirations, Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging, Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. Each of these films was released in the past 10 years & has drawn a lot of inspiration from Hollywood cinema.

Shaun of the Dead

Shaun of the Dead has often been described as a zom/rom/com, which is basically a romantic comedy with added zombies. This film drew a lot of inspiration from the classic horror films and also George A. Romero's Dead films such as Day of the Dead and Dawn of the Dead, with Dawn being parodied in the actual film title. The plot of Shaun is all centered around the main character and his quest to win his girlfriend back, which is (badly) timed in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Shaun spends most of his spare time at his local pub, The Winchester, drinking pints, smoking, and when everything goes wrong, he hides in The Winchester. This represents pub culture in Britain as one of the key aspects of modern day British life, while exaggerating for comedy purposes, also making it relatable to British people. Shaun was developed by frequent collaborators, Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg & Nick Frost.

Hot Fuzz

Hot Fuzz (directed by Edgar Wright) is a 2007 British dark action/comedy set in the fictional village of Sandford after main character Nicholas Angel, played by Simon Pegg, gets transferred from working for the London police force to the crime free village. Hot Fuzz took a lot of reference from action films like Bad Boys ll. Aspects from Wright's last amateur film, Dead Right, he often said it was "like Lethal Weapon or Dirty Harry, but set in Somerset". Pegg often said this film was different from other parody films because 'They lack the sneer that other of parodies have that look down on their source material. Because we're looking up to it'. This film, along with Shaun, is part of the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy. This is a reference to Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colours Trilogy.

Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging

Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging is the 2008 coming-of-age/comedy film directed by British director Gurinda Chadha based on the novels Angus, Thongs & Full Frontal Snogging and It's OK, I'm Wearing Really Big Knickers by Louise Rennison. Angus drew inspiration from not only the books, but also classic American high school films like Mean Girls. Chadha said she liked the idea of taking the American high school survival genre and making it British. Angus has very cleverly taken the reality of teenager, and made it funny, without actually exaggerating or changing anything about teenagers, using common slang, using teenage issues and making them relatable, not just to teenagers of the present, but also teenagers of the past.