"not for canada - australian in disguise" (for-canada)
01/04/2020 at 11:00 • Filed to: None | 5 | 16 |
I went into this fully expecting to love it considering I love James’ other solo stuff, and, well...
I loved it! Probably more than 90% of the stuff the trio have done together in the last few years. James always shines when he’s on his own, and this is absolutely no exception. It features SOME cars, but not really, but like Man Lab or Toy Stories or his stuff with Oz, the lack of cars isn’t a hindrance. If anything, it’s extremely refreshing. I really do hope we get another season of this, although I’m not sure where he should go next. If he goes anywhere though, it should feature Oz Clarke in at least some capacity. I don’t even care if it’s somewhere that hasn’t heard of wine or alcohol. Bring Oz back.
If you aren’t a fan of James and his overtly deadpan sense of humour and his constant pedantry, this series is definitely not for you. But you probably knew that already. At it’s heart it’s a travel show, but I could watch May paint a wall and talk about the drying process afterwards and I would still be thoroughly entertained. It reminded me a good bit of his stuff with Oz, just replace Oz with an overenthusiastic (i.e. slightly mad) Japanese tour guide, and replace the above excessive drinking with only slightly above excessive drinking, and you’ve got Our Man in Japan.
A very solid 8.5/10. A fine addition to James’ solo career. Let’s hope Jezza’s solo show which is coming eventually is just as good.
SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
> not for canada - australian in disguise
01/04/2020 at 11:10 | 3 |
OOooh. Something to look forward to.
I actually really liked his “Cars of The People” Short Series. Very engaging, funny, insightful. Basically what you don’t get when it’s all-Clarkson, all-the-time.
E90M3
> not for canada - australian in disguise
01/04/2020 at 11:29 | 1 |
Didn't realize it was out, definitely on my list now.
sn4cktimes
> not for canada - australian in disguise
01/04/2020 at 11:46 | 3 |
Wife and I are going to watch this for sure. I really liked his YouTube videos of reassembling things while rambling on about this and that.
Kiltedpadre
> not for canada - australian in disguise
01/04/2020 at 12:07 | 2 |
I would love to see a travel show with James May. Maybe something where he visits important historical sites around the world. Can you picture James May at Angkor Wat or Machu Picchu? I know I’d be fascinated.
I doubt it would happen, but a new season of the reassembler is another show I’d like to watch him do.
phenotyp
> SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
01/04/2020 at 12:10 | 0 |
I loved Cars if the a people, too. And really loved his Big Ideas series.
smobgirl
> sn4cktimes
01/04/2020 at 13:48 | 0 |
I love James May reassembles!
GLiddy
> not for canada - australian in disguise
01/04/2020 at 15:15 | 2 |
May’s solo offerings are a must-see for me. Clarkson and Hammond are hit or miss. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll usually watch everything any of them put out, but I find myself going to watch Captain Slow’s programs again.
GLiddy
> Kiltedpadre
01/04/2020 at 15:18 | 2 |
Go find “Oz and James’ Big Wine Adventure” then. There were 3 related series IIRC, where they traveled California, France and England searching for the best everymans’ wine (or drink in the case of England).
MM54
> not for canada - australian in disguise
01/05/2020 at 09:44 | 1 |
I watched the first episode yesterday, it was pretty good. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
> not for canada - australian in disguise
01/05/2020 at 19:04 | 1 |
I’m just going to weigh back in with— “you know, this could be better The Grand Tour than The Grand Tour”.
Funny, endearing, insightful. Hilarious in bits. Under-stated.
This is great work.
Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
> not for canada - australian in disguise
01/05/2020 at 20:28 | 1 |
I have loved every solo project that James has done. To hear that he has another makes me quite happy. Obviously the pedantry and humor don’t bother me, but I can understand how some may be put off by that. Hamster’s solo pieces are OK, but a little lightweight, and Jezza, well, I can only take so much bombast and hostility before I have to move on.
marshknute
> not for canada - australian in disguise
01/05/2020 at 21:52 | 1 |
I find James to be a completely mixed bag. Some of his shows I love (Toy Stories, Cars of the People), and some I find painfully boring (The Reassembler).
As for his new Japan stuff? It’s...meh . Everything that went well I found boring, but I loved whenever James was in physical discomfort and whenever he was arguing with the crew. Come to think of it, the TG trio is always at their best when things are going wrong.
Honestly, my favorite James May “shows ” are his recent Drivetribe videos of him...making terrible sandwiches from the 70's.
atfsgeoff
> not for canada - australian in disguise
01/05/2020 at 22:06 | 1 |
Just finished all six parts of this series and I was thoroughly entertained. The part that really stood out to me was his spat with the director over cutting due to a tour bus going past in the background of the shot, while he was talking about the difference between art and reality. I give James major props for taking a stand over that.
not for canada - australian in disguise
> marshknute
01/06/2020 at 16:54 | 0 |
I can’t believe I didn’t know about his sandwich series. Probably one of the greatest things ever put onto Youtube.
His various series about making poached eggs and the shepherd’s pie one are both great as well.
Amazon absolutely needs to give him a cooking show. Make him annoy Gordon Ramse y some more or something.
gin-san - shitpost specialist
> not for canada - australian in disguise
01/18/2020 at 14:53 | 1 |
James winning his face-off with Gordon in The F Word was probably the best moment in any Gordon Ramsay TV series.
not for canada - australian in disguise
> gin-san - shitpost specialist
01/18/2020 at 16:04 | 0 |
“You disappoint me Ramsay.”