I don’t know about you, but I like my humor black as jet and desert-dry. I also happen to enjoy quirky British screenplays shot in unusual locations. Perhaps that’s why In Bruges, a recently-released Noir Brit-Com, had me tickled.

Now, first, a word on cinema. One of the things Los Angeles has going for it is the sheer diversity of theaters. You can find your mallplex outlets filled with texting teens and screaming babies and you have your indie arthouses showing third-run Lithuanian art films from the mid-Eighties. What most other cities don’t have, though, is the equivalent of the ArcLight. It can only be described as a tier above the “Deluxe” theaters some major cities have started opening. Excusing the shitty computer analogy, the Arclight is the freon-cooled multi-proc quad-core solid-state megabeast rig of moviegoing. It is the only theater I’m capable of going to any more, having relied on it for my silver screen excursions while I lived here in years past. With vigilant ushers, no pre-movie advertising and assigned (ultra-cushy) seating, it is the screening-house Jesus would build if he were a film magnate on a mission from the Almighty.

This is where I viewed In Bruges, and the reverent silence and cooperative laughter from the slightly-higher-brow-than-average crowd may have assisted the experience. Cinema is meant to be collective entertainment and the proper audience goes a long way towards making the most of your ticket, as any Rocky Horror veteran will no doubt attempt to convince you.

It also helps that the screenplay is downright brilliantly funny, and, further, well-balanced between dark comedy and the drama necessary to propel the story forward. With most films, the structured divisions of Act I, Act II and Act III are quite transparent. In Bruges beautifully toys with the formula; despite having drank a full pint immediately before the film, I sat through straight to the credits simply because, for the latter half of the movie, I could not honestly tell if it was going to end in five minutes or thirty. The story climaxes perfectly - and I’ll spare you the obvious metaphors - with a series of escalating peaks over the course of about half an hour.

The casting is also excellent. Irish hitmen Ray and Ken, portrayed by Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, respectively, work very well together. Both project the perfect indifference or enthusiasm in each scene required for the Odd Couple gags to fly. Ralph Fiennes is superb as the sophisticated, sinister English gangster employing the main characters.

The location of Bruges is ideal for the film. Far enough off the beaten cinematic path to avoid any expectations or the curse of familiarity, Bruges itself should elicit some interest from wanderers-at-heart as well as the simply curious, and the small size of the city center is tailored for this sort of story, allowing the characters to split apart and run back into each other at the most comically opportune moments. Further, the rich history on display can be, and is, woven intimately into the story, providing a consistently interesting backdrop to the humorous foreground.

Recommendation: See it, now if you’re into dark British comedy, on DVD if you’re not.

Britain’s Sky One network recently broadcast their live-action adaptations of Terry Pratchett’s first two Discworld novels, The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic. Until very recently, I would have considered novels with such a breadth of imagination to require visual work that could well run into the tens of millions of dollars. Fortunately, our modern world is much kinder on the screen-artist, and it should be possible to do justice to the Disc. With further thanks to modern technology, I’ve gotten a chance to screen the pair of ninety-minute adaptations myself.

For those unfamiliar with the subject matter, I will neither humor you nor belabor the point. If you can’t be arsed to run to the local bookshop and pick up a few Pratchett novels, then you can very well knock off right now. Or at least visit the Wikipedia entry, which should really only be a precursor to performing the very act described one run-on sentence ago.

All read up? Good.

The first thing to note about Sky One’s presentation is that it is truly and lovingly crafted with reverence and care taken towards the source material. While it’s been a few years since I’ve read the books in question, everything seemed quite in-place and matched up with recalled descriptions of events and personalities. No expense is seemingly spared on costumes, with a richly varied and deliciously distinctive wardrobe provided for each of the characters. The sets are, likewise, lusciously lavish, and the oh-so-required CG generally blending well into the live-action portions of the stage. The whole thing is shot in 1080i HD, which looked quite beautiful on my laptop screen.

Another great surprise for this television adaptation lies in the cast, particularly the leading roles. The chemistry between Sean Astin (yes, the Samwise Gamgee Sean Astin) as Twoflower and Sir David Jason (he’s a notable British actor I’ve not heard of prior) as Rincewind is astounding. Astin’s American accent and affect set him beautifully apart from the absurdly British Ankh-Morporkians, while David Jason is incredible at bouncing between exasperation, resignation and pants-wetting terror. I’m honestly surprised to have not encountered someone of Sir Jason’s caliber before.

The supporting cast is also excellent. Tim Curry stands out as the devilishly ambitious Trymon, and Jeremy Irons is visually well-placed as Lord Vetinari, although I might suggest he work on the accent a bit. Lisping does not quite project the cold, calculating, hard-assed image I’d expect from the Patrician. The CG Death was pretty good, although I still prefer the cartoon Death from the old animated Soul Music adaptation to this one; it was a bit too “realistic” and tended to look like a man in a plastic mask at times. You can also spot cameos from Pratchett himself - he’s a bald, white-bearded astronomer whose appearances bookend the broadcast.

There were a few omissions from the novels - I noticed was the absence of Ysabelle and the Dungeon Dimensions - but on the whole it was an immensely enjoyable three-hour package. I’ll have to pick up some more Discworld novels for the flight to Atlanta. On the whole, though, I have no serious complaints.

Recommendation: See it now. Difficult, yes, but I do hope Sky One hurries along the release of a DVD or, better yet, some form of HD media. And also hurry along with more Discworld adaptations. I hear they’ve done Hogfather in the past and will be doing Going Postal for 2009. Adapt Mort and Reaper Man while you’re at it.