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Mad Cows
is a disjointed comedy farce in which Maddy's (Anna Friel, using the accent
left over from
Rogue Trader)
hormones go into overdrive when she gives birth, but later gets arrested while shopping in the local
supermarket for stealing peas, stuffed down her bra to relieve breast pain. She's sent
to prison (as if) and discovers the only way to escape is to visit the in-house psychiatrist
Dwina Phelps (Anna Massey), although she cons her into signing adoption papers for
a childless couple, the female half being played by Elizabeth Berrington
(The Lakes, My Wonderful Life).
In a bid to overturn things, a prison visit from her best friend Gillian (Joanna
Lumley, basically playing her AbFab character Patsy) gives Maddy the chance to
sneaks her baby out in Gillian's handbag (but how come the prison officers didn't spot his
sudden disappearance?)
And so it goes on from there in quite predictable fashion, with little to say other than
to list the acres of cameos including Noel Gallagher, his now-ex-wife Meg Matthews,
Harrods boss Mohammed Al-Fayed portraying himself as his own doorman, Game On's
Neil Stuke (the sexually confused Matt from series 2 onwards) and Eddie Marsan,
who played a one-off appearance as Stoat in series 2's "Heavy Bondage & Custard Creams".
Pop maestro Howard Jones appears incredibly briefly as a DJ, Rustie Lee, Jodie Kidd and
Sophie Dahl are prisoners, Emma Thompson's real-life partner and mother, Greg Wise
and Phyllida Law, are their own relatives here, the former playing Alex, the father
of Maddy's baby.
Prunella Scales is TV baby adviser Dr. Minny Stinkler,
Cold Feet's gorgeous Hermione
Norris is Alex's fiancee Petronella , author Kathy Lette appears as a browser
in Mothercare, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson is elevated to the status of "celebrity",
Small Potatoes' cafe owner Omid Djalili and finally, Badi Uzzaman is
the Indian shopkeeper who has Maddy arrested. For those unfamiliar with his name, he's the man
who, literally, got the point from Robert Carlyle in Cracker: To Be a Somebody.
EiV have done a very good job of the picture. Presented in its original anamorphic
1.85:1 ratio, the only thing to mar it are some minor artifacts which won't be noticed
from the usual viewing distance. The widescreen framing is mostly well-used too.
The average bitrate is a so-so 5.16Mb/s, varying wildly and occasionally peaking over 9Mb/s.
And yes, EiV have blessed us with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, often filled with loud
music from artists such as The Cardigans, Natalie Imbruglia, Rod Stewart, Cornershop,
The Corrs, Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg (yes, THAT one!), Robbie Williams,
Tom Jones, Edwyn Collins, Space, Sister Sledge, Chic and Propellerheads'
Bang On, the techno track which accompanied the Natwest TV adverts earlier this year,
not to mention some decent sound effects swishing around the speakers on occasion,
including the moment when Anna Friel shouts out Alex's name in the prison.
Extras :
We're promised "Over 16 minutes of extras!" on the cover. Yes, there's 17!
A 2-minute Trailer, an 7-minute Featurette comprising of film clips, chat from
the cast and crew - yes you know the drill, while the 8-minute Interviews section
repeats some of the same content - and adds to it - but without the music in the background
and includes comments from all the principal cast members, although Hermoine Norris becomes
"Himani Norris". Oh dear. None of them have much to say that will make you revisit
these extras either.
Menu :
A static and silent menu with options to start the film, select a scene or views the extras.
Overall, if you liked the film then it's certainly well-presented in terms of the picture
and sound quality, but it's rather lacking in supplemental material.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.