This has been one of the best recurring SNL Weekend Update pieces in recent years.
Showing posts with label SNL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SNL. Show all posts
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Favorite Movie Scene #9 - The dance scene from Hot Rod
Hot Rod is one of my favorite slap-stick comedies. Right after my love of Andy Samberg's SNL digital shorts fully matured, he came out with this movie and it only solidified my attraction to his humor.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Rerun: Dear Sister- The Lion King Spoof
This is from March 2008. It was originally a digital short by Andy Samberg, Bill Hader and Akiva Schaffer from SNL spoofing an episode from The O.C. When it went viral, people everywhere found other dramatic scene from other shows or movies to "Dear Sister."
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Date Night -- What I thought....
Cute, but something's not right.
I am a huge fan Steve Carell (from Anchorman to 40 Year Old Virgin to The Office, etc.) and Tina Fey (SNL and 30 Rock) and I thought this mash-up of comedic geniuses was...well...genius. I thought the combo was cute and funny in their own natural ways. They have such subtle ways to make people laugh sometimes. Outrageous often, but humbly charming more often. I feel like the world was waiting for this combo to come together for the longest time.
Was it too much of a good thing? Was the plot a little too ridiculous to be taken semi-serious? Did it lack the star power it needed to pull off a silly comedy like this? I think the answer lies in the writer and director. (Sorry guys.) The fact that a movie starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey AND Mark Wahlberg could be so disappointing is just too much of a bummer to stand. The director is Shawn Levy and his most successful movies have been: The Night at the Museum (s), The Pink Panther, Cheaper By the Dozen, and Just Married. Does anyone see a trend here? These movies, while mostly cute and funny, are not great movies. I think Peter Hedges' Dan in Real Life was leaps and bounds better than Date Night. And the writer! The writer's name is Josh Klausner and he is best known for writing these movies: Shrek 3, Shrek: Forever After, The Fourth Floor (no idea about this movie), and lastly, Date Night. That's it. I think it's fairly apparent that Steve and Tina had their way with ad-libbing and improv throughout the movie.
No offense to Shawn and Josh, but I would've thought their skills and past works would have nothing to do with a grown-up comedy like this one. I'm sorry if it's cold and/or offensive, but it must be said. A comedy with this cast and with this much potential is just too valuable to screw up into a weird, awkward kid movie that they made for grown-ups. It just doesn't cut it.
But good will come from this sad disappointment. Certain scenes of the movie will continue to make me laugh randomly throughout this week. The head-on collision with Grant Holbrooke's nice Audi into the trashy NYC taxi and their rants and screams, and the movie's constant, purely-funny conversations. The dancing in a strip club with Steve and Tina! Too good!
The movie was funny. How could it not be funny? But it lacked some very important pieces which would have elevated this movie to one of the funniest date night movies ever. But instead, it got sloppy.
I am a huge fan Steve Carell (from Anchorman to 40 Year Old Virgin to The Office, etc.) and Tina Fey (SNL and 30 Rock) and I thought this mash-up of comedic geniuses was...well...genius. I thought the combo was cute and funny in their own natural ways. They have such subtle ways to make people laugh sometimes. Outrageous often, but humbly charming more often. I feel like the world was waiting for this combo to come together for the longest time.
So why wasn't it good?
Was it too much of a good thing? Was the plot a little too ridiculous to be taken semi-serious? Did it lack the star power it needed to pull off a silly comedy like this? I think the answer lies in the writer and director. (Sorry guys.) The fact that a movie starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey AND Mark Wahlberg could be so disappointing is just too much of a bummer to stand. The director is Shawn Levy and his most successful movies have been: The Night at the Museum (s), The Pink Panther, Cheaper By the Dozen, and Just Married. Does anyone see a trend here? These movies, while mostly cute and funny, are not great movies. I think Peter Hedges' Dan in Real Life was leaps and bounds better than Date Night. And the writer! The writer's name is Josh Klausner and he is best known for writing these movies: Shrek 3, Shrek: Forever After, The Fourth Floor (no idea about this movie), and lastly, Date Night. That's it. I think it's fairly apparent that Steve and Tina had their way with ad-libbing and improv throughout the movie.
No offense to Shawn and Josh, but I would've thought their skills and past works would have nothing to do with a grown-up comedy like this one. I'm sorry if it's cold and/or offensive, but it must be said. A comedy with this cast and with this much potential is just too valuable to screw up into a weird, awkward kid movie that they made for grown-ups. It just doesn't cut it.
But good will come from this sad disappointment. Certain scenes of the movie will continue to make me laugh randomly throughout this week. The head-on collision with Grant Holbrooke's nice Audi into the trashy NYC taxi and their rants and screams, and the movie's constant, purely-funny conversations. The dancing in a strip club with Steve and Tina! Too good!
The movie was funny. How could it not be funny? But it lacked some very important pieces which would have elevated this movie to one of the funniest date night movies ever. But instead, it got sloppy.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Mad Men - Season 1
This week I finished the first season of Mad Men. I had very minimal exposure to what Mad Men was about when I started it, and I think that is almost always a good thing.
What I knew was that it was a show based in the 1960s about an advertising agency. I knew Jon Hamm was in it, but only because of his appearances on SNL. (Particularly, his The Curse skit. I didn't know until now how ridiculous it was.) I knew January Jones was in it, but also only because SNL, and her appearance didn't seem that outstanding. And lastly, I knew a lot of people really liked the show.
If you enjoy watching shows with a clean slate of expectation, then don't continue reading this.
I'm not completely sure what my definite opinion of Mad Men is just yet. I'm going to continue watching the series to more clearly formulate my thoughts. The idea that I need more than a season's worth of Mad Men to make an opinion should mean something. The show is slow. Very slow. It is very interesting and thought-provoking, but it is no 24 or Lost. The characters are slow-cooking, like in a crock-pot. Bits and pieces are quite exciting, and occasionally humorous, but mostly the show is about average people doing average things. Don Draper, the main character played by Jon Hamm, is mysterious and confusing. His character is what makes the show watchable. You find yourself wondering how he lives with himself; but at the same time, you are confused by how he came to be and it makes you question your premature judgments.
The show has won many awards. I don't know if those awards are warranted from great acting, writing or directing yet. But I do know the awards with scene and costume deserve it. It is amazing how relevant to the era it is. The skinny ties. The suits. The slicked-back hair. The smoking. It makes you feel like you were in New York City in the 1960s. The cinematography is very good, too. All the scenes look like your grandparents' old photographs, all sepia and faded. They have strangely been able to adapt that old look with a modern feel that transcends time.
The show, while scandalous at times, seems to be teaching the viewer lessons about life in each episode. A perspective that is different from ours, but one that our society has already experienced. It is just intriguing enough to delve deeper.
What I knew was that it was a show based in the 1960s about an advertising agency. I knew Jon Hamm was in it, but only because of his appearances on SNL. (Particularly, his The Curse skit. I didn't know until now how ridiculous it was.) I knew January Jones was in it, but also only because SNL, and her appearance didn't seem that outstanding. And lastly, I knew a lot of people really liked the show.
If you enjoy watching shows with a clean slate of expectation, then don't continue reading this.
I'm not completely sure what my definite opinion of Mad Men is just yet. I'm going to continue watching the series to more clearly formulate my thoughts. The idea that I need more than a season's worth of Mad Men to make an opinion should mean something. The show is slow. Very slow. It is very interesting and thought-provoking, but it is no 24 or Lost. The characters are slow-cooking, like in a crock-pot. Bits and pieces are quite exciting, and occasionally humorous, but mostly the show is about average people doing average things. Don Draper, the main character played by Jon Hamm, is mysterious and confusing. His character is what makes the show watchable. You find yourself wondering how he lives with himself; but at the same time, you are confused by how he came to be and it makes you question your premature judgments.
The show has won many awards. I don't know if those awards are warranted from great acting, writing or directing yet. But I do know the awards with scene and costume deserve it. It is amazing how relevant to the era it is. The skinny ties. The suits. The slicked-back hair. The smoking. It makes you feel like you were in New York City in the 1960s. The cinematography is very good, too. All the scenes look like your grandparents' old photographs, all sepia and faded. They have strangely been able to adapt that old look with a modern feel that transcends time.
The show, while scandalous at times, seems to be teaching the viewer lessons about life in each episode. A perspective that is different from ours, but one that our society has already experienced. It is just intriguing enough to delve deeper.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Business Meeting with Rainn Wilson
A semi-funny SNL Digital Short with host Rainn Wilson from The Office and musical guest The Arcade Fire.
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