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Reviews
Unfrosted (2024)
A fine comedy, needed some frosting
This wasn't a bad film, it felt like a run of the mill, cheesy comedy. I enjoyed it, but it didn't have me rolling on the floor laughing.
The thing that stood out to me was that it felt like a series of SNL skits. No kidding, I lost track of how many SNL members, showed up in Unfrosted. With Seinfeld being a well known, experienced comic, it seems fitting that he'd want to stack his film with comedians. Maybe it was too much though, as it was just overly silly at times and some of the "skits" disrupted the flow of the movie.
As far as being clever, Unfrosted did have a lot of 60s references, some of which probably left younger viewers confused. It certainly felt like a mature comedy, especially with some of the adult humor, but then other parts tried to appeal to kids. What was the target demographic? You can't say kids, as there was plenty of crude humor. Maybe it was just a bit too narrowly targeted, hitting hard on the 60s content. Unless you grew up in the decade, or have knowledge of pop culture at the time, it probably fell flat.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the film. I just didn't know what to expect with all the hype, especially with the fact that it ended up being almost entirely fictional. I was hoping it would be based a little more in fact, but some of the jokes venture into the patently absurd realm. I'm usually not a huge fan of silly comedies, but this wasn't that bad compared to other recent films of humor. I'd rank a lot of your popular comedies about 6 or 7, even the ones that seem to be critically acclaimed. Simply because it's not my favorite genre.
Overall, I think Seinfeld made a decent comedy. It didn't quite live up to all of the hype, but it was silly, fun and nostalgic. It just could have used a bit of, well, frosting.
Supercell (2023)
It has some moments, but is far from a perfect film
Disclosing up front, I've been storm chasing for about 10 years, so this is my perspective.
The film is not perfect by any stretch. It has some actual, authentic storm footage, but it's mixed in with low quality effects and blurry scenes. Many shots are filmed in wide angle and the perspective is all distorted. (Sorry, the photographer in me was cringing)
I digress. The plot had moments of suspense and drama, but it was way too jumpy. Plenty of Easter eggs for storm chasers, but a lot of that will go over the head of the casual viewer.
It would have been nice if they took a little bit of time of clearly outline what a "supercell" actually is. Sure, I know what one is, but it would help the viewer understand better. You see lots of radar clips, but with little to no explanation at all. Dramatic music is also thrown in all over, but it doesn't always fit with the flow of the movie.
Unfortunately, there were also many errors, in terms of meteorology, storm evolution/continuity and with geography. At one point, there are interstate signs visible from the wrong state. Unless you're a storm chaser or travel often across the Plains, it's really hard to follow where they are and what they are talking about much of the time.
Overall, it seems best watched in a group. Go into it accepting that it's not a perfect cinematic masterpiece. It's dramatized for Hollywood. If you can look past some of the flaws, you will probably enjoy it. If you're expecting an award winning film with epic tornado footage, then you'll be disappointed.
I give it a 5/10, trying to not let the storm chaser in me skew my perspective.
Saturday Night Live: Ariana DeBose/Bleachers (2022)
Trying too hard to be funny
The style of humor on SNL has evolved with the times, but I have trouble finding much to laugh at with new episodes.
They finally cast a great and funny Joe Biden with James Johnson, who really nails his mannerisms. Unlike the over-the-top physical comedy with Jim Carrey, Johnson does an amazing Biden. Unfortunately, the cold open in this episode revolves around a Spiderman joke that is beat like a dead horse. Over and over. After the first couple of minutes, the punchline is gone and I cringed watching anymore. I actually had to turn it off and fast forward. It was that bad. It's a shame when you have an actor with SO MUCH talent and it's wasted with 7 minutes of the same joke over and over again.
Weekend Update had a few good jokes. Jost and Che have awesome chemistry together.
Beyond that, nothing was very memorable with this episode. I keep tuning into SNL, hoping for something new and fresh, but the new humor style is very off-putting. They also seem to struggle to get bigger names to guest. It's nice to give an up and comer some air time, but still.
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2020)
Subsequent moviefilm very niiice... NOT!
Yes I'm a socially liberal, open minded person who thinks Trump is an existential threat to the world, but this moviefilm was not very good. Sorry, not sorry.
The original Borat film was edgy with some funny bits, even if I found it to be more cringey, than anything. That's the point of the shtick, pushing the boundaries. I can respect art if there's a deeper meaning to it or something groundbreaking, willing to push boundaries. With that said, Borat 2 was a long cringefest. Where the first film blurred the lines between reality and satire, the second felt like a lazy, juvenile, overly scripted mess.
Before laying it on thick, I will say that Borat 2 had a few things going for it. Some of Cohen's humor was delivered in a way that tries to warn of growing dangers in current-day America. From conspiracy theories going mainstream to the downright dangerous right-wing, Cohen does not hold back. Although a few moments brought these dangers to life, the sheer amount of stereotyping and middle school humor made the film downright unwatchable. Why are we so obsessed with genitalia?
In this subsequent moviefilm, raw, candid "interviews" have been replaced by staged actors who are not very convincing. You can't tell if they're acting bad on purpose or if the crew just rushed to hire anyone who'd help get this film out prior to the election. The editing job is atrocious as well. Most of the scenes are polished and scripted, but other "raw" bits are seemingly slapped on at random, often in a misleading way. I won't give away spoilers, though.
Maria Bakalova probably saved this from being a complete dumpster fire. Even though she babbles incoherently at times, there were glimpses of great acting and potential from a few of her scenes. Unfortunately, her character is written in such a way that it's unclear which way she is evolving. I'll blame the writers, because when she was able to deliver, she gave me reason to keep watching.
Overall, I did not laugh out loud once in this film. I gave it a shot from start to finish, but there are only so many dick pics, "vagine" references and Jewish "jokes" I can take in one sitting. I feel like I need a shower after watching this sub-mediocre moviefilm.
I thought about 3-stars, but after all the hype and mind-numbingly shallow 10-star reviews, 2-stars it is.
Much dissapoint!
Curb Your Enthusiasm: Happy New Year (2020)
Season 10 off to a solid start
Overall, this was a solid episode. Curb is definitely pushing the boundaries, but after being on the air for nine full seasons, you have to start taking some risks. Just look at Seinfeld and how it evolved over the years. On last season's Curb opener, I cringed at times and not in a good way. It felt overly produced/scripted, but this episode felt more well-rounded. At times, it actually reminded me of classic Curb. You can tell that LD is wanting to come out strong for season 10.
If I'm going to be critical, there was a minor thing that stood out to me. LD has a noticeable grin on his face while delivering some of the lines here. You can tell he's either about to burst out laughing or he's on take 25 and is trying not to ruin another take. Going back to what I eluded to before, he knows that in order to keep the show fresh and interesting, he has to up the stakes a bit and push the comedic bar.
In summary, Larry is on a roll throughout this episode. The laughs kept on coming, so much so that LD can barely contain his laughter. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season!
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)
Not at all what I expected
I went into the theatre expecting more of a biography than a melodramatic piece.
Say what you will, but I felt Hanks' performance of Mr. Rogers was what saved this film from being a utter flop. With that said, Mr. Rogers feels like a secondary character in the plot, which gets increasingly predictable and cliché by the latter part of the film.
The film starts off with a seemingly unexpected plot twist, which honestly grabbed my attention. About halfway through, aside from a few stellar scenes with Hanks, the storyline seemed to diverge farther into an exaggerated and overly predictable "feel good" drama.
The pacing was also too jumpy for me. Just when you thought you'd actually learn something deep about Fred Rogers, the movie cut away to the "real" plot that had more to do with the investigative journalist, than Fred Rogers as a man.
Let me be clear, the pacing was not bad when it got slow. It was so slow at times that it almost made you uncomfortable, but that's because Hanks nailed Mr. Rogers. If you never watched him in the 90s or earlier, I could see how you might be thrown off with just how slow and abnormal his character comes off as. Unfortunately, the slow pacing is offset erratically by the dramatic acting that comes off as borderline forced by the journalist's family.
Overall, the unexpected start to the film grabbed my attention, Hanks performance during the first half kept me interested, but I almost got up and left the theatre in the second half when the plot became uninterestingly predictable and Hanks screen-time lessened.
6/10 because Hanks gave a strong performance, but without him it would have been maybe a 3 or 4 at best.
Curb Your Enthusiasm: Foisted! (2017)
Acting seems forced, plot bounces around; pretty, pretty mediocre
I've been a huge Curb fan for years and I was thrilled to see the show come back on air, but the first episode of season 9 was kind of disappointing. Right from the start, it's clear that production was more of a focus than improv humor. For starters, hand-held cameras are gone, but if that was the only major change, I wouldn't be complaining...
It's painful to watch Larry in some of the scenes, as his execution of the lines is cringe-worthy, with dialogue lacking a natural flow. Overly scripted perhaps? Maybe too much emphasis on trying to be funny? Either way, the humor seems forced. The raw, largely unscripted humor of Curb is what made the show incredibly funny in the past.
If production value is going to go up (fancier camera work), you'd think the humor would too. Maybe Larry is a bit rusty here and they tried "too hard," inadvertently coming off as a bit disingenuous. To the trained Curb eye, you can see Larry delivering scripted line after line, sometimes grinning before the punch line even comes out. The plot also lacks fluidity, but maybe that's something I shouldn't over analyze, as Curb doesn't fit the mold of a typical sitcom. Still, some of the jokes and scenes feel like they were forced into the episode.
With that said, there are still some good laughs from time to time, especially when Richard Lewis gets on camera. The new or casual Curb fan will probably rate this episode quite high, but someone like myself can't help but feel just a bit let down.
Overall, I'm glad that Curb is back, but Larry, don't try so hard. Let the lines and humor be natural, like it used to be!