An Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder

Impressions before seeing it
Kevin Smith is one of the most interesting storytellers on the planet. The first Evening With Kevin Smith was basically four hours of nothing but Kev talking and telling funny stories, and it was completely fascinating. It's impressive that someone can go on and on for that long without ever being boring.

How was it?
Another four hours of talking, and once again I was not bored. I don't know how he does it. For much of it he wasn't even talking about working on his movies, he was just speaking of mundane things like watching Dora the Explorer and getting caught by his daughter while boning his wife. Yet the dude is always captivating. But I do think that his best stories are his behind the scenes tales of movie making. Maybe that's just because of my personal interest in the industry. But again, it doesn't really matter what he talks about because I'll be listening.

One improvement over the first DVD: I was kind of annoyed by the druggies who always came up to the mic and asked stuff like "Hey man, wanna come party with us after the show?" or "Let's go get high, man!". I might be sounding prudish here, but those fools are just wasting everyone's time by asking that instead of a thoughtful question that would provoke interesting answers. Furthermore, as cool as it would be to hang with a celebrity it's probably not likely that they'll oblige, either for security reasons or because they just don't know you. But yeah, there weren't any of those dudes on this DVD. I also kind of liked how the two discs/parts were separated into two different events, as opposed to cutting between several like last time.

Recommendation
If you're a Kevin Smith fan you've probably seen this already anyway, but you definitely gotta watch these DVDs because the dude is just incredibly entertaining to listen to.

Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes

Impressions before seeing it
The first two seasons of Chappelle's Show were hilarious. This was supposed to be the third season until Dave walked out, leaving Donnell and Charlie to host the sketches he left behind. I knew all this going in, and my only complaint is that I never really found Donnell funny in the previous seasons.

How was it?
Okay, there are a few things to talk about here. First I will just say that Donnell and Charlie hosting the sketches was nowhere near as funny as when Dave hosts them, because Dave does something that more closely resembles stand-up comedy as he introduces and bookends the clips. The replacement duo tries to crack a few uninspired jokes and then basically just goes, "watch this." I'm glad the sketches were still written by and starring Dave because I would not watch The Donnell and Charlie Show.

The interesting thing about the sketches though is that they seemed to foreshadow Chappelle's departure. He has the usual stuff about race controversies, but there are also a number of sketches about the success of Chappelle's Show having an effect on his life and how he doesn't want to sell out. There is some classic wacky Chappelle humour to be appreciated, but some of it also feels a little preachy or self-righteous.

Which brings me to the racism and why Dave left. It has always been my understanding that Chappelle's Show sometimes does perpetuate black stereotypes, but mainly as a kind of inside joke for the black audiences who will recognize them as such. I can't speak for other white folks, but I can say that the race jokes have never, ever been my reason for watching the show. I just like Dave Chappelle's sense of humour, especially when he's not talking about race. If there were white viewers stupid enough to buy into the stereotype jokes and use it as an educational tool to learn about black culture, then that is a very unfortunate side effect. They even had Charlie and Donnell interview some audience members about the racial stereotype sketches, and I thought some good opinions were shared. The best one was probably from a woman who said that the show shouldn't be used to educate or to make us think, only to make us laugh. I wholeheartedly agree, because Dave's most brilliant sketches from past seasons had absolutely nothing to do with race - I'm thinking of the "What if the internet were a physical place?" sketch, and the "real" versions of Hollywood movies, to name a couple. Perhaps he would not have left the show at all if he had stuck to that kind of comedy in the first place.

Recommendation
It's not as brilliant as the first two seasons but it's worth watching if you enjoyed them. Just try to ignore the racial stereotypes for Dave's sake.

This Week in Television - Dec. 14-18, 2009

Survivor: Samoa
(I'm including the big Sunday finale here even though I don't really include weekends in the TV posts.) So I said in the beginning that Russell wasn't going to win. Turns out I was right after all, but I do have to admit that as his power continued to grow and grow throughout the season, I was doubting my prediction and I thought maybe he might take it after all. But it looks like there is no consistency in juries - sometimes they respect the villains who totally backstabbed them all, and sometimes they're whiners who ultimately shun those villains. This was a whiner season. Not that I necessarily disagree with Natalie's win - she seems like a nice girl and I am happy for her, and even though Russell did play a crazy strong and dominant game, comparing his strategy to Natalie's is really just apples and oranges. Making the jury want to vote for you is part of the game, and an important one at that, and that's where Russell failed, so it is not fair to say that, as he claims, he played a perfect game. I also don't think it is fair to say that Natalie was a coattail rider. True, she didn't strategize as much as Russell, but she wasn't following him blindly either (voting Erik had nothing to do with Russell) and there have been much better examples of those players in other seasons. Russell was pissed off to the point of visible nervousness during the reunion, and it showed, but he should have realized that his downfall was getting too arrogant and not thinking about jury votes until much too late.
The next season looks like a lot of fun - I like when they bring back past Survivors. I just hope that when they categorize the "heroes" and "villains", that the people participating will rightfully fall under those titles and not just be placed there because they were the only ones willing to do another season. I would love to see them do a season made up entirely of past winners. That would be the ultimate season.

Kenny vs. Spenny
Who is a better basketball coach? Once Spenny caught a glimpse of Kenny's wheelchair team, I knew exactly how it was going to play out, and I was right. Kudos to Spenny for doing his best to fight Kenny's schemes, but he just did it wrong.

This Week in Television - Dec. 7-11, 2009

Glee
So the glee club won because one of their competitors was a group of deaf kids who couldn't sing, and because the judges were incompetent? I think I actually kind of approve of that, because I would have been outraged if they had won simply because they bested the competition. Would have seemed too kitschy. Too bad Sue got suspended, but she will come back even awesomer.

Modern Family
The problem I am starting to have with Modern Family is that I see many of the jokes coming. I knew the two sisters were going to sabotage their brother when they told him their idea to get Christmas back. I knew the scary monster face was going to pop up again in the video at the end. A punchline is no good when you already know it, folks.

Survivor: Samoa
They should've called Russell's bluff. I knew he wasn't going to play his idol, he was just trying out a way to use it without using it.

Bones
I don't watch Bones, but I did this week to see special guest star Zooey Deschanel. The reason I can never get into cop/detective shows - and this one is no exception - is that I really do not care about solving the mystery of a weekly anonymous character's murder, and all of that crap takes time away from proper character development, which is the other reason I would watch if there were enough of it. Bones and Booth are likable characters, sure, but not them or anything else about the show managed to pull me in. Maybe if Zooey's character were a regular castmember - the Benjamin Franklin quotes were annoying but she added a kind of sarcastic tone to each one to make them funny.

Fringe
That was some heavy stuff, removing pieces of Walter's brain and hiding them in the brains of others so that he wouldn't remember some dangerous info. I hope John Noble gets an Emmy someday.

Parks and Recreation
Once again, some good satire in this one: the media loves to blow things out of proportion and give false reports on something that would make an awesome story if it were true. Sounds especially like FOX news. I like the ridiculousness of their observations, such as, "Normally when two women stand so close to each other, we have to assume...lesbians." They weren't even standing that close. I am rooting for April and Andy to get together, they seem so weirdly appropriate for each other.

The Office
I never realized until Andy brought it up, but it is funny how the 12 gifts of Christmas are mostly birds. So Dunder Mifflin will be under new management. Interesting. But not as interesting as Phyllis and Bob Vance dressed in Santa outfits and making out with each other. lol gross.

30 Rock
It was cool to see Julianne Moore guest star, but unfortunately she didn't have much to do except for a mildly amusing Boston accent. Usually the guest stars get wackier parts. I knew Liz's zero dollar gift to Jack would be bringing Julianne Moore back.

Kenny vs. Spenny
Who can win a cock fight? I thought this episode was going to involve roosters. I should have known better.

Overall rating for this week's shows: A-

Whatever Works

Impressions before seeing it
I've seen a few Woody Allen films before and generally enjoy his work. Also I am a fan of Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood.

How was it?
The title, and the movie's premise, go back to Woody's explanation for his controversial relationship with his adopted stepdaughter: "The heart wants what it wants." Basically this is a movie about bizarre and unlikely couples - the incredibly smart but pessimistic Boris (David) and the passionate but stupid Melody (Wood); her hippie mother (Patricia Clarkson) and the two men she threesomes regularly; and Melody's father (Ed Begley Jr.), who meets a guy in a bar after finally realizing he is gay. Not to say that gay relationships are bizarre, but it was unlikely given that Melody's father had been married for so many years and then left his wife for another woman before switching teams.

But the idea is not to give the audience an exploitative sideshow of freaky couples. The point being made is that sometimes the person who makes us happiest will come out of left field, and even if it's not something that is likely to last or will probably be frowned upon, we should go with it because of that happiness. Or in other words, go with "whatever works".

The cast was solid, although at first I kind of felt that David and Wood were maybe playing it a little too strongly, like performing a play instead of a movie, but they soon settled into their roles more comfortably (or I did as the viewer), and I stopped noticing. To be honest Larry David was mostly just playing a version of himself, but that's what he always does, and he does it well.

I don't know about all of Woody's other films, but I was reminded of Annie Hall when Boris would address the camera/audience and slip in some self-referential remarks. Apparently Whatever Works was actually written back in the 70's, which would explain the similarity to Woody's earlier comedies and why he released a comedy now when he has been doing dramas lately. Yes, I am aware that the poster ironically labels it as "a new comedy".

Recommendation
In real life I think the characters in this movie would be annoying, but on screen I found them charming in spite of having some big flaws. I can't say whether anyone else would see it that way, though. The movie's message is simple and not revealed in any profound way, but I would recommend it if you have any interest in Woody Allen or Larry David.

This Week in Television - Nov. 30-Dec. 4, 2009

Heroes
It seems out of character that Claire would want a normal life so badly that she would turn her back on her family to join the carnival. It was kind of cool the way Nathan turned back into Sylar as he fell. I didn't find Nathan that likable or interesting anyway.

Glee
I don't care much for most of the characters on Glee, but Schuster's wife is my least favourite so I hope she is finally getting the axe. What kind of mattress store sells those GINORMOUS mattresses that are big enough for like 10-20 people to sleep comfortably? Lol, Sue had her tear ducts removed because she "wasn't usin' 'em". Awesome.

Survivor: Samoa
When John bought that immunity idol clue at the auction, at first I thought it was a waste, but then I realized that he was really buying the knowledge that Russell has it. Not a bad idea. It didn't help him though.

Fringe
Poor Walter. He can't be independent because it's just not in his nature anymore. Also Astrid is the most dedicated lab assistant ever.

Parks and Recreation
I love how dumb Andy is. He's not trying to win Anne back because he's persistent, but because for no reason whatsoever he thinks she still loves him. I also love Ron's growing pattern of only showing up at events for the food.

The Office
I liked the juxtaposing of Dwight trying to sabotage Jim with Michael breaking his promise to the kids. I don't know why everyone was so willing to believe Jim being sneaky though - they've worked with him for years and should know by now that he's not the type to do something like that. Michael, yes, but not Jim. The best part was Dwight doing his impressions of Kevin, Stanley, and Toby over the phone.

30 Rock
This episode had one of the most hilariously disturbing endings on 30 Rock: Liz crying out of her mouth while Frank, rocking the Liz look, kisses her on the cheek. Bizarre, but funny. Fun fact: Mel Brooks is also an EGOT winner.

Flash Forward
When Janis told Simon that the satellite photo had been taken in 1991 and then they cut to commercial, the musical cue was terrible. They might as well have had some guy yell "PLOT TWIST!" at the top of his lungs because it was just that prominent. Musical cues are usually supposed to be subtle. I wonder if Mark really shot Demetri or if they just jumped to that conclusion because it was his gun. And if Lloyd and Simon really did cause the blackout (which I don't believe they did), that doesn't mean they caused the flash forwards, so I don't see what the big deal is.

Kenny vs. Spenny
Who can get further [sexually] with the other one's mother? Niether of their mothers was a whore so it wasn't really an easy one. Spenny actually copped a lot of feels and stuff before pissing off Kenny's mom. I thought he might win because Kenny was spending most of his time making bestiality jokes about Spenny's mom.

Overall rating for this week's shows: A

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian

Impressions before seeing it
The first one was alright, the concept was fun and everything, but it didn't really need a sequel. Mostly I watched this one because Amy Adams is awesome.

How was it?
Despite being an unnecessary movie, I did have fun watching it. There are a lot of cool cameos, including three castmembers from The Office (four if you count Amy Adams's guest appearances) and Jonah Hill, who easily had the funniest scene as Brandon (pronounced Brundon) the security guard. Bonus points for including an extended cut of Jonah's scene on the DVD. But minus a lot of points for including the Jonas Brothers as cupid statues. Damn you, Disney!

Speaking of Disney, I would probably enjoy these movies more if they weren't family films. I don't have that problem with Pixar, but for this franchise it might be more appropriate to go darker, seeing as how the museum displays are historical figures and our history as humans is full of war and terrible things. Maybe I'm nitpicking, but I just thought this movie was sometimes silly in the wrong places (like the evil Pharaoh having a lisp, presumably so the kids wouldn't find him too scary), and not funny enough in others (like the Einstein bobbleheads, who weren't funny at all, and shouldn't necessarily have been able to solve the tablet riddle just because of a "smart people can do literally anything" myth that some people believe.)

But maybe I shouldn't get hung up on these things at all, because Night at the Museum is just a fun family film with no substance or message. Oh, and Amy Adams is still awesome.

Recommendation
If you enjoyed the first one, you will probably enjoy this one, because it isn't any less fun (it may be a little more fun, actually). There are some laughs but some of the humour is also simple kid's stuff.

True Romance

Impressions before seeing it
I wanted to see it because the script was written by Quentin Tarantino, but it also had an impressive cast.

How was it?
True Romance is like a chick flick for guys. It is a romance, but it's also full of action and violence (which by the laws of filmmaking, must exist in anything involving Tarantino). A lot of it also centers around drug dealers, which I would normally find kind of boring, but in this case no part of the movie was uninteresting. I wouldn't really call this movie original, but that's understandable, being that this was one of Tarantino's early scripts that he sold to make some money so that he could direct his own stuff later on. I wouldn't want to let someone else direct my best ideas either.

That's not to say that this movie is bad at all. It's actually really good for a story that in other hands might be mundane. QT's directorial efforts are much better films, but thanks to his scriptwriting genius, this is a decent one too.

Recommendation
I would say watch it if you are a Tarantino fan, but otherwise take it or leave it. Maybe you could still enjoy the performances from all of the familiar faces - special props to Gary Oldman, who seems to use a different voice/accent for every role.

The Brothers Solomon

Impressions before seeing it
I liked the cast and was expecting some good laughs.

How was it?
The Brothers Solomon was co-written by Will Forte, and I have to give him credit for always creating the weirdest characters - not just here, but also on SNL. John and Dean Solomon are a couple of overly optimistic man-children with no clue how anything in the real world works. Some of the humour just comes from the way they grin and smile all the time, sometimes to an excessive and almost creepy extent. There were parts that I did find hilarious, but other parts that should have or could have been funny just kind of fell flat out of weirdness, and I'm a guy who usually doesn't mind weird humour. I get that the weirdness is part of the film's concept and is a big running joke, I just think it tends to alienate the viewer and that's why this one ended up being a flop at the box office.

But again, there is a strong comedic cast: Will Forte, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, Chi Mcbride, and cameos by Jenna Fischer and Bill Hader. I just wish it had been a little less weird.

Recommendation
It's just so bizarre that I can't see many people "getting" this movie, but it is worth some laughs if your sense of humour verges on wacky.

This Week in Television - Nov. 23-27, 2009

Short week due to the American Thanksgiving on Thursday.

Heroes
Wow, Doug is a pretentious tool. I guess Sandra wanted the exact opposite of Noah. Sylar giving Angela the kiss of death made me laugh because it was so creepy. I don't think the dude with the dreadlocks necessarily has the same power that the Haitian does, because when he was done with Hiro, he hadn't forgotten anything. He still knew he had to escape and rescue someone, he was just confused about who that was. So I guess his power is... confusion?

V
The ending was cool, when they showed more ships coming. Hilarious pattern I noticed: every episode has a scene where Ryan hugs his human girlfriend and he makes an "Oh crap, I hope she doesn't find out I'm a V" face over her shoulder.

Glee
Only saw some of the episode, but I don't think I was missing much. Looked like it was mostly about Quinn's baby.

Survivor: Samoa
Clip show this week.

Kenny vs. Spenny
Who can keep a chicken coop on their head the longest? I like when they do these competitions that are really out there. This one was probably more entertaining than funny though, except when Kenny was basically doing a stand-up routine on abortion.

Overall rating for this week's shows: B