Sunday, March 23, 2008

The Two-Person Show

Next Sunday night, ImprovBoston Artistic Director Will Luera is presenting a showcase of short two-person improv sets, starring duos who have never worked together in a solo capacity.  The lineup is fabulous, I’m all over the place, and you should come.  Invite your friends!

Update:
Here’s the all-star lineup:

OPENER: Hurley and Sawyer
Wiroll and McDonald
Woo and Bein
Shaughnessy and Ciampa
Holmes and Gels
Flynn and McClean
French and Reynolds
- INTERMISSION -
Pishney and Bokuniewicz
Barbera and Reynolds
Dome and Swaim
Smarz and Bridges
Newhall and Reynolds

Monday, March 03, 2008

Midgets/Jessica Alba will not make your movie funnier

Is it Mini-Me’s fault?

Since the success of Austin Powers 2, there has been a glut—a glut, I say!—of small people in comedies.  I’ll get my disclaimer out of the way: I have nothing against midgets or dwarves; they’re actors too, and they deserve equal casting opportunities.  Some day an extremely talented small person will play Hamlet or Othello to massive critical acclaim, and drop-kick open the doors for dwarven dramatic acting.  But until that day, small people will be the easiest, cheapest way to visually telegraph “funny.“

Springing to mind:

• Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me
• Austin Powers 3: One Too Many
• Bubble Boy
• Epic Movie
• Meet the Spartans
• In Bruges
• The Love Guru

Feel free to add your own in the comments.  I haven’t seen half of the movies on this list, but I think it’s fair to judge them by their trailers.  Maybe it’s the mashup-movies (Epic, Date, Meet the Spartans) that have poisoned me.  I even hear “In Bruges” is pretty good.  But every time I see a small person in a trailer, I wince.  Who’s to blame for the consistent belittling of the little?  The trailer editors?  The writers?  The casting agents?  A more vast Hollywood conspiracy?  The audience, for continuing to laugh at airborne dwarves?

I have to give Mike Meyers credit for exploiting Verne Troyer as Mini-Me so thoroughly in Austin Powers.  Maybe the reason small people feel so tired in comedies is because Austin Powers did every midget joke twice over.  Better still, Mini-Me actually had a bit of relationship with Dr. Evil, too—something to do on screen besides fly around and look small.  Mini-Me is deepest small-person-character since… Tattoo?

But whatever credit I just gave Mike Meyers, I now have to take away.  Have you seen the trailer for “The Love Guru“ yet?  The optimist in me cries, “You can’t judge a movie by its trailer!“  The me in me cries, “You are meant to judge a movie by its trailer!  History has proven this with alarming accuracy!“  Either I’m wrong or Mike Meyers, whose comedic mind I worship and envy, needs to break some habits.

The Love Guru boasts the return of Mini-Me and the most precise Mini-Me joke to date:  “You are a midget.“  Yes.  Yes!  Finally, the culmination, the alpha-and-omega of a joke ten years in the making.  (Even more sadly, we’ve seen Mike Meyers do the same joke setup before: the running “Mole” gag in Austin Powers.  Is he just tired?)

The Love Guru also features a new, terrible trend in comedies: Jessica Alba.  Has Jessica Alba ever made anybody laugh?  Intentionally?  I watched half of “Good Luck Chuck” over somebody’s shoulder on a train ride, and Alba’s “comic timing” seems to consist entirely of well-edited pratfalls.  In fairness, nobody (besides Jessica Alba) would claim she’s funny.  She’s bankable.  She’s eye-candy.  She’s a prize, a superficial motivation for male leads to leap into wacky scenarios.  Perhaps a female comic lead with something interesting to say/do would attract a more talented comedienne.

In summary: The Love Guru looks terrible.

Monday, February 25, 2008

The Wire

The lady and I are working our way through the third season of the critically acclaimed long-form crime drama The Wire.  We came up with a spin-off series that will surely make us millions:

In each episode of Bubs in Trubs, lovable junkie/informant Bubbles will unsuccessfully attempt a new and hilarious caper!  The lady and I will be writing the spec pilot, in which Bubble’s prize is a radiator stuffed with copper pipes.  Featuring guest appearances by McNulty, Kima and the gang!

This will surely be an ostentatious launch of my screenwriting career.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

In Which I Discover Rufus Wainwright

For several months I’ve been listening to Rufus Wainwright on near-constant rotation.  I remember friends of mine discovering his music in high school, which begs the question: where the fuck was I?

Oh, right, I was listening to KMFDM:

That video reflects my high school tastes pretty accurately—industrial angst + anime = revolution!

More unintentionally hilarious KMFDM:

A dark and suburban youth was me.  But, I digress.  Rufus Wainwright is phenomenal.