More On Comedies

i think that the answer to why the apatowian raunch comedy genre has been so lame recently is that the writers, producers, and directors have gotten famous/successful enough to wave off their editors, and they are making things that are way too long. here is a list of pretty funny movies from the last few years and their respective runtimes:

old school - 91 min

anchorman - 94 min

role models - 99 min

hot tub time machine - 99 min

get him to the greek - 109 min

pineapple express - 111 min

forgetting sarah marshall - 111 min

superbad - 113 min

knocked up - 129 min

funny people - 146 min

now, take another look at that list. if you had to rank those movies from "funniest" to "least funny" wouldn't the order be almost exactly the same? i mean, maybe you drop get him to the greek a couple slots (haven't seen it yet) and bump anchorman over old school, but other than that, isnt it about the same?

shakespeare once said "brevity is the soul of wit." apparently, hollywood has forgotten this, as they continue to release these bloated comedies with their even more bloated "unrated editions" that just have more of the jokes that aren't funny and were cut for a reason.

by contrast, i've been very impressed with the quality of comedy writing on television. from network shows like glee, modern family, and how i met your mother, to cable shows like always sunny or south park, to premium shows like eastbound and down or party down, the writing is pithy, funny, and tight. i think that by having to adhere to a 22 or 28 minute timeframe, the writers have a much better understanding that they need to be funny quickly.

this has been an extremely long post for one that is all about how things need to be short (on a comedy website, no less!) so i'll cut it off now, but here's a little reward for your reading efforts:

Milkman - Lactose and THC (whole album)

On Comedies

Now that Hot Tub Time Machine is out on DVD, I've been thinking about how much better it is than the huge comedies that get all the attention these days. When I saw Get Him to the Greek, it was like seeing The Hangover all over again, and I don't mean that in a good way. The Hangover was fucking terrible, and utterly lacking in that crucial feature of comedy movies- COMEDY. The trailer for 'Greek' even claims that it is the funniest movie since The Hangover, which I find hilarious (more hilarious than the entirety of the Hangover).

When I saw the Hangover in theaters, I was immediately struck by the fact that the first ten or so minutes went by without a good laugh. It's a fucking comedy! Where are the jokes? Yes, the situations the characters find themselves in are funny, but the writing was completely dead.

And Get Him to the Greek? What the fuck is with all the moralizing bullshit? Who gives a shit if Aldous Snow is addicted to heroin? It's supposed to be a goddamn comedy. Apatow's movies have always walked a fine line between raunchy comedy and heart. Movies such as the 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up walked that line very carefully, but as his "brand" gained clout he seemed to give less and less of a shit. Superbad and Funny People were both about 45 minutes to an hour too long. When you toy around too much with "heart", your movies are in danger of being self-indulgent pieces of shit. As a counterexample- Role Models fucking nailed it (except for the painful last 30 seconds).

Anyways this post is too long already, so I'm not even going to discuss how fucking great Hot Tub Time Machine is. But what has me worried is the fact that everyone and their cat seems to love the fucking Hangover. Apparently everyone has a terrible sense of humor- but if everyone thinks an unfunny movie is funny, does that just make it... funny?

I hope not. Support the cause. Watch Hot Tub Time Machine.

In everyday life, we, sadly, rarely can alter time and space with a hot tub. Life is, instead, a bitch. Listen to this mashup I made of Nas' 'Life's a Bitch'.

good day to you sir

to whom it may concern:

as the malignant tuba has grown and is now pushing against the snarebellum, the level of retardation at this blog has reached an all time high. like bubble kush kinds of high. as such, i was brought in to instill an element of class, urbanity, and a knowledge of fine wine. i watch "frasier," listen to classical music, and put the comma in the right place when i use quotation marks. i refrain from base language, preferring to use proper terms like "feces" (instead of poop -- aw shit, i said poop. shit. no more swears, promise) and "cunt" (instead of vagina). i come from a house of learned doctors.

but enough about me. how are you? you're probably just getting home from work, pouring yourself a big glass of listerine, and getting ready to beat your wife, or worse, your dog. you sicken me. domestic violence is frowned upon here at the tuba, unless you mean violence against an actual domicile, which is encouraged. usually, the wall/door had it coming.

anyhow, i think i've said enough for someone with nothing to say, and if you've gotten this far, sorry, you're not getting that time back. i have been informed however, that it is customary to leave a musical treat at the end of each post, so i'm sure if you share my distinguished taste, you'll enjoy this:

Wolfgang Gartner - Wolfgang's 5th Symphony (if you can't find it on your own, please leave the internet immediately)

hands down the dopest dope i've ever smoked

Breakbot - Baby I'm Yours (U-Tern Remix)

I'm not even gonna say nothing