Cinema Bizarro

Goodbye Everybody

2011-06-02T22:15:00.000-07:00

Eh. I'm officially killing this blog. I want to thank all two of my followers for their support over the past two or so years. Thank you and I mean it sincerely. That's it. Roll credits...

Thunderbirds Are Spoofed

2011-03-12T00:23:00.001-08:00

Even though it inspired Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s politically naïve spoof Team America: World Police, Gerry Andersen’s Thunderbirds still remains an obscurity in the U.S. However, in the rest of the world, Thunderbirds is considered a beloved institution as evidenced by these sketches below…

This is probably the first ever parody of Thunderbirds (as well as Andersen’s other programs: Super Car and Stingray). It’s clearly not the best sketch to appear on Peter Cook and Dudley Moore’s proto-Monty Python sketch show, “Not Only But Also” but it does have it’s amusing moments (particularly Moore’s vapid portrayal of Johnny) and, like all of the Thunderbirds spoofs you’ll find here, it’s creepy.

This ran on an episode of Australia’s sketch comedy series The D-Generation. The selling point here is the eerie physicality of the cast and their amazing ability to mock that palsied way that marionettes walk.

Les Dennis is probably best known to most Americans for his appearance on a first season episode of Extras. Les Dennis is probably best known in the U.K. for his sketch comedy series The Les Dennis Laughter Show and multiple, nasty public meltdowns. Here’s a Thunderbirds sketch from an episode of Laughter Show..

I’ve saved the weirdest and scariest for last. I have no idea where this sketch comes from, what’s going on in the sketch, why they look like they’re embalmed, why their lower lips are so elongated and puffy or why that one character starts breakdancing. It’s all in Japanese but I implore you to stick around until the scene where a floating Thunderbird eerily lip-synchs to a Japanese pop song.

Saturday Night Live '80

2011-02-03T13:24:00.000-08:00

I’m obsessed by the 1980-81 season of Saturday Night Live not only because it’s one of the absolute worst seasons of the show but because it’s one of the years that has been forcibly swept under the carpet in hopes that people will just forget or never rediscover it. It’s similar to Disney’s efforts to wipe away people’s memories of Song of the South or George Lucas’s attempts to pretend that The Star Wars Holiday Special never happened. It might fool some of the people but the nerds will always remember. The nerds will always remember.

Eddie Murphy was a featured player at this point and wasn’t included in the early promos. I’m still shocked Gilbert Gottfried was an SNL member. He’s so ill-fitting for that show.

I’m convinced that Ann Risley was the worst cast member to ever appear on Saturday Night Live. She was a lousy actress with very little background in comedy and according to various books on SNL was an unbearable diva. Her current obscurity speaks for itself.

Some sketches weren’t entirely cringe-inducing. This one repeatedly brought me to the cusp of laughter several times.

Gail Matthius’ Valley Girl character was one of the few re-occurring characters created during the 80-81 season. Much like the characters created on the recent version of SNL, this character seems to be created out of spite against the audience.

I really wish I could get the infamous Jack the Stripper sketch that aired on the Malcolm MacDowell episode but it’s still unavailable on youtube. Until then, here’s a pair of bland, mediocre and obvious bits.

Not from the 80-81 season but I’m hoping to eventually track down the Mad Magazine Theater sketch from one of the Ebersol seasons.

Quincy: Cartoon Coroner

2010-12-22T22:03:00.000-08:00

I haven't seen this SCTV sketch since I was a kid and it's not nearly as funny as I remember it. Although I loved this line: "Another drug overdose. When will these ducks ever learn."

Yogi Bear: The Original Ending

2010-12-14T20:14:00.000-08:00

Usually, I try to avoid posting things that "go viral" but this was really too good to resist. Everything about this is well-executed and smart plus I love the inappropriately upbeat music that plays over the closing credits.

Also, I always wondered was Boo Boo a bear cub or just a really short adult bear? And if Boo Boo was a bear cub was he Yogi's son?

Lost Dennis Potter Parody

2010-12-09T22:09:00.000-08:00

Here's an odd rarity. It's a sketch spoofing the works of Dennis Potter (most notably The Singing Detective) that was supposed to air on an episode of Spitting Image but was cut for whatever reason.

It's not particularly funny but it's so aggressively jaunty I can't help but love it.

Mystos!

2010-11-29T00:22:00.000-08:00

There have been roughly over 4 million parodies of those once ubiquitous Mentos commercials and only about three of the parodies have actually been funny. This sketch from an episode of MST3K is one of the three.

Two notable things:

(1) The smug face Mike Nelson pulls at the end

(2) This is also one of the three MST3K sketches that was actually funny.

..And A White Man Set Them Free

2010-11-21T11:51:00.000-08:00

Boom. No more racism. Thanks again Fonzie!

Mumbly Auf Duetsch

2010-11-19T23:57:00.000-08:00

I don't know why the opening for the German version of the long forgotten Mumbly Cartoon Show is creeping me out but it is.

Australia's Flimsiest TV

2010-11-07T11:20:00.000-08:00

I can tolerate America's Funniest Videos mainly because it presents slapstick in its purest, most uncontrived form. But I always hated its moderately popular spin-off America's Funniest People which,like America's Funniest Home Videos, was adapted for television all over the world. This parody that ran on the Australian sketch comedy series Full Frontal aptly illustrates everything wrong about this insufferable and long cancelled program.

Ugh.

2010-11-05T23:27:00.000-07:00

Here's Exhibit A in why ZAZ styled humor should only be crafted by the ZAZ team.

(Although, the screwdriver gag at least pays off in a moderately clever way.)

Apparently Nielsen made a ton of these Red Rock Cider ads back in the early to mid 90s. They aired in the UK only.

Joe Piscopo's Jerry Lewis's Thriller

2010-11-05T23:03:00.000-07:00

I don’t want to be yet another person that takes a shot at a criminally easy target like Joe Piscopo, so I will say that this is surprisingly not horrible. Although it is way too overlong and the idea of an army of undead Jerry Lewises is more terrifying than funny.

Also, at one point in the 80s Joe Piscopo was going to play the son of Julius Kelp in The Nutty Professor 2.

50 Psalms by 50 Stars

2010-11-05T22:41:00.000-07:00

At one time K-Tel parodies were ubiquitous fixtures on the comedy landscape. Leave it to SCTV to come up with one of the funniest (which unfortunately isn’t complete)…

Believe it or not, Martin Short’s impression of Jerry Lewis used to creep me out as a kid. I remember being incredibly unnerved by this fake ad. As a side note Jerry’s son Gary performed It Ain’t Me, Babe when they hosted an episode of Hullabaloo.

Speaking of Jerry Lewis, here’s footage of him being an asshole to some teenager.

The Closing Theme to Linus The Lion-Hearted

2010-09-17T23:51:00.000-07:00

I've never seen an episode of Linus the Lion-Hearted but if it's half as funny as its closing theme then it has to be one of the most unjustly forgotten cartoons of the 60s. I just love the subtle sarcasm and mock solemnity of it. It's surprisingly smart. Particularly the dig at Emmett Kelly at the end.

The New Show

2010-08-27T01:06:00.000-07:00

The New Show was the very short-lived (5 episodes) sketch comedy show that Lorne Michaels produced during his self-imposed exile from Saturday Night Live. As in most sketch comedy programs, The New Show was very hit or miss but it did contain an amazing assortment of writers and performers (John Candy, Jeff Goldblum, Dave Thomas, Buck Henry and Catherine O’Hara were some of the regular performers while George Meyer, Jack Handey and (supposedly) John Swartzwelder were just three of the writers). The New Show was very reminiscent of SCTV and should’ve been a success.

This sketch seems like it was wholly improvised by Candy and it’s incredible just how many laughs he can get out of mentioning a bag of flour.

I want to say that Handey wrote this but it’s almost not weird enough.

These two play like lost SCTV sketches. The Twilight Zonettes feels like it was written by Meyer.

If this sketch ever aired on SNL it would be considered a classic. Unfortunately it didn’t. I could’ve sworn I read something about Swartzwelder writing this sketch but Swartzwelder isn’t credited as a writer on IMDB for this show. Maybe Handey? *Update* It was actually written by Meyer (Thanks Sam).

Special Bonus: Here's the opening credits sequence for The Dave Thomas Comedy Show a summer replacement sketch comedy series from 1990. I've never seen this but from the looks of the opening credits sequence I don't think I missed much.

Norbert Smith: A Life

2010-08-26T17:35:00.000-07:00

Harry Enfield is yet another great British comedian who is unfortunately unrecognized in the US. Norbert Smith: A Life is probably the one project he’ll be remembered for. Examining the rise and fall of a fictional actor, Norbert Smith: A Life was a mockumentary made in the days when the mockumentary was still a fresh and funny concept. The film has the right mixture of dryness, gentle absurdity and the period details are sometimes astounding. The film even goes the extra mile by recruiting some of the original Carry-On members to appear in the Carry-On parody.

Churchill: The Hollywood Years

2010-08-26T17:04:00.000-07:00

I'm surprised that I just found out about this. The reviews for this movie have been almost unanimously awful but the cast is interesting and it's directed by Peter Richardson who made similar American action movie spoofs like The Strike and GLC on the old Comic Strip series. With Christian Slater and Neve Campbell headlining, it's weird this hasn't been quietly sent directly to DVD in the US.

The Fries Will Never Be Ready

2010-08-22T22:10:00.000-07:00

I love Youtube if only because I can finally see stuff like this. These are the scenes that were deleted from Brain Candy and it’s easy to see why: they really don’t work. It’s also easy to see why they eliminated the Zendrik character. Dave Foley’s performance is too broad and it seems like he’s trying to pull off a bad Shatner impression. With that said, “The fries will never be ready” is a great line.

Here’s the original ending. Apart from some great gags and a terrific, downbeat (but far too abrupt) climax, you can see why they rewrote it. I’m guessing the Cats reference was a call back to earlier Zendrik bit.

Also, on an unrelated note, what is it about this site that is so appealing to Chinese spammers?

Dead Invisible People

2010-07-16T22:24:00.001-07:00

This looks and sounds like a lost Mr. Show sketch but it actually appeared on an episode of The Jenny McCarthy Show. Apparently it was written by Jon Glaser (who appears as an invisible dead body remover).

Blinded By The Light

2010-07-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, The Vacant Lot was a sketch comedy troupe that was once considered to be an heir apparent to the Kids in the Hall’s comedy throne. Their current obscurity speaks for itself. Still, this sketch based around Manfred Mann’s largely incoherent hit Blinded By the Light still works even today. Particularly Rob Gfroerer’s outburst towards the end.

Here’s a remake of the previous sketch. I like this setting better than the poker game. Unfortunately this ending lacks the impact of the original.

Some of the other members of The Vacant Lot were Paul Greenberg who popped up as a cast member on MTV's Jenny McCarthy Show...

Also, notice Jack Plotnick, Brian Posehn and, surprisingly, Jon Glaser.

And finally, Nick McKinney was the brother of The Kids in the Hall's Mark McKinney.

I Like Andy Dick (I'm Sorry)

2010-07-12T20:27:00.000-07:00

It may be an unpopular opinion but I’ll say it anyway: Andy Dick is underrated. If you’re able to look past his pathetic public persona you’ll find a fearless comedian who isn’t afraid to play desperate, violence prone losers who are completely unaware of just how sad they appear to other people. Just marvel at the pure intensity he brings to these characters below…

This aired on an episode of Comedy Product a short lived Comedy Central program that was hosted by Janeane Garofalo and gave such comedians as David Cross and Will Ferrell their earliest exposure. The fact that Dick’s character is called Van Hammersly indicates that this bit was probably written by Bob Odenkirk.

I hesitate to say this, but I actually prefer this Who’s On First parody to the one The Kids in Hall performed in the ‘90s.

Hey, You Know What Would Be New? A Silence of the Lambs Parody: Part 6

2010-07-08T20:52:00.001-07:00

At the time that I write this it is the year of our lord 2010. Our drinking water is 75% petroleum based, Philadelphia residents are routinely murdered by aquatic buses (or “Ducks” as their chillingly dubbed) and our movies still feel the need to reference a scene from a film that’s nearly twenty years old. Yes, in this trailer for the notly anticipated “Cats & Dogs 2: The Search For Kitty’s Gold (or whatever)”, witness as the interrogation scene is reenacted by a cast of adorable animals for some goddamned reason.

By the way, why is this being released to theaters now when it should’ve been released directly to DVD eight years ago?

Special thanks to Cinema Bizarro’s bestest buddy Louis Fowler for suggesting this clip.

Still Not Dead: Friedberg and Seltzer

2010-07-07T15:24:00.000-07:00

After a nearly two year sabbatical, Friedberg and Seltzer return to choke the joy and laughter out of anyone stupid enough to watch their films (me and several million 14 year olds). And surprisingly all that time away from making fun of easy, dated targets hasn’t made them better writers. That Lady Gaga joke isn’t even a joke. In fact it barely functions as a reference. Although I am a little surprised, I really thought these guys would have made Avafart or Avatard rather than a parody of Twilight. Besides, I really wanted people with actual talent to tear apart that horrible phenomenon. If there is a bright side to any of this it’s nice to know that Christa Flanagan is getting work. As always, I will be cringing through this on opening day (because I am a terrible person who doesn’t deserve to enjoy nice things).

Downtown

2010-06-29T20:31:00.001-07:00

I love to watch comedy from another country mainly because it’s so alien and indecipherable. I like it because I don’t get it. But not all foreign comedy is inexplicable. Take for example these following scenes from Japanese sketch comedy show Downtown. There’s an absurdity that is over-the-top yet quietly subtle. Downtown is yet another foreign show that should be imported to this country.

Apparently Michael Jackson’s Captain EO was known as Captain Jackson in Japan.

This sketch requires a somewhat cursory knowledge of the clichés of Japanese Sentai programs.

The 5 Rangers sketches were essentially the same but this comp reveals that just because something is repetitive doesn’t mean it can’t be inventive in some small way. The funeral one is easily my favorite sketch.

I take back what I said about Downtown earlier because the show does have it's fair share of inexplicable moments. Aho Aho Man (aka Moron Moron Man) and the AfterSchool Magnet Twins sketches only reinforce people’s narrow (but occasionally accurate) views about Japan’s cultural landscape. Nonetheless, enjoy the aggressive weirdness on display in these vaguely off-putting scenarios.

Now That's What I Call Dated: Fake Made For TV Movies About Tonya Harding

2010-04-11T14:08:00.001-07:00

Like Monica Lewinsky, OJ Simpson and John Wayne Bobbit, Tonya Harding was a favorite (and easy) target among talk show hosts and hacky comedy writers. However, unlike her sad peers, Harding was the only one to inspire a trio of faux made for TV movies.

Comedy Central promoted this heavily and at one point ran five of these in a row before finally yanking it off the air for good. Out of the three this is probably my favorite because it’s fairly subtle and mimics the look of a made for TV movie perfectly.

This ran during the very early years of Late Night With Conan O’Brian. Scott Thompson is perfectly creepy as Harding and I like the CIA non-sequitur that Andy mumbles at the very beginning.

Technically National Lampoon’s Attack of the 5’2 Women was a real made for TV movie (it ran on Showtime). However, I’ve included it hear because it is a cheap disposable parody. As a side note the appeal of Julie Brown has always eluded me. Really, I don’t get it.

The Lighter Side: The Movie

2010-03-26T01:18:00.000-07:00

I really don’t know how these people did it. They’ve somehow managed to make Dave Berg’s The Lighter Side less funny. That’s the comedic equivalent to absolute zero. Congratulations people!

Celebrity Look-A-Likes That Depress Me: Don Mincey

2010-03-25T23:37:00.000-07:00

On the surface it may seem glamorous or even fun to be a celebrity look-a-like, especially if you resemble Marilyn Monroe or Elvis Presley or Angelina Jolie. But what if you look like Rhea Perlman or Phillip Seymour Hoffman? What happens when the celebrity you resemble falls out of favor with the general public? What happens when the now humbled and affordable celebrity usurps the same corporate gigs, casino openings, and children’s birthday parties that used to pay your bills? I really have no idea. But I’m sure Chevy Chase sort-a-look-a-like Don Mincey knows all too well about the perils of riding the coattails of a once beloved celebrity. Hopefully Chase’s current comeback will reignite interest in the man who vaguely resembles him.

Teenage Fallout Queen

2010-03-23T22:34:00.001-07:00

I’m surprised. I thought Sheldon Allman’s Radioactive Mama was the only novelty song ever written about somebody dying slowly from radiation poisoning. Apparently there was another.

Rappin' Ronnie

2010-03-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

Without getting too political, I’ve never liked Reagan and I don’t understand this current lionization of his presidency. However, I like Gary Trudeau even less. He’s smug, unfunny and personifies every negative stereotype the right believes about the left. The only time I’ve ever laughed at Doonesbury was when Johnny Ryan was making fun of it. Plus Trudeau’s indirectly responsible for Bloom County and for me that’s reason enough to hate anybody.

At any rate, if you’re not quite sure how to feel about Trudeau, here’s Rappin’ Ronnie a truly excruciating novelty rap number he wrote that features a guy who neither looks nor sounds anything like Reagan stiffly wandering about a clean and well kept ghetto “rappin” about “Nancy sitting on Mr. T’s lap” as a faceless Ed Meese scratches a turntable. I guarantee by the end of it (if you get that far) you’ll be screeching for Trudeau’s shitty head.

Still, I will give Trudeau this much: at least he’s not Bruce Tinsley. That guy can just fuck off to hell.

Screwballs!

2010-03-22T22:31:00.000-07:00

I hate the Porky’s series. It’s angry, joyless and the characters are hateful stick figures. With that said, I should probably loathe Screwballs being that it’s a cheap Canadian knock-off of Bob Clark’s inexplicably popular trilogy but I don’t. Screwballs is everything that Porky’s should’ve been. It’s silly, weird and so unselfconsciously stupid that it ultimately wins you over.

I love everything about that title sequence (and I wish the full version was on Youtube) from the opening site gag that doesn’t work to the choreographed prancing the cheerleaders perform on their way to school to the fact that the horny fat guy’s bike has four training wheels, Screwballs really was the greatest sex comedy ever made. Not the funniest mind you, but still the greatest.

Oh, and on a vaguely related note, here's Screwballz! the Love Connection parody that ran on an episode of Mr. Show. I'm including this only because I can't think of Screwballs without thinking of Screwballz.

Hey, You Know What Would Be New? A Silence of the Lambs Parody: Part 5

2010-03-17T22:23:00.000-07:00

In our current culture, hastily produced parodies of popular and moderately popular films are unavoidable. So The Silence of the Hams was inevitable much in the same way that Avafart (in 1-D!!!!!) will be sadly inevitable. However, The Silence of Hams carries a weird wrinkle; it’s actually a parody of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Sure, Billy Zane plays Jo Dee Foster (ugh) and Dom Deluise plays Hannibal “Cannibal” Pizza (double ugh) but they’re only there to briefly justify the unfunny title. Below you’ll find one of the few Silence scenes in the movie and, of course, it had to be the interrogation scene.

Hey, You Know What Would Be New? A Silence of the Lambs Parody: Part 4

2010-03-09T23:00:00.000-08:00

People that know me are well aware of my embarrassing weakness for parody films. No matter how bad or obscure a parody film may be I must track it down and watch it. Because the need to be annoyed and disappointed is a need that can never be fulfilled. At any rate, Der Wixxer isn’t bad but it is pretty obscure. Released shortly after the surprising record breaking success of The Manitou’s Shoe (a parody of the Winnetou and Old Shatterhand movies), Der Wixxer was a German effort that set out to mock Edgar Wallace krimis. It’s uneven but the film is hard to hate mainly because it’s so eager to please.

Like most parody films released in the past 18 years, Der Wixxer takes the path of least resistance by doing yet another Silence of the Lambs spoof. This is another typical take on Jonathan Demme’s film but with two exceptions: (1.) It’s in German, and (2.) The cinematography is surprisingly good. I mean you never see cinematography this beautiful or expressive in a throwaway spoof. (Actual parody begins at 1:29)

Hey, You Know What Would Be New? A Silence of the Lambs Parody: Part 3

2010-03-02T23:46:00.000-08:00

If you’ve ever seen the Extras Christmas special and wondered just who those two guys were that Ricky Gervais snubbed at the fancy restaurant, wonder no longer. They’re Gareth Hale and Norman Pace a once moderately successful comedy duo whose humor seemed to waver in between surprisingly smart and horribly stupid. This clip below encapsulates everything that worked and didn’t work about Hale and Pace.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyXIAMyv8KE

Eventually, by the end of the 90s, Hale and Pace finally succumbed to mediocrity. The point of no return happened around the time they recorded the Stonk for Comic Relief. I’ve never been able to sit through the entire video. Try and see if you can.

But before that, Hale and Pace should be honored for the good things they’ve done for comedy such as this “edited for television” bit that anticipated a very similar Mr. Show sketch by at least a decade.

They were even good at putting a new spin on old, worn out concepts. This Silence of the Lambs parody starts out fairly typical (apart from the Multiple Miggs reference. Not many Silence spoofs went down that route) but stick with it. There’s a twist at the end that practically redeems some of the more obvious bits. It’s not a great sketch by any means but stronger than most of the Silence parodies I’ve seen.

Dead Parrot(s) Sketch(es)

2010-02-25T23:40:00.000-08:00

The Rhetorical Sale of the Century

2010-02-25T22:54:00.000-08:00

It’s easy to forget that Eric Bana started out as a comedic actor mainly because Eric Bana doesn’t particularly scream comedy. He might scream “guy who would host a reality show about sports cars on the Discovery Channel” or “supporting lead in a Lifetime movie” but never comedy. But here he is on the Australian sketch comedy show Full Frontal being genuinely amusing in a moderately clever game show parody. Who would have ever thought!

Hey, You Know What Would Be New? A Silence of the Lambs Parody: Part 2

2010-01-14T23:33:00.000-08:00

Until recently when comedy writers discovered they could make fun of the Buffalo Bill character, Silence of the Lambs parodies typically made fun of one scene and one scene alone and that’s the scene where Clarice Starling meets Hannibal Lecter for the first time.

It’s not surprising why this scene has been mocked so many times. It’s instantly iconic yet affected and weird. This is the kind of scene that practically begs to be made fun of. What is surprising is that this is the only scene that comedy writers seem to go after. Sure some don’t reference the quid-pro-quo line and some might not mock the fava beans line or the licking thing that Hopkins pulls after the fava beans line but all of them do make fun of that moment where Lecter smells and recognizes Starling’s perfume (or whatever it was).

Below you’ll find the Silence parody from National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1. I’m not sure if this was the first but it’s definitely one of the earliest examples. Parts of it are actually kind of amusing and I should mention that Loaded Weapon 1 actually pulls off a sort-of hack trifecta by referencing the quid-pro-quo line, the fava-bean-tongue thing and the part where he smells her. Congratulations movie (actual Silence parody starts at the 2:58 mark).

Hey, You Know What Would Be New? A Silence of the Lambs Parody: Part 1

2010-01-13T23:01:00.001-08:00

Why is it that practically every Silence of the Lambs parody either contains a reference to eating fava beans or a scene in which somebody is wheeled out in a face mask and strait-jacket? I mean there were other scenes in the movie why just focus on those two?

Here’s a Skippy(Australia’s Lassie)/Silence of the Lambs pastiche that aired on an episode of Fast Forward. Thankfully it foregoes the fava beans thing but settles on the facemask thing.

Over the next couple of weeks I will be posting similar clips for reasons I’m still not entirely sure. (self-loathing?)

The Edge Pilot Episode

2009-12-22T23:57:00.000-08:00

If The Edge is remembered at all it’s probably remembered as the sketch comedy show Jennifer Anniston appeared on before Friends made her a mega-star. But there’s a little more to The Edge than that. To start with it launched the careers of Wayne Knight, Tom Kenney, Jill Talley and, incredibly, Charlie Kaufman. Yet in spite of this pedigree, The Edge wasn’t that good. A lot of the sketches are cheap and easy (probably due to Julie Brown’s heavy involvement with the series) and, like the current version of Saturday Night Live, it wasn’t afraid to force reoccurring characters down the throats of its audience (like The Armed Family which, luckily doesn’t appear in the episode below). Still this show isn’t unwatchable, plus it deserves bonus points for exposing Bill Plympton’s animation to a wider audience.

Two nerdy sidenotes: The Ben Stiller Show premiered around the same time as this. Also, Carol Rosenthal went on to appear in the final pathetic season of In Living Color.

The Benny Hill Street Blues

2009-12-22T23:19:00.000-08:00

This is easily one of my all-time favorite SCTV sketches. There’s been a lot of Benny Hill parodies but this is one of the very few that have been able to capture the feel of the original show. I love Dave Thomas’ grotesque, slightly crazed take on Britain’s habitual head-slapper.

A Courtroom Sketch Sketch

2009-12-22T20:59:00.001-08:00

I don’t want to ruin this sketch by discussing it but I will say that it aired on an episode of Alexei Sayle’s Stuff and has a damn near brilliant payoff. The British truly are masters at comic absurdity.

Dave Foley's The True Meaning of Christmas Specials

2009-12-15T21:59:00.001-08:00

I’ve wanted to see The True Meaning of Christmas Specials ever since I heard about it in 2003 and like a lot of things I’ve been dying to watch for a long time it’s kind of a disappointment. The cameos (Mike Myers, Dave Thomas as Bob Hope, Dick Dale, Joe Flaherty as Bing Crosby, Andy Richter, Tom Green, Kevin McDonald, El Vez) are interesting but everything else about it is off. It’s oddly paced, horribly low key and surprisingly unfunny. Still, for all of you Kids in the Hall fans out there The True Meaning of Christmas Specials is definitely worth watching at least once.

Oh, and I love the fact that this was followed by an Ann Murray Special. Glad to see Canadian television reinforcing its most boring stereotypes.

How Many of You Men Have Always Wanted to Try Oriental Dancing?

2009-12-14T21:58:00.000-08:00

SCTV’S final, waning year on Cinemax isn’t nearly as disappointing as most SCTV fans would lead you to believe. Take for example this sketch for an escort service that has such a funny/depressing quality that it could easily run on an episode of Tim and Eric’s Awesome Show.

In an unrelated side note, a couple years back a there was a strip club not far from my house that was actually called “Leave it To Beaver’s”. I’m really not making that up.

The TV Wheel

2009-12-09T22:49:00.000-08:00

Airing only once after the final Comedy Central episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, The TV Wheel is generally remembered only by MST3K fans and the nerdiest of comedy nerds (I’m sorry if that was redundant). Typical of most Joel Hodgson projects, The TV Wheel was insanely ambitious. It was a sketch comedy show that was performed live - in one take- in front of a single stationary camera that was placed in the middle of a revolving stage.

Contrary to popular opinion, not all of the sketches on The TV Wheel fall flat although a good chunk of them do (too much of the humor relies on forced perspectives and in camera special effects). Nonetheless, the skewering of Scientology is fairly sharp as is the sketch about the Novelty catalog and the Thunderbirds spoof. Yet even if you hate this unsold HBO pilot you still have to admit that the cast was pretty amazing. David Cross, Paul Feig, Doug Benson, Andy Kindler, Fred Stoller, Nick Bakay and Morwenna Banks (who was also involved in Hodgson’s unfinished movie Statical Planets) all appeared in this. And if that wasn’t enough, Judd Apatow was one of the writers. Granted, The TV Wheel doesn’t live-up to its potential but given time it eventually would.

As a side note, The actual TV Wheel pilot starts at chapter 3. Chapters 1 and 2 were added to the Comedy Central broadcast in order to (over)explain the show's premise. They're kind of interminable and unfunny so you can simply skip ahead to the third chapter without really missing anything.

El Epicco Movie-O

2009-12-07T22:48:00.000-08:00

The only thing I love more than a parody movie is a foreign parody movie. The reasons why are myriad but it’s mostly because I get to hear what farts sound like in a different country (they’re remarkably similar!) So I’m really looking forward to Spanish Movie. Like Der Wixxer (a German parody film), Spanish Movie has slight high-brow tendencies (Almodovar is mocked) so I doubt this will ever appear on our shores. And yes, that is Leslie Nielsen. I guess he couldn't find work in this country after appearing in An American Carol.

That's All I Need, A Goddamned Cake

2009-12-07T22:24:00.000-08:00

Like most of the cast of The Young Ones, I’m not exactly sure what to think about Alexei Sayle. On the one hand his comedic persona combines the worst traits of Robin Williams and Lewis Black only louder and shriekier. But on the other hand, he has been involved in some legitimately good projects, such as the sketch comedy series Alexei Sayle’s Stuff.

As a side note, the sketch with the Banditos is actually a parody of a long-running British television series called Juke Box Jury. And just a few years after Alexei Sayle’s Stuff was cancelled The Fast Show went on to open one of their episodes with a collection of fake trailers (complete with someone off-screen pushing a fast forward button).

Here’s probably the only Ken Loach parody ever made.

This title sequence is actually an edited down version of a longer sketch. In the original sketch it’s revealed that Sayle was a cartoon character created by Walt Disney. I wish the full version was on Youtube.

Here’s a longer clip of Steamboat Fatty….

Hate Mr. Bean? Well, you’ll probably love this vicious pisstake.

Blah,Blah,Blah, Unfunny Judd Apatow Parody, Blah, Blah, Blah

2009-12-04T22:43:00.000-08:00

Yeeps. I love parody movies as much as the next retarded 14 year old but this even tries my patience. Judd Apatow can and should be mocked at this point but did we really have to do it this way? With scenes of old people humping on lawns and fake Christopher Mintz-Plasses falling into pits of diarrhea? I love the fact that they reference To Catch A Predator two or three years after it was canceled. Very timely.

Nonetheless, I will be seeing this on opening day (or whenever it’s released directly to DVD).

Adam West: Lawman

2009-12-03T20:24:00.000-08:00

The recent reality series Steven Seagal: Lawman (I realize that “Lawman” is a real word but when you combine it with the name Steven Seagal it starts to take on ridiculous connotations until it eventually sounds as stupid as Justice Pal or Man Cop or Crime Puncher) has reminded me of another show about a doughy washed up idiot with delusions of grandeur: Conan O’Brien and Robert Smigel’s brilliant unsold pilot Lookwell.

Oh, and here’s a fun fact: NBC chose the Friends pilot over Lookwell. This is one of the many reasons why I fucking hate Friends.

Gregory: Diary of a Nutcase

2009-12-01T23:02:00.000-08:00

Since the moment it was released in 1991, The Silence of the Lambs has been mocked on a consistent basis in TV shows, movies and practically anything else that’s media-based (up to and including View-Masters). Yet, in-spite of the nearly endless series of nods, references and blatant knock-offs, Gregory: Diary of a Nutcase marks the only parody of Silence of the Lambs that legitimately works. Airing as an episode of the cult British comedy series The Comic Strip, Gregory: Diary of a Nutcase is a surprisingly savage attack on the Jonathan Demme classic. It’s such a sharp satire that it actually makes its source material look hackneyed. The only complaint I have about it lies in the camcorder segments with Adrian Edmondson which seem kind of unnecessary and redundant (we already get it. The film is unrealistic. We don’t need Gregory to further hammer this point home). British comedy nerds might recognize Nigel Planer, The Day Today’s Doon Mackichan and Keith Allen (father of Lily Allen) as Hannibal Lecter.

For some reason or another you can’t embed the full episode so here’s a preview with links for the full episode below.

Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkEESkltdsY

Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVzGS-4i3CM

Part 3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAu860rdE4E

Part 4:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4lL9BMpRvY

Parodying a Parody

2009-11-30T20:49:00.000-08:00

In the words of an old National Lampoon cover, “you can parody anything” even parody itself (Harvey Kurtzman proved that in Mad #18). But parodying a parody is never easy. For further proof check out this spoof of the old Batman series that ran on an episode of Fast Forward. Too much of the comedy relies on Batman and Robin’s ambiguous relationship (and, please let’s officially retire this joke along with any gag about Peppermint Patty and Marcy’s sapphic tendencies or Scooby and Shaggy’s unspoken love of pot. It’s so hacky) but there are some interesting moments. Adam West’s acting style is amusingly mocked as is the show’s over-reliance on alliteration (which seems kind of dumb being that Batman’s use of alliteration was intentionally over-the-top). It’s not really funny but if you like Batman you’ll tolerate this.

The Making of The Beast Must Die

2009-11-17T23:55:00.000-08:00

I wrote this quasi-review of The Beast Must Die for Screem magazine several years ago. It was rejected. Typically, whenever something of mine is rejected it's rejected for a very good reason: it's terrible. But for some reason or another, I still really like this review and for that reason alone I'm now going to inflict it upon both of my readers. I'm sorry gents.

The time is the early 1970s, director Paul Annett is discussing his latest project with producer Milton Subotsky in the offices of Amicus Studios...

Milton Subotsky: I understand you have a new script for me.

Paul Annett: I sure do(he tosses the script onto Subotsky's desk). What do you think?

MS: Well, first of all this isn't actually a script it's just a tattered copy of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians...

PA: Uh huh.

MS: ...and it appears that someone crossed out the word "Indians" and replaced it with "Werewolves"

PA: Right, right. Do you have a problem with that?

MS: Well, yes a number of problems actually.

PA: Woah! Wait a second! Before you jump the gun let me describe the premise.

MS: (Sighs) Fine.

PA: Great. OK. Picture this. There's this great white hunter type, OK? And he's sick of hunting down elephants and jaguars, right? So he decides to go after something a little different: werewolves!

MS: (Holding his head in his hands) Go on.

PA: OK. So this hunter invites suspected werewolves to his sprawling estate so he can track them and kill them. But the only way he can find out which one of his guests is a werewolf is by forcing them to suck on
a silver bullet while they touch a candlestick.

MS: (glaring at Annett) Pass.

PA: What if I told you that the hunter was a fearless black superhero like John Shaft?

MS: Hmmm. Blaxploitation films are pretty big at the moment. Who exactly did you have in mind for the role?

PA: Robert Quarry.

MS: He's white.

PA: Oliver Reed.

MS: Again. White.

PA: Who's that one guy? Richard...Something?

MS: Roundtree? From Shaft?

PA: No...Little. We can get him to do his crazy impressions. Have you ever seen his "Duke" Wayne? (impersonates Rich Little doing "Duke" Wayne) Oh, man he is so hi-goddamn-larious.

MS: (Sighs) Look I just don't think-

PA: I can get Peter Cushing to play a Danish Professor of Werewolf-ology!

MS: What the hell does that have to do with anything?

PA: Look, do you want to make this picture or not?

MS: Not really, no.

PA: Well, what if I told you we can make it next to nothing?

MS: I'm listening.

PA: What if our "werewolf" was actually just a dog covered in the remnants of an old shag rug I found in the dumpster near the Burger King my uncle manages?

MS: That could work I suppose. But it's still missing something.

PA: What do you mean? Like a gimmick?

MS: Exactly. Towards the film's climax we could grind the film to a complete halt with a "Werewolf Break" or something. For an entire minute we can ask the audience to figure out the identity of the werewolf or we can just have an usher dress up as a werewolf and smack a couple of the audience members around.

PA: Oh, I like that last idea. Maybe we can give him a shotgun that shoots delicious gummi worms?

MS: Now you're talking! Here's a check for 500 dollars. I want Ten Little Werewolves in the can by next Thursday.

In 1973 Ten Little Werewolves was made and released (minus Rich Little, the werewolf usher and the gummi shotgun gimmick) as The Beast Must Die. The film, which mixed UK Horror, Blaxploitation, The Most Dangerous Game and country house Who-dunits, went onto become one of the greatest minor footnotes in horror movie history and its star the late Calvin Lockhart will forever be remembered as "That black guy who played the asshole hunter in that shitty movie my friend made me watch last week".

To commemorate this non-enduring anti-classic Dark Sky films has released a special edition of The Beast Must Die on DVD. This disc includes trailers, commentary from Annett and a featurette in which he threatens us with the possibility of a remake.

Although boasting an interesting cast that includes Anton Diffring, Michael Gambon, Charles Gray and Marlene Clark ,The Beast Must Die never fully realizes its potential and gladly becomes just another bland horror
film. If anything it's a solid indication of how clueless and desperate the British horror industry became in the 70s.

Jack Benny Mocks the Fall 1965 Television Line-Up

2009-11-10T20:42:00.000-08:00

Pretty self-explanatory. I'm also surprised by not only how well it holds up but by how timely the Medicare reference still is.

This Is The Chorus

2009-11-05T23:06:00.001-08:00

Although unknown in the US, Morris Minor and The Majors seemed at one time to be the British answer to Weird Al when their novelty song The Stutter Rap became an unexpected hit in the UK and Australia. Their follow-up, This is the Chorus, an unrelenting pisstake on Rick Astley, Kylie Minogue and other members of the Stock, Aitken, Waterman hit factory, was a failure. Why it was remains a mystery. The song was extremely catchy and actually had a valid satirical point to make unlike The Stutter Rap which made the lame, out of touch observation that 'those rapper guys sure sound like they got a speech impediment'.

Omnibuses

2009-11-04T23:38:00.000-08:00

There’s a common misconception that you can’t make fun of comedy. The fact of the matter is that you can it’s just not that easy and even if you can pull it off there’s only going to be a small amount of comedy nerds that will appreciate it. Case in point, this short parody of the obnoxious yet alarmingly popular Britcom On The Buses doesn’t just nail the creative bankruptcy of its target but of all leering 70s Britcoms. Yet I can’t see many people really liking this apart from a handful of Anglophiles and geeky Britts.

A Modest Collection of Drunk, Stoned and Largely Unknown Celebrities

2009-11-04T22:45:00.000-08:00

If you’re like me then you probably enjoy when a celebrity appears drunk or stoned on television. However, if you enjoy watching a drunk or stoned celebrity you’ve never heard of then you’re probably just me. So I invite myself to enjoy the following clips of mostly unknown (apart from Iggy Pop, Robin Gibb and Oliver Reed) foreign celebrities embarrassing themselves on TV shows you’ve never heard of or care about.

Here’s the full Iggy Pop interview

Another Goddamn Sketch From Fridays

2009-11-02T22:19:00.000-08:00

Admittedly, I’ve gone a little overboard with the Fridays clips but here’s a sketch that kind of succeeds. The long, protracted pace actually works in its favor and the twist at the halfway point is a surprise. Plus Father Guido Sarducci actually manages to be funny for once! But after awhile the idea simply runs out of steam. Why none of the writers attempted to further escalate the craziness is a mystery. Consider this sketch Exhibit W in why Fridays will never be released legitimately on DVD.

The Ronnie Horror Picture Show (Happy Halloween!)

2009-10-29T22:52:00.001-07:00

I’m sure there are at least a thousand more youtube videos that are more appropriately Halloweenie than this one but I’d really rather not do the legwork. At any rate here’s The Ronnie Horror Picture Show a nearly 20 minute sketch (Fuck! 20 minutes? SCTV sketches didn’t even run that long!) that awkwardly uses The Rocky Horror Picture Show as a springboard to mock the Reagan administration. Some people have said that this sketch served as turning point for Fridays and proved that it could do smart humor. Those people are wrong. This isn’t comedy; at best it’s a heavy handed parable. In fact, the drug joke in the beginning is the funniest thing about this and it isn’t so much funny as it is factual.

As a side note, this sketch only aired once. Apparently, the producers of The Rocky Horror Picture show didn’t like the fact that their film was parodied without their permission. They have a point. All parodies must have express written consent from their satirical targets before they can proceed. That is just how comedy works.

Also, since I'm already on the subject: I hate The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Sorry, I mean I fucking hate The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

You Make Me Puke!

2009-10-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

Although there hasn't been many skewerings of Steve and Eydie Gorme over the years, I'd still like to think that this SCTV sketch is the definitive one. What I love about the sketch isn't so much the angry, venomous song they sing about their loveless marriage but the fact that they sing it so cheerily and without malice. If anyone wanted proof of the comic abilities of Dave Thomas and Catherine O'Hara all you would have to was show them this clip before you kick them in the goddamn balls (because the comic abilities of Thomas and O'Hara should never be questioned).

Why Would you Watch Something That Will Make You Hate When You Can Watch Something That Will Make You Love?

2009-10-27T23:06:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah, I know. Comedically speaking this is kind of a dead horse. But it's the kind of dead horse that could stand to be beaten once more. Ladies and gentlemen, here's a promo for the punk rock episode of Quincy (aka Next Stop Nowhere)

On a related note, if anyone could unearth the SCTV sketch Quincy the Cartoon Coroner it would be greatly appreciated.

Lost Wonder Showzen Sketches

2009-10-27T01:35:00.000-07:00

For the time being, someone from Augenblick Studios has posted unedited rough footage of the cartoons they made for Wonder Showzen on Youtube.

Here’s all the animated gags from the infamous Horse Apples episode. There’s actually a fair amount of these that didn’t make it on the show (most notably the one where the pig wipes his ass with a turban).

This never actually made it on the air. I’m assuming it was cut for time.

Popeye on Fridays

2009-10-27T00:57:00.000-07:00

Much like the Addams Family, Popeye is just one of those things that is impossible to make fun of. I think it’s because he’s already so exaggerated and grotesque that parody is ultimately rendered irrelevant. Still, many have tried and, as of this blog post, nobody has succeeded (although Harvey Kurtzman’s Poopeye did come close). This sketch from Fridays isn’t necessarily the worst Popeye spoof but it’s definitely one of the worst. Like a number of sketches on Fridays it’s so busy being pointedly political that it simply forgets to be funny. Plus, could somebody please explain why this had to run longer than 10 minutes? The average Popeye cartoon lasts from 5 to 6 minutes. Still, for those who might want to stick this out, you’ll be rewarded with the sight of Michael Richards as Olive Oyl. Rewarded means the same thing as punished, right?

Funky Squad

2009-10-27T00:18:00.000-07:00

Created and written by The Late Show’s Jane Kennedy, Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner and Rob Sitch, Funky Squad was an Australian parody of The Mod Squad. Although the show has amassed a relatively large cult following in the past few years, Funky Squad was a failure when it premiered on ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) in 1995. It’s kind of easy to see why. Like a number of comedies set in the 70s, too much of the humor is derived from dated slang and eye-searing fashions. Even still Funky Squad wasn’t a complete failure. For example, its opening credits sequence is easily one of the greatest opening credits sequences I’ve ever seen. I dare you not to like this show after watching this…

Incidentally, Joey Alvarez, Blair Steele, Harvey Zdalka Jr. (whose character was mute because a bullet had hit his tongue), Verity Svenson-Hart and Baldwin Scott were actually played by Santo Cilauro, Tim Ferguson, Tom Gleisner, Jane Kennedy and Barry Friedlander.

Vintage television ads were shown during the commercial breaks. Scattered amongst the real ads were these parodies. The drunk driving PSA is easily the funniest. For some reason these ads were not included on the no-frills DVD release.

The Preventers

2009-10-24T14:28:00.001-07:00

Five months before the first Austin Powers movie appeared in theaters, The Preventers pilot premiered on British television and was quickly forgotten. The Preventers obscurity is unfortunate because in many ways it was smarter, subtler and far more accurate than its big budget cousin. I’m guessing budgetary constraints kept this from going to series because I can’t think of any other reason why anyone would want to keep this off the air.

Hardcore fans of Saturday Night Live might recognize Morwenna Banks from her very brief stint (4 episodes) on the show during its notoriously bad 1995 season. She also appeared in Joel Hodgeson’s TV Wheel pilot and the fake trailer for Hodgeson’s sadly unrealized movie Statical Planets.

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Larry David on Fridays

2009-10-24T00:11:00.000-07:00

It’s easy to overrate Fridays considering that it launched the careers of Larry David, Larry Charles (and to a lesser extent) Michael Richards and Rich Hall. But make no mistake about it, Fridays was and will always be a pale, off-brand knock-off of Saturday Night Live. Don’t believe me? Try to get through the sketch below without hitting the pause button. It’s short but far from sweet (or funny).

Still, some good did come out of the show. For example, David’s sketches were always strong even when they tackled mildly surreal subject matter. I like the fact that even though his character isn’t the focus of this sketch, his character is still the focus of this sketch.

Strangely, the Mr. Doody thing became a running gag on the show. Here’s three extremely short sketches of Larry David shamelessly fawning over the Eisenhower-era marionette.

This sketch has a bittersweet quality to it. But that's probably because it aired just a couple months before John Lennon was murdered by horror author Steven King. I like the questions that David asks the Beatles particularly, “What do you think of fat people” and “Do you enjoy foreplay”?

Here’s a concept that could easily be transformed into an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Although David appears as Erno Rubik, I have no idea who wrote this sketch (that was clearly inspired by SNL’s game show parody Hollywood Bingo) but I’ve always liked it. However, that probably has something to do with the weird parade of has-beens that opens the sketch and the Rich Little gag. Everything else is kind of drawn out and weak.

Before They Were Assholes: Russell Crowe

2009-10-20T20:52:00.001-07:00

Long before he became known as that self-serious shithead who throws phones at people, Russell Crowe actually had a sense of humor. As hard as that is to believe, here’s footage of him on the Australian sketch comedy series The Late Show in 1992.

Shirty the Slightly Aggressive Bear was one of the more popular reoccurring characters on The Late Show. Here’s another sketch that always makes me laugh even though it combines two of the most well-worn comedy conceits of the last 20 years (angry, drunk kid show hosts and gratuitous references to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest).

Bargearse

2009-10-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

Redubbing an old movie or TV show with new zany dialogue (and farts) is extremely easy to do which is probably why most redubbed movies or TV shows are so painfully unfunny. Bargearse (along with Woody Allen’s What’s Up Tiger Lily and, technically, MST3K) is one of the few exceptions. Originally airing as a part of the Australian sketch comedy series The Late Show, Bargearse was cheap and easy but also surprisingly inventive (check out the gag that opens episode 2) and smart. Incredibly, Bargearse was written and performed by some of the same people who gave us such unbearable quirk-edies as The Castle and The Dish.

For some reason the above episodes lack an opening credits sequence. You can watch it below…

Apart from Sonny Bono, Lenin, Toulouse Lautrec and the great Super Mario gag, you’d probably have to be Australian to really get all of the guest star jokes (although Uncle Arthur was a character on another Australian sketch show called The Comedy Company).

Oh, and for those who might be wondering, Bargearse was taken from a 1977 series called Bluey (the titles of which can be scene at 1:27 minute mark). Ironically, Lucky Grills is a far funnier name than Tubbs Farquhar.

Gremlins: The Ride!

2009-10-17T17:20:00.001-07:00

For some reason or another (most likely xenophobia), I was surprised to learn that there are theme parks in Germany. One of the biggest of these parks was* Warner Bros. Movie World. It’s very similar to Great Adventure and Universal Studios but like most foreign reflections of American pop culture it’s just a little bit off. Let’s see if you can figure out what’s wrong with this Gremlins ride below….

*A couple years ago the park lost the right to use the Warner Bros name and is now simply known as Movie Park. How this affected the rides I have no clue but I assume they’re all based on Fassbinder films now and I can’t wait to take a trip on The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant Waterslide.

In the comments section for the Gremlins video above, somebody mentioned there was a Beetlejuice ride at the Australian version of Warner Bros Movie World. I couldn’t find footage of it but this fan-made concept video for a Beetlejuice darkride is a fitting replacement.

Australians Love Blackface

2009-10-16T21:36:00.000-07:00

What is it with Australians and blackface? More specifically what is it with Australians and blackface and The Jackson 5? At any rate, here’s a clip from the 2004 series The Chaser Decides which was sort of an Australian version of The Daily Show (that started life as an Australian version of The Onion). Incidentally, I have no clue what they're singing about.

Homo No Mo'

2009-10-15T22:38:00.000-07:00

Like a number of things that carry the National Lampoon name, the 1978 HBO special Disco Beaver From Outer Space was pretty atrocious. But, to be fair, not everything about the special was atrocious. Parts of it were merely bad or OK-ish. And the sketch below marks Disco Beaver From Outer Space at its most passable. As satire it’s muddled and strident but there are absurdist elements that do work such as the fact that gay men can be identified by the funny way they wear their wristwatches, the gratuitous Beatnik-bashing and the final gag which is more haunting than funny. A post-Animal House/ pre-Charles in Charge James Widdoes appears in this for some reason or another.

Shitty Movie, Great Credits

2009-10-14T23:19:00.000-07:00

With some notable exceptions, any movie with an animated opening credits sequence should be avoided at all costs. An animated credits sequence only serves to make a promise that the filmmakers can’t help but betray. If any of the films below were even half as entertaining as their credits sequences they would be downright classics.

Here's a fun fact about Brain Donors: The film was originally entitled Lame Ducks. This is why there is such a strong duck motif during the opening credits.

Big Dong

2009-10-14T22:43:00.000-07:00

There are far too many short films on Youtube that feature people in unconvincing wigs violently hitting each other as bad cartoon sound effects blare loudly in the background. Big Dong is yet another one of those kinds of short films but with one big difference: it’s actually funny. It’s like Benny Hill and Laugh-In but retarded up about 80%. The most notable thing about Big Dong is that it marks the only time I’ve ever laughed at someone getting a pie in the face.

The Hustler of Money

2009-10-12T22:51:00.000-07:00

I like Ben Stiller and I can enjoy just about anything he appears in (even stuff like that Heartbreak Kid remake) but even as the world’s biggest Ben Stiller apologist, I still had problems with his first film The Hustler of Money. It’s obvious, dumb and Stiller’s Tom Cruise impression is surprisingly bad (but it would improve over time). Still, the cameos are interesting and there’s a gag towards the end that still makes me laugh. Oh, and I love the title. It’s not unwatchable, I guess.

Morton & Hayes

2009-10-08T22:59:00.001-07:00

Why the hell is Morton & Hayes so obscure? You would think a series that was created and occasionally written by Christopher Guest would have snuck out on DVD by now (legitimate or otherwise)? At any rate, I love this tribute to/parody of Abbott and Costello even if apparently nobody else does (the same goes for Adam Resnick’s HBO series The High Life). Who do I have to kill/fondle to see a full length episode of Morton & Hayes Meet Mummula?

Why I Like MadTV: Part 2

2009-10-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

At times this sketch ventures dangerously close into Mind of Mencia territory, but there’s a lot to like about this parody of Curb Your Enthusiasm. For one thing it really nails certain aspects of the show like the repetition, those moments where Larry David just seems to phase out during a conversation and the deadpan lifelessness of Cheryl Hines. I also like the fact that one of the most critically loathed shows on television had the audacity to take on one of the most critically beloved. As a side note, Bobby Lee (who plays the delivery boy) has appeared on the real Curb Your Enthusiasm.

As a bonus, here’s Larry David appearing, inexplicably, on Hannah Montana with his real life daughters.

The Spy Hit List

2009-10-05T22:00:00.001-07:00

I really miss Spy magazine. It was cruel yet classy and still remains one of the smartest, most cutting humor magazines this country has ever seen (sorry Cracked).

Spy’s almost overwhelming popularity throughout the late 80s and early 90s led to a pair of TV specials on NBC. I’ve never actually seen Spy’s How to Be Famous but I’d kill to see a full version of The Spy Hit List again. For now I guess I’ll have to settle for the clips below.

OK, this is a really cheap knock at Pat Buchanan but it doesn’t make it any less funny. The hand gestures really sell it.

This is actually from the How to Be Famous special and it’s weird how much it resembles a TV Funhouse cartoon.

Trash Humpers

2009-09-29T21:51:00.001-07:00

I’m not sure if liking this trailer makes me pretentious or merely retarded, so for the time being I’ll settle for being pretarded.

“This crap makes all other crap masterpieces of shit.”

- J. Hoberman, The Village Voice

Who wants a sip of Shock Cinema #37?

2009-09-29T11:58:00.000-07:00

According to the Shock Cinema web-page, issue #37 will be available at the end of the month. For those who can't wait nearly that long to skip over my reviews here's one you can ignore right now!

That’s Adequate (1989; Just For The Hell Of It) Satirical targets don’t come any more ambitious or obscure than MGM’s That’s Entertainment series and for that reason alone Harry Hurwitz’s That’s Adequate deserves credit even if it isn’t entirely successful.

Made in the days when the mockumentary had yet to become synonymous with bad, self-indulgent improv, That’s Adequate chronicles the 60 year output of Adequate Pictures a low budget film studio responsible for such forgotten classics as Slut of the South (a pornographic rip-off of D.W. Griffith’s Birth of the Nation) and the Third Reich financed bio-flick Young Adolf. Sketch comedy movies by their very nature are uneven but That’s Adequate is uneven in a way that’s almost schizophrenic. It’s a film that is at once clever and insultingly stupid. When the film works you get bits like Brother Theodore hosting a kids show, an Itchy and Scratchy-esque take on the Three Stooges, a skewering of the rah, rah jingoism of war movies, a deconstruction of Hitchcock’s signature cameos and a News on the March type newsreel where correspondent Chuck McCann badly fakes current events (McCann on the Hindenburg disaster, “Oh my gosh and golly! Look at go!”). But when it fails it fails on the laziest most obvious level possible. For every smart parody there’s at least three or four that simply take up space such as the sci-fi movie where people are attacked by a backed up toilet and the musical in which a guy in latex penis costume tap dances to banjo music. Obviously scatological humor isn’t necessarily a bad thing I’m just saying that we need to put a little creativity behind it. What’s wrong with giving the audience a fart joke that makes them think?

I also hated the fact that a majority of the film is made up of clips from old public domain movies that are dubbed over with shouting voices and cartoon sound effects. If that wasn’t creatively bankrupt enough, the premise for their Jazz Singer parody - Singing in the Synagogue- is blatantly stolen from an old episode of SCTV.

Luckily, however the film’s all star cast occasionally distracts attention away from its more annoying flaws. In his final role, James Coco is hilarious as the sleazy CEO of Adequate Pictures who at one point wistfully reminisces with Joe Franklin over the first time he “saw an elephant shit”. Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara practically steal the show as a pair vapid garment manufacturers who merge with Adequate and produce product placement heavy sci-fi films. Rounding out the cast are cameo appearances from Robert Downey Jr. as a sort of pirate version of Einstein, Susan Dey blowing a guy, a young Ben Stiller, Bruce Willis when he still struggled under the misconception that people found him funny, Maureen McCormick, that kid who played Fred Savage’s best friend on The Wonder Years (I could look up his name but why bother), fucking Sinbad, most of the original cast from HBO’s Not Necessarily the News and Robert Townsend playing the type of demeaning stereotype he railed against in Hollywood Shuffle.

An Actual Trailer for a Legitimate Movie

2009-09-23T21:43:00.000-07:00

When I first saw this trailer, I assumed it was supposed to be one of the fake trailers that were seen at the beginning of Tropic Thunder but was deleted from the final cut. Not so. This is a real film that was actually released and is available to buy on DVD. Oh, and fans of The Forbidden Zone might be interested in knowing that this unconscious parody movie was directed by Matthew Bright.

Would You Like to Buy a Monkey?

2009-09-23T21:32:00.000-07:00

Was Letterman really one of the worst people to host the Oscars? I never thought so. After all, you wouldn’t see a sketch like this if it was hosted by Billy Crystal or Whoopi Goldberg or even Ellen DeGeneres.

Yes, Housecoats Tire Me Too

2009-09-22T22:13:00.001-07:00

Not liking Chris Elliott is a deal-breaker for me. So please enjoy the following clips for my sake. Actually, I’ll like you even if you hate these clips. Dear God I’m so lonely.

This isn’t as funny as it should be but I love the part where he drunkenly shouts out, “sweet potato pie” in the most effeminate, Charles Nelson Reilliest way possible.

What's the Armenian Word for D'oh?

2009-09-20T00:32:00.000-07:00

Please don't be scared by these foreign takes on The Simpsons. (Sorry if both of these clips are old news).

I'd Buy That For a Dollar (Sorry...)

2009-09-20T00:16:00.001-07:00

Big Bird is a Racist

2009-09-19T00:54:00.000-07:00

Pretty self-explanatory. Watch and laugh.

Mulligan and O'hare

2009-09-18T00:12:00.001-07:00

When it comes to surreal, almost frightening comedy, nobody beats Reeves and Mortimer (although Tim and Eric do come pretty close). Here’s a clip of one of their more popular characters, folk duo Mulligan and O’Hare.

Mash & Peas

2009-09-17T23:41:00.000-07:00

Long before the success of Little Britain turned them into lazy, one trick hacks, Matt Lucas and David Walliams were, believe or not, actually funny. As proof, here’s a complete episode from their first sketch comedy series Mash and Peas.

The Old Hoit a Hoit

2009-09-17T00:04:00.000-07:00

This sketch from the Australian sketch comedy series Fast Forward raises a lot of questions. First of all, what the hell is this? Is it a parody of The Cosby Show or a parody of a parody of The Cosby Show? Was the black face really necessary? Why is Claire Huxtable speaking like Hattie McDaniel? Why the Klansman? Why is the audience reaction so psychotically jubilant? Why does fake Cliff call fat Theo a “virgin boy?” And most importantly, why do Australians hate black people?

Everything's Bow-Wowy!

2009-09-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

Here’s Charles Nelson Reilly at his Charles Nelson Reilliest. If you don’t enjoy this then I hope your stomach enjoys being punched. I’m sorry I didn’t mean that.

Attack of the Giant Ladybug

2009-09-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

Parodies of atomic age monster movies tend to be obvious or filled with gratuitously nerdy in-jokes (which is why I loathe Larry Blamire’s smug epics) but this sketch from Exit 57 seems to be the exception to the rule. It’s absurd in a subtle way and doesn’t include any cameos from Conrad Brooks or Beverly Garland or some other walking goddamned corpse. As a side note, whatever happened to Jodi Lennon (she plays Stephen Colbert’s daughter in this)? Everybody else from Exit 57 went on to successful or relatively successful careers. Lennon didn’t even put in a cameo appearance on Strangers With Candy. Is she still alive? Please let me know. I’m very worried.

That Kooky Black Death and Bubonic Plague

2009-09-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

Kevin Meaney is considered a hack amongst comedy nerds but I really like this glib Sinatra-esque tribute to London he performed on the long-forgotten Comedy Central series London Underground. Although the bit at the end with the old lady nearly ruins it.

Sick Jokes From The Future

2009-09-14T23:57:00.000-07:00

Contrary to Matty Simmons’ opinion, late period National Lampoon was not boring. In fact, that short-lived period of the magazine was really underrated. Take for example this piece written by Robert Leighton that ran in the December issue of 1991. It’s weird, conceptual and feels like a bit you would see during the early years of Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

Sick Jokes From the Future

(Don’t ask us how we came by these – that’s our business. But if you really want to stay ahead of the pack, here are three sick jokes you will hear, and presumably understand, ten years from now.)

Did you hear Ralph Lauren’s defense strategy?

He’s arguing that the problem stems from his genes!

What’s the difference between Dennis L. Ruttinger and a fireplace attendant?

One stokes chimneys the other chokes Stimneys!

What’s the name of Shari Lewis’s new puppet?

Limbchop!

On the Television

2009-09-12T00:16:00.001-07:00

As clichéd as it may sound, I’m still surprised by what you can find on Youtube and one of the most surprising things I ever found was this huge cache of clips from the long forgotten sketch comedy series On the Television.

Notable for being Nick at Nite’s first attempt at an original series, On the Television essentially played like a very limp parody of Siskel and Ebert’s At the Movies. Every week two critics (played by Tim Conway Jr. and George McGrath who’s better known as one of the token Americans on the British version of Whose Line is it Anyway) would “review” fake television shows with Cracked magazine-ish titles like Thirty Dumbthing, Wheel of Misfortune and Googie Chowder D.D.S. (Christ, that’s bad).

On paper the idea was interesting but in practice it was excruciating. The framing device with the critics was unnecessary and, being that McGrath and Conway Jr.’s characters were such personality challenged non-entities, it only managed to slow things down to an unfunny crawl. As for the sketches, well, even as a stupid, TV obsessed child I could sense that something was off about the sketches.

Case in point:

The sketches were inevitably one-note and excruciatingly long such as their spoofs (spooves?) of Super Password (duh-hah! The password is always the same!), Macgyver (What if we called him Mcrhymer and he only spoke in rhyme?) and Mikhail’s Navy (what if Mikhail Baryshnikov starred in fucking McHale’s Navy for some fucking fucked up reason. Fuck). As a side note, a pre-SNL Julia Sweeney pops up as Betty Off-White in Super Bassword.

Here’s the kind of hacky concept that could only exist in the early ‘90s. In some ways it’s similar to that tired thing impressionists would do when they would take someone like Christopher Walken and put him in a mundane situation. The only exception is that this is more limiting and less funny.

Surprisingly, the show lasted for 40 episodes (that’s ten more than Mr. Show) and is responsible for giving the world Lisa Kudrow, Kathy Griffin and several more celebrities that can be seen in this really weird, in-memorium-esque video below.

Still I will give them credit for this accurate parody of the late, lamented Dr. Gene Scott. But then, making fun of Gene Scott is like shooting a fish in barrel. Actually, that’s not true because shooting a fish in a barrel requires a little bit of skill. This is more like tipping over a barrel; waiting for the fish to die on the sidewalk and with your gun trained an inch away from its head, finally shooting it.

And to further muddy my point here’s an amusing Davey and Goliath pastiche…

…as well as a pretty savage skewering of Designing Women (and yes that is Tress MacNeille as Dixie Carter)

According to Wikipedia, after the show was cancelled “the production company declared bankruptcy after having spent the residuals developing pilots that didn't fly. Nick-At-Nite’s parent company, Viacom, became owner of the show, but had to pay those back residuals before it could air the series again. Supposedly this is why the series has never gone into syndication. Apparently the cost involved with repaying the writers, actors, and others involved the re-airing of the series cost-prohibitive”. So don’t expect a DVD box set any time soon.

Oh, and here’s one more shitty sketch!

Johnny Ding-Dong

2009-09-09T22:18:00.001-07:00

In spite of the fact that Jon Glaser seems to be starring in one of Adult Swim’s funnier and critically beloved live action programs, footage of him is surprisingly difficult to find on the internet. Nonetheless, here’s a rare clip of him as the worst insult comedian the world has ever known.

Sorry, second worst.

Mr. Benn-y Hill

2009-09-09T21:56:00.001-07:00

I'm still in the mood for Benny Hill parodies so here's a mash-up of The Benny Hill Show and the British children's program Mr. Benn.

And for all of you non-British people out there, here’s an original episode of Mr. Benn (you don’t have to watch all of it).

What Hath Pallies Wrought?

2009-09-08T22:17:00.000-07:00

I wanted to think that this was a blatant rip-off of Mr. Show’s classic Pallies sketch but I have no idea when it was actually made.

Besides, it seems that the idea behind Pallies isn’t exactly new. Here’s yet another sketch (from Hale and Pace) with the exact same premise and this one is from the mid ‘80s.

Benny Elton

2009-09-08T22:00:00.001-07:00

Benny Hill parodies have become surprisingly prevalent in the last couple of years but here is one of the better ones. For those who don’t follow British comedy, Ben Elton was something of a “PC comic” (at least during the time when this sketch was written) who, from time to time, would appear on talk shows and whine incessantly about the sexist elements found in The Benny Hill Show (he’s also best remembered for co-writing The Young Ones and Blackadder). It’s surprising that he agreed to appear in this parody being that he’s portrayed as such a joyless, incoherent scold.

Oh, and as an added bonus, here’s Benny Five-O from The Paul Hogan Show. It’s not so much of a parody as much as it is a tribute/rip-off.

Inspector Force is on the Case

2009-09-08T21:18:00.000-07:00

I’m not too familiar with comedians Armstrong and Miller or their short-lived sketch comedy series but this parody of the popular British detective program Inspector Morse has almost made me an instant fan. They not only nail the tone and atmosphere of the show (and all British detective shows for that matter) but the characters are so interesting and well-rounded that it’s the only reoccurring sketch I’ve ever seen that could easily be spun off into it’s own series. Oh, and please ignore the repetitive openings. That’s only thing I find annoying about these clips.

Random Closing Credits Sequences from Sentai Programs

2009-09-07T21:56:00.000-07:00

Lately my self-loathing has become nearly overwhelming so I’ve been drowning most of my self-inflicted sorrows by watching the closing credits sequences of various Japanese Sentai programs (like most depressed people, I’m sure).

So, if you hate yourself but love bright colors might I interest you in watching the trio of videos below?

Ninja Captor

Zyu Rangers (aka. The original version of The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers)

Sun Vulcan

Chicken Park

2009-09-03T23:07:00.000-07:00

I’m fascinated by terrible comedy. And when I say terrible comedy, I’m not referring to the likes of Jamie Kennedy, Dane Cook or Carlos Mencia because those are merely just middle-the-road hacks and as much as I dislike what they do there is still people out there that find them hilarious. With terrible comedy there is no subjectivity because everybody finds it unfunny. Case in point: Jerry Cala’s Chicken Park is a comedy so excruciatingly terrible that it only furthers my theory that Italian film executives are required by law to greenlight any and every pitch they hear. It’s not that the jokes in Chicken Park are bad it’s just that they’re bad, nonsensical and completely ill-advised (and that includes the jokes they stole from other movies).

For further proof please watch the clip below and keep in mind this was supposed to make people laugh even though it closely resembles a deleted scene from one of those goddamned Saw movies.

And for all of you Pedro Almodovar fans out there: yes, that is Rossy DePalma being fingerbanged by Thing from The Addams Family.

Pommy

2009-08-31T02:15:00.000-07:00

Long before Eric Idle decided to make the Rutles, he briefly flirted with the idea of turning Pommy- his Tommy parody- into a feature length motion picture. History has ultimately smiled on his decision but part of me still wants to see Pommy. Sure, the idea is paper thin and lacks the timeless quality of the Rutles but the Neil Innes soundtrack would've been outstanding.

Below you'll find the original sketch that played on Rutland Weekend Television.

The Only Funny Mentos Parody to Star a Non-Belgian

2009-08-30T22:55:00.000-07:00

Unless you happen to be old footage from Bloodsport, you should never attempt to make fun of a Mentos ad. Those ads are so stilted, strange and exaggerated that parody is ultimately made redundant.

Yet,there are exceptions to every rule. Take for example this spoof from the Australian sketch comedy show Full Frontal. What sells this sketch isn't the weak punchline but rather Shaun Micallef's grotesque reaction shots.

I like the fact that his character seems to be getting turned on by the whole situation.

My Opinions are Worthless: Why I Like MadTV Part 1

2009-08-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

Unless you're fourteen years old, defending MadTV is a losing proposition. But I'm finally going to come out of the closet and just admit that I like the show. Even if it means my opinions are now null and void in the eyes of comedy nerds (While I'm at it, I might as well confess to the fact that I never understood the appeal of Achewood, I find Demetri Martin to be insufferably smug and Wes Anderson's films are comedies for people who find laughter to be dirty and needless. There, now go ahead and invalidate any opinion I have. I fucking deserve it).

Admittedly, the show does beat annoying concepts into the ground and their pop-cultural parodies only reinforce most people's negative views of parody. But more often than not, some funny characters and ideas do materialize in between the endless Stewart sketches. This flailing stand-up comedian - as portrayed by the severely underrated Crista Flanagan - is one of those funny characters. In fact, it's too good for MadTV. It's a character that's probably better suited for the darker and weirder sensibilities of Tim and Eric's Awesome Show: Great Job!