SNL at the Top of It's Game

Saturday Night Live has now been on the air 37 years. As we watch the show from week to week one of the most frustrating facts that we realize is that this show can in one week can go from funny and relevant to having an episode that is terrible. Sometimes the skits that do not work make you think to yourself who, in their right mind, thought this would be funny.

With that being true there is another truth however and that is that SNL has a place in our popular culture that no other show has. While the late night comics consistently pick on our politicians and the news as part of their monologues and Jon Stewart has turned political spear-throwing into an art form no show is more relevant than SNL in demonstrating the humor of current events.

Saturday night's show was not perfect. One wonders why we continue to see Kenan Thompson's French singer on Weekend Update for example, but to counter that the Arianna Huffington skit was topical, funny and biting. One wonders if Democratic candidates could speak on women's issues in as strong and sharp a way as the Huffington character in this skit does if they would be further down the path to victory.

The most predictable skit in the show this week was the opening sequence which covered the debate between the Vice Presidential candidates. Certainly both of the candidates gave much material to be parodied. The skit was very well done, both sides were picked apart, notably the easy parody of Biden's physical gesturing and interruption tactics came early, but the skit did not stop there. It was not just the easy targets but more nuance was also apparent. A wonderful skit.

Still outside the political the most talked about skit, the skit that perhaps was more scathing, more bite the hand that feeds you, than anything we have seen in years was the Tech Talk skit. With Christina Applegate playing the host of a show in which folks complained about their new Apple phones the bite was when she, as host, introduced three peasant workers from China who make the phones. The contrast between the two groups forces shame on the Americans complaining and is a great critique of the American consumer.

At it's best SNL still skewers the culture better than any other entity.

Hall Pass

I watched this movie recently. I remember when the movie was in the theaters the adds were very prevalent. The movie at the box office would have to be called a disapointment.

As a movie on HBO however the movie works. It had some quite funny moments. In the story Rick ( played by the always likable Owen Wilson ) and Fred ( Jason Sudeikis ) play best friends who are married and like most men very admiring of women. Their wives played by Christina Applegate and Jenna Fischer, tired of them always looking at other women give them a Hall Pass to spend a week as if they are not married.

What seems like a great idea to the men teaches them quite rapidly that their memories of being single are idealized and that they are not ready to be single. A crude piece of humor occurs when the boys are playing golf and later when Fred does pick up a woman and brings her home and she has a bathroom incident.

The story was a bit sad to me when while the boys were learning that they did not want to cheat the women were flirting and in the case of Freds wife having an affair. Still the Hall Pass worked for both groups.

The movie had its moments of funny. Owen Wilson is always likable and his walking away from the coffee shop girl he had been lusting over when presented with an opportunity was nice. His dedication expressed to his wife was sweet.

Jason Sudeikis is funny and Christina Applegate is very pretty. A very attractive women, the idea a husband would want to cheat is silly. Still we all know someone who is such a hound they always cheat. i have a friend like that.

An ok movie with a few funny parts. Not a strong reccomendation.

Anchorman

I laugh at Will Ferrell. I do not always feel intelligent doing so but I often laugh out loud.

Anchorman is a polarizing movie. It is in our house even. My former co-workers and I all having seen it found it to be one of the movies most used for quotes at the proper time.

These would include " Stay Classy", " I Love Lamp", " It's Science", " Loud Noises". and of course " Don't Pretend your not impressed".

By now most anyone who wants to has seen this movie. My wife says that she cannot even sit thru it, it is so dumb.

Dumb it is but with a humor that is just silly. As it was on TBS the other night we stopped and watched it. My boys who probably would do just as well not to hear so many penis jokes liked it.

The scene when Ron gets " excited" when talking to Christina Applegate's Veronica made my youngest son cry.

For me the memories of various times when my friends and I used the quotes were an added bonus.

So what is this movie. Smart? No but it is witty in places. Intelligent? No. Redeeming in anyway? No.

Funny? Yes and in places laugh out loud funny which for me is a true test.