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The Comedy Store (2020)

Mike Binder brings forth a much needed wisdom into the world of desperado comedy; providing us with an insight on the fluctuating life and death cycle that the comedians would likely endure at the club — decade depending.

Conflating ideas seem to blend into an obviously dangerous tornado of thought — you’d think granted this it could be gathered information that would be auditioned for discussion but instead they become a court case of ideas that can be used to bring you down. Comedy is a trap — it doesn’t make sense — to take that stage that is a modern revolution of opinion.

Catalyzing decades of differentiating thoughts brought through the philosophical perspective of various comedians accompanying their ideologies; giving forth the missing pieces to a long shattered and spread out behind the scenes experienced puzzle. -Riley Johnston

#mikebinder

Space Ace: I wonder what his trip is. The Demon: His trip's a trap.

The infamous made-for-TV Kiss film that all four original band members have grown to deeply hate and regret was supposedly pitched to them as a combination of A Hard Days Night (1964) and Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) — the band didn't even know how the film would end by the time shooting begun.

Director Gordon Hessler wasn't familiar with the band, thinking their name was The KISS. The band was asked and wanted to record new songs for the film but were unable to due to time restrictions. It seems it was difficult enough to get all the members on the set. Notably Peter Criss & Ace Freshly were overdubbed or used stunt doubles for the scenes they didn't attend. For a TV film at the time it went way over budget, costing $2 Million, though it was second highest rated TV movie of 1978. -Riley Johnston

#kissarmy

My Left Foot (1989)

Jim Sheridan’s directorial debut really made a name for itself and those involved. Using method acting, Daniel Day-Lewis completely embodies Christy Brown, refusing to break character and staying in a wheelchair for the nearly the entirety of the production. He maintained character between takes, often being fed by the crew, or being lifted across lighting cables to reach the set — even frequenting restaurants in a wheelchair. Those on set had mix feelings and some were reluctant to play along. His agent notoriously stormed off set when Day-Lewis refused to come out of character. To his credit he befriended and took the time to learn about the real-life experiences of disabled people at the Sanymount School Clinic. The actor learned to use his feet but was naturally more inclined to use his right, for this reason many of the scenes depicting him using his foot were shot through a mirror. All the slouching combined with the overuse of his legs over the weeks of shooting the film led to a few broken ribs. Notably this was Ray McAnally’s last role as he passed away from a heart attacked after he finished filming — a fate his character faced in the film.

Christy Brown: What'll we drink to? Mary: Let's drink to Dublin. Christy Brown: To Dublin? Why? Mary: Because Christy Brown was born there.

The Bleepin' Robot Chicken Archie Comics Special (2021)

"On 'Robot Chicken' we parodied a lot of things but it was done out of love." -Seth Green

Sharing a stage with Josie and the Pussycats this Archie Comics Special may be one of the best specials they've released. Robot Chicken knows how to bring out a hilarious back story to beloved characters and their themed specials always perfect that. The show has had sketches with Archie Comics in the past and they always hit the spot but this expands on so much more, answering questions fans have always wanted to know — while providing amusing answers to those you really didn’t want to know. Robot Chicken should live on forever, they've created something that fans of pop culture will always love.

#robot chicken #seth green #archie comics

Joker (2019)

"A guy who is searching for identity who mistakenly becomes a symbol. His goal genuinely is to make people laugh and bring joy to the world." -Todd Phillips (describing his take on Arthur)

Taking on the role of The Joker comes with a lot of pressure given the past portrayals of the character; Joaquin Phoenix succeeds in finding an original persona for The Joker — one that he thought audiences would not identify with, while still keeping The Joker's traditional identity. Even though there is a lot influence from Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke as well as various other Batman/Joker stories, it still provides us with an alternative origin story for Arthur’s character that shares more in common with other inspiration cited by the filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980) & The King Of Comedy (1982). This makes a lot of sense after learning that Warner Brothers wanted Martin Scorsese to make the movie with Leonardo DiCaprio to play the role of Arthur. At that time Scorsese had begun work on The Irishman (2019) and DiCaprio had signed on for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019). Thankfully Robert De Niro had finished shooting his scenes for The Irishman (2019) enabling him to commit to the film. Todd Phillips was brought on to direct, he has always been known for making late night comedies so there’s a very ironic twist to the dark comedic approach. Well executed project as it became the first R-Rated film to make $1 Billion worldwide.

Arthur Fleck: I used to think that my life was a tragedy, but now I realize, it's a fucking comedy.

Plot Spoiler:

Arthur’s conversation with Murray Franklin on The Murray Franklin Show almost becomes a parody of Joaquin Phoenix and David Letterman infamous 2009 interview on Late Show with David Letterman. -Riley Johnston

Song Of The South (1946)

“It happened on one of them zip-a-dee-doo-dah days. Now that's the kind of day where you can't open your mouth without a song jumping right out of it!”

Hidden history is tragedy on all ends, and it's a shame to lose a piece of film history; many great films were lost to tragic vault fires, while others preserved well, yet unavailable. Even those with a Disney+ subscription won't find what's know as the black sheep of the Walt Disney Company. Most are familiar with the infamous Disney Vault, known for periodically shelving films. With this particular film it seems they may wait out the 2039 public domain release, when they'll officially lose the copyrights to the film. It's been floating around in controversial limbo for some time, whilst not giving anyone interested access to source material. Some have argued the film should remain shelved for various reasons, while others like Whoopi Goldberg have shared different views. For example during an interview while attending her inauguration as Disney Legend she was asked about her favorite Disney films and in response she said:

“I’m trying to find a way to get people to start having a conversation about bringing Song of the South back, so we can talk about what it was, and where it came from and why it came out. I want people to start putting the crows, you know, in the merchandising. Because those crows sing the song in Dumbo that everybody remembers. So I want to… I want to highlight all the little stuff people sort of maybe miss in movies.” -Whoopi Goldberg

Even with 2021 marking the 75th anniversary of Song Of The South and the recent attention to the film the company has provided signs they have no plans to resurface their complete history.

March 11, 2020: Disney Chairman Robert Iger states that Song of the South will not appear on Disney+, despite several other movies receiving disclaimers for “outdated cultural depictions”. June 2020: Some Disney fans began petitioning Disney to re-theme their popular theme park attraction Splash Mountain, loosely based on Song of the South’s animated sequences, with The Princess and the Frog. The petition reached over 21,377 signatures before declaring victory. June 25, 2020: Disney Parks announces on their Twitter account plans to “Completely Reimagine” Splash Mountain to The Princess and the Frog. Reactions have been mixed, with the tweet gaining over 78K likes, but a counter-petition to leave the ride as-is garnering nearly 86,000 signatures as of this posting. August 26, 2020: Disney begins removing the Academy Award winning song “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” from their theme parks.

The future of this film has always been in question. The fluctuating decisions of Walt Disney Productions have been swinging since initially re-releasing the film in 1956, then in 1970 they announced that the film had been "permanently" retired but then re-released the film another four times (1972, 1973, 1980, 1986). It's concerning to think a film gaining so much attention would on only come back around when there's an estimated profit in sight.

Fan #1: What do you think the Rolls Royce represented? Fan #2: I think that represented his car.

There was a lot of speculation that Woody Allen was attempting to portray himself in the character of Sandy Bates — a renowned director seeking change while consistently being haunted by fans. Ironic to the films plot, Woody Allen has needed to clarify that it was not an autobiographical picture. In a 1994 interview with Stig Björkman he said: Stardust Memories (1980)

"[Critics] thought that the lead character was me. Not a fictional character but me. Not a fictional character but me, and that I was expressing hostility towards my audience. That was in no way the point of the film. It was about a character who is obviously having a sort of nervous breakdown and, in spite of success, has come to a point in his life where he is having a bad time". -Woody Allen

The title of this film often juggles between I Don’t Know or Stardust Memories but One of the working titles was "Woody Allen No. 4" inspired by Fellini’s 8 1/2 (1963).

Even though Woody Allen has always been known for his soundtracks this one carries a special quality, while in the cutting room he would play his old records (everything from Louis Armstrong to Django Reinhardt) to feel the rhythm of the scene. A technique he would continue to use going forward, his soundtracks were never the same; this movie was absolutely a progressive step for the director. -Riley Johnston

Stardust Memories (1980)

Fan #1: What do you think the Rolls Royce represented? Fan #2: I think that represented his car.

There was a lot of speculation that Woody Allen was attempting to portray himself in the character of Sandy Bates — a renowned director seeking change while consistently being haunted by fans. Ironic to the films plot, Woody Allen has needed to clarify that it was not an autobiographical picture. In a 1994 interview with Stig Björkman he said: Stardust Memories (1980)

"[Critics] thought that the lead character was me. Not a fictional character but me. Not a fictional character but me, and that I was expressing hostility towards my audience. That was in no way the point of the film. It was about a character who is obviously having a sort of nervous breakdown and, in spite of success, has come to a point in his life where he is having a bad time". -Woody Allen

The title of this film often juggles between I Don’t Know or Stardust Memories but One of the working titles was "Woody Allen No. 4" inspired by Fellini’s 8 1/2 (1963).

Even though Woody Allen has always been known for his soundtracks this one carries a special quality, while in the cutting room he would play his old records (everything from Louis Armstrong to Django Reinhardt) to feel the rhythm of the scene. A technique he would continue to use going forward, his soundtracks were never the same; this movie was absolutely a progressive step for the director. -Riley Johnston

"It's One Of Those Infinite Time Loop Situations You Might Have Heard About."

My interpretation is that it's a completely original modernization if not reimagining of the "Groundhog Day" philosophy, which always pairs well with a comedic approach. Attempting and successfully executing this formula ultimately projects the greatness that separates this film amongst other genre replicas that would blend in. The soundtrack especially shines above all and keeps an equilibrium within the flow of the picture. Groovy!

#palm springs movie

[In regards to his claim questioning if he was responsible for the Stooges' personalities and comedy style] From the time they came to Columbia, there was nothing that I didn't approve. If I liked it; it stayed; if I didn't like it, it was gone. -Jules White

One of Jules White's earlier Columbia shorts before he would become more well know for his working with The Three Stooges. The camera work and editing is what makes the short so interesting in the sense that you can see the progress of his style developing into the slap-stick he became best know for. His aforementioned shorts before getting wider notoriety shows White has come a long way since his earlier projects spoofing "talkies", in what he called "barkies". He was with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) for their then trending Dogville Comedies (1929 - 1931), a division White helped create with childhood friend Zion Myers. After a long road and tenacious amount of work, Columbia would eventually close their comedy shorts department in 1957 and White would permanently leave the industry shortly after a few attempts at television, quoting "Who needs this rat race?".

#Jules White

#Clockwork Orange

A freewheeling conversation with the outlaw journalist and only man alive to ride with both Richard Nixon and the Hell’s Angels

One of the greatest Hunter S. Thompson articles I’ve had the blessing to read, worth every word.

#Hunter S. Thompson #playboy magazine

It’s refreshing to see Will Forte back in his SNL sketch roots, after what felt like a hiatus for the creative comedian.

Not only are we getting a sequel to the Macgruber (2010) but a tv series as well. The Last Man On Earth was excellent so I can only anticipate the same for this upcoming project.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11621710/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_1 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6099636/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_2

#will forte #macgruber

We have dreams and imaginations, to help us escape. And no one can take that away from you, ever.

Kyle Mooney really gave it his all for this project, and the results are fascinating. Working with Kevin Costello, Dave McCary and unsurprisingly his Saturday Night Live co-worker/partner in crime Beck Bennett. Considering the philosophy of the film, it was a wise decision to cast his friends (Kevin Costello & Dave McCary) from middle school and (Beck Bennett) from college, considering the philosophy of the film this was a great move. Having such close colleagues really brought out the personal touch that makes this film shine.

Mooney collects VHS tapes from garage sales which most likely fueled the inspiration for Brigsby Bear, along with many aspects of his childhood. McCary & Mooney have cited Prayer Bear as one of the main influences.

This is the kind of movie you want to walk in with no prior knowledge – for me this was the ideal way to view it, as it took several unexpected turns throughout.

The closeness of the cast aids the organic realism of the characters. It took them three years to complete the screenplay and the results were exceptional.

Love and imagination really are a powerful force.

Screenplay:

www.sonyclassics.com/awards-information/screenplays/brigsbybear_screenplay.pdf

Prayer Bear:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYO6iNOIwWQ&ab_channel=GBFVI

#kyle mooney #dave mccary #kevin costello #beck bennett #brigsby bear

I wanted to share this song that I wrote about eventually coming out of lockdown, with some much needed optimism - thank you to Dave Grohl for jumping on dru...

Although I wasn’t a fan of the collaboration for this new single, it was refreshing to see Mick Jagger still at it. The single is definitely a product of 2021 with it’s references to the isolation and routine formed during lockdown. I’ll be much more excited when he reunites with the stones and releases the upcoming album that was teased in 2020.

#Mick Jagger

Steven Spielberg set to produce a third installment of The Gremlins, it’s been twenty one years since the release of its sequel.

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