Since Half Of America Is Going To Move There Now..."Being Canadian"

Being Canadian (2015)

Not Rated

Written and Directed by Robert Cohen

The Story:

Cohen left Canada to come to America and become a comedy writer. Along the way, the more he met people, the more he began to realize how misunderstood the world sees Canadians. He set out on a cross country trek across his homeland to see if he could discover what it truly means to be a Canadian.

Now, as I'm not Canadian, I cannot vouch for the confirmation of 90% of all stereotypes that Canadians are known for that Cohen runs across in the film.

But yeah, he pretty much ticks them off, like a checklist, and most are confirmed as true.

However, don't let that get you down, as the majority of Canadian stereotypes are not exactly a bad thing.

Excessively polite.
Very funny.

You could actually stop right there, and yes, those two are indeed addressed in the documentary.

Each trek of his journey tackles another facet of being Canadian, and he gets answers from everyday Canadians as well as many who have become quite famous on either side of the border.

It's light, it's breezy, it's fun.

Final Grade: A-

Live From New York, It's "Saturday Night Live: 40th Anniversay Special"

Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary (2015)

TV-14

Starring The Not Ready For Primetime Players

Created by Lorne Michaels

The Story:

The year was 1975, and Lorne Michaels unleashed a weekly 90 minute program of satirical humor and musical guests every Saturday Night, live for the viewing public. The face of comedy was changed forever.

It may not have truly recognized for the brilliance at first, but how about by using a 40 year retrospective that is basically a greatest hits/worlds' biggest inside joke for the cast and the fans of the show to help you appreciate the comedy geniuses that have passed through Studio 8H over the decades.

Some went on to bigger and better things after their stint on the show. Some went on...and we are surprised that they are still around.

Saturday Night Live has been around for 40 years.

Reports (or demands) of its cancellation have been circulating for about...

39 years.

:)

Pretty much if they were ever on the show, they were on the show last night.

Even Eddie Murphy, who returned to a standing ovation.

There were a few new sketches with cast members from across the spectrum, and with a few special guest stars.

I would say the Jeopardy sketch with Ferrell back as Trebek and the always underrated Darryl Hammond as Sean Connery did not disappoint.

There was a Weekend Update retrospective with Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Jane Curtin as hosts.

Then a salute to the musicians and comedy skits that have been a staple of the show since the beginning.

They also looked at the crossover between sports and comedy as well.

A solid show from top to bottom, and filled with more than enough laughs.

Worst segment?

The Kanye West musical segment.

That's okay, SNL is notorious for  airing stuff that probably should have been cut.

I don't stay up much anymore and am not that familiar with the cast, but I'm glad they're still around and doing this every weekend.

Looking forward to the next decade of laughs, and that should be SNL's next retrospective, the 50th.

Final Grade: A

Schwing Time! "Wayne's World"

Wayne's World (1992)

Rated PG-13

Starring Mike Meyers, Dana Carvey, Rob Lowe, Tia Carrere

Directed by Penelope Spheeris

The Story:

Wayne (Meyers) and best friend Garth (Carvey) host a local cable access show from Wayne's basement in Illinois.  When a sleazy businessman (Lowe) gets designs to use their show to promote a local arcade, will success go to the boys' heads?  Or will they stay true to themselves and stick it to the man?

One of many brilliant late 80's / early 90s Saturday Night Live skits that spawned catch phrases into pop culture consciousness and followed with one of the most successful SNL movies of all time.

No way!
Way!!

The movie still is amusing and holds up reasonably well for closing in on 25 years.

25 years?!

Let that one sink in for a moment.

The movie has pure moments of brilliance surrounded by pockets of amusement.

Which, at the end of the day, that's not a bad thing for any comedy.


Meyers and Carvey make the most of their dimwitted duo, and Rob Lowe proves to be exceptionally slimy as the villain of the film.

If it's been a few decades since you last gave it a whirl, well, what are you waiting for?

Available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Still mostly holds up, but not a huge rush as it's not a definite crowd-pleaser at my place.