A Loving Look At A Comic Genius... "A Futile And Stupid Gesture"

A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018)

TV-MA

Starring Will Forte, Martin Mull, Joel McHale, Domhnall Gleeson,

Directed by David Wain

The Story:

With the success of the Harvard Lampoon and their impending graduations coinciding with one another, Doug Kenney (Forte) persuades Henry Beard (Gleeson) that instead of moving on with their lives as expected, they go National with the Lampoon brand. It wasn't easy, but it sure was funny.

When paired with the amazing documentary National Lampoon: Drunk, Stoned, Brilliant, Dead (Review:  http://talesfromthequeue.blogspot.com/2016/05/their-impact-on-pop-culture-cannot-be.html  )

The two pieces compliment each other very well. Both streaming on Netflix, this Netflix Original fictionalizes a lot of what (and who!) will be found in the documentary on the life and troubled times of Doug Kenney.

In this version, an older, wiser Doug (Mull) laments on what happened to him in his life.

The cast gets the daunting task of retelling the story as comedy legends of the 70s and 80s as they try and channel the styles and mannerisms of those they attempt to portray.

Joel McHale? He nails it. :)

The big revelation, at least to me, is Domhnall Gleeson in a comedy.

I'm racking my brain, but I don't think I've ever seen that yet, and he's got really good timing.

Anyway, it's a bittersweet tale of the man who helped shape generations of comedians and actors and helped redefine what was funny for the latter half of the 20th Century.

Final Grade:  B+

True Story! The Best Documentaries Of 2016

I do like to take a moment at the end of the year to shine a spotlight back on the best documentaries of the year.

They usually go unheralded or unappreciated, but thanks to so many different services, so many of them can be enjoyed at home.

They often are so unbelievable, you couldn't script a more entertaining story if you try.

Here's a look back at some of my favorites:

We'll start with a special shout out to ESPN 30 for 30.

Four Falls of Buffalo
The '85 Bears
Believeland

Those were the only 3 that I watched this year, but much like others I've seen in years past, they are some of the most entertaining episodes you're likely to see.

I debated whether or not to put this on the best of television since it is an ESPN program, but decided in the end to go this route.

Each episode is a movie in itself, and rarely has anything to do (besides being about sports) with one another.

I've still got plenty of them that I haven't watched, but I haven't seen a bad one yet.

Most 30 for 30s are currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Dark Horse

When you take a poor Welsh town that gathers a group together and pools their money in the longshot attempt to raise a champion race horse well you can kind of tell where this movie is going to go.

After all, it's rare that documentaries get made about losers, right? :)

It's impossible not to root for them as they relive their road to glory and heartbreak.

The people are so genuine and warm, and the story is so magnificently laid out, it's the stuff that Disney films are made for.

But this one is all true.

Being Canadian

A documentary that sets out to discover what Canadians are, confirms that most of the stereotypes that the rest of the world has about Canadians is mostly true.

And really, that's not a bad thing at all when you consider how the rest of the world views them and they view themselves.

Here's a hint, around the world, once they reveal that they aren't American, they are usually treated very well.

:(

Which I suppose says as much about them as it does about us.

: )

This is currently streaming on Amazon for those with Prime.

National Lampoon: Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead


If you have a sense of humor whatsoever, you will probably find this look back at National Lampoon right up your alley.

Especially considering that much of the late 20th century/21st century humor/comedy was spawned from the very pages/ideas/minds of those that worked there.

Of course, if you hate Saturday Night Live and all that it has done to keep comedy coming to you weekly with rotating casts for over 40 years, then you also know where to place some of your blame and hatred.

:)

Electric Boogaloo

If you rented a movie in the 80s, you know their movies.

Now is your chance to know the whole story. It's an even wilder ride than you could have possibly imagined.

It's quite an impressive feat that they pulled off in making their vast catalog of movies.

It wasn't until they broke their own rules and attempted to make their movies look like they had a huge budget, that it all blew up in their faces.

Still streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

We Are Twisted F***ing Sister 

I suppose unless you hate Twisted Sister, there's no way you can watch this documentary and not feel for the band and root for them to succeed.

Beginning at their origins and leading up to adding Dee Snyder as their front man, this film chronicles the rise and fall, and more rises and fall than the best roller coaster you've ever been on.

And it stops just before they hit it big with MTV and the whole world gets to know them.

Very well done.

Still streaming on Netflix as of this writing.



Looking forward to what 2017 has to offer!!

Their Impact On Pop Culture Cannot Be Denied..."National Lampoon: Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead"

National Lampoon: Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead  (2015)

Unrated

Directed by Douglas Tirola

The Story:

The rise and fall of the National Lampoon magazine, and the impact that magazine had on American pop culture.

Ooo.

That's actually rather profound, and also quite true.

What started out as a satirical magazine that poked holes in the establishment in the late 60s/early 70s, grew into an influential comedy machine in the mid to late 70s that established much of the humor that continues in movies and television today.

The brainchild of Doug Kenney, Henry Beard and Robert Hoffman, they created a little magazine that started slowly and then slowly built into a sales juggernaut. Parody and satire were the name of the game, and they enlisted a slew of talented writers to make the pages of the magazine must read material.

It proved so popular, they started a radio show and brought in even more comedic talent to make their skits take life. The majority of the original cast of Saturday Night Live passed through National Lampoon on their way to bigger things. Many from Lampoon were targeted by NBC to help create Saturday Night Live.

Then came the movies.

Animal House & Vacation.

So too could Caddyshack be added to the mix, as it was Lampoon in every way except billing.

While nearly everything else to bear the label of National Lampoon has been of variable quality, those two were the gold standards which made all of the others seem pale in comparison.

If it's any consolation, most movies that came after Vacation often licensed the National Lampoon name for an attempt to cash in with a built in audience.

So, while it wasn't National Lampoon being less funny, it was them being increasingly greedy. :)

The documentary does an excellent job of talking to just about everyone that was there and is still around and it's filled with lots of archival footage of the stage shows, radio shows, magazine and movie clips.

A very enjoyable documentary that is well worth your time.


Final Grade: B+