I saw the San Francisco show, and I agree with much of the sentiment in this review, but it didn't entirely ruin the show for me. I think Conan did come off as whiny and self-absorbed, but he was also reliably pretty funny. And his band was fantastic as usual. They were actually my favorite part, probably.
I think the whole "i lost my show, wah, but i'm rising above it, but also, wah" bit got pretty stale, but on the other hand, it's what the audience seemed to want. Everyone loved the last few episodes of his tv show, when he spent most of the time ripping into NBC and Leno. Everyone felt just about as beat up by them as he did, so the night was probably supposed to be about emotional release for all of us (relax, it's just tv, but also, wah). I don't think Conan struck the right balance in achieving that, but I think that was the goal.
Haha I feel you on that. We used to have an ABSOLUTE SILENCE rule at my house. Then my roommates left, and I started going to a different L O S T party where they permitted some chit-chat, but then that satellite was going to hit that other satellite and screw up Comcast this week, so it went BACK to my place, where I promptly laid the smack down on this chatter policy. My vengeance was swift and uncompromising.
I am a nerd, and I didn't care about this at all. I DID find it really funny when J.A.R.V.I.S. said "You have discovered a new element," though. It sounded like when you advance a level in a crappy computer game.
I've heard a lot of complaints like this, but I actually thought the movie did a pretty good job at minimizing Avengers stuff. It was like three scenes, max, and they were some of the better scenes in the movie.
It appears you schwartz is as big as mine. Thing is, though, apparently Cap had his shield back in the WWII days, which is why it's hanging out in Stark's office, so doesn't that mean they had already discovered Vibranium? OR, was that some crappy, standard-metal shield, and they are going to give Cap a fancy new Vibranium shield when they dig him out of the ice (SPOILERS) in the Avengers movie?
The action was not bad, there was just not enough of it. It DID suck how the whole movie built up to his rematch with Whiplash, which lasted like 45 seconds, which was even shorter than his first fight with Whiplash. The 45 seconds weren't bad, but could we have some more of them?
This was definitely not a very good movie. On the other hand, it's hard to hate the Iron Man franchise, mainly because it doesn't seem to take itself very seriously (kind of like the AC/DC music it features, zing). Like, ok, the movie was a plotless mess with no stakes that somehow simultaneously had too much going on and not enough going on, but at the same time, on the scale of Superhero movies, it's kind of a breezy relief. Not the breezy relief the first one was, but still not half as up-its-own-ass as the Batman or Spiderman franchises (both of which can be great, don't get me wrong).
As for the Stark Expo, I think Gabe missed something most people born after 1960 would have probably missed, which is that it was not supposed to be a weapons or tech convention, but a new Word's Fair. His dad died during the era when World's Fairs still happened, and he was apparently trying to design his own, but then he died and so did the whole idea of World's Fairs (often called "Expositions"), and apparently Tony Stark was trying to bring them back. They usually lasted all year and featured temporary utopian "cities," just like the one we saw in the movie and on the diorama thing. So there's that.
Look, we all know the only reason Lapidus has lived this long is because they need a character who can fly that plane when people (SOMEONE, at least) finally leave the island. Since that hasn't happened yet, I don't think he's dead. He'll show up just in time to save the day by piloting that plane, probably with just one arm.
The other thing this proves is the importance of authenticity. Stand-up comedy is at its best when you feel like you are getting to know the skewed but hilarious worldview of an actual person. The best alternative comics create an on-stage persona who is at least an exaggerated versions of themselves. The more honest their bits feel, the funnier they are.
This guy, clearly, is NOT the person he is pretending to be. Patton Oswalt is that person. And without that authenticity, it just feels really awkward, even if you don't know the jokes are lifted.
I was just going to say exactly what Ben said. Good work, Ben.
It's really amazing how much these suck when Patton is not doing them. I always gave him credit as a brilliant comedy writer, but this proves his delivery is like half of what he has going for him.
As for the band leader issue, the drummer who is touring with him right now (and fills in for Max during Springsteentime (always the best time)) is great. I'm not sure if he can be the band "leader," but he should remain the drummer.
The global campaign to force Gabe to realize the awesomeness of Betty White (and, in doing so, stop making a fool of himself) starts here. BETTY WHITE RULES!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9xKQm5d1uU
(i'm not good with photoshop, but if someone can post a pic of Gabe hugging it out with Betty White, I bet it would get lots of upvotes!)
Yeah, but then you just get increasingly more angry that somehow this very hot and incredibly cool girl is somehow PURSUING Michael Cera. And that's AFTER he treats her like shit in a couple of scenes. It's like the director just thought "oh, people love that Michael Cera kid, I don't have to try at all to make him likeable. They'll get it."
True, but sometimes that works. I find it easy to root for him when he is playing an intelligent but nervous loser, like in Arrested Development or Superbad, but the moment a movie suggests that other characters (especially hot female leads) are supposed to perceive him as cool, it instantly loses all credibility.
Youth in Revolt tried to use this dichotomy to its advantage with the "alter-ego" character, but even that didn't really work. The next movie that looks like it will try to have its Michael Cera cake and eat it too is Scott Pilgrim, which is about a really epically cool loser. I'm hoping that will work.
I'm not sure Gabe adequately addressed just how obnoxiously worthless Michael Cera's character is in this movie. And the movie's whole plot rests on believing that Nora (by all appearances a fairly interesting and attractive girl) is so totally in love with him that she is willing to deal with what an absolute dick he is the whole movie, so that we can feel warm inside when he finally relents and fingerbangs her in her dad's shitty music studio. But wait, no, he is a horrible lowlife who any reasonable person would have forgotten about two seconds after meeting him, so the end actually feels like a horrible failure on the part of Norah, and you are left feeling hopeless for women everywhere and, really, the future of all mankind. God, I hate this fucking movie. Where's Fuck You Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist?
Thanks for the response, G-Diddles (as you're known). I guess the campaign is odd, but no odder than most of the internet phenomena that populate these pages. Forget it, Jake; it's Betty White town.
Also, is it sad that I know Mulder's birthday AND where he went to college?
Also, I guess you are probably joking about the great publicist conspiracy, but you can track Betty White's recent success to her appearances on various late night shows (she has been doing HILARIOUS guest spots on Craig Ferguson for the last couple of years) and feature role in that shitty but disturbingly popular Sandra Bullock movie (WHICH ONE?!).
The whole Draft Betty White to SNL thing started with an article by Ken Tucker at EW.com, where he complained about how SNL seems obsessed with booking young "it-person" hosts like January Jones (yikes), and they would be much more successful if they picked legitimately funny people from all walks of life. He suggested Betty White, and then it became a thing. Least that's how I remember it.
Oh, and another thing, Betty White's publicist is God.
Gabe, I have been on board with nearly all of your celebrity takedowns, but can we lay off of Betty White? She is an old woman, for God's sake, and she is actually unquestionably hilarious. Golden Girls is one of the funniest and best written shows in television history, and I say that as a most-likely straight man. I guess I am also surprised that she has "just now" become a thing, because I have been a major Betty White fan for decades. BUT let's not look a gift Betty White in the dentures, right? Her SNL will be the best since Zach Galifinakis. Mark it down.
Hey guys, I started a facebook group on this issue. My thinking is, if everyone changed their profile pics to an image of Mohammed, assholes like the people at Revolution Muslim will have no choice but to get the fuck over it. If you feel similarly, check out "I'm Changing my Profile Pic to Mohammed because I am not Afraid of Assholes." http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=116325491724879&v=info&ref=ts
I am a huge comic geek, but I loved the movie. Gabe is spot on that it doesn't satirize the superhero movie so much as it worships at its throne, but it does have plenty of really fun winks and in-jokes for those of us who make our way in that weird little world.
It also has the most gloriously fun violence since Kill Bill. Bravo, Hit Girl.
He also said the half-baked Death at a Funeral remake was the "best comedy since The Hangover." Also, why do people keep saying that? Get over The Hangover. Pop an aspirin or something. (Get it?)
Yeah, but that strategy was totally killed by early DVR, which did not detect when shows went over, so you would tivo a classic episode of WINGS only to find the last five mins were missing. And you would be like BUT WHAT HAPPENS TO BRIAN?!?! (There was a Brian, right?)
Random Hearts is truly, truly awful. Very good idea. In fact, I think Gabe DESERVES to watch that movie after his somewhat unfair Kevin Smith bashing. A very rare miss, Gabe. Go watch Random Hearts.
Comments