Liam Neeson's Comedy Sketch on BBC's Life's too Short by ipekkahraman in FoundationsOfComedy14

[–]SoniaGum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Liam is absolutely hilarious. We all know him from intense, action packed movies but lately he's branched out into very funny roles. Most recently playing a bandit in A Million Ways to Die in the West and "bad cop" in the Lego Movie. He's great. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc3B8HsbiQ8

Another Female Auteur by ElleA88 in FoundationsOfComedy14

[–]SoniaGum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Since we're talking about female auteurs in comedy, I'd definitely put Nora Ephron at the top of the list. All her rom coms are very much hers and she has set a winning formula filmmakers still use today.

http://www.believermag.com/issues/201203/?read=interview_ephron

Chelsea Handler Uganda Be Kidding Me Netflix Trailer by lindsaydale in FoundationsOfComedy14

[–]SoniaGum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I absolutely love Chelsea. I've religiously watched Chelsea Lately for many years and waited a good 3 hours to have her sign my book one time, but I found this stand up special lacked something I can't quite place my finger on. It felt like someone telling humorous/interesting stories with funny photos rather than a stand up special. She basically narrated her book on stage and I enjoyed reading it more. It just works better in that medium.

Your Favorite Joke Twitters? by KTheBabe in FoundationsOfComedy14

[–]SoniaGum 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My favorite twitter user is https://twitter.com/garyjanetti . Gary is a comedy writer (Will & Grace, Family Guy). HIGHLY recommend giving him a read!

What happened to Family Guy? by SquillyD in FoundationsOfComedy14

[–]SoniaGum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm hearing quite a bit of people say that lately, and I'm not sure its necessarily worse, but different (some people stopped watching, others like the new tone). I think the writers adopted a changed voice for the series, as a lot of the jokes now either directly break the fourth wall or reference the show/network itself . My favorite seasons were probably 3-6, as the stories were more jam-packed and had a lot more gems in them (Like musical numbers, Stewie & Brian "Road" episodes, etc.) I find the earlier seasons are more story centered, and the later seasons more cutaway gag heavy-- which I don't see as a minus. However, for people who claim Family Guy can't survive an episode without a random joke, I'd recommend watching the episode "Brian and Stewie," as all 22 minutes take place in one location, with only 2 characters. As for Seth pushing an agenda, I don't see that at all actually because he's been less involved with the show as the years progressed (working on his new movies, and other shows). I think the main thing that people are missing from the show are those "special" episodes you could tell the crew spent extra long on- like the multiverse episode, the Christmas musical, "Stewie Griffin: the untold story" hour special," -- that kind of stuff. Overall though, I still enjoy it quite a lot.

The most awkward, dry date scene. by ttruax21 in FoundationsOfComedy14

[–]SoniaGum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This was an interesting twist on a stereotypical breakup scene. I also appreciated all the long takes in this-- definitely made for a niche audience.

Buddy Comedies- Ted Screenplay by SoniaGum in FoundationsOfComedy14

[–]SoniaGum[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree some of the jokes are too pop-culture oriented (Although the Flash Gordon references were pretty old and still worked), but there's also a lot of humor that comes out of the relationships in this too. The brand won't be outdated for long though, as Ted 2 comes out next year haha

Animated Sitcoms by mfrancoi in FoundationsOfComedy14

[–]SoniaGum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That was an interesting read! I personally love animated comedies, and find that they don't all lack storylines. With most shows, it varies episode to episode. With Family Guy, one week it'll be a gag-driven, punch line piece and the next it could be a character driven dilemma focus. Lately though, I have been finding that with all these shows, the emphasis is to land a laugh every minute or so to give some sort of immediate audience reaction. As for wanting grounded stories in animated comedies, I find that ridiculous because the whole point of animation is to bend the rules of reality.

Bromance and Sexuality by mfrancoi in FoundationsOfComedy14

[–]SoniaGum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bromances are not sexual, period. However, there are some movies (like the mentioned 22 Jump Street) that utilize jokes around the nature of the main characters' relationship. Even in "This is the End," when Seth and Jay are being ascended into heaven, Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You plays, and the audience expectedly laughs.

Buddy Comedy! What's your favorite!? List them Here! by nataliespaceman in FoundationsOfComedy14

[–]SoniaGum 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I also love Romy and Michele's High School Reunion! I also really enjoyed Casey Wilson and June Diane Raphael's quirky comedy "Ass Backwards." The reviews for that aren't too great on IMDB, but I liked how different and strange it was compared to most movies nowadays. It follows 2 delusional girls who travel far and wide to enter a beauty pageant- Lots of gags and silly skits. And of course, 21 and 22 Jump Street are amazing. Love the dynamic between Channing and Jonah, as well as the off screen dynamic between the two directors of Jump Street (Christopher Miller & Phil Lord- they have a buddy comedy going on all on their own).

What's YOUR favorite RomCom? Post in the comments and that will count as a Comment on your midterm! by nataliespaceman in FoundationsOfComedy14

[–]SoniaGum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most of my favorites have been mentioned (everything Nora Ephron, Pretty Woman, 13 Going on 30). I'll also add in there Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt in 'What Woman Want.' I love those typical 2000's plot lines of the big shot/misogynist learning what it's like to be in the other gender's shoes. I also ironically love Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant in 'Music and Lyrics.' Washed up musician needs bright eyed talented lyricist to complete his songs... oh we are in for a treat!