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Author Topic: "Cedar Rapids" & the state of the comedy  (Read 4551 times)

mañana

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Re: "Cedar Rapids" & the state of the comedy
« Reply #10 on: February 13, 2011, 03:54:13 PM »
@keith71_98

There is a brand of lad comedy, as Kermode calls it, that I'm pretty tired of too. But I still tend to watch a lot of them because they often cast people I like and you often get a least a good supporting performance or two out of them.

As for the state of comedy, I dunno, I bet I see at least a couple comedies every year that I really like, and a few more that I think are solid. A few episodes ago Ballgame was lamenting the state of comedy, I was going to post a thread on the topic but forgot. I'd be interested to see what everyone's top 5 comedies by year are. Of course it would probably quickly devolve into people arguing over what constitutes a comedy and what counts as a movie that has comedic elements.  :)
« Last Edit: February 13, 2011, 04:06:57 PM by matt tmw »
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StudentOFilm

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Re: "Cedar Rapids" & the state of the comedy
« Reply #11 on: February 13, 2011, 05:23:56 PM »
Looking forward to Cedar Rapids. I love comedies these days, I have so much fun laughing at the inapprorpiate. Many would disagree with me on these boards, but my favorite comedies from recent years...

The 40 Year Old Virgin
Anchorman
Borat
Bruno
Death at a Funeral
Due Date
The Foot Fist Way
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Get Him to the Greek
Ghost Town
Hamlet 2
The Hangover
Hot Fuzz
I Love You Man
In the Loop
The Invention of Lying
Jackass
Jackass 2
Jackass 3
Knocked Up
The Other Guys
Pineapple Express
Role Models
Shaun of the Dead
Step Brothers
Superbad
Talladega Nights
Tropic Thunder
Walk Hard
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
« Last Edit: February 13, 2011, 05:26:25 PM by StudentOFilm »
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1SO

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Re: "Cedar Rapids" & the state of the comedy
« Reply #12 on: February 13, 2011, 11:52:13 PM »
I just think you're being too lenient. You're the first person I know who liked Hamlet 2, Pineapple Express AND Tropic Thunder.
It looks like the only film you're missing is Semi-Pro.

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Re: "Cedar Rapids" & the state of the comedy
« Reply #13 on: February 13, 2011, 11:54:49 PM »
I enjoyed those three films but I would call none of them a favorite.
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Re: "Cedar Rapids" & the state of the comedy
« Reply #14 on: February 14, 2011, 12:33:47 AM »
My top live action English language comedies of 2010:

1. Exit Through the Gift Shop
2. Greenberg
3. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
4. Made in Dagenham
5. The King's Speech

Not a bad group.

Of course Hollywood studio comedies suck.  Most Hollywood studio movies suck.

Add Easy A to that group.  A solid #4.
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¡Keith!

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Re: "Cedar Rapids" & the state of the comedy
« Reply #15 on: February 14, 2011, 12:48:50 AM »
Most of what Sean mentioned as well as Dogtooth, Macgruber, Hot Tub Time Machine, Kick-Ass and Life During Wartime were all pretty funny flicks.

StudentOFilm

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Re: "Cedar Rapids" & the state of the comedy
« Reply #16 on: February 14, 2011, 03:32:17 AM »
I just think you're being too lenient. You're the first person I know who liked Hamlet 2, Pineapple Express AND Tropic Thunder.
It looks like the only film you're missing is Semi-Pro.

Sure, they varied in quality, I still would say I liked them. And I thought Semi-Pro was horrible. Like I said, I know I'm in the minority here.
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keith71_98

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Re: "Cedar Rapids" & the state of the comedy
« Reply #17 on: February 14, 2011, 08:59:16 PM »
I have seen few comedies mentioned that I liked. The last comedy that I really enjoyed was "The Informant"....at least that I can remember.

It seems like it's either raunchy, Sandler, or Ferrell. That's not much of a choice for me.
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laurad

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Re: "Cedar Rapids" & the state of the comedy
« Reply #18 on: February 20, 2011, 02:36:39 PM »
I am so glad I did not see the trailers of Cedar Rapids.  I personally hate juvenile raunchy comedies in general (exception: Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and there's no way I would have seen this if I had seen the ads.  But this 56 year old woman and her husband really enjoyed it. The actual "juvenile raunch count" is not that high, and is mostly the one character (John C. Reilly), so it goes along with who he is in the movie.

Loved Isiah Whitlock playing a character who is in many ways the total opposite of his character on The Wire.   One of the funniest points is when he badly mimics another character on that show, but he and everyone around him bought it, playing on the "small town mentality" of his "audience".  Loved it!

Did I like it because I grew up in a very small town?  Possibly.  But I still recommend it.

JeanRZEJ

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Re: "Cedar Rapids" & the state of the comedy
« Reply #19 on: March 04, 2011, 12:52:33 PM »
Hollywood is all about copying what works, so you won't see a company throwing $40 million to advertise a film that's completely different from what has made money in the last 5 years. It's just not going to happen. This doesn't mean they don't exist. It has also taken 5 years for the women to become something other than marginalized side characters - this year there are at least 2 films coming out where the lead is a raunchy, juvenile female. Is that progress, or does it simply mean that there will be absolutely no escape?

We could note that there are other comedies which defy the male-centric juvenile formula: Sex and the City, Bride Wars. I'm not sure anybody is clamoring to see those two take over.

There are alternatives: TV shows, older films, and foreign films. All three are immensely better options than recent raunchy comedies, I think.

 

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