Author Archive: Jared Scott Stroup
This is 40
The fourth feature from Judd Apatow–his mid-life crisis feature (some might say “presumptuously”) titled This is 40–is a bold continuation of the Apatow brand, setting its course in a more mature direction. Granted, Apatow did this with his third feature, 2009′s underappreciated Funny People, but despite the heaviness of that film’s themes and the complexities [...]
Life’s Too Short: The Complete First Season
Ricky Gervais has expressed a desire to have a certain expected style, citing Woody Allen as a successful example of how this can be obtained. Of course, this is a recipe open for immense backlash, with a dwindling fanbase inevitably on the horizon. But the niche market is a place Gervais belongs, and within that [...]
Game Change
Remember Sarah Palin? She was John McCain’s running mate during the 2008 presidential election. She was mocked extensively on Saturday Night Live (as they are wont to do), and her presence made politics feel even more like the reality show it had become. HBO and director Jay Roach collaborated to make a movie to memorialize [...]
Standup Guys: A Generation of Laughs by John DeBellis
John DeBellis should be famous. Far from a household name, he’s shared the company with Larry David, Richard Lewis, Jerry Seinfeld, Gilbert Gottfried, Bill Maher, Andy Kaufman, Woody Allen, Eddie Murphy, and plenty others whose presence is more instantly recognizable than his own. He even wrote some jokes for Rodney Dangerfield and sketches with Billy [...]
An Askew View 2: The Films of Kevin Smith by John Kenneth Muir
John Kenneth Muir had the right idea when he decided to update his previous book on Kevin Smith’s work called An Askew View. While the first book covered Smith’s first five films, this sequel extends the coverage to include Smith’s second five films. With the first edition salvaged as the first half of the book, [...]
Deforce: America’s Past. America’s Future. Detroit’s Present.
When doing a documentary about Detroit, you can go the exploitative route, or you can go the honest route. Deforce: America’s Past. America’s Future. Detroit’s Present. is a documentary that goes the honest route, and by doing so, it addresses the most important issues in America today. And, sadly, the issues that aren’t regularly talked [...]
Futurama: Volume 6 on Blu-Ray and DVD
The Comedy Central renewal of Matt Groening and David X. Cohen’s Futurama initially recieved its share of expected negative criticism. I, for one, believe their recent output to be as strong as their run on FOX, and the reduced number of episodes per season (thirteen down from a usual twenty-two) has strengthened the watchability of [...]
Raised Eyebrows: My Years Inside Groucho’s House (Expanded Edition)
I first came across Steve Stoliar’s Raised Eyebrows: My Years Inside Groucho’s House on a lonely day nearly six years ago. It had been gifted to me by a family member aware of my admiration for the bespectacled comic legend, and that familiar craving for a non-fiction book found its fix within these pages. Reading [...]
If You Like Monty Python…
One of the wonderful things about Limelight’s If You Like… series is that they’re exactly what they should be: they’re written with the enthusiasm of a friend recommendation, with the research instincts of a journalist. A.V. Club writer Zack Handlen is your friendly guide through the influences on and of Monty Python in the latest [...]
The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret: Season 1
David Cross has very few blemishes on his record. With a very successful–and formidable–stand-up comedy career as his primary position, he managed to be involved in some of television’s most innovative comedy shows. He was a writer for The Ben Stiller Show, a writer and star of HBO’s Mr. Show, and a co-star in FOX’s [...]
Connect