SNL Preview

Starting tomorrow, I am finally releasing my Best of Saturday Night Live lists. While there are definitely low points in this series, I have always loved watching SNL. (It is as old as I am.) I have watched every episode (some have been tough to get through). This project has taken me five years. I re-watched every episode and picked out my favourite sketches, music performances, and much, much more. For those who know me, they know I like a good list. Ranking some of these categories have been challenging but it is what I love to do. 

Over the next 25 days or more, I will release compiled lists of my favourite SNL things. These lists include Cold Opens, Cast Members, Hosts, Monologues, Digital Shorts, Commercial Parodies and more. The sketches have been broken down into numerous sub-categories like Pre-Tapes, Game Shows, and Movie Parodies. There is a separate list for favourite recurring characters and bits. The ‘pure’ sketches have also been divided up by decades.

Along with the lists, I have tried to include as many YouTube links as possible. It is shocking that some of our favourite sketches are not available on YouTube. Where possible, I have included an American link if you happen to have a VPN. If you live in the States, you probably have access to everything if you have Peacock. We don’t get Peacock in Canada; it most likely would have made this whole endeavor a lot easier. Anyway, if you know someone who likes or loves SNL, let them know about my upcoming blog posts. Happy Anniversary SNL!

Film: F1

 

GENRE: Action Drama
RATING: PG-13 for language and action
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 35 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Brad Pitt (Fight Club, Wolfs, Bullet Train, Spy Game)
Damson Idris (Snowfall); Javier Bardem (Skyfall, No Country for Old Men)
DIRECTOR: Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick, Oblivion, Tron: Legacy)
WRITER: Ehren Kruger (Top Gun: Maverick, Transformers 2 & 3, Scream 3)
PLOT: An F1 driver comes out of retirement to team up with a younger driver to save a friend’s business.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I know nothing about Formula 1 racing.  

STORY STUFF: I had a good time at the movie theatre and enjoyed the fast cars and many dramatic moments. While it was easy to root for Pitt’s Sonny Hayes, I had no time for Idris’ Joshua Pearce. JP’s ‘redemption’ didn’t work for me. I enjoyed the mini romantic part although it was pretty predictable. It’s a pretty long running time and there were a lot of setbacks for the racing team. They could probably streamline that a bit. But overall, a fun ride.    

ACTING STUFF: Brad Pitt is of course the big draw; he is full of star power and swagger. I also enjoyed Kerry Condon (Better Call Saul) as Kate, the love interest and car designer. I could not root for Idris but he played the jerk part okay. Bardem was fine but I hard time with his thick accent at first. Apparently, this film is filled with actual F1 racers, owners, sportscasters, and race locations, so fans of F1 will probably enjoy seeing all those.

ARTISTIC STUFF: This is definitely worth seeing on the big screen. I liked the action on the racetrack but that is because I don’t watch F1 on TV. If you watch F1 you may find the footage lackluster. Apparently, the television footage has stepped up and a lot more intense with their GoPro inside the car shots. The film has all the qualities I expect from a Jerry Bruckheimer produced film. The music was typical Hans Zimmer fare. The colouring was Pearl Harbor-ish at times. There is action but also humour. It’s a fun time at the movies and that’s all I can expect.   

VERDICT: Four stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You don’t watch F1 but want to see some fast cars and Brad Pitt.  
UPCOMING REVIEW: Jurassic World: Rebirth

Film: The Phoenician Scheme

 

GENRE: Comedy Drama
RATING: PG-13 for violence and some sexual material
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 41 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Benicio Del Toro (Traffic, Sicario, French Dispatch)
Mia Threapleton (newcomer); Michael Cera (Superbad, Molly’s Game)
DIRECTOR: Wes Anderson (Rushmore, Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs)
WRITERS: Anderson & Roman Coppola (Asteroid City, Moonrise Kingdom)
PLOT: A wealthy business appoints his daughter, a nun, as his sole heir. They begin an enterprise that depends on a lot of cooperation from others.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I love Wes Anderson films. All of them.  

STORY STUFF: I usually love a well-told Wes Anderson tale but this one did not grab me. The characters, dialogue and plenty of scenes were all wonderfully done but the plotline, the scheme, got a little complicated for me. There is a lot of stuff about money and assassination attempts but I didn’t find myself rooting for the characters as much. Even so, it is still a fun watch.    

ACTING STUFF: The Anderson troupe of actors always give top-notch performances. You can tell that they all just love playing these quirky characters and mingling will fellow stars. Del Toro is perfectly cast as the death-defying businessman – his reactions to the madness around him is priceless. Cera was born to be a part of this eccentric acting company. He is awesome – especially half-way through the film. Tom Hanks and Bryan Cranston are great hamming it up. Scarlett Johansson is underused but probably because she was busy in Jurassic Park. And the cameo you are waiting for does eventually show up in an amazing role.

ARTISTIC STUFF: As usual, the production design is so precise and makes me want to watch it again to catch some of the background details. It is simply impeccable. As seen the closing credits, the art work depicted in this film are not recreations but originals borrowed from a few collectors. The camera work is classic Anderson with all the elements we have come to expect. You will definitely not be disappointed with that aspect of the film.  

VERDICT: Four stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You like Wes Anderson films.  
UPCOMING REVIEW: F1

Film: Ballerina

 

GENRE: Action
RATING: R for lots of violence and some language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 4 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Ana De Armas (No Time to Die, Knives Out, Blonde)
Gabriel Byrne (Usual Suspects); Keanu Reeves (John Wick, The Matrix)
DIRECTOR: Len Wiseman (Underworld, Live Free or Die Hard)
WRITERS: Shay Hatten (John Wick 3 & 4), Derek Kolstad (John Wick 1- 4)
PLOT: Between the third and fourth John Wick, a female assassin is trained and then sets out to avenger her father’s death.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I liked the John Wick franchise.

STORY STUFF: Lots of hand-to-hand and gunplay like I expected. There is also some fire stuff that is both awesome and silly at the same time. The story is not really complicated but that’s not why we watch these films. I do find it funny how certain people are shot instantly and others are kept alive despite pricey bounties on their heads. You know who is going to survive so the stakes are not that high but it is still entertaining. We know that Eve and John Wick may be facing off but they both need to make it out alive.   

ACTING STUFF: Not much to talk about; de Armas is fun to watch as she kicks butt throughout the film. Reeves taps into his Wick persona perfectly. It was also nice to see Lance Reddick in his final role as Charon. Same goes for Ian McShane as Winston.  

ARTISTIC STUFF: There is this great dolly shot as Eve collects her knives from various victims after an unseen battle. The stunt choreography is awesome although I feel sorry for the stunt people when they get lit on fire. Love the locations – there is this beautiful winter town that I would love to visit if it weren’t populated by hundreds of assassins. I also enjoyed the perfect closing touch of a couple Evanescence songs for the end credits.

VERDICT: Four stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You like John Wick and fine with a woman kicking butt
UPCOMING REVIEW: The Phoenician Scheme

Film: Mountainhead

 

GENRE: Drama
RATING: R for lots of language and some violence
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 48 minutes
PLATFORM: HBO Max (Crave)
STARRING: Steve Carell (The Office, The Morning Show, Beautiful Boy)
Cory Michael Smith (Saturday Night); Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore)
DIRECTOR: Jesse Armstrong (newcomer)
WRITER: Jesse Armstrong (Succession, The Thick of It)
PLOT: Four obscenely rich friends hang out while the world burns.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I liked Succession and the actors involved in this.

STORY STUFF: This film was disturbing but in a good way. The talking is rapidly paced like the show Succession and some of the topics went over my head at times. Glad I had the subtitles on. The humour is incredibly dark as these rich guys make light of the tragic economic crisis in the world that is leading to AI infused hysteria. And it only gets darker from there.  

ACTING STUFF: The film is a four-hander so the casting is important and top-notch. I like when Carell gets to have a dark side. Schwartzman is always great at showing misplaced confidence. Smith is on a roll lately and fun to watch in his douche-y role. The fourth role is Ramy Youssef (Ramy) who is the voice of reason but pours it on a little thick. All four are a treat to watch as they play off each other in this film.

ARTISTIC STUFF: The rich, winter cabin-style house and its surrounding areas are beautiful. Kudos on the set design and location manager. The music is effective throughout.

VERDICT: Three and half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You liked Succession and can laugh at real life absurdity.
UPCOMING REVIEW: The Phoenician Scheme