SNL 40.4 Review - Jim Carrey, Iggy Azalea

Original Airdate - 10/25/14

If you were to make a list of personalities that should have been castmembers at Saturday Night Live, Jim Carrey would be near the top of that list.  His brand of comedy, especially in his prime, was perfect for the sketch show as was evident in his breakout opportunity being on the sketch show In Living Color.  The fact that he is so perfect for this show led to my surprise that this was only the third time he had hosted the show.  This was just one of three things that made this an anticipated show entering Saturday night.  Second, it was the debut of Leslie Jones as a featured player.  After several successful guest spots at the Update desk, the writer was promoted to the newcomer cast.  Third, it was the Halloween episode which always brings something special.

Cold Opening

The cold opens this season so far have been quite uneventful.  This is usually where the show gets jumpstarted with a statement on today's pop culture or current events (or both).  It seems the writing staff has been trying so hard to find stories to address that they have created a series of flat, forgettable sketches.  This is the latest in this run as they make a use of Pharaoh's spot-on Obama as they discuss the questionable selection of the recently-appointed Ebola Czar.  I'm getting bored just talking about it.  At least Al Sharpton shows up at the end to talk about the Ebola Caesar.

Monologue

One thing that became apparent from the moment you spotted Jim Carrey in this episode was that he would definitely be bringing his special brand of silly to this episode.  This started with Helvis, Carrey's Devil/Elvis hybrid.  He then sang a song about pecan pie.  The host singing a song in the monologue is something that happens quite often, but this was more than just your average monologue song.  It was, like I said, just pure silliness, and I loved it.

Weekend Update

I don't know what happened this week at the Update desk, but all of a sudden everyone clicked.  Michael Che is continuing to improve every week, and Colin Jost seemed to relax for the first time at the Update desk.  This week reminded me of the hayday of Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey at the Update desk.  It was one of the highlights of the show.  The first guest was a clever take on the standard rom-com formula.  This was delivered to perfection by Vanessa Bayer, and received perfectly by Che.  It was one of the best original characters they have created recently.

Next, we have this season's first Drunk Uncle appearance.  Since Bill Hader left the cast, Drunk Uncle has definitely taken Stefon's place as the most popular Weekend Update guest.  The formula is the same sketch after sketch, but it never ceases to be funny.  This was definitely no exception as it takes advantage of the added dynamic of having a black Update anchor with one of the show's most racist characters.  It was also refreshing to see Bobby Moynihan have a pretty significant role in this episode.  He had been riding the bench for much of the season so far.

Best Sketch

This was an easy choice, as this sketch went viral in the days following the broadcast.  It's nice to know I am not the only one that finds the new Matthew McConaughey Lincoln car ads a little odd.  This led to Jim Carrey unleashing his beautiful McConaughey impression on the world as he recreates the ads, making light of just how ridiculous they are.  A series of three ads showed throughout the night, each more hilarious than the first.  If you haven't seen this yet, or even if you have, take a break and enjoy.

Honorable mention has to go out to the Carrey family reunion.  Although it wasn't the funniest sketch of the night, it was a wonderful tribute to the amazing career Jim Carrey has had, and the wide array of characters he has created.  It also allowed for Jeff Daniels to make an appearance to remind us all that Dumb and Dumber To is coming, ready or not.

Worst Sketch

There were a couple of clunkers that came out near the end of the episode.  The worst of these sketches was definitely this portrayal of the zombie apocalypse.  As a group hunkers down to fight off the oncoming onslaught, Carrey arrives wanting for him and his son, who has obviously already become a zombie.  Outside of watching Pete Davidson make a pretty convincing zombie (I'm telling you, future star!), this sketch really is without laughs.

Dark Horse Sketch

Just when you think this episode is winding down, this sketch pops up that redefines the entire episode.  A costume party at work turns into a ridiculous tour of the entire studio as Carrey and Kate McKinnon (and even Iggy Azalea for a moment) dance in the fashion of the girl in the music video for Sia's "Chandelier."  You know it's something special when Lorne Michaels can't even keep a straight face during his cameo.

Grade

As I said in the start, silliness was expected, and silliness is what we got.  Not all sketches were great, but the Lincoln ads and the dance routine created pretty spectacular book-ends as both are early candidates for a list of top sketches of the season.  Add that to a return to the glory days of Weekend Update, and you have a pretty spectacular episode that is definitely worth a watch or two.

***A-***

Watch the full episode here:

Looper (2012) Review

Looper is not your typical sci-fi movie. It is not your typical action-thriller. It is not your typical Bruce Willis movie. What Looper is cannot easily be defined. I know for sure that it was the most thoroughly entertaining and stimulating movie I have seen since Drive. It features Bruce Willis’s best performance in almost two decades. It is the most intelligent sci-fi screenplay in several years. It is a movie-goer’s dream, and an experience that will stick with you for a while.

The movie is written and directed by Rian Johnson, the filmmaker who brought us the indie film filled with potential Brick, as well as the moderately entertaining comedy The Brothers Bloom. It didn’t take long for Looper to surpass both of his previous features. Looper is just so much different, really showing what a great indie filmmaker can do when he keeps his screenwriting roots while embellishing in a nice budget. While Johnson is certainly a director to watch, it is his screenplays that have marveled me. Brick is very rich and interesting. The Brothers Bloom has its moments of brilliance, even if it is inconsistent and a bit indulgent. Looper is a whole new animal, though. The story, characters, drama, and action are all blended into a fascinating motion picture.

The story of Looper is difficult to discuss without giving too much away. The thing that makes this different from so many other sci-fi or action flicks is that it does not rely on twists to leave its impact. There are surprises for sure, but they are all within the context of the story, not game-changing cliché twists that these types of movies frequent. The story is about Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), an assassin in the present year of 2044. Time travel has not yet been invented, but it will be in 30 years. In 2074, criminal organizations are the only ones using the outlawed sci-fi vehicle. Because they cannot dispose of bodies in that year due to tracking mechanisms, they send the bodies with a sack over their heads back to 2044, where Joe and the other “loopers” shoot them immediately and get rid of the bodies. They are rewarded with blocks of silver strapped to the back of each “loop”. When it is decided that their contract will be terminated, their future self is sent to be terminated with gold in place of the silver, a sort of “enjoy the last 30 years of your life” type of parting gift.

When Joe makes the mistake of helping a friend (Paul Dano) who failed to kill his future self, he is forced to either give up his friend or his future. Eventually he is face-to-face with his own future self (Bruce Willis), who has his own motives that young Joe cannot understand yet. Joe must catch up to and kill Old Joe before the mob catches up to him. Should Old Joe accomplish his goals, the ramifications would be catastrophic. If he kills Old Joe, he will be back on track with his gold bars to live the next 30 years of his life with no light at the end of the tunnel, which is really all he wants, not even comprehending how he could eventually turn into the cold-blooded older version of himself that he is trying to outsmart and outmaneuver.

What makes the screenplay so interesting is how Johnson creates his own rules for time travel movies. He does not resort to any sort of standard, which ultimately makes his movie feel more realistic. He opens the movie with a monologue explaining the setting, and despite instances where you will need to take a few moments to put the pieces together or figure out the ramifications of the paradoxes the screenplay creates, everything makes sense. If the audience is familiar with the time travel elements and time continuum vortex, then this will not overly-confuse. Every bit of detail or plot-hole that you feel like you find will come up at some point. Johnson fully immerses the audience in his world, and we come to accept the supernatural elements of the story. There is so much more going on in this film than simply a cat-and-mouse game and time travel gimmicks, though. There is romance, a bit of hard-hitting drama, a few very compelling moral questions, and Emily Blunt hacking repeatedly at a block of wood with an ax. Every bit of the story works, and its flaws are few and far between.

The cast is excellent. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is terrific in his leading role. With all that makeup he does look eerily like a young Bruce Willis. He even gets his mannerisms and voice inflections down. Bruce Willis is awesome. He kicks some serious ass in this movie, but he also is playing the older version of a somewhat emotional character. He wears the scars well while maintaining his brute exterior. Emily Blunt does the best work in the movie, even though it might be her third-best performance this year. Jeff Daniels is great as the mob boss sent back to 2044 to control the loopers. Paul Dano does his thing with limited screentime. Piper Perabo is good as the stripper who interacts with both versions of Joe at certain points. Usually in movies such as these, the cast could phone it in because of the other-worldly nature of the film. These actors truly believe the story they are telling, though. The world Johnson created is not too different from our reality, and because he pays so much attention to the detail of the characters and the rules that he creates and follows, the actors are able to really breathe into their characters, and we actually care about them.

 As far as movies that play around with the time travel and paradoxes go, this might be the most intelligent. Even though I may prefer Terminator 2: Judgment Day, this movie is more directly reliant on the time travel elements for the narrative to work. This film is better than Minority Report, Back to the Future, even Twelve Monkeys. Those were always my gold-standard when it came to time travel, but Looper is just that good, that compelling, and that engrossing. I was hooked from the opening frame until the credits began to roll, credits that were met by applause during a weekday matinee. This movie, coming out in a month that is usually more reserved for the beginning crop of awards-aspiring films, completely stole the show. It is the best movie I have seen this year, and with another viewing, it could easily make a case for being a 4-star film and a year-end top 5-10 film. Yes, it is that good.

Rating: 3.5 stars