SNL 42.7 Review - Kristen Wiig, The XX

Original Airdate - 11/19/2016

It is always a welcome trip down memory lane when a former castmember comes back to host an episode of Saturday Night Live.  This was Kristen Wiig's second hosting return to the SNL stage.  Her first return was an emotional nostalgia moment for Wiig, who owes her entire career to SNL.  This episode felt like she settled in a little more to her new role at 30 Rock.

Cold Opening

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/donald-trump-prepares-cold-open/3428575

Now that Donald Trump is the President-Elect, the SNL group has decided to be completely ruthless in its critique of the unconventional Commander in Chief.  It seems Alec Baldwin is way too eager for his next opportunity to attack Trump through his spot-on impression.  This Cold Open looks at the fact that Trump might be in a little over his head as he prepares to be president.  Even Jason Sudeikis returns to reprise his Mitt Romney impression to show just how unprepared Trump is.  The satire is very direct and pointed.  It is definitely a sign of things to come.

Monologue

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/kristen-wiigs-thanksgiving-monologue/3428576

In Kristen Wiig's second time around as host, she chooses to go the song route again.  This time, it is actually pretty funny as she tells the story of Thanksgiving ... well, at least that is what she claims.  Throw in a couple big cameos from Steve Martin and Will Forte, and the show is off to a great start.

Best Sketch

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/the-bubble/3428577

As liberally biased SNL tends to be, the two sketches I picked as the best display the show's attempt to be equally offensive.  First, you have a commercial making light of the liberal progressives that voted for Hillary that preach tolerance of everyone except for anyone that thinks differently than them.  It is a beautiful commentary on pop culture and political correctness.

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/anderson-cooper-360/3428579

The second sketch attacks the spin cycle that is the national news media.  Sometimes, it feels like the media just keeps saying the same thing over and over again.  Well, that might be because they do.  The twist at the end makes it all the more perfect.

Weekend Update

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/weekend-update-on-the-trump-administration/3428583

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/weekend-update-on-fake-news-sites/3428584

When Jost and Che have something really good to rant about, they are so much fun to listen to.  There were two visitors to the Update desk.  First, you had the resident young person Pete Davidson on his reaction to the election.  Next, if you need someone to make you feel better about your life, look no further than Michael Che's neighbor Willie.

Worst Sketch

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/qvc-auditions/3428581

It had been awhile since I could look at a sketch and say it was truly painful.  This sketch was painful.  Wiig and Cecily Strong play neighbors both auditioning for a show on QVC.  It basically just turns out to be a shouting match between the two as they are both completely crazy.  This is the type of sketch that usually keeps going until one of the cracks and starts laughing, but neither cracked the whole time.  It was as if they knew it wasn't funny also.

Dark Horse Sketch

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/surprise-lady-thanksgiving/3428589

One interesting thing about Kristen Wiig's hosting gig is she seemed to be opposed to reprising her former recurring characters.  This sketch was one of only two that brought back an old favorite, and it was hilarious.  It's a surprise homecoming, but Wiig's character is so excited and nervous she doesn't know if she can take it.

Grade

There were some truly funny parts of this episode, but there were also some real duds too.  A nice thing about bringing back a former castmember is they can jump in and be just another player in the group.  The problem with that is sometimes, that makes nothing special about the episode.  That is what I felt happened this time.  It was good, but not special.  They tried with cameos and such, but it could have been much better.

***B-***

Year in Review: Todd’s Top 10 Films of 2015

2015 was a notably average year. The best films were pretty good, but at no point did I feel like I was watching something that would have been in my top few films of any of the previous five years. This makes our top 10 lists a bit watered down, but they are all really solid films that are worth seeing and remembering 2015 for. The year was dominated, of course, by Star Wars and the Marvel franchises, but those were not the best films of the year. Box office surprises like The Martian and Straight Outta Compton highlighted the fact that audiences are actually after fresh stories and original ideas and that you don’t actually need to make a popcorn movie to get people in the seats. Check out what my top movie-going experiences of 2015 were after a quick year in review…

Films seen: 90

Thumbs Up percentage: 55.56% (55.56% at this point in 2014!)

Actor of the year: Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina, Show Me a Hero, Star Wars: The Force Awakens)

Actress of the year: Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight, Anomalisa, Welcome to Me)

 

Best Actor: Robin Williams – Boulevard, Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant, Matt Damon – The Martian, Richard Gere – Time Out of Mind, Jack O’Connell – ’71

Best Actress: Kristen Wiig – Welcome to Me, Arielle Holmes – Heaven Knows What, Elisabeth Moss – Queen of Earth, Saoirse Ronan – Brooklyn, Rooney Mara – Carol

Best Supporting Actor: Richard Jenkins – Bone Tomahawk, Benicio Del Toro – Sicario, Emory Cohen – Brooklyn, Idris Elba – Beasts of No Nation, Jin-woong Jo – A Hard Day

Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Hateful Eight, Suzanne Clement – Mommy, Mary Elizabeth Winstead - Faults, Chloe Grace-Moretz – Clouds of Sils Maria, Mya Taylor – Tangerine

Best Original Screenplay: The Hateful Eight, Inside Out, Sicario, Dope, Digging for Fire

Best Adapted Screenplay: Carol, The End of the Tour, Brooklyn, Steve Jobs, Beasts of No Nation

Best Ensemble Cast: The Hateful Eight, Digging for Fire, Mommy, Carol, Black Mass

Most underrated film: Dope

Most overrated film: Kingsman: The Secret Service

Biggest surprise: It Follows

Biggest disappointment: Everest

Best sequel: Mad Max: Fury Road

Worst sequel: Hot Tub Time Machine 2

Great indie films that no one saw: Bone Tomahawk, Cop Car, Digging for Fire, Faults, Heaven Knows What, Results

Bottom five of the year (from bad to worst): Serena, The Cobbler, Jupiter Ascending, Lost River, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus

Film I still need to see: 99 Homes, Anomalisa, The Assassin,  Chi-Raq, Coming Home, Jaraf Panahi’s Taxi, The Look of Silence, Son of Saul, Straight Outta Compton

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES

15. Results (directed by Andrew Bujalski)

14. Timbuktu (directed by Abderrahmane Sissako)

13. Ex Machina (directed by Alex Garland)

12. The Revenant (directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)

11. Trainwreck (directed by Judd Apatow)

10. Welcome to Me (directed by Shira Piven) It pains me to leave Trainwreck off, especially in favor of another female-centric comedy, but Welcome to Me is something special. Kristen Wiig, Oscar-worthy, plays Alice, a woman with borderline personality disorder who winds up winning the lottery, quitting her medication, then funds her own network talk show, starring only herself. The show is awful, but voyeuristically fascinating. Welcome to Me reminds me quite a bit of HBO’s failed, but sort of cult classic Lisa Kudrow series The Comeback. The humor is so biting and uncomfortable, but it is realistic and hard to look away. Ironically, in a year when Adam McKay might be a Best Director nominee, it is his wife Shira Piven who makes one of the best comedies of the year and who should be getting the recognition.

Personal nominations/wins: Best Actress – Kristen Wiig [1^st]

9. Dope (directed by Rick Famuyiwa) This was one of the biggest surprises of 2015. Shameik Moore plays Malcolm, a geek of ‘90s hip hop culture who gets in over his head with a drug dealer and others in The Bottoms, one of the notoriously toughest neighborhoods in Inglewood, CA. The movie is filled with big laughs and original characters, and while it is in love with ‘;90s hip hop and everything about that culture and lifestyle, it also feels undeniably 2015. It is equal parts Superbad, Boyz N the Hood, Better Luck Tomorrow, even including shades of The Girl Next Door. I actually think it surpasses every one of those movies. It is a complete original and a movie that I can see revisiting as much as any movie last year.

Personal nominations/wins: Best Original Screenplay [4^th; The Hateful Eight], Best Original Song (“Go Head”) [1^st], Best Original Song (“Can’t Bring Me Down”) [3^rd]

8. Brooklyn (directed by John Crowley) Eilis (Saorise Ronan, incredible) is a young Irish girl who is immigrating to the US in 1950s Brooklyn. While there, she experiences intolerable roommates and unexpected love, while trying to make a living and rid herself of her homesickness and a life that she left behind. The movie is almost flawless. It gives perspective into class and relationships, but what makes it different is its absolute love for New York and how it doesn’t simply fall into the cliché coming-of-age subgenre. It is a bittersweet film that is absolutely old-fashioned, but in a good way. The changes that we see Eilis go through are as beautiful and rewarding as any movie experience I had in 2015.

Personal nominations/wins: Best Actress – Saoirse Ronan [4^th; Kristen Wiig], Best Supporting Actor – Emory Cohen [3^rd; Richard Jenkins], Best Director [4^th; Todd Haynes], Best Adapted Screenplay [3^rd; Carol], Best Costume Design [5^th; ‘71],

7. Digging for Fire (directed by Joe Swanberg) This is another case of my unexplained love for mumblecore and its talented filmmakers. Swanberg also had one of my favorite movies of 2013, Drinking Buddies. His 2015 effort, Digging for Fire, is one of those special little movies that is the perfect mix of subtle comedy and dark themes. The movie is about Tim (Jake Johnson, co-writer) and his wife Lee (the underrated Rosemarie DeWitt), who discover a bone and a gun buried in the backyard of a home they are house-sitting, while having a get-together with friends. The film is low-key, as you could probably guess by starring Johnson, but it is also true and meaningful. The quest to figure out where the bone and gun came from might be easy screenwriting ploys, but it works within the context of this movie. It gives insight into the ups and down of marriage, of love. The ensemble cast lends commendable support, including Brie Larson, Orlando Bloom, Sam Rockwell, Sam Elliott, Anna Kendrick, among others. It is a special movie and one that really gets under your skin and stays there. Swanberg has gone from no-budget films to these borderline mainstream movies within a decade. He could be our next Woody Allen in another 10 years.

Personal nominations/wins: Best Original Screenplay [5^th; The Hateful Eight], Best Ensemble Cast [2^nd; The Hateful Eight]

6. Faults (directed by Riley Stearns) This is a movie that I do not expect anyone else to have on their list. I watched it on Netflix, and I was drawn in more than almost any other movie I saw last year. It is about Ansel (Leland Orser, fanstastic), a man whose job is to provide seminars and materials to debunk cults and mind control, is sort of roped into helping out an old married couple whose daughter Claire (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) was taken in by a cult and brainwashed. Following Ansel’s sketchy way of abducting Claire and locking her in a motel room with him for three days, it is strictly surprises and oddball occurrences and images throughout the entire second and third acts. Any more details would be a disservice to the experience of actually watching the movie, but it gets bizarre and totally enthralling. The implications from the ending make it almost terrifying.

Personal nominations/wins: Best Supporting Actress – Mary Elizabeth Winstead [3^rd; Jennifer Jason Leigh], Best Editing [4^th; Sicario],

5. The Hateful Eight (directed by Quentin Tarantino) Another Tarantino movie, another spot on my top 10 list. This is Tarantino’s third dive into the western(ish) genre, but again, it is not typical of that genre at all. It stars Kurt Russell as John Ruth, a bounty hunter with a prisoner Daisy (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who are traveling across the wilderness to collect a bounty, but have to stop in a remote cabin with some other dangerous characters due to a blizzard. Each and every one of the characters is undeniably Tarantino, and the guessing game of who is playing who, and if anyone is actually who they say they are is fascinating and, finally, brutal. The technical and artistic achievements only enhance the atmosphere and make it QT’s most beautiful movie to look at. The final 45 minutes of this quick 3 hour movie are pure movie-going bliss, filled with gut-busting laughs (and violence) and some of the best one-liners Tarantino has ever written. It is not among his best movies, but it still is as good as anyone could do in 2015.

Personal nominations/wins: Best Picture [5^th], Best Supporting Actress – Jennifer Jason Leigh [1^st], Best Director [3^rd; Todd Haynes], Best Original Screenplay [1^st], Best Cinematography [2^nd; Sicario], Best Art Direction [3^rd; Ex Machina], Best Sound Mixing [5^th; The Martian], Best Original Score [1^st], Best Ensemble Cast [1^st]

4. Cobain: Montage of Heck (directed by Brett Morgen) There may be a bit of eye-rolling in seeing this movie on my top 10, but that would be from those who haven’t actually seen the movie. Yes, I have a lifelong love of Nirvana and Kurt Cobain, but this documentary is not just a send-up or worshipping of its tragic genius front man. It has some raw invasive footage of Kurt Cobain and his tumultuous lover Courtney Love shot by her ex in their apartment that is deeply unflattering and somewhat mesmerizing at the same time. You really get an idea of what Cobain was like in his personal life by the reading of his diaries and suicide note, which has always been somewhat of a mystery. There are interviews with all of the most important people to really tell the story of his fame rise and fall in the most provocative way. This is not a documentary about the conspiracy, it is about an artist and the environment that fed his genius and how that same environment led to his insanity and ruin. It is a movie that really shook me and one that should be seen even by those who didn’t hold Cobain up on as high of a pedestal as I do. It's haunting.

Personal nominations/wins: Best Picture [4^th], Best Documentary Feature [1^st]

3. Sicario (directed by Denis Villeneuve) This was a movie whose trailer sold me unlike any other from 2015. Somehow, the movie was even better than I could have imagined. Kate Mercer (Emily Blunt) is an FBI agent who gets recruited to be part of a task force to infiltrate the drug wars at the US-Mexico border. The cartel had rigged a bomb that took out members of her team, so she is willing to do whatever it takes to seek justice. She is joined by the irritating Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) and the mysterious and brutal Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro, Oscar-level) in her efforts. The movie is incredibly dark, which is probably self-explanatory given that it is helmed Prisoners director Denis Villeneuve and written by Sons of Anarchy vet Taylor Sheridan. The second half of the movie will have you on the edge of your seat, and while not every single scene works, the vast majority do and are absolutely breathtaking. When I first saw it, I said it is a cross between Traffic, No Country for Old Men, The Silence of the Lambs, Breaking Bad, and Zero Dark Thirty. I still cannot explain this movie any better. It is the real deal.

Personal nominations/wins: Best Picture [3^rd], Best Supporting Actor – Benicio Del Toro [#2; Richard Jenkins], Best Director [2^nd; Todd Haynes], Best Original Screenplay [3^rd; The Hateful Eight], Best Cinematography [1^st], Best Sound Mixing [2^nd; The Martian], Best Editing [1^st]

2. Inside Out (directed by Pete Docter) Sometimes it is discouraging when you see a movie early in the year that remains at the top throughout, but in the cast of Pixar, it is becoming a regular occurrence and no longer something to feel bad about. Inside Out is one of their best movies yet. The main (human) character is Riley, a young girl whose family moves from lovely Minnesota to horrible San Francisco. She is homesick and loses the charm (and hockey!) she has always had. The actual main characters are her emotions Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust. They have a sort of control center in her mind and are able to shape how and what she feels to an extent. It is a beautiful movie and one that is almost impossible to not tear up at. Docter is the best director at Pixar, adding this gem to Monster’s Inc. and Up. This movie especially shows that the best movies that they make are their original ideas. This was probably their most ambitious effort, and it comes up all aces. With time, it could very well settle into the #1 spot of 2015.

Personal nominations/wins: Best Picture [2^nd], Best Original Screenplay [2^nd; The Hateful Eight], Best Original Score [3^rd; The Hateful Eight], Best Animated Feature [1^st]

1. Carol (directed by Todd Haynes) Todd Haynes is a genius. He is as great of an auteur as any director working today. This isn’t even his own material, yet it still feels unmistakably Haynes. The movie centers on Therese (Rooney Mara) and Carol (Cate Blanchett), a young photographer and a mysterious older woman who begin an unexpected and passionate love affair in 1950s New York. From the opening frames, the audience’s eyes are glued to the screen, marveling at the flawless performances and stunning sets and costumes. The drama grows deeper and becomes something similar to a Hitchcock aching romantic film in the ‘40s. There is not a false note or line that does not ring completely true. It is a meticulously-detailed and rich screenplay. There was not a movie in 2015 that was as in touch with its own tone and story as Carol. It is beautifully-mounted and tense, sexy, and ravishing. It may not quite have the impact of Far from Heaven or the vastness of Mildred Pierce, but it is hard to not refer to Carol as a Todd Haynes masterpiece. It lingers in your mind for days.

Personal nominations/wins: Best Picture [1^st], Best Actress – Rooney Mara [5^th; Kristen Wiig], Best Director [1^st], Best Adapted Screenplay [1^st], Best Cinematography [4^th; Sicario], Best Art Direction [4^th; Ex Machina], Best Costume Design [2^nd; ‘71], Best Original Score [2^nd; The Hateful Eight], Best Ensemble Cast [4^th; The Hateful Eight]

Thoughts? Comments? You list? Let me know below!

SNL 40.10 Review - Amy Adams, One Direction

Original Airdate - 12/20/14

The Christmas episode is always is special time at Saturday Night Live.  They always get the top-notch hosts, the best cameos, the best musical guests.  It's traditionally one of the best episodes of the season.  This has at least been the case the last few seasons with superstar former castmembers running the show: Jimmy Fallon three years ago, Martin Short two years ago, and topping it off with the power couple of Jimmy Fallon with Justin Timberlake as musical guest/co-host last year.  For the 40th season, they had to pull out all the stops again for the Christmas episode, right?  Well, Amy Adams is a solid choice for a host, but maybe not ideal as the host for such an important episode similar to Chris Pratt's choice for the season opener.  An amazing Christmas episode was still possible, but then you add in the uncomfortable and awkward mood surrounding a variety show like SNL that lives on social satire the week a movie was pulled from theatres due to alleged terrorists threats from North Korea because it is a satire of their country.  Saturday Night Live had to be very careful with how they responded to such an un-American act of censorship, or did they?  They tried to ride that line very carefully throughout the episode, leading to a solid episode under the circumstances, but overall an underwhelming Christmas episode.

Cold Opening

The episode definitely got off to its strongest start of the season as they found the perfect way to comment on the events of the week.  After starting "A Very Somber Christmas with Sam Smith," which would match one of the potential moods of an episode where they would be forced to hold back for fear of censorship or retaliation.  It is then interrupted by the only person that could get away with being perfectly blunt and candid on the Sony hack controversy, Dr. Evil.  I mean, he went to Evil Medical for goodness sake!  Mike Myers resurrects this character and gives a scathing commentary on North Korea, Hollywood, Sony, and even his own career.  This sketch did what it needed to do; it broke the ice and loosened everyone up on a night that had the potential to be tough to do comedy.  The main thing this sketch did for me was remind me that we are coming up on 13 years since the last Austin Powers movie.  I know the last one wasn't great, but man that's just way too long of a drought...

Monologue

Amy Adams's monologue officially makes it a trend of the writers simply mailing it in and giving up on writing good material for some bits.  It makes sense that Amy Adams would sing for her monologue.  She has an amazing voice and it's the Christmas episode.  Why not?  If that's all it was, it would have been simple, elegant, and classy.  It would have fit our host perfectly.  However, Kristen Wiig comes out to crash the monologue.  Although it's always cool to see Wiig come back time after time, it felt like she was simply just told to go out and riff.  It felt like an unorganized mess that did what is hard for a monologue to do; it royally screwed it up.

Weekend Update

Here was the next opportunity to comment on the aftermath of the Sony Hack and the shutdown of The Interview.  Jost and Che were hired as Weekend Update co-anchors to push the envelope a little more than Seth Myers and Cecily Strong had been doing.  So here was their chance.  They definitely didn't shy away from the topic.  Could they have done more?  Sure.  Was it good enough?  Sure.  The best commentary on the situation came with the first guest, as Bobby Moynihan comes out in his Kim Jong-Un outfit.  I think everyone in America had the same reaction as Colin did.  "No no no no..."  Referring to him as Bobby instead of by character, Colin talked a very confident Moynihan down from the comedic ledge in one of the better commentaries of the current situation.  Next, Kenan came out as a perfect character for the occasion as he is Positive Willy with nothing to be positive about around the holidays.  It was one of the depressing but funny sketches.  And last but not least, since you have Kristen Wiig around why not pry Fred Armisen away from the Late Night set and have some Garth & Kat time.  These two are so good at this that it never ceases to be funny, even when it's impossible for them to keep a straight face.

Best Sketch

A few episodes ago, there was a sketch about a sitcom that was constantly changing its cast and concept to accommodate to fans' comments about political correctness.  It was a very effective commentary on how our society is so concerned about offending someone that it refuses to make a comment on anything.  What became a sort of follow-up sketch in a way, this commercial for "Asian American Girl" makes a similar statement in a much more direct and funny way.  The doll is completely generic with no cultural or stereotypical statements coming with it.  The kids in the sketch become the voice of reason as the parents did everything they could to not say anything wrong by not saying anything at all.  It is a very clever sketch that is not only funny, but a perfect statement on how our society is getting upset about one kind of censorship (The Interview) but is promoting another form without even realizing it.

Worst Sketch

I didn't really dislike any sketch in this episode.  With that said, this one was just too weird for me.  Two guys out for a drink hear a group of sisters singing when things go a little strange.  The strangest thing about this sketch is someone had to be in some sort of mindset to come up with this insane idea.  For pure originality, this sketch deserves a watch, but wow ... where did that come from?

Dark Horse Sketch

If you have ever read any of my SNL reviews, you will know I have a soft spot when it comes to impressions.  So when this sketch about a Cuban Christmas Special started, I was excited to see what impressions would come out of this sketch addressing one of the lost news stories of the week.  The impressions that came out of it were so-so, and the sketch would have been fairly forgettable if it wasn't for the impression of Fidel Castro.  The sketch is worth watching just to see it.  Don't blink, or you might miss it.

Grade

Like I said, this episode didn't really have a bad sketch.  The problem was outside of the Cold Open, it didn't really have a great sketch either.  Amy Adams is a great host, and this was a strong episode.  However, as a Christmas episode, it was quite disappointing.  Looking back now at the first half of the season, this episode was a great microcosm.  There were some great moments, and some moments where the writers failed.  At other times, the writing has been quite clever and intelligent.  With all that said, I have high hopes for the second half of the season as the show continues to do everything it can to get out of the shadow of Wiig, Armisen, Hader, Myers, Samberg, and the rest of the recent past.

***B-***

View the full episode here:

SNL 40.3 Review - Bill Hader, Hozier

Original Airdate - 10/11/14

It's always an event when a former castmember hosts the show, especially when it is a beloved and revered SNL alum.  Unlike the previous episode's host, Sarah Silverman, this episode is hosted by one of those beloved and revered alums, Bill Hader.  It had been a little over a season since Bill Hader left, and this is his first hosting gig since.  It was only a matter of time before they would bring one of the most versatile performers the show ever saw back to host.  I was actually surprised it took this long.  However, the main reason he didn't get his hosting debut until now is because he didn't do anything post-SNL until now that warranted such an honor.  With the release of The Skeleton Twins, Hader was able to come back to a place so familiar to him.  How did he do?

Cold Opening

The first sketch made light of an interesting piece of current events that had been rolling around the news outlets.  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, normally a very public figure, had not been seen in public for weeks.  Some of the speculation was that he injured his ankles.  Some probably wondered if he was still alive.  SNL solves the riddle by bringing about a public appearance of the Communist dictator via Bobby Moynihan, one of the most underused cast members so far this season.  This bit is a little silly, but effective for its purpose.

Monologue

We knew what kind of performer Bill Hader was coming in to the show, however he had never had to give a monologue before.  One of the popular formats of the SNL monologue is to have the host sing a song, which brought about an interesting bit of trivia: Bill Hader had never sung a song before on Saturday Night Live.  As he considered whether or not to sing, we get two cameos: one predictable (fellow SNL alum and Skeleton Twins co-star Kristen Wiig) and one not predictable (Harvey Fierstein).  Eventually, you realize there's a reason why Hader doesn't sing, but no one really cares by that point.  The ridiculousness of the scenario brings enough laughs to kick the show off right.

Weekend Update

As our new co-anchors continue to get more comfortable, this backbone to every episode is becoming more and more of a highlight.  Jost and Che are starting to prove what kind of humor they bring to the table as they truly settle in.  There were two guests to the Update desk in this episode.  The first brought about the second appearance in three episodes for new featured player Pete Davidson (bodes well for the newcomer in the over-populated cast).  This bit about how wearing gold chains change you is not as funny as his first appearance, but he does show once again that much of the immediate future of the show rests on his shoulders.

And now the moment everyone was waiting for.  If Bill Hader is hosting the show, many former characters and bits will be considered for re-hashing.  However, one character was practically guaranteed to reappear: city correspondent Stefon.  One of the most popular characters in the show's history makes his long-anticipated return to the update desk to tell of all the hottest spots in NYC.  One of the best parts of Stefon's appearances are the moments where the jokes get the best of Hader as we get a rare crack in character.  Legend has it that this is a result of former writer John Mulaney, who co-created Stefon with Hader, changing jokes at the last minute and letting Hader know as he walks on set for the live broadcast without rehearsing them.  Even though Mulaney has moved on to his new sitcom, no one else could help Hader create Stefon's return, or bring about Hader's latest laugh fest.  According to Mulaney's Twitter post, he texted one of the SNL writers right before broadcast his customary changes to Stefon's cue cards.  Hader was never told of the changes, and you must think he wouldn't expect them coming since Mulaney wasn't around.  So he was discovering what the jokes were right along with the viewing audience, and it is quite obvious on some of them.  You can tell they had been saving up some of these jokes over the last year as this may have been one of the best Stefon sketches to date.

Best Sketch

When a former castmember like Hader hosts, you have to qualify the best sketches as reworkings of old sketches and completely fresh and new material.  The best sketch of the night was definitely the reappearance of ancient news reporter Herb Welch, on the scene of yet another story and getting all the facts wrong as he cracks insensitive and sometimes racist remarks.  It is Hader at his best.

There weren't many noteworthy original sketches, as it was obvious most of the brainpower was spent making the character reappearances hit it big.  Of these original sketches, this was my favorite as I am a sucker for a good impression.  Most of these impressions in Hollywood Game Night we have seen before, but the surprise of the night comes courtesy of Beck Bennett's Nick Offerman.  It's perfect!

An honorable mention for best sketch that has to be mentioned is this beautiful tribute to the late Jan Hooks.  Hooks was a castmember in the late 80's and early 90's and helped pave the way for future stars like Molly Shannon, Ana Gasteyer, Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler, and the list goes on and on.  This sketch, fittingly co-starring the late Phil Hartman, is a perfect sketch to honor a fallen great.  It also serves as a reminder just how many of the great SNL personalities have left us too soon.  The only issue I had with this touching moment is it once again reminded all of us that they have yet to give a proper tribute to Don Pardo.  I know I've belabored this point before, but Pardo was involved in more episodes of SNL than creator Lorne Michaels has.  How do you not stop for more than five seconds and pay tribute to the voice of Saturday Night Live?  No matter what happens, this season will be considered a failure if no Don Pardo tribute is aired.

Worst Sketch

There weren't really any sketches that missed their respected marks, however this one was one I just didn't get.  To start, I must confess I have not seen Divergent or The Maze Runner (although I have seen the first two Hunger Games films).  That probably adds to my confusion behind this sketch.  This movie spoof idea presumably combines the storylines of these three films to make The Group Hopper.  We see the heads of SNL are starting to recognize what I have already said: Pete Davidson is the future of the show.  He stars as a kid out to rebel against what he is told is normal.  The sketch has its moments, and I'm sure it would make more sense if I had seen all these films, but I just feel like I missed the joke.

Dark Horse Sketch

There were several off-the-wall sketches in the second half of the episode that were quite good.  An honorable mention can go out to the first of Kyle Mooney's goofy sketches to get a sophomore appearance with their "Inside SoCal" talk show.  However, my favorite goofy sketch comes from a twisted take on The Cat in the Hat.  The sketch starts off with the build-up to the Cat's appearance, only to discover that the mother of the children that called on the Cat happens to be his ex.  Hader as the Cat is perfect, and the reveal of the kids' new dad is priceless.

Grade

When I heard Bill Hader would be hosting, this is the type of episode I was hoping for.  Bringing back his history of past performances on the show gives the writers an easy episode to write as they don't need to come up with as many original sketches.  As for the original sketches, a seasoned pro like Hader can make even the dullest sketch entertaining with his showmanship.  Because of this, this was the best episode of the season so far.  However, this also makes this the least impressive episode so far as well.  The writers really couldn't screw this one up.  Although that doesn't really affect the quality of the show, it definitely is something to keep in mind moving forward.

***A-***

View the full episode here:

SNL 39.21 Review - Andy Samberg, St. Vincent

Original Airdate - 5/17/14

This has been a season unlike many others in recent memory for Saturday Night Live.  Most of the cast members considered the show's "stars" have left in the last few seasons, and the show went scrambling to discover its next set of leaders.  As always, the season finale is a star-studded event, and this time it seemed like most of the stars were the ones that created this season of newbies.  You start with first-time host Andy Samberg, whose digital shorts introduced a new generation to SNL during his time as a cast member.  Added to the mix were recent departures Seth Meyers, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, and Fred Armisen among several other surprises.  They obviously decided to make this season finale a sort of family reunion.  It led to a funny episode at times, and in a strange way, showed that the show's new cast is handling this landmark American franchise well.

Cold Opening

As always, the cold opening addresses a recent bit of current events.  This time around we have a recent bit of security footage released of Jay-Z getting in a little spat with sister-in-law Solange Knowles.  Any excuse for Jay Pharaoh to give one of his signature impressions makes the sketch worth it, but it also once again showed off a bright spot of the second half of the season in Sasheer Zamata.  Just when you thought the sketch had run its course, in comes the first surprise of the night in the woman whose shoes Zamata is trying to fill, Maya Rudolph as Beyonce.  This took the sketch to a whole new level as Rudolph shows once again why she is one of the greatest cast members of all time.

Monologue

My question coming into this episode is how Andy Samberg would do being the focal point for an episode.  As a cast member, he shined in little bit parts and his digital shorts.  He rarely was ever featured in a live sketch.  How would he do?  Well, apparently this was Andy Samberg's concern as well as he made light of that fact during his monologue.  How will he carry the show?  We truly start to understand that the answer to this question will be ... with a little help from his friends.  Cameo #2 came from Seth Meyers, who moved on earlier in the season but just moved down the hall to his Late Night set.  He comes on to help Samberg try to break a record for impressions currently held by his buddy Bill Hader.  He needs 23 impressions to set the record so in a lightning speed round, he rattles off enough to eclipse the record.  Well you knew Bill Hader would have something to say about that, which he did as he made his first appearance on the show since leaving last season.  This sure set the stage for the finale and also informed us of one piece of depressing news.  Justin Timberlake was on tour in Russia and wouldn't be showing up.  Sad, but he did leave Andy a message of encouragement.

Weekend Update

For some reason, seeing Colin and Cecily wrap up the season at the Weekend Update desk validated their roles as anchors.  They had arrived and officially etched their place in the show's history.  For this final episode, there were two repeat guests coming to the Update desk, one was an obvious choice and one was an odd one.  Both worked perfectly though.  The first guest was one that showed up for the first time in the first episode of the season: Kyle Mooney's New York comic Bruce Chandling.  The crux of the sketch is Chandling is a failed comedian for a reason: he's not funny.  The first time around, nobody got it.  The audience didn't know how to take it, and I didn't know how to take it either.  An entire season has passed since that first failed bit, and more importantly we have had a season to get to know Kyle's different style of humor.  I believe this was the main thing that changed this time around.  Everything that didn't work the first time was hilarious this time.  This character is just ridiculously awkward, and now that we get that this is the point of most of Mooney's comedy, this sketch was very well received.

The second guest was an obvious choice.  With Samberg hosting, we had to go "In the Cage" as Andy busts out his iconic Nicolas Cage impression.  His guest was yet another cameo, this time from Paul Rudd.  These sketches are almost all the same as they mock Cage's bizarre mannerisms, choice of films, and just different way of going about life.  Samberg is silly enough to highlight these quirks perfectly which makes them work every time.

Best Sketch

The sketches on the whole were fairly average, but there were two that really shined above the rest.  First came a sketch about summer camp that featured Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant as kid troublemakers at Camp Wicawabe.  Samberg plays an older camper that wreaks havoc on the camp at a level that the girls don't even understand.  Then comes Kyle Mooney as their 6 year old assistant with a xylophone and a great spot on little kid speech impediment.  Maybe it's being a teacher, but there was something about this sketch that just made me laugh.

The second sketch was one of the more anticipated sketches of the season.  What kind of digital short (or shorts) would Andy Samberg and the Lonely Island crew bring to his debut hosting gig?  He brought two shorts, the first of which was the better of the two.  Samberg plays a world famous DJ leading a concert by hitting buttons on his panel.  The suspense builds as the song asks the question, "When will the bass drop?"  No one quite expected the craziness that commenced when it finally did drop.  This wasn't the best the Lonely Island crew has produced, but it was a welcome return.

Worst Sketch

Like I said, one of the questions coming into the episode was how well will Andy Samberg carry the average sketches on his own.  The answer was, when he wasn't helped by his buddies, not well.  This is the perfect example.  Here he plays a confident hunchback as he wanders the bars hitting on women.  That's really all there is to it.  Doesn't sound that funny?  There's a reason, it wasn't.

Dark Horse Sketch

Some of the best dark horse sketches of the season came from classic dark horse sketches coming back from past seasons with former cast members returning.  This is a perfect example as we got to see the return of the Vogelchecks.  All the former cast members on set popped out with Taran Killam, the closest thing to a star left on the cast, to display the over-affectionate family that loves to kiss each other.  It's a classic sketch of waiting for the cast members to break.  The out-of-practice cast alums broke a lot which added to the hilarity.

Grade

What was needed to make Andy Samberg a successful host made this a great season finale.  The cameos are a welcome sight, but seeing this many former cast members show up add the nostalgia that make for a great final episode of the year.  (It seemed like the only non-star was the musical guest who I had never heard of before.)  However, also seeing the former cast members mingle with the current cast members really validated, in my mind, everything the current cast has accomplished this season.  Many people have criticized this season as not being as funny as the past seasons or the so-called "glory days" of SNL.  I think people confuse different for funny.  This cast, 8 of which made their debuts this season, has some great potential moving forward.  This wasn't the best episode of the season, but it was a fitting finish.

***B+***

View the full episode here:

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) Review

Directed by

Ben Stiller

Ever since the first trailer for this film came out, I have been intrigued by this film.  The scope and scale of this story of a simple-minded man I was told several times was the perfect "Terry" movie.  It sounded like it had great potential to be an Oscar candidate.  At its best, it could be the next Forrest Gump.  At its worst, it could end up just being an average family holiday movie like Jack Black's Gulliver's Travels or Adam Sandler's Bedtime Stories have been in recent years.  I was very excited to see which it would be, hoping it would be that Oscar contender it looked like it could be.  So which would it be?  The answer is ... neither.

Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) is a man of no great consequence that lives a simple, uneventful life as a negative photo analyst for Life magazine.  He gathers photo rolls from the magazine's photographers, and touches them up to make them printable.  He has done nothing significant in his life, but often daydreams and "zones out" thinking about the amazing things he could be doing.  Many of these fantasies are spurred on by famous free lance photographer Sean O'Connell (Sean Penn) who Walter has developed a good working relationship with by working with his photos.  O'Connell is a perfect foil to Walter.  He is a complete nomad who travels the world looking for the best photographs the world has to offer.  No one every knows where he is.  His pay stubs have to be sent to several different places hoping that eventually he will end up in one of those spots.  O'Connell is everything Walter dreams he could be.

Several events start to bring about some changes in Walter's life.  First, he starts to fall for a co-worker, Cheryl (Kristen Wiig), who doesn't really know he exists which is something he actually tries to change.  There is also a mix-up with a very important roll of film from Sean O'Connell that requires Walter to meet his idol for the first time, but he has to find him.  With some encouragement from Cheryl, he decides to live out some of his dreams and try to chase down O'Connell.  Re-tracing O'Connell's steps turns Walter into the globetrotting man of significance he always wanted to be.

The strength of this film is by far its direction.  This is Ben Stiller's fifth feature film as director and first since 2008's Tropic Thunder.  The scope and scale of his films have been increasing with this being his most ambitious effort yet.  He continues to prove with every movie that he is extremely talented behind the camera.  Some of the visuals in this film look like a director who is competing for a Best Director Oscar.  If he hadn't done so already, he definitely proves with this film that he needs to be taken seriously as a respected director.  The direction is what gives the impression of an epic.

As far as the story is concerned, it's no Forrest Gump for sure.  Walter Mitty is definitely an interesting character that the audience enjoys watching go from epic situation to epic situation, whether real or imaginary.  However, the plot falls short of what a character like Walter Mitty deserves.  The premise that leads to Walter's adventure is fairly unbelievable and underwhelming.  It also screams of a predictable and underwhelming resolution that you can guess 10 minutes into the film, and although the ending didn't go quite like I thought it would, I knew from the start that the premise would never produce an ending one could consider "epic."  With that said, a story doesn't have to be epic to be good.  The relationship between Walter and Cheryl is very real and believable with both actors giving stellar performances.  Also, the premise that leads to Walter's journey, although it may not be epic, is still fun and able to keep one's interest throughout the film.  I just had such high hopes for the film to be a masterpiece, I couldn't help be a little underwhelmed.  I realized quickly its aspirations were never as high as my expectations were.

So which one is it?  Is it Forrest Gump or Bedtime Stories?  I said earlier that it's neither.  It's better than the common family holiday comedy.  However, it never reaches the heights of an instant classic.  Like I said, it never wanted to be.  If I were to compare it to a film, it is more on the level of something like Stranger Than Fiction, which is a film I loved.  It's not quite as good as Stranger Than Fiction, but there are some definite similarities to the characters and plights of Ben Stiller's Walter Mitty and Will Ferrell's Harold Crick.  So where does that leave Walter Mitty and his secret life?  Well, it won't get the Oscar attention so many were predicting.  It might get some technical attention for Cinematography or Production Design or something along those lines.  At the end of the day, it is a solid, feel good holiday film with some characters that add more depth and quality than your average family holiday film.  I liked it for what it was.  Now if only it could have tried to be more...

Rating:

View the trailer here:

SNL 39.8 Review - Paul Rudd, One Direction

Coming down the stretch to Christmas at Saturday Night Live, a dream lineup had been assembled to make for a run of shows that would go down as SNL classics.  The first of the three, comparatively, was bound to be the worst of the group when you consider John Goodman (one of the greatest hosts of all time) and the Jimmy Fallon / Justin Timberlake explosion were going to follow it up.  However, Paul Rudd is no slouch, and once I realized he would be there promoting his upcoming movie that stars possibly the most beloved SNL cast members of the last 20 years, I knew we might be in for something special.

Cold Opening

I knew we might have an appearance of Ron Burgundy and the Channel 4 News Team because Paul Rudd was hosting.  What I did not realize was that the random guest stars that always seem to pop up around the holidays would not just be confined to the one Christmas episode this year.  It would be a 3 episode star-studded affair.  This became evident right off the bat when SNL made their statement on the live broadcast of The Sound of Music starring Carrie Underwood.  Enter Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen, two former cast members that really could never be replaced.  They pull out one of their old classic bits that is endlessly entertaining, and I still have no idea why.  Enjoy.

Monologue

If I thought the Cold Opening got the show off to a great start, that was before the Monologue made it perfect.  Paul Rudd, a great actor, has always seemed to be overshadowed in his hosting gigs by his musical guests.  First it was Beyonce, then it was Paul McCartney.  I mean a Beatle and Sacha Fierce?!?  How do you compete with that!  Paul Rudd was determined this would not happen this time, but there was a threat with One Direction as the musical guest.  When One Direction shows up in his monologue, he is determined to make sure he isn't overshadowed by the boy band.  So he brings out his man band.  Newsteam Assemble!!!  Enter David Koechner, Steve Carell, and yes, Will Ferrell.  So what happens in the boy band vs. man band showdown?  A sing off.  What song?  "Afternoon Delight" of course, which was brought back to prominence by the first Anchorman film.  This show couldn't have been off to a better start.  It could only go down from here, right?  Yes, yes it could...

Weekend Update

It's not that the rest of the show was terrible.  It just never reached the perfection that were the first two sketches.  Weekend Update brought back two very popular characters, one brand new and one that has been around for a year or so.  First was Bar-Mitzvah Boy Jacob who is always fun.  It also brought about one of the first blatant references to Seth Meyers's upcoming departure for the new Late Night show as Jimmy Fallon takes over for Leno.  (By the way, odds Fallon has a moment of advice at the Weekend Update desk for Seth Meyers in his final episode?  I would say high.)  The next act, Jebidiah Atkinson, has become an instant classic as he berates and rips apart anything that America holds as beloved.  Today's subject of his attack?  Christmas stories.  Taran Killam can do anything and has quickly become the new Will Ferrell.

Best Sketch

The rest of the sketches after the first two were solid for the most part, but nowhere near great.  The best of these others just happened to also include One Direction as Paul Rudd played their biggest fan, Dan Charles.  The best part of this sketch is watching him talk to all the teen and tween girls waiting in the same line he is in.  They obviously don't like the fact that he is there.

Worst Sketch

Usually the mock movie trailers are my favorite parts of this season.  However, this trailer for White Christmas falls flat.  The premise was to take a basic movie trailer for a Tyler Perry movie or any other recent Black comedy and swap out all the cast members for the whitest people you can find.  Is it still funny?  No, it's not.  And maybe that was the joke.  Maybe it was purposefully stupid.  Either way, the only thing worth seeing here is Paul Rudd dressed as a white Madea.  Once you see it though, there is not much else to see, besides the confused looks on Kenan's and Jay's faces.

Dark Horse Sketch

Like I have said before, this spot is reserved for the fun, off-beat, surprising sketch after Weekend Update that stands out for its odd-ball comedy.  With Will Ferrell in town, they couldn't resist dusting off the greatest Dark Horse Sketch in recent memory: Bill Brasky.  If you haven't seen a Bill Brasky sketch, here it is in a nutshell: Will Ferrell and his cronies dawn bad suits and buck teeth and spout out the most random crap they can think of about their dear friend Bill while drinking from over-sized scotch glasses.  It is so stupid and so hysterical all at the same time.  I wish we didn't have to wait 10 years to see a new one.

Grade

This show got off to the best start it could possibly have.  Although it fizzled a little in the middle, it ended with another classic and got the holiday season off to a great start.  If what I thought before the show is true, and Paul Rudd's turn as hosting would be the jumping-off point for this run of three great episodes leading up to Christmas, then I can't wait to see what kind of genius we have waiting for us in the coming weeks.

***B+***

View the full episode here:

Power Rankings: SNL Season 38 (2012-2013) Hosts

With Season 39 of Saturday Night Live starting tonight, I thought I would look back on the last season and rank the hosts that graced the stage throughout.  Some were great surprises while some greatly disappointing.  No one was terrible, but some were obviously superior.  All had their funny moments.  So here is the countdown of the 21 hosts from last year.

NOTE: Due to SNL and the tight grip they keep their material under when it comes to online viewing, I was not able to attach videos of the different referenced sketches.  However, you can find some of them either through the Saturday Night Live website, Hulu, or YouTube.

21.  Christina Applegate (Episode 4)

This was the second time she had hosted but the first time since her Married ... With Children days.  She really should have kept it at that one appearance.  I mean, she was in the original "Matt Foley Motivational Speaker" sketch.  Very early on in the episode you could tell Christina decided her way of succeeding was to do her best Kristen Wiig impression.  Although it wasn't bad, there is only one Wiig.

Best Sketch - "Choreographer" - A past-her-prime Liza Minnelli wanna-be teaches a group of simpletons how to dance with Fosse jazz hands.

20.  Melissa McCarthy (Episode 17)

I don't know why, but I just don't find her as funny as everyone else does.  Her monologue was great as she came out in ridiculously high heels she literally couldn't walk in and continued to do a dance number from her knees because of it.  However, the sketches were not great for the most part.

Best Sketch - "Pizza Business" - Barb Kellner goes to the bank to get a small business loan to start a pizza business where she eats people's leftover pizza instead of throwing it out.

19.  Vince Vaughn (Episode 18)

I was really looking forward to this episode, but it was one of the most disappointing of the season.  His monologue was strong as he interacted with the crowd to perfection.  However, much like Melissa McCarthy, it was all downhill from there.

Best Sketch - "Short Term Memory Loss Theater" - A doctor decides to start a theater group of his short-term memory loss patients, but all of them forget what they were supposed to do once they get on stage.

18.  Ben Affleck (Episode 21)

The season finale had many highlights with several cast members leaving the show.  However, few of the highlights came from the newest member of the "5-Timers Club."  There's a reason none of the other members showed up for his induction: it wasn't worth it.

Best Sketch - "Bengo F--- Yourself" - Iranian President Ahmadinejad makes his own movie in response to the "blasphemous" Best Picture winner Argo.  Ahmadinejad plays Affleck (who has to say "Park the car in Harvard yard" before every line to find his Boston accent), and Affleck plays a sound tech.  When asked why he would be in such a movie, Affleck says (barely able to hold back the laughter) "I've always wanted to be in a movie worse than Gigli."

17.  Jamie Foxx (Episode 9)

Jamie Foxx was another host that could have been amazing.  Foxx used to do sketch comedy!  So much of this just fell flat once again.  He did help jump start some great sketches that became recurring hits throughout the season though.

Best Sketch - "Maine Justice" - A court room in Maine is run by a group of Hurricane Katrina refugees that never went back to New Orleans.  And let the hilarity ensue.

16.  Kevin Hart (Episode 15)

Kevin Hart strikes me as the type of talent whose skills fit perfectly for SNL (and he even mentioned his SNL audition, and rejection, in his monologue).  Although there were some good moments, it overall was underwhelming.  However, his DeNiro impression was pretty great.

Best Sketch - "Z-Shirt" - The best of the commercial sketches of the year featuring a host was definitely this one about a new line of shirts called Z-shirts.  It's not an ordinary shirt, it's a Z-shirt.  "Is it an A-shirt?"  "Is it a B-shirt?" (5 minutes later) "Is it a Y-shirt?"  Said only as Kevin Hart can.

15.  Daniel Craig (Episode 3)

007 does comedy, and it actually wasn't half bad.  Who knew he could do comedy?  Well, he can pretty much do anything.  It was pretty much on par with Kevin Hart's episode, but the expectations were lower for Craig so the performance seemed better.

Best Sketch - "Construction Workers" - A group of construction workers are talking at the water cooler, and one of them doesn't quite know how to use all the lingo quite right.  Guess which one that was...

14.  Jennifer Lawrence (Episode 11)

Right before Jennifer Lawrence became an Oscar winner, she became an SNL host.  Her monologue was one of the best parts, as she talked trash about all her competition for the Oscar while complementing them at the same time.  Of course, there had to be the shameless Hunger Games sketch which was not that impressive.

Best Sketch - "Girlfriends Talk Show" - A sketch that became a recurring bit this last season starred Aidy Bryant and Cecily Strong as tween best friends hosting a show, but Cecily always brings a friend that acts a little older and ruins all the planned sketches.  Lawrence goes goth and completely nails it.  "My band is called Vag Hat.  Does that scare anyone?"  Aidy's plans are ruined as she wanted to talk about guinea pigs and ended up talking about New York bisexuals instead.

13.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Episode 2)

JGL has hosted before and has shown he is a great host for the show.  This was not one of his best efforts, but it was still a worthy outing.  His ridiculous Magic Mike monologue was a bit much though.

Best Sketch - "Tres Equis" - You can probably guess the premise of this one.  "He is the son of the most interesting man in the world."  "I don't always drink beer, but when I do I drink Tres Equis because it's one better than my dad's."

12.  Adam Levine (Episode 12)

He actually appeared on the show twice in season 38, once as a musical guest with Maroon 5 and this one as a host.  The monologue mocked "The Voice" as Cameron Diaz, Andy Samberg, and Jerry Seinfeld gave him advice on how to host.  This episode also gave me one of my favorite sketches of the season even though Adam Levine had very little to do with it.  Bill Hader's firefighter freak out when Levine shows up with his ex-girlfriend Rula.  Priceless.

Best Sketch - "YOLO" - With a guy like Levine hosting, Samberg and the Lonely Island crew came back to shoot the only digital short of the season, and it was definitely worthy.  The basis of the song was taking the YOLO motto and flipping it.  You only live once so you better not take any risks.  Adam Levine's voice was perfect, and watching Kendrick Lamar rap about 401k's was icing on the cake.

11.  Jeremy Renner (Episode 8)

Here is another actor who is one of the last ones you think of when it comes to comedy, however Jeremy Renner pulls it off.  His best moment of the night was the monologue, where he sings songs about some of his recent movies (his Kings of Leon parody of "Someone Like You" being the best).  The sketches were solid, but this was his best of the night.

Best Sketch - "The Morgue" - Picking a best sketch was hard since the monologue was the highlight, however this one was pretty funny.  Renner's brother died, and he needs to identify the body (Taran Killam) as next of kin.  Somehow he doesn't get it, and goes from saying it is Yao Ming to thinking it's him dead.  As the answers get more ridiculous, Bill Hader as the morgue tech does everything in his power to make Taran crack as the dead corpse, but is unsuccessful.  He is a rock!

10.  Justin Bieber (Episode 13)

Easily the biggest surprise of the SNL season was the episode featuring Justin Bieber as one of the three double duty host/musical guests of the season.  When I heard he was hosting, I rolled my eyes much like I did when I heard Miley Cyrus would be hosting in a few weeks.  However, he was great.  He had no problem of making fun of himself or putting himself in almost any situation.  This episode produced another one of my favorite sketches of the year when Bieber accidentally says "It's glice to meet you," and Taran Killam didn't let him forget it.  "GLICE?!?  WHAT?!?"  Hilarious!

Best Sketch - "Bieber Doubles" - The "Glice" sketch may have been the best sketch of the night, but Bieber's best sketch was actually one that turned into a Bieber bashing party.  In the "Bieber Doubles" sketch, Bieber's new head of security invokes a new security strategy by using multiple stunt doubles (played by every member of the cast except Sudeikis who was the head of security).  When he asks why, the only answer he gets is, "Hey, it worked for Saddam."  When Beiber realizes there are even girls in the group, the explanation is, "Yeah, that's our A-team."  When he is forced to sing to prove how his voice changed, the response from the guys is, "Wow, they must have dropped."  The only one Bieber says looks like him turns out to be Kate McKinnon dressed up like Ellen.  It's always refreshing to know someone like Justin Bieber doesn't really take himself as seriously as it seems.

9.  Louis C.K.  (Episode 6)

The episode immediately following Superstorm Sandy, a still almost abandoned New York City came back to life with Louis C.K.'s night on SNL.  This episode was just fun.  From the monologue, where Louie so unashamedly just did 5 minutes of his stand-up routine (even got a hand-held mic up there), to the closing sketch, you could tell the cast was having as much fun as Louie and the audience was.  Louie is not much of an actor, but it's hard to teach that level of funny.

Best Sketch - "Last Call" - Although many would say Louie's portrayal of Lincoln walking the streets of NYC telling black people "You're welcome" was the best sketch of the night, my favorite was the last sketch of the night.  It's last call at the local pub, and Louie and a early-90's dolled-up Kate McKinnon are the last two at the bar.  It becomes quite obvious that they both decide they are drunk enough and desperate enough to just hook up since they are the last ones left, but the drunken flirtations that led up to them leaving together were priceless.

8.  Zach Galifianakis  (Episode 19)

He is one of the most naturally funny people around.  In a lot of ways, this episode was similar to the Melissa McCarthy episode (invent situations for the host to do their thing as much as possible).  The difference was simply in the execution.  The Game of Game of Thrones sketch was great with Zach dressed up as a dragon on a game show, and his closing of having a stand-in for his house party video so John Hamm could show up later was just ridiculously funny.  A cameo by The Hangover crew doesn't hurt either.

Best Sketch - "Racist M&M" - The scene: an M&M Store with Galifianakis dressed up as the life-size M&M being forced to apologize to the rest of the staff in the store for all the racial slurs he dropped in the first four hours he was on the job.  That's about all you need to know.  Let the awkwardness and hilarity ensue.

7.  Anne Hathaway  (Episode 7)

Seriously, is there anything Anne Hathaway can't do?  She started out as a Disney princess, has done rom-com's, found some serious roles, has now won an Oscar, and has become a very reliable SNL host.  Her monologue was my all-time favorite of the season as the whole cast slowly found their way on the stage as they rewrote the epic Les Miserables song "One Day More" to be about the end of a crazy work week at SNL.  It was ridiculous, but so good at the same time.  Also, her impressions of Katie Holmes and Claire Danes via Carrie Matheson were scary good.

Best Sketch - "The Legend of Mokiki" - Oh my word, I loved this!  It started as Taran Killam just wondering around NYC being insane, but then Anne Hathaway hops in, and they they do the Sloppy Swish together.  It had me laughing at its sure ridiculousness from start to finish.

6.  Christoph Waltz  (Episode 14)

Now we are getting to the fun ones.  Of all the people that could host SNL, this would be one of the last ones you would think of.  However, if you were anything like me, once you heard he was hosting you knew it was going to be awesome.  Forget about the Dos Equis guy, Christoph Waltz is the most interesting man in the world.  Every sketch he nailed.  Two of my favorite sketches of the year came from this episode so I have to mention one here.  "The JaMarcus Brothers" was so silly as Waltz played the adopted brother in a black family that was now recording soulful love songs with his two brothers.  When you make a guy like Kenan crack up in the middle of the sketch.  You know you're nailing it.

Best Sketch - "Djesus Uncrossed" - As much as I loved "The JaMarcus Brothers," this may have been my favorite sketch of the season.  How can you have Christoph Waltz on SNL without taking a pot shot at Quentin Tarantino?  You can't.  Enter the movie trailer for Djesus Uncrossed starring Waltz as Jesus in a Tarantino take on the Messiah.  Every line in it was perfect!  Also, seeing Jesus with a machine gun taking out the Pharisees is so ridiculous, I wouldn't be surprised to actually see Tarantino do it at some point.

5.  Kristen Wiig  (Episode 20)

Part of why Ben Affleck's season finale fell so flat was because one of the most popular cast members of the last 10 years hosted the week before the season after she left the show.  Kristen Wiig brought all the energy we should've had in the finale, including random cameos from Jonah Hill and Maya Rudolph.  It also allowed for a rebirth of all the classic Wiig sketches like Target lady, the Baby Hands, Gilly, Garth and Kat.  Whenever you get a chance to bring back all these well-loved characters, you're going to have a great show.

Best Sketch - "Acupuncture" - Even with all the classic sketches, the best sketch of the night was an acupuncture session with Jason Sudeikis performed by Wiig and Aidy Bryant.  Everything is going fine until blood starts shooting out of his back.  By the end of the sketch, everything is covered in blood as his back is now gushing.  They even start feeding it back to him.  It was just hilarious.

4.  Bruno Mars  (Episode 5)

There were two newcomers to the hosting ranks at SNL I can't wait to see host again sometime soon.  Bruno Mars is definitely one of them.  Starting with his monologue where, of course, he sang a song about how he has no business hosting SNL, Bruno showed everyone why he is a perfect host.  He is smart, funny, talented, and will do anything for the laugh.  The next time he hosts (and he will host again), he will be even more comfortable and even better.  Next time, I hope he just hosts though.  Split it up like Adam Levine did.  His voice was seriously tired by the end of that second song.

Best Sketch - "Devin the Pandora Intern" - This was the perfect way to take advantage of your host.  There's a power outage at Pandora, and random channels are shutting down their vocal tracks.  Here comes Devin the Intern to the rescue.  Bruno shows off his impressions of Green Day, Katy Perry, Aerosmith, Louie Armstrong, Justin Bieber, and yes, even Michael Jackson.  It may not have been the funniest sketch, but it was one of the most entertaining sketches of the season.

3.  Martin Short  (Episode 10)

I was wondering to myself, "Why are they bringing back an old irrelevant comedian that has nothing to plug to be the host of the Christmas episode, one of the biggest shows of the year?"  Then I watched the episode and found out.  Martin Short is damn funny.  With the Christmas episode also brought more cameos than I can count, but it was Short (with some help at times from musical guest Paul McCartney) that stole the show.  Seriously, Martin Short yelling at McCartney in a Christmas audition telling him he's not allowed to sing?  Amazing!

Best Sketch - "The Royal Ah-Hem" - My favorite sketch of the season.  Martin Short plays a representative of the royal family going to visit Kate Middleton's OB/GYN to give him the proper procedures for dealing with a royal "ah-hem."  And the magic commenced.  When Bill Hader, as the OB/GYN, asked if he could call it anything but the royal "ah-hem," the list of alternatives just sent it over the edge.  The Chunnel?  Her Downton Abbey?  Dame Judy Dench?!?  I was laughing for days.

2.  Seth MacFarlane  (Episode 1)

The season got off to a great start as one of the most talented behind the scenes people in the business all of a sudden became very much in front of everyone this last year.  Between Ted, hosting the Oscars, and kicking off the SNL season, Seth MacFarlane has shown just how talented he is without the drawings.  He didn't deviate too far in his monologue though, which featured Peter Griffin, Stewie, Brian, Quagmire, Kermit, Marty McFly (oh my word, Marty McFly!!!), and a mopey Democratic dog.  It also came up again in his puppetry class which Bill Hader stole.  The most fun of the night was the ode to "Gangnam Style," as it started with some impersonations and ended up with Psy on stage getting everyone dancing.

Best Sketch - "Wooden Spoons" - I may be alone on this one, but my favorite sketch of the show was the throwaway sketch just before it all ended.  It was a one minute sketch max about some Amish spoon makers discovering the internet to help them sell their products.  Their commercial included their website without any knowledge of what letters are called.  It started with, "Double valley, double valley, double valley, time freckle..."  It seems harmless, but it gets ridiculous the further into it you go.  It's the simple things really.

1.  Justin Timberlake  (Episode 16)

Was there any doubt?  It takes a true talent to come in and instantly become a part of the cast.  It also is telling when you can put together almost an entire episode of classic bits from a guy who was never a regular cast member.  Then he took two sketches Jamie Foxx started (Maine Justice and the Porn Star Infomercial gals) and made them funnier.  On top of all that, this was JT's 5th hosting gig, which put him in the "5-Timers Club."  When it seemed like no one cared that Ben Affleck joined this prestigious group, everyone showed up to honor Timberlake's induction.  When your monologue includes Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Martin Short, Alec Baldwin, Tom Hanks, Paul Simon, and Candace Bergen, you know you are in for something special.  Then you "Bring it on down to Vegan-ville" with a tribute to the Harlem Shake, and have the Three Amigos in full regalia introduce one of the musical numbers.  It was a special night.

Best Sketch - "It's a Date" - You can't have Justin Timberlake on SNL without Andy Samberg and a tribute to the "Dick in a Box" guys.  They popped up here as dual bachelors on a dating show.  Every response they had another one of their priceless jams.  Then we pan over to their competition and you see, wait for it, Dan Aykroyd and Steve Martin as the Wild and Crazy Guys.  Oh, the symmetry of it all.  What an amazing show!



Well, we will see how Season 39 kicks off tonight.  With Tina Fey hosting, I'm sure it will start pretty strong.