SNL 40.8 Review - James Franco, Nicki Minaj

Original Airdate - 12/6/14

This episode is much more interesting looking back on now than it was in the moment.  James Franco was obviously hosting this episode as a part of his press run for The Interview, which ended up having a lot more significance in the weeks following his appearance.  With that said, as a host there are few that are better than James Franco.  He is one of the most versatile and self-deprecating actors working today.  I mean, he can go from an Oscar-nominated performance in 127 Hours to making attacking everything he stands for in This Is the End.  He is the perfect host.  Not to mention, whenever he hosts Seth Rogen shows up too, and vise versa.  When the previous episode lacked all originality, this episode brought it all back.

Cold Opening

The current event statement that needed to be made in this segment this week had to do with all the drama around the country surrounding police officers and alleged excessive force.  To comment on this, they use Kenan Thompson's Al Sharpton impression, which is about as close to a classic SNL character left on the show right now.  This character always makes me laugh, and it took a non-threatening uncontroversial personality to make the first comment on such a touchy subject for so many.  By having Al Sharpton address it, they were able to talk about it without really talking about it.  This was a fairly strong opening to the show.

Monologue

This monologue is by far the moment in this episode that looks a lot different now than it did when it aired.  When this episode was filmed, news had just started coming out about the Sony hack.  What now has become a potential international incident as North Korea was allegedly behind it to shut down the release of the fictional story of an assassination attempt on Kim Jung-Un that is The Interview, at that point it just looked like yet another invasion of the privacy of celebrities.  So with the help of his buddy Seth, James Franco reveals all the embarrassing pictures of the two of them that would no doubt be leaked as a part of the hack.  In the moment, it was a funny, silly bit.  Looking at it now, it is strange to watch and think that these two goof balls became the center of a near war with North Korea.

Weekend Update

Weekend Update started this week on an uncomfortable note as they co-anchors had to do their best addressing the police controversies.  Having one black and one white anchor made it easy to have some scripted banter about the situation, but it was just more awkward than funny.  It wasn't until Colin Jost addressed the issue as a native Staten Islander that the segment was able to hit its normal groove.  Our guest stars this week started with this season's first appearance of Anthony Crispino, the second-hand news correspondent.  I find parts of this bit hilarious, especially without Seth helping to cheesball it up, but Bobby always goes a little too far with it and ruins it by the end.  The second guest showed one of the purposes of this episode was to see if Nicki Minaj would be capable to host at some point.  She appeared in three sketches as musical guest, which is a level reserved usually only for former hosts returning as musical guests (unless you are Bruno Mars apparently ... still bitter about that).  Here, she attempts to channel Kim Kardashian to discuss her latest "break the internet" photo shoot.  Outside of her being pretty much the same shape as Kim, it wasn't a great impression.  Well actually, that's all that really matters in that impression so I guess it was right on.  Honestly, the main thing that this guest appearance did was leave everyone disappointed that Nasim Pedrad wasn't back to give one of her few great characters from her time on the show.  The last guest to the Update desk is the third appearance by Leslie Jones in the first 8 episodes of the season.  I'd complain, but she's just too funny.

Best Sketch

The first half of the episode brought about many solid episodes, but probably not any great ones.  The best of the group were these two.  First, you have the SNL version of the new Star Wars trailer.  It's a funny sketch, and I am a fan of any opportunity for Taran Killam to do his Harrison Ford impression.  Second, we have an MTV Christmas as everyone pulls out their best hip-hop impressions.  Again, Taran Killam is a genius,  How long before he becomes the next Will Ferrell?  It already could be said he has reached those heights on SNL.  He just needs to find the right vehicle to be made relevant outside the show.  This sketch also has another appearance by Nicki, this time channeling Beyonce.  Once again, I was disappointed it wasn't the former cast member coming back to do her famous impression (this time Maya Rudolph).  And once again, Nicki's impression is more about having the curves and not really trying anything, which made this impression ... once again, spot on.

Worst Sketch

There were not really any bad sketches, but this was my least favorite as it once again continued a disappointing trend.  This sketch of a strange troll having a new request to cross his bridge brought about another awkward character from Cecily Strong.  She has played pretty much this exact character three or four times before, and I have hated it every time.  It's not funny when she tries these dimwitted characters.  She is so talented that it depresses me to see her waste her screen time on these idiotic characters.

Dark Horse Sketch

The first of these Dark Horses might be my favorite sketch of the year so far.  Due to copyright issues, it took some effort to find a clip of it online, but it's worth watching even on the awkward format.  Jeremy is a young man who needs to change one of his passwords, but his brain is too full to store it.  We then go to James Franco playing Jeremy's memory manager taking us through all of the random things stuck in that brain of his.  The results are absolutely hilarious, from Sound Garden, to the word rhombus (but not the meaning), to the Fresh Prince, to the first two lines of the song "Anaconda" (yes, another appearance by Nicki).  Any child of the 90's will love this sketch just as much as I do.  The second sketch has become a standard close to the show over the last few seasons as Cecily and Vanessa bring back their infomercial by ex-porn stars.  I usually don't talk about return sketches on here, but having Franco and Rogen involved makes it funny enough that it's worth singling out.

Grade

This episode had a lot of things going on.  You had the return of one of the better hosts around.  You also had a musical guest basically interviewing for a future hosting gig.  I don't think she's ready, but I also wouldn't be surprised if she hosted her own show before the end of this season.  Then you had the news events going on.  Going into the episode, it was all about the police controversies across the country, but leaving the episode the talk had to be the Sony hack.  Few people really knew what this was at the time, but seeing James Franco and Seth Rogen make fun of it before they realized how serious it was sure was interesting to say the least.  With all of this going on, I am glad the primary focus of this review could still be a great episode to start off the three-week Christmas push at 30 Rock.

***A-***

View the full episode here:

SNL 39.18 Review - Seth Rogen, Ed Sheeran

Original Airdate - 4/12/14

One of the trends that has developed throughout this season of Saturday Night Live is giving some of the industry's top comedic talents their third chance to host.  So far this year, we have had Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill, and Melissa McCarthy.  Now joining the party is Seth Rogen.  When Rogen is involved, there are two things that are sure to come: gross-out humor and marijuana jokes.  Both appeared several times throughout the night.  However, just because it was expected didn't make it any less funny.

Cold Opening

In just a couple years, there will be another presidential election upon us.  One of the big questions leading up to that time is how will the Republicans make themselves more appealing to pop culture.  SNL has an answer to that question: send your party leaders to one of the biggest music festivals of the year.  This is what puts Jeb Bush, Paul Ryan, and Rand Paul at Coachella.  In the ultimate fish out of water scenario, about as much awkwardness that you are imagining can be found in this sketch.  I wouldn't call it a great sketch, but it is definitely a strong opening to the show.

Monologue

Seth Rogen comes out addressing a couple elephants in the room.  Would there be any pot jokes? Yes.  Would any of his crazy buddies show up?  Yes, and more.  He started by reading his diary entries from the week after saying that his first two turns as host were such a blur he wanted to remember this one.  Throughout his reading, as he is saying that he doesn't want any help with his monologue, slowly Zooey Deschanel, James Franco, and (quite randomly) Taylor Swift come out to assist.  Swift does have a great one-liner to cap off the bit.

Weekend Update

I am really starting to enjoy Weekend Update with Colin and Cecily.  There is an edge there that Seth Meyers had lost over his last couple years.  With their first featured guest, they bring out Big Papi, David Ortiz from the Boston Red Sox.  Kenan doesn't give great impressions, but more shoots for the essence of the character (or caricature many times).  This is a perfect example of that.

Next came one of my favorite characters they bring out.  Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy is always a welcome sight as he explains Jewish holidays in a half-speech, half-family roast.  This was the first time Jacob worked with Cecily instead of Seth, which was a seamless transition.

Best Sketch

There weren't really many sketches that soared above average in this episode.  This was one of them.  Two best friends are discussing whether or not to get a life-changing surgery ... because their monsters.  The surgery makes them look like humans.  The sketch was pretty hilarious as you discover who is behind those monsters.

Worst Sketch

There were definitely a few clunkers.  This sketch I just did not get, as it featured one of the few characters brought to us by Cecily Strong that disappointed.  At an engagement party for Seth Rogen and Vanessa Bayer, Cecily shows up as Seth's cousin and crudely brings up embarrassing moments in his past.  It just doesn't work, and you can kind of tell the stars know it too.

Dark Horse Sketch

I am really starting to fall in love with the Kyle Mooney random nightcap of the week.  It is really giving him a niche to make him memorable.  With 8 featured players this year, you know not all of them can make it to next year.  They aren't getting rid of Shasheer Zamata after the flack they got that led to her hiring, and Colin Jost and Mike O'Brien aren't going anywhere after they pulled them out of the writing room into the cast.  It's sketches like this that will keep Kyle Mooney and his best bud Beck Bennett around.  (Beck isn't featured here, but often is.)  This latest digital short celebrates Seth Rogen's favorite holiday: 4/20.  Kyle is a little too convincing as a stoner telling of the legends behind Pot Day.  This sketch was just beautifully weird.

Grade

I love Seth Rogen, but this episode really ended up a little too bland to be up to par for Seth.  Of the 3-timers, this episode is near the bottom of the list.  The best episode of the night didn't even involve your host.  With that said, there was still enough there to make this an enjoyable episode.  There were a lot of fun moments, but a year from now, this is one of the episodes from this season I don't remember existing.

***C+***

View the full episode here:

If There Were a Remake: [POLICE ACADEMY]

Actually, there is currently another Police Academy being developed, but that has been the case for the last nine years. It has been written and re-written. It is supposedly some sort of sequel, so this remake is an original idea…I think. Anyway, I have been brainstorming and discussing this for weeks now, and I finally decided to write it down. I was a huge fan of this series as a kid, watching all of the original six movies over and over. This is not going to be anywhere near as in-depth as my The Deer Hunter remake article, but it should be fun. Check out my dream remake cast and crew:

WRITER/DIRECTOR

Original: Hugh Wilson (writer/director), Pat Proft (writer), Neal Israel (writer)

My Choice: Seth Rogen/Evan Goldberg. This choice is not exactly a groundbreaking or original choice, but seeing how well the comedic pair has done slapstick humor during their past few movies (and how well directed This Is the End was), I think this would be absolutely brilliant. Even more than a fit in style, this is about the potential of casting the Apatow guys. There are a handful of flawless fits. Rogen and Goldberg would make this a hilarious hit if they were given the creative freedom.

Other Potential Choices: Paul Feig, Christopher Guest, Harold Ramis, Paul Weitz

 Fackler

Original: Bruce Mahler

My Choice: Jay Baruchel. Fackler is a lesser character, but he is always at the forefront when something goes horribly wrong. He inadvertently causes a riot in the streets that forms the entire basis for the second half of the movie. His form of humor is relatively deadpan, so a guy like Baruchel would be ideal because he wouldn’t overdo it.

 

George Martin

Original: Andrew Rubin

My Choice: James Franco. George Martin or Jorge Martín. Either way. He is the character who gets all the girls because of his phony Spanish accent and suave persona. James Franco would make this character hilarious, even though his presence might take some focus away from the other characters. We already know that he is ok appearing in drag, and that scene where he gets busted by Callahan would be gold.

Other Potential Choices: Eric Bana, Colin Farrell, Jason Segel, Channing Tatum

Commandant Lassard

Original: George Gaynes

My Choice: Fred Willard. This is the casting choice that seems most obvious to me. Willard has already played forms of this character in several different movies. Lassard is all about the goofy dimwitted humor. He is the head of the entire academy, but to listen to him talk or watch him obsess over his fish would imply that he has completely lost his mind and out of his element. Willard wears that character effortlessly and would create just as great of a commandant as Gaynes’s classic character.

Other Potential Choices: Jeff Goldblum, Steve Guttenberg, Richard Jenkins, Bill Murray

Hooks

Original: Marion Ramsey

My Choice: Mindy Kaling. This was a fairly obvious choice for me as well. Kaling has sort of burst onto the scene recently with The Mindy Project, but the first time many people got acquainted with her was with the Apatow crew in The 40 Year Old Virgin. She has that real dry humor, but if she tried to play the shy and awkward Hooks, she just might steal the show. I love the potential of this casting.

Jonesy

Original: Michael Winslow

My Choice: Lamorne Morris. Obviously, there is only one Michael Winslow and the role was written specifically for him. Morris, most known for New Girl and that Miller Lite commercial, at least could fit into the quirkiness and attitude of Jonesy. The sound effects and everything might just need to be piped in by Winslow himself, but that is not a big deal.

Hightower

Original: Bubba Smith

My Choice: Shaquille O’Neal. All that is required to play Hightower is being tall and intimidating. Shaq would easily be able to play that role, even though his previous acting ventures have not exactly been successful. I think he would have a blast in the role, and we would have just as much fun watching him flipping a car and working as a flourist.

Other Potential Choices: Craig Robinson, The Rock, Terrell Suggs

Callahan

Original: Leslie Easterbrook

My Choice: Jane Lynch. She essentially has played the part on Glee (from what I understand), except there is one obvious characteristic (well, technically two characteristics) of Callahan that Lynch doesn’t exactly fit. I think in terms of sheer badassness, Lynch is a flawless choice. Some of her scenes would be a bit awkward, but it would work.

 Other Potential Choices: Christina Hendricks, Leslie Mann, Sofia Vergara

Tackleberry

Original: David Graf

My Choice: Danny McBride. This would be the one casting choice that I would most want to see. After watching the original recently, I couldn’t help but think of McBride in that role, strapped with heavy guns and going crazy in the gun range. Picture his character in The Is the End as Tackleberry, with a bit of the Kenny Powers careless attitude. Perfect, right? Right. 

Thompson

Original: Kim Cattrall

My Choice: Elizabeth Banks. This is not a role that really requires much of the actor, but Banks needs a reunion with the Apatow crew. She has been great in her career playing the love interest, and even though she does a lot of serious movies now, she is still ridiculously funny and make the character a lot more memorable than Cattrall did.

Harris

Original: G.W. Bailey

My Choice: Steve Carell. This was a tough role to cast. Bailey has a voice that makes it pretty hard to imagine anyone playing the role he owned. Carell would be a riot as Harris, though. He fits the profile, acting much larger than he actually is. He has devious intentions, but he also needs to be able to play the helpless part at times. I would love to see the scenes where he has to yell and try to intimidate Shaq and McBride. It is not a perfect choice, but I would love it.

Mahoney

Original: Steve Guttenberg

My Choice #1: Mark Duplass. Mahoney is of course the key character in the first four films, so he needs to have that twinkle in his eye, as well as wear the innate laziness that gives him that normal guy charm. Basically, he is Duplass’s Pete character in The League. That is really all he needs to do to equal Guttenberg.

My Choice #2: Paul Rudd. This choice would be my top one if he were the right age. Like 10-15 years ago, Rudd would be obvious to play Mahoney. His characters in the Apatow movies, Mike in Friends, a bit of Role Models…basically all of his characters. Rudd is a total Mahoney. 

Bonus casting for sequels:

Will Ferrell as Mauser

Michael Cera as Proctor

Russell Brand as Zed

Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Sweetchuck

Jonah Hill as Nick Lassard

Tim Robbins as Mr. Mayor

So, thoughts/comments? Your casting/director choices? What other characters would you like to see come back in the remake? Let me know!