Friedberg and Seltzer’s “The Starving Games,” because we haven’t seen enough fucking jokes about “the most interesting man in the world”! The only advantage to watching “The Starving Games” (beyond Maiara Walsh) is that the Beavis and Butthead of comedy film making seem to be operating on a lower budget, thus the piss poor effects perfectly reflect the utterly piss poor comedy.
9. The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show
1997
Season Eight
The Simpsons tackle that classic television series trope where a successful series has begun dwindling in the ratings, and adds a new character. As we’ve seen with “Diff’rent Strokes,” and most famously, “The Brady Bunch,” the results are almost always disastrous. This time around the Simpsons not only comment on the desperate grasp for ratings the stunt always is, but they’re also never afraid to get meta. Homer is set to play a hip new character being shoe horned in to the Itchy and Scratchy show in an effort to improve the ratings. Meanwhile the Simpsons have a hip new house guest named Roy, who is a walking nineties cliché with a Fonzi attitude.
Director Christian James’ “Stalled” is a very creative, and often clever horror comedy that takes the zombie movie to a new direction. It tries, at least. “Stalled” really seems to have a grasp on its premise for the first forty minutes, and then scrambles to keep monotony from setting in the rest of the way. In spite of that, “Stalled” is a creepy, interesting, and very unique zombie horror comedy that takes a few notes from “Shaun of the Dead.” It’s a horror movie about a perpetual loser who gets his life together in the wake of a bona fide zombie apocalypse. But it tries to add its own twists to the conventions, which make for a good experience.
“Juan of the Dead” is a silly and occasionally creepy zombie movie, but one that also dares to have a brain and display some very volatile commentary about the state of Cuba, and the inherent poverty that runs rampant. Though Juan lives in poverty and is mostly considered a loser by most in his neighborhood, he’s managed to carve out a comfortable existence for himself, and is something of a saving grace for neighbors. After Juan and his friend Lazaro come across a rotted corpse while fishing that attempts to bite them, they kill it and then decide never to talk about it again. What’s funny is that most of the situations may seem like a warning sign to most, but director Brugués comments on the state of Cuba through it.
One of the aspects of “Horse Feathers” that I love is that it introduced me to the sheer radiance that is Thelma Todd. Sure, I ride on a bunch of modern beauties, but out of the slew of reasons why I keep going back to “Horse Feathers,” it’s because of Todd who I’ve managed to have a crush on since I first saw this Marx Bros. comedy masterpiece. Many years ago I viewed this for the first time on VHS and understood why the Marx Brothers were immortal. Suffice it to say I was not let down by “Horse Feathers.” At their prime, the Marx Brothers were unstoppable in the realm of comedy, and delivered laughs at a rapid fire pacing.
My relationship with the Simpsons is a long and rather pleasant one. At the time the first episode appeared on FOX, I was old enough to enjoy it, and I was old enough to know that I’d be a hardcore “Simpsons” fans for a very long time. And that prophecy was not premature. After “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” I fell in love with the animated sitcom, and learned to enjoy it in syndication, watching each episode at least ninety times. I also tuned in to the rip offs. Does anyone else remember “Capital Critters,” “Fish Police,” and “Family Dog”? Just me, then? Okay.
Since I’m an eternal fan of the series, I thought I’d count down my ten favorite episodes of the series. There are plenty of episodes I kept out, but tough decisions aside, these are some notable episodes that stuck with me for a long time.
10. The Springfield Files
1997
Season Eight
It’s surprising how much “The Big Bang Theory” owes a debt to Felicia Day’s web series “The Guild.” Both series are about a small group of flawed but likable individuals who hide in their fandom, and confront life through the lens of video games, science fiction, and pop culture. And one of their main rivals is a character played by Wil Wheaton. That said, “The Guild” really managed to expose actress and all around adorable geek goddess Felicia Day to the online masses, paving her as a self made comedic performer who felt unpolished, but never amateurish. Day’s character Codex is surely a flawed girl with neuroses that stifle her from achieving true happiness, but we root for her because Felicia Day knows how to write the character with empathy.