I must start off by saying that I absolutely adored In Bruges.  Of course, it was Irish writer-director Martin McDonagh’s first feature length film.  I included the feature length part because before that Mr. McDonagh made his first film as a short, Six Shooter that was so praised it won the Oscar in 2006 for Best Live Action Short.

His style has been greatly compared to Quentin Tarantino, and for the most part with just cause.  To date, Seven Psychopaths, which opened in theaters October 12, comes the closest to being akin to Pulp Fiction.  While McDonagh feels the Tarantino film is a masterpiece, he loathes the comparison of his work to a contemporary.

The fairer question would actually be, “How have you been influenced by David Mamet and in particular his play/film, Glengarry Glen Ross?”  Not only do both men use extremely caustic dialogue in their work; they also rose to prominence on the stage, achieved accolades there, and then made the transition to cinema.

Now, onto this film and what it has to say for itself.  Some might say that it is a film within a film, but that would be a falsehood.  It is a film that shows a writer within his screenwriting process – most of the time anyway.  What happens during the other parts, you ask?  Well, that’s the clever and sometimes downright hilarious twist of this story.

Colin Farrell plays an Irish writer named Marty, now living in Los Angeles who only has a great title for a story but no characters or plot line yet.  The name of his fictional film? Why of course it is Seven Psychopaths.  Enters his best friend Billy, played by the scene-stealing Sam Rockwell, who literally does everything possible to give Marty the material he needs for his script.  In a going-against typecasting, it is Farrell’s character throughout who is the calm amidst the storm.

And what a storm McDonagh has brewed up for us: in plot, character and dialogue – yes, a triple threat.  In a lesser production this cast would have been the only strength, but they do have intriguing characters, like Christopher Walken, who is so good he comes close to doing a self-parody.  Tom Waits, in a supporting role, has the most emotionally charged storyline and gives a performance so filled with truth you’d never know he hadn’t been an actor his whole life.

Through Marty, McDonagh tries to make a statement about our voyeuristic love of violence.  This film displays this love in all its glory with bloody, violent deaths and one quick-witted line after another.  All the main characters take their turn either saying something racist, sexist or homophobic.  With the exception of Woody Harrelson, who plays a crime boss whose Shih Tzu gets dog-napped, his character has no issues with being politically incorrect on all fronts.  As Walken’s Hans points out to Marty, “You’re the one that thought psychopaths were so interesting. They get tiresome after a while, don’t you think?”

That’s when McDonagh gives the audience a little something to contemplate, at least that is his intention.

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America’s favorite source of alien wreckage, furry monsters, and urban myths were compromised by a testy group of 12 led by one comedian.

Hot-to-trot sovereign soldiers surrounded Irish comedian Andrew Maxwell and his production crew with M16’s. FBI agents on the world renown yet “highly secretive” Nevada military base Area 51 detained Maxwell and his film posse for hours.

After ignoring warnings and slipping through a few layers of security the crew was finally apprehended. Instantly agents confiscated all phones, cameras and any other beeping devices.

Darren Perks a member of the crew reports an agent saying, “Listen son, we can make you disappear and your body would never be found.”

After a few hours eating pavement and a pesky fine, the crew was allowed to leave and warned not to disclose any information about what they saw.

“We didn’t see anything except a bit of tarmac,” says Perks.

Maxwell is on a mission from London based network BBC 3 for his latest episodic documentary focused on debunking conspiracies called Conspiracy Road Trip.  Although the agent’s were gung-hoe and a tad threatening the episode will still air next week.

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Justin Theroux’s main credit right now may be being Jennifer Aniston’s boyfriend but that doesn’t mean his career is on the back burner. According to Deadline the comedic writer and actor was just signed to his first big directing gig for the Will Ferrell and Steve Carell vehicle Swear to God, produced by Adam McKay.

Not much has been released on the film other than details that the Ferrell character is a self-involved hedge fund manager who believes he’s seen God with Carell as the second lead. McKay was first rumored to be directing the film but is still tied up with the release of Anchorman 2.

Theroux’s resume is piling up with comedy cred, including the screenplays for Tropic Thunder and Zoolander 2 (which he is also rumored to be directing), as well as the rewriting of the Swear to God script originally done by Alan Cohen and Alan Freeland (Due Date) with acting in Your Highness and Wanderlust.

Though Warner Bros, according to Deadline, is making a surprising move taking a chance on a rookie director, Theroux has enough experience to be up for the challenge.

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Much has been made of Sarah Silverman’s full-frontal nude scene from the upcoming movie Take This Waltz. Do a Google image search for Sarah Silverman and the second popular option is “sarah silverman take this waltz.”

However, Laughspin reports that this particular sequence in the film is not meant to be erotic.  In a previous Laughspin article Silverman begged her fans: “Please, Lower Your Expectations.”

In the scene Silverman and her friend head to the locker room to take a shower after an aerobics class. While Silverman and many other women appear completely nude the nudity is not what is important. There is deep conversation about marriage and other things and  the camera pans to different women of all shapes and sizes.

Take This Waltz is now available through Video On Demand and has a set theatrical debut on June 29.

Will knowing what the scene is about turn movie goers off from seeing the film, or will seeing a nude Sarah Silverman be enough to keep this movie alive?

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The latest episode of Saturday Night Live marked Kristen Wiig’s departure from the long running late night variety show. Wiig’s quirky characters and comedy will be missed, but with her success in films like Bridesmaids and Paul, a future in blockbuster movies is sure to follow.

SNL has produced many top film comedians over the decades. Beginning in 1975, the show takes relatively new comedians and casts them within an ensemble. Those who stand out more than others eventually go on to star in their own television series or films. Besides Wiig, former cast members such as Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Eddie Murphy have all had successful film careers. SNL alumnus Will Ferrell is presently coming out with two films, The Campaign and Anchorman II. Other SNL alumni like Mike Meyers and Adam Sandler are now house hold names with franchises based off of their character work.

Aside from the big screen, former SNL comedians have continued their work in television. NBC’s 30 Rock star Tina Fey based her character Liz Lemon off of her experiences working as both a performer and head writer for SNL. Similar to Fey, Amy Poehler left SNL’s Weekend Update desk to play the lead in the hit series Park and Recreation. Julia Louis-Dryfus, who performed on the show before her work on Seinfeld, just began her first season of HBO’s Veep. Jimmy Fallon continued his late night success by taking over Late Night after Conan O’Brien’s departure for The Tonight Show.

Many of the shows writers have found the spotlight post-SNL as well. Conan O’Brien wrote for Saturday Night Live before hosting Late Night, The Tonight Show and currently Conan on TBS. Much like Mr. O’Brien, Stephen Colbert found work within the same late night setting as the host of The Colbert Report. Larry David, who wrote for the show in the 80s, reunited with his SNL colleague Louis-Dreyfus for Seinfeld and is currently working on Curb Your Enthusiasm. SNL not only gives opportunity to showcase a comedian’s talent but also to refine their brand of comedy and cultural influence. Former cast member and writer, Al Franken, worked on the show from its inception with creators Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. He has since moved on to a successful career in politics as a senator from Minnesota. As SNL alumni, they are recognized as lovable, relatable, and intelligent.

The show itself has created films from its more popular sketches. Starting in 1980 with The Blues Brothers, films such as Wayne’s World, Coneheads, and A Night at the Roxbury were all based off of a SNL skit. Most recently in 2010, SNL produced MacGruber, a film starring Wiig and Will Forte based off of their popular sketch mocking  the TV series MacGyver.  These films however, are not solely associated with the show. They have found a place within pop culture on their own, displaying the comedian’s skill away from the ensemble.

SNL is a rare show that truly showcases its talent. From its guest hosts to its spot on commentary on current events, SNL has been a pop culture phenomenon for the past thirty years. By taking a newcomer or relatively lower talent by Hollywood’s standards and joining them with big names within a fast pace setting, comedians can hold their own and go on to become hugely successful themselves. SNL is now losing another talented individual with Wiig, and in the years to come, we should expect others will follow in the historic footsteps left by the shows predecessors.

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Top 5 Comedic, Inspirational Commencement Speeches

Where would we be in our day and age without great men of mustaches in our workforces? Probably swimming in a pool of hairless queermosexuals, that’s where!  Now aside from Tom Selleck and Ron Burgundy I don’t think I’ve seen a more manly mustache than the one on Paul F. Tompkins. And since we all know the average mustache makes thirty cents more per hour than sideburns and soulpatches it may surprise you that Tompkins was ever woefully underemployed.

Ah misfortune! The mistress of humor.

You might remember Paul F. Tompkins from VH1’s (no seriously, stop laughing) Best Week Ever, Comedy Central Presents, or Real Time with Bill Maher. And for you movie buffs perhaps you remember the Oscar winning film, There Will Be Blood starring the back of his head. The latter credit being a most dubious story of the many bad jobs that Tompkins has had throughout his career.

From the stand-up bubble of the late 80s to betamax rental stores and failed acting gigs the audience is in stitches over the misery that often besets the chasing of dreams. Or even the stupidity. Take Tompkins’ first job at a hat store named “Hats in the Bellfry.” On two occasions in his brief stint, Tompkins had patrons ask for “that king hat.” While letting these words echo Tompkins shows the audience a most confounded face. “You mean a crown?” he says with biting sarcasm. “It’s not like we don’t have a word for that.”

Or take Tompkins own stupidity. While working at a video rental store in the early ‘90s, Paul develops a sudden onset of VHS kleptomania. The rationalization for which he explains as, “They expect [people in retail] to steal. That’s why they pay so little.” After a couple months in which he confesses that he took “two to three videos a shift,” he was confronted by the manager and promptly fired.

Then of course there was the time that Tompkins was invited to a reading of P.T. Anderson’s script of Magnolia. When being handed the script thirty minutes before he was to read he described it as “the size of the phone book.” And further adds, “I don’t know if you ever seen Magnolia but the concept is, everybody in the phonebook starts talking to each other.” Paul’s reading turns out to be as reliable as AT&T’s cellphone coverage—riddled with dropped lines and awkward silences.

Laboring Under Delusions premiered on Comedy Central on April 21^st and is now available in CD and DVD format. The DVD comes with the full extended version not seen on TV, an entire commentary—Tompkins talking as a parodied version of a director—and a special encore presentation including piano riffs and a revised pilgrim history lesson. You can follow Tompkins and his mustache at his website http://www.paulftompkins.com and on Twitter @PFTompkins.

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Hannibal Buress’ ‘Animal Furnace’

What do Mike Birbiglia and Terry Gross have in common? I mean, besides the fact they are the whitest people I’ve ever listened to. Answer: they are now both the stars of a new short film that hit the internet this weekend!

Mike Birbiglia, who is among a short list of incredibly accomplished and current working comedians, stars opposite of Terry Gross, the host of NPR’s popular talk show Fresh Air. Not only does Birbiglia star but he also wrote and directed the film which was produced by This American Life’s Ira Glass

The film involves Birbigilia being interviewed by Gross duing her radio show. However, instead of calling it a day, Mike decides to tag along with Gross (much to her dismay). The movie, while incredibly short, is clever and wickedly funny as Mike discovers how incredibly similar Miss Gross is on and off the air.

Oh yeah, and guns are also involved. GUNS! ON NPR?!?! Insanity I know. So sit back relax and let Mike and Terry do what they do best. Terry will captivate and make you eager to listen, and Mike will make you feel incredibly awkward. Enjoy!

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Though it won’t be released until December 21, 2012, the producers of This is 40 are giving comedy fans a sneak preview of what this highly anticipated, some-what -of -a-sequel-to-Knocked -Up movie is all about.

This is 40 picks up a few years after the birth of Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) and Allison Scott’s (Katherine Heigl’s) baby. Only those two characters won’t be in the movie. Instead director Judd Apatow is taking us into the lives of Debbie (Leslie Mann) and Pete (Paul Rudd).

If you remember, Mann’s character Debbie was incredibly insecure about growing old, so much so that she had a meltdown outside of a club when she couldn’t skip “all the other bitches” in line. Paul Rudd’s character Pete just wanted to play some fantasy baseball with his friends and maybe trip out on some drugs in Las Vegas without having to deal with all the pressure and stress that comes from being a father and husband.

The trailer shows Debbie and Paul fighting an uphill battle against aging, and features what’s becoming a standard Judd Apatow scene of a woman being examined by a gynecologist.

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Let’s play the game of, “Guess the Movie Genre.”  Girl meets boy.  Girl falls in love with boy but obstacles surface between them.  Add a little comedy twist to it, and they live happily ever after.  If you guessed romantic comedy then you are correct!

Romantic comedies are loved by many, and by many I’m referring to women, because more often than not we are always guaranteed a happy ending.   But what if I told you that there’s a movie coming to a theater near you that offers a completely different mindset than what we’re used to seeing in movies.  Comedian Kevin Hart says that his new movie Think Like a Man breaks the usual norms of romantic comedies.

“It’s a different ballgame,” Hart says. “For the first time, a romantic comedy is being told from a male’s point of view, which is huge. It’s always been done the opposite way.”  The film is inspired by comedian Steve Harvey’s and his new book titled Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.

Hart plays the role of a newly divorced man who has become bitter towards women and relationships.  “He’s in a place mentally where he despises women,” Hart says. “He just got a divorce and he’s like, ‘I’m not going to deal with this anymore, no more relationships.’ He wants to deal with himself and get the guys on his page by themselves.”

The movies co-stars include: Taraji P. Henson, Gabrielle Union, Jennifer Lewis, Morris Chestnut, Michael Ealy and Meagan Good.

Think Like a Man opens April 20.

Check out some stand-up from Hart here courtesy of YouTube:

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Mike Birbiglia is perhaps one of the best story telling comedians in the business. His routine is one big continuous tale which revolves around the many medical difficulties he’s had to endure and overcome. He’s suffered from learning disabilities as a child, a malignant tumor in his bladder when he was 19 and rapid eye movement behavior disorder (sleepwalking). That particular condition made him jump out of a second-story window of a motel while he was staying in Walla Walla, Washington. As result of the accident he received 33 stitches in his leg.

In 2008 Mike created a very successful show properly named “Sleepwalk with Me” at Bleecker Street Theatre. This show later became a book and a New York Times best seller. Birbiglia also created a live album by the same name. Now Mike takes his story to the big screen where his “Sleepwalk with Me” movie will debut in the Sundance film festival January 23. Mike not only acted in this movie but also directed and wrote it with Ira Glass (from the podcast This American Life), Joe Birbiglia (his bother) and Seth Barrish. Appearing with Mike in the movie are Lauren Ambrose, James Rebhorn, Carol Kane, Cristin Milioti and Aya Cash.

Here is an animated clip of Mike’s “I’m a Bear, etc.” story courtesy of YouTube.

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