Sunday, April 14, 2013

Vince Vaughn/Miguel (4.13.2013)


Okay, here’s my review. While not quite as bad or as dull as last week, this episode did suffer from the same air of lack of effort or just plain phoning it in that plagued the last two shows. Still, McCarthy was better as a host in that she had some ability to mine some humor out of really dreadful material where Vaughn didn’t seem to care. He’s an okay sketch performer, just not a committed one. It was a good night for the cast (and certainly the featured players). Anyway, here it is.

Gun Control Cold Open – This was just okay. It wasn't great, but just a little better than last week. Hader and Sudekis had some decent lines which were saved by their delivery. Jay as Obama was all right. Thankfully, it didn't go on too long. B-

Monologue – This went nowhere, but much like McCarthy's monologue last week it shakes up the format a little. I think the last host to actually go into the audience and talk to random people was Jeremy Piven in '07. He hasn't even finished talking to the first person yet, but it's already gone on WAAAAY too long. It's reminding me too much of Jamie Foxx's monologue from December already. C+

Al Pacino Accused Murderer Biopic Series - This had a paper thin premise and reeked of a tired SNL impression trope, but it was another piece saved by Hader's delivery. I did like him as both Menendez brothers and even with the "is this cool?" line I'm shocked they could get away with the Conrad Murray bit. I can already see angry commenters online and some hack entertainment writer making a headline out of it. B-

Stormy Skies - This bit reminded me too much of the news soap opera sketch from the Tom Arnold 95-96 episode, but Cecily, Taran, Kate and Bill tried their damndest to save it while Bill just sleepwalks through it. We really didn't need to see Kenan's Al Roker again. The alert at the bottom of the screen was a nice touch, but I struggled to even feign interest after the mention of the "Weather Channel". Thankfully, it didn't go on too long. C+

History Of Punk Rock - This also went nowhere and much like the sketch that proceeded it, they were just running one lame joke into the ground. The timing of it seemed like they were just trying too hard to be super timely. Still, I suppose it is neat that Fred could get and original member of the Sex Pistols to be a part of this sketch and Vanessa as Thatcher was a nice touch. C-

Short Term Memory Loss Theater - This thing also felt way too predictable but surprisingly (and this is a phrase I never thought I would type) Fred breathed some life into it. Jay's part was also a nice touch. I don't understand exactly why Bill would be cracking up during this of all sketches (unless he and Fred shared some private joke) but at least this sketch knew exactly when to end. C-

Update can't be that good if I can predict the punchlines to all of Seth's jokes this easily. That Accidental Racist commentary wasn't very good. Not even Jason can save it and Kenan's LL Cool J has somehow gotten worse if that is even possible but the singing at the end was okay. This isn't as much the writer's fault. It's that in this media cycle that this story has been commented on comedically enough (and the song itself is just so ridiculous) that there's little to no room left for SNL to say anything that hasn't already been said. Kate's monkey woman commentary is making me giggle even though it too closely resembles everything else she's done on Update so far. Thankfully, they knew how to keep this and the rest of Update short. C-

Prom - This sketch actually reeks of 85-86, but I did like when Vaughn said "pass" to Tim. Halfway through it though, I started to think that it might be one of the sketches Kevin MacDonald wrote. It just has some absurd KITH feel to it. D+

Tesh Brothers It's nice to see the NBA on NBC sketch cut from the Louis CK dress rehearsal make it to air. It's also great to see that they finally threw Tim a bone by putting him in Louis's role. He and Sudekis performed it well, but I can't help but wonder how Louis would've performed in this role. He probably would've made it a lot funnier. Still, I did like the destruction at the end as well as Vaughn's line asking them why they bought hammers and gasoline and the dramatic keyboard gag at the end. I am wondering about that awkward pause before Aidy's entrance though as it seems like she just missed her cue or something. B+

Bar II - I’m genuinely surprised that they would try to recur the bar sketch (also from the Louis CK episode) as that seems like it would only work once. Kate gave it her all but this one just wasn’t as good because it didn’t have Louie trying to match her insanity and Vaughn is just sleepwalking through this one. Still, I did like the “pass the tequila shot” bit as I thought that was tastefully done. It’s also kind of odd that they’re doing two sketches originally from the Louis episode on the night his new HBO special is supposed to air. C+

Well, that does it for April. At this point, I don't quite know how to feel about Zach Galifinakis hosting again. I know the monologue will be great, but in terms of sketches the writing never seemed to serve him well at all. See you next month!

1. Justin Timberlake
2. Martin Short/Paul McCartney
3. Seth MacFarlane/Frank Ocean
4. Louis CK/fun.
5. Anne Hathaway/Rhianna
6. Christina Applegate/Passion Pit
7. Christoph Waltz/Alabama Shakes
8. Kevin Hart/Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
9. Bruno Mars
10. Daniel Craig/Muse
11. Jaime Foxx/Ne-Yo
12. Jennifer Lawrence/The Lumineers
13. Joseph Gordon-Levitt/Mumford and Sons
14. Vince Vaughn/Miguel
15. Justin Bieber
16. Adam Levine/Kendrick Lamar
17. Melissa McCarthy/Phoenix
18. Jeremy Renner/Maroon 5

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Meilssa McCarthy/Phoenix - 4.6.2013

Okay, here’s my review. This is probably the most lackluster episode of the season. It wasn’t all bad. It had its moments here and there, but overall there was an air of not nearly enough effort being put into the show considering who the host was. The cast was great and everybody got roughly the same amount of airtime, but something still felt missing. Anyway…here.

Kim Jong-Un Address - I didn't care much for that cold open. Political addresses (especially "translated" ones) just feel too stale at this point. I did like the gay nephew bit, though. The Rodman cameo felt unnecessary, but his LFNY delivery was strangely funny to me. C-

Monologue - This was considerably better than McCarthy's first episode. It wasn't much premise-wise, but it's cool when they shake up the format of the monologue just a bit. This seems like something they haven't done since the late 80s/early 90s. Taran was a nice addition. B-

ESPN - This sketch left something to be desired. It was well performed, but I think I would've rather seen an actual fresh take on the Mike Rice controversy rather than seeing McCarthy reenact it. She was good in this as were Jay and Bill. I did like the classroom taser gag as well as hitting Cecily with the toaster. B-

Ham Bake Off - This sketch was pointless. It was only worth watching for the choreography and the silly visual of Taran and Bobby in pig suits. The ending was too predictable. C-

The Voice - This parody was just okay. The impressions of all the judges were great. I did especially like Jay as Usher and Kate as Shakira. Jason had some funny lines as Blake Shelton. Kenan's Cee-Lo is slipping but his bit was short. This probably isn't wither of the ones they tried at Maya Rudolph or Louis CK's dress rehearsals last year. This seems like they just wrote a new one. C+

Bathroom Office - This commercial wasn't quite as bad as I thought it was going to be. I did like the complex set up of the device and the twist of the "decency" PSA at the end. Other than that, it was nothing special. Strangely enough, my dad called me up right when it ended to tell me how funny he thought it was. C-

Update is turning out unmemorable so far. Seth's jokes aren't too horrible, but they’re not great either. Vanesa's Jewish boy was just a by-the-numbers rewrite, but I didn't hate it the first time. Seeing Kenan's Barkley again is nice. He didn't have great lines or anything, but the impression is still funny. I don't even remember the last time we saw Drunk Uncle, but they gave him some good lines this time. I did like the "Huey Lewis and the Jews" line. The Dinklage cameo is quite unexpected and creative and I like moments like those on SNL. He's doing quite well actually. I gotta admit. I was a little iffy about this and the Rodman cameo after they were essentially spoiled for me on Twitter and Facebook, but they turned out to be more enjoyable than I expected. C-

Million Dollar Wheel – This sketch was just bad. This was just running one bad joke into the ground, although I did like Fred solving the puzzle with the wrong answer when the puzzle was clearly revealed. This is starting to feel too much like McCarthy's last episode except she is getting less chances to show off her real performance skills. Anyway, go on YouTube and look up The Whitest Kids U'Know sketch "Wheel of Money" for a better "Wheel of Fortune" sketch. It might remind you of something SNL would do during '94-'95, but they execute it better. D-

Pizza Business Loan - This was only worth watching for McCarthy's goofy accent and Sudekis's talent as a utility man. Otherwise, it's just going nowhere. The difference between this and the "wheel" sketch is that "Wheel" knew where to end, but this pizza thing has a good payoff with Fred. D+

Dating Tips - This was probably the best thing of the night by default given the played out comedy tropes of it. I liked the real low key absurdity of it. Cecily and Kate were great in it. The cereal exchange between Taran and Meilssa was also great as were Bobby and Tim's cameos at the end. If Kevin McDonald got anything on this week, it was probably this. C+

Well, that certainly was. Vince Vaughn hosts next week. Considering how long it’s been I have no idea of what to expect. See ya. Ratings…whatever.

1. Justin Timberlake
2. Martin Short/Paul McCartney
3. Seth MacFarlane/Frank Ocean
4. Louis CK/fun.
5. Anne Hathaway/Rhianna
6. Christina Applegate/Passion Pit
7. Christoph Waltz/Alabama Shakes
8. Kevin Hart/Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
9. Bruno Mars
10. Daniel Craig/Muse
11. Jaime Foxx/Ne-Yo
12. Jennifer Lawrence/The Lumineers
13. Joseph Gordon-Levitt/Mumford and Sons
14. Justin Bieber
15. Adam Levine/Kendrick Lamar
16. Melissa McCarthy/Phoenix
17. Jeremy Renner/Maroon 5