Trying to analyze a filmmaking legend using Chobani yogurt
The show comes to us from playwright and performer Julia Izumi, a likable comedian who seems to delight in the fact that her show's oddball moniker will sucker cinephiles into an evening wherein she and four other actors take turns in the title role, donning the Japanese auteur's signature blue cap and sunglasses individually, and sometimes all at once.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'The Naked Gun': Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson revive dumb comedy — and it's great
Neeson and Anderson deliver laugh-out-loud performances in the fresh reboot, directed by Akiva Schaffer With the release of The Naked Gun (now in theatres), starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, comes renewed faith in movie remakes. While several reimagined versions of older films feel tired, The Naked Gun has the opposite impact, giving the audience full belly laughs with its comedy. Directed by Akiva Schaffer, the film leans into being goofy and stupid, hitting punchline after punchline, and it's incredibly appealing. It's all elevated by Neeson and Anderson being the perfect pairing, in complete harmony on screen. The Naked Gun release date: Aug. 1Director: Akiva SchafferWriters: Dan Gregor, Doug Mand and Akiva SchafferCast: Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand, Cody Rhodes, Liza Koshy, Eddie Yu, with Danny HustonRuntime: 85 minutes What is 'The Naked Gun' about? Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson) is following in his father's footsteps, Frank Drebin, the role originated by Leslie Nielsen in the 1982 TV show Police Squad! Drebin Jr.'s partner is Ed Hocken Jr. (Paul Walter Hauser), son of Capt. Ed Hocken, previously played by George Kennedy. They're investigating the possible murder of an engineer found dead in an electric car, the vehicle invented by tech billionaire Richard Cane (Danny Huston). The dead man's sister is Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson), a true crime writer who wants to involve herself in the investigation into her brother's death. Made for the laughs With Schaffer coming from Lonely Island fame, it's not surprising that the director was able to really lean into silly and outrageous comedy for The Naked Gun, with great success. Physical comedy, nudity, pop culture jokes and satire are all used to make the film a bundle of laughs. It's been a while since we've had a theatrical release of a film that's really been crafted for comedy, and it feels like a breath of fresh air. What it comes down to is how the film leans into what we'll lovingly call dumb humour, but it doesn't treat the audience like dumb people. It's intentional, the film has a lot of self-awareness, but it's an invitation to really relish in the fun. Even more impressive, The Naked Gun doesn't feel repetitive at all. It feels new and fresh, but it's also a thoughtful homage to the history of the franchise. Neeson is absolutely spectacular in the film. His execution of lines with a deadpan delivery, to being completely exuberant in other moments, is incredibly fun to watch. Anderson as a hilarious femme fatale is also a highlight, and she's never been funnier. Completely taking charge of every hysterical beat for the character. With rumours swirling about Neeson and Anderson dating, that's easy to believe when you see their chemistry in The Naked Gun, with the actors completely in sync. While having some peaks and valleys in terms of a few lagging moments in the film, The Naked Gun is one of the most joyous movie theatres experiences you'll have all year. It reminds us that sometimes you just need to have a big laugh.
New York Times
21 minutes ago
- New York Times
Marc Maron's Podcast Made Him a Better Comic, Just One Part of a Rich Legacy
Marc Maron recently announced he would end his podcast, 'WTF,' in the fall, and the response from comedians, especially those a generation or two younger than him, has been strikingly personal. On Instagram, Rosebud Baker described listening to hundreds of episodes of 'WTF' as a kind of school for stand-up, while Dan Rosen told me that he was disappointed he never got to be on the show and that every one of his peers fantasized about telling their life stories on it. 'I didn't have Johnny's couch,' the stand-up Mike Lawrence wrote in a social media post, referring to 'The Tonight Show' host Johnny Carson: 'My generation of comics coming up had Marc's garage,' where the podcast initially originated. Maron was neither the first stand-up to have a podcast nor the most popular (that would be Joe Rogan, who started a few months after Maron in 2009). But he was the most important to the art of comedy. Long before it became common practice, Maron proved that you could become a star by going around the usual gatekeepers and that large audiences would listen loyally to two comics talking shop at length. Like so many trailblazers of new digital forms, he has become one of its harshest critics. 'I feel like I released the Kraken,' he told John Mulaney on the episode revealing he was retiring the podcast. Maron regularly hammers the popular comics in the Rogan orbit as the second coming of morning-zoo talk radio or, worse, fascist propagandists. In his entertainingly prickly new special 'Panicked' (HBO Max), Maron quips: 'If Hitler was alive today, he'd probably appear on Theo Von's podcast.' Maron, 61, is often positioned (including by himself) in opposition to Rogan, 57, but they have a lot in common. Around the same stage in life, they both worked in mainstream pop culture before becoming podcast pioneers. They revere stand-up, are interested in politics and regularly wax poetic about the Boston comedy scene, even name-checking the same artists. When I saw Maron in the 1990s, he had a large interest in conspiracy theories. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CNN
21 minutes ago
- CNN
Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson have at least one celeb pal who is ‘very much stanning' them as a couple
Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson seem to have eyes just for each other, both on screen and off. While doing press for their new comedy 'The Naked Gun,' the pair have been exhibiting some serious couple goals energy, with prime examples including a giggly joint appearance in a TikTok posted by Canada's eTalk, during which they were asked about their relationship. 'We had a lovely chemistry… working together,' Neeson said, to which Anderson quietly replied, 'Yeah,' while gazing at him. Things seem to have gotten heated on the 'Naked Gun' set, it sounds like. During an appearance on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' this week, Neeson shared that he worked with an intimacy coordinator for the first time, as his and Anderson's characters have a threesome in the new film which is a reboot of the 1988 original. Neeson said the experience was 'a little bit strange.' 'Pamela and I knew what to do,' he added, laughing. Neeson also shared that Anderson, who is a cookbook author in addition to actor, made sourdough bread and bran muffins for him. How sweet, literally. The pair also have a famous shipper in Andy Cohen. The Bravo host – who was a good friend of Neeson's late wife, actress Natasha Richardson – said during a recent episode of his SiriusXM show said that he and other friends who were a part of Richardson's circle are 'very much stanning whatever this is' between Neeson and Anderson. 'I was telling him at the premiere party, I go 'Liam, she is an independent woman, just like Tash (Richardson) was, she loves to cook, she has her own thing going on, she has two boys,' Cohen said. 'This just works.' Richardson died in 2009 after falling on a beginner's ski slope at a resort in Quebec, Canada. She was 45. 'The Naked Gun' is now in theaters.
