Still more lazy thoughts from this one…

Posts tagged ‘Richard Pryor’

Reprise: 30 Years Ain’t That Long in Life, or Comedy

Take a look around you. Unsettled or distressing times spawn a push back in people. It’s a natural reaction, especially in this country. Comedy thrives in periods of uncertainty. Hell, we even have a cable channel now dedicated to this style of entertainment. I wonder if that indicates we’re in an ongoing epoch of apprehension? Oh well. I’ve read a number of examinations over the years on what and why comedy does (or doesn’t) work. Two aspects draw me. Jokes, and their telling, can date quickly. What tickles today may fall flat tomorrow. Second, insightful jests can be enough to cut the comedian and/or the audience right down to the core.

Superman: The Movie in 1978, The Year

Towards the end of the furor, Richard Donner’s film Superman literally landed upon this planet like an outer-worldly figure. Like some champion. Gathering attention like none before. Something like this shouldn’t surprise. This was the comic book superhero movie that all that have followed in its wake (for three and a half decades now) owe a huge debt to. In 1978, during a time that shaped my adulthood, it was this movie and experience that buoyed me as the year came to a close.

Small Roles… Big Performances blogathon: Dom Deluise in FAIL-SAFE

The following is my contribution to Ruth and her Flixchatter blog’s Small Roles… Big Performances blogathon. As she laid it out:

“The idea of this blog-a-thon is to shine a spotlight on the ‘unsung heroes’ if you will, the overlooked performers who add so much richness/entertainment value to the film no matter how brief their appearance is, but yet they don’t get the credit they so deserve.”