doesn’t the ending have him perpetrating the myth about protesters spitting in his face? i’m sure they’d get behind that. 
1 Like
No idea where to put comedy special reviews. The movies thread? TV thread? What’s New thread?
it’s 90 minutes and filmed differently from the usual so I guess you can call it a film.
Bo Burnham’s Inside is a refreshing thing that I needed to experience.
His new comedy special came out today (yesterday?) and it’s a great introspective piece about loneliness, isolation, new social change and the crazy anxiety-inducing year we’ve had, filled with awesome visuals, catchy music and silly jokes.
The show is part-stand-up special, part music/skit compilation, part video journal, and part ‘loosely narrative’ story.
Once again, it pokes at Bo’s own insecurities, anxiety, and depression, usually framing it through song (and to some, in relatable fashion). There’s still plenty of jokes to go around about himself and the world around him, and if you’re a fan of Bo’s music then this special is gonna be a treat for you!
The format is a series of clips recorded over the past year, some of them are musical bits, some of them are more personal glimpses at his own stand-up fears and the process of making this special and some of them are fun skits he wrote. I think the way it’s all edited and presented provides a much cooler experience than a normal on-stage Stand-up experience – fitting for Bo. (Not surprising, since I think Bo started making stuff on Youtube before his career)
I don’t see him returning to stand-up again, not for a long time, maybe ever, but that’s okay. This was a nice check-in to his progress so far. His singing voice (plus some autotune) is so smooth now.
While it might be a bit pretentious to note the best moments/music of the special [hohoho, yes, twirls moustache], I’m gonna do it anyway because as an entertainment product it’s still dang great and the format lends itself to a chapter-by-chapter basis well.
Best bits by tentative title – Spoilers:
- “Healing the World With Comedy”
- “White Woman’s Instagram” (ironically well-shot)
- “Unpaid Intern” Reaction Video (really clever one!!)
- “Stuck in a Room”
- “Hold Me Accountable”
- 12:00AM (this one cut deep)
- “Don’t Kill Yourself”
- Let’s Play - INSIDE
- “Welcome to the Internet” (or, “You”?)
- “All Eyes On Me” (reminiscent of the Kanye Rant, in a great way)
- The Ending Song
From a production standpoint, this was a really great film. Most of the shots are from the camera from one specific side of the room, with a few using different angles and close-ups. There’s great use of lighting and silhouettes, with plenty of colours illuminating his room or himself in some striking shots. (one shot uses a projector in a great way)
I understand he didn’t release his last special Make Happy as an album because he felt it should be consumed all-at-once (or maybe Netflix didn’t want it out there for free), but I really hope he releases some of the songs here separately. I can definitely see myself coming back to listen to a few because of their sick beats or emotional significance.
4 Likes
I’m watching the Matrix Reloaded and hooo boy that is some 2000’s ass shit.
3 Likes
Just watched Inside last night. Remarkable piece of work. I’m kinda at a loss because I don’t know quite where to file it in the conventional boxes that my brain likes to categorise things into. What’s clear is that Burnham is a ridiculously talented and intelligent film-maker (the quality of both shooting and editing was fucking insane), musician and just a creator in general. It was clever and inventive in absolute spades - the Reaction To The Reaction Video segment was especially brilliant.
The one thing that I’m not sure about - and I’m not sure because I’m not familiar with Burnham’s work outside of Eighth Grade (where he [masterfully] directed a story neither featuring him as an actor nor about someone of his age/gender/background etc) and Promising Young Woman (where he was doing a straight-up acting job, playing a non-Bo Burnham character), so I don’t really have a sense for what his deal is when he’s the star of the show - was whether it was meant to be funny or not. If it was meant to be laugh-out-loud funny then it didn’t succeed in that for me, because I didn’t actually laugh even once throughout. But I’m not sure it was meant to be funny, at least in that way. I dunno. The special hit my “fuck, that’s clever” and “this is super-engaging” buttons throughout without ever hitting my funny bone, and I think that’s what it was going for? If so, then it nailed it.
Still struggling to process what I’ve just seen as it was such a strange and unique mixture of strengths, but it’s plain as day that Bo Burnham is a genius in at least a couple of creative fields. I’m pretty certain that he’s not a comic genius, but he’s definitely a genius.
5 Likes
Watched The Revenant a few hours ago. Made my mind go off on a tangent about human pain tolerance which resulted in me having another sleepless night, woo!
2 Likes
I think for this special, despite it being marketed as such in teasers, it was definitely not supposed to be “funny” in a stand-up show kind of way.
It’s more of a showcase of situations people found themselves in during quarantine (Facetiming with my Mom, Sexting), addressing mental health issues (the in-between segments of his songs, Turning 30, Funny Feeling, Eyes on Me), poking fun at popular trends (White Woman, Meta Reaction Video) and poking fun at current social issues (Comedy, Jeffrey Bezos, Welcome to the Internet), among other topics that feature one or all of these themes.
There were a few jokes and silly moments within the film, yeah, but I don’t think any of the major moments are supposed to be interpreted as “funny haha”.
If you aren’t familiar with his previous Stand-up work, I highly suggest you check it out.
He blends some naughty, somewhat juvenile comedy with social issues, and usually makes fun and draws attention to his own mental health issues in some great finale musical numbers.
What. and Make Happy should both be on Netflix.
Those are both a lot funnier and comedy-oriented than this. (and just as unique/scripted in its presentation)
Or, you can watch what. for free, he posted it on YouTube many moons ago.
Edit: I should also note that the fans are currently dissecting the songs from INSIDE and hoo boy it really shows off Bo’s musical and lyrical genius. So many of tongs songs have drawn plenty different messages and meanings to different people, it’s fantastic.
Currently, I’ve been looking to get my hands on Zach Stone is Gonna Be Famous, a show on MTV Bo made back in the early 2010s. It actually mocked the up-and-coming internet reality stars MTV was pushing at the time, and people say it’s a pretty good show. Too bad MTV pulled the plug after one season. It’s so hard to find though.
2 Likes
I just watched “Luca”,
What a fun, fun movie. This is a pixar movie that doesnt really tug at your heart strings or tries to be deep. Its just child-like joy and glorious animation packed in a beautiful italian package.
The story is quite simple, luca meets a boy named alberto and together they go to the town of porto rosso to acquire a vespa, hijinks ensue.
This basic plot is a vehicle for a whole bunch of funny moments and characters interacting. Every character is excellently voiced and the animation is top notch. Taking the photorealism from soul and adding some 2d but in 3d style to it.
Excellent movie, one of pixars best imo.
8 Likes
Ooh, nice.
I haven’t seen it yet, but the character designs look so unique and adorable. I love how round everyone looks. (plus that seaside-Italy aesthetic looks spot-on)
Somehow I haven’t yet seen Onward or Raya yet, so I’m gonna get to those first.
2 Likes
Just saw Luca too, definitely a great movie.
The whole movie taking place in Sapienza was great and I like that we got some backstory on Silvio Caruso. It was the best Hitman movie so far.
16 Likes
Black Widow
My first movie in the theatres in what I believe is more than a year (last thing I saw was Tenet).
In short, I really liked this, but I still have issues with it.
The first act or so is damn good, and quite involving (the inclusion a certain cover song in beginning worked really well).
The introduction to the villain, Taskmaster is a great little action sequence which perfectly shows us his ability to mimic others, and with the exception of the traditionally bloated end sequence the action was all really good in my opinion. I mean, even the end sequence is entertaining, but it feels like it lacks a better showdown with Taskmaster, and maybe just focus in general.
I love the main characters in this, especially Florence Pugh’s “Yelena Belova”, who really steals the whole movie.
The humor in this works quite well, and doesn’t feel as forced as it tends to do in some MCU movies. One self aware moment in particular (and subsequent callbacks) gave me quite the chuckle.
My two biggest problems is the sort of messy final act, as well as the portrayal of Taskmaster.
In part I just think the first sequence featuring Taskmaster makes promises that the rest of the movie never lives up to, but I was also disappointed to find that she was just mindless pawn with a chip that helps her mimic, instead of it being an innate ability. I’m sure they plan to show us more of her (or they really did Olga Kurylenko dirty), but this is not an optimal first outing in my opinion.
Would I have preferred for Taskmaster to be a man / Tony Masters like in the comcis? Yeah, but this is good enough as long a Antonia is given a similar personality in future movies/TV-series.
Overall I am happy with this. It was a nice way to return to the theatres.
7 Likes
From you that’s a pretty solid review. Also I didn’t know Olga Kurylenko was in the film and I love her so I’ll give it a watch.
As always, thanks for your detailed comments.
3 Likes
I’ll watch anything with Ray Liotta and anything with Andy Garcia. This film has both.
2 Likes
Just saw John Carpenter’s Vampires again, its still a very fun movie to watch
2 Likes
Just recently tried re-watching Ghosts of Mars (another Carpenter movie), to see if it was as bad as I remembered it. It was worse (the best part is watching the train travel sequence set to a classic bit of John Carpenter style music in the very beginning, then it’s all down hill).
I remember not really liking “Vampires” either, but I watched it a loooong time ago. Maybe I should give it another shot.
5 Likes
Saw Black Widow with Dad. We both enjoyed it, but definetly feels like a middling MCU movie. I must admit though, it does feel very sanitised considering the dark subject matter. Wonder if there is a 15 rated script this originated as before being toned for the MCU.
Feel like the general theme of the film is about whether you can redeem yourself for crimes you commited when part of an oppressive system. And I feel like Black Widow’s answer to this theme boils down to just blaming Ray Winston for everything. Find it weird how everyone barring the villian survives too, maybe aside from nameless Widow who is forced to commit suicide in Budapest. I guess I can’t help but think Mom and Dad get off too easily, especially Mom. I’m not sure they needed a massive comeuppance exactly, but I think you need to earn your redemption more, especially if you survive it. I dunno, it all feels too easy me, and honestly, slightly hilarious with the girl power ending in the end.
Still fun movie though. Hope Shang-Chi is a bit more fulfilling, although I worry that’s going to be yet another dull MCU origin story with copycat villian. I haven’t really kept up with the MCU since Endgame, I haven’t subscribed to Disney Plus so haven’t kept up with their TV shows. Probably a good move to wait a while til the next Avengers movie, but I also must admit I’m not too fussed about the MCU until they start building up for the next Avengers movie.
3 Likes
Just watched this one too because I’ve always enjoyed the Saw films. I’m disappointed that this one didn’t continue the plot of Jigsaw. I kinda spoiled the film beforefand as well because the cast section in Wikipedia had two names for one character so I knew something was up with them…that’s a mistake I’m not going to do anymore. The plot is kinda basic but I do enjoy dumb gory horror films. It’s always interesting to see what kind of traps they’ve come up with, especially the last one where SLJ was killed was ingenious though it was a sad moment.
2 Likes
Would recommend that you watch Loki, it really sets up the next avengers movie and the future of the MCU 
Also, the Black Widow end credits make more sense when you have watched The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, anything more on that is a spoiler 
4 Likes
Yeah, I didn’t stick around for the end credits, and I need to subscribe to Disney Plus at some point. Want to try out those Star Wars TV shows as well as the MCU stuff. Sounds like the MCU TV stuff is doing really well so that’s interesting.
2 Likes
I have Disney+ and I haven’t watched a single MCU movie on it which is a giant waste (I know). I really like the D.C. Comic movies better. I kinda wish Disney had Batman/Superman instead of Marvel just bc I know they would crank them out faster 
————————
Anyway I recently saw The Ice Road. It’s on Netflix and is about ice road truck drivers making a run well into spring when it is no longer safe. The catalyst for the dangerous run is a mining accident and people are trapped below. The equipment needed to free them is too heavy for cargo planes and they have a known amount of oxygen left (like 40 hours or something).
Buddha be praised! There happens to be a few truck drivers crazy enough to make the run (Liam Neeson, Laurence Fishburn, and some unknown to me gal). The movie goes from there and is exactly what you might expect. Lots of action, a mostly predictable plot. I get why Netflix would have this. I’m sure it wasn’t expensive to make and it’s the kind of film guys who liked Steven Seagal movies will watch even though they know it won’t be very good. If you’re in a place that is still very much in a state of lockdown and you have run out of things to watch then give it a go, but make popcorn first and have a 6 pack ready bc the story won’t be wowing you. If you can go hang out in your local park or belly up to the closest bar rail then skip it.
3 Likes
I didn’t recently finish watching this film, but I did write an analysis of it around early April where at the time I did recently watch it. I may repost some of my older analyses here, but I’ll start with this one for now.
I’ve just finished watching Falling Down, and now this is probably my favourite movie for at least a month before I move on to hunt for more films to dismiss this one entirely. But I felt like I wanted to share one of my favourite moment in my temporary favourite movie. This also contains disturbing scenes like the latter clip, so watch at your own accord.
William Foster, or D-Fens, is seen purchasing a horse unicorn globe from a local store. Unicorns are often symbolised as a trope of purity - to kill one would be bad for morality (which we’ll get to in a later paragraph). After purchasing the globe he then glances at a protester that he feels “not economically viable”.
To me I feel like William is starring at a self-reflective self. He feels society has worn him down to the point where he would use brute force in order to get a breakfast meal. He’s not alone in that, unless people are willing to speak up like William has done with weapons, the working class is systematically designed to screw people over in favour of the rich and wealthy. This is portrayed in that the protester later gets arrested for causing a disturbance in the force to the public. This can also be said to be foreshadowing as doing unmoral things like leaving your weapons unholstered would get you arrested, or later killed eventually.
The scene after that is shown where William is heading to a surplus store to purchase a pair of boots. The owner of that store then proceeds to offer William a rocket launcher along with explaining that he respects his actions. Being that he’s a white supremacist, William condones the nature of the owner’s interests both in how he runs his store and his beliefs. The owner then retaliates by smashing his unicorn globe and attempts to handcuff him to the police. As I alluded in the previous paragraph unicorns are a sign of purity. William has shown enough sympathy to purchase the globe for his daughter, which he shows no bounds to make it his mission to celebrate her birthday. His daughter is the most precious to William, and that’s all taken away from him by someone with fascist beliefs.
Of course this is just a film analysis and I’m by no means a critic or a reviewer of sorts. This portrayal of William and the protester is what sparked me to write this, and is a fantastic film nonetheless.
3 Likes