SISTERS, Sisters

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Sisters' on Blogcritics.

As of today, the film Sisters is available to own. Released in theaters late last year, the movie tells the story of two messed-up female siblings who come together one last time in their childhood home to throw a huge party and recapture what they’ve lost. With an impressive comedic cast, it’s a new twist on an old genre, the party film, with the young-at-heart instead of the young (though they certainly aren’t old, either).

The stars of Sisters are the great Tina Fey (30 Rock) and Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation). Tina is Kate, the fun-loving sister that can’t hold a job or a place to live, and has alienated her daughter, Haley (Madison Davenport, Shameless). Amy is Maura, the uptight one who can’t keep a husband. While Maura is admittedly more responsible, her issue of not knowing how to loosen up is a problem, too, and so the two must help one another, each rubbing off on the other.

That sounds like a very familiar formula, and it is. Even mixing it with a party film (most of the running time takes place at a celebration on a single night) isn’t novel. Nor is the basic love interest for Maura, James (Ike Barinholtz, The Mindy Project), whose only defining characteristic is that he’s nice to Maura because he likes her, and knows how to fix things for her.

What makes Sisters unique, though, is the exact manner in which it tackles this premise. By putting all the characters around forty-ish, it adds a new element. And while Maura and Kate may be the only party-goers with full personalities, seeing their high school chums fall back into old patterns and stereotypes and reopen old wounds is satisfying, too, like a school reunion, but in a totally wild setting. It took awhile for me to start appreciating exactly what makes Sisters special, but by the end of the two hours (yep, it’s a full two hours, not ninety minutes like most comedies), I think I finally understood it.

Helping the film’s appeal along is a stellar supporting cast, which includes many Saturday Night Live alum and cast members, joining fellow players Tina, Amy, and the movie’s scribe Paula Pell, who created some of SNL‘s most memorable late ’90s characters. Those actors are Bobby Moynihan, Kate McKinnon, John Lutz, Chris Parnell, Rachel Dratch, and the incomparable Maya Rudolph. Toss in Samantha Bee (The Daily Show), Jon Glaser (Delocated), Renee Elise Goldsberry (The Good Wife), Matt Oberg (The Onion News Network), Greta Lee (New Girl), John Leguizamo (Moulin Rogue), WWE wrestler John Cena, and Life in Pieces couple Dianne Wiest and James Brolin, and you would be hard-pressed to find a better ensemble.

I guess Sisters isn’t for everyone, and if you don’t get that bizarre take on a relatable familial chemistry that it’s going for, you may be left confused. But once you embrace the madness and just let yourself enjoy the performances, it becomes a fun way to spend a couple of hours.

As far as extras go, there are tons. Besides an unrated version of the movie itself and the expected deleted and extended scenes, there are outtakes, unused improv moments, and behind-the-scenes material to explain what the filmmakers are doing. There’s also an interview with writer Pell, commentary with her, the director, and the two leads, and and an extra on special effects. It’s quite a lot for a release such as this, and thankfully much of it is showing us more of the funny performers in their element.

As always, I recommend blu-ray over DVD. Visually, there are some bright Florida colors and the dark light show at the party that beg for good contrast. In the second half of the film, there’s a lot going on with the audio, from dialogue to music to ambiance, all mixed together. In a testament to the overall quality, I detected no flaws in any of it during my HD viewing, and I never had trouble understanding what the characters are saying. I can’t help but think a standard definition experience would be harder to stomach, needing the crispness to balance everything out appropriately.

Sisters is available now on blu-ray, DVD, and digital download.

Not Quite the CHOZEN Series

Article published as CHOZEN Review on Seat42F.

FX’s newest animated series, originally announced for FXX, but reassigned to FX, is CHOZEN. CHOZEN follows the titular character (Bobby Moynihan, Saturday Night Live), a gay, white rapper just coming off of a ten-year prison stint he didn’t deserve. Now, Chozen is living with his sister, Tracy (Kathryn Hahn, Parks and Recreation), and determined to rebuild his musical career.

Chozen defies just about every stereotype rap music has to offer. He isn’t a minority, didn’t have a hard life, and isn’t into illegal activities, at least, not before he ended up behind bars. He’s a sweet boy who cares about people and loves men, something one does not expect to see in this world.

The question is, how long will that premise remain funny? Initial reactions will likely be of laughter because of the bizarre set up, but after several weeks of the show, that won’t be enough to maintain viewers. There must be a compelling story or characters that viewers want to spend time with. After watching only a single episode, I didn’t see that, but I’ll give it another chance before dismissing it, mostly because the voice cast, which also includes Hannibal Buress, Paul Iacono, Michael Pena, Nick Swardson, Gary Anthony Williams, and Danny McBride, is pretty good.

Part of the challenge CHOZEN faces is attracting fans that aren’t into rap music. I myself don’t appreciate the style for the most part, and the “Pilot” featured several interludes that I did not enjoy. CHOZEN doesn’t defy its source material enough to appeal outside of it from the start. The lyrics are amusing enough, and that helps some, but in order for the series to succeed, it needs a broad-ish base, or a way for its target audience to find it. I’m not sure FX provides that automatically, with Archer being the lead in, but I could be wrong.

I did enjoy several parts of the story that didn’t involve rapping. Chozen and Tracy have an interesting relationship that bears further exploration. Chozen is admirable for not being angry all the time. Jail has given him a taste for weed, made him care less about what others think, and he curses more, but at heart, he’s still a good guy. This is evidenced by the fact that he’s not obsessed with revenge, as many would be. He can grow up and move on, and that’s laudable.

Chozen is the type of guy you want to see do well, but while he does have talent for rapping, I’m not sure he has the personality to make it in such a public business. He has confidence, but lacks the ability to play the politics, so it would be unrealistic for him to go too far.

But it also makes a little bit of a pushover, when taken with the fact that he just quietly served his jail sentence and never appealed to the media or anyone to help him. Or maybe he did and that bit just isn’t included in the “Pilot.” If so, it really should have been. It’s frustrating that Chozen doesn’t just tell the truth. Surely, his body could be drug tested, and his friends and family could testify to his character. Is our justice system so broken we just have to accept that he served a long time for no good reason?

Perhaps I’m overthinking CHOZEN. It’s a comedy, and the most important thing is that it should make people laugh. Had I been laughing, I probably wouldn’t be asking so many questions. Humor is subjective, and I won’t say CHOZEN is a bad series, it’s just not my cup of tea. It is by the producers of Archer and Eastbound and Down, and while I love the former, the latter I can’t stand. Fans of that show, however, who enjoy that sensibility might like this one, too.

CHOZEN airs Mondays at 10:30 p.m. ET on FX.

Justin Timberlake brings back Saturday Night Live

Article first published as  Justin Timberlake brings back Saturday Night Live on TheTVKing.

NBC's Saturday Night Live has good episodes and bad. In recent years, after the 2008 election, the bad weeks have outnumbered the good by quite a few. But all it takes is a fantastic host and a bevy of wonderful guests to turn things around, and last week's episode, which features Justin Timberlake as both the host and musical guest, does just that.

Right from the opening where Timberlake does a wonderful Elton John impersonation with a "Candle in the Wind" parody, the episode takes off. Timberlake is obviously a musician, having contributed to many of the best musical numbers in the series in previous episodes, and he uses that skill again in this gig. A good episode plays to the host's strengths, and this one most definitely does.

Besides the opening, he also sings with recurring characters like the parody-singing advertising mascot (this time a block of tofu, and ending with a Harlem Shake in Veganville) and a return of the "D*** in a Box" guys with Andy Samberg. Sure, it takes time to build up a recurring character's popularity, but the ones that the writers and actors love are usually the ones that the fans love to, so the effort is worth it. Timberlake manages to have a couple of very popular characters with only a limited number of appearances. It's quite impressive.

Besides Samberg, many other Saturday Night Live alumni dropped by. This is done in celebration of Timberlake joining the "5 Timers Club," since this is his fifth time hosting, so other frequent hosts including Steve Martin, Candice Bergen, Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, and Chevy Chase appear. The cast of SNL is a very important clique. But so is the job of host. Only a few have reached this pinnacle, invited back over and over again, and they all ooze with talent. Seeing them gather together, along with Martin Short, Paul Simon, and Dan Akroyd, is not only thrilling, but hilarious, as these are some of the funniest people of their generation.

Sometimes, though, guests can be wasted. That is not the case in Timberlake's episode. It isn't practical to include all of those named in other sketches, of course, because too many showed up. But Martin and Akroyd dust off their Wild and Crazy Guys for a bit, and Martin, Chase, and Short don their Three Amigos costumes, thankfully altered to accommodate their current bodies. It's these kind of touches that make the episode memorable, and worth the time of these non-hosts who show up.

There are plenty of sketches in this episode that will provide laughs for years to come, unlike the "5 Timers Club," which is fantastic, but not inherently funny. These all have one thing in common: a current cast member holds their own against the host and/or veterans. The dating game show, where poor Bobby Moynihan competes against two pairs of recurring characters is amusing, especially because of Moynihan's role in it, not in spite of it. He knows he can't compete against the others and embracing it, making him a valuable part of the sketch, rather than a throw-away. And the commercial where Timberlake dates a girl with a penis (played beautifully by Nasim Pedrad) will elicit a giggle or two.

I'm not a fan of the musical performances, and often skip them. I will say, though, that I stuck with "Suit and Tie," despite being lukewarm on the song itself, and it was a terrific performance. The stage looked great, the dancing was incredibly impressive, and tone was perfect.

Overall, Justin Timberlake once more delivers for Saturday Night Live. Let's hope they invite him back soon.

Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11 p.m. ET on NBC.

"She Did" it Girls

HBO's Girls has gotten a lot of attention this season, some positive, some not so much. As the freshman run draws to a close with "She Did," it's hard to see where the attacks come from. Jealousy? Insecurity? Lack of a frame of reference? Yes, the characters may not be completely likeable, but what a bold, fresh, realistic perspective! Girls may very well be the voice of a generation, and I don't make that claim lightly.

Maybe there are those that dislike the series because they are trying to compare it to other television. This is folly, as the writing and direction of Girls is not like anything else. Trying to pigeon-hole it, or compare it to non-exist peers shows a lack of understanding of what the show is going for. It isn't trying to be another series. It is, like the characters, true to itself, even if no one else understands.

At the center of the series is Hannah (Lena Dunham). She still expects her dreams of being a professional writer to come true. She just doesn't put that much effort into making them happen, whines quite a bit, and is pretty selfish. Yet, as the type of person that everyone knows, narcissistic but not malicious, she is an identifiable character, and one not represented very well on television. Until now.

In "She Did," Hannah gets the chance to complete one of her goals: have a serious relationship. Adam (Adam Driver) is willing to fully commit to her, even wanting to move in. Hannah just doesn't take him seriously, and ends up insulting him, which may spell the end of their time together. Is it because she is scared, as she claims in a raw confrontation in the street? Or does she not know what she wants? Maybe Adam is the type of guy she thinks she should desire or deserves, but isn't sure that she is ready to be with him. Is she trying to live her life as if from a script?

This is kind of the conundrum of everyone in Girls. Marnie (Allison Williams) has a great guy in Charlie (Christopher Abbott), whom she doesn't appreciate until he's gone. Then she could get him back, but she still resists, ending up making out with someone unexpected (Saturday Night Live's Bobby Moynihan). One would like to think that she appreciates her hookup's personality, but really, she's probably just drunk and desperate. We'll see if it lasts past a single evening.

The oddest plot in the finale is when Jessa (Jemima Kirke) throws a surprise wedding for herself and the creepy guy (Chris O'Dowd) who wanted to have a threesome with Jessa and Marnie. Jessa didn't even like him then, but her bizarre vows are actually sweet. Perhaps they do make a good pairing, as out of nowhere as the union seems to come from. Of course, with Jessa, no traditional courtship would ever be in the cards, which might make this one more acceptable.

Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) would like to loose her virginity, and weirdly does so with Ray (Alex Karpovsky). It almost seems like this happens because these are the two major characters with the least development, and the only ones who aren't paired up before now. And yet, there is something really nice between them. Both deserve more screen time, and maybe as a couple, they will get it.

Shoshanna's frustrated statement, "Everyone's a dumb whore," rings kind of true on the surface. But the girls are more than that. Someone who is over the age of thirty might have a hard time understanding what is going on in Girls. Yet, those of us who were in college in the previous decade see an authenticity that is surprising for television. Every flaw and stupid action of young gals that are not yet mature enough to qualify as women are laid out, without shame. It's a brave series with interesting writing. And no matter what these girls do, there is an allure about them that keeps people tuning in week after week.

Nope, not everyone gets them. That's the way they like it. One day they will be normal, contributing members of society. But for now, they are still just Girls.

Girls will return for a second season on HBO.

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Where did all the good Saturday Night Live go?

     With the close of the latest season of NBC's Saturday Night Live, one question hangs over our heads: why does SNL currently suck?  It still includes most of the same cast that made it such a hit during the 2008 election.  Kristen Wiig is still a comic genius.  Andy Samberg still makes Digital Shorts, though the laughs come less often.  Will Forte is taking his MacGruber sketch to the big screen very soon.  Bobby Moynihan can still deliver with his impersonation of Snooki from Jersey Shore.  Seth Meyers remains the head writer, and the Weekend Update segments are as funny as ever.  But the rest of the show largely falls flat on it's face.

     To get an answer, perhaps we should ask why any season of Saturday Night Live has sucked.  On the air for thirty-five years, the series run in hit and miss cycles, and we are currently in the middle of a low point, made all the more obvious by just high they got in fall 2008.  Even Betty White, bringing a host of alumni with her, delivered only mediocre stuff.  Don't hate on me for saying it.  I was enthralled with the beloved actress and her posse as anyone, but had the season been where it should have been, that episode would not have seemed as good as it did.  At best, it was good, not great.

      Perhaps in an effort to salvage something, uber-host Alec Baldwin was brought in for the season finale this weekend, tying Steve Martin's record of 15 hosting episodes.  Sadly, he, too, left something to be desired.  Let me say that again.  Alec Baldwin had a bad episode.  That just doesn't happen.  So why, with all the golden ingredients, is SNL not doing better?

     I can come up with no satisfying explanation.  I remember how good the show is when it hits it's peaks, and so I'll just do what any of us can do.  Keep watching, hoping it gets there again soon.

Taylor Lautner pads onto Saturday Night Live

     As with any show that has been on a long time, NBC's Saturday Night Live has its ups and downs.  I can think of no other show like it that has been on for thirty-five years, and its ups are good enough to keep watching through its downs.  Unfortunately, after last year's very big up, this year has been mostly down.  The one exception that leaps to mind is the Taylor Swift-hosted fantastic episode more than a month ago, and possibly some of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's.  Another Taylor, Lautner, (Jacob in the Twilight series) stepped up this week, and sadly did not do as well.

     The opening monologue was amusing enough, with Taylor reliving the Kanye VMA moment, and somehow keeping it from being stale, though the event itself is by this point.  It will only fuel more rumors on if the two Taylors are in fact dating (Swift dropped a more obvious hint in her opening).  The best skit he was in by far was the Team Jacob vs. Team Edward skit, where he was the girl defending the Edward side, of course.  It was a play off of the commercials.  He also performed admirably in the football interview skit, and was the only (slight) redeeming part of the middle school choir piece.  His love connection segment was terrible, one of the worst in recent memory, but was unable to salvage "Surprise!"  As much as Kristen Wiig is the star of the show now, if she never revives Aunt Sue, many will give thanks.

     The rest of the show without Lautner fumbled, mostly.  Seth Meyers is trying, and sometimes succeeding, hosting Weekend Update alone, but Amy Poehler is certainly missed in that spot.  Nasid Pedrad delivered a very funny take as Mistress #15 during Update, and Jason Sudeikis tried very hard to make the Tiger Woods scandal shine during his PGA announcements, with mixed results.  The rest of the episode, as has too often been the case this season, was forgettable.  Even musical guest Bon Jovi was dull, his tunes more mellow than in years past.

     Can SNL revive itself again?  Surely so.  Andy Samberg has given us many a gut-splitting Digital Short.  Wiig, Sudeikis, Will Forte, Kenan Thompson, and Meyers are far from past their prime, and the new additions of Pedrad, Bobby Moynihan, and Abby Elliott were very helpful.  And the rest of the cast isn't half bad.  Hopefully the writer's will find another dash of genius soon.  They have one more chance in 2009.  Come on guys!  Sarah Palin is back in the headlines.  Take a cue!

     Saturday Night Live will present a two hour primetime Christmas special this Thursday (unfortunately hosted by Wiig's most uber-annoying character, Gilly), and will conclude their fall batch of episodes this Saturday with host James Franco and musical guest Muse.