Comedy news and views from Jeff Kreisler, with an IFC twist.
Drop him a line at sketchy (at) ifc dot com.
Review-ish
Panel Review - TV Writing in the Internet Age
By Jeff Kreisler on 11/10/2009
Filed under: Festivals, On The Tube, Review-ish, Up For Debate
The New York Comedy Festival event I thought had the most "Details Are Sketchy" potential was Keeping It Fresh: Television Writing In The Internet Age. Oooh, internet, writing, comedy! That's us! Held at the Paley Center for Media (if you haven't been, you should go) on Friday evening (just when I returned from hell, a.k.a. Milwaukee and Cincinnati) the panel displayed a fairly broad swath* of TV comedy - Rory Albanese (Executive Producer of The Daily Show), Jim Downey (writer for SNL [most of their political stuff]), Al Jean (Executive Producer of The Simpsons), and Peter Tolan (Co-creator and EP... MORE »
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Laughs, Chills, & Advice at the Monty Python Reunion
By Jeff Kreisler on 10/16/2009
Filed under: On Stage, Review-ish
Last night: Monty Python's 40th Anniversary at the Ziegfeld Theater. Here's how I lived it... First of all, the weather. WTF? I wasn't expecting a Winter Inquisition. No one expects the Winter Inquisition! Our chief weapon is cold. Cold & rain. Rain & cold. Wait... our two main weapons are cold, and rain, and wind... No wait, Three! i.e. The weather sucked, but that just highlighted how great the rest of the evening went. If it was worth hypothermia, it had to have been good. After grabbing my ticket and passing by the most enthusiastic usher in history (with apologies... MORE »
Review-ish: Witty Cartoons For Snobs
By Jeff Kreisler on 09/22/2009
Filed under: Festivals for the Restivals, On Stage, Review-ish
On the last night of the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival, about 80 "fans of bourgeois humor" crammed in to the Union Hall basement to bear witness to some great cartoonists. With credits ranging from The New Yorker to an Academy Award nomination and even touring with Comics Against Evil (gasp), the panel had some of my favorite doodlers (some use that phrase themselves, I'm not being a jerk), including Dan Piraro (Bizarro), Emily Flake (Lulu Eightball), Drew Dernavich, Bill Plympton (The Village Voice, Rolling Stone), Paul Noth (Pale Force), and David Sipress. Matt Diffee (The Steam Powered Hour) was an... MORE »
Comedy Comparison
By Jeff Kreisler on 09/10/2009
Filed under: Review-ish, Up For DebateWARNING: Broad Generalizations Ahead When I travel, I'm always asked what the difference is between US comedy audiences and foreign audiences (usually in the UK). I don't think that's right question. That's looking for criticism of the American public. Instead, I think we need to ask what the difference is between American and foreign comedy. The answer may be found in the lack of U.S. comedy criticism. Many comedians see the Edinburgh Fringe Fest as a chance to "take exams," to try to pass to the next level. Each year comedy acts write a new hour, an entirely new show.... MORE »
Edinburgh Fringe Review: Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting
By Jeff Kreisler on 09/02/2009
Filed under: Festivals for the Restivals, Review-ish
Okay, maybe it's a bit of a cheat to see an NYC sketch group in Edinburgh, but all the tips I'd gotten for great female sketch groups hadn't panned out... and I needed my fix. There's already an overwhelming male presence in comedy here (all the nominees for the comedy awards were straight white males - okay, there was one Canadian), and I couldn't let this blog continue the trend. So, on to Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting: Misery Eats Company... Hooray! Funny female sketch comedy! SBJM performed in a cave - a long, wet, scary cave (metaphor come to life?)... MORE »
Edinburgh Fringe Review: Pythonesque
By Jeff Kreisler on 08/27/2009
Filed under: Festivals for the Restivals, Review-ish
In a(nother) converted church here at the Fest, Pythonesque delivered a multi-layered, fun, and funny tribute to Monty Python. With festivities looming for Monty Python's 40th Anniversary, this was a great primer on Python history. The basic conceit is that Graham Chapman gets to the gates of Heaven and must be judged. Rather than just skip to the whole "Life of Brian" kerfuffle, we get a retelling of the story of Monty Python, in the style of Monty Python (if there is such a thing), from college (nee, university) to Chapman's death. I don't know the details of the group... MORE »
Edinburgh Fringe Review: Umbrella Birds
By Jeff Kreisler on 08/24/2009
Filed under: Festivals for the Restivals, Review-ish
I don't want to write this review. I really don't. I've been putting it off for a week, but, well, I guess I have to. I wanted to like the Umbrella Birds. I wanted to LOVE the Umbrella Birds. After all the middle-class white guys, an all-female sketch group got me excited. Plus they were being produced by The Assembly - one of the most respected venues here - and had generated a substantial amount of buzz, well, it was going to be great. Sadly, it wasn't great. (I should've learned about "industry buzz"...) It wasn't even good. It was... MORE »
Edinburgh Fringe Review: Penny Dreadfuls
By Jeff Kreisler on 08/19/2009
Filed under: Festivals for the Restivals, On Stage, Review-ish
Finally, a sketch show that isn't four 20-something white guys. It's three 20-something white guys... oh, for the love of Pete... Demographic monotony aside (female sketch troupes are on tap!), Penny Dreadfuls: The Never Man, was an absolute delight. Although broken into short scenes, this was more of a comedic play than a sketch show, with the three very talented performers playing a variety of distinct and endearing characters. A genre piece, this Bond-meets-Christie mystery-thriller-comedy told the story of Beef Island - with its nuclear reactor, shadowy overlord, innocent contest winners, amnesiac playboy and, of course, beef themed amusement park.... MORE »
Edinburgh Fringe Review: Dead Cat Bounce
By Jeff Kreisler on 08/17/2009
Filed under: Festivals for the Restivals, On Stage, Review-ish
Apparently, my tour of sketch comedy has started with the best. That adjective - "best" - easily fits Dead Cat Bounce - Wired. Last year, I caught DCB here, and was very impressed by their strong, distinct characters, writing, and story telling. Expecting more of the same, I was totally and completely caught off guard. In a very good way. It was a rock comedy show. Many comedians harbor secret desires to be rock stars. These guys lived our dream. And they were hella funny, too. Not just one-liners with an acoustic or commercial parodies, this was a full-on rock... MORE »
Edinburgh Fringe Review: Idiots of Ants
By Jeff Kreisler on 08/13/2009
Filed under: Festivals for the Restivals, On Stage, Review-ish
In a musty old fire-hazard-y church (i.e. a typical Fringe venue), I witnessed the spectacle that is Idiots of Ants' latest show, "This Is War." TheComicsComic caught them at Montreal, and covered them here, so consider this a supplement to that as we continue our tour of Edinburgh sketch comedy. It was a good, tight, polished show. Clever, inventive, and quick. For the most part, if a gag was only good enough to sustain 60 seconds on stage, they didn't try to push it to 90 or 120. Sweaty performers seem the order of the month. Four middle class white... MORE »
Edinburgh Fringe Review: Pappy's Fun Club
By Jeff Kreisler on 08/11/2009
Filed under: Festivals for the Restivals, Review-ish
Ah, the Edinburgh Fringe... let's just say sleep is the one thing that hasn't been going around. I caught Pappy's Fun Club Sunday night. They were nominated for an if.com award (formerly the Perrier) a couple years ago and are now one of the most-advertised acts in town. That's saying a lot for a Festival where the size of egos and advertising is unrivaled. (Seriously, people, do we need to see your face every-f'ing-where?) I've had the pleasure of performing with Pappy's Fun Club at past Fringes - just short spots on showcases, 15-20 minutes tops - but had never... MORE »
Sketchy Guest: The Comics Comic on Montreal
By Jeff Kreisler on 08/03/2009
Filed under: Festivals for the Restivals, Guest Blogger, On Stage, Review-ish
Sadly, I can't be everywhere covering every important sketch comedy development. Luckily, there are a small handful of very talented comedy reporters who can. I even consider some of them friends (awww). One such talented friend, Sean McCarthy, aka, The Comics Comic, runs a fantastic comedy blog. He was up in Montreal for the legendary Just For Laughs Comedy Festival and agreed to provide us an exclusive recap of the Fest's Sketch Comedy Showcase. Isn't that nice? Read the below, and visit The Comics Comic whenever you can (after you're done here, of course). Almost live: A report from "The... MORE »
Why "The Hangover" Matters
By Jeff Kreisler on 07/08/2009
Filed under: Industry News, Review-ish, The Big Screen
By now, everyone who reads this blog has seen "The Hangover," right? If not: a. you should, and b. a couple little spoilers are below, so proceed with caution. "The Hangover" has done well and gotten good reviews. I agree. It wasn't a mind-blowing experience, but it was a well-done, unique, and special production. It was also important for comedy. More than anything, the success of "The Hangover" gives me hope for the industry - from movies to sketch - and it provides valuable inspiration for aspiring comedy writers and sketch groups. "The Hangover" succeeded even though it avoided proven... MORE »
Now we're talking... and news
By Jeff Kreisler on 06/23/2009
Filed under: Industry News, Review-ishWell, alright. Finally, one of these posts generates some good discussion. All I had to do was offer an honest opinion... apparently rare in the "hey, I might need a favor from you some day" world of American* showbiz. *(Try hitting the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where thousands of reviewers roam J.K. Rowling's streets with acid-tipped pens - a couple reviews of comedy shows last year included the words, "like a sledgehammer to the face" and "worse than the Holocaust." Really). Quick note for those who latched onto my phrase "all that's wrong with the entertainment industry:" As I tried -... MORE »
SketchFestNYC - The Final Reckoning
By Jeff Kreisler on 06/22/2009
Filed under: Festivals for the Restivals, Industry News, On Stage, Review-ish
Alright, the final installment of SketchFestNYC review-ish-es. This & this are what I did before. Check 'em and enjoy. Saturday. Missed a bunch of the daytime stuff. Waddayagonnado? The Striking Viking Story Pirates Present Found Magazine (NYC) I dug this group a lot. What I like most is that their sketches were quick and short. If a sketch is just a great concept or a great joke - but not a series of them - then do what these guys do: Hit it and quit it. Get the laugh, move on. SNL, take a note. More themes: Was Junior High... MORE »
More flesh from SketchFest
By Jeff Kreisler on 06/16/2009
Filed under: Festivals for the Restivals, Review-ish
What's that, you say? You want more from SketchFestNYC? Well, see what I did before and then have some of this. FRIDAY Britanick (NYC) Just made it for the end of this group's set (damn you E train!), but managed to catch their video "Eagles Are Turning People Into Horses." Wow. Fantastico! Freed from the 90 second constraints of the interwebs, Britanick made one of the best short movies I've seen in some time. Hi production value, good writing, good acting, action, drama, romance, plot twists and gratuitous violence. Nicely done. Speaking of videos, a lot of good ones over... MORE »
More fresh meat, please.
By Jeff Kreisler on 06/15/2009
Filed under: Festivals for the Restivals, On Stage, Review-ish
Went to SketchFestNYC this past weekend. Didn't catch all of it (I had a nasty flu, so cut a Kreisler some slack), but a lot. Apologies to those groups I missed. It was a good festival. Tons of memorable lines, many great performances, some really bright lights. Ran very smoothly, considering what must have been impossible logistics. My only complaint is that there weren't enough out-of-town acts. Of 28 non-video groups, only 5 were from out of town, and one of those was the Apple Sisters, who only just left the Big, um, Apple, recently. While it was convenient to... MORE »
Video Friday - a skoosh early
By Jeff Kreisler on 06/04/2009
Filed under: Review-ish, VideoYou know what's fun about traveling all over the country? Me neither. I'll be in transit to Denver all day Friday, so, here, a bit early, are some funnies for your weekend. Z Rock - IFC (New season premier June 7!) Trek Yourself - Dan Meth Special Features: Trek Yourself Graped! - Whitest Kids U Know (10 pm Tuesdays) And, in honor of that thing which inspired the book that's got me on this wild comedy tour... The Money Song - Monty Python... MORE »
Review-ish: NY Arab American Sketch Comedy
By Jeff Kreisler on 05/11/2009
Filed under: Festivals for the Restivals, Review-ish
NB: See this post for a little explanation of my "review style." Caught the opening of the 6th Annual New York Arab-American Comedy Festival, a sketch show at Comix. It. Was. Good. This is the first post-Bush festival, so, as co-founder and producer Dean Obeidallah put it, "We don't feel like we need to be as defensive about our heritage and culture." Instead, they could just go about entertaining (a victory in its own right). The show did not disappoint, providing smart, funny, well-delivered sketches on a variety of topics both timely (ex-Lehman banker doing nails) and eternal (men want... MORE »
Review-ish: Harvard Sailing Team
By Jeff Kreisler on 05/06/2009
Filed under: On Stage, Review-ish
This is where I start getting in trouble. As a performer, I love/hate reviews. It's good to get some critical feedback, but some reviewers seem to have their own agenda, just trying to be sensationalist, stick out in crowd, or work through their own issues. There was a show at the Edinburgh Fringe last year which - I kid you not - was called "worse than the Holocaust." Yeah. And... reviews of "art" are frustratingly subjective. Our show "The Americans" got a meh review in one pub (the jokes "a sledgehammer to the face") while another said we had a... MORE »
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