Judd Apatow is an American film producer, director, writer, and screenwriter. His American film/television production company Apatow Productions pumps out quality comedy with a vengeance. If you aren’t familiar with the name you are definitely familiar with the work. Mr. Apatow has been breathing life into the best comedies of the past decade. He is the wizard of odd, the maestro behind the curtain. I believe Apatow has been the driving factor in revitalizing the comedy genre. Before Judd, R-rated comedies were not big business. The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up changed all of that. They changed people’s idea of what a comedy could accomplish. The films Apatow creates are not defined by silly slapstick or outrageous situations. These comedic elements definitely have a role in comedy but Apatow’s works gave us a new, more touching breed. The reason they have been so successful to me is that the characters feel so real. The characters feel like the friends you always wish you had. The dryness and raunchy nature of Apatow’s comedies are what gives them their human tone. Life is messy and pathetic as hell. Judd’s films show us that the unappealing facets of life are what provide the color. Friendship is also a common theme. Every time I see another one of his works I can’t help but smile at all the silly moments that life is going to bring.
The following are the 5 films I believe best represent Apatow’s special brand of comedy: (more…)
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My Favorite Comedy and Why: Tropic Thunder
Posted in Articles, Movies, tagged Ben Stiller, Commentary, Director, Jack Black, Movies, Robert Downey Jr, Tropic Thunder, War on November 10, 2011| 3 Comments »
When people ask me what my favorite movie of all time is, I give them a look of stupidity and pretension and then go into an arrogant monologue saying that I’ve seen so many movies that you’d have to divide them up into genres to truly tell you what my favorite from each one. It’s usually at that point where they’re so taken back by my blind arrogance that they default to the only genre they can relate to: comedy.
Lol, jk, that actually doesn’t happen as much as I let on, but what I mean to aim at is when people ask me what my favorite comedy is and more than often I’ll always say Tropic Thunder. Tropic Thunder delivers itself as a comedy in two different ways, based on its audience. To the eyes of a culturally ignorant, Tropic Thunder is decent comedy with its most memorable moment is Jack Black saying he’ll suck Brandon T. Jackson’s dic* if he cuts him down from the tree. Hardee-f*cking-Har. To the eyes of those who have a decent understanding of the Hollywood industry, Tropic Thunder is a pinata full of scathing satire, irreplaceable performances, and deep, well-thoughtout jokes. After the jump lies a breakdown of how this movie literally splits my sides every time I watch it and how moments that might have seemed confusing and irrelevant are actually this movie’s brightest gems.
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