Lorne Michaels WAS very talented - over 40 YEARS ago, when he started Saturday Night Live.
Back then, with the original (and still, THE best) Not Ready For Prime-Time Payers (Gilda, Dan, John, Garret, Jane, Lorraine, and - Chevy. By the way; Bill Murray joined AFTER Chevy left), it was biting the hands (the network, et al.) and they DID take chances.
But, since they left Mr. .Michaels has done the same old, same old for so long, it's as if he's a 'puppet,' and everything is 'pre-made.'
There's no more daring humour, no jokes that dare cross the line. It's all safe pablum.
So, seeing his name as Exec. Producer is no surprise - to me. It's like that Simon 'LeGree' Cowell, and all his 'Star Search' rip off series, where the winner DOES get a contract, but, it's more like indentured servitude; they (the winner) is forced to crank garbage out for (in this case, Lorne Michaels) for eternity. They're forced to do his pre-made yuk-fest' whether-or-not they want to.
Analogy; just like a kid who likes Chef Boyardee ravioli might grow up and still find - as they've grown to adulthood, this canned thing to be their 'favourite,' in all its sugar-drenched, chemically- tasting awfulness, it also goes with humour. As there are people who laughed at 'chicken crossing the road' -type humour when they were little, and STILL do years - perhaps decades later.
There are a lot of people who have moved past this.
For the people who still think SNL humour that they remember from their young adult-hood/college years as 'funny,' they will love this.
For what these are - little 'take-offs' of well-known/familiar films, told in a style that almost has a built in 'pause' for the audiences guffaws, it's fine.
But, if you're sense of humour is beyond this stage, these (so far only) 6(I hope that's all) episodes encompass 'ha-ha' versions of Grey Gardens, The Thin Blue Line, and several other well-known documentaries.
The thing is, the original stories these 'parodies' are meant to 'gently nudge' (yawn), are so well- known, and has already had parodies, jokes, and what-not made, that it's pointless.
The humour is plain obvious, i.e., in 'Sandy Passage' (Grey Gardens), we start with the old 'Uncle Mitly' vaudeville gag; men in drag. Yes, it can be funny, but, just drag, JUST for the FACT of having someone in drag ISN'T funny.
The characters in Sandy Passage - 'big' and 'little Viv' are, again - very obvious caricatures, with absolutely nothing new.
The real people, 'big' and 'little Edie' were so much larger-than-life to begin with, they've had performers of every calibre - from small clubs, and gay bars, to big venue shows - do send-ups of them.
The take on Errol Morris' The Thin Blue Line, one knows going in that they're going to make the southern everyone - incredibly dumb (which is OK by me), so dumb, that even with the 'innocent' (but really guilty) party doing/saying everything BUT 'I'm guilty,' they STILL try to brush it off as him being a 'cut-up,' and the (truly) innocent schlub is 'of course' (according to them) guilty (primarily because he ISN'T a southerner).
This is sophomoric humour at best, and if that makes you laugh, then perfect for you.
Otherwise, skip it.
Back then, with the original (and still, THE best) Not Ready For Prime-Time Payers (Gilda, Dan, John, Garret, Jane, Lorraine, and - Chevy. By the way; Bill Murray joined AFTER Chevy left), it was biting the hands (the network, et al.) and they DID take chances.
But, since they left Mr. .Michaels has done the same old, same old for so long, it's as if he's a 'puppet,' and everything is 'pre-made.'
There's no more daring humour, no jokes that dare cross the line. It's all safe pablum.
So, seeing his name as Exec. Producer is no surprise - to me. It's like that Simon 'LeGree' Cowell, and all his 'Star Search' rip off series, where the winner DOES get a contract, but, it's more like indentured servitude; they (the winner) is forced to crank garbage out for (in this case, Lorne Michaels) for eternity. They're forced to do his pre-made yuk-fest' whether-or-not they want to.
Analogy; just like a kid who likes Chef Boyardee ravioli might grow up and still find - as they've grown to adulthood, this canned thing to be their 'favourite,' in all its sugar-drenched, chemically- tasting awfulness, it also goes with humour. As there are people who laughed at 'chicken crossing the road' -type humour when they were little, and STILL do years - perhaps decades later.
There are a lot of people who have moved past this.
For the people who still think SNL humour that they remember from their young adult-hood/college years as 'funny,' they will love this.
For what these are - little 'take-offs' of well-known/familiar films, told in a style that almost has a built in 'pause' for the audiences guffaws, it's fine.
But, if you're sense of humour is beyond this stage, these (so far only) 6(I hope that's all) episodes encompass 'ha-ha' versions of Grey Gardens, The Thin Blue Line, and several other well-known documentaries.
The thing is, the original stories these 'parodies' are meant to 'gently nudge' (yawn), are so well- known, and has already had parodies, jokes, and what-not made, that it's pointless.
The humour is plain obvious, i.e., in 'Sandy Passage' (Grey Gardens), we start with the old 'Uncle Mitly' vaudeville gag; men in drag. Yes, it can be funny, but, just drag, JUST for the FACT of having someone in drag ISN'T funny.
The characters in Sandy Passage - 'big' and 'little Viv' are, again - very obvious caricatures, with absolutely nothing new.
The real people, 'big' and 'little Edie' were so much larger-than-life to begin with, they've had performers of every calibre - from small clubs, and gay bars, to big venue shows - do send-ups of them.
The take on Errol Morris' The Thin Blue Line, one knows going in that they're going to make the southern everyone - incredibly dumb (which is OK by me), so dumb, that even with the 'innocent' (but really guilty) party doing/saying everything BUT 'I'm guilty,' they STILL try to brush it off as him being a 'cut-up,' and the (truly) innocent schlub is 'of course' (according to them) guilty (primarily because he ISN'T a southerner).
This is sophomoric humour at best, and if that makes you laugh, then perfect for you.
Otherwise, skip it.