Genre Defying Dramedies

Comedians agree: comedy is tragedy plus time. Some of the best comedy mocks the seriousness of a tragedy. What better avenue to take than making a parody of a drama? I have written articles concerning this before; how parody is so important in understanding ourselves. It's necessary to take a step back and realize what archetypes we've gotten used to and how silly they can be. This fall Adult Swim and IFC are turning out three comedies which are all brilliant parodies of television dramas. Get ready for amazing writing and surprising costars.

The Heart, She Holler

Conan O'Brian calls it, "An ambitiously left-brained show." It is my favorite thing to watch on Adult Swim right now. From PFFFR, the creators of the sick puppet show, Wondershowzen; witness protection reality show, Delocated; and the computer animated acid trip of a bungling bird man, Xavier: Renegade Angel, comes the hillbilly Gothic soap opera comedy, The Heart, She Holler.

The title is based on the titular family's last name, Heartshe, and the Appalachian pronunciation of "hollow." The entire show, in PFFFR fashion, is based on pop-cultural and political satire, as well as surreal and gross plot devices. The Heart, She Holler goes beyond satirising the twisting improbability of TV dramas, and brings it to absurdity. The citizens of the Holler are über hillbillies who have little sense of conscience, hygiene, or modern science. The science they encounter is of little consequence though, because this is a supernatural drama with curses, telekinesis, other dimensions, and a great amount of organ swapping. 

The Heart , She Holler

Featuring Patton Oswalt, as Hurlan Heartshe, cave-boy and heir to the Heartshe estate; PFFFR veteran, Heather Lawless, as Carrie-esq Hambrosia Heartshe; David Cross, who honestly needs a bigger role; Leo Fitzpatrick as The Reverend, who made his start in the 1995 film Kids; Joseph Sikora as Sheriff, who played Hans Schroeder on Boardwalk Empire; and Amy Sedaris plays Hurshe Heartshe in season 2 (replacing Kirsten Schaal). This may be Amy's grossest character to date, even over Jerri Blank.

A consummate professional

Playing the beloved Meemaw is Judith Roberts who manages to be the most amazing corpse-like woman I have ever seen. I just found out that she was the Beautiful Girl Across the Hall in Eraserhead. [Mind blown]

Judith Roberts above: Eraserhead 1971, below: The Heart She Holler 2013

The PFFR crew never disappoint in delivering the creepy. Each episode begins with a short clip from the 1981 documentary Vernon, Florida. It is reminiscent of their use of stock footage in Wondershowzen. Out of context these clips are unsettling. Read the Wikipedia entry on it and find out why it is in fact sad and creepy (and why the original title of the film was Nub City).
In summation: best show on TV this fall.

 

The Spoils of Babylon

This is a six part mini series by IFC involving Will Ferrell, Kristin Wiig, Toby Maguire, Tim Robbins, Haley Joel Osment, and Val Kilmer. Gosh, don't you LOVE it when comedians and regular actors with a sense of humor come together?! Based on the fictional book by fictional author, Eric Jonrosh (Farrell) The Spoils of Babylon chronicles the Morehouse family and love between brother and sister (Maguire and Wiig) in the setting of a Dallas style drama.

The trailer for this looks like a Paul Thomas Anderson movie. The production value is a testament to how serious this community is about comedy. Plot lines and punch lines aside, the stylistic choices - the detail and high production value - are what make a mockery out of real drama. It says, "we can take you on from all angles." I want to live in a world where Eric Jonrosh is an author, and people paid millions of dollars to make this over-the top mini series. The set up reminds me of Walk Hard, in the way it goes full throttle on making fun of a genre. I am looking forward to the premiere on January 9th at 10pm in IFC.

 

 

Filthy Sexy Teen$

Filthy Sexy Teen$

A parody of Pretty Little Liars and the wealthy teen drama genre, Filthy Sexy Teen$ is a pilot created by Paul Scheer for Adult Swim. It features Sam Trammell and Marshall Allman of True Blood fame, Steven Yeun of The Walking Dead, and SNL alum Chris Parnell and Casey Wilson. I cannot wait to see Allman and Yeun in their roles. I could have never guessed this group of actors would come together for this. Clips are few and far between at this point, but considering Scheer is behind NTSF:SD:SUV and Childrens Hospital this quarter hour comedy should be hilarious.

A List About Sex Can't Please Everyone

I'm going to show you a list, and I want you to guess what it represents. 

41. High Fidelity (2000)

36. Boogie Nights (1997)

32. Being John Malkovich (1999)

30. Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)

28. Henry and June (1990)

27. Boys Don't Cry (1999)

23. Brokeback Mountain (2005)

14. Team America: World Police (2004)

13. Y Tu Mamá También (2001)

3. Mulholland Dr. (2001)

2. A History of Violence (2005)         

These are the 11 movies I've seen out of the 50 listed in IFC.com's 50 Greatest Sex Scenes in Cinema. It's a fun list to read, but to my disappointment I had only seen eleven out of the fifty movies. Therefore, I knew this would make me less than qualified to argue over this list. I only have one legitimate issue about the compilation, so hear me out.  

Recently exposed to Alfonso Cuarón's 2001 film, Y Tu Mamá También, I was eager to find where it ranked on IFC's list. With five love scenes (six if you include a self-love scene) there was no way it couldn't have made it on the list. It did rank at lucky number 13, but this daring and poetic film should have at least made the top ten. It got the shaft. Pun intended!

I'm not normally the kind of girl to swoon over actors, or be a super-fan who makes godawful juvenile YouTube sildeshows that completely miss the mark, but I really do want to advocate Y Tu Mamá También as the sexiest movie I have ever seen.



If you want to know how qualified this film is for a higher spot on the list, just hit play on the video above. The first frames, let alone the first five minutes are filled with a love scene that sets the tone for the whole movie.

Y Tu Mamá También is a sensual film featuring the debut of Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal, who you can see together once again this May in the comedy Casa De Mi Padre, and Maribel Verdú, who you may know from Pan's Labyrinth. Set on a road trip in Mexico, this fearless film tells of life's common tribulations of love, sex, friendship, and politics, with a heavy backdrop of mortality. It's basically about the transience of life. You are left questioning which issues are actually worth focusing on. I could go on and on about the deeper meanings of the film to prove to you that I'm not a total horn-ball, but let's just get to the point. 

The film creates a collision of teenage and adult concepts of love, presented in gut-wrenching realism. The love scenes are raw and unflinching, without cuts, and are shot in real time - so to speak. There's no pretending that these teen boys can handle such activity; they only last about a minute.

As for the specific scene IFC mentions as number 13 on their list, it was certainly a tremendous surprise ending and appropriate conclusion (don't read the description on their list if you want to watch the full film without spoilers). However, that particular scene is cut way too short. The best scene is when Luna and Verdú's character's finally get it on, mixing Verdú's almost motherly guidance with Luna's teenage eagerness, that begins with child-like shyness and crescendos to him impulsively and strategically kicking away a secondary motel bed in a surprising act of bravado.

It is not only the quantity, but the quality of the love scenes that should bring Y Tu Mamá También to the top of the list. Quality, not being defined by duration, but realism, which makes it relatable and therefore drawing you into the moment.
And that's just fundamentally what makes for an excellent film.