A Review Of Napolean Dynamite (comedy)

January 2nd, 2010 admin Posted in comedy |

By Guillermo Summers

One of the more absurd movies of the decade, Napoleon Dynamite nonetheless manages to be a hilarious comedy in its own right. Featuring a unique brand of alienated-teenage humor, the film relies more on its well-timed pauses and character body language than on zinging one-liners. If you enjoy its subtle humor, then Napoleon Dynamite is a film you’ll find utterly hilarious. Otherwise, it might cause boredom or outright confusion. The film has a near non-existent storyline, but what it lacks in plot, it makes up for with its witty and hilarious comedy sequences…

Jon Heder plays the title role of Napoleon Dynamite, an estranged and nerdy high school youth living with his grandmother and older brother, Kip (Aaron Ruell), in Preston, Idaho. Sporting a clueless, unchanging facial expression throughout the movie, Napoleon simply glides through life, getting kicked around, pushed into lockers, and watching life pass by. When a Spanish student named Pedro (Efren Ramirez) moves into town, Napoleon befriends the social outcast. The two drone on and on about myriad subjects, such as who to take to the upcoming dance. Fellow socially-challenged student Deb (Tina Majorino) becomes the object of their affections.

Meanwhile, Kip trolls the Internet chat rooms in search of women, and Napoleon’s Uncle Rico (Jon Gries) moves in with the boys while their grandmother is away. Uncle Rico’s own exploits add to the hilarity of a film with little in the way of substance, at least until Pedro decides to run for class president against the school’s most popular girl, Summer (Haylie Duff). Now, Napoleon and Pedro must work against all odds to win the school election…

The true strength of Napoleon Dynamite is its clan of outrageous characters, characters that are so outrageously ridiculous that every viewer can point out the mirror image of that character from his own high school yearbook or current life experience. The arrested social development of Napoleon and his friends are amplified for effect within the film’s context, drawing the viewer into a Lord of the Flies world of Darwinian adolescence. The humor is sometimes subtle, and Napoleon Dynamite is not to be confused with an Academy Award winning drama. But if you like stupid movies such Dumb And Dumber, then this is the film for you.

Napoleon Dynamite is a unique comedy which pushes the boundaries of plot-challenged, immature filmmaking. In short, you’ll love it. Most of the characters are so pathetic, you’ll find yourself laughing at them simply because they exist. One of the biggest surprises of 2004, Napoleon Dynamite is an oddball comedy that definitely ranks as a must-see movie…

To read more on movies you can visit the Wikipedia website.

Improv Theater Guides

By David Alger

Improv is an art. However, it is also a craft. A craft is something that is learned through practice, repetition, trial, error and oh, yes, hard work. Much like any other art, skill in improv is acquired over time. The more time spent improv-ing the greater the improvement (pun intended).

That being said, there are rules which can, in general, make a scene better. As with any art form, you can break all of the rules and still have quality scenes. However, those best able to break the rules are those who first learn and understand them.

So, let’s look at some of the basic rules of improv.

1. Say “Yes’and!”

For a story to be built, whether it is short form or long form, the players have to agree to the basic situation and set-up. The who, what, and where have to be developed for a scene to work. By saying yes, we accept the reality created by our partners and begin the collaborative process from the start of a scene. The collaborative process or group mind helps make us giants, animals, villains, saints and more importantly put us in situations that we would normally avoid.

2. After the “‘and,” add new information.

An improvised scene can’t move forward or advance unless we add new information. That is why new information is added after the “Yes” of “Yes ‘and!”

Example:

Yes, I washed big dawg and I fed him your steak too!

Rather than:

Yes, I washed big dawg. (SILENCE)

Example:

Yes, I accept being your assistant Heir Doctor and will gladly get you the princess’s body from the morgue tonight.

Rather than:

Yes, I accept being your assistant Heir Doctor. (SILENCE)

Saying “Yes’and” does not mean there will not be conflict or that we would accept something our character would not accept.

3. Don’t Block.

The opposite of saying “yes’and” is blocking or denial.

Denial destroys or stops the addition of new information or worse negates what has already been established. Blocking is a way of minimizing the impact of new information. It is also a method for the performer to play it safe. The performer maintains control and avoids vulnerability by blocking. But in improv we say the opposite of what we would say in real life, “go there.”, rather than don’t go there.

Blocking at its simplest levels involves saying “no,” or avoiding a subject. At a more advanced level, blocking is something that keeps the action from moving forward or the players from changing.

4. Avoid Questions.

Another form of blocking (in its more subtle form) is asking questions. Questions force our partners to fill in the information or do the work. It is a way of avoiding committing to a choice or a detail. It is playing it safe. However, on more advanced levels, questions can be used to add

information or tell your partner the direction to go in.

Example:

I know you’ve been seeing Jenny for four years.

Rather than:

Are you going to tell me about her?

Example:

I can see how excited you are about going to Pirates Isle in the ghost ship, me too!

Rather than:

Are how do you feel about going to Pirates Isle in that ship?

5. Focus on the Here and Now.

Another useful rule is to keep the focus on the here and now. A scene is about the people in the scene. The change, the struggle, the win or loss will happen to the characters on the stage.

Focus on what is going on right this at this moment.

Why is your partner moving away from you?

Why did she use a questioning tone?

What did the slight smile mean?

How do you, as your character, feel about what she is doing?

Remember, it isn’t just about the words; it is about what is happening. The words are tools used to accomplish or to pursue a goal (objective or need).

6. Establish the Location!

Good scenes take place somewhere and at sometime. They do not take place on an empty stage. A location can easily be established in one or two lines without breaking the scene.

Examples of opening lines that establish a location:

Example One:

My God, Bob you’ve put the tiger in with the bison again. The zoo manager will be so ed at us.

Example Two:

Cast off the main line already Sheila, we’re going to win the race, the 1970 Lake Boona race, not like the 67, 68 and 69 races! With the new rudder we should have smooth sailing.

Example Three:

Hmm, so you’re riding one of them auto-mobiles. Damn, well it is the 1890’s. You New York City people, Markus, have all the modern things. Next you’ll say you have electricity. I knew coming to New York would be exciting, my dear brother.

Each of the opening lines above provides an idea of a location. By working with your partner, the specifics of the location are further worked out. Of course, it is even better when you can establish location without words or with minimal use of dialogue.

(We’ll talk more about establishing location in silence in a future article.)

7. Be Specific- Provide Details!

Details are the lifeblood of moving a scene forward. Each detail provides clues to what is important. Details help provide beat objectives and flesh out characters.

Example One:

You’re the best brain surgeon in all of West Valley, Mark. That’s why I chose you to operate on mom.

Rather than:

You’re the best doctor in this town, which is why I chose you.

Example Two:

You mean like when you stole Dad’s purple heart, you know the one he received in World War I for charging the German Foxhole with just a pistol!

Rather than:

Like when you stole the medal he won in the war.

8. Change, Change, Change!

Improv is about character change. The characters in a scene must experience some type of change for the scene to be interesting. Characters need to go on journeys, be altered by revelations, experience the ramifications of their choices and be moved by emotional moments. We go to the theater to see the unusual days characters have, not the everyday moments of stasis and stagnation.

9. For serious and emotional scenes, focus on characters and relationships.

A long form improv set should contain a variety of scenes. Some scenes will be emotional, some will be tense, and some should be funny. The easiest way to make a scene serious is by focusing on the relationship of those on the stage (their characters).

Other ways to make a scene dramatic is to hold a moment, use the silence, and focus on the shifting emotional points that emerge as a scene unfolds.

10. For humor, commit and take choices to the nth degree or focus on actions/objects.

A good long form set is balanced. Shakespeare knew that too much pathos was wearing on the audience; hence, he had minor characters in humorous scenes such as the drunken porter in MacBeth. To create humor in improv, commit to choices to the nth degree or focus on actions and objects. Another way to create humor without doing so at the expense of the scene is to take every offer literally.

So the first ten improv rules for 2005 are:

1. Say “yes’and!”

2. Add new information.

3. Don’t block.

4. Avoid asking questions- unless you’re also adding information.

5. Play in the present and use the moment.

6. Establish the location.

7. Be specific and provide colorful details.

8. Change, Change, Change!

9. For serious and emotional scenes, focus on characters and relationships.

10. For humorous scenes, take choices to the nth degree or focus on actions/objects.

There are a ton more rules, but these are a good starting point. And if you really want to break the rules- commit to everything you’re doing and find moment to moment objectives, listen to what your partner says (and doesn’t say), look for the why in everything said and done by those in the scene, choose, use and play status, be changed with every beat.

All the best in your improv and acting-

David Alger

About Author:

David Alger Director and producer at Pan Theater. David directs and performers at Pan Theater and directs Awkward Face. David has been studying, performing and practicing improv since 2001. His training includes work in Spolin and Johnstone improv, Meisner technique. He has studied theater at Florida Atlantic University and San Francisco State University.

There Is Nothing Wrong With a Prank Video

By Shane Fallas

Hey, how many times have you sat there and watched videos where someone is getting a prank pulled on them? There really is nothing wrong with this at all. If you are someone that really likes watching a good Prank video you are probably looking all over the place for websites that will have these videos. Sometimes you will be looking for a sexy video that will turn out to be exactly what you are looking for in terms making someone laugh or just having a great time watching it.

There are going to be many prank videos that can make you laugh at and on Hey, there are so many people out there that really like watching these types of videos. The same goes for the really funny video masterpieces that are out there. How may times have you sat there and laughed till you cried at videos that show people that are getting all sorts of pranks pulled on them? You definitely are not alone if you answered that you have done this before. Why do you think that the television shows Pranked and Punkd are so cotton-pickin popular?

There are going to be some people that will not understand what the big deal is about videos that show other people getting the wits scared out of them when someone that they know pulls a silly stunt on them. This is okay with others because we all recognize that everyone has the right to their own opinions and can do as they please. There is nothing that says that they have to watch these, or any other, videos if they choose to steer clear of watching them. This is the good thing about being able to pick and choose what you want to watch (and leaving alone what you dont like).

This is also what is so good about having many different websites that you can look into for the videos that you want to see. Have you got a good Prank video that you really want to share with everyone? This is also something else that is good about having more than one video sharing website that is available to you. If you wanted to post those really funny prank videos in many places at once you can. How does that sound to you out there?

What are you thinking about prank videos now? Do you still think that they are something that is not for you? If so, that is alright; we are not here to make any type of judgments about or against anyone for what they think and feel. The main objective here is simply to let you know what options are open to you if you like these videos.

If you are indeed someone that likes watching these videos and sharing your own with others we are telling you that there are many choices available to you. If you have a few minutes you might want to zoom by and see what the talk is all about. Please visit http://www.vidbang.com and http://www.frickenfunnyvideos.com

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