Lenny Bruce vs. Lenny Bruce: The Real and the Imagined
There are two Lenny Bruces: 1. the real-life subject of thoughtful documentaries and biographies, and 2. the TV/movie hip mentor and accidental deity.
satire
Satirical Miniseries ‘White House Plumbers’ Is an Uneven Glimpse into Proximity to Power
HBO’s satirical miniseries on the Watergate affair, White House Plumbers, entertains but struggles to find emotional and political footing.
Succession’s Final Season of Satire and Calamity Offers No Parting Panacea
Succession, HBO’s most lauded release of the decade solidifies its place as one of TV’s best dramas, even though it shares nothing positive about our capitalist world.
All Things Reconsidered/Culture/Featured: Top of Home Page/Features/History/Music/Music Features/Politics/Pop Past
It’s Time We Hung Out at Joe’s Garage with Frank Zappa Again
As extremist minorities corrode social liberties, it’s time to take our rusting democratic values to Joe’s Garage where Frank Zappa waits with his sleeves rolled up.
Bo Burnham’s ‘Inside’ Mixes Comedy with Anxiety and Sets It to Music
Bo Burnham creates a warm and inviting mood and ironic comfort when he sings “That Funny Feeling” in his comedy special, ‘Inside’.
Sarah Gailey’s ‘Eat the Rich’ Cuts to the Horror at the Heart of Capitalism
Marx’s death pact is made literal in Sarah Gailey’s Eat the Rich, a remarkably fun comics series given its subject is the horror of capitalism.
SXSW 2022: On Trauma and Masculinity in Comedy/Drama ‘Emergency’
Director Carey Williams and writer Kristen Dávila talk about channeling their racial experiences and observations into comedic social commentary, Emergency.
SUNDANCE 2022: ‘Emergency’ Is a Frenetic Satire About Deadly Consequences
Emergency is an unconventional love story about two friends with divergent views on what it means to be a young Black man in America.
Sundance 2022: Sci-fi ‘Dual’ Is Uncompromising Black Satire
Riley Stearns’ ‘Dual’ is an uncomfortable black comedy that asks the painful question: Are being loved and being true to yourself mutually exclusive?
Ousmane Sembène’s Vibrant Political Satire ‘Mandabi’ Pokes at Imperial Conquest
Ousmane Sembène’s Mandabi (1968) unravels Senegal’s post-colonial entanglements and centers African people, places, and experiences at every frustrating step.
The Return of George A. Romero’s ‘The Amusement Park’ Provokes Sympathy for the Nearly Dead
George A. Romero’s The Amusement Park (1973), showing at Salem Horror Fest, terrifies with what the future brings to all who dare to live.
What’s So Funny About Tragic Things?
Scepanski’s Tragedy Plus Time takes a serious look at how comedy and satire in American media make light of dark matters.