In that case, I would ask you, What point are they trying to make? What's the joke here?

I've seen a few attempts by progressive white women to align themselves a bit too closely with black culture and struggle lately. It shouldn't be surprising when they get a response of "Back off."

The people trying to shut down artworks have no understanding of history and no respect for artists. They should read some Orwell and Le Guin and study the PMRA, life under Thatcher, and Totalitarian regimes. This isn't going to end well.

All of these things are in part responsible (actually in large part), but there's also an issue of these just being longstanding problems and people now have a platform to speak up.

It does social commentary, which is political.

Political comedy is a weird thing, because by choosing its allegiance, it's unable to laugh at itself. Only South Park is doing it well currently, because it's not afraid of audience disagreement.

I find Oliver's show to be pretty damn shrill, too, but it's maybe because he recycles his joke structures a lot and has to feign shock over material he's obviously been through a hundred times in rehearsal.

They've been using the "Space Pants" formula a lot this year, wherein a ridiculously abnormal, disassociated element is introduced to a mundane situation. I think SP was the point when SNL's comedy caught up to the present, but they better be careful about riding this formula to the ground.

It seems to work. I first noticed it around five years ago when Jezebel started posting headlines such as, "Why Kerry Washington is Your New BFF." Then later I'd see well-intentioned users post unconsciously racist comments like, "OMG, I love Kerry Washington, my imaginary BFF. She's SO regal."

But if talented female directors are being withheld from jobs because of their gender then a move like this is important. Male directors aren't losing out on work in the greater scheme of things.

In the '90s, Tom Hanks was everywhere, and seen as the favourite actor of all middle-of-the-road squares. Janeane Garofalo even had a stand up bit about this. Now, he's universally beloved, as he should be. And the crazy thing is, the cultural turning point was his appearance in Carly Rae Jepsen's "I Really Like You"…

For me the problem with The Innkeepers is that the A-story (the innkeepers) and the B-story (the ghost) have nothing to do with each other. It's just unpolished screenwriting. But I did find the leads and their lot in life pretty endearing/compelling.

Yeah. I first started hearing the term slow-burn when Devil came out, and he has been doing that since. Watching a babysitter hang out by herself in a mansion at night is just more compelling to the average viewer than most other long-ass buildups where nothing is happening, I suppose.

I guess I'd need to know what you consider West's one trick to comment on that, but I certainly think HotD was his most obvious stylistic era-throwback. The Sacrament was one of the more tasteless films I've seen in recent times. It's just incredibly misguided.

In his defense, West did the early '80s throwback really well with The House of the Devil. It's also, pending this one (and Cabin Fever 2, which he's disowned), his only movie that I've liked. But yeah, '70s fetishism that's unrelated to P-Funk and early De Palma needs to die.

Yeah, the reviewer is only seeing the show he wants to see, ironically reinforcing the episode's whole point about choosing sides.

I think the setup for this sketch is actually quite funny. It isn't really skewering art house pretensions, so much as just deriving comedy through an uncomfortable situation with that audience member. The problem is, once the joke is established, it has nothing to do for the next four minutes.

Ever since "Space Pants," SNL has really been riding on this "abnormal, disassociated element introduced to mundane situation" sketch format. It's been responsible for some of the better recent skits, but it's starting to show its seams.

The sinkhole sketch works because most people (men and women) believe in dating "leagues" whether they'll admit to it or not. I like how the situation subverts the status quo while the on-screen commentariat isn't sure if they're comfortable with this or not.

I liked it, while admitting it doesn't "work" in the way most people expect mainstream movies to work. There's more narrative worldbuilding in this thing (some of it quite imaginative, and Burton inserts brief pockets of beauty) than in any major fantasy film since The Chronicles of Riddick. That film also didn't…