The New York Times – Film:
Audience reactions are a staple of standup specials. But they’re a strange device when you take a closer look.
Author: Jason Zinoman
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Conan O’Brien Delivers Punchy Oscars Monologue With ‘Weapons’ Parody
The New York Times – Film:
In his second turn as Oscars host, his monologue wasn’t as loopy as last year’s, but he displayed a range of jokes — nerdy, topical and physical.
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Ricky Gervais’s Golden Globe Win for His Stand-Up Special Sends a Bad Message
The New York Times – Film:
That “Ricky Gervais: Mortality” won for best comedy sends a message about the lack of respect given to stand-up.
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‘Bug’ Review: Carrie Coon Is Superb in an American Gothic Tale
The New York Times – Film:
Tracy Letts’s eerily topical, decades-old play about a woman’s descent into a world of conspiracy theories makes its nerve-rattling Broadway debut.
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How Rob Reiner Created His Comedy Legacy
The New York Times – Film:
These moments from his movies brought the laughs, in many different ways.
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Jim Downey, SNL’s Secret Weapon, Finally Gets His Spotlight Moment
The New York Times – Film:
A documentary about the writer Jim Downey is streaming just as he can be seen in “One Battle After Another” and a new Tim Robinson series.
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Why Arguments About Free Speech Don’t Apply to the Riyadh Comedy Festival
The New York Times – Film:
Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle and others have framed their participation as a matter of open expression. Yet they’re maddeningly vague about how much dissent is possible in Saudi Arabia.
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How the O.J. Simpson Trial Changed What Comics Could Roast
The New York Times – Film:
Norm Macdonald and Jay Leno made the double homicides such a constant topic that refraining from jokes the way David Letterman did was noticeable.