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March 28, 2024, 07:45:43 PM

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Curb Season 11

Started by Mobbd, October 22, 2021, 01:41:16 PM

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dr beat

I thought the ending had a slightly more reflective feel.  I was expecting something like one of them to knock their wine over someone in the seats below, but it was actually quite chilled in how they were just quietly taking in the music together.

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: dr beat on October 27, 2021, 10:24:03 PM
I thought the ending had a slightly more reflective feel.  I was expecting something like one of them to knock their wine over someone in the seats below, but it was actually quite chilled in how they were just quietly taking in the music together.

It felt more like "look at me an Albert Brooks sitting in fancy seats watching the new Dudamel that's just shown up, playing my theme tune!" But I never assume the best.

Replies From View

Well, I liked that very much.  It's good to realise that season 9 may remain the nadir, as far as coming back after a long time and being off the boil is concerned.

Twonty Gostelow

Yes, a good episode, nothing too cartoonish, not even Larry's walk into the glass door, which was really well-timed and not telegraphed.

Larry not making any reference to the staff diversity at Netflix was an interesting sign of the times. Season 1 Larry might have remarked on it.

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on October 27, 2021, 10:47:41 PM
It felt more like "look at me an Albert Brooks sitting in fancy seats watching the new Dudamel that's just shown up, playing my theme tune!" But I never assume the best.

It's only a feeling I got, but I wonder if that was an unspoken tribute to Bob Einstein. Maybe he'd loved the theme tune or had wanted to see it performed live by an orchestra, and there's his brother and Larry quietly presenting it. Or perhaps my imagination is running away with itself.

Replies From View

Little off-topic perhaps, but I've never seen Richard Lewis in anything other than Curb, and was wondering what else you would recommend that he's been in.

EOLAN

Quote from: Twonty Gostelow on October 28, 2021, 10:51:47 AM
Yes, a good episode, nothing too cartoonish, not even Larry's walk into the glass door, which was really well-timed and not telegraphed.

Best moment by far. I also love when things get cartoonish once it is well executed and enhances the laughs in the moment.

Replies From View

Quote from: EOLAN on October 28, 2021, 01:47:42 PM
Best moment by far. I also love when things get cartoonish once it is well executed and enhances the laughs in the moment.

Yes, Larry's demonstration of "plopping" and the resulting impact on the bracelet was a good example.  Strangely cartoony fly through the air but it fitted perfectly well.

Tokyo van Ramming

Quote from: Replies From View on October 28, 2021, 01:12:49 PM
Little off-topic perhaps, but I've never seen Richard Lewis in anything other than Curb, and was wondering what else you would recommend that he's been in.

I had a look at his credits and it's amazing that he's done so much and I've never seen him in anything else, except maybe The Larry Sanders Show.

I was also amazed at this, what an amazing man:



Mr Faineant

Quote from: Replies From View on October 28, 2021, 01:12:49 PM
Little off-topic perhaps, but I've never seen Richard Lewis in anything other than Curb, and was wondering what else you would recommend that he's been in.

I saw him do standup at a strange rich white people yacht club in Florida once. My friend worked there and got me in. He was very funny. I think I recorded the audio, I'll see if I can find it and share it. Wasn't he in Robin Hood men in tights? That was quite funny, if I recall.

Mobbd

Quote from: dr beat on October 27, 2021, 09:56:37 PM
It felt this time that they might address Larry's mortality more directly in this season rather than carry on as if he's 20/30 years younger, which is one criticism I heard about S10.

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on October 27, 2021, 10:17:44 PM
That's a very good point. He's nearly as old as Bob Einstein was when he died (and the absence of Richard Lewis in this episode did make me wonder ...), but as a character Larry's really not evolved much, if at all, over 20 years and 10 seasons.

This episode made it clear we can expect more of the same (i.e. minor couch spill confrontations), but it'd be nice to see something a little more reflective. Maybe it's coming, maybe it's not. I'm actually fine with either decision, since it'd be a huge risk to try and tackle anything a bit more lofty at this point, and honestly it's not what anyone watches Curb for.

Meh. Who wants to see that? Not me. This show is *all about* minor couch spill confrontations. I mean, do you respect wood? There's a reason they didn't set this season in the pandemic. Who wants to see Larry "evolving" or dealing with Real Shit? No thanks.

I guess the "Lewis needs a kidney" arc was fairly "real" but the way it was treated kinda shows you what Larry's attitude towards realness is. Thank fuck.

Aaaanyway, I for one enjoyed S11E01. Not the best ever but there was plenty to like and I'm glad there wasn't too much cartoonishness. I wondered if his reaction to the
Spoiler alert
pool corpse
[close]
was an indicator of more cartooning to come but I give that moment a pass because it was legit funny. Probably how I'd react too.

It was a pleasure to see Leon dressed up like a rich white guy to hang with Larry's pals.

Loved John Hamm
Spoiler alert
encroaching on Jewy stuff and being earnest about that stupid living funeral (making him an asshole, essentially stabbing Larry in the back for not taking it seriously
[close]
, which was really the only proper attitude to have!).

*Great* to see Albert Brooks on the show and I liked the stuff about
Spoiler alert
nobody having seen his films
[close]
.

Mobbd

I went looking for recent interviews to see if Larry's on a junket for Season 11. Unfortunately this meant looking at James Corden. What an unfunny, uncharismatic twat he is. Fucking magic lantern rubber.

Corden does let Larry talk though and we get some stories about why he became a comedian etc. If you don't want to watch the whole thing, you've at least gotta hear Larry's amazing pitch for Curb in the final few seconds:  https://youtu.be/hoXMCt25fXM?t=601

the science eel

That was the best one I've seen in a while. Lots of petty aggravations, tense altercations, the stuff of great Curb. I thought LD was on excellent form. Mucho Jeff, too. Fabulous.


olliebean

I wonder if they're going to do some meta joke with the theme tune at the end of every episode.

EOLAN

Quote from: the science eel on November 01, 2021, 09:39:30 PM
That was the best one I've seen in a while. Lots of petty aggravations, tense altercations, the stuff of great Curb. I thought LD was on excellent form. Mucho Jeff, too. Fabulous.

Probably one of my worse. Maybe only ahead of the rat dog episode where another canine gets battered. Was just thankful they played out the theme tune properly at the end. Thought they were going to do it completely as if Larry was listening through his paper covered ears.

Malcy

Enjoyed the first episode, thought the second was alright. I've said it before but even if an episode was laugh free I'd still enjoy it.

Mobbd

I thought ep2 was superb. Classic Curb. Could almost be an episode to start with as a new viewer.

I liked the tiny moment at the dentist's waiting room where Larry sees the woman in the middle chair. "In the middle? Really?" without it needing to go any further. Ahahaha. Good cut.

Mobius

I've enjoyed both episodes too. Just finished episode 2 and i think Jeff saying "aged towels?" was my favourite bit.

thugler

I'm with Larry on the old rough towels thing

Malcy

Did anyone else notice when they were at the gig that Larry pulled out the tissue and then it cut to a close up of him pulling it out of his pocket again?

olliebean

Is it usual in the US for dentists to be open plan like this one? Not even a curtain between patients? That'd put me off, never mind the music.

Dusty Substance

Really liked the season premiere but thought the second episode was one of the most laugh-free eps ever. Might just have been my frame of mind last night. Bit weird to hear to word "abortion" said aloud so many times in an American sitcom.

Saw this tweet regarding the latest episode of Curb:
Quotebothered by Larry's character  being *this* comfortable w/ post pandemic life. we're expected to believe he'd be out there at his age maskless indoors with others? I don't think so. Everything we know about this guy is he hates germs & judges everyone. Suddenly he's cool with it?

They've kind of got a point. The pandemic was touched upon in last week's episode with the hand sanitizer thing, but it's strange to see Larry being so blasé.

amputeeporn

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on October 27, 2021, 10:17:44 PM
That's a very good point. He's nearly as old as Bob Einstein was when he died (and the absence of Richard Lewis in this episode did make me wonder ...), but as a character Larry's really not evolved much, if at all, over 20 years and 10 seasons.

This episode made it clear we can expect more of the same (i.e. minor couch spill confrontations), but it'd be nice to see something a little more reflective. Maybe it's coming, maybe it's not. I'm actually fine with either decision, since it'd be a huge risk to try and tackle anything a bit more lofty at this point, and honestly it's not what anyone watches Curb for.

Yeah, echo that this is an interesting thought. I guess the reason we haven't seen Larry really reflecting on mortality, or even his own age, is that he just doesn't feel it yet. Who can blame him, he got old gloriously, earning billions of dollars for being a comedy genius who everyone loves. That shit keeps you young. Maybe in ten years time he'll feel like he's in his sixties?

Mobius

Quote from: Dusty Substance on November 02, 2021, 07:36:42 PM
They've kind of got a point. The pandemic was touched upon in last week's episode with the hand sanitizer thing, but it's strange to see Larry being so blasé.

That's true, but on the other hand do you want to hear about COVID all the time? And I just can't see them masking characters up.

Twonty Gostelow

Exactly. Ten episodes where Larry - everyone - puts a mask on before going into shops, restaurants, theatres etc would be unwriteable, let alone unwatchable.

Mobbd

Quote from: Dusty Substance on November 02, 2021, 07:36:42 PM
Bit weird to hear to word "abortion" said aloud so many times in an American sitcom.

I barely noticed it being said at all. Am I a monster?

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: Mobius on November 02, 2021, 10:55:51 PM
That's true, but on the other hand do you want to hear about COVID all the time? And I just can't see them masking characters up.

I don't think many shows have incorporated lockdowns/masks etc. unless they're specifically about COVID because that would instantly date it, and a lot can change within the year or so it takes to produce a season (this season of Curb is somewhat suffering from an overly optimistic prediction of what life would be like in October 2021). I remember a producer mentioning that they consciously ignored it in the latest season of Succession, with an explanation to the effect of: "because COVID doesn't matter to rich people, yeah?" which I thought was pretty disingenuous (far more likely they just didn't want to rewrite the entire season to incorporate it, which is fair enough).

Moreover, as you say, it'd just look rather silly. Facial expressions are so vital to the comedy of Curb, and while I'm sure they could get one or two jokes out of masks, it'd be at the expense of everything else.

Replies From View

It is strange though, this alternate post-COVID universe they inhabit.  I find it kind of fascinating.  I wonder if it'll end up even more dated in its optimism than if they'd accepted COVID as a part of its fabric.

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: Replies From View on November 03, 2021, 05:15:50 PM
It is strange though, this alternate post-COVID universe they inhabit.  I find it kind of fascinating.  I wonder if it'll end up even more dated in its optimism than if they'd accepted COVID as a part of its fabric.

Quite possibly, in places like Los Angeles especially. But assuming this season began production early in the year, it was a fair gamble at the time that we'd be more or less back to normal once the vaccine rolled out - at least that was the message coming from the administration/media at the time. It wasn't until July or so when the restrictions came back and the vaccine mandates started being discussed, but it'd be too late for Curb to go back and change anything.

EDIT: They actually discuss it here https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/curb-your-enthusiasm-season-11-covid-19-1235034273/

I wonder what Cheryl Hines' relationship to all of this is. It was a "fully-vaccinated" premiere, but she's married to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (who I'm assuming wasn't invited).

Replies From View

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on November 03, 2021, 05:26:07 PM
It was a "fully-vaccinated" premiere, but she's married to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (who I'm assuming wasn't invited).

Why?  Is he a menace at premieres?

Bronzy

Quote from: Replies From View on November 03, 2021, 05:33:51 PM
Why?  Is he a menace at premieres?

Him and Andrew Wakefield are basically the CEOs of anti-vaxxers.