2x01 'A Good Opportunity'

thedistantfuture wrote:

hellomyfriend wrote:


That's quite a 'fro Bret's got going. It's almost competing with the plant.

That fro defies gravity. I'm diggin' it. Now we might need to start the religion of Bretfroism. I already started Jemfroism but this is epic.

[size=100:3twmn3tv]Now, this post will seem kinda picky and bitchy BUT, I'm gonna write it anyway. I love flight of the conchords. I thought the new episode was hilarious. I would just like to get this out there: Bret's pants were knit, not woven. I know I'm being nit picky and I don't care that much... I just wanna say, those were definitely knit. You can clearly see the stockinette stitch when they show the glove box. I still love flight of the conchords, and I don't think that this is a big deal... just thought I'd put it out there.

hellomyfriend wrote:

[size=100:4ubb88d0]Now, this post will seem kinda picky and bitchy BUT, I'm gonna write it anyway. I love flight of the conchords. I thought the new episode was hilarious. I would just like to get this out there: Bret's pants were knit, not woven. I know I'm being nit picky and I don't care that much... I just wanna say, those were definitely knit. You can clearly see the stockinette stitch when they show the glove box. I still love flight of the conchords, and I don't think that this is a big deal... just thought I'd put it out there.

source:


I knit, and I noticed the exact same thing.

[size=133:3hbwwum2]FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 2.1 - "
A Good Opportunity"

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 | Flight Of The Conchords, TV Comedy, TV Reviews

[size=100:3hbwwum2]I dearly wanted to love Flight Of The Conchords last year, but a number of factors prevented me from embracing it: the fact most plots are a variation on "
someone leaves the band"
or a "
romantic gooseberry"
, that the songs are generally quite forgettable (admit it), and the intentionally tiresome characterizations. It's shot through with an indie aesthetic (visually and in the dialogue) that just comes across as smug and distancing to me, too. The season 2 premiere toys with the idea of reinvention for a few minutes, but it's business as usual before too long -- with one notable difference: the songs are actually worse...

Bret (Bret McKenzie) and Jemaine (Jemaine Clement) are still struggling Kiwi folk-pop musicians trying to get a break in America. Following the events of the season 1 finale, their incompetent manager Murray (Rhys Darby) had fluked success with a rival band called "
Crazy Dogggz"
, and has become a sharp-suited music exec in a plush skyscraper. However, his success hasn't had a positive knock-on effect for "
Flight Of The Conchords"
, as they're still struggling for gigs.

Murray's split loyalty forces Jemaine and Bret to part company with their manager, to represent themselves. Encouragingly, they manage to land a toothpaste commercial for a women's-only brand called "
Femident"
. Meanwhile, Murray realizes the Crazy Dogggz's stole their hit single from an obscure '90s Polish group, and is forced to give up his high-flying lifestyle and return to work at the New Zealand consulate.

The plot is certainly more robust than usual, which helped keep my interest in events. But, essentially, this is yet another riff on the idea of someone (in this case Murray) leaving, or being forced to leave, the Conchords triptych. It's actually laughable that the writers have so few ideas in their arsenal, and not a good sign for season 2 if they're still recycling ideas that became threadbare mid-season 1.

Clement and McKenzie are on record as saying season 2 was particularly difficult to write, because they'd exhausted their back-catalogue of comedy songs in season 1. Consequently, they've had the added burden of composing new songs to go along with fresh scripts. They've clearly spread themselves very thin, as the three songs in this episode are incredibly thin, fairly unfunny, and don't last very long. A few of the songs last year were "
earworms"
, but the ones here burrow through one ear and plop out the other. Season 1's songs were often clumsily inserted into the narrative, so you'd think that would be a thing of the past (now they can write the songs to fit the plots precisely), but only the Femident jingle is relevant and necessary.

On the positive side, there were some good lines dotted about, and Rhys Darby is still the main reason to be watching. Someone give him his own series, as he's far more engaging than the leads (who, by design, resemble autistic social pariahs.) There was more comedy in Murray discovering his letter of resignation from the NZ consulate hadn't even been read (owing to the fact nobody goes into his office), than the rest of the episode put together.

Overall, FoTC is still a crushing disappointment to me. It's the TV version of a hipster indie comedy (hyped to annoyance, adored by a cultish clique, but essentially half-empty and running on fumes.) Flight Of The Conchords wants to be a witty, somnambulant Wes Anderson musical... but these Kiwi's are much funnier in their natural medium: music albums.

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hellomyfriend wrote:Eep!


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[size=133:hynt6ald]'Flight of the Conchords' flies back for another season
By Brendan Kelley, Staff Writer
January 19, 2009

[size=100:hynt6ald]Flight of the Conchords, a band comprised of Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, has returned stateside to showcase the duo's unique look at life as a New Zealand band in New York City once again.

At the end of the first season, Murray (Rhys Darby), the band's manager, took on managing another band, the Crazy Dogggz. Unlike many of the concurrent episodes from the first season, the plot from last year’s season finale flows directly into the first episode of this season. Bret and Jemaine determine that Murray isn’t managing them well enough and decide to fire him. At their next gig, they are quickly picked up by an advertisement agency to do a jingle for women’s-only toothpaste.

Since Flight of the Conchords is a band first and a television show second, the musical interludes are usually the highlight of the show -- or at least a great accompaniment. In the second season’s first episode the interludes lack the charm of some of the songs from the past season. The first performance by Murray and the second performance by Bret and Jemaine are the culprits. Rhys Darby and his first performance ("
Leggy Blond"
) last season was pure genius, but his latest song lacked the musical and lyrical support. As for the third song, the idea seems funny in theory but the song ends up falling short.

Ultimately, these two songs just don’t have those laugh-out-loud moments like some of the band’s earlier work. Fortunately, the toothpaste jingle that is played between the other two songs is much better. It’s short, lyrically laughable and musically solid.

The charm in this episode comes from the superb dialogue and character interactions. Both McKenzie and Clement act with the series’ trademark ignorance of the world at large. In one particular scene wherein the two are discussing what women like, Jemaine explains how his father is a women’s rights activist. When Bret asks Jemaine if his mother is one, Jemaine responds, “No. Dad wouldn’t allow that.” In addition to the spoken interactions, some of the unsaid subtleties are just as funny. After Bret shows Jemaine some dolls with denim jackets that he had been working on, Jemaine turns around and the audience can see that doll sized jacket holes have been cut from his denim jacket. These hidden gems of humor require a keen eye or multiple viewings.

One new quality to the show that is neither good nor bad is what seems to be a possibly larger budget. This is particularly evident in the “music videos” of the episode. For instance, the last song had the band playing in CG heaven accompanied by an angelical choir. It does seem to have lost some of that backyard music video feeling -- kind of like the feeling when Murray records the band in homemade uniforms with his camera phone. So far it hasn’t hurt the overall image of the show, but it remains to be seen if it will be damaging in the long run.

The first episode of the second season of “Flight of the Conchords” is most certainly worth watching. It isn’t the best in the show’s history, but a full season still remains.

gezyka wrote:Oh boy...ouch! " title="" border="0"/>

[size=133:q59bfngn]FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS 2.1 - "
A Good Opportunity"

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 | Flight Of The Conchords, TV Comedy, TV Reviews

[size=100:q59bfngn]I dearly wanted to love Flight Of The Conchords last year....

Source:

ohjeez wrote:"
resemble autistic social pariahs"


what

[size=133:y8qrooka]Pre Flight check
4:00AM Thursday Jan 22, 2009
By Joanna Hunkin

[size=100:y8qrooka]The Flight of the Conchords' second series is out - Joanna Hunkin had a sneak preview

Flight of the Conchords' long-awaited second season premiered in America on Sunday night, proving the Kiwi duo haven't lost their flair for the ridiculous.

The programme has been on hiatus for more than a year, partly due to the writers' strike, and the need to pen new music after depleting their original catalogue during the first season.

The second series will screen in New Zealand on Prime later this year, but we managed to score a sneak peak, thanks to the interweb.

Spoiler alert - all those wanting to savour the delights of the new season should stop reading now. But for those hanging out for a Conchords update, here's what the boys have in store...

When we last left Bret and Jemaine, they had been dumped by their respective bandmates, who teamed up to form the Crazy Doggz.

Now platinum-selling recording artists, the Crazy Doggz have become Murray's sole focus, seeing him quit his job at the consulate and move into a flash new office.

Unhappy playing second-fiddle to the Doggz, Bret and Jemaine fire Murray, in the opening scene of the season premiere.

"
Before you came to me, you were poor and had no gigs. Now look at you!"
cries Murray in indignation.

"
We're poor and we've got no gigs,"
replies Bret.

"
We're slightly poorer,"
adds Jemaine.

"
Are you really?"
asks Murray.

"
Yeah, Bret's only got one shoe."


In addition to these classic deadpan moments, the boys also poke fun at their real-life achievements, in a brilliant scene where Murray announces the band's two Grammy Awards are fake.

"
I had to make them myself. They're pencil sharpeners stuck to a couple of pieces of wood,"
says Murray.

"
We didn't win the Grammys?"
asks a doe-eyed Jemaine.

Of course, in reality the band are Grammy Award-winning artists, and nominated again at next month's awards for Best Comedy Album.

Musically, the first episode doesn't serve up the same level of singalong satire that the first season did - it's hard to beat The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room) for a season opener - but the biggest laughs have always come from their inane, rambling banter and regular jibes at New Zealand's expense.

When asked to write a jingle for a women's-only toothpaste, the band return with an 18-minute diatribe that doesn't mention toothpaste.

"
I know you're from New Zealand, but what is this, Lord of the Rings? We don't have all day!"
says the advertising executive - played by Whose Line Is It Anyway? comedian Greg Proops.

By the end of the episode, the boys have re-hired Murray - who has returned to his job at the consulate after the Crazy Doggz were found to have plagiarised a Polish band's song - and are still broke after the advertising agency discovered the band don't actually have work permits.

It's back to the status quo. Which in the Conchords' case, is pretty bloody excellent.

Sub Pop has announced a new Flight of the Conchords album will be released on April 14, featuring up to 15 songs from the new series. The record is as yet untitled.

What the critics said

Some people may never quite get the Conchords' oddball humour, but the duo have secured some high and mighty fans since debuting in 2007.

Here's what some of America's toughest critics had to say about the new season.

"
The second season discovers the show's struggling duo in fine form, generating enough moments of genuine whimsy to sustain its cult status and add a much-coveted demographic patch to the pay channel's programming quilt."


- Brian Lowry, Variety


"
The real affirmation of the night is Season 2 of Flight of the Conchords, which flat-out cements the quirky brilliance of 'New Zealand's fourth most popular folk parody duo'.

"
The level of cleverness of Flight of the Conchords is off the charts ... more laughs have never come from such a lack of effort. Flight of the Conchords remains one of the funniest series on television."


- Tim Goodman, San Francisco Chronicle


"
As always, the New Zealand accents make everything funnier. The real issue this season will be the quality of the songs. The first season used up all of the pair's existing material, and the new songs in the first three shows are uneven. Mr Clement and Mr McKenzie pull off a neat trick in their show: they play a pair of clueless losers set loose in New York while simultaneously communicating the fact that in real life they're hipster studs."


- Mike Hale, New York Times


"
'Truth be told, the second season of Flight of the Conchords has the feel of a rock group's sophomore-slump second album: It's not quite as inventive or inspired as the first time around. Yet it's still funnier than almost anything on the broadcast networks, and I know it will make for appointment viewing in my household."


- Ted Cox, Chicago Daily Herald

[size=100:ujvexvgj][size=133:ujvexvgj]Thumb Wars - Flight of the Conchords

Love It

HBO turned up the funny last Sunday with the new season of "
Flight of the Conchords."
At first, there were worries that a second season wouldn't even happen (and it's very possible it may be the last), but the Kiwis' sophomore attempt is anything but sophomoric ... well, maybe a little bit, but in a good way.

The first episode revolves around a jingle Bret and Jemaine must write for Femident, a toothpaste for women. Any other comedy duo would sing silly things about women and teeth, but not FOTC. No, they sing silly things about women while sticking their heads out of giant toothpaste rolls dressed as toothpaste themselves, complete with hats shaped like red-striped licks of toothpaste. Now that's dedication.

The guys are not afraid to make fun of themselves or to put their characters into the direst of straits, and that's what makes their comedy successful. The quickness with which both the guys and their manager continue to plummet to new lows only makes for more chuckle gold. Murray starts the show belting out a number dripping with pathos and bemoaning his fall from success. But when he finally has enough nerves to return to work after telling his coworkers to "
stuff it"
in a note, no one even realized he was gone in the first place. Sad face? No, that's a plummet down the lollercoaster.

FOTC's self-deprecating humor perfectly illustrates what Mel Brooks was talking about when he said: "
Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die."
The show hasn't seen open sewers yet, but let's not make light of midnight David Bowie pep talks, earning just 50 cents from a greeting card song or considering secondhand underpants.

[size=75:ujvexvgj] - Christine Borden


Hate It

A program on HBO showcases the struggles of a loser rock band trying to make it in the big city, while serenading their audiences with comical songs that owe a bit to Spinal Tap. This acoustic duo plays crappy venues, has one maniacal fan and are a bit deluded themselves. Oh, by the way, I'm not talking about "
Flight of the Conchords."
The show in question is none other than Tenacious D. The D's Jack Black and Kyle Gass (East Bay born and bred) are the original folk farce troubadours. And a mere 10 years after Tenacious D's debut, two guys have retooled that premise with only an Auckland accent and Wes Anderson aesthetic.

To be sure, Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement are funny and talented. The two didn't kick ass at The Fringe comedy festival in Edinburgh consistently without reason. Yet Flight of the Conchords as a show falls vastly short of the wit and charm that radiated from their earlier works, like "
Albi the Racist and Dragon"
and "
Robots."
The program's jokes rely heavily on the duo's Kiwi accents to help along some freeze-dried humor. If you stripped Bret and Jemaine of the New Zealander linguistic crutch, the show would quickly become a cheap "
Darjeeling Limited"
-an unfunny yet colorfully vibrant deadpan overindulgence.

Its hard to believe that a band with "
exotic"
accents and a great choice of animal-themed sweaters could have trouble getting big or getting laid in New York City. I like my wannabe rockstars fat and balding;
otherwise, the desperation and delusion seems a bit contrived. So until Flight of the Conchords drop the down-on-their-luck act and faux Noah Baumbach cinematography, New Zealand's chief exports will continue to be hobbits and rugby players.

[size=75:ujvexvgj] - Derek Sagehorn

[size=100:ltaw811q]Andrew Drost (Tenor) AUGUSTUS GLOOP: Birthplace: Detroit, MI. Career Highlights: Rodrigo in La Donna del Lago, Belfiore in Viaggio a Reims, Pirelli in Sweeney Todd, Victorin in Die Tote Stadt (NYCO);
Count Liebenskof in Viaggio a Reims (Rossini Festival, Pesaro, Italy) Lensky in Eugene Onegin (CT Lyric Opera);
Prunier in La Rondine (Sarasota Opera);
Bernstein on Broadway Concert at Caramoor International Music Festival, Singing our National Anthem and God Bless America at Shea Stadium and being [size=133:ltaw811q]featured as the voice of Murray on the HBO show Flight of the Conchords Season 2 premiere.

step0nmi wrote:... I think they did a really great job finding the right person to SOUND like Murry if he was to do opera ;
)

tanfastic wrote:I second that. Or third that. Gez, Gez, Gez, you go to the head of the class. Again.

drunkagain wrote:Have we seen this one before?
Oh well, it's such a beautiful shot that I'm sure no one will mind seeing it again.

drunkagain wrote:Have we seen this one before?
Oh well, it's such a beautiful shot that I'm sure no one will mind seeing it again.

[size=100:uxf6godl]... CAILIN McDONALD (Lainie, Leigh) has been seen around town in Brit Bits (Mind the Gap), Star Power, Libretto (Algonquin), Flipper's Comeback (Word of Mouth), A Girl's Guide to Chaos (Reel Actors Productions), and Swim Short 3 (Impetuous Theater), among others. Her regional credits include Under Milk Wood, Proof, Blithe Spirit, Uncommon Women..., and Sweeney Todd. [size=133:uxf6godl]She's very proud to be "
The Femident Girl"
for "
The Flight of the Conchords"
. ...