Satire

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As some of you might know, I am a massive fan of the genre (I even have a blog centred about it). What makes good satire? What are your favourite satirical films/shows/etc?

Essential viewing:
The Day Today - proof that Chris Morris is a god
There are only 12 episodes of this, which means that unlike Charlie Brooker's x-wipe it got killed before it got repetitive. It satirised news so fucking brilliantly, and ended at its peak

Nathan Barley, Four Lions and Brasseye are all top-notch too, literally everything he's ever been involved in

not such a fan of satire that isn't funny though, it generally comes across as commentary that's too lazy to properly make any arguments if it's not making me laugh
 
I'm a big fan of Monty Python, which you know involves a great deal of satire. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is bursting with it, if you understand the historical context of the movie. The scene below is one example, and cracks me up every time I watch it:

 
Steve Coogan/Alan Partridge is incredibly good (he was in The Day Today before he started doing 'I'm Alan Partridge') and the recent film is well worth watching.
 
No Stephen Colbert? Shame.


I especially love the fact how he's basically wielding his art in front of a hostile, serious audience (not the kind willing to listen and react to jokes/satire) and are even affronted that he should try such a stunt on such a platform. But as time passes he has them all grinning and at the last moment some reluctantly burst out laughing. Godly satire.

edit: more goodstuff.


:D :D



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And for my personal favourite. Probably the ballsiest move by any comedian/satirist EVER.


Yeah, completely a good idea to insult the fucking president, ON HIS FACE, in the WHITE HOUSE, on a Speech BROADCAST NATIONALLY.
 
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All of Onion News basically?
The week in reviews are some of my favourites as well

Satire really only works when you come in knowing a decent amount about the topic. This is why the Onion works so well, basically all of its articles are responses to real headlines around the world
 
The best satire I've ever seen is Look Around You (the original series, fuck season 2). It is a pitch perfect parody of educational films of the 80s-90s. Seriously, just watch one episode.

If you like the onion, check out satirewire. They have a couple of real classics. Does not update very often, but the archives are still golden.

@cookie: I've only seen brass eye, but man is it amazing.
 
Australian Tv show The Chasers War on Everything was amazing when it came to satire, especially political. This is probably their most well known stunt.

 
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is a great satire. I'd add the funniest part on from youtube but the media says it can not be embedded for some reason.
 
did you know that a paedophile is more closely related to this crab than to you and me?

I'm a huge fan of basically anything involving Chris Morris / Armando Iannucci (the day today, brasseye, four lions, i'm alan partridge, knowing me knowing you, the thick of it). Look Around You (and most other stuff by Peter Serafinowicz) is also absolute genius; if the Iron episode was on youtube i'd link it here because it is just incredible.
 
I'll second Colbert, and good sketch comedy (Monty Python, Fry & Laurie, etc.) often includes some excellent satirical sketches. Mel Brooks has made some great satires as well.
 
I'm a massive fan of Brass Eye, but haven't seen much of The Day Today. Chris Morris has basically the same persona in both though, and he's very entertaining.

I also love The Office (UK version ofc) which really tread (treaded? trod?) the line between comedy and tragedy especially in the final episode of the second series. I thought it was really clever how you started off thinking that Brent was a total arse but you ended up feeling really sorry for him by the end of the show.
 
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