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Sophomoric Humor
Sophomoric humor (also called juvenile humor or schoolboy humor) is any type of humor that is considered silly, immature, or childish. The phrase can be derisive, but is also used to refer to a style or type of comedic act. It is a type of comedy that often includes toilet humor. Examples A critique of John Steinbeck's '' The Short Reign of Pippin IV'' by Peter Lisca describes the story as lacking the burlesque humor of ''Tortilla Flat'', the Rabelaisian humor of " St. Katy the Virgin," the folk humor of ''The Grapes of Wrath'', the tender humor of ''Cannery Row'', the "terrible" Swiftian humor of '' The Wayward Bus'', and (instead) consisting of "a sophomoric humor of grotesque improbability and wordplay." British comic '' Viz'' has been described as schoolboy humor. American film director Judd Apatow's work, including ''The 40 Year Old Virgin'', ''Knocked Up'' and ''Funny People ''Funny People'' is a 2009 American black comedy-drama film written and directed by Judd Ap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Speed Hump
Speed bumps (also called traffic thresholds, speed breakers or sleeping policemen) are a class of traffic calming devices that use vertical deflection to slow motor-vehicle traffic in order to improve safety conditions. Variations include the speed hump, speed cushion, and speed table. The use of vertical deflection devices is widespread around the world, and they are most commonly used to enforce a speed limit under . Although speed bumps are effective in keeping vehicle speeds down, their use is sometimes controversial—as they can increase traffic noise, may damage vehicles if traversed at too great a speed (despite that being the point), and slow emergency vehicles. Poorly-designed speed bumps that stand too tall or with too-sharp an angle can be disruptive for drivers, and may be difficult to navigate for vehicles with low ground clearance, even at very low speeds. Many sports cars have this problem with such speed bumps. Speed bumps can also pose serious hazards to moto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer, essayist, satirist, and Anglican cleric. In 1713, he became the Dean (Christianity), dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, and was given the sobriquet "Dean Swift". His trademark deadpan and ironic style of writing, particularly in works such as ''A Modest Proposal'' (1729), has led to such satire being subsequently termed as "Swiftian". He wrote the satirical book ''Gulliver's Travels'' (1726), which became his best-known publication and popularised the fictional island of Lilliput and Blefuscu, Lilliput. Following the remarkable success of his works, Swift came to be regarded by many as the greatest satirist of the Georgian era, and one of the foremost prose satirists in the history of English literature. Swift also authored works such as ''A Tale of a Tub'' (1704) and ''An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity'' (1712). He originally published all of his works under pseudonyms—including L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Funny People
''Funny People'' is a 2009 American black comedy-drama film written and directed by Judd Apatow, co-produced by Apatow Productions and Madison 23 Productions, and starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann, with Eric Bana, Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman in supporting roles. The film follows a famous comedian who is diagnosed with a terminal disease and tries to fix the relationships in his life while befriending an aspiring comedian. The film was released on July 31, 2009. It received generally positive reviews with particular praise for the performances, but also criticism for its runtime. However, the film was a box-office bomb, grossing $71 million against its $75 million budget, and was the final film produced by Madison 23, as Sandler retired the label after its release. Plot George Simmons is a middle-aged retired stand-up comedian turned movie star. Despite his wealth, he is disillusioned and depressed as most of his recent film work is low-brow and poorly re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Knocked Up
''Knocked Up'' is a 2007 American romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Judd Apatow, and starring Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Jason Segel and Martin Starr. It follows the repercussions of a drunken one-night stand between a slacker and a recently promoted media personality that results in an unintended pregnancy. ''Knocked Up'' was directed by Apatow, from a screenplay by himself. Apatow, Shauna Robertson and Clayton Townsend were involved in the film as producers for the film studio, Apatow Productions. Rogen and Evan Goldberg were involved in the film as executive producers. Filming began on May 29, 2006, in various locations in the United States, with a focus on California, including Los Angeles and Santa Monica. The cinematography was in charge of Eric Edwards, while the soundtrack was composed by Loudon Wainwright III and Joe Henry, and the edition was in charge of Brent White and Craig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The 40 Year Old Virgin
''The 40-Year-Old Virgin'' is a 2005 American romantic comedy film directed by Judd Apatow (in his feature directorial debut), who produced the film with Clayton Townsend and Shauna Robertson. It features Steve Carell as the titular 40-year-old virgin Andy, an employee at an electronics store. Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, and Seth Rogen play co-workers who resolve to help him lose his virginity, and Catherine Keener stars as Andy's love interest, Trish. Watching Carell's performance in '' Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy'' (2004) inspired Apatow to cast him in the lead role for the film, and they wrote ''The 40-Year-Old Virgin'' together. It was based on a sketch Carell created with The Second City where a man aged 40 hides a secret. Filming took place in Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley, California, from January to April 2005. The film was released theatrically in the United States on August 19, 2005, by Universal Pictures, and grossed over $177 million worldwide o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and comedian known for his work in comedy films. Apatow is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he wrote, produced, and directed his films ''The 40-Year-Old Virgin'' (2005), ''Knocked Up'' (2007), ''Funny People'' (2009), ''This Is 40'' (2012), ''Trainwreck (film), Trainwreck'' (2015), ''The King of Staten Island'' (2020), and ''The Bubble (2022 film), The Bubble'' (2022). Through his company, Apatow produced and developed the television series ''Freaks and Geeks'' (1999–2000), ''Undeclared'' (2001–2002), ''Funny or Die Presents'' (2010–2011), ''Girls (TV series), Girls'' (2012–2017), ''Love (TV series), Love'' (2016–2018), and ''Crashing (U.S. TV series), Crashing'' (2017–2019). He also produced the films ''The Cable Guy'' (1996), ''Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy'' (2004), ''Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby'' (2006), ''Superbad (film), Superbad'' (2007 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Viz (comics)
''Viz'' is a British adult comics, adult Humor magazine, comic magazine founded in 1979 by Chris Donald. It parodies British comics of the post-war period, notably ''The Beano'' and ''The Dandy'', but with extensive profanity, toilet humour, black comedy, surreal humour and generally sexual or violent storylines. It also sends up Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspapers, with mockeries of articles and letters pages. It features parody competitions and advertisements for overpriced 'limited edition' wikt:trinket, tat, as well as obsessions with half-forgotten kitsch celebrities from the 1960s to the 1980s, such as Shakin' Stevens and Rodney Bewes. Occasionally, it satirises News, current affairs and politicians, but it has no particular political standpoint. Its success in the early 1990s led to the appearance of numerous rivals copying the format ''Viz'' pioneered; none of them managed to attain its popularity. Circulation peaked at 1.2 million in the early 1990s, ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Wayward Bus
''The Wayward Bus'' is a novel by American author John Steinbeck, published in 1947. The novel's epigraph is a passage from the 15th-century English play '' Everyman'', with its archaic English intact; the quotation refers to the transitory nature of humanity. Although considered one of Steinbeck's weaker novels at the time of its original publication, ''The Wayward Bus'' was financially more successful than any of his previous works. Steinbeck dedicated this novel to "Gwyn", thought to be a reference to his second wife, Gwyndolyn Conger. The couple divorced less than a year after the book was published. Plot summary No single character dominates ''The Wayward Bus''. The viewpoint shifts frequently from one character to another, often taking the form of internal monologue so that we are experiencing a given character's thoughts. Much of the novel's length is simply devoted to establishing and delineating the various characters. This novel takes place firmly within the "Steinbe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cannery Row (novel)
''Cannery Row'' is a novel by American author John Steinbeck, published in 1945. It is set during the Great Depression in Monterey, California, on a street lined with sardine canneries that is known as Cannery Row. The story revolves around the people living there: Lee Chong, the local grocer; Doc, a marine biologist; and Mack, the leader of a group of derelict people. The Monterey location Steinbeck was writing about, on Ocean View Avenue, had been informally called "Cannery Row" since World War I. The street was formally renamed "Cannery Row" in 1958 in honor of Steinbeck. A film version was released in 1982 and a stage version was produced in 1995. Background Steinbeck was born in the farming town of Salinas, California, on February 27, 1902. He graduated from Salinas High School and enrolled at Stanford University in 1919. He married his first wife, Carol Henning, in 1930. During the 1930s, Steinbeck wrote several of his most popular novels including, ''Tortilla Flat'' (19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Humor
Humour ( Commonwealth English) or humor (American English) is the tendency of experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks, which taught that the balance of fluids in the human body, known as "humours" (Latin: ', "body fluid"), controlled human health and emotion. People of all ages and cultures respond to humour. Most people are able to experience humour—be amused, smile or laugh at something funny (such as a pun or joke)—and thus are considered to have a ''sense of humour''. The hypothetical person lacking a sense of humour would likely find the behaviour to be inexplicable, strange, or even irrational. Though ultimately decided by subjective personal taste, the extent to which a person finds something humorous depends on a host of variables, including geographical location, culture, maturity, level of education, intelligence and wikt:context, context. For example, young children may favour sl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Grapes Of Wrath
''The Grapes of Wrath'' is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962. Set during the Great Depression, the novel focuses on the Joads, a poor family of tenant farmers driven from their Oklahoma home by drought, economic hardship, agricultural industry changes, and bank foreclosures forcing tenant farmers out of work. Due to their nearly hopeless situation, and in part because they are trapped in the Dust Bowl, the Joads set out for California on the " mother road", along with thousands of other " Okies" seeking jobs, land, dignity, and a future. ''The Grapes of Wrath'' is frequently read in American high school and college literature classes due to its historical context and enduring legacy. A Hollywood film version, starring Henry Fonda and directed by John Ford, was released in 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Long Valley
''The Long Valley'' is a collection of short fiction by John Steinbeck. Most of the stories appeared originally in literary periodicals, and were first collected by Viking Press in 1938. Ranked among Steinbeck's "finest and best-known" fiction, these are among the most frequently anthologized of Steinbeck's stories, widely read by university undergraduates and high school students. Author and social critic Andre Gide declared that several stories in ''The Long Valley'' "equaled or surpassed" those of Russian author Anton Checkov. "The Murder" and "The Promise" were selected for the O. Henry Prize anthology for short fiction in 1934 and 1938, respectively. Stories The literary periodical in which a story first appeared is indicated below. *" The Chrysanthemums" (''Harper's Magazine'', October 1937) *" The White Quail" ( The North American Review, March 1935) *"Flight" *"The Snake" (''The Monterey Beacon'', June 22, 1935) *"Breakfast" (''Pacific Weekly'', November 9, 1936) *" T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
