Dan Gurewitch

Fantastic Mr. Fox was wonderful. So creative and charming and...

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:53:05 -0500

Fantastic Mr. Fox was wonderful. So creative and charming and fun, as well as beautiful to watch.

I argued briefly with Amir after watching it, since he claimed that “kids would not like it” and “You shouldn’t criticize movies like ‘Tooth Fairy’ because they’re made for kids, and kids have more fun watching stupid movies.” I could not possibly disagree more. Just because people - kids included - have been proven to enjoy the lowest common denominator does not make it okay to condescend to them with stupidity.

Films like Up, Aladdin, Ratatouille and Fantastic Mr. Fox are brilliant because they don’t assume that kids (and, as a result, adults) are retards. You should no more say “Kids’ movies have a right to be stupid, they’re kids’ movies” than you should say the same about action movies or big-budget family comedies. No! It shouldn’t ever be okay to be treated like an idiot.

Unrelated: this movie reminds me to go back and read every Roald Dahl book again.

After two weeks away, I just got back to the city and was...

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:11:22 -0500

After two weeks away, I just got back to the city and was rewarded with Danny Tamberelli (the younger Pete of “Pete & Pete,” and if you needed that clarification I am disinterested in your friendship).

Paranormal Activity Deleted Scenes, written by me and David and...

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:00:00 -0500

Paranormal Activity Deleted Scenes, written by me and David and directed by Sam. SpoOoOoKy. Digg it.

So tonight I took a shower, and emerged to find that I had...

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:56:32 -0500

So tonight I took a shower, and emerged to find that I had died.

Thanks to Jake, Amir and Sam, ”RIP Dan Gurewitch” became a trending topic on Twitter - right up there with “Twilight: New Moon.”

“That was hilarious!” -Not my mom’s reaction.

Twilight: Three Wolf Moon, written by me and Sarah, directed by...

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:30:00 -0500

Twilight: Three Wolf Moon, written by me and Sarah, directed by Sam, starring the wonderful Aubrey Plaza (now of ‘Parks and Recreation’) and John Gemberling. Digg it!

Seth MacFarlane’s Secret, written by me and animated by...

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:05:00 -0500

Seth MacFarlane’s Secret, written by me and animated by Mike Parker. Digg it.

Mr. MacFarlane, if you’re watching/reading this… I kid because I love. (Also, why are you reading my blog?)

Well, I’m back from the hospital, and I can finally share...

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:01:31 -0500

Well, I’m back from the hospital, and I can finally share the good news: I gave birth to a muffin.

I know I’m a bit late to the Halloween photo party,...

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:27:00 -0500

I know I’m a bit late to the Halloween photo party, but… Carl Sandiego.

The consensus is that he’s Carmen’s brother, but steals lesser known landmarks. Like the World’s Biggest Ball of Yarn.

Hardly Working: Love and Sleep. Inspired by a verbal slip-up I...

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:56:58 -0500

Hardly Working: Love and Sleep. Inspired by a verbal slip-up I made in a writing brainstorm. Furthers our opinion that consuming an inappropriately large Slurpee is the most obnoxious character trait imaginable.

“Fort Knox” by Goldfish. I was just introduced to...

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:15:08 -0500

“Fort Knox” by Goldfish. I was just introduced to this song via a video on Vimeo, and it’s the catchiest, funkiest song I’ve heard in forever. Everybody start your Monday morning off by dancing in your underwear.

BFF in the NYT

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:32:40 -0400

I’m not sure how exactly this happened, but my friend/roommate Josh is quoted in an editorial in today’s New York Times:

“Josh Riman graduated from Syracuse University in 2006. “I had a job at a great advertising agency,” he said, “but was laid off in 2007. I found a job the next day, amazingly enough, and worked at this next advertising shop for about a year and a half. Then, on my birthday, the place went bankrupt. We all lost our jobs.” Since then, Mr. Riman has been doing freelance and “pro bono” work. He has been unable to find anything even reasonably secure.”

It’s true! Not mentioned in the article is how after he lost his job on his birthday, I went bowling with him to cheer him up, and it turned out the bowling alley was closed for renovations. And then he got his foot caught in a bucket and a car drove through a puddle, drenching him.

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:27:41 -0400

The Onion’s sharp satire makes me really happy - but occasionally they are scooped by reality, and that makes me really sad.

Their headline/article: Obama’s Declaration of Swine Flu Emergency Prompts Pro-Swine-Flu Republican Response made me laugh, until I remembered that this joke has already essentially come true.

Glenn Beck declared that he wouldn’t be getting the H1N1 vaccine and neither should anyone else, claiming (with no factual basis): ”People just feel in their gut, ‘I don’t trust these people any more…’ They think our government could be so incompetent that they don’t have any clue as to what they are doing.” So he’s choosing to nurture distrust of the Obama administration even when it means potentially endangering his viewers’ lives.

Hilarious! Print it!

Pixar tweeted our parody! The fact that Pixar likes anything I...

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:21:00 -0400

Pixar tweeted our parody! The fact that Pixar likes anything I was involved in is absolutely the coolest thing ever.

The Legend of Link’s Distractions, a new cartoon written...

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:16:19 -0400

The Legend of Link’s Distractions, a new cartoon written by me and animated by Mike Parker. For anyone who’s ever liked the mini-games more than the game itself. Digg it.

Left: FunnyOrDie office, LA, after receiving a large shipment of...

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:36:00 -0400

Left: FunnyOrDie office, LA, after receiving a large shipment of Nerf guns
Right: CollegeHumor office, NY, after receiving a large shipment of Nerf guns

We are defined by our similarities, not our differences. We are one. We are…

…Going to rumble with you. Meet up in Dodge City, Kansas? (Keep in mind, as our sign notes, no adults allowed.)

Pixar Intro Parody, written by Sam and I. The real credit goes...

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:34:14 -0400

Pixar Intro Parody, written by Sam and I. The real credit goes to Mike Ritchie for the CGI animation and Carl Sondrol for the score. As a massive Pixar fan, this one makes me particularly happy. Digg it.

Everyone must watch “Modern Family” now. I - like...

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:12:00 -0400

Everyone must watch “Modern Family” now.

I - like many of you, I’d imagine - was initially skeptical about this show, based solely on its generic title and generically smiley print ads. But after watching the first four episodes, I am confident in proclaiming it not only the best new comedy this season, but perhaps the best new comedy on TV in years.

I’m generally distasteful of the holier-than-thou pitfalls of comedy snobbery; I’ve always disliked the notion that comedy approved by comedy fans is necessarily superior to comedy with mass appeal. While I love and respect Arrested Development and Mr. Show as much as the next writer-type, I also grew up watching and loving shows like Home Improvement and Caroline in the City. So what I love about Modern Family is how flawlessly it combines the best of both worlds (as Amir noted, its jokes appeal to “comedy nerds and everybody else”) - it takes a simple, grounded concept and spices it up with whip-smart writing, fully realized characters, and pitch-perfect, subtle acting.

Perhaps most excitingly, the show goes a long way towards erasing the negative connotation that the phrase “family sitcom” has acquired over the last ten years. With the advent of single-camera shows like The Office, Scrubs, It’s Always Sunny and 30 Rock, watching a family hang out in a living room suddenly became passe. But Modern Family proves yet again that sitcoms thrive on characters, not premises. It’s an inspiring reminder that with the right writing and performances, fantastic comedy can and always will be mined from the simplest, most relatable of sources.

samreich: “Balloon Boy Gets Scolded,” written and performed by...

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:29:04 -0400

samreich:

“Balloon Boy Gets Scolded,” written and performed by us just now. Sorry this took so long. Digg it.

My little kid voice finds a home alongside Sam’s passionate monologue.

HOLY SHIT MEGHAN MCCAIN’S BREASTS ARE STUCK IN A MAKESHIFT...

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:26:00 -0400

HOLY SHIT MEGHAN MCCAIN’S BREASTS ARE STUCK IN A MAKESHIFT HELIUM BALLOON FLOATING ABOVE COLORADO

UPDATE: They got the balloon down MEGHAN MCCAIN’S BREASTS ARE NOT IN IT

UPDATE: THE BREASTS WERE ON “WIFE SWAP”

Leaked Letterman Sex Scandal Movie! Absolutely real! Definitely...

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:41:43 -0400

Leaked Letterman Sex Scandal Movie! Absolutely real! Definitely not written by me and David Young, directed by Sam and starring Jordan Hall. A quick turnaround, and a fun one at that. Help the truth come out… digg it.