I think I’m going to file a false advertising suit for not seeing any cats riding motorcycles. I mean, that’s what I went to the Found Footage Festival for (and what used to get people to go)—but I think Nick and Joe of the Found Footage Festival have enough on their hands dealing with a lawsuit against Gray Television who sued the duo’s strongman characters, Chop and Steele, for copyright infringement, fraud, and conspiracy.
But enough of the depressing stuff.
Before going to the Found Footage Festival, I barely knew what to expect—well I was expecting cats riding motorcycles but so much for that. In some previews, I saw terrible work safety instructional videos and tragically funny home videos. Despite my initial disappointment with the lack of cats, it turned out better this way because the show was incredibly funny.
The show started off with a classroom instructional video showing a teacher speaking to a couple of 2nd graders projected on the screen at Central Cinema. Lecturing about behavior, the teacher says, “Let’s pretend that I am a mouth, and you are all ears,” then the video quickly cuts to the same scene but the teacher in an absurd mouth costume and the children wearing ear costumes.
Photo via Found Footage Festival
Nick and Joe then introduced themselves and proceeded to introduce the next few edits, which featured newsreel bloopers, Alex Trebek of Jeopardy! dropping F-bomb after F-bomb, and even a party planning catalog with an option available to rent a “…nerd who will flirt with the female member of your crew.” A real, human, nerd. This guy was getting paid to take wedgies.
The show didn’t limit itself to comedy. I felt like I was in a high school biology class when a video of a ferret giving birth came up on the screen, and it felt like Sunday school again when a montage of 101 Jesus’ showed up. The funniest clip was a trailer for a documentary Joe and Nick helped to make that was out of this world. It was the footage from a news team who followed members of a UFO sighting meeting. The footage from this project that did not go down the drain, was a montage from a documentary about urine drinking.
One of the most important aspects of comedy is pacing, and Nick and Joe nailed it. Not only was the content fantastic, but the editing really delivered the comedy. Throughout the screening, the perfectly timed remarks brought home meaning. Their presentation was a cornerstone of their comedy. Central Cinema was also the perfect venue for this show. I’ve only been there one other time (mainly because of the expansive menu I’ve never had the chance to try) and I plan to go back! It’s also a great place to catch classic films for about $10 a ticket.
You have to comb through Nick and Joe’s videos on http://www.foundfootagefest.com/. Take a peek and you’ll get hooked. But, in the words of Kevin Spitzer, these guys need to be seen live.
If you’d like to donate to Chop and Steele to fight their lawsuit, you can do so at https://www.gofundme.com/chopandsteele.
Thanks to Kevin Spitzer (Owner at Central Cinema) for providing tickets for the show, and Nick and Joe for a good show.
Keep up with future showings at Central Cinema on https://www.central-cinema.com/upcoming-shows.
JORDAN CHAN | Amateur Comedian | KXSU Arts Reporter