Ultimate Geek Fu

 
SNLS

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The first time I saw the trailer for Land of the Lost, for a few moments, I actually felt like I almost wanted to see the movie.

But...

It's not like I have any nostalgic childhood affection for the old TV series, or anything like that. It came along too late to catch me. But writing for that weird, trippy, Sid & Marty Krofft thing did help some writers I respect stay fed and sheltered during the Great Sci-Fi Drought of 1974-75, and that's a good thing. And the trailer did look kind of amusing.

But...

Two words. Will Farrell.

There are some actors who just make me break out in hives. Actors who I know, based on past experience, give good trailer, but the actual movies themselves will be excruciating to watch. Steve Martin, Chris Farley, Martin Short, Dana Carvey, Adam Sandler, David Spade, Jon Lovitz, Chris Kattan, and aside from one brilliantly awful skit with Christopher Walken and a cowbell, Will Farrell...

Is it just me, or are a disproportionate number of these people suffering from Saturday Night Live Syndrome?

There's no denying the cultural impact of the show. It's introduced the country to some great bands over the decades, and it did give us Chris Rock and Eddie Murphy, who used to be really funny, before he caught that alien brain parasite or whatever the heck it was that happened to him. And Tina Fey's impression of Sarah Palin alone probably was the decisive factor in the last election.

But aside from Dan Ackroyd, Bill Murray, Jane Curtain, and possibly The Blues Brothers (which admittedly is an acquired taste, but I like it), has there ever been a good movie that started life as an SNL skit, or an actor or actress who emerged from the SNL sausage factory that you can stand to watch for more than five minutes?

Let the arguments begin.

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