Anyone Else Thinking This?

[Player_2]

Is anyone else kind of unsure about how "They Stole Max's Brain" is going to be funny? I mean, there's no Max. And Sam's gone nuts. Sure, it's cool that he's gone all badass, but how exactly are they going to make this episode a comedy?

[Ophenix]

In TTG we trust.

[Jake]

Originally Posted by Player_2

Is anyone else kind of unsure about how "They Stole Max's Brain" is going to be funny? I mean, there's no Max. And Sam's gone nuts. Sure, it's cool that he's gone all badass, but how exactly are they going to make this episode a comedy?

I guess you haven't watched a lot of actual film noirs? They are known for having some of the sharpest writing, and funniest most hard hitting cutdowns/comebacks/one-liners in the sphere of pop culture writing.

(Edit: I do not mean to imply that Sam & Max will reach those heights, just that there is a lot of humor to be found in those situations, and the films of that era did it admirably. Noir is parodied and mimicked as being nothing but glum people punching cigarettes out of each others mouths, but the actual films of that era are incredibly sharp and often hilarious.)

[Avistew]

I'm afraid the only "film noir" I've seen was a parody (Le Téléphone sonne toujours deux fois, meaning The Phone Always Rings Twice, if you're wondering) and parodies are supposed to be funny regardless of what they're parodying. But I assumed you'd go for the parody route anyways...

[kane]

max is a bran dead Zombie so he is charm but he is dear given sam more of a reason

[Tor]

Originally Posted by Jake

I guess you haven't watched a lot of actual film noirs? They are known for having some of the sharpest writing, and funniest most hard hitting cutdowns/comebacks/one-liners in the sphere of pop culture writing.

Would you mind suggesting a couple? Like Avistew I've seen parodies, but not any actual film noirs as far as I can recall.

[Lena_P]

"To Have and Have Not" is definitely dark and funny.
"Double Indemnity" is pretty much a classic, although not a laugh a minute.
And the "Thin Man" films aren't noir, but they are mysteries and they are funny. Sort of a noir-light.

[StevenR]

Not an original "film noir", but I think one of the best parodies of the genre is "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" with Steve Martin. It cleverly integrates clips of classic film noir movies into the plot, and shows that it was produced by people with a knowledge of and affection for the genre.

[thom-22]

I've seen quite a few, and yeah, there's usually a sharp and understated wit at play. It's not quite the same kind of funny as typical Sam & Max, but should be just as enjoyable for Telltale fans. Here are imdb links for two of my favorites: Laura and The Big Sleep. If you read the quotes sections you'll get a taste of film noir banter -- and its highly sexual undertones in the case of the latter movie. Which raises the question, Is there a Bacall for badass Sam's Bogey in Ep. 3?

What's weird is that I never realized, until these recent threads, that Ep. 3 was supposed to be film noir-esque -- because "They Stole Max's Brain" sounds more like a sci-fi B-movie. Film noir titles are often rather mundane.

[Lena_P]

It's weird, but I don't even think of "Laura" as a noir. I mean, now that you say it, I can see it is, but I've always thought of it as more of a romantic fantasy. It's got that dreamy quality to it, and the way he starts to obsess about her even though he's never met her ...

[kane]

but that hairpins i have seen it it fun and then sad then evincing fun-er

[onlyamonkey]

TTG delivers consistently high material. They'd need to screw up majorly a whole season before I would even start to doubt them.

[Tor]

Thanks for the suggestions folks, I'll check some of these out.

[Jake]

Random few that I can remember and like:

The Sweet Smell of Success
The Third Man
The Asphalt Jungle

Originally Posted by Lena_P

"To Have and Have Not" is definitely dark and funny.
"Double Indemnity" is pretty much a classic, although not a laugh a minute.
And the "Thin Man" films aren't noir, but they are mysteries and they are funny. Sort of a noir-light.

Also those!

I am bad at remembering names though. I go to the Noir City film festival in San Francisco every year and see a bunch of great old films, and then end up forgetting 2/3 of their names.

If you can see any of the four on this page written by William Bowers, they are pretty great with the quick quips, for instance..

[Lena_P]

You know what's funny? I've never seen Dick Powell in anything but the Gold diggers movies. I can't imagine him playing a tough guy.

[Junaid]

Let's not forget this Frank Drebin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKKmQ9LAZ20

[Player_2]

With Max being totally brain-dead, it might be kind of hard to exchange witty-banter with Sam...

But I just watched the trailer, so I'm satisfied. THIS LOOKS AWESOME!