I did something so insulting.... so blasphemous... so abhorrent. 

Ready? 

I watched this film on the plane. 

BUT

I still laughed my ass off and think it’s one of my faves so far this year. The comic timing is impeccable. The performances shine. My god... Paddy Considine really shows his comedy chops. 

Loved it and recommend seeing it ASAP. But not on a plane... it deserves better.

VEEP meets CITY OF GOD.

more grim than funny, but still plenty funny. by far my favorite thing that Armando Iannucci has ever done.

“Who would put a lamp on a chair?”

Unabashedly declaring this the best
[dark (as FUCK)] comedy of last year;

Iannucci's the master political satirist.

75

Fucking hysterical, mostly for showcasing the idiocy in group government dynamics while never shying away from the violence and complete disregard for human life around the chaotic remnants of the regime. In various scenes set inside the torture chambers, background bodies are shot (both on and off screen), conveying the same narrative function as a moment where a nameless prisoner tumbles outrageously down the stairs. The Death of Stalin wrestles with hilarity and horror within the same confined, decedent spaces, and the disruptions of each are startling. In a showing before mine, a woman apparently yelled "Communism isn't funny!" before storming out. Of course, even if it wasn't funny (and The Death of Stalin almost constantly is -like a squabbling contest between imbeciles), the film suggests something far worse: that it's true and, to quote The Giant in Twin Peaks, "it is happening again."

Now that's a fucking dark comedy. Very very funny and sharp and brilliant, but tonally upsetting and maybe a little confusing in a way I need some time to process? Or, just need to know more about history for. Who can say! I think I liked it!

- "HOW OLD ARE YOU?"
- "I'm.......... old?"
- "YOU'RE NOT OLD!"

A lot of fun, but lacking the scope that made In The Loop so enjoyable. Some great performances though, particularly Andrea Riseborough, Rupert Friend, and Jason Isaacs. And it’s always a delight watching Michael Palin do his thing.

“You’re not even a person! You’re a testicle!”

I probably wasn't in the right frame of mind to watch this, but overall I just didn't feel like this worked for me. Still, it was satisfying to watch that motherfucker Beria burn.

Who would have thought you could wring a hilarious comedy out of the death of Joseph Stalin? Historical fudging aside, it perfectly captures the Soviet empire and all the fear-induced scrambling, scheming, and backstabbing of Russia's top leaders. I suspect Trump's White House is very similar - minus all the executions. My only real criticism is that I've also seen Iannucci's "In the Loop," and while it is also brilliantly funny, you can see it leaning on the exact same style and methods - similar to how Christopher Guest keeps rechurning the same ideas with diminished results. It just has the feel of a sitcom, and I suspect Iannucci's many TV shows are the same way. I've only seen his "Alan Partridge" shows, and yeah, they're the same. Steve Coogan would have been right at home here. That's all more of an observation than a complaint, though.

You can definitely feel the connection with Veep (same writer and director), the dialogue is non stop and very sharp. The Death of Stalin takes that great political satire that can be funny for anyone and adds in some genuine fear from the USSR environment. It creates a realized world that our actors have a lot of fun in. Steve Buscemi's plotting and conniving reminded me of his Fargo role and Jeffrey Tambor plays a hapless leader that only has the illusion of power really well.

What the actually fuck.

Walks a perfect tightrope between hilarious and unsettling. Iannucci takes his patented style of political satire and attacks authoritarianism at full force. There are moments where the 1953 Kremlin starts looking like the 2018 White House and that's when the chills set in.

“ I know the drill. Smile, shake hands, and try not to call them cunts.”

me, a history major: I’m just an alt-history loving son of a bitch*

*I am also a Veep loving son of a bitch, thank you Armando Iannucci