My Favorite Shapes by Julio Torres

Saturday Night Live writer and co-creator of Los Espookys, Julio Torres, has an HBO special where bric-a-brac is delivered to him via a conveyor belt that he controls with a foot pedal. Torres then gives you the back story, the hidden secrets, and the drama behind each object. Sometimes these objects have interior monologues which are voiced by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. Also, Torres is dressed as some sort of gay alien, and apparently he has the ability to teleport around the stage.

Now, there are exactly two kinds of responses to this description. There are those who will enjoy this special precisely because they are unable to fully understand it. And then there are those who will hate this special precisely because they are unable to fully understand it. Which are you?

I respect what he is doing, but this special felt extremely one note. That one note was often hysterical, but it also often fell flat. Some people will love it and some will hate it, my opinions were mixed. Either way, I think people should look forward to his future work because he definitely has potential.

Gave it about fifteen minutes, but it was awful. Fast forwarded another ten minutes and watched a bit, but it was still awful. Fast forward another ten, and then another ten, and then just shut it off. In the twenty five to thirty minutes I gave this hour long program, I didn't have a single laugh. This was quite probably the worst comedy special I have ever tried to watch. It just wasn't funny in any way.

No one is doing stand up like this out there. It's childlike yet, smart as hell. His ongoing narratives of inanimate objects are informed by the same dumb insecurities, neuroses and delusions of grandeur that we all succumb to in modern life... except, its a sink! Or a cactus. Or a truly random shape. ( my favorite shape was : "Tilda Swinton's apartment"). And of course, "Los Espookys" is a must-watch.

This is not "subtle humor." It's just not funny. It's the unfunny equivalent of a toddler talking about each toy in his collection. But much less amusing.