After cutting his teeth on brooding portrayals of New York street life in Mean Streets (1972) and Taxi Driver (1976), then giving us an Oscar-worthy turn from Robert De Niro in the heavy drama Raging Bull (1980), Martin Scorsese turned his hand to comedy, albeit of the dark variety. The King of Comedy (1983) and After Hours (1985) are both superbly-executed satires of modern social conventions, and have plenty to chuckle at, although you're just as likely to grimace.

The King of Comedy

Rupert Pupkin (played by Robert DeNiro) is an annoyingly likeable stand-up comic wannabe. He aspires to land a guest spot on the Jerry Langford Show (played by Jerry Lewis, in a transparent yet amusing riff on Johnny Carson). He can't make it throught the front door (the scenes of Pupkin waiting in Langford's office for an appointment are awkwardly amusing), so he concocts an elaborate scheme to achieve his dreams. He is aided by Sandra Bernhard, whom I normally can't stand, but in this role she is cast perfectly (i.e. I can't stand the character, but I'm not supposed to). Overall, the film is an ironic commentary on fame and the price paid for it.

After Hours

Griffin Dunne plays a computer programmer in New York City who is desperate for connection in the big, impersonal city. He randomly meets a girl (Rosanne Arquette) in a coffee shop, who gives him her number. He hops in a cab and goes to see her down in Soho, which for Dunne proceeds to morph into a post-modern, surrealistic nightmare landscape. He stumbles from one bizarre adventure to another, encountering eccentric characters along the way. The most fun of the film is trying to figure out the motivations for each of the characters. At the end, you shake your head, and ask yourself, "Did I just dream that?"