Mr. Plinkett Hates the New Star Trek

Hate might be a strong word. Even stronger considering I haven't watched the review yet. But, in efforts to be topical, I just wanted to give you the heads up about the new reviews.

RedLetterMedia has already done a review of Star Trek, but I imagine this one is a little more thorough, you know, the hour plus long thorough that we've grown accustomed to with his reviews.

Jump for the videos.

Scott Pilgrim: Good, also: Not Sexist

I'm late, because of the new job, but still!, I got something to get off my chest. I'm not angry, just not so sure what all the fuss is about with Scott Pilgrim.

I saw the movie a week or two ago, at a non-franchise theatre because it was no longer playing in any major theatre in my city for whatever reason. I went in with some serious trepidation. SP had been getting some mediocre reviews, and many critics had taken issue with the whole women as objects to be won thing. First the vote, then they want to be treated like people in cinema. Which actually strikes me as funny because this issue doesn't come up when almost every other film centers on a male character fighting for a woman whom improves his life/solves all his personal issues. But whatever.

I watched the lil' fucker though and I came out damn impressed. My favourite movie of the year impressed. I saw multiple articles on the possible reasons for its failure, and I can see the whole, a movie for hipsters thing issue. The movie is for people that are nostalgic for 8-bit, and who are also twenty something. I'm sorry, but that is not a real demographic outside of nerds and hipsters.

I saw some people posting on boards that the movie isn't about hipsters because it makes fun of hipsters. You know what is the favourite past times of hipsters? Making fun of other hipsters. ESPECIALLY scene kids. This movie is for and about hipsters.

Okay, so I get that this is a small audience, and so this probably didn't help the movie's numbers at all. I mean, when I was watching the trailers for this movie, it looked like it was going to be fantastic and I couldn't imagine anyone not wanting to see this film. I guess that's because it was made for me. Too bad I don't have more friends. Who cares though, this movie will get lots of love on DVD and its not like Edgar Wright is going to stop making movies.

Another issue is the backlash against Cera. I can't speak to this issue because I'm an ardent defender of the boy and I only wish he was in better films. Yes, he often plays similar characters, as does Bill Murray, George Clooney, and for heaven's sake Robert Fucking DeNiro. But I digress. I think he plays a different character in SP. A teenager who is over-confident, weak, and a bit of a prick, instead of just the nervous, shy, and all around nice boy around the corner who has a crush on his cousin, maybe. But that doesn't matter, ppls is haters. But check out Youth in Revolt if you want to see some funny non-Michael-Cera-ish Michael Cera.

But, onto the women thing. Some critics took issue with how the film sets up Scott Pilgrim as the boy that finds a girl that fixes his world and that he has to fight to obtain. From the appearance of the film, that would seem to be the structure of the plot, and indeed a fear that I went to the theatre with, but one however that is severely complicated by the actual film. Both Romana and Knives are strong female characters, with Romana in particular with a complicated past that makes her getting together with Pilgrim more complex than a forever-after (in the rom-com sense) ending. They have complicated pasts and those interfere with the relationship.

Indeed, the film is, in some sense, in some slight spoilery sense, a movie about the problems of past relationships on new ones, and the troubles of becoming a person outside of those, in this case, past mistakes, and really about entering into relationships that are automatically complicated by the unavoidable baggage that everyone comes burdened with. SP just handles these complex issues in terms of videogame fight sequences. Metaphors people! Metaphors.

Screw it all though. SP is a movie made for me, and I enjoyed the shit out of it. I think if you like Wright's previous films, or if you have a fond spot in your heart for classic games but you still consider yourself a younger member of your society, you'll probably like this movie as well. And if you don't, then this movie wasn't for you.

I'm trying to actually place the reference for that reference. This movie wasn't for you. I think someone said something douchey like that once to excuse his or her shitty artistry. Hmm.

Truck, truck, truck!

Fiddy Twitter, Voiced

Well obviously someone made a movie of Fiddy's twitter posts. I'm sure there's a reason this video was made, and I'm sure there's a reason why it's a fake conversation between Fiddy and Rain Wilson, but I don't care. What I do care about is laughter. Your laughter.

You're welcome. Also, thank you Boing Boing. You bring me so many random joys.

I'm with Team Evil

I haven't posted anything about Daily Show in a bit. I've shown restraint? Also possible I haven't felt pressed by those shining moments.

Well, Monday's segment gets filed under those spectacular moments.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The Parent Company Trap
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Canadian link.

Mind blowing stuff. TDS succinctly sums it up though, either unfathomably stupid or inhumanly evil.

Potatoes with mouths.

More Rap Twitter Comedy

Are all super star rappers' Twitter accounts this entertaining? I mean, Kanye is funny, but then I read some Fiddy excerpts on Boing Boing.

Realistically, I bet I'm safe.

TT: Danny Glover is Ahab for Dragons

If you watch the below trailer you will see a few strange things. Danny Glover as a crazy old man obsessed with killing a dragon, that this movie is based on Moby Dick, and that this sort of combination requires both hard rock and Vinnie Jones.

There are various things that puzzle me about this movie.

• First, does it take place in the future? If so, is it vying for the greatly sought after title of best futuristic dragon movie, previously held by Reign of Fire.
• Secondly, does this movie take place in some alternate universe where the Tenenbaum family gets eaten by a white dragon, and Henry Sherman must avenge their murderer/consumer? If so, why is Pagoda not helping?
• Most obviously, Moby Dick with dragons? Moby Dick by Herman Melville? How, in God's good greatness, did this get made? Unless it was all Danny Glover's idea, this all seems like one of those joke movies you see in other movies, like Snake on a Plane.
  
• What's with dragons and hard rock? Just off the top of my head:
  1. Reign of Fire/Mad at Gravity
  2. Dragon Age Trailer, and let's not talk about the advertising/credits song
  3. Trogdor

Is this Dragonforce's fault?

THATCHED ROOF COTTAGES!

Christian Onions

Been busy this week after starting the new "job", and with the strange hours I've been a negligent blogpanion. Apologies my blogpartners.

Anywhoo...!, Meg showed me this article that she found on some dude's facebook: "Is My Husband GAY?" ChristWire lists several good signs to spot a homohubby

4) Overly fastidious about his appearance and the home
Natural men have a certain amount of grit about them. They sweat and they smell. Homosexuals often abhor this sort of thing and will also be incredibly particular about the cleanliness of the home. Does your man tweeze his eyebrows, trim his pubic hairs or use face moisturizers? Is he picky about brand name shampoos? Does he spend more time getting ready for a night out than you do?
...
13) Extroverted about his bare chest in public
Does he go shirtless in the back yard or at picnics when other men are around? Does he wear a speedo at the beach? Does it seem like he’s purposely standing right in the middle of a crowd to show off his chest and arm muscles, peppering people with questions about how strong he looks? He may be craving physical affirmation from other men and desperately looking for hints of shared desires in those around him.

You can read the rest here, and I highly recommend you do so, it is highly enjoyable.

What the issue was however, is that after reading the article, it seemed too ridiculous to be straight (har har). I read it at first thinking it was serious, but the bordering on satirical tone made me wonder if this was a joke. Then I read the writer's profile: "Stephenson Billings is an Investigative Journalist, Motivational Children's Party Entertainer and Antique Soda Bottle Collector all in one special, blessed package!"

Hmm. And so yeah, heading to the main site I saw this image capture


Yeah, joke site.

It's unfortunate that the site isn't serious, I mean it loses some of the superiority humour element, but whatever, as a christian Onion, I think it will amuse me greatly.

I haven't read much so maybe it's not so hilarious but I'm going to be hopeful dammit!

"Excuse me, are you the Judean People's Front?"
"Fuck off! We're the People's Front of Judea!"

Darjeeling Limited Finally gets a Decent DVD Release

I have to say, I love The Darjeeling Limited. I don't understand why it gets so much hate. I know people started to slag Wes Anderson off about the time he came out with this movie. All the critics wrote it off because it was just another Wes Anderson movie for people that like Wes Anderson movies. Well, I do and so I don't see anything wrong with it.

That said, I found something very wrong with its DVD release. It contained nothing of interest--especially a commentary track. Anderson commentary tracks are always informative and entertaining and when I found out Darjeeling on DVD wasn't going to have one (or anything of real substance I decided not to buy because I knew eventually they'd put out a better edition. Fast forward to now, and they're FINALLY releasing a Criterion Collection edition of the movie.

Above is the lovely cover art which seems to want to make up for the minimalist cover design for the Criterion Collection edition of Life Aquatic. Anderson movies are full of details, so I have nothing against a detail laden cover, especially when it features Adrian Brody, whose performance really steals the movie (skip to 5:00).

And yeah, the commentary has Anderson and co-writers Jason Schwartzman and Roman Coppola. For the rest of the features hit up The Rushmore Academy.

Did you just fuck that Indian girl? Sweet Lime.

Cera and Schwartzman Confuse Atlanta

For some reason, Cera and Schwartzman ended up on Atlanta Fox News doing the weather. Schwartzman tries to actually read the stuff behind him while Cera just looks like he's on an local news fueled acid trip. Oh, at some point I think somebody off screen says something about Scott Pilgrim.

Considering the other interview I saw with the two where Zach Galifianakis just walks in, I imagine the marketing department for Scott Pilgrim is reconsidering the focus of the pair's promotional outings. Either that or they told them to just go out and fuck around.

Lesbians?

Tarantino Doesn't Work at Disney for a Reason

Well it looks like one of those days, an aggregate sort of day.

I saw this clip on /Film and quite enjoyed it. Ironically enough, Meg is presently playing Kingdom Hearts, so this doesn't even seem at all random at the moment. NSFW btw.

I never really cared for Mickey anyways, and we all know that you don't try to fuck Marsellus Wallace like a bitch.

That first moment when Samuel L. Jackson speaks as Donald Duck might be the funniest thing I'll see all week. Here's to looking down.

This is a tasty burger.

The More You Know: Graboid Edition

Wow, I never thought I'd get to use the Tremor tag again but here we are. The below video is an educational wildlife video on the graboid species. It contains information that, sadly having seen much of what counts for Graboid cannon, was ignorant of, meaning I wasn't paying close enough attention to some of those terrible movies/episodes, or they're just making shit up.

Which I'm completely cool with. The more I know about graboids, the safer I am when venturing into the harsh cruel outside world.

Enjoy:

Monstrous Wildlife from Frank Robnik on Vimeo.

telegram...

The Switch, Funniest Rape-Com of the Year

At least I suspect it is, I haven't done much research into the area *pulls collar away from neck and makes comedy noise*, but let's go ahead and say it's a valid claim.

So, Meg and I were waiting for a movie with a friend, bitching about whatever us MA lit-students bitch about (Mexicans), casually glancing at the multitude of TVs scattered throughout the lobby playing the same cycle of seven trailers interspersed with Skittles commercials ("blue is back!"), when our friend asks Meg, "do you think this is rape?" gesturing at the screen. We watched:

Did you catch the rape? Neither did I at first, but Meg thinks about it for a second and says "yes.". The issue is essentially: Anniston plans to get pregnant and Bateman spills the sample from the man she had actually selected and then, just as a quick and easy solution because what's it really matter, fills the thinger with his own *ahem* sample. He essentially inseminates her without her knowledge/consent."

At first I didn't buy it. Rape is violent and physical. The dude may be a dumb douche for doing what he does, but that doesn't mean he rapes her... does it? This is just some neo-feminist poppycock construing this bad thing as the extreme worst as a necessity of its politics-ideology... right?

But it is rape. He impregnates her without consent. While it may not be the violent form of rape we all know and abhor, it certainly falls under the same category. And what's strange, is that this movie uses this sort of thing casually, as a madcap rom-com premise. It's like if the setup was Bateman killing Aniston's mother, and through the investigation their initial antagonistic relationship blossoms into Hollywood love. I just don't get it.

I haven't seen the movie, and I probably won't, so maybe I'm wrong and the film deals with the severity of the issue, but from the trailer it looks like a typical rom-com. My projected plot is the initial "switch", then flash forward to when the kid's older and Bateman meets the kid and feels like he wants to be a part of his life. Then, when the Anniston finally finds out, she's pissed but eventually gets over it because she loves her son so much and wouldn't want him to be any different. This would and be how she falls in love with Bateman, she would recognize the qualities she sees in her son in Bateman (like the apparent ability to think quick on his feet).

I seriously don't know why either Bateman or Goldbloom are in this stupid movie. I do expect better of both of them. I mean there are paydays and then there are bad movie concepts, and this is the exemplar of the latter.

I just hope my titular prediction is correct and that I'm not forced to swallow my words when Sam Worthington and Katherine Heigl star in Once Upon a Time in a Dark Alley.

Co-starring Zach Galifianakis and Queen Latifah.

Yogi Bear is Probably not a Pedophile

Just a guess.

Alright, /Film is having a little fun with the new Yogi Bear poster. Take a look:


You can click to make it larger... if you want...

But yeah, I don't see the pedophile thing. Granted, the poster is CREEPY AS FUCK, but I don't immediately get the sense that Yogi Bear is having sex with his lil buddy. /Film points to the positioning, the expressions, and the tagline "Great things come in bears", as proof of the entendreness. I guess I can see it if I'm trying, like squinting at one of those bullshit 3D images, but I think all we got here is terrible poster design, with closeups of already terrible character designs and a really stupid pun.

Seriously, how far do you have to stretch to get "great things" = Yogi's penis, "come" = ejaculate, and "in bears" = Boo Boo? Strangely enough, the article says nothing of the "coming soon" thing, which I personally think is funnier than the tagline when read in the dirty sense.

Fuck, who cares about Yogi Bear enough to post about it twice. Christ almighty.

Those eyes are going to haunt me.

All the Pilgrim Promotional Material You'll Need to See

Update: So that cool trailer is also pretty frickin annoying just sitting on the page playing its little title screen music. It's now after a jump.

Some weird and new fangled sort of trailer came out for the forthcoming Scott Pilgrim vs The World. It certainly is an interesting new take on trailers and seems to fit in well with the flavour of the movie, but kwiest is the beep noise that sounds every time you activate a feature annoying as hell. I think it's almost worth turning off the sound entirely so you can't hear it. I didn't though, because I wanted to hear the soothing cadences of Cera's voice as he says "Lesbians?".

A Beautiful Springtime Sentiment

I know, it seems like all I do nowadays is post things that I read on other sites. And what would it be to you anyways. Huh? Jerk.

Belligerence aside, here's some funny:

Do a roundhouse!

My Favourite Thing I've Read Today

From an io9 roundup of this week's comics.

In this issue, the British mycological Supergod Morrigan Lugus (who has the fungal power to make people spontaneously masturbate, not making this up) squares off against India's bio-computer Krishna.

Enough said. The full context doesn't really help but it's here if you want it.

Kanye + Twitter(New Yorker Humour) = Actual Humour

Apparently Kanye just got on twitter. A) Who gives two fucks, but B) someone took some of his tweets and made them captions for New Yorker comics.

Link to the collection.

via Boing Boing.

The New Yorker is stealing my ideas.

TT: Yogi Bear and the Worst Idea of the Last Decade

Okay, they're making a Yogi Bear movie. Why you ask? Well, it's beyond both me and common sense (I asked her). To make matters worse it also is going to be one of those mixed live-action CGI deals, so it's going to look like ass in terms of both visuals and art direction.

The director has second unit directed a bunch of movies I hate, done special effects for a list of movies I didn't care to read, and has most notably directed on his own an unknown amount of Xena: The Warrior Princess episodes.

There are a bunch of odd things about the movie though that could go either way, but that I'd put a great deal of money on going the wrong (worst) way.

First, Dan Akroyd is doing the voice for Yogi Bear. Part of me wonders if they hired him solely because he looks like Yogi himself. This is of course a mistake when all he's lending the film is his voice. Also, Justin Timberlake is Boo Boo, which is really really weird but not necessarily damning. Then rounding out the cast is Tom Cavanagh as the ranger and Anna Faris as what I assume is the token female love interest Yogi will embarrass Cavanagh in front of.

While I don't mind Cavanagh, I'm not sure I know anyone else that feels the same--every one seems to hate the guy. And while Faris isn't my favourite actresses, I've really only seen her in Scary Movie so... that was a while ago admittedly.

Oh, also in the cast are Nathan Corddry and Andrew Daly, a pair of potentially funny nobodies that could steal the show, or just be terrible set dressing for Dan Akroyd's set chewing.

Trailer, if you dare:

So, we're all agreed this looks terrible right? Can they just stop making it now? What bugs me is how Akroyd essentially sounds like he's doing a terrible Rodney Dangerfield impression (no respect even in death, yeesh), which isn't really what Yogi Bear sounds like.

Seriously, just scrap what you already have and start in with both Yogi and Boo Boo as Akroyd and Timberlake themselves. I'm not even sure if they need costumes. You can use the same script and footage you've already shot with the rest of the cast, plus be able to save on all that expensive CGI. I'd see this movie with just the two of those dudes running around the forest doing the hardest to ACT those characters. It'd be nice and surreal, also the only reason anyone would see this movie.

FYI: Homosexual Savagery

Jason Jones did a great segment on a don't ask don't tell purporter. Though the topic is fairly obvious at this point. Obviously homosexuals should be able to fight in the military, thinking otherwise has zero reasons other than biggotry (yes, it is), but the guy in the interview has some really ridiculous claims about history and so the segment ends up fairly entertaining. Jones also does a good job of hitting the guy with some fairly obvious and damning questions-counterpoints.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Gay Reichs
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Canadian link.

You know what, I've heard gay people refer to themselves as savage before, but I think they meant it, well, in a gayer way. (Hey, David)

More savage than natural men.

Signs of Life

Wow, it's been a while. School is wrapping up quickly, with lots and lots of work to do, and I'm on the hunt for a job (if you know anyone looking for a wise-ass blogger send me an email), so I've been shitty with the blog.
I've collected a few things over the last bit that I thought I could post about but never got around to it. So how about I do just a quick rundown.

1. The Bechdel Test - I didn't need a test to tell me that Hollywood is male centric, but this test is a fairly damning and practical way to think about women in movies.
2. That South Park death threaten-er got arrested for being stupid in front of an FBI agent apparently. I hope some people greet him kindly when he gets to prison.
3. Um:Quick, someone get him some honey before he joins the new Avengers movie (perhaps a Mary Sue for Whedon ...)
4. Moreover:Darth Vader in a Wes Anderson flick.
   
5. And finally, though not directly related to humour, Glenn Beck hate is as good as chuckles around here so... go fuck yourself Beck.
   

Also, apparently Jon Stewart has a beard. Rub it in Stewart. Rub it in.

props Boing Boing for many of these list items.

Futurama on the Radio

Or well just Billy West, who is half of Futurama on his own really.

West appeared on Fresh Air this week and talked a little about how he created many of his Futurama voices. It's interesting to hear him talk about how he creates his voices, and how he thinks about voice acting. His explanations for Zoidburg and Zap are pretty funny, and I'm pretty impressed to learn that he does all the voices live when they record, so really sometimes he just sits with a mic in front of him and talk with himself.

Here's the link to stream or download.

Simpson Infographic

Seems like these infographics are all the rage nowadays. Here's one for the Simpsons. My take away: voice actors are pimps, especially Azaria, Shearer, and Castellaneta, and that Lisa isn't pulling her weight.

I'd love to see a Futurama one, but then it would only be Billy West.

via /Film

TT: Schmucks and Guns

So Steve Carell and Paul Rudd have teamed up for another comedy, this time Carell playing the supporting role. I don't know if this represents their respective careers, Rudd on the way up after a couple of well received flicks, and Carell on his way down after a series of poorly received films, but it looks like it puts both actors in back in their comfort zones. Rudd gets to play the nice and wise ass straight man and Carell gets to the be the clueless/harmless weirdo.

Dinner for Schmucks is apparently a remake of some Swedish film, which is based of some play. I know some of that information is wrong (particularly the Swedish part) but I can't find the correct information in the 3 minutes I was willing to look for it. The trailer makes the film look pretty funny if not emotionally/narratively predictable. Really though, Carell and Rudd are enough for me to buy in.

The second trailer does not inspire as much confidence in me as the first. It's for the generic sounding Operation: Endgame which stars a bunch of people, most notably Rob Corddry, Jeffrey Tambor, and Zach Galifianakis. It's also straight to DVD, which is usually a bad sign.

/Film talks about the possible reasons why, from mediocre movie to movie company politics. Whyever, it looks like something I'll try but won't be disappointed if it blows. I've embedded the red band trailer so it's NSFW, but here's the link to the green band trailer.

Corddry seems like the standout performance in this. To me, he's always had a mean streak in his comedy and so this sort of role, where he needs to actually seem dangerous, might be just the right opportunity for his particular brand of charisma.

On a final side note, did you notice Galifianakis is in both trailers, indeed is in 60% of comedy trailers nowadays. I think Galifianakis is a funny guy, but I think he's running the risk of over-exposing himself. Notice how people react to Michael Cera or Seth Rogen nowadays? We'll see.

My Elevator

Hey. I had to write a"scenerio" last week for one of my classes. Essentially the assignment was meant to help us explore imaginary users for devices we plan to re-engineer in terms of sound interaction. I wrote my "scenerio" with a certain lack of seriousness because a) I'm a bit (?) of a wanker and b) because I may be incapable of taking anything seriously.

Anyways, I think you might find at least one of my jokes funny if you actually enjoy reading my blog.

After the jump.

Now that's Comedy makes a Porno(?)

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

The Force is Strong in these Directions

I'm a sucker for these stupid Star Wars GPS commercials. I laughed embarrassingly long at the first Darth Vader video (roundabound!) and this morning I saw a new Yoda video. I convinced myself before watching it that the first video was just a fluke and that I'd roll my eyes at this new video's lame pandering and become irritated as these videos continued to hit the YouTubes.

But I didn't. I laughed heartily at the pandering. Whatever, I can laugh if I want to.

A) He says roundabound!
B) I always loved the Yoda's first appearance in Empire, when he was a crazy hermit, and so this little video warmed the cockles of my laugh heart.

Dagobah!

The Bicycle Thief: William Shatner

I give a lot of love (love is the same as hate right?) to Star Wars here at Now that's Comedy, but Star Trek can be just as funny. I mean, had I been blogging at the time, I would have loved to post about Patrick Stewart's appearance on Extras, and William Shatner is always a source of amusement (how can you hate a man that embraces his own self as a self parody?).

But I digress, the point is this funny video with Nimoy and Shatner at some (possibly) 70's con wherein Nimoy attempts to prove, through anecdotal evidence, that Shatner is not a nice man.

I like when Shatner tries to bite Nimoy's ear. Or kiss it. Whatever he was planning on doing, I'm sure it was better for us all that he stopped.

Bam, first Star Trek tag.

Hot Tub Time Machine v. Casual Sexism

So, Hot Tub Time Machine. I first heard about this movie on /Film, when all that was knew about the film was the name of the film (and subsequently a little about what the film was about) and who was in it. The title alone had my interest, the shear absurdity of the main conceit tickled me, and the pedigree in terms of casting helped a lot. High Fidelity is a favourite for me, so I knew John Cusack could do comedy, Rob Corddry was always decent, if not charismatic, on the Daily Show, Craig Robinson gets some of the best jokes in The Daily Show, and Clarke Duke was great in the relatively unknown (web?) series Clark and Michael. Long sentence though it may be, I was pretty stoked for the movie.

Is stoked, a word, out of vogue? Is it just a stoner thing now? Sometimes I worry my vocabulary is full on lexical hipster-anachronisms. Full review/rant after the jump.

Woman Sues Common Sense

From a Toronto Star article:

A Utah woman is suing the search engine Google, claiming its maps function gave her walking directions that led her onto a major highway, where she was struck by a car.

So she got to the highway and then decided to walk along it, despite a) the fact the highway lacked either a sidewalk or a shoulder, and b) IT BEING A FREAKIN' HIGHWAY WITH CARS DRIVING AT 120 km/h!

She also got the walking directions off her Blackberry, meaning when she found that she was to walk on a dangerous highway, she could have looked up an alternative set of directions.

Even the Star gives its two sense, even if it is in that shitty "unbiased" way:

Others have pointed out that Rosenberg might have been best served by her own eyes after she reached a T-junction and found herself confronted with a patently unsafe walk.

I kept the link because, to make their two sense, the Star had to pull from some random news website.

Anyways, the point is: fuck you lady.

Han-larious

Heh heh heh.Both Harrison Ford and Billy Dee Williams went to the premier of Empire Strikes Back a 30th Anniversary release. But apparently AP news isn't a big fan of the flick. Either that or, like Colbert, they don't see colour. Or coolness apparently.

P.S. Williams is the cool one in this pair. Obviously.

Dream Fulfillment

I've done some techwriting in my past, and so I know the pain of using Adobe products. I'm not going to go on about how crappy their products are, because I don't really know what I'm talking about. I'm not an expert in software design so maybe their shit is actually good. I do know, however, that I myself experienced a great deal of frustration using their various products. Some of the most oblique work I've ever done is with Adobe Framemaker. That's saying a lot; I'm an academic.

Anyways, I found this blog, Maniacal Rage, that has a bunch of funny CS4 crash report descriptions. A sample:

Cathartic.

New David Cross

I'm not always the best person for keeping up with when comedy albums come out. In fact, I'm terrible.

For instance, I just discovered that that David Cross has an album (Bigger and Blacker) coming out May 25th. Pitchfork has a track up for a listen. They'll also have an interview with him later, which I'll also likely post something about. Maybe.

The track isn't downright hilarious, but who cares; I have a great fondness for Cross' stand-up and it's been since 2004 that I got a new official release (It's not Funny). My first year in university... Hmm, getting older.

Smack that... Um?

So I sit down to read Kenneth Burke's Counter-Statement and after TWO prefaces I decide I need to do something else. To the blogotorium!

Anyways, so I was visiting friends this weekend and there was one thing that consumed a great deal of our doings. While indeed we did spend a great number of hours playing a Call of Cthululhuluhhhully (sp?) board game (omg so nerdy), I think this video may have been the focal point of the entire weekend.

Watched it? Good. So I watched this off Boing Boing and as the video played I was trying to deduce what made him the worst DJ ever. Oh is it the drunk slurring about the conga? Oh, the music changed off the kookaronga (sp?) to Phil Collins and he doesn't do anything. But then all became clear... horribly clear.

This video fills me with questions.

• Does he shout "You wanna do it. Have a slice of wine!"? "Spice of lime"?
  
• Why does she just stand there? There is just zero reaction. Is this something that happens regularly? Has her soul just given up? Is she just so drunk that this seems normal?
• Does he know this woman at all? Maybe that's his significant other but I like to think that she's just a woman at the party who wants to request a song.
• The DJ just turns away from the woman with complete nonchalance, like he didn't just sexually assault a woman. Does he think he's in fact the GREATEST DJ EVER for his rockin boobongo solo? Like he has to play it cool?
  
• DID HE FINISH WITH A BACKHAND!?
  

Just crazy. Though this is not the first time Phil Collins has surprised me.

P.S. As a side note, because of the controversy surrounding the pronunciation of Cththhululhhu (sp?), our friends now refer to the great old one as Kraft Dinner. I hope this will clear the issue up for all.

TT: The Trotsky

Hey, it's going to say I posted on Wednesday, but that's a damned lie! This is still Tuesday. I won't conform to your conception of time, Blogger!

And with that revolutionary spirit in mind, how about a trailer for The Trotsky.

Jay Baruchel is hit or miss with me, but I was really impressed with his voice work in How to Train your Dragon, and this film actually looks pretty fun. Now, it is a Canadian film, but the trailer makes me optimistic despite. I do think Baruchel can carry a film, he's got a funny way about him certainly, so I think I'll try to see this film when it rolls around. I'm not sure if I'm going to have to find it in an independent theatre or not, though I bet it will get circulation in some of those big 12 theatre places if only for the reason that Avatar's out on DVD nowadays and they have to find something to play.

Baruchel also stars in Disney's upcoming The Magician's Apprentice, which is apparently connected to Fantasia in the most illogical way imaginable. Nic Cage has nothing to do with that classic, but suddenly he's bopping about in a trench coat and ridiculous hat shooting plasma bolts at people. I believe he actually even calls them plasma bolts. It looks surprisingly not terrible, but I'm sure Cage will bring his typical brand of irritation that may keep me away. AND his hair! ugh. I won't likely be seeing it in theatre but maybe I'll rent it to see how Baruchel does in the role.

Anyways, sorry for the slow goings on around here. I'm busy with school starting up and I've just launched another blog. I Can Beat This is my attempt at game criticism, starting with the game I'm almost least likely to really enjoy, but that's sort of the point. It may keep things a little slower here but I'm sure you'll manage.

Fuck you Wednesday, it's still Tuesday in my heart.

Trailer Tuesdays: Rubber and The Other Guys

I really dig movie trailers. Trailers are actually quite often better than the full movie. As brevity is the soul of wit, a two minute trailer sure asks you to condense your film into wit. There are better trailers and worse trailers, but there's a real art to making them. Given my love then, I think I'm going to start posting movie trailers for things that seem at least tangentially related to humour. This week we have a buddy-cop-comedy with Will Ferrell and Mark Whalberg, and a psychotic and telepathic spare tire. Yep, spare tire. Explanation and trailers after the jump.

Batman 3 Casting Rumors

Christopher Nolan looks to be taking Batman 3 in a, well, slightly different direction.

So this video really isn't all that funny. The concept itself is pretty funny. Batman is a dick and horndogs his way into Robin's date with some lady (actually Callie Thorne from Rescue Me), the lady calls Batman and Robin out for beating up women and fat dudes in tuxedos before her real boyfriend shows up to emasculate the dynamic duo. What's more of note here is that Batman and Robin are played by Sam Rockwell and Justin Long, respectively.

The video is a short film by James Duffy from 2007. Who knows why this is popping up now, but who cares. What IS exciting about this whole thing is that there is going to be another short called Robin's Speed Date, where Rockwell and Long will reprise their roles, and, wait for it, John Hodgman will be playing the Penguin.

You'll know Hodgman as PC from the "Hi, I'm a Mac" campaign that also starred Justin Long, but for me, I'll know Hodgman because I dream about him before I go to bed every night. I've never been one for role models or hero worship, but if I had the resources to fashion a marble bust of him for my living room, I would make three. So, this is possibly the best news I've ever had in my life. He'll be hilarious even if the short film blows, which it won't because Hodgman as the Penguin will bring about utopia.

Also, props to Justin Long for exposing his bare white legs in that uber-retro Robin costume. The reveal of his legs and the bottom half of that costume when he greets his ladyfriend for the first time is probably the best joke in the clip.

via /Film

Fashion and Common Sense Vs. Superheroes

I know these videos can be seen about anywhere on the internet but I like them too! so I'm posting them.

I love how Tim Gunn takes this completely seriously and never seems to be patronizing Alan Kistler. He seems like a genuinely nice and funny guy. I DON'T CARE IF HE WAS ON PROJECT RUNWAY!

The first one is here.

via Topless Robot.

Spooooon!

WIGATI: Eastbound and Down

This week on When I Get Around To It, Danny McBride's Eastbound and Down. Excited? I bet not.
So I was going to write about how, despite this show's hype, I've found Eastbound rather underwhelming. You see, I read an article on /Film about how the second season was moving to Mexico. The article talks very positively about the show, and as I scrolled down the comments, many people spoke of the show as if it were the second coming of whatever Christ's equivalent on HBO would be. Then, hitting up IMDB to see all-who's-in I see a nine star rating. Mental process: I love edgy HBO comedies; hey, its only sex episodes, just like a BBC show; I love edgy short run BBC shows (they get in and get out like any good man comedy); oh, just watch it you coward. But tonight as I check out the Meta-Critic score for the show, I see it's got a 62%. So my voice, really, is unnecessary. That review, after the jump.

South Park Creators, not the Assholes in this Story

I keep trying to come up with something insightful to say about the whole South Park versus RevolutionMuslim.com thing, but I'm really left with the impressions that I think everyone has.

It sucks that Comedy Central censored the show the way they did, but I don't necessarily blame them for wanting to avoid the potential problems that would arise by depicting the prophet Mohammed. They want to protect their company and their employees from potential violence. I certainly understand that.

And whomever runs this site and were behind the posted threat, and don't for a fucking minute pretend like it was anything but a death threat, these people are monsters, awful people that don't deserve even the slight amount of civility that they are being shown throughout this whole ordeal. I'm glad your site got hacked. Seriously.

Also, I have trouble coming up with anything to say because, again!, The Daily Show has done such a sincere and moving job of addressing the issue, that my voice seems like just a pointless echo.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
South Park Death Threats
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Canadian link.

How To Train Your Audience

This movie, kicked Kick Ass's ass this week. I don't know if Kick Ass is any good, nor do I care. I'll see it, be disappointed or not, and then move on with my life--because that's the sort of movie it seems like. But How To Train Your Dragon, three weeks in, matched Kick Ass at the theatre.

I saw it a week ago, matinee, with only hobos like me on a Wednesday afternoon. It's a great movie, deserving of the love its getting. No, seriously, this movie has... fuck... heart.

The movie stars Jay Baruchel, of Undeclared fame, but also Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. In terms of comedy, fairly solid cast. Baruchel, sort of untested in big films, does a voice, not that extreme, but not his own, and after the first 5 minutes you'll forget the voice-acting completely. Voice cast, excellent job here.

The real problem with the film is the script. It's not bad, its just good by numbers. It's a story about realizing difference, and the community (as focalised through the father) coming to respect what "the other" has to offer. The family dynamics here are played, done and done, and the emotional arc of the film has a clear trajectory from the start. But it's a kid film, and the last 10 minutes surprised me enough in terms of message that it warmed a place in my heart that normally stays cold. In the end, the film is radical and emotional enough that I give it more credit than it may be worth. Messages worth sending, really worth sending for kids, get a free pass for me.

But the most important part of this movie is the dragon. No it's the 3D!

Wait, I can't have in-fighting in one review. Let's set this out. The 3D is fantastic. Makes the flight more sensational than any flight I've seen in film. These scenes are emotionally evocative due in part (great part) because of the 3D's power. The flight scenes in the film are always very emotional moments. They have their metaphorical purpose, but the visuals add a vitality to them that I think really adds to their impact. These flight scenes are emotionally charged, and the 3D, as it adds to the experience, adds to the emotional involvement.

But, the DRAGON! Yes, the dragon is a cat. And that's enough for a lot of people. Slagathor, and people around me continually mentioned throughout the film, Oh, he's soooo cute!. And he is. Toothless is adorable, because he's a big kitty. His bum moves like a cat, he plays like a cat, and he's distrustful of humans like a cat. It helps that I just had a cat die that really was the feline epitome of this sort of representation. Its sort of heartbreaking to see a filmic/draconic version of his cuteness, but that's neither here nor there. This dragon is cute, and that's one of the huge selling points of the flick. THE DRAGON IS FUCKING ADORABLE! Simple as that.

So if you want your CGI cartoon to be a success, put in a cuddle character. It's why Monsters Inc. was one of my favourite Pixar flicks for so long.

Boo!

The Gospel According to Stewart

Now, I don't want to give the impression that I would give Jon Stewart a blow job in a dark alley if I could pay him to be there, but christ do I love the Daily Show. Remember when I thought they'd go to war against Glenn Beck? Well, not having cable does leave me out of the loop in terms of how Fox News covers Stewart's attacks. Really, I only get to see their retorts on The Daily Show itself. Does that skew my perspective? Sure. But I've seen enough of both Fox News programming and The Daily Show to know whom I'm going to put more stock in.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Bernie Goldberg Fires Back
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Canadian link here. Have I mentioned before how much I hate region blocking? But anyways.

My favourite part of that clip is when Bernie Goldberg calls TDS's audience unsophisticated and Bill O'Reilly laughs. Of course you know, O'Reilly has done research and knows that TDS's audience is predominantly stoned slackers so he's right right to laugh at us, we don't know our heads from our rumpholes. Thus, it's easy for Goldberg, O'Reilly, and anyone on Fox News to right off Stewart's derision. Really, his words don't escape the pot clouds of dorm rooms or mom and dad's basement that they enter anyhow.

But then why do so many Fox commentators feel such a need to strike back at Stewart when he pulls off his stunts? I know he makes salacious and sensational slams against them, but if his voice matters so little, why do you feel the need to volley back? Is it because he hurts your feelings? Is this a matter of pride? Or, maybe, you just need to fill some time on your forever long shows? Beck can only cry for so long before an audience will think they're watching a soap.

I think the real issue here is that Fox News uses Stewart's attacks as just another example of the, GASP!, liberal enemy/media. A huge reason for Fox's success is its ability to simplify every social or political issue in America down to simple black and white. Things are either American wholesomeness, or they are unamerican blank-ism. And Stewart can easily be constructed as the buffoonish liberal media element. Even more so because he's so wonderfully terrible at reporting the news. Indeed, he is neither fair nor balanced. This may be of course due to the fact that TDS is a comedy program that has an obvious political and social agenda. But fuck, that sort of complexity doesn't play on Fox. On Fox, everything is either Black, or American.

So maybe Stewart only plays into their hands when he does this sort of thing, provide Fox commentators easy material with which to juvenilize the liberal media. It is easy to undercut Stewart's argumental ethos when you show outrageous clips of him doing comedic stunts. This guy doesn't know shit, he's a jester. But by the midpoint of the above clip, Stewart shifts into a southern preach, and a full blown call and response by the end, culminating with him and choir singing "go fuck yourself." Now Fox could try to use this clip to show TDS's complete disregard for anything holy, of its out and out buffoonishness, but maybe that's the point. Can Fox News self-righteously show the clip of Stewart dancing in front of a choir singing "go fuck yourself" and have its audience still see him as a threat? He's obviously just being a ham.

If as a stoned slacker I can see this, surely Fox will respect its sophisticated audience enough to know they will too.