I went to The Knitting Factory last night. While all the cool goth kids who complimented me on my Voltaire T-shirt were there to see Creature Feature on another stage, I was in attendance to support MC Frontalot.
Due to Thanksgiving and Rock Band commitments, attendance was light and extra dorky. It's just as well. Anyone who didn't know what was coming would have fled when Pitch White opened with a set dedicated to Max Hardcore. It was exactly what anyone who didn't know better would expect from nerdcore: an excuse for some skinny white boy to indulge in misogyny disguised as parody.
I'm glad I stuck it out.
MC Frontalot's show was pretty much the same as the last time I saw it back at PAX, except on a smaller stage and with a new drummer. Those saving throws never seem to pan out unexpectedly. Despite some sound issues and a setlist I've mostly heard before, it was cool to see his band perform in an intimate venue. I finally got to tell Gminor7 how awesome he is on the keyboard and onstage.
The revelation of the night, though, was Schaffer The Darklord. I believe we've written about it in the past, but I don't feel like looking it up. Good nerdcore is always better live. Studio albums and MySpace tracks may not impress you until you see a show. The video below is a reasonable promise of what to expect from him, though.
Listening to his first album, he seemed to be inspired more by Tenacious D than geek stuff. I should have asked him about that. The songs on Mark of the Beast, however, are like some weird combination of Voltaire in comedy mode and a rapping Ted Raimi. And though I love Voltaire, I have to give credit where it's due. "Revenge of Attack of the Clonefucker" beats all but "Sexy Data Tango" lyrically when it comes to vulgar sci-fi songs. And though Voltaire's son may have wondered if Jesus was a zombie, Schaeffer The Darklord wrote a song about it.
Hey, what do you know? There's a perfectly audible live video clip of it on the Internet. With post-song commentary!
Whether you're a nerdcore convert, skeptic, or hater, I urge you to check out STD live for comedic value alone. Don't be surprised if you find yourself endorsing geeky, unhip, unheard of music on your blog (when you finally get around to posting) if you do.
I have done as I vowed, Darklord, and praised you on my blog that eight people read. Will you reward me by returning to L.A.? Preferably at a time when relatives aren't around and Rock Band II hasn't just come out? I beg of thee, my dark lord of rappistry. Please look kindly on my plea.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Viewed: The Mist
I'm having a contest. Anyone who has seen The Mist is welcome to offer their opinions. In a few weeks' time, I'll put all your suggestions on a d20 table and roll for the winner. The winning contributor will be sent back in time to kick Frank Darabont in the shins until he chooses a better ending.
You're welcome to enter as many times as you want. I have a few thoughts of my own.
You're welcome to enter as many times as you want. I have a few thoughts of my own.
- The film could have ended the way the book did. Our hero and his kid escape the grocery store, drive under a creature so large all they can see are its legs, and head off in the direction of a radio signal that they may have only imagined.
- Our hero takes the same course of action that he does in the movie. Stranded in the mist without any gas and four other passengers, he decides to do the noble thing with their remaining four bullets. He shoots his son first, then the woman he didn't have sex with, then the old lady. But as he levels the revolver at the old man in the backseat, an army guy taps on the window. "Excuse me, sir. Is there a problem here?" "Nooooooo!" "All right, then."
- At some point earlier in the film, our hero's son scrawls, "Dear Army Guys, there are monsters," on a paper airplane and throws it into the mist. Then, when the army guys show up at the end, they could have been, like, "Where's Billy? All right, son, where are the monsters? As it turns out, this other dimension is vulnerable to our ordinary earth flamethrowers."
- It was all a dream.
- At the very least, they wouldn't have licensed Dead Can Dance.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Viewed: Beowulf
Well, that certainly was a movie with Beowulf in it.
Mr. Bile has already commented on it, but I think he's viewing the film through 3-D colored glasses. I'm all for taking liberties with the source material--Grendel really impressed me in high school--and it's great that we finally got to see Angelina Jolie in her true form. Also, I think it's pretty cool that the dragon really fights like a dragon, and not like a gang of 50 disposable bad guys in an old-school Jackie Chan movie who attack him one at a time.
But, man, those boss battles were long. And the cut-scenes in-between? Can we all just agree that Neil Gaiman should never be allowed near movies? I've read Smoke and Mirrors. That man holds a serious grudge.
The plot of the original, as I understand it:
That's Beowulf, I guess.
Mr. Bile has already commented on it, but I think he's viewing the film through 3-D colored glasses. I'm all for taking liberties with the source material--Grendel really impressed me in high school--and it's great that we finally got to see Angelina Jolie in her true form. Also, I think it's pretty cool that the dragon really fights like a dragon, and not like a gang of 50 disposable bad guys in an old-school Jackie Chan movie who attack him one at a time.
But, man, those boss battles were long. And the cut-scenes in-between? Can we all just agree that Neil Gaiman should never be allowed near movies? I've read Smoke and Mirrors. That man holds a serious grudge.
The plot of the original, as I understand it:
- There's a grendel.
- A beowulf rips off its arm.
- A beowulf kills its mom.
- Then there's a dragon.
- Grendel's mother is a symbol not necessarily of temptation (though base heterosexual urges and the desire to produce progeny is the ultimate weakness of all men who like to be naked in front of other men), but of the mistakes fathers commit as seen through the eyes of their own sons.
- Alternatively, the film is really about women discovering what they really want in a man. Grendel's mother and Hrothgar's wife slowly upgrade their relationships throughout the movie, as they learn that the longer a man hesitates to have sex with you, the more noble he is, and the more kick-ass your kids might be.
- Something about Christianity. There's a lot of crosses on evil people and dead people on crosses and burning crosses that fall on dead people. Apparently, Robert Zemeckis is an alternate universe Tim Burton with a cross fetish.
That's Beowulf, I guess.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Viewed: Southland Tales
Fuck yes.
You may have heard mixed reviews about Richard Kelly's first film after Donnie Darko. They can die and go to hell. I can't promise the movie makes sense. I won't tell you that some scenes aren't awesomely awkward. As for over-exposition and unnecessary voice-over? The movie nearly drowns in it. Hell, I don't even think you'll like it.
Best movie of the year.
Yes, even if The Mist lives up to all my 13-year-old expectations. Even though the previews of The Golden Compass promise both blimps and mercenary polar bears. I loved Once, but that's how many times I feel the urge to see it. Ratatouille moved me, and I think we can all agree that Hot Fuzz is pretty much a perfect movie. But Southland Tales tops everything, even edging out The Host. Unless the people responsible for The Wire magically send us a movie version of Song of Ice and Fire from the future for Christmas, the above pronouncement stands.
Southland Tales is angry. Insane. Flawed. Brilliant.
I just saw Sarah Michelle Gellar drink herself. Justin Timberlake made me sad. The "inconceivable!" guy from The Princess Bride is no longer the "inconceivable!" guy from The Princess Bride to me. He's Baron Von Westphalen. I got a lap dance from Bai Ling.
I wish I was watching it again right now.
You may have heard mixed reviews about Richard Kelly's first film after Donnie Darko. They can die and go to hell. I can't promise the movie makes sense. I won't tell you that some scenes aren't awesomely awkward. As for over-exposition and unnecessary voice-over? The movie nearly drowns in it. Hell, I don't even think you'll like it.
Best movie of the year.
Yes, even if The Mist lives up to all my 13-year-old expectations. Even though the previews of The Golden Compass promise both blimps and mercenary polar bears. I loved Once, but that's how many times I feel the urge to see it. Ratatouille moved me, and I think we can all agree that Hot Fuzz is pretty much a perfect movie. But Southland Tales tops everything, even edging out The Host. Unless the people responsible for The Wire magically send us a movie version of Song of Ice and Fire from the future for Christmas, the above pronouncement stands.
Southland Tales is angry. Insane. Flawed. Brilliant.
I just saw Sarah Michelle Gellar drink herself. Justin Timberlake made me sad. The "inconceivable!" guy from The Princess Bride is no longer the "inconceivable!" guy from The Princess Bride to me. He's Baron Von Westphalen. I got a lap dance from Bai Ling.
I wish I was watching it again right now.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Viewed: No Country For Old Men and Beowulf
Sometimes, ignorance is a good thing. For example, I enjoyed No Country For Old Men a lot more than Narraptor did. I haven't read the novel yet, and was blissfully unaware of any health problems among the audience. About the only thing troubling me was the fact that the concession stand was selling obviously bootlegged DVDs, right next to the drink machine.
No Country For Old Men itself is a combination of all things Cohen. The film primarily harkens back to the bleakness of the Cohen's earlier films. Despite this, there are random moments of levity that burst in, transport the story back to the happy wordplay obsessed films the Cohens have been making as of late. A generous viewer can assume that the latter bits help to camouflage the despair that would otherwise be grinding down in every scene. However, an alternate explanation is that the directors just felt like parachuting in a character or two from Oh Brother Where Art Thou, no matter what got broken in the proccess.
This isn't meant to imply that you'll just get what you expect out of the film, or that its quality cannot be objectively judged so you should just give up. But the fact remains that while I enjoyed the film, I'm now concerned that I'll like it a lot less once I read the book.
Lately, I've been a sucker for films that jarringly switch tonal gears with no rhyme or reason. As a further example of this, I left Beowulf feeling strangely satisfied.
If you've seen the previews for Beowulf, you've probably wondered when exactly our hero says "I-Am-Beowulf!" in that strangely halting cadence, and if he kicks a Persian down a well immediately afterwards. I'll inform you that whenever Beowulf or the all-star Beowulf singers announce his name, you must take a drink. Make sure you have a designated driver.
During the inexplicably rocking opening to the film, the credits alone inform the viewer that if they didn't spring for the 3-D version, they wasted their money. During the full IMAX experience, the left projector is displays Neil Gaiman's Beowulf, while the right projector shows Robert Zemicks' Beowulf. When wearing polarized goggles, the two films combine to create a down-to-earth story of xtreme heroes, and the corrupting effects being so awesome has on them.
Its a neat trick. Not many films can get away with feeling respectful to centuries-old source material, even during a ten minute fight scene where numerous foreground objects conspire to hide Beowulf's Beowang from the viewer, while a rotting Crispin Glover Muppet indulges in some wire-fu.
The CGI characters continue the theme of schizophrenia. Many of the male characters are very well done, with only their strange eyes letting you know that they hail from the Uncanny Valley. The women are immigrants from Shrektopia, and exist free of pores, body language, and a human soul. Beowulf himself stands somewhere in between these two extremes. Sometimes he's a real little boy, sometimes he's a Lord Of the Rings NoodleElf, and every once in a while he becomes an animatronic model.
All of this should end up being a mess, but all of the contradictions somehow cancel each other out, leaving behind an enjoyable film. Still, I already know that its the kind of movie that I'll either lover or hate a month from now, and there's no telling which it will be.
No Country For Old Men itself is a combination of all things Cohen. The film primarily harkens back to the bleakness of the Cohen's earlier films. Despite this, there are random moments of levity that burst in, transport the story back to the happy wordplay obsessed films the Cohens have been making as of late. A generous viewer can assume that the latter bits help to camouflage the despair that would otherwise be grinding down in every scene. However, an alternate explanation is that the directors just felt like parachuting in a character or two from Oh Brother Where Art Thou, no matter what got broken in the proccess.
This isn't meant to imply that you'll just get what you expect out of the film, or that its quality cannot be objectively judged so you should just give up. But the fact remains that while I enjoyed the film, I'm now concerned that I'll like it a lot less once I read the book.
Lately, I've been a sucker for films that jarringly switch tonal gears with no rhyme or reason. As a further example of this, I left Beowulf feeling strangely satisfied.
If you've seen the previews for Beowulf, you've probably wondered when exactly our hero says "I-Am-Beowulf!" in that strangely halting cadence, and if he kicks a Persian down a well immediately afterwards. I'll inform you that whenever Beowulf or the all-star Beowulf singers announce his name, you must take a drink. Make sure you have a designated driver.
During the inexplicably rocking opening to the film, the credits alone inform the viewer that if they didn't spring for the 3-D version, they wasted their money. During the full IMAX experience, the left projector is displays Neil Gaiman's Beowulf, while the right projector shows Robert Zemicks' Beowulf. When wearing polarized goggles, the two films combine to create a down-to-earth story of xtreme heroes, and the corrupting effects being so awesome has on them.
Its a neat trick. Not many films can get away with feeling respectful to centuries-old source material, even during a ten minute fight scene where numerous foreground objects conspire to hide Beowulf's Beowang from the viewer, while a rotting Crispin Glover Muppet indulges in some wire-fu.
The CGI characters continue the theme of schizophrenia. Many of the male characters are very well done, with only their strange eyes letting you know that they hail from the Uncanny Valley. The women are immigrants from Shrektopia, and exist free of pores, body language, and a human soul. Beowulf himself stands somewhere in between these two extremes. Sometimes he's a real little boy, sometimes he's a Lord Of the Rings NoodleElf, and every once in a while he becomes an animatronic model.
All of this should end up being a mess, but all of the contradictions somehow cancel each other out, leaving behind an enjoyable film. Still, I already know that its the kind of movie that I'll either lover or hate a month from now, and there's no telling which it will be.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Read/Viewed: No Country For Old Men
Just got back from No Country For Old Men. Well, just got back, then took a long walk down the road to think about it, then answered all my wife's questions about plot holes and contrivances based on my book learning, then re-read some reviews, then thought about grinding my way towards the good songs in Guitar Hero III, then looked up the latter and learned there are none. Then I decided to post instead.
I'm going to break, as I often do, from our spoiler policy and split this into two parts. The non-spoiler review follows. The spoiler review follows that.
While I don't think I could stomach reading No Country For Old Men, the audiobook version read by Tom Stechschulte is pretty damn gripping. It's edge of the driver's seat listening, and thematically it's a prequel to the bleak world depicted in The Road. I don't know whether the movie succeeds on both of those levels or not, because a late development in the story may have caused someone in the audience to have a heart attack. The theater neglected to turn the lights on and shut off the film, so the audience was left to grapple with whether they were supposed to ignore the EMTs and watch the denouement, or sit in the dark for 10 minutes and wait to find out if someone had died. Afterwards, another moral dilemma: Is it wrong to complain that your movie-going experience was ruined when someone's life is on the line? I can't say for sure, but as long as you aren't the asshole who leaves the theater saying, "No Country For OLD MEN! Hahahaha!", you're probably in the clear. Yay, date night.
Maybe the book is too fresh in my mind, but even without knowing how the movie ended, I'm almost kinda pretty pissed off. The Coen brothers got the suspense parts right, but they botched the message. My wife's a smart woman, and she wouldn't be asking me, "Why did this happen?", "Why would this person do something stupid?", "How could this be possible?", etc., if the film hadn't skipped over or altered plot points from the source material. While I understand nervous laughter, and that the fragility of human existence is part of the point, we shouldn't be laughing when Chigurh is sitting naked on a toilet picking bullets out of his flesh. He's supposed to be a symbol of unknowable, unstoppable violence spreading in modern times, damn it!
Succintly put, I resent them for turning Cormac McCarthy's thesis on escalating, inevitable chaos into Fargo.
Two things really ruined it for me. One, I could be wrong, but I don't remember Chigurh killing Jimmy James in the book. I'm pretty sure he brought JJ the money for no reason other than to prove he was good at his job. Two, the shocking, unexpected death of the protagonist is fully justified by the circumstances, but the movie rushes it, and cuts out the most heartbreaking part. It's just not the same if he's not shot to death in a hotel room he rented for a female hitchhiker, after renting a separate room for himself. Couple that with the edited down final confrontation between Llewelyn's wife and Chigurh, and the movie just isn't unfair enough.
I'm going to break, as I often do, from our spoiler policy and split this into two parts. The non-spoiler review follows. The spoiler review follows that.
No Spoilers For Old Men
While I don't think I could stomach reading No Country For Old Men, the audiobook version read by Tom Stechschulte is pretty damn gripping. It's edge of the driver's seat listening, and thematically it's a prequel to the bleak world depicted in The Road. I don't know whether the movie succeeds on both of those levels or not, because a late development in the story may have caused someone in the audience to have a heart attack. The theater neglected to turn the lights on and shut off the film, so the audience was left to grapple with whether they were supposed to ignore the EMTs and watch the denouement, or sit in the dark for 10 minutes and wait to find out if someone had died. Afterwards, another moral dilemma: Is it wrong to complain that your movie-going experience was ruined when someone's life is on the line? I can't say for sure, but as long as you aren't the asshole who leaves the theater saying, "No Country For OLD MEN! Hahahaha!", you're probably in the clear. Yay, date night.
Old Men Who Like It In The Spoiler #18
Seriously! Spoilery spoilers below!
Yo! My gangsta flow! Yo! Yo-ho-ho.
Also...spoilers.
Seriously! Spoilery spoilers below!
Yo! My gangsta flow! Yo! Yo-ho-ho.
Also...spoilers.
Maybe the book is too fresh in my mind, but even without knowing how the movie ended, I'm almost kinda pretty pissed off. The Coen brothers got the suspense parts right, but they botched the message. My wife's a smart woman, and she wouldn't be asking me, "Why did this happen?", "Why would this person do something stupid?", "How could this be possible?", etc., if the film hadn't skipped over or altered plot points from the source material. While I understand nervous laughter, and that the fragility of human existence is part of the point, we shouldn't be laughing when Chigurh is sitting naked on a toilet picking bullets out of his flesh. He's supposed to be a symbol of unknowable, unstoppable violence spreading in modern times, damn it!
Succintly put, I resent them for turning Cormac McCarthy's thesis on escalating, inevitable chaos into Fargo.
Two things really ruined it for me. One, I could be wrong, but I don't remember Chigurh killing Jimmy James in the book. I'm pretty sure he brought JJ the money for no reason other than to prove he was good at his job. Two, the shocking, unexpected death of the protagonist is fully justified by the circumstances, but the movie rushes it, and cuts out the most heartbreaking part. It's just not the same if he's not shot to death in a hotel room he rented for a female hitchhiker, after renting a separate room for himself. Couple that with the edited down final confrontation between Llewelyn's wife and Chigurh, and the movie just isn't unfair enough.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Cosdoom
Re: Costume Option Analysis For Halloween 2007
from: Brain Gremlin
Narraptor, below is our feasibility/recognition analysis report on your costume options for Halloween 2007. I was disappointed to see "crazy mogwai" was not on your initial request form when you submitted it 6 months ago. Perhaps you'd be willing to consider this option next year?
I'm going as Tony Randall, myself. Cheers.
Sexy Witch
Supplies required: Sexy witch outfit, sexy witch hat, sexy boots, sexy stockings, perhaps a suggestive wand
Pro: You'd make a very sexy witch
Con: You'd make a very sexy witch
Recommendation: Vetoed by wife
Dr. Gaius Baltar
Supplies required: Depends on the season. Either a lab coat, a suit, or a prison uniform. "I'm a scientist!" glasses optional. Ability to look like you're always about to cry mandatory. Brown locks or Jesus/Charles Manson beard dependent on episode.
Pro: It's Gaius frakkin' Baltar! And good motivation to buy a new suit.
Con: "Battle...what? Gay who? I don't know that that is."
Recommendation: You'd be better off going as Locke or Sayid.
Mr. David Nelson
Supplies required: An unfortunate suit. Short orange hair. White.
Pro: You need a haircut.
Con: "News...what?"
Recommendation: Unless you have a friend willing to dye his hair orange and go as Bill McNeil, this is the wrong reason to get a haircut.
Mr. Vampire
Supplies required: Chinese vampire clothes (robe, hat, beads, shoes, pants, tabard), nails, fangs, and makeup
Pro: Dude!
Con: "Mr... what?" The only people who know who Mr. Vampire is are people who you lent the movie to. Every set of fangs you buy you won't be able to wear. You've never applied makeup in your life. Your hair is too long and the wrong color. You don't have contacts. Hopping up a spiral staircase is a bad idea.
Recommendation: Approved.
Post Halloween Costume Report For Halloween 2007
from: Narraptor
Costume Chosen: Mr. Vampire
Supplies Used: Chinese vampire clothes (robe, hat, shoes, pants--accidentally left beads at home) and makeup. No fangs or nails. First pair of fangs would screw up dental work, replacement pair exceeded gum line. Nails would make driving in the dark difficult.
Positive Responses: Looked cool when posing for photos while sticking arms out and making vampire faces. Weird people got it when the opportunity to hop presented itself. My Pal Skipp appreciated the effort.
Recognition Percentage: "Are you a bishop?" "Are you a cardinal?" "Are you a mandarin?" "Are you a mandarin zombie?" "Are you the guy from Mulan?" "Are you Chinese...guy?"
Final Analysis: At one party I attended in costume, a woman wearing a full-on Wonder Woman outfit with a W on the front was repeatedly addressed as "Supergirl." Even if you go mainstream, you just can't win. Success by default.
Please begin research for next year. I expect a report in 8 months on the following options: Sexy Vietnamese Woman, Guy With Tentacles, Lodz, Annoying Guy Who Goes Around And Asks People With Obvious Costumes Who They're Supposed To Be.
from: Brain Gremlin
Narraptor, below is our feasibility/recognition analysis report on your costume options for Halloween 2007. I was disappointed to see "crazy mogwai" was not on your initial request form when you submitted it 6 months ago. Perhaps you'd be willing to consider this option next year?
I'm going as Tony Randall, myself. Cheers.
Sexy Witch
Supplies required: Sexy witch outfit, sexy witch hat, sexy boots, sexy stockings, perhaps a suggestive wand
Pro: You'd make a very sexy witch
Con: You'd make a very sexy witch
Recommendation: Vetoed by wife
Dr. Gaius Baltar
Supplies required: Depends on the season. Either a lab coat, a suit, or a prison uniform. "I'm a scientist!" glasses optional. Ability to look like you're always about to cry mandatory. Brown locks or Jesus/Charles Manson beard dependent on episode.
Pro: It's Gaius frakkin' Baltar! And good motivation to buy a new suit.
Con: "Battle...what? Gay who? I don't know that that is."
Recommendation: You'd be better off going as Locke or Sayid.
Mr. David Nelson
Supplies required: An unfortunate suit. Short orange hair. White.
Pro: You need a haircut.
Con: "News...what?"
Recommendation: Unless you have a friend willing to dye his hair orange and go as Bill McNeil, this is the wrong reason to get a haircut.
Mr. Vampire
Supplies required: Chinese vampire clothes (robe, hat, beads, shoes, pants, tabard), nails, fangs, and makeup
Pro: Dude!
Con: "Mr... what?" The only people who know who Mr. Vampire is are people who you lent the movie to. Every set of fangs you buy you won't be able to wear. You've never applied makeup in your life. Your hair is too long and the wrong color. You don't have contacts. Hopping up a spiral staircase is a bad idea.
Recommendation: Approved.
Post Halloween Costume Report For Halloween 2007
from: Narraptor
Costume Chosen: Mr. Vampire
Supplies Used: Chinese vampire clothes (robe, hat, shoes, pants--accidentally left beads at home) and makeup. No fangs or nails. First pair of fangs would screw up dental work, replacement pair exceeded gum line. Nails would make driving in the dark difficult.
Positive Responses: Looked cool when posing for photos while sticking arms out and making vampire faces. Weird people got it when the opportunity to hop presented itself. My Pal Skipp appreciated the effort.
Recognition Percentage: "Are you a bishop?" "Are you a cardinal?" "Are you a mandarin?" "Are you a mandarin zombie?" "Are you the guy from Mulan?" "Are you Chinese...guy?"
Final Analysis: At one party I attended in costume, a woman wearing a full-on Wonder Woman outfit with a W on the front was repeatedly addressed as "Supergirl." Even if you go mainstream, you just can't win. Success by default.
Please begin research for next year. I expect a report in 8 months on the following options: Sexy Vietnamese Woman, Guy With Tentacles, Lodz, Annoying Guy Who Goes Around And Asks People With Obvious Costumes Who They're Supposed To Be.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
OPM
You know you're in trouble when a stand-up's first line is, "We live an age of bullshit," and then she begins to kind of rant about Starbucks. The "things everyone knows about" age of comedy has been eclipsed. The only Starbuck I care about is the one who used to be a man and is now supposed to be dead. Niche is in. Narrow your focus.
As a prelude to OPM, I saw two one-woman shows on Monday. The first comic attempted to make up for her opening dance act by becoming increasingly vulgar and flirting with the gay men in the front row. As Margaret Cho has proven, gay audiences love to hear about how disgusting a vagina can be. Seeing an opening, she plowed into it repeatedly for 30 minutes. "OMG! Labia? What's up with that? What are those two flaps of skin for?"
It's Halloween. The barriers between this world and the next are thin. Allow me to consult Douglas Adams on this.
Douglas Adams: "Those flaps of skin are what forms the line on a man's scrotum. Get over it. And while I have your attention, The Hitchhiker's Guide has this to say about opening for a mostly Asian-American comedy troupe. 'Comparing a woman's pubic hair to a Chinese dude's beard and making it talk with a pidgin accent...what solar system does Canada exist in again? Ah, yes, the '80s.' As for the '80s, it has this to say. 'Mostly racist.'"
The second act was all about a tweaked out, beefy Tinkerbell. I'll give her credit, in our post Simpsons, Shrek, Family Guy world, the material was played out, but the actress was good. I could have lived without ever seeing a cross between "Look what I can do!" guy from Mad TV and "Superstar!" girl from SNL, but some things, like one-woman shows, just aren't for me. I prefer my one-woman shows to involve at least two men on opposite points of entry.
OPM closed out the night. Full disclosure, I can't offer an unbiased opinion. One of the performers is an old friend of mine, and Deborah S. Craig made a freakin' hot drunk Britney Spears. Normally I might balk at mocking Spears' recent VMA performance by changing the lyrics of "Gimme More" to "Gimme S'mores", but if Craig wants to wear hot pants and get covered in chocolate, then I can't say I was s'mortified.
As I mentioned above, I think there's an exclusionary modifier to humor. The less people who get the joke, the funnier it is. When OPM wasn't lampooning celebrities, they did perform some more subtle bits, and I enjoyed them. I expected a bit more bite overall, but "Interracial Relations" was clever, and I laughed throughout "Wrong Medicine" even though I didn't know anything about Amy Winewho. Apparently, she doesn't want to go to rehab.
I think "Appa Knows Best" could be a stand-out skit if it played more with of the cliches of Korean dramas. It went over well with the audience as a whole, but if there had been a guy in it wearing two scarves, glasses, and an orange wig, it would have rocked. The group definitely has potential, and coming from an arrogant, overly-critical bastard like me, that's a firm endorsement.
Scores follow.
First Act: When someone's bio says they're a clown, this is not a descriptive adjective. They are part clown.
Second Act: My wife put it best. "I didn't come here to see a play."
OPM: A good time was had by even me. A worthy opponent.
As a prelude to OPM, I saw two one-woman shows on Monday. The first comic attempted to make up for her opening dance act by becoming increasingly vulgar and flirting with the gay men in the front row. As Margaret Cho has proven, gay audiences love to hear about how disgusting a vagina can be. Seeing an opening, she plowed into it repeatedly for 30 minutes. "OMG! Labia? What's up with that? What are those two flaps of skin for?"
It's Halloween. The barriers between this world and the next are thin. Allow me to consult Douglas Adams on this.
Douglas Adams: "Those flaps of skin are what forms the line on a man's scrotum. Get over it. And while I have your attention, The Hitchhiker's Guide has this to say about opening for a mostly Asian-American comedy troupe. 'Comparing a woman's pubic hair to a Chinese dude's beard and making it talk with a pidgin accent...what solar system does Canada exist in again? Ah, yes, the '80s.' As for the '80s, it has this to say. 'Mostly racist.'"
The second act was all about a tweaked out, beefy Tinkerbell. I'll give her credit, in our post Simpsons, Shrek, Family Guy world, the material was played out, but the actress was good. I could have lived without ever seeing a cross between "Look what I can do!" guy from Mad TV and "Superstar!" girl from SNL, but some things, like one-woman shows, just aren't for me. I prefer my one-woman shows to involve at least two men on opposite points of entry.
OPM closed out the night. Full disclosure, I can't offer an unbiased opinion. One of the performers is an old friend of mine, and Deborah S. Craig made a freakin' hot drunk Britney Spears. Normally I might balk at mocking Spears' recent VMA performance by changing the lyrics of "Gimme More" to "Gimme S'mores", but if Craig wants to wear hot pants and get covered in chocolate, then I can't say I was s'mortified.
As I mentioned above, I think there's an exclusionary modifier to humor. The less people who get the joke, the funnier it is. When OPM wasn't lampooning celebrities, they did perform some more subtle bits, and I enjoyed them. I expected a bit more bite overall, but "Interracial Relations" was clever, and I laughed throughout "Wrong Medicine" even though I didn't know anything about Amy Winewho. Apparently, she doesn't want to go to rehab.
I think "Appa Knows Best" could be a stand-out skit if it played more with of the cliches of Korean dramas. It went over well with the audience as a whole, but if there had been a guy in it wearing two scarves, glasses, and an orange wig, it would have rocked. The group definitely has potential, and coming from an arrogant, overly-critical bastard like me, that's a firm endorsement.
Scores follow.
First Act: When someone's bio says they're a clown, this is not a descriptive adjective. They are part clown.
Second Act: My wife put it best. "I didn't come here to see a play."
OPM: A good time was had by even me. A worthy opponent.
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