Change Your Image
morphiaflow
In any case I have decided to re-write my profile, because it does seem a bit pompous, pretentious and self-important (just like I am, I guess). So this is a placeholder. But even so, it's a free internet, and as long as I live in my parents' basement and have all this free time on my hands, who is he or anyone else to judge me, you know? Why let him win?
Besides which, I only have a total of four pages of responses going back to 2004. Because I really do have better things to do with my time. Other people have four pages of IMDB posts within the last 24 hours! So who's really crazy, huh?
Whether I'm crazy or not (I may well be) certainly isn't for a random poster on a movie site to say. And anyway, it's all in good fun anyway, right? I mean...it's just the internet. It's not like it's real life. And I *do* know the difference.
So, maybe with this missive I've proven his point. Or maybe I just, you know, want to mess with his head. Which will probably make him shake it and back away from the crazy person even more. Either way, it's no sweat off me. Because pretty soon I'll have said my last word on Repo Men and we will never cross paths again, and it will just be a happy memory we'll both laugh at wistfully and nostalgically.
BTW, to that reader: the fact is you're taking me more seriously than I do. Lighten up, please. Thank you.
Reviews
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (2009)
Don't Believe The Hate--Funniest Movie I've Ever Seen
There are many kinds of comedy, and many kinds of movies, and some, like, say, REPO MAN, exist as an entity unto themselves because they defy classification. Such is THE GOODS. From moment one, it is unapologetically, unabashedly, entirely its own thing. It strikes a sublime, impossible balance between the crude, the absurd and the endearing. It tells a complete story, all the characters have arcs and through-lines, and yet it also manages to reach heights of silliness and raunch the likes of which have never been combined--all to supreme comic effect. The casting is ideal, the score is surprisingly effective. Quite simply I have never, ever laughed this hard at any movie in my life. I laughed at this the way I was **TOLD** I would laugh at THE HANGOVER--which I enjoyed, but which can't compare to this true comic masterpiece. It's not for everyone. Some folks just won't "get it". That's OK. But when I'm on that desert island trying to find somewhere to plug in my DVD player, THE GOODS will be there with me, along with the aforementioned REPO MAN, THE JERK, CADDYSHACK, HEATHERS, STRANGE BREW, CABIN BOY, UHF, UNDERCOVER BROTHER, and several others--yes, it belongs in that lofty company. So don't believe the hate, especially from those who have only seen the TV spots or trailers. And ABSOLUTELY do not believe those who are trying to make PC arguments against the film, because the very issues they raise are immediately addressed in the film. Just go see it.
Or as I told all my friends immediately upon getting home: "OMFG. See the Goods. See the Goods. I'm not kidding. SEE THE GOODS. I have NEVER seen a funnier movie. I have NEVER laughed that hard at a movie. I can't even put it into words. If you don't see it ASAP, you can't be my friend any...more. Seriously. I will hire midgets to beat you up. I will have **** **** your Significant Other. Get it? Understand? You're scum and I hate you if you don't see it! NOW!!!! This movie is why God has allowed humanity to exist for this long, so it could get made. It renews my faith in humanity and the future. I hope this is understood." I really think that says it all.
But I'll add this anyway: I have enjoyed a lot of the Apatow/Rogen/Stiller/Ferrell/etc comedies that have dominated this decade; but frankly, they've become overwrought, too high concept, and sometimes forget that they're just supposed to be FUNNY. This is a low budget, quick and dirty, get-to-the-joke-and-get-out COMEDY in every sense. It is thoroughly unpretentious, completely guileless, and thoroughly sincerely. So don't believe the hate. Go see it.
Open House (1989)
An Overlooked Classic
Despite what another review on this page states, this show was a classic in the making and an overlooked gem that sadly just didn't get the support it needed. Another season and it could have been a CHEERS. True, it was spun-off from DUET, but the two are really related only superficially, despite the fact that the character of Linda transferred more or less intact. I watched this show without KNOWING it was spun-off and I had no problem following or enjoying it; I felt no lack of back-story. (Not that I'm dissing DUET; when I DID discover that show, I loved it just as much--it was just an entirely different KIND of show, and it's not really fair to compare them.) It was well-written, funny, witty, savvy, and, I can say having recently re watched the entire run (thank gods I taped it when I could, since I don't see a DVD release anytime soon!)--it's held up VERY well, far more than a lot of other material from that time (Herman's Head, anyone?). The focus was on the characters and the humour, aided by an amazing cast (including a still-in-the-closet, largely unknown Ellen DeGeneres, and impressionist extraordinaire Danny Gans--who is now a top-dollar draw in Vegas and has done some very high-profile TV movies). Anyway, I can't recommend this show enough to those who are lucky enough to be able to see it, and it'd be really nice to see it acknowledged with a DVD release. (I believe Paramount might have been the studio that produced it...)
Talk Hard and Make It Count