businessgypsy Reviews

Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus (2017–2018)

Mike Judge never disappoints

[10/10 · 19 November 2017]

To address the two former reviews, both of which I agree with: Yes, Mike Judge is a genius. Just check his body of work for confirmation. You can't go from Beavis and Butthead (originally a student project) to Silicon Valley without some serious visionary cred.

The series is animated because that's Judge's metier. He can work outside of it with ease, but that is where his magic happens most often.

Honesty, transparency, access. Who the hell can put all that together and still make it fun? Mike Judge, that's who. The art of storytelling is alive, all you have to do is watch.

Hollywood & Wine (2011 Video)

Contemporary take on classic screwball comedy

[7/10 · 29 June 2012]

Stuck in Antwerp on a rainy day when this film appeared, oddly, on the Prime Network "family" channel. While absolutely not kid friendly, I found this film a well paced recreation of classic screwball comedies, from Bringing Up Baby to The Owl and the Pussycat.

Surprising cast, clever cameos. All the female eye candy is smart and tough, not victimized and in need of rescue. Nicky Whelan is my new favorite as the pragmatic Diane Blaine. Norm MacDonald's character Sid delivers a classic running deadpan joke that rivals "The Aristocrats" for filth and fun. Not high art, but a real good time that doesn't patronize or front.

I'd be surprised if something in this movie didn't offend you, but more surprised if it didn't simultaneously make you laugh. A bit of an inside joke for those of us who have lived in or around Hollywood and are familiar with the weird business of getting entertainment work, but not so much that other viewers will mind. If you have a couple of hours to have some harmless (but decidedly adult) fun, check out Hollywood and Wine.

Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008 Video)

I can imagine the first writer's meeting...

[9/10 · 24 December 2008]

W1 - Okay, we have to hit this one out of the park

W2 - Why? There's so much preloaded love, we can do anything we want

W3 - What if we did anything we wanted and hit it out of the park

W1 - I'm listening...

W3 - Okay, what's the most disgusting/disturbing animation genre to date?

W1 - Hentai tentacle monster rape

W2 - Yeah, tentacle monster sexual domination. A convenient way for early Japanese anime perverts to show sexual entry without showing the then prohibited male organ. It turned out twice as freaky as what the censors were trying to prevent, and spawned a whole industry of categorical tentacle sex fantasy.

W1 - Makes sense, if you look at the early Japanese woodblock prints of sexual acts with Octopi there's a historical precedent.

W3 - Okay, so we parody this whole overly serious genre and wring a continually referenced joke out of it.

W2 - Parody? I think were past that.

W1 - You don't...

W3 - You aren't suggesting...

W2 - Yeah. I am. Just have a big monster show up and do the nasty with the casty via tentacle love.

W3 - You're insane! Tell me more.

W2 - Not talking full frontal here, but we can sure steer it to sex without the victim clicking to it too quick.

W1 - Matrixy! Ooh, that makes me think that the sex...

W3 - Is in the neck!

W2 - Precisely. We're all about head F#$%s anyway.

W1 - Okay, throw in some religious overtones, a few dozen movie references, Leela's buzzkill shtick...

W2 - While we're at it, let's tentacle everybody in the universe.

W3 - I think we're done here.

W1 - Think we could get David Cross to voice the Beast?

W2 - I was texting his agent ten minutes ago.