Of assholes and well, assholes.

This weekend, I went to see Get Him to the Greek, which was hilarious (and offensive, and vulgar, etc). I went to see it with my sister (good thing) and my mother (bad thing), and they both loved it. I loved it too. Hell, I want to buy the dvd the day it comes out. But as time passes and I think about the film, I become more aware of just how truly disgusting and lurid this film really is.

For those who haven't seen the film, Get Him to the Greek is about a music promoter (Jonah Hill) helping to stage a comeback concert for his favourite rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand, apparently not just Katie Perry's fiance) in hopes that he can win over his angry boss (played brilliantly by none other than Sean "Diddy" Combs) and restore his idol's dying career. Along the way, violent and sexual hijinks ensue. Aldous is a manipulative, narcissistic douchebag who takes advantage of everyone around him and refuses to own his mistakes. Even post-catharsis, he's not exactly a 'nice boy'. But I loved watching him, pure and simple.

And its those hijinks that make me wonder about taste. Most of the obscenities also serve as social commentary. In the opening of the film a racist video addresses condescending racism among Americans. Does that make the racism of the film acceptable? Are the female pop star's songs about anal sex (one is even called 'Pound Me in the Buttox') a critique of the current popular music strategy of selling sex? Or are these simply there for the scatologically inclined audience members? Much of the film's humor lies in its depiction of the scathing critique of the popular music industry, so I personally am inclined to accept (and giggle) at the numerous obscenities.

Can a thriller really work on television? (mild spoilers, not that it should matter)

I watched the fourth Happy Town earlier today, still hoping against hope the potential it showed early on would finally be realized, but to no avail. Unsurprisingly, I noticed comments mentioning that ABC had recently canceled the show.

For the many people who haven't watched Happy Town, the show is a mystery/thriller set in the small town of Happlin, where a kidnapper called the 'Magic Man' resurfaces. When I saw the initial promotions for Happy Town, I was excited. I was a big fan of Harper's Island, a miniseries with many similar themes: small town, old killer returns, etc. Harper's Island operated on a sort of thrill-of-the-week pacing while still maintaining the overarching plot and developing even minor characters. I watched this miniseries regularly with my friend, and we constantly speculated about who the big bad's accomplice was and who would die next (we also had a delightful drinking game, but that's a story for another day) and it became a true highlight of my week.

I was, in essence, the perfect audience for Happy Town. But my hopes were misplaced. Instead of a new thriller to fill the void, I had a crappy pseudo-whodunnit that appeared to have been written by JJ Abrams' crackhead cousin. Goat-shaped hammers? A sheriff cutting off his own hand? Ooh, a bread factory! The only less than miserable moments of this show were the work of Sam Neil (of Jurassic Park fame), who brilliantly plays his role as the English owner of a film memorabilia shop specializing in the Golden Age of Hollywood. The rest of the show plods through all kinds of weird crap like a young girl being drugged at the hospital visiting the sheriff and then waking up in the home of the village idiots (clothes on - ABC is a 'family' channel, remember), and I can't even care about the daughter in law of the crazy sheriff being kidnapped by the big bad Magic Man.

Maybe I just crave the violence, but I think what this show really needed was the thrill-of-the-week. It truly gives viewers something to guess about albeit something rather morbid. But after the first death, nobody we know is even harmed, let alone offed. Is it just me? Am I missing the subtle questions hidden beneath the ridiculous bullshit?

I know I'm supposed to be talking about movies, but ...

Disney's a movie company, and Disneyworld is a brilliant bit of movie merchandising. But I'll avoid blathering on about my (obviously commercialized, yet astoundingly fun) holiday and stick to one bit of movie crossover: The Pirates of the Caribbean. I remember going on this ride as a child. It was fun, there was cheesy music perfect for a kid, and there were hookers running around. Good times. But now there are a few changes. Davey Jones is projected onto a mist screen, Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow pops up in every room, and at the end of the ride the rider is deposited into a Pirates of the Caribbean gift shop. Does the media destroy childhood memories? Does it enhance them? Maybe being able to get a Capt Sparrow hat complete with dreadlocks is a fun way to remember your trip.

Why don't I like 'Shutter Island' (relatively spoiler free)?

Why? It has an interesting plot, the cinematography is gorgeous (no surprise coming from the director of Gangs of New York, Taxi Driver, and The Aviator), and the twist is well thought out and ties in beautifully. I went to see this movie with my best friend, since it's based on her favourite book, and I fully expected to enjoy it. But while I wasn't expecting a slasher, I did expect my heart to beat just a little bit faster than usual. And what did I get? Nothing. The reveal was so drawn out, it felt like Scorsese was making a mystery for young children. Remember those Nancy Drew books, or maybe even the video games? Because this movie felt like walking Nancy through the video game. It didn't matter if you figured out who stole the super secret diamond cut for Marie Antoinette, you still had to go through the fingerprint dusting game and look for clues in the shed.

But maybe I'm being too harsh. After all, the trailer made it pretty clear that a twist was coming, and I apparently watch too many movies and have a substantial mental database of movie twists (ranked, of course - The Others being higher than The Sixth Sense). But even with my knowledge of movie twists, I still somehow manage to be enthralled by a good movie with a well composed twist (has anyone else seen Dead End?). So what else could ruin a perfectly decent mystery film? Crappy music. Loudly hitting the same note three times (bum-bum-bum) is not simply dramatic, it's stupendously annoying. When Leo DiCaprio is running, that noise is irritatingly out of sequence. If there's a direct opposite of synesthesia, I now know of an underlying condition I need to make my physician aware of. I suppose this could just be a case of mild ADD rearing his ugly head, but a score that reminds me of a particularly weak Jaws opener just isn't going to keep me focused on the plot as it slooooooooooowly comes together.

Has anyone else seen this movie and had similar issues? Any big fans (that's you, oh best friend)?

My grade: Three monkeys short of a whole barrel.

p.s. FIRST POST! Now let's see how long I can keep this up.