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.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
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?
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?
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