Deconstructing Movies
by MICHAEL TUNISON / comedy / movies / Comments
Cliches and frequently replicated formulas in entertainment are made to be exposed by sardonic people with video cameras. That’s just how the delicate ecosystem of culture works. Recently there was a dead-on parody of how broadcast news pieces were structured by a British comedian. Then The Onion did a similar piece poking fun at how the news tries to fill time with banal non-stories. We get it: broadcast news is lazy and formulaic.
Ah, but you know what else is lazy and formulaic? This blog? Yes, but also movies. The function of each character and scene is so transparent that they can be mocked by pointing them out with dry identifications. That’s what this comedy group has done. In the next cycle of metaness, someone will break down their methods. Oversimplification, glib statement, glib statement, unfair generalization, obscure reference, one actual punchline. The end.
One Sec, Honey, God of War 3 Ad Is On
by MICHAEL TUNISON / advertising / God of War / video games / Comments
The Kevin Butler ads for Playstation have been a little hit or miss, but the good ones have been plenty good. And the one for the soon to be released “God of War 3″ is pretty entertaining. You’ll excuse me if I don my sensitive male beret for a moment, but only thing that hurts it is the girlfriend being a little too stereotypically pouty, needy and anti-video game-y. I know it’s supposed to be an exaggeration and all, but couple this with the one for “Uncharted 2″ where the girlfriend thinks the game is a movie and Sony might be being a little harsh with the lady gamers. They do exist and not just in my sex-filled dreams.
[H/T - Geekologie]
Still Better Than A Serious Man’s Ending
by MICHAEL TUNISON / movies / Comments
The Intarwebs got a lot of mileage last year out of mocking the ridiculous secret dwarf hooker ending of Orphan. Puerile fans of the inane like myself are about to be treated again, as the twist ending to the upcoming Robert Pattinson vehicle, Remember Me is equally outlandishly bad. Now, I’m about as likely to see this movie as I am this fake Calvin & Hobbes adaptation, but if you have designs on torturing yourself, be advised that there’s a huge spoiler ahead.
Everything is hunkydory for most of the film. Two young sexys — Bobby Patentleather, crazy Claire from Lost — meet cute during college in the gray whirlwind of New York. They battle past sadnesses, mean daddies, and cigarette addictions on their course to true love. They get married and the Vampyr heads off to his first day of grownup man work. He goes up and up in an elevator and everyone in the audience is saying “My, that’s an awfully tall building, where does he work exactly?” And then, can you guess it?
9/11.
Man, 9/11 makes a great movie villain. I hope 9/11 gets spun off into one of those hybrid monster movies. We’ll have Predator vs. 9/11 and 9/11 vs. Alien. Then tag team movies: Freddy and Titanic vs. 9/11 and Jason. Forget 3D, this just saved Hollywood.
— January 20‚ 2009 —
Jay-Z is a Schlock Purist
Hova has questioned the need for a remake of “We Are the World”, claiming that the original is sufficiently a sacrosanct piece of high art that it should not be sullied with updates. He would rather Haitian relief efforts be supporting by new songs conveying specific messages about this crisis. Since he’s so protective of Michael Jackson’s legacy, he’ll probably appreciate this “Bad” mural being placed in the Brooklyn subway stop where the video was filmed.
THREADNailed It!
If the art world needs anything, it’s more wryly composed photographs with nails as the subject. Thankfully, it’s Vlad Artazov to the rescue. As an aside, I’d like my trade to be part of my last name. Mike Jerkoffison has a nice ring to it.
THREADWill That Be All, Viscount?
What’s the main difference between online shopping in the US and the UK? If you said “the side of the mouse you have to click”, then congrats, you’re a hack comedian just like me. But honestly, folks [hold for end of laughter] they really have a ton of formal titles, like rear admiral, which isn’t nearly as dreaded as The Simpsons has led you to believe.
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