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Good Hair Review

Goon — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:35:00 +0000

Good Hair Directed by: Jeff Stilson Starring: Chris Rock, Nia Long, Ice-T, Al Sharpton, Maya Angelou, Eve, Tracie Thoms I have more rap albums than I have black friends on Facebook, and I don't have that many rap albums. There is and has always been a lot of black culture that I can only understand so much, but I never really thought about hair's role. It seems so simple - you grow it, you dye it, you straighten it, you comb it - hair just happens, and I had never bothered to think about dreadlocks or cornrows or even afros beyond the stylistic choice. With this in mind, I was confused about who Good Hair is targeted to. Is it an expose of controversial issues to spur change within the black community, or is it just opening the door into a world someone like me knows nothing about? The premise of this documentary involves Chris Rock investigating a question from his daughter: "Why don't I have good (read: Farrah Fawcett-ish, flowing, not nappy) hair?". This leads him on a Michael Moore-ish journey through the $9 billion black hair industry, from relaxers to weaves to the doc's stability device: a ridiculous hair expo stage event in Atlanta that puts pageantry and pomp over pure skill. A better reference than Moore may be Chris Bell's 2008 steroid culture documentary Bigger Stronger Faster*, where the issues of vanity are also relevant beyond its specific subjects. While Stilson's film doesn't have (or need) the same personal punch, the light-hearted yet serious tone and editing style will seem familiar. Chris Rock as the catalyst for discovery makes for a very entertaining and amusing watch. Rock's quips and reactions serve as a gateway for pasty white Canadians like me who without a guide may have no idea what the fuck they're watching, and could not fathom why people would subject themselves to the activities involved in achieving "good hair". There is first an examination of "relaxers", which turns nappy hair into straight, silky, luxurious locks. It is shocking to watch how the chemicals in these products can damage and burn, aptly demonstrated by the visual of an aluminum can being stripped by a relaxer chemical to the point where it is completely clear. A longer segment about weaves takes Rock to India, investigating the process in which young Indian girls shave their heads ritualistically and send their mops back overseas to retail for hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. These segments also explore and explain how spending so much on ones coiffure can lead to distance in a relationship - the ladies aren't going to let their fellas mess up their thousand dollar 'do. It also obviously causes major fears of rain and swimming. An examination of the industry behind both shows how much money black people, especially women, are shelling out to businesses that are ironically mostly not black owned. In total, these scenes raise questions of whether or not they should or even want to be more involved in serving their own community through such methods. While one might look down on some of these people for shelling out large percentages of their paycheck every month on goop and sorta-wigs, watching the sole white hairdresser of the extravagant hair show go in for Botox treatment certainly makes it clear that vanity knows no boundaries of race or ridiculousness, and that in the end a lot of this may be uniquely psychological rather than strictly cultural. This especially becomes clear through the numerous talking head bits that pepper throughout the film from noted entertainers and figures from Ice-T to Maya Angelou, who talk of their first and/or continuing tales of weaves and relaxers. Al Sharpton for example tells about James Brown getting him to relax his hair to be more politically affable, and the payoff photograph is amusing and makes his point. A group of young girls talk about relaxing their hair not just for their own vanity, but because of the perceptions they would receive in their office had they grown their hair out naturally. You can't help but feel bad for the one girl of the group with a cute short afro as she listens to her friends explain yet another body issue she will have to contend with. It is unfortunate that Rock and Stilson aren't able to push more of their celebrity friends to get on the couch and similarly open up. Most of the talking head stories simply revolve around how, and not so much WHY they do this to their heads. When Rock wants to talk about any media manipulation leading these people to believe they don't have good hair, it doesn't resonate as well as it could. The case is clearly made that a number of these things are controversial if not clearly fucked up, but for the few fingers Rock points outside the black community, he extends others pointing back within. I'm not sure if there was an activist element intended when they first set out on this venture, but on the psychological level there was much left to be explored. Despite near universal critical acclaim, on IMDB and Flixster I've seen a lot more pushback against the film. I've seen some complaints from people mad at Rock taking pokes at weaves and relaxers at all, and others who believe Rock didn't take enough of a stand. I see claims that Stilson and Rock needed to spend time with black women who DO have naturally straight hair, and should show numerous people with "bad hair" of other races. I believe those complaints are misguided and could have turned the whole thing into an unfocused mess, instead of what it is - a very funny picture that is insightful, interesting and endlessly entertaining, but missing a definitive answer to its main question. -- Goon

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A Serious Man Review

Goon — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:48:31 +0000

A Serious Man Written and Directed by: Joel and Ethan Coen Starring: Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed, Aaron Wolff In an age of high profile franchise blockbusters, months in advance it becomes very apparent via very expensive marketing campaigns what the year's event films are going to be. For me though, it is instead a handful of directors' names that predetermine who is getting my money and attention. It should be obvious by the fact that I'd even write this that the Coen Brothers are on this list, and it's wonderful to have such a list when it means you can walk into one of their films relatively cold. It also brings an entirely different set of expectations than you'd give something that has spent months doing everything it can to impress you. My expectations from the Coens have become numerous -- I now demand a higher level of quality. I look forward to a certain kind of dialogue, where side characters repeat each others' names with condescending derision and yes, may even have catchphrases. They are realistic but ridiculous, lovable but also worthy of being shit upon by each other at any given moment for my entertainment. I expect that the plot will have moments where doing the right thing is punished worse than doing something underhanded. And of course, if Roger Deakins is on board, it will look fantastic. The Coens tick off all these marks with ease here, in a film I would argue is a Coen film for Coen fanboys. Do the Coens have a formula? Sort of, but to use a catchphrase from A Serious Man, they're also Fuckers. This is their true trademark, and I am happy to say I was fucked with more than enough times in A Serious Man to get more than I expected. A Serious Man takes place in the late '60s (when the Coens would have been coming of age), specifically within a suburban Jewish community. A professor named Larry Gopnik (played brilliantly in a reactive performance by Michael Stuhlbarg, who I had never seen in anything else before) faces a number of mundane stresses: relationship issues, a son about to go through his bar mitzvah, apprehension over getting tenure, a property line issue, an unhappy student, an overdue record club bill, and a brother going through a personal (and grossly physical) crisis. Gopnik tries to cope with these issues by consulting a progressively aged triad of rabbis who may or may not be doing him many favors. While this may seem dry, the Coens' sense of character and dialogue make A Serious Man very darkly funny. It is also extremely bleak though, perhaps devastating for some, as it basically retells the book of Job through the Coens' twisted lenses, shitting all over Gopnik at every opportunity. This is a screwball tragedy, made all the worse by unleashing this hell upon a very sympathetic character. The religious framing keeps the film moving along at a strong pace. Gopnik's Dante Hicks-ish cry of "I didn't do anything!" summarizes much of his plight as he tries to find an answer about what he can do for others - or for God so he will stop the onslaught. By the end, the point is made pretty clear: God can do whatever he wants. He has the power in the relationship, you don't. In dealing with one specific problem he is encouraged to "accept the mystery", and his failure to do so may be his undoing. His search leads him to a series of rabbis; one (fantastically hinted at by the wonderful shot which cuts "Rabbi" off his nameplate) young and hard to take seriously, another who spins detailed yarns that don't really point to anywhere, and one which is too busy for his most needy follower. The story the second rabbi tells may be my favorite moment of the entire film; its specific choice of soundtrack and the way it is told reminded me very much of how Quentin Tarantino has his characters tell stories. Like most Coen movies, there is quite a bit that comes across as silly, and it is clearly by design. Many have often said the Coens take too much glee in the horrors their characters go through, and none of them would change their mind after seeing A Serious Man. Some characters are not much more than caricatures, possibly even less, who exist to annoy and make the protagonist's life all the more worth letting go of. But others take these restrictions and just run with them. Fred Melamed is particularly great as Sy, who is deceptively casual in his dealings with Gopnik's wife. Also good is Aaron Wolff, Gopnik's son, who has his own mundane problems involving twenty dollars, a radio, and F-Troop. Richard Kind is utterly pitiable as Larry's brother, a mathematical genius who has even less to be happy about in life. This ensemble cast may overall be less recognizable than any of the Coens' casts to date. Fyvesh Finkel may be the most well known actor, who appears in a strange preamble to the film as a possible ghost (the nature of whom is still a mystery even through the credits). The point of this initial scene isn't crystal clear to me, but until proven wrong I prefer to think it suggests a curse has been following Gopnik's family, which would now include his son, for generations. Roger Deakins' photography work is a treat once again, subtle compared to some of his recent work because most of A Serious Man is happening inside and just outside of very ordinary track houses. He still manages to capture great shots including an elderly rabbi's study and a view from the ceiling of the Jewish temple. It made me want to rewatch Doubt and look if he is repurposing any of his ideas from that film. I don't know if A Serious Man is for everyone, but for my tastes it is a perfect film. I immediately knew after seeing it that it was my favorite film of the year to date -- even more so after a second viewing. The only thing I don't like about A Serious Man is that it has to move so many of my other favorite Coen films down a notch in my overall ranking of their filmography. The Fuckers. - Goon

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The Invention of Lying Review

Goon — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 05:27:22 +0000

The Invention of Lying Written and Directed by: Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson Starring: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Louis CK, Jonah Hill You have to wonder what kind of person has it within them these days to conceive of a fantasy-based comedy and believe in it enough to see it through. Movies like this simply haven't been very good or funny lately, and despite a promising trailer, The Invention of Lying seemed destined to contain a zillion unexplainable and/or nonsensical holes, and would at best resemble a mediocre SNL skit stretched to 90 minutes. Most people opined that it looked like another take on Jim Carrey's Liar Liar. But of all things I worried that the brilliant creator of The Office, Ricky Gervais, would turn out a high concept comedy as torturous to sit through as Year One or Click. While it turns out that while some of these fears were well-founded, I'm also pleased to say that I was wrong to underestimate Gervais when he has more to deliver than just laughs. Like many other comedies with outlandish premises, this film has a tough challenge of finding a balance between fleshing out the world with effective satire while at the same time delivering believable characters and an actual story. Groundhog Day succeeds by being somewhat of a "time travel" movie, with real people who are merely living each day anew. Idiocracy falters (although I've come to like it a lot more on rewatches) by having so much to say about an idiotic future that it has no time to breathe, and thus its main cast of characters are uninteresting, and the supporting players are actually overplaying their part to a cartoonish end that ironically undermines the premise for the sake of humor. The Invention of Lying lies (ugh, no pun intended) somewhere in the middle, meaning we end up with a likable, occasionally charming movie with something to say that at the same time is missing several opportunities for comedic exploration that makes the previously mentioned films so unique. Ricky Gervais plays Mark Bellison, a screenwriter at a movie studio that makes blockbuster films of people reading historical documents about such things as the invention of the automobile. Bellison has very little luck socially, beaten down so much by his difficult job of making the Black Plague interesting enough for the screen, and by his mean-spirited co-workers (including Rob Lowe, tapping back into his Wayne's World-style villainy) that he is about to lose his apartment. At just the right moment, he seizes upon an opportunity to create the world's first lie. Amazed by his accomplishment, he immediately uses his gift for both good and evil: taking advantage of casinos, telling people what they need to hear to survive another day, and advancing his own love life. Eventually this leads to religion, where Gervais, an outspoken atheist, definitely runs with the ball and for a solid chunk of the film creates a modern day version of The Life of Brian, casting himself as the Messiah. Much has been made of this segment of the film, and while some may certainly be offended, overall Gervais' handling smartly shows how the invention of religion both immediately brings the best and worst out of people. Overall Bellison's discovery of lying posits an argument that it's a very good thing that lying exists -- for the sake of better art, for a more polite and compassionate society, and for the sake of developing relationships and falling in love. Yuck. It's that latter 4-letter word that unfortunately derails a good chunk of this film, as Gervais has no bones about going for some sap, and about framing this world around a rom-com story. While his first emotional scene is surprisingly well executed, most others overshadow some of his ideas, and the rom-com framing throws a wrench into the suspension of disbelief. For one, it should be noted that people in this world do not merely tell the truth at all times; they also happen to blurt out what they are thinking at random. It's done for the sake of humor, and while it often works, the things they reveal should derail everything and work counter to their intentions. Jennifer Garner's love interest character in particular, though not badly performed, brings out this flaw in the film most often. Constantly attacking Gervais for his appearance, it is beyond reason why Gervais would keep persuing her, calling her a good person and his best friend despite her obviously being so openly shallow. I often wondered if Gervais' character was actually lying when he would praise her, but it becomes clear he's serious. I suppose one could argue Gervais is taking digs at himself; that in an honest world only desperate people would be with him; that he would have to get used to it and accept it. It's still tough to swallow as you watch. So while I praise Gervais for wanting to ground everything in character, Garner's character remains as clueless as anyone in the lie free world that it's hard to get behind them as a couple. Her character only decides to love him because the script needs it to. It's unfortunate that these scenes fail so hard, because it means that more of this world is not properly explored. Gervais doesn't really lay a glove on politics, war, how the world is not any more or less advanced than it currently is, or how its history could basically be the same. It means stabs at corporate truth in advertising ("Coke. It's very famous.") don't get mined more often, and we don't get the seemingly promised payoffs of a world that suddenly discovers religion and fictional storytelling. I don't know if this is a spoiler, but the world never actually discovers lying for itself, so we don't see the chaos and panic that could ensue in a world with deceit suddenly thrust upon them. All of what I've said to date is mostly ignoring something very important: is this comedy funny? The answer is yes. It's funny enough, not necessarily "ha-ha" funny or the awkward situation funny we often get from Gervais, but it does take much better advantage of his self-deprecating charm than Ghost Town did, and more often than not, it uses its endless supply of star cameos at least as well as the early Muppet movies did. Maybe that's a backhanded compliment to some, but I think Gervais would appreciate it. While some such as Tiny Fey and Christopher Guest are wasted and inconsequential additions, others (including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Stephen Merchant, Martin Starr, Ed Norton, and Jason Bateman) get just enough to do in their few moments on screen to justify stunt casting in favour of a no name. Louis CK, Rob Lowe and Jonah Hill are used well enough in their supporting roles. Much like typical road movies, and like in Idiocracy, a movie with a strange premise can benefit from faces you know getting a few shots in and prevent you from growing weary of the premise. It doesn't always work, but Gervais does well to recruit so many of his many friends and fans. The Invention of Lying will disappoint about as many as elates, but overall I think it's safe to say most people will come out of Gervais and Robinson's co-directed film somewhere just above or below the Mendoza Line, decrying the sap and lauding specific moments and ideas. This review may come across as mostly negative, however the film's strength is in the actual satire, and I wouldn't want to spoil much. It's hard to say if it would benefit from rewatch or not, but I know I'm willing to give it the chance on DVD, if only to see the deleted scenes that promise a prehistoric man played by Karl Pilkington. Far from a home run, The Invention of Lying is still ambitious, worth exploring, and enjoyable in spite of its flaws. I didn't laugh even a tenth as much as I did at say, The Hangover, but I guarantee I've already thought about it more often. -- Goon

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The Class Review

Goon — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 05:16:05 +0000

The Class (Entre les murs) Directed by: Laurent Cantet Written by: François Bégaudeau, Robin Campillo, Laurent Cantet Starring: François Bégaudeau, Nassim Amrabt, Laura Baquela, Cherif Bounaïdja Rachedi Despite winning the Palme D'Or this past year, The Class completely went under my radar until just about a week before it opened, when seemingly every Toronto critic all of a sudden had a 5 star review and was retroactively insisting it to be one of the best films of last year. I went to see The Class pretty much blind, and perhaps this was a good decision. I doubt a trailer for a film like this would exactly pop or get asses in seats. And that's too bad, because it's absolutely true – whether you consider it a 2008 or a 2009 film, this is a damn great one and worthy of a spot near the top of anyone's list. The story is quite simple: a group of discouraged teachers get through a new year at a tough school in a lower class neighborhood, and for the most part we focus on one specific classroom. Despite having nothing but the best intentions, there are clashes in culture, generations, and a look at the fine line between respect and chaos in a classroom. So in other words, there is not a whole lot of plot, and a whole lot of talking. Imagine Gus Van Sant taking on the education elements of season 4 of The Wire… in French. With huge Futura Extra Bold subtitles. While much of the dialogue is funny in the way children riffing with an determined and amicable teacher can be, a lot of the film's strengths deal with how the film depicts dealing with specific difficult situations that seem normal for any classroom, and a few that would seem abnormal to North American audiences. For the former, that would include simply students who are not pulling their weight, fights, backtalk, and parent-teacher conferences. For the latter, well, for example, apparently in France there are student representatives for the class who are present as the teachers grade them. Things that are said get back to everyone in the classroom. Of course this would happen, and you would assume this would happen again and again and again. I would have to hear from people in France to let me know how accurate scenes like this are, but they are fascinating nonetheless. Every performance in this film is very good, and almost all the kids seem to essentially be playing themselves. The star and writer of the film, François Bégaudeau, plays himself and seems to be relaying his own experiences. Every character is naturalistic enough that you could play snippets of the film and convince people it is a documentary. Overall the film is very amusing, emotionally engaging, and very strong. Describing the conflicts in text would seem like minor drama, however the film handles them in a way that makes you realize the impact each of these small decisions play on so many lives. It is hard to make this movie look particularly exciting or interesting, and maybe harder to convince people to lay down 12 bucks to go see it in the theater (to be honest I don't think it would lose much on DVD if you were to wait), but it absolutely is that good, and you'll just have to see for yourself. -- Goon

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Global Metal Review

Goon — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:58:46 +0000

Global Metal Directed by: Sam Dunn and Scot McFayden Sam Dunn is a Toronto anthropologist, bassist for death metal band Burn to Black, and the co-director and face of the successful 2005 Metal 101 documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. The success of that film, largely due to DVD, has brought Sam a large amount of respect from his peers, and letters from all around the world letting him know that simply covering North America and Europe's biggest and most controversial bands meant his job wasn't finished. With this, Global Metal was born, a travelogue to many of the worlds hot spots to see how these varying cultures have made this style of music their own, as well as how they've had to deal with oppressive governments and limited freedom. Call it an 'advanced study', a passion project that like Wordplay or Helvetica, hooks you in through the passion of the obsessive fans and filmmakers rather than a specific controversy or accidental plot. Dunn and his co-director Scot McFayden begin logically in Brazil, as most heavy music fans associate this country with Sepultura and the massive outdoor concert Rock in Rio. It's a familiar metal fanboy setting fitting with the Wacken adventure in his first film, and an excellent way to transition into his new subject matter. There were some from the first film who felt that the filmmakers weren't telling them anything they didn't already know, and its from here on in that Dunn obliges. A trip to Japan shows it as a polite, positive and fun experience, with conflict coming from contrasting styles of traditional, extreme output (such as from Sigh) vs. say, a choir of teenage asian girls singing over ex-Megadeth's Marty Friedman for the TV series "Death Panda.". And then there's Visual Kei, a flamboyant anime meets glam style more akin to Poison than Venom. A strong contrast is China, whose expert there expresses that metal is their output to show their inner hate among a culture with so many people and so much repression. Indonesia has a similar "hate" scene, where a band member somehow manages to explain an anti-Zionist message while at the same time wearing an anti-Nazi armband. Dunn challenges his contradictions, and while the artist tries to explain, it leaves a bit of a bad taste. For me, the most interesting bits take place within the Middle East and India, whose conservative religious traditions have led the kids there desperate to vent their struggles against the conformity of arranged marriages and Bollywood. The best comment comes from the statement of an Israeli metaller that daily life in the city, the living, are what is scary, and that the fantasy/gore elements of extreme metal are what is fun and not scary at all. The big names in metal that you would expect, such as Slayer and Iron Maiden, are littered throughout the film to their appearances to tell stories of bizarre incidents that have taken place to them in their trips around the globe â€“ notable is a pretty brutal conflict in Indonesia at a Metallica concert, however with Global Metal, the fans in these countries the real stars, and it is less about shoulder rubbing and defense of the genre than it is about an actual headbangers journey. While a logical follow up to what Dunn began a couple years ago, there's more to learn here for the metal fan, and for the non-metal fan, maybe they care more about Iranian children escaping the country to see Bruce Dickinson sing than they do about meeting Dio. It is among the best music documentaries I have ever seen, and my only dissatisfaction with it is that once it was over, I couldn't immediately go into the special features menu and watch extended interviews. -- Goon

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Gone Baby Gone

Goon — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 06:06:24 +0000

Gone Baby Gone Directed by Ben Affleck Written By Dennis Lehane Starring Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, Amy Ryan *** This review may contain spoilers *** Once in a while a film comes along that leaves you confused about what you think about it after its over, struggling to weigh the many highs of it vs some staggering lows. Such is the case with "Gone Baby Gone", Ben Affleck's directorial debut starring his younger brother Casey. GBG tells the story of a 31 year old private detective named Patrick Kenzie, hired by a frantic grandmother to augment the police investigation of a missing girl. Monaghan, as his partner Angie, immediately refers the case to another investigator, perhaps realizing before Kenzie that this piece of work might be a little much to deal with. She would turn out to be correct, as the case goes deeper and deeper to a nearly insane, morally ambiguous degree that could possibly ruin Kenzie's career and personal life. It's difficult to point out exactly where GBG goes wrong without revealing things, which is why this is a potentially spoiler review. I can't tell where to put most of the blame, Affleck's direction or Lehane's source material, but to some degree they both share responsibility. "Gone Baby Gone" survives on the strength on the majority of the films sense of authenticity, grit, and incredible performances (at least for the most part) from Affleck, Harris and Amy Ryan. At one point I felt it reminded of the excellent HBO program the Wire, aided by the presence of "Omar" from said show. When Harris and Affleck face off after a gunfight both succeeds and goes awry, it is stellar. When Monaghan and Affleck chase down the supposed kidnapper, it is jarring. When Affleck shows his balls (no, not literally, this isn't Eastern Promises) in both a bar and a Haitian's hideout, it is cool. It's also intermittently funny in a dark way, usually through the sub-par mothering of Amy Ryan's character Helene. Affleck manages to showcase some decent cinematography which seems to be better than it is thanks to a number of fantastic shots. Affleck also has an excellent sense of highlighting Boston's inner class structure, up to the same par as Eastwood's "Mystic River" (also written by Lehane). Where Affleck, and Lehane as well, fail, is when they sacrifice much of the authenticity with some overly farfetched storyline developments, which are not aptly handled in the film's direction. The viewer is almost tricked into thinking the film is ending - twice. After this, it begins to unfold into a police conspiracy with enough moral complexity to make you think what you would do after it is over, and asks you to take sides. Unfortunately while the film can keep you guessing and entertained, the last act makes jumps I simply cannot accept. Morgan Freeman's character, who disappears in the middle of the film, returns with a development that doesn't seem to be very well thought out, nor that plausible in being created in the first place. There are of course hints to his motives early in the film, however they were not developed well enough (or presented with enough conviction by Freeman, who is coasting here) to take seriously. Several reveals near the end of the film are done in a condescending flashback manner that gives away too much, or at least lacks the subtlety of much of the film. So while "Gone Baby Gone" may have disappointed overall by going more than a little too far, it is an extremely watchable film with good questions that I can mildly recommend. - Goon

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Audio Review)

Goon — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 01:03:19 +0000

Goon here, checking in after a long time from actual reviewing. I remembered why I had took so long between uploading items when I went to post this quick audio review. I was horrified to find out I had thrown away the final product with a musical intro and outro, and only had this worse audio version of it left behind. Well I figured I would put it up anyways and hope my second go around goes better than the first. I hope you can suffer your way through this not-so-clean sounding 10 minute review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. download mp3

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Knocked Up Accused Of Plagiarism

Goon — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 00:44:11 +0000

When Grindhouse was released, there were accusations that Quentin Tarantino had lifted the premise from a small indie film. By the evidence there didn't seem much to take seriously. However this week some major press is being made accusing Judd Apatow of lifting the concept of "Knocked Up" from well known Canadian journalist Rebecca Eckler, who wrote a memoir called "Knocked Up: Confessions of a Hip Mother-to-be", released months before Apatow made his movie pitch. Eckler has enough credibility to make some noise here, and there are indeed similarities - a young journalist who had too much to drink only to be impregnated by a Jewish Canadian, aided by her sister. The Toronto Star has a piece today, and this week Canadians' favorite waiting room time killer Maclean's has this extensive piece by Eckler herself detailing her full rationale for believing "Knocked Up" was well, knocked off. Personally, I would think Apatow would be smarter than blatantly ripping off a story, especially with the same title - and the tale is simple and universal enough (and really, from the slacker male point of view - of a Jewish Canadian actor who has always gone out of his way to make this part of his character in every Apatow production he's been a part of) that I would have a hard time seeing this hold up in court. Take a look at the article and judge for yourself. UPDATE - I've discovered this blog keeping close tabs on this story.

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Huh? Were These Supposed to Be Funny?

Goon — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 18:41:21 +0000

While at a screening for Pan's Labyrinth last week (best movie of the year, by the way), this advertisement ran for a group called "Equality Rules". Half the audience laughed at the over the top "Clerks"-ish situation, the other half was quite upset and even spoke against other people in the audience for laughing. You can count me among those that found the situation, choices of words and the presentation funny. You have to admit, with that setup and the way advertisements try to throw people, it could have turned into an ad for any number of things. The question is, was this first section of the ad intended to be funny, or were advertisers serious yet just too dumb to realize you dont mix PSAs explaining the horrors of abuse with clever or funny situations/presentation. Whatever it is, these ads are not the sole example of this "its not okay when X does it" goofiness. These other abuse ads for example, could easily have been a segment of "Family Guy": "She Spilled My Coffee" "The New Numbers are Right" "Pick that Thing Up!" I'm used to drunk driving commercials for example, both trying to traumatize a person as well as trivialize the situation with humor. The talking head against a white background PSAs have had their own kitschy value. So what do you think is the best method of putting forth a message, and are these types of advertisements appropriate to show in theaters? I can imagine the superb ironic value of one of these ads running before a James Bond film.

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Michael Richards Fallout Hits Crappy Comedians Hard

Goon — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 18:51:14 +0000

TMZ.com, the website that initially broke the Michael Richards story a few weeks ago, reports now on a few separate pieces of fallout directly related to the n-word debacle. Andy Dick, unfunny man of TV and film, apologized Tuesday for over the weekend using the term at an L.A. improv. After making fun of Richards on stage he yelled to the crowd "You're all a bunch of niggers". Says Dick: "In an attempt to make light of a serious subject, I have offended a lot of people, and I am sorry for my insensitivity. I wish to apologize to Ian, to the club and its patrons and to anyone who was hurt or offended by my remark." Meanwhile at the now infamous Laugh Factory, Damon Wayans was fined $320 dollars for dropping the n-bomb on stage. The club has decided to fine comedians $20 dollars for any use of the term, and during a Sunday event called "Chocolate Sundaes", Wayans for example said: "Give yourselves a big round of applause for coming down and supporting 'Nigger Night' " . In my opinion, the Richards incident has opened up important dialogue about race and racism, but with these examples it seems things are already starting to get a little bit kooky. While I suppose it is commendable that people such as Chappelle's Show cast member Paul Mooney have claimed they will no longer use the term, some George Carlin level sensibility would be nice. It's all about context people. Should we bring up Quentin Tarantino for past crimes next? Resurrect Bill Hicks and chastise him for his L.A. Riots bit? A sarcastic quip about a dumb comedy night title, and a bad joke that was clearly meant to be ironic, do not warrant more blacklisting. Neither does social commentary, as Hicks or Henry Rollins have used the term. This new fear of the word in any context is already giving it more power. It seems right now that the only way people can get away with any controversy based on race/homophobia these days if you have something to sell. Whether its Eminem, Axl Rose or Marilyn Manson in their prime - or in a more recent example, Mel Gibson, who I might remind people drove drunk and non-jokingly made his own slurs has a film out this week, apparently undamaged enough by the incident to be able to put his own name in the title.

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Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny

Goon — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 00:31:14 +0000

Starring: Jack Black, Kyle Gass, Jason Reed, Dave Grohl Despite being around approximately a decade (showing up in "Bio-Dome", and later in their own HBO series), Tenacious D are known for their 2001 self titled album which also spawned a DVD containing their well known music videos and shorts. Since this time Jack Black has become a much bigger celebrity, who relies on the same type of personality just often enough that he's in the middle of a backlash. If you ask me, Jack is still funny, but he is definitely overexposed. So now at what seems like a bad time, a Tenacious D feature length movie has been released, following the same generic road movie plot we've seen in everything from "Dumb and Dumber" to "Borat" (traveling, meeting weirdos along the way, the two break up and then get back together just in time to reach their goal). If it were funny all this would be forgiven, but with 5 years of expectations, the decks seem to have been stacked against the D. One of the films greatest strengths is arguably also its biggest weakness. While director Liam Lynch has put together some of their popular videos, and in his own experiments has repeatedly shown to be creative and bizarre enough, he simply does not have the experience to carry the film in its non-musical sequences. The CD soundtrack was 30 minutes long, and with 1 song cut entirely and 2 in the credits, that makes around 20 minutes of material Lynch excels at and around an hour of movie that he simply does not have the skill to make work. The script itself is not all that strong - while the recycling of jokes from the TV show is not all that great an idea, whats worse is the number of people in this film that could have positively contributed who were wasted entirely or whose cameos did not go anywhere - including Ben Stiller, Amy Poehler, David Koechner, Amy Adams, Colin Hanks, David Krumholz as well as many of Jack Black's former castmates from Mr. Show. A few cameos do work, namely Meat Loaf and Dio in the strong opening sequence, Dave Grohl as the devil, and Tim Robbins in his (not first but) second appearance in the film, but otherwise the film suffers from a lot of filler material where there were opportunites for comedy but jokes simply were not even attempted. It seems to me that perhaps someone like a Jay Roach or a Todd Phillips should have been brought on for the non-musical sequences and Lynch left to focus on what he does best. Either this or maybe a better idea - using some of the self titled albums' songs and making the full movie a bizarre rock opera, one big long music video instead of a half assed action comedy with occasional music. For a rock movie it doesnâ€™t rock hard enough, and for a comedy it isnâ€™t funny enough. Yet somehow it is difficult to dislike. When the film does work, as in the drug induced sasquatch sequence and a few other moments, it works quite well. Black and Gass really do seem to be having a lot of fun throughout the film, and so if you aren't expecting too much, there is fun to be had. It would be hard for me to see a big fan of the band not at least finding the whole thing silly and cute. Overall, "The Pick of Destiny" is destined for cult success, but I don't know about "cult classic" status. My decision whether or not to pick up the DVD will pretty much rest on the quality of the bonus features. A mild recommendation to those this has been specifically marketed to, and a recommendation to avoid for most others. - Goon

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Steve Irwin – dead at age 44

Goon — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 10:33:20 +0000

Steve Irwin, conservationist and host of the popular television show "The Crocodile Hunter" (as well as the 2002 film of same name), died Monday at the age of 44 off the Great Barrier Reef. While shooting a new documentary he was stung by a stingray, which by most accounts is usually very painful but rarely actually fatal. It's barbed tail pierced his chest and put a hole in his heart. There was a time during the peak of his show's popularity where his death at the hand of one of these creatures seemed inevitable, however over the years it basically sunk it that this guy might seem crazy, but either knew exactly what he was doing or was the luckiest person in the world, or both. Steve Irwin will always be remembered for his enthusiasm. He is survived by his wife Terri and his children Bindi Sue and Bob.

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