Bowfinger (1999)

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It took three viewings for me to love this movie, and now it's one of my favorites. If you watch this and find any part of it enjoyable but you're not sure about it, please, watch it again. And then one more time. I know I'm asking a lot. There are so many things out there you could be spending your time on, and I just requested that you spend six hours on one movie, but it is so worth it.


Robert K. Bowfinger (Steve Martin) is an aging, washed up actor/director who is trying one last time for success. He convinces several others to join his cause through various means. Some only agree to go along with the plan because Bowfinger promises the support of a big-time producer (Robert Downey Jr.), who agrees to green-light the picture if Kitt Ramsey (Eddie Murphy), biggest action star on the planet, is the lead actor.


Kitt Ramsey is an interesting fella. Here he is with his agent:

As you can see, Kitt is a bit paranoid. He has a lot of fears and seeks help from the organization Mind Head (a parody of something that rhymes with Shmientology). It doesn't help that Kitt rejects Bowfinger's offer to star in the movie, but Bowfinger decides to go ahead with filming Kitt in the movie anyway, and the movie is about an alien invasion. Kitt's paranoia and ignorance lead to some of the funniest scenes in the movie. Here's one (warning: some swearing):

There are so many great moments and quotes and people in this movie. You will give it a chance or three, won't you?




Music


Juliette and the Licks - Hot Kiss

   genre: slightly insane rock
   ideal for: running around town and kicking things because you feel like it
  Youtube


Squirrel Nut Zippers - Ghost of Stephen Foster

   genre: high-energy, old-timey jazz
   ideal for: jauntily meeting dead songwriters in hotels
  Youtube

Heart and Souls (1993)

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Four people die in a bus crash the same night Thomas Reilly (Robert Downey Jr.) is born, and they find themselves inexplicably tied to the kid. Only Thomas can see them, and they can only stray a few feet from his body. Without any explanation as to what they're supposed to do, the four just chill and focus all their attention on the sweet little boy.


That is, until they realize that having four very restless and talkative imaginary friends can lead to some problems:

 Everyone thinks that Thomas needs psychiatric help, and so, to give the boy a normal life, the four ghosts make it so that Thomas can no longer hear or see him. The scene where they say goodbye to the boy gets me every time. That kid can cry like nobody's business.


Years and years later, Thomas is all grown up and a bit of a jerk. The bus driver who got the four people killed shows up and tells them it's time to go to the afterlife. Understandably, they wonder why he hasn't shown up before. The bus driver explains that they were supposed to have tied up the loose ends to their previous lives with Thomas's help. Because they didn't do that, the ghosts beg for more time. They are granted it, and now must resolve their mortal grievances as quickly as possible.


Getting Thomas's help is fairly difficult. It takes some extreme persuasion to get him to agree. The ghosts were just told they can take over Thomas's body. Julia went first, now it's Milo's turn:

Thomas reluctantly agrees. The rest of the movie is focused on righting past wrongs, letting go of regret, and not allowing good opportunities to pass you by. I laughed, I cried, I wished I had four good people following me everywhere to sing with me in the bathroom (but then I thought about it more, and I took back that last part).

Music

fun. - All the Pretty Girls

(thanks again, Mark)

   genre: cheerful indie pop

   ideal for: a montage of friends out on the town

  Youtube

Hellogoodbye - Finding Something to Do

   genre: bright, joyful love song

   ideal for: scampering through a spring meadow with your soul-mate

  Youtube

Clone High (2002-2003)

IMDB

This show only lasted thirteen episodes, but we've talked about this before. Almost all of the shows I love die young. There are lots of rumors why Clone High was canceled: MTV was sued over the portrayal of Gandhi, MTV just sucks, etc. The only certain thing is that this show is hilarious, if a little crude.

The premise is that the government cloned a bunch of famous people, and now those people are all in high school. Clone High makes no attempt to be believable in the science department; there are clones running around of people whose DNA we do not have. Joan of Arc and Jesus, for example.

The three main clones are Abe Lincoln, Joan of Arc, and Gandhi. They all appear in this clip from the first episode:

Season 1, Episode 1

Most of the characters are a joy to watch, and at least three of them are voiced by actors who were also on Scrubs, if that means anything to you.


This clip is from the Very Special episode (they're all Very Special episodes) about how those with ADD still deserve to live a normal life, and it features Joan of Arc's blind foster grandfather, Principal Scudworth, and JFK's foster dads:

Season 1 Episode 3

If you missed this show when it was still alive, check it out! Now that it's been dead for eight years and there's no hope for a resolution!


Today's music selection:


D-Pryde - Mr. Prizzy

   genre: fast-talkin' goofy rap
   ideal for: when you need a quick and clean injection of swag     
  Youtube
  Download his albums for free (and legally) here and here.


Teddybears - Devil's Music

   genre: rock and hip-hop's dancing baby
   ideal for: when you're afraid you might be paralyzed and will never dance again (you will know for sure after listening to this)
  Youtube

Some Like it Hot (1959)

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When musicians Joe and Jerry (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon) accidentally witness what bears a striking resemblance to the Valentine's Day Massacre (coincidence? No, of course not), they have to get out of town fast and without being recognized. An opportunity presents itself, and they take it, and briefly change genders to join a travelling all-girl band. One of the men definitely pulls it off better than the other.

Near the end of that clip, we meet Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe), whom neither man can resist. Both attempt to woo her in their own way. They aren't the only ones attempting at seduction, either. While in their female disguises, both men find out just what it can mean to be a woman. Here's Jerry's suitor, Osgood Fielding III, played by the hilarious Joe E. Brown:

Men in dresses, Marilyn Monroe, music, and mobsters. What's not to like?


Since today's movie is all old and stuff, here's some suitable music to go with it or whatever.


Frank Sinatra - Goody Goody

   genre: vengeful swing
   ideal for: mocking your ex like a (mob) boss. haha I make joke.
  Youtube


Maureen McGovern - Embraceable You

   genre: classic Broadway sung by a master
   ideal for: a romantic candlelit dinner, complete with crooning stranger on a nearby grand piano
  Sorry guys, this one's not on Youtube, but the whole album, which is fantastic, is available on Amazon and iTunes.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

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Most people heard about this movie, but most of them didn't go see it. I know I didn't. I've never really gotten on board with Wes Anderson as a director (The Royal Tennenbaums, The Life Aquatic), but that may change in the future. I certainly enjoyed this well enough.


Our title character is a former thief who gave up his dangerous lifestyle to provide some security for his wife and newborn son. That doesn't mean he's settled down, however. Mr. Fox's restlessness is apparent early on, and finds different ways of expressing itself.

The animation is one of the major focuses of this movie. Stop motion has never been used a lot in making movies, but it's always fascinated me. That people are willing to invest so much time in crafting the characters, props, and sets for something, and then spend endless hours moving them one tiny fraction at a time? Crazy. Plus, I always loved miniatures and doll houses as a kid (not the dolls, just their houses and the stuff in them), which makes this clip awesome to me:

Mr. Fox eventually decides that one more heist will settle him for good. This decision brings unexpected twists and consequences, but why should I explain them here? Go watch the movie.

Cool Runnings (1993)

IMDB

This movie is inspired by the Jamaican bobsled team that competed in the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, and I mean "inspired". As long as you understand that this movie is much more fiction than non-fiction--the Jamaican bobsled team in particular, and Jamaican culture in general--you should be able to enjoy yourself.

The plot is sparked off when our protagonist, Derice, fails to make the Jamaican track team for the Summer Olympics (through no fault of his own), but is still determined to get to the Olympics somehow, so he starts trying to recruit people for a bobsled team. His best friend, Sanka, is the first target of Derice's persuasiveness:

Next comes the coach, played by the great John Candy. He helps Derice and Sanka find two more members for the team (who made their first appearances at the track and field tryouts) and trains them for the few months they have until the Olympics. The timing here might be confusing you. Younger readers might not know that both the Winter and the Summer Olympics were held in the same year up through 1992. After that, they started staggering them every two years.

This movie is funny and inspiring in a very '90s Disney way. However, at least for me, it never crosses the line into bad over-the-top territory. Sure, yeah, the four Jamaicans (not to mention the Germans) might be exaggerations that speak in stereotyped accents, but despite that, they still come off as genuine, likable people (except the Germans).

Also, I think it's the only Disney movie to contain the words "two-dollar hooker."

Terry Pratchett

Website

     "In the beginning there was nothing, which exploded."

If you aren't already a fan of Terry Pratchett, there is still time to fix this. Also, you're probably not English. If you see that as a problem, I suppose there's still time to fix that too.

Pratchett's work is great for people who like comedy. There's plenty of fantasy too, but if fantasy isn't normally your thing, don't worry about it. In fact, Pratchett spoofs the archetypes of fantasy often enough, maybe his books are perfect for you.

     “You can't map a sense of humor. Anyway, what is a fantasy map but a space beyond which There Be Dragons? On the Discworld we know that There Be Dragons Everywhere. They might not all have scales and forked tongues, but they Be Here all right, grinning and jostling and trying to sell you souvenirs.”

Most of Pratchett's books take place in the Discworld universe. If you like to see familiar characters popping up here and there, then I'd recommend reading several of those. I think it was Brandon Sanderson on the podcast Writing Excuses who said something like (no, I'm not going through the back catalog to find the exact quote), "Douglas Adams makes me laugh, but Terry Pratchett makes me care."

In other words, a lot of the appeal for these books comes from Pratchett's ability to write likable characters who you become invested in. You might not like every character, but there's a lot of them, so I'm sure you'll find somebody.

My favorite Pratchett novel so far is Going Postal. I'm not necessarily suggesting you start reading from there, because what if you think that's the best one too? Everything would be downhill from there. Read at your own risk, I guess.

And please remember:

    “If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.” 

Oscar (1991)

IMDB

Sylvester Stallone plays a reformed mobster in this comedy. That sentence might not surprise you, but the great timing and adeptness with which Stallone plays Angelo "Snaps" Provolone certainly surprised me.

It's hard to decide if I like the script or the actors better. On the one hand, the dialog is great, and the plot takes numerous twists and turns yet somehow manages to tie up all the loose ends. On the other hand, this movie has great performances by Tim Curry (The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Clue), Peter Riegert (the smart detective in The Mask), Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler, My Cousin Vinny), Kurtwood Smith (the dad in That '70s Show), and pretty much everyone else in the movie.


You know what, I'm going to declare it a tie.

This movie gets a pretty bad rap. I can't explain this, but I've never been able to explain why some of the best movies are ignored or lambasted while other terrible movies smash the box office. That's one of the reasons I started this blog. Also, I need more people to know that when I say "She seems to have such nicely rounded diphthongs" that it's hilarious.

Cat's Don't Dance (1997)

IMDB

Are you depressed? Has it been a while since you saw a cute movie about animals trying to make it in Hollywood? Have I got a pleasant surprise for you!


Cat's Don't Dance features Danny, and eager young feline who just wants to perform. Do you remember the beginning of the (what is it? A dream sequence? A really elaborate pitch?) in Singin' in the Rain, when Gene Kelly runs around Broadway proclaiming "Gotta dance!" to everyone he sees? That's Danny, and the comparison to Kelly isn't surprising, as he was a choreography consultant for the movie.


If you find any charm in musicals set in the 1930s and can at least tolerate an adorable variety of cast members, then check this movie out. The song-and-dance numbers are serviceable:

The characters are also quite entertaining. My favorites as a child were always the villains of the movie: Darla Dimple and her trusty servant Max. Miss Dimple is clearly a parody of Shirley Temple, and her propensity to fly into fits of rage meant she was always more endearing to me than Temple ever was.

Miss Dimple also sings my favorite song from the movie, but I guess you'd just have to watch it to see what I'm talking about.


The other characters are great, though. Don't get me wrong. Even the token "most adorable thing ever" character, Pudge the Penguin, is much less obnoxious than some of the others of his kind (I'm looking at you, every Barbie movie ever made). (Don't ask me why I know that.)


Rent it on Amazon
Rent it on iTunes

The Producers (1968)

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No matter what you thought of the 2005 film version of the Broadway musical that was based off of this movie (if you saw it), you should see this movie. In my humble opinion, having to make room for several musical numbers meant that they cut all the best parts out. And nobody can beat the combo of Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel.

This movie was Mel Brooks’ first, and some (me) would say, his best. It’s cleaner, smarter, and better organized than most of his later works. With only a PG rating, it also makes for a good gateway into the director’s portfolio. If you think the humor in this a bit crude, stop here. If you didn’t notice anything amiss at all, perhaps you could work your way up to Blazing Saddles (1974), considered by many others to be Brook’s finest work.

The Producers is the story of Broadway producer has-been Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) and timid accountant Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder). They start off on the wrong foot, but quickly become partners when Bloom accidentally gives Bialystock the idea of a lifetime: raise an obscene amount of money to put on a cheap play that is sure to fail. When the play doesn’t make any money, the investors won’t expect their money back and the newly-formed partnership can skip off to Rio to enjoy their ill-gotten gains.

Most of the movie is spent collecting all the elements needed for a sure-fire flop. Eventually the duo come up with the play “Springtime for Hitler,” written by a man who claims he is no longer a Nazi; an idiotic, flamboyant director; and an even dumber hippie actor named Lorenzo St. DuBois. Here is our introduction to the aforementioned playwright, Franz Liebkind:

With this combination, the plan is guaranteed to work, right? I’ll leave it to you to find out.

Community (2009- )

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This may seem like an odd choice to start off with. Community is a prime-time network show and most of the people I’ve asked have at least heard of it. But here’s my reasoning: the numbers are low, and I love this show.

A lot of programs will have a Halloween episode that breaks some of the usual rules of the show. This video clip might seem to be doing that, but I assure you, Community quite regularly flirts with the line between what is real and what is fantasy.

Season 2, episode 6, "Epidemiology"

Most of the shows I love die young. What do Arrested Development, Firefly, Invader Zim, and Police Squad all have in common? None of them made it past the third season. Heck, Police Squad only got six episodes. Community just debuted its third season, and I'm afraid for its life.

So here’s me, asking you to give this show a chance. I won’t ask you to stumble into the dark, however. Here’s what I think you should know:

The one-sentence summary on IMDB states, “A smarmy lawyer whose education is deemed void by the bar is forced to attend a local community college with an extremely eclectic staff and student body.”

I suppose this captures the gist of the plot, but I feel the need to emphasis the word “eclectic” and perhaps pair it with something like, I don’t know, “zany” or “quirky”. Possibly "insane". Here's a sample of Senor Chang:

Season 1, episode 2, "Spanish 101"

The show is full of fun moments that, if you’re anything like me, you’ll re-enact with the other cool people you know who watch Community. The dialogue is quick and clever, but only sometimes highbrow. This is Jeff focusing all his persuasive skills on Troy:

Season 1, episode 6, "Football, Feminism and You"

Community isn’t one of those mindless shows you can turn to fifteen minutes in and know everything that has happened previously and is going to happen next. It doesn’t play by the rules, but rather plays with them. Unfortunately, this demand for more than minimum attention may prove the show’s downfall.

Please give this show a chance. It deserves it a lot more than some of the others getting a lot more acclaim.