Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Showgirls
We have this little thing called "friendsgiving" for the day after Thanksgiving.
There was cake. There were leftovers. There was the extended edition platinum "Showgirls".
If you have not seen this film. you are missing out. It is truly one of the most epic, awful films ever made. You actually start to tire of seeing Elizabeth Berkley naked around the, oh, sixth time she doffs her top for no good reason. And we haven't even gotten to the most horrifying sex scene ever filmed. She actually straddles a man in a pool (now, we all know water is a no go, really). As he leans back against the wall, she thrashes wildly up and down and back and forth. How she manages to not drown and not ruin her horrific perm will boggle your mind for decades. By the time the movie makes its random yeah sure ending, you will readily sign up for the eight hour screening of Andy Warhol's Empire State Building, because eight hours of one building is what your brain will need to recover from the spastic acting in this film. She really does go crazy in every take.
Ah, friendsgiving. You brought me box cake (Duncan Hines!) and a truly scary box set.
There was cake. There were leftovers. There was the extended edition platinum "Showgirls".
If you have not seen this film. you are missing out. It is truly one of the most epic, awful films ever made. You actually start to tire of seeing Elizabeth Berkley naked around the, oh, sixth time she doffs her top for no good reason. And we haven't even gotten to the most horrifying sex scene ever filmed. She actually straddles a man in a pool (now, we all know water is a no go, really). As he leans back against the wall, she thrashes wildly up and down and back and forth. How she manages to not drown and not ruin her horrific perm will boggle your mind for decades. By the time the movie makes its random yeah sure ending, you will readily sign up for the eight hour screening of Andy Warhol's Empire State Building, because eight hours of one building is what your brain will need to recover from the spastic acting in this film. She really does go crazy in every take.
Ah, friendsgiving. You brought me box cake (Duncan Hines!) and a truly scary box set.
The Office
I am officially addicted to "The Office".
This show is brutally painful to watch, but like all great comedy, you get hooked. The half hour episodes are filled with shots of literally nothing happening. People are working at the desk, quietly talking on the phone. The copy machine turns out perfectly collated stacks, again and again. And co-workers are annoying. And there's a little bit of flirting.
The show, aired originally on the BBC in England, aims for the same humor found in the movie "Office Space", without the Hollywood caper. In the first episode, Tim has placed Gareth's stapler into a jelly mold because it winds Gareth up and there's not much else to do. The whole office hums along at a plodding pace, dubiously cheered on by the rarely funny boss. This is where the show shines. The boss tries so hard to be a good mate, give everyone a laugh. But he just tries too hard. The best moments are when the staff roll their eyes toward the camera, comiserating with the audience.
But give this show a chance and you'll be desperate to hear more about the merger and see if Tim ever gets to be with his office crush, the adorable but underloved Dawn.
This show is brutally painful to watch, but like all great comedy, you get hooked. The half hour episodes are filled with shots of literally nothing happening. People are working at the desk, quietly talking on the phone. The copy machine turns out perfectly collated stacks, again and again. And co-workers are annoying. And there's a little bit of flirting.
The show, aired originally on the BBC in England, aims for the same humor found in the movie "Office Space", without the Hollywood caper. In the first episode, Tim has placed Gareth's stapler into a jelly mold because it winds Gareth up and there's not much else to do. The whole office hums along at a plodding pace, dubiously cheered on by the rarely funny boss. This is where the show shines. The boss tries so hard to be a good mate, give everyone a laugh. But he just tries too hard. The best moments are when the staff roll their eyes toward the camera, comiserating with the audience.
But give this show a chance and you'll be desperate to hear more about the merger and see if Tim ever gets to be with his office crush, the adorable but underloved Dawn.
