CleverDonkey.com …Musings, Commentary, Opinions, and Drivel

Chris Rock’s Bring the Pain may be the funniest stand-up comedy I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. The barbs are excrutiatingly accurate, raunchy, and hilarious, and are (no kidding) extraordinarily thought-provoking.

Just so you know where my commentary is coming from, I am a 40 year old, white, middle-class male from Houston, Texas. I have seen Rock’s talk show on HBO, and haven’t really cared for it. I thought he was reasonably entertaining on Saturday Night Live, but nothing spectacular. When it comes to stand-up comedy, I’m a big fan of circa 1978 Steve Martin stand-up (Wild and Crazy Guy) and I love Seinfeld’s ‘I’m Telling You for the Last Time’.

Do yourself a favor, rent/buy ‘Bring the Pain’ and prepare yourself for some mind-blowing, prejudice-shattering, side-splitting hilarity.

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I’m astonished at the number of negative responses I’ve heard from people regarding this film. “Slow”, “Unemotional”, “Bad effects”, “Doesn’t make sense”, “Nothing happens”, etc. For those who “don’t get it”, a primer:

Slow: Movement in space takes a very long time. Astrophysics demands slow, controlled movement, which Kubrick deftly depicts. The pod return scene takes a long time; thoughtful viewers realize the astronaut is dying, and feel tension.

Unemotional: The primary characters are astronauts, who necessarily have steely nerves. Watch Dave control his anguish over his dying friend in the pod return scene. Notice the same thing when he discovers the rest of the crew have been killed by HAL while in stasis. Notice the cold-blooded, murderous efficiency with which Dave decommissions HAL, and notice the heartbreaking decay of HAL and his impassioned (for a computer) pleas to spare his ‘life’.

Effects: These effects still surpass those being done today. Flashier? Louder?

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I love MPatHG. It is the pinnacle of silliness, satire and comedy…all the things that make Monty Python great. Personally, I use people’s reaction to this film as an indicator of their potential as an enjoyable friend or acquaintance. One has to be intelligent and free of pretensions to be able to laugh at the enormous stupidity and pretentiousness in this film, and in life.

If you get it, then you’re probably all right in my book. If you don’t get it, then lighten up, relax, free your mind and try it again until you do.

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When I come across Midnight Run while channel surfing, I always stop and stick (if it’s the uncut version)…instant velcro. It starts with a bang and doesn’t slow down — the script, acting and directing are impeccable. There’s even a scene that gets me choked up. And the movie is funny from beginning to end. Laugh-out-loud funny.

When I was introduced to this movie I hesitated. Robert DeNiro and….Charles Grodin? DeNiro, the Method Actor and Grodin the limp dishrag?? In a BUDDY COMEDY??!? Yecch.

Boy, was I wrong. Every major character is perfectly cast and gives a nearly perfect performance, and I am not exaggerating. DeNiro and Grodin are the perfect foils, and do not slip into the trite ruts laid by a thousand other buddy movies. Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina and Joe Pantoliano all take what would normally be two-dimensional, stereotypical supporting parts and imbue them with life, personality

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That’s right, that’s one half of one star. We watched about 90 minutes of this 2 hour mini-series debut episode, and that was all I could stand. I have enormous respect for Steven Spielberg, although that does not translate into liking everything he does. And the first 90 minutes of the debut episode of “Taken” combined the worst Spielbergian traits, in my opinion. The beginning of the show contains a voice-over by what sounds like an 8 year old boy, talking in an inexplicably erudite manner, but with a child’s voice. Think of Harrison Ford’s voice-over in “Blade Runner”, without the cursing, done by an adolescent boy, and you’ll get the idea. Now, picture that what he’s narrating is set in a treacly, plasticized, idealized vision of the 1940′s. Here’s a list of hackneyed clichés from just the first 90 minutes:

Blond, square-jawed, blue-eyed Marine who appears to be a good

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The River Oaks Theatre here in Houston showed Dr. Strangelove on the big screen at a midnight showing last night. There was a surprisingly large crowd of very appreciative filmgoers. Although I’ve seen Dr. Strangelove many, many times on TV, VHS, and DVD, it was an exhilarating experience for me to see this film on the big screen for the first time while in the company of other fans. The print was slightly scratchy and the sound was slightly fuzzy in parts, but the River Oaks showed the film in the cavernous main theatre with its faded-but-still-impressive old movie palace ambiance, so the overall experience was quite satisfying.

The film itself is not only still a masterpiece, but it just keeps getting better and better with age. Not only am I getting older and understanding more of the darkly comedic, political, military, and sociological themes, but the world continues to blindly

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Currently there is  much furor regarding clubs where the members, who are all male, prefer the  company of other men. These clubs are private in nature, and membership is  strictly controlled, and only other men with the same orientation are allowed to  join. However, these clubs are now facing pressure to change their policies and  to admit as members those who are directly opposed to their lifestyle choices. I  feel that this pressure is misdirected and that these clubs, given their nature  as private organizations, should be allowed to retain their identity and purpose  without being forced to give up their rights of free association and of privacy.  That’s what America is all about.

So, please support the Augusta National  Golf Course in their struggle to remain free. Thank you.

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