You can ape the ape. I know about that.

[thehefner]

So, Rude Mechanicals and fans like: when you went to see JULIUS CAESAR* and the magnificent droidboy010101 came out as Pompey, was anybody else thinking of Peter Gabriel's "Shock the Monkey" music video?

I know Don was. Ironic that only he would have been able to understand why I nearly erupted in a creeped-out gigglefit.

Man, even with my deep-seated adoration for Peter Gabriel and that song in particular (guilty pleasure though it may be below his superior works), I have a soft spot for that video. Hey, it's about a guy being torn apart by his normal repressed civilized personality and a growing sinister alter ego, while images of a half-melted face are occasionally flashed. And he flips a coin. Twice.

Come on, man, it's all right there! What do you people want from me?



In movie news, let's say you're M. Night Shyamalan, former box office darling and now supposedly working his way to Ed Wood territory with HEY, WHA' HAPPEN'? or whatever it was called. You used to give so much of a damn what audiences and critics thought, that you abandoned your original plans for a trilogy after the failure of your sophomore effort, but now that neither you nor they give a shit anymore, what do you do?

I say he should do exactly what he's considering and finally make UNBREAKABLE 2 (and, ideally, 3 as well).

I haven't seen it since about six years ago, and after all the mixed opinions I've heard (just from the people who hate the "whattatweest!" alone), my own recollections and convictions have been weakened. In fact, it's hard to tell if whether IRON MAN and THE DARK KNIGHT will strengthen or hinder the film as viewed today.

But even if my feelings have changed and UNBREAKABLE really isn't perhaps still the greatest superhero movie ever made, I think finally going ahead and having David fight the "soldier villain" with a true and final confrontation with Mr. Glass would be the best goddamn thing Shyamalamadingdong could possibly do.

Well, once he's done with AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER, based on a Nickelodeon cartoon that has absolutely no right being as excellent as it is. Shit, gotta throw that whole series on the Netflix queue as well!



*What, you haven't seen the Rude Mechanicals' JULIUS CAESAR yet?!! The last two performances are this weekend at my old stomping grounds, DCAC, go go go go!

Comments

[morganashkevron.livejournal.com]

The fact that Shamalamadingdong is even allowed to touch Avatar makes me cringe. He's too fond of the Big Dramatic Twist (that I always see coming a mile away) while completely forgetting to make the rest of the movie interesting. Avatar has such good source material to work with and so many places and people and concepts left to explore. If he ruins it...well, I hope he doesn't.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he's a decidedly odd choice. Even besides the twists, that show has a life, energy, and wit that's usually nowhere to be seen in the serious-to-the-point-of-pretension dryness of M. Night's work. But he seems to be genuinely interested in getting the film right, as he claims to be a fan, watching it with his kids.

Me, I found the twist to perhaps be the weakest part of UNBREAKABLE. What others found to be a painful case of "nothing. is. fucking. happening.", I felt a deep and powerful sense of sorrow and sadness rich within the characters at every moment. I loved the whole film, and was even moved to near-tears in the fight scene with the Man in the Orange Jumpsuit.

The man has talent beyond the twists when he's really on. Or maybe just when his ego doesn't get in the way.

[interdisciple.livejournal.com]

AHEM. spoilers? for shame, sir. for shame.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Wait, spoilers for what? UNBREAKABLE? Shit, man, you almost can't talk about what the movie's really about without spoiling anything. Which is part of why audiences rejected it, because from the previews, they didn't realize what they were actually going to go see.

[interdisciple.livejournal.com]

CAESAR, SON! i now know there will be a funnyish monkeyesque entrance, if i accidentally skimmed correctly...

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Hey now, pictures of him have already been posted by entropicalia and maybe others!

And no, there is no such funnyish monkeyesque entrance. There's just Don looking similar to (but not exactly like) Gabriel's whiteface alter ego. No spoiler there, baby!

Oh, and by the way, Brutus stabs Caesar. Zing!

[interdisciple.livejournal.com]

IIII HAAAATE YOUUUUU!!!!!

[droidboy010101.livejournal.com]

But wait till you see what Pompey/Gabriel does to the corpse...

SHOCK!!!!

[pondering-duck.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm starting over with the beginning of Avatar to watch it with Kimmy.

I've only seen a few episodes of it. It's even better when you're drinking beer. I don't mean drunk. Maybe it's just a coincidence but during all my favorite episodes just happened to be watched while I was drinking beer.

[droidboy010101.livejournal.com]

You embarrass me sir! I'm not your monkey... Monchichi maybe, but not monkey.

Ok, except when you do the long-necked desk lamp bit... then for some pavlovian reason I must follow it... SHOCK!