Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Countdown to a Finite Series of Crises: Random Pre-SD Thoughts

Hola amigos. Man, my mind is almost totally in San Diego right now. Tomorrow kicks off four days of sheer craziness, as I head to Comic-Con for a pop-cultural onslaught of movie trailers, celebrities, crazed fanboys (and now, thanks to Twilight, fangirls), and surprise announcements a-plenty. In that spirit, I present to you a blog full of random thoughts on pop-culture:

- Going into Comic-Con, I wish that more people shared my fascination with THE MIGHTY BOOSH. I've still only seen a handful of episodes of this crazy British import, kind of like a tripped-out, R-rated British take on Pee-Wee's Playhouse, but ... what I have seen makes me laugh. There is an episode of this show, from Season 2, called "The Legend of Old Gregg," that is so freaking hilarious. I will spoil it if I say much more, other than, wow, just watch it. Luckily, the Boosh is, as of this week, available on DVD here in the US, and is also playing at Comedy Central. How did I discover this whacked-out series? Well, a few years back when I was visiting England, some Bri'ish friends of mine mentioned that there was this show called The Mighty Boosh that I had to see, because it was absolutely insane. Lo and behold, on my flight back to The States, the airline video service had available a couple of episodes of the show. I think I seriously disturbed a couple of people with how much I was laughing at Old Gregg's startling revelation regarding the nature of his nether-regions!

- Speaking of funny TV that's new-to-DVD, I had an absolute blast / nostalgia trip the other day watching THE STATE on DVD. I know, I know, I've hyped this to no end. But just wanted to provide a quick postscript that yes, the show is as good as I remembered it. In fact, I was actually somewhat shocked to find just how many quality sketches are packed into each episode. It's crazy I tell you. But so, so good.

- Also, I've been watching HBO's EASTBOUND & DOWN via the magic of DVD, and am really liking it thus far. Holy lord, this show is dark though. It reminds me A LOT of Observe & Report, which I still deem one of the best movies of 2009 so far. But yeah, Eastbound is very funny, very dark, and a great vehicle for Danny McBride, who is great as an ex-MLB pitcher with serious, serious issues. Watching this show, I was left with the same kind of jaw-on-the-floor reaction of "oh-no-they-didn't" disbelief that Observe gave me. Potentially classic stuff, and I have to wonder how this one was ignored by the Emmys.

- Back to State-related stuff for a minute, I would like to take a second to plug tonight's second episode of MICHAEL AND MICHAEL HAVE ISSUES on Comedy Central. I will watch pretty much anything with Stella members Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black, and their new show already seems to have a ton of potential. The mix of narrative and sketch comedy seems a little awkward at first, but I have faith in these guys, as they know how to bring the funny. Even if it had a few awkward moments, the pilot episode of Michael and Michael was easily one of the funnier things I've seen on TV in a while. Watch it!

- Um, did you see the trailer for Tim Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND ...? Looks pretty awesome to me, one of Burton's most surreal and stylized-looking movies yet. And I say bring it on. The cast is great, the movie looks stunning, and its Burton being Burton. This one looks hot.
http://www.casttv.com/video/6zbwi7/alice-in-wonderland-trailer-video

- I am loving all the viral hype for Disney's Tron 2. It's so funny, because I loved Tron as a kid, but the movie became kind of a pop-culture joke since that time. I mean, the movie was perhaps most famous for being the target of a classic Simpsons joke. But now everyone is all hyped about a Tron sequel starring Jeff Bridges? Whaaa'? Awesome. Weird, but awesome.

- Man, I am seeing pictures on Facebook of Comic-Con's massive Hall H, which already has throngs of vampire-lovin' fangirls lined up in front of it, camping out for tomorrow's New Moon panel. Crazy. So ... are girl nerds now just as geeky as guys? Is this a whole new paradigm change? Hmm ...

- Alright, on that note, my brain is now completely and officially fried. San Diego, watch out.

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