Tubesday Top 3: Things that make me laugh
Happy belated Tubesday! This week's theme is not so difficult: videos that make me laugh... and, with some luck, you too.
The first puts me in a good mood any time Ifeeling bad. Nothing is inherently funny about the song Carmina Burana (unless you've seen several horror movie trailers in a row), but this montage of pictures representing the song's misheard lyrics is liquid gold.
What else do I find funny? Bad horror movies. One of the other Wenches reminded me of The happening a few days ago, which reminded me of this scene. I'm not sure which is funnier, the Monty Python-esque suicide or random bar lady's deadpan line shortly after.
Finally, a new video/ meme in which the filmmaker's friend describes the plot of the Star Wars trilogy despite never watching a full movie.
Showing posts with label entertainment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label entertainment. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Tubesday Top 3: Music Video Edition
Tubesday Top 3: Music Video Edition
Happy Tubesday! This week there's a little change in format, as I had to go to another video site to escape YouTube's militant music policing and bring you some of my favorite music videos of all time. Remember those? The mini-movies that used to promote bands before ringtones were invented? (or at least, when ringtones were MIDIs of "Flight of the Bumblebees") In fond memory of those times, when even the "super too-cool-for-you" kids could find something they liked on M2, here are some of my faves.
First up is one of my favorite bands since my be-pimpled middle school years, Squirrel Nut Zippers. I finally got to see them in concert last night, and it reminded me of this video. Horn section plus morbid humor, and wait, is that a cameo at the very end of a certain Bandit idol?
Number Two is another of my faves since forever, Harvey Danger. I remember thinking this video was soooo cooool because it had a rave, before I got out of my small town and found out that raves are a bunch of hopped-up hipsters sucking face to bad music.
And you didn't think I'd end this without mentioning Ben Folds, did you? Of course not! To be honest, most of Ben Folds Five's videos were.... what's a nice way to put this? Clusterfucky. They didn't really match the tone of the song (see "Underground") or were kind of hackeyed (see "Brick"). Other than "Kate" (which is fun only if you're into BF5 slash), this is the only video of theirs I really like. But boy does this one work.
Enjoy! Happy...erm... Yahoobesday!
Happy Tubesday! This week there's a little change in format, as I had to go to another video site to escape YouTube's militant music policing and bring you some of my favorite music videos of all time. Remember those? The mini-movies that used to promote bands before ringtones were invented? (or at least, when ringtones were MIDIs of "Flight of the Bumblebees") In fond memory of those times, when even the "super too-cool-for-you" kids could find something they liked on M2, here are some of my faves.
First up is one of my favorite bands since my be-pimpled middle school years, Squirrel Nut Zippers. I finally got to see them in concert last night, and it reminded me of this video. Horn section plus morbid humor, and wait, is that a cameo at the very end of a certain Bandit idol?
Number Two is another of my faves since forever, Harvey Danger. I remember thinking this video was soooo cooool because it had a rave, before I got out of my small town and found out that raves are a bunch of hopped-up hipsters sucking face to bad music.
And you didn't think I'd end this without mentioning Ben Folds, did you? Of course not! To be honest, most of Ben Folds Five's videos were.... what's a nice way to put this? Clusterfucky. They didn't really match the tone of the song (see "Underground") or were kind of hackeyed (see "Brick"). Other than "Kate" (which is fun only if you're into BF5 slash), this is the only video of theirs I really like. But boy does this one work.
Enjoy! Happy...erm... Yahoobesday!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Tubesday Top 3: Trailer Remixes
Ah, trailer remixes. The phenomenon of 2006 where a little editing magic could turn your favorite chick flick into a zombie flick and your favorite comedy into a psychological thriller. My first pick is the video that started the trend: Shining. With a few tight edits and a well placed Paul Simon song, the Shining becomes a family friendly rom-com.
Second is my favorite out of the slew of Brokeback Mountain parodies that cropped up shortly after the film was released. That familiar twangy string score was an easy punchline, but only one video dared to see the homoerotic undercurrents in MY favorite cowboy movie: Brokeback to the Future.
Finally, more of a mashup than a remix that works eerily well: High School Musical with the Dark Knight's trailer audio
Happy Tubesday!
Second is my favorite out of the slew of Brokeback Mountain parodies that cropped up shortly after the film was released. That familiar twangy string score was an easy punchline, but only one video dared to see the homoerotic undercurrents in MY favorite cowboy movie: Brokeback to the Future.
Finally, more of a mashup than a remix that works eerily well: High School Musical with the Dark Knight's trailer audio
Happy Tubesday!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Tubesday Top 3: Cuteness Edition
Tubesday Top 3: Cuteness Edition
The first is a video made by my friend Will a few years ago in which he and his chihuahua have a language barrier problem. Totally hilarious but NSFW captions.
What's cuter than footage of Berlin's most adorable cashcow? Said footage accompanied by a German technopop ditty as sung by a six year old girl (EARWORM WARNING). Knut, named after the Norse word for "knot" and/or a Swiss metal band, was the first polar bear cub to survive past infancy at the Berlin Zoo in the past few decades. This video is a fitting tribute.
Finally, when you're hard pressed to think or say anything else, cute kittens win every time. Every. Time.
Happy Tubesday!
The first is a video made by my friend Will a few years ago in which he and his chihuahua have a language barrier problem. Totally hilarious but NSFW captions.
What's cuter than footage of Berlin's most adorable cashcow? Said footage accompanied by a German technopop ditty as sung by a six year old girl (EARWORM WARNING). Knut, named after the Norse word for "knot" and/or a Swiss metal band, was the first polar bear cub to survive past infancy at the Berlin Zoo in the past few decades. This video is a fitting tribute.
Finally, when you're hard pressed to think or say anything else, cute kittens win every time. Every. Time.
Happy Tubesday!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Girl Love 101: a Rant
Girl Love 101: a Rant
Today I want to talk about girl-love and the lack thereof on the internet. Now before you give me horrified looks and expect porno talk, let me explain. “Girl-love” is a philosophy developed in the Riot Grrrl scene in the 90s. The gist of it is that because it's so damn hard for women to get into fields like music and television, we shouldn't add to that difficulty by cutting down and criticizing women that have made it.
I don't mean to sound like a Pollyanna, but I am genuinely happy for anybody that reaches the level of success where they get paid for doing what they love, even if I don't particularly dig what they do. Take Taylor Swift, for instance. Her music doesn't exactly do anything for me, but I can't deny that it does for thousands of teenage girls across the country. Some of those girls might have never thought of picking up a guitar before seeing her do it, and I think that's worth something.
It's the impact of silly, throwaway entertainment, like “manufactured pop” or “fluff flicks” that can have a huge impact and inspire a new generation of entertainers and thinkers. A good example of this is Nichelle Nichols, Uhura on the original Star Trek. She didn't think her role on the show was terribly important, revolution, or empowering to women or minorities until Dr. Martin Luther King sat her down and basically said that her role on Star Trek changed the face of TV. Seeing someone that looks like you in pop culture for the first time in your life is a powerful thing: just ask Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space, or Whoopie Goldberg, both of whom were inspired to do what they do by seeing Uhura on the Starship Enterprise.
I've been thinking about this concept a lot recently. It's hard enough being an independent filmmaker in a small “city,” but even harder when you're one of a few visible women in a small scene. I run into things that make me wish there was another lady filmmaker in Huntington so we could talk, rant, and make fun of things that my dude filmmaker friends, as much as I love them, wouldn't quite get because their life experiences are different. Even in the mainstream scene there aren't too many widely recognized women, so it just pisses me off when people rag on them. So many people hate on Diablo Cody for basically being Diablo Cody, not so much for any of the work she's produced (in fact, I've read a lot of people who didn't even see Jennifer's Body before deciding they hated it.) And when those people are women, who have been through the exact same discrediting of their works and lives from a mostly male critics circle... To be honest, sometimes it gets me down to the point where I don't want to make art anymore.
But it might be easy to misconstrue what I've just written. I'm not advocating blanket-loving every single thing a women creates; that's just as condescending as hating something just because a woman produced it. Taste is relative, and that's okay. To quote Thomas Jefferson, “the world don't turn to the beat of just one drum/ what might be right for you might not be right for some.” I'm also not saying to avoid calling people out on their bullshit just because they're women. I can think of a lot of women who needed called out because what they put out caused more harm than help (Sarah Palin and Anne Coulter immediately spring to mind). And no, I'm not some high-holy Mother Teresa of Girl Love; I get snarky too sometimes.
All I'm saying are a few simple things. (1) even if we don't dig their music/ art/ job, we should at least send out a little positivity to the ladies in male-dominated field for simply cracking that ceiling. (2) we shouldn't be so quick to snub our noses at certain entertainers, as we don't know who they might be inspiring. (3) Think of the impact your hate has, not just on the subject but on the readers as well.
Finally, I leave you with this thought: nobody ever built a statue of a critic. It's a lot easier to tear somebody down than to go out and do it yourself. Being in a public space and sharing what you've created with strangers is pretty damn hard, especially when you have to keep in mind that some of them are going to hate you before you open your mouth. So before you fire up that blog and hate on the latest lady-created movie/ album/ art, why don't you take those criticisms to heart and make something that you think is better?
Today I want to talk about girl-love and the lack thereof on the internet. Now before you give me horrified looks and expect porno talk, let me explain. “Girl-love” is a philosophy developed in the Riot Grrrl scene in the 90s. The gist of it is that because it's so damn hard for women to get into fields like music and television, we shouldn't add to that difficulty by cutting down and criticizing women that have made it.
I don't mean to sound like a Pollyanna, but I am genuinely happy for anybody that reaches the level of success where they get paid for doing what they love, even if I don't particularly dig what they do. Take Taylor Swift, for instance. Her music doesn't exactly do anything for me, but I can't deny that it does for thousands of teenage girls across the country. Some of those girls might have never thought of picking up a guitar before seeing her do it, and I think that's worth something.
It's the impact of silly, throwaway entertainment, like “manufactured pop” or “fluff flicks” that can have a huge impact and inspire a new generation of entertainers and thinkers. A good example of this is Nichelle Nichols, Uhura on the original Star Trek. She didn't think her role on the show was terribly important, revolution, or empowering to women or minorities until Dr. Martin Luther King sat her down and basically said that her role on Star Trek changed the face of TV. Seeing someone that looks like you in pop culture for the first time in your life is a powerful thing: just ask Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space, or Whoopie Goldberg, both of whom were inspired to do what they do by seeing Uhura on the Starship Enterprise.
I've been thinking about this concept a lot recently. It's hard enough being an independent filmmaker in a small “city,” but even harder when you're one of a few visible women in a small scene. I run into things that make me wish there was another lady filmmaker in Huntington so we could talk, rant, and make fun of things that my dude filmmaker friends, as much as I love them, wouldn't quite get because their life experiences are different. Even in the mainstream scene there aren't too many widely recognized women, so it just pisses me off when people rag on them. So many people hate on Diablo Cody for basically being Diablo Cody, not so much for any of the work she's produced (in fact, I've read a lot of people who didn't even see Jennifer's Body before deciding they hated it.) And when those people are women, who have been through the exact same discrediting of their works and lives from a mostly male critics circle... To be honest, sometimes it gets me down to the point where I don't want to make art anymore.
But it might be easy to misconstrue what I've just written. I'm not advocating blanket-loving every single thing a women creates; that's just as condescending as hating something just because a woman produced it. Taste is relative, and that's okay. To quote Thomas Jefferson, “the world don't turn to the beat of just one drum/ what might be right for you might not be right for some.” I'm also not saying to avoid calling people out on their bullshit just because they're women. I can think of a lot of women who needed called out because what they put out caused more harm than help (Sarah Palin and Anne Coulter immediately spring to mind). And no, I'm not some high-holy Mother Teresa of Girl Love; I get snarky too sometimes.
All I'm saying are a few simple things. (1) even if we don't dig their music/ art/ job, we should at least send out a little positivity to the ladies in male-dominated field for simply cracking that ceiling. (2) we shouldn't be so quick to snub our noses at certain entertainers, as we don't know who they might be inspiring. (3) Think of the impact your hate has, not just on the subject but on the readers as well.
Finally, I leave you with this thought: nobody ever built a statue of a critic. It's a lot easier to tear somebody down than to go out and do it yourself. Being in a public space and sharing what you've created with strangers is pretty damn hard, especially when you have to keep in mind that some of them are going to hate you before you open your mouth. So before you fire up that blog and hate on the latest lady-created movie/ album/ art, why don't you take those criticisms to heart and make something that you think is better?
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Tubesday Top 3: Awkward Movie Edition
Tubesday Top 3: Awkward Movie Edition
Putting this up early as Tuesday is a busy day for moi. This week's Tubesday Top 3 is chock full o' "so bad it's good" entertainment.
First up is a clip I discovered on my favorite cycling blog Urban Velo. It combines some of my favorite things in life: rad ladies, bikes, and kung fu. Can't say I've seen the actual movie, but I don't know how it could get much better than KUNG FU FIGHTING WITH BICYCLES.
Video #2 was brought to you by a mysterious late night tweet from a Mr. Benjamin Scott Folds. Neither he nor I know what the hell is going on here.
Finally, a clip from my favorite episode of one of my favorite TV shows Home Movies.
Home Movies chronicles three elementary school kids trying to make indie films, often with disastrous results. I dig the show because the scripts are entirely improv, and it reminds me of being a kid and trying to rope my peers into epic music/ stage projects when all they wanted to do was play Ninja Turtles. Anyway, in this episode, the kids reluctantly make a rock opera... based on Kafka's Metamorphosis.
Happy early Tubesday!
Putting this up early as Tuesday is a busy day for moi. This week's Tubesday Top 3 is chock full o' "so bad it's good" entertainment.
First up is a clip I discovered on my favorite cycling blog Urban Velo. It combines some of my favorite things in life: rad ladies, bikes, and kung fu. Can't say I've seen the actual movie, but I don't know how it could get much better than KUNG FU FIGHTING WITH BICYCLES.
Video #2 was brought to you by a mysterious late night tweet from a Mr. Benjamin Scott Folds. Neither he nor I know what the hell is going on here.
Finally, a clip from my favorite episode of one of my favorite TV shows Home Movies.
Home Movies chronicles three elementary school kids trying to make indie films, often with disastrous results. I dig the show because the scripts are entirely improv, and it reminds me of being a kid and trying to rope my peers into epic music/ stage projects when all they wanted to do was play Ninja Turtles. Anyway, in this episode, the kids reluctantly make a rock opera... based on Kafka's Metamorphosis.
Happy early Tubesday!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Blog roll!
Blog Roll!
Today's post highlights the blogs I read on a regular basis (other than this one, of course)
Feministing and Feministe take on news stories and pop culture with a feminist edge. I like both blogs because they have a team of bloggers which give you different perspectives, sometimes on the same story (contrary to popular belief, there's not just one monolithic scary no-fun feminazi philosophy).
Spectrum Beach is a blog I found via Feministe, written by a single mom raising a grade schooler and a seventh grader with autism. The unbelievable amount of bs she has to go through with her son's school system is frustrating, but it's also inspirational to find someone that dedicated to her kid. Doesn't hurt that it's injected with heavy doses of wit.
Not Always Right is my crack. I've worked some form of customer service a good chunk of my life, so I can relate to the stories of crazy, weird, and horrible customers. For the rest of the world, read this blog daily and learn how not to act. (Here's one of my favorite stories from the site to give you an example.)
Neatorama is what would happen if my brain was constantly rss'd. It seeks out the neatest things on the web, from quirky news stories to cool new products. Most of it defies category, like a Super Mario manicure.
Enjoy! If you have a cool blog you think I'd dig, then post a link in the comments.
Today's post highlights the blogs I read on a regular basis (other than this one, of course)
Feministing and Feministe take on news stories and pop culture with a feminist edge. I like both blogs because they have a team of bloggers which give you different perspectives, sometimes on the same story (contrary to popular belief, there's not just one monolithic scary no-fun feminazi philosophy).
Spectrum Beach is a blog I found via Feministe, written by a single mom raising a grade schooler and a seventh grader with autism. The unbelievable amount of bs she has to go through with her son's school system is frustrating, but it's also inspirational to find someone that dedicated to her kid. Doesn't hurt that it's injected with heavy doses of wit.
Not Always Right is my crack. I've worked some form of customer service a good chunk of my life, so I can relate to the stories of crazy, weird, and horrible customers. For the rest of the world, read this blog daily and learn how not to act. (Here's one of my favorite stories from the site to give you an example.)
Neatorama is what would happen if my brain was constantly rss'd. It seeks out the neatest things on the web, from quirky news stories to cool new products. Most of it defies category, like a Super Mario manicure.
Enjoy! If you have a cool blog you think I'd dig, then post a link in the comments.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Tubesday Top 3
Tubesday Top 3
I hope to make this a weekly feature - guess time will tell, eh? At any rate, here are the three videos I've been digging this week from YouTube.
Numero uno isn't technically a video, but it's still really rad. Here's a mashup of Iron Maiden's "The Trooper" and the Monkees' "I'm a Believer":
Second is another "mashup," a duet between Danzig and Shakira. [NSFW depending on where you work, for ladies in bra tops and a brief thong panty shot.] This had me giggling all day. My favorite part is the end; had I known there was a "Yale Institute for Danzig Research," I would've been a lot more productive in high school:
Finally, an oldie but goodie. Pes is an awesome stop-motion animator; I'll probably end up posting more of his stuff in subsequent posts. The following is a short film called "Game Over," which will amaze the geeks in the audience and anyone who remembers the classic Atari games:
Happy Tubesday!
I hope to make this a weekly feature - guess time will tell, eh? At any rate, here are the three videos I've been digging this week from YouTube.
Numero uno isn't technically a video, but it's still really rad. Here's a mashup of Iron Maiden's "The Trooper" and the Monkees' "I'm a Believer":
Second is another "mashup," a duet between Danzig and Shakira. [NSFW depending on where you work, for ladies in bra tops and a brief thong panty shot.] This had me giggling all day. My favorite part is the end; had I known there was a "Yale Institute for Danzig Research," I would've been a lot more productive in high school:
Finally, an oldie but goodie. Pes is an awesome stop-motion animator; I'll probably end up posting more of his stuff in subsequent posts. The following is a short film called "Game Over," which will amaze the geeks in the audience and anyone who remembers the classic Atari games:
Happy Tubesday!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
FOAMY
I'm Having A Love Affair With A Cartoon Squirrel
If you haven't been to Ill Will Press yet to check out the Foamy cartoons. They are the most irreverent hilarious toons I've found on the internet, and let me tell you, I've found a lot of funny ones over the years.
Foamy the squirrel however is my lord and master.
Here is this week's cartoon from Ill Will Press where he's complaining about people that share their "Best Thing Ever" with you. (Even though you find out it sucks) I bet you know at least one person like this and it might even be you.
Foamy and his friends rant about just about everything, kinda like me, which is one of the reasons why I love him so much. Starbucks or Starfucks as he calls them is a particular favorite rant of his.
You can watch all the toons in the Vault here.
These toons aren't for the prudish or those of you that are afraid of a little, erm, a lot of cussing. Foamy drops the f-bomb quiet often. But if you can handle your basic stand up comic, you can handle Foamy, who has a grasp on humanity and the world around us, much better than most.
If you haven't been to Ill Will Press yet to check out the Foamy cartoons. They are the most irreverent hilarious toons I've found on the internet, and let me tell you, I've found a lot of funny ones over the years.
Foamy the squirrel however is my lord and master.
Here is this week's cartoon from Ill Will Press where he's complaining about people that share their "Best Thing Ever" with you. (Even though you find out it sucks) I bet you know at least one person like this and it might even be you.
Foamy and his friends rant about just about everything, kinda like me, which is one of the reasons why I love him so much. Starbucks or Starfucks as he calls them is a particular favorite rant of his.
You can watch all the toons in the Vault here.
These toons aren't for the prudish or those of you that are afraid of a little, erm, a lot of cussing. Foamy drops the f-bomb quiet often. But if you can handle your basic stand up comic, you can handle Foamy, who has a grasp on humanity and the world around us, much better than most.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
