Make Sure You Pee First

Title : Tropic Thunder
Director : Ben Stiller
Release Date: August 13, 2008
Awesome Scale Rating: Exploding High 5

So anyone who knows me knows that I love anything funny but I was nothing but skeptical about this flick because I think the PR campaign for it started sometime in 1982. There was a plug for it everywhere you could possibly look. This, to me, is a huge red flashing signal air horn with sequened flags because there seems to be a direct reciprocal relationship between the amount of promotion that goes into a movie and the quality that movie manages to possess. It's like that guy at the cocktail party that is the loudest and most vocal about his business conquests that is really the most insecure one in the bunch. Yeah - its true with movies too. I'm beginning to think it's part of the universal truth pamphlet.

I mean, how many movies have I seen that looked promisingly hilarious but, alas, all the meager moments of hilarity the cast managed to create were bastardized in the previews!!!? Boo. I could have been just as entertained for free gallivanting on Apple Trailers.

So after this flick came out and a few of the victims of the ad campaign that also happened to be my friends came back still giggling and quoting ad nausium and all these people also happened to be people whose sense of humor I trusted I thought... "why not"

So when I was up in Utah this last weekend visiting the borther and wakeboarding and rock climbing fell through we ended up nestling down with some cinnimon bears and preparing to be disappointed but we prepared IN VAIN!

This is one hilarious movie. Especially if you live in, around, about, or with the LA movie/entertainment culture. Ben Stiller is part of one of the old Hollywood families and also happens to be one of the most decent people on the planet who loves his wife and puts her in every film he makes and is probably labled as BFF in everybody's phone on any given red carpet so literally EVERYONE that is cool or is trying to be is in this film. Little throw away cameos - Toby Maguire or Christine Taylor (the wife). Totally. Freaking. Hilarious.

The parts of the trailer that cracked you up aren't nearly the funniest parts in the movie. Comedy appetizers my friends. Comedy appetizers.

There are ubquitious bootie allusions, as there is an oversexed hip hip character, and a good amount of unnecessary F-bombs. Jack Black was a bit underutilized in my opinion but he's a favorite so own that I'm totally biasted. And can I just say THANK GOODNES ROBERT DOWNY JR is SOBER again!!! I really really really love that guy. I loved Ironman (Who didn't? I mean really - even the comic book geeks were plactated) and I was praying it wasn't going to be a flash in the pan before the next relapse but seeing him again so soon was just Canon in D on my heart strings.

It makes fun of everything ridiculous and laughable about the movie industry and in Hollywood cultire, down to overzealous FX guys, blackface, Voss water bottles everywhere, and an over abundance of body hair, totally clueless actors, and agent ego.

I loved it and intend to see it again this week because I missed half of Robert Downey's hilarity because I was still busy laughing at the first half.

Ben knocked it out of the park on this one.

I'm so moved I think I should send a Thank You note. With cookies perhaps. He deserves it.

Chronicles of the Hotel Cafe

Episode I

Name: Greg Laswell
Current Album: Three Flights from Alto Nido
Awesome Scale Rating: Exploding High 5

Greg is one of the most remarkable acts that I've come across in a long time. Hes honest, hes got talent in spades, he has that understated passion that makes for amazing public performances and I've never seen him not wear chucks on stage. He hasn't gotten the rockstar bug. Thank goodnes!!!

My understanding is that hes been on the music scene with some inertia since 2005. Hes been writing since high school when he joined choir for a girl but realized that he really liked singing and music but he didn't start performing with any particular earnest until college.

I've mentioned him on other blogs because I've seen him perform about 5 times now and have been blown away every time. He is electric live and the bookers at the Hotel Cafe have incredibly good taste and the sense to keep him coming back. However, I found him under slightly uncool circumstances.

I was trying to keep my brain from leaking out my ears at work and clicked on this bubble gum Yahoo article about Mandy Moore and her new I'm A Serious Songwriter So Listen To Me Seriously I'm Sexually Active Now and Dated And Publically Broke Up With An A-Lister And Am Moving On album and Greg was briefly mentioned in the article as her most recent post-Zack Braff squeeze. So I iMeemed him and found a bunch of really good stuff and have been a fan since. My first time seeing him live was at the Hotel Cafe Tour show at the Musicbox in April of this year and the man transformed a room when he sat down to the piano. I haven't heard a voice full of so much sincerity and emotion since Annie Lennox.

I've finally just started not listening to his album on repeat and I got it at the album release party at the Hotel Cafe on July 11th. The #4 track "Comes and Goes (in waves)" is currently the most played song in my iTunes at 127 followed by the #8 track "I'd be Lying at 41. Yes - I love these songs and this album that much. He's that good. He could give Chris Martin and David Ghrol a run for their money and I really hope he does.