The Kids in the Hall: Live as We'll Ever Be at The Chicago Theatre 4/29/08

The performance of the aging veteran Canadian sketch troupe was nearly irrelevant to my enjoyment of their live show. Don't get me wrong, it was great. It was solid. Their performance sets them further apart from SNL as far as cutting edge, tight knit, and frankly, good.
Let me give an example of the types of post-show conversations I engaged in:

Co-worker: So what did you do last night?
Rb: I went and saw Kids in the Hall downtown.
Cw: Oh what's that?
Rb: They're a sketch comedy troupe from Canada, but they've got all these guys that made it in really weird disparate ways (references to Talk Radio, Lilo & Stitch, Bug's Life, SNL).
Cw: Oh. Now sketch, how's that different than Second City or SNL?
(Punch Cw in face with elitist fist)
Cw: Right I understand. Did you get the memo about punching at work?
(cops arrive)

I understand that not everyone got cable in the early '90s. And, being one myself, some folks don't get Comedy Central now. But other folks are just dumb.
At any rate, fast or slow to literalize that idiom, almost every "rule" of comedy and maybe even production was totally validated by this show. It wasn't a teary moment like the end of Speed Racer, but it gave me hope that if I keep plugging away and doing what I've done and push the story/script I too can be successful, provided I get discovered in Canada by Lorne Michaels, and get money thrown at me by New Yorkers and the Canadian government, and provided I stay with it for the money even after my ensemble parts ways, and if I rehash my most famous and overdone characters.
Joking aside they left me in awe with how good simplicity can be and I will be happy to scratch them off my mental list entitled: See Them Before They Die.
In that way, they share a spot with B.B. King, Weird Al, The Presidents of the United States of America, and Violent Femmes.*

*Footnote: In most instances, folks make the list without me knowing they should have been on it until after they've been seen. Currently Neil Young is the top act not viewed yet.

Speed Racer (2008)

Oh man. I will be the odd man out on this one, however I think that might be the charm or lure of Speed Racer. But I won't hate myself for really really enjoying this movie, and comments come what may.
It might be said that Hollywood has lost touch with how to tell a good story, and considering that most of the movie was shot in Germany, then it makes sense that this had the potential for a good story. The reason it has a good story though is not that it was produced in Germany but that maybe the Hollywood Machine found a niche market--- namely me.
I am a pop culture savvy late 20-something who fancies himself a weekend warrior who has tried sports ranging from Whirly Ball to Windsurfing--Table Tennis to Beer Pong. Most times though you will find me on my bike, on a pair of skis, or in (sudden major chord) a go-kart.
God please just keep reading, and it should make sense why I over looked all the slick graphic work to which I am generally opposed to hand crafted modeling.
I would never consider this to have been a remake, retelling, reiteration or redo. Naively I'm going to suspend my disbelief, as one must wholeheartedly do to enjoy the futurist perspective anyway, to say that this was an homage (glowing chorus of angles). Because each episode of the original was so formulaic and stretched to fit a 1/2 to 1 hour (some "To be continued..." episodes), one would think that there wasn't much to go on for 2+ hours of candy gloss mayhem. But Speed hits most of the points of the Racer Saga, with the specifics of the company Pops works for and his ring as a wrestling champ. I was the only one of the 7 people in the theatre who laughed because I have the episode on DVD where Pops has a flashback of his days mangling faces before taking on 5-8 thugs. Those little things made it that much more real.
Do I think the two beers I had between getting out of work and the start time of the movie made a difference? Yes. Because despite pre planning and eating a whole bag of popcorn (I splurged) I had to get up to let my water run 40 minutes in. Otherwise I may use my "get boozed first" designation.
Here's where I get sentimental.
===SPOILER(?)===
If by the end you don't feel for Speed and his family, you might not be human, or you have never tried to push yourself to do something at which you could fail. I put that warning in there despite the fact that I don't believe you can go to a movie about racing or competition without knowing that the protagonist will come out on top. Maybe it's my current life circumstances but by the end I got teary (not all out crying like when I saw Big Fish weeks after my grandfather died). Of course it might also have been that I went alone on a week night, but regardless. I couldn't help but think about all the racing movies I love and remember and recommend to the pantheon of which Speed Racer will be a part:
Downhill Racer 1969, Le Mans 1971, Wind 1992, and Without Limits 1998, and maybe Hidalgo 2004.
I will put one watch check in, not because I was wondering when it was over or when I could get a chance to piddle again, but because I wondered how were they going to fit a whole ralleye race in for the predictable big finish. I will also say that the kid who played young Speed was very mediocre compared to the kid that played Spridle. I suspended my disbelief that he was bad.

Iron Man (2008)

I'll begin by saying that I never followed any comic character affiliated with The Avengers unless they interacted with the X-Men. So I really don't know too much about those characters, but that still is more than anyone in the general public would know regardless. So I guess that didn't make me have any expectations about this movie. And usually that's a good thing so I don't get hyped up and end up hating it.

This movie tells the origin of Iron Man in the current time in history. To me, that makes the tech involved a little more believable. But let's start at the characters, because I felt that's the strongest part of the movie. Robert Downey Jr. does an excellent job of making the audience like a character that is a genius, alcoholic lothario. I have not appreciated his acting this much since Weird Science. He delivers his one-liners with ease and really does look like Tony Stark from the comics. As for as his supporting cast goes, this is the first time I actually liked Paltrow's work, Jeff Bridges did excellent being bald, and Leslie Bibb was hot. Terrence Howard played Rhodey well, thus making me get over the fact that the role wasn't cast for a black actor with a more husky voice.

Now the suit itself is sexy. I'll even say the version 1.0 is; but it makes you wonder how his captors don't put a guard inside the room to monitor him as he assembles it. Anyway, the use of his robot buddies to make the Iron Man suit most are familiar with is actually able to hold my attention for reasons even outside the "wow, that's cool" factor. Staying true to the comic, the repulsors are the main form of attack. However unless i missed something, i dunno how an alloy used on satellites can withstand military projectiles. I mean, don't satellites get damaged a ton just with a little space garbage? Whatever.

Anyway, the final battle is not against a major supervillian (at least I dont think), but then again, I dunno who the archnemesis of Iron Man is. And even the battle itself isn't that spectacular. This movie is more about getting us to like the character of Tony Stark than showcase the battle abilities of the Iron Man suit. And I think Favreau did a good job of getting the audience to like Stark, thus ensuring people will go to a sequel. And there's bound to be a whole lotta of bad muthafuckers going to the sequel. I bet I'll be one of them.

Overall: 0 watch checks and recommend it for both non-comic book people and nerds.