Funny Stuff

 

There has been a good wave of funny stuff going by this summer. I like it, because I like to laugh.

Number one funny thing was Ratatouille (imdb 8.5/10.0). It was HIL-AR-IOUS, my friend. It was original, quirky, and action-packed. It’s worth seeing on the big screen too, as this movie brings animated space into a new dimension of realness. Everybody will love it and come home feeling good. But who’s surprised? Writer Brad Bird had me at Iron Giant and The Incredibles (two of my six favorite kids’ movies. the others are: Spirited Away, Chicken Run, Toturo, and now Ratatouille.)

Number two funny thing has been a new HBO series called Flight of the Conchords. It’s basically a show loosely strung out around two or three music videos, performed by the show’s two main characters: Brett and Jermaine. The whole style of the show is fresh and energized – nothing happens the way you expect, and you’re always entertained. It’s glib and self-referential, but not jaded. Is such a thing possible?

The icing on the cake: Brett and Jermaine are from New Zealand, so we get to hear their accents. Forget uniforms, give me an accent any day! The sixth show is on this upcoming week.

Number three funny thing is funny, but also sad. That’s my book pick for the book club this summer: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. The story deals with loss (major loss – 9/11 loss), but told in a curious-incident-with-the-dog-in-the-night kind of way. Each chapter is told from a different perspective, and each perspective requires a different kind of telling. I like that there are pictures, and that some pages have less than three words on them. But every once in a while, something that Oskar’s saying just busts me up and I’m the kook in the room laughing to herself.

Number four funny thing is more of a pensive funny. I like Richard Serra’s one-ton at the MoMA in NYC. It is four sheets of pure lead, leaning up against each other like a house of cards.

And my number five funny thing is actually things; Corrina’s photos have been making me smile all summer. Check out this one of Bella and Dawk forgetting to be cool, and this one of pups watching the rain.

Short List:

A new mom blog I found at savvymiss.com (I’m applying for a job there) by somebody who calls herself Kat Wilder.

Me with Shark photo by Joss. He says not to link to him yet, but you should check him out anyway at www.jossdimock.com (the website’s not finished, but it still looks great).

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