« To Geek, or not to Geek?    --    Rule Zero… »

We have stuffed many pinatas for your birthday celebration!

April 20, 2004

Hello Sportsfans!

With the NHL/NBA Playoffs in mid-swing (or swoosh, as it may be), those of us who have no interest in hockey/basketball whatsoever are forced to band together and explore other means of entertainment that don’t involve oversized jerseys, defacing our vehicles, painting our bodies, or shouting at electronic devices. Though I’m all for the support of sweaty men (lord knows Dead End Days has it’s quotient of sweaty men filled), guzzling beer and eating your weight in hot wings, I just don’t understand getting so emotionally involved with the journey of a small black piece of rubber.

Now let me take a moment while my producer throttles me.

[Editors Note: As 'Dead End Days' prides itself on it's journalistic integrity, I would never berate or question Matt simply because he fails to recognize the greatest sport in the world. As the HTML-guru I might be selective in the links I select... but it's not like I'm putting on the foil.]

Having recently been deported from Canada for comments such as these, I have plenty of time to sit around with my newly acquired portable DVD player and get lost in the far more meaningful world of film. (Please note my sarcasm, and don’t get all pissy sports fans, I’m just fuckin’ with ya.)

Thus begins yet another installment of

Movies You Ought to Like (and if You Don’t, You Suck) by Matt Hoos.
Once upon a time, there was an era known as the 80’s. It was an era of bright colours, poppy music, and most importantly - funny, if not cheesy, movies. A time when Bill and Ted had an excellent adventure, space had balls, and Weird Al was The Man. [What are you talking about? Al Yankovic is still The Man! - Ed] It was an era when the cast of Saturday Night Live could actually be considered funny. With a cast that included Steve Martin, Dan Akroyd, Bill Murray, John Belushi and Chevy Chase, this show was on the front lines of a comedy revolution, knocking down the walls built by Mel Brooks, Jerry Lewis and Woody Allen. It’s Canadian cousin, SCTV had no shortage of talent either, with the likes of Martin Short, Rick Moranis, John Candy, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy and Dave Thomas. With that much talent in one place and time, it was inevitable that the face of film comedy would undergo a huge change.

The banding together of these two forces would give rise to some of the most memorable comedy pieces ever created. Ghostbusters, Animal House, Vacation, European Vacation, Christmas Vacation, The Jerk, Strange Brew, Spies Like Us, Fletch, The Man With Two Brains, Innerspace, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid,Trains, Planes and Automobiles, Who is Harry Crumb?, Fletch Lives, Caddyshack, The Blues Brothers, Funny Farm, Parenthood, Uncle Buck, The Lonely Guy, Great Outdoors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Summer Rental, Brewster’s Millions, All of Me, Armed and Dangerous, Roxanne, Stripes, Little Shop of Horrors, Dragnet, and of course, The Muppet Movie. Tell me that’s not an impressive list.

Now, if you read this list out loud, and listen very carefully, you can actually hear Adam Sandler, David Spade, Rob Schneider and Mike Myers shitting their pants.

The movie that stands at the apex of this era for me, is the culmination of the combined comedy stylings of Steve Martin, Martin Short and Chevy Chase. This little slice of comedy pie is known as the Three Amigos. What can I say? Even to this day, the small adventure of Lucky Day, Dusty Bottoms, and Little Ned Nederlander still makes me chuckle. From the opening song to the fall of El Hupo (with that snappy, clever ‘everybody sew real fast’ trick they pulled), the film stands as an engaging testament to what has sadly become a bygone era. Martin, Short and Chase were clearly at the top of their game, and the only thing that can ruin this movie now is if you allow your mind to stray to the likes of Bringing Down the House, Snow Day and Primetime Glick.

I’d like everyone now to sit back and reminisce about their favourite part of Three Amigos. Is it the daring bird-call break-in to the studio to retrieve their costumes? Their rendition of ‘My Little Buttercup’ in the Mexican cantina? The summoning and immediate accidental killing of the invisible swordsman while visiting the singing bush? Or is it my brother’s favourite part, when the turtle simply says ‘G’night, Ned.’

Admit it, it’s hard to pick just one moment. Perhaps it’s time to dust off the beta-max, find the copy you taped off TV and take yourself back to the decade when Steve Martin’s hair was… white… ah, screw it. Viva las Amigos!

Peace. Go Refs Go!

Suckers.

[Overtime Results - Flames: 3 Canucks: 2 Boo-Ya-HOO! - Ed]

Comments

• Search for: