Feb
8
Netflix #67 – Pee Wee’s Big Adventure
So every time (still two words, huh?) we get together, my brothers Adam and John undoubtedly bring up the movie Pee Wee’s Big Adventure and the pet shop scene where Pee Wee goes in and rescues all the animals, passing by the snakes each time until finally when there are no other animals left to save, he runs from the building holding two handfuls of snakes screaming. I, on the other hand, have never seen this movie, so I finally decided to check it out. Did you know that it was directed by Tim Burton? And co-written by the late great Phil Hartman? Bet you didn’t. Anyway, the strong pedigree elevated the movie from what could have been a lame move from the television screen to the big screen into a really funny movie that is fun for both kids and adults. In fact, I would imagine kids not enjoying this nearly as much as the adults watching it with them. The Large Marge scene was ridiculously frightening, which makes me glad I didn’t see this as a child because I would probably would have been scarred for life. And I loved James Brolin and Morgan Fairchild as Pee Wee and Dottie in the final movie, along with Pee Wee’s cameo and dubbed voice. But yes, the pet shop scene was probably the best part.
Netflix #68 – My Fair Lady
Pretty much ever since Glee featured I Could Have Danced All Night, I’ve had My Fair Lady sitting on my dresser waiting to be watched. It’s one of those classics like Gone with the Wind, Mary Poppins, and The Sound of Music, that I just haven’t gotten around to seeing. And it sat on my dresser for a long time since I really didn’t have that much interest in seeing it, and it was so damn long. But me and Mom finally sat down and watched it the other night and I have to say, I enjoyed it very much. I mean, it was still about an hour longer than it really needed to be. Did we really need so much of the father storyline? But it was fun. This was the first time I’d seen Audrey Hepburn in anything and she was amazing. Seeing her at the racetrack was worth the price of admission alone. “Come on, Dover, move yer bloomin’ arse!” The only thing I’m disappointed in was the ending. Spoiler! I’m just mad she ended up (I guess they kinda ended up together, it was vague) with the guy who treated her like dirt and not poor lovable Freddy.
February 8th, 2010 at 8:43 am
Pee-Wee: Only thing I remember is the scene where he does that dance to “Tequila” and his argument with the fat guy “I know you are, but what am i?” Still, all in all I thought it was pretty funny. And I DID know Tim Burton was invovled in it.
My Fair Lady: You haven’t seen The Sound Of Music???? My GOD, Craiggers, we’re gonna revoke your membership card! How can you NOT have seen that? I mean, NBC plays it every freakin Thanksgiving, if I’m not mistaken! And you simply MUST see! Post haste. It IS truly a rite of gay passage!
HUGS….
February 8th, 2010 at 9:12 am
The Pee-Wee movies and tv shows are all GREAT!
February 8th, 2010 at 9:22 am
“Paging Mr. Herman. Paging Mr. Herman.” I love that story. It was part of my family’s standard viewing repertoire for years. Recently, David and I were watching an old episode of “Emergency” (Randolph Mantooth, rrrowr), and the actress who played Large Marge was actually on there in a guest role. Her character’s daughter had OD’d on reds at school and died in the ER – gritty stuff.
“My Fair Lady” was the very first video I ever bought along with my first ever VCR (remember those). I still have it and still love it. The ending is a little hard to follow, but what basically happens is that she realizes that Freddy has an idealized (idealised?) notion of her that is less likely to hold up over time while, despite his gruffness and their back-and-forth, she and Prof. Higgins really care for each other, as he also comes to realize (realise?). As to what happens with their relationship after the screen goes dark, that’s left up to the viewer to decide.
February 8th, 2010 at 9:32 am
I haven’t see Pee Wee in forever. I did not know Phil Hartman co wrote it. He was so great in NewsRadio (and SNL and other stuff, of course). Miss him.
Sound of Music is one of my favorite movies. I hope you get around to watching it.
Julie Andrews played Eliza Doolittle on stage. She was passed over for the film role for Audrey Hepburn (whose singing voice was dubbed). Audrey was snubbed for best actress that year and Julie won for Mary Poppins (another movie must). Team Julie!
February 8th, 2010 at 9:37 am
Never seen Pee Wee.
I’ve seen My Fair Lady in bits and pieces on TV. Not sure I’ve seen it start to finish. Audrey Hepburn was amazing in general. Julie Andrews is no slouch either.
EXCEPT I hate the Sound of Music with a passion. Not sure why, totally irrational, but can’t stand it.
February 8th, 2010 at 9:48 am
Tam, “SOM” is worth watching, if for no other reason, for the scene where the Mother Abbess asks Maria, “What is it, you cuntface?”
February 8th, 2010 at 9:49 am
Pee Wee Herman: I love the scenes in the Alamo with Pee Wee rolling his eyes when they say “adobe” and “tortilla”. Its funny that you watched this because I watched Pee Wee’s HBO special that was pre-movie and Phil Hartman plays Captain Carl. So I wiki’d Phil Hartman and him and Paul Ruebens co-created the character/show.
My Fair Lady: I can only stand the first half of this movie but yes, I LOVE the scene at the racetrack. Audrey looks GORGEOUS in her outfit with the hat. I think Stewie from Family Guy wears the same outfit in one episode, I forget which.
You must MUST must see Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Its a homo imperative! Audrey as Holly GoLightly is just… well its perfect. It doesn’t help that I’m fascinated by Truman Capote either.
February 8th, 2010 at 11:56 am
Hmmm. I don’t remember that line Mel. Are you sure you’re not talking the porn version?
February 8th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
“What is it, you cuntface?” is the only reason I would watch it.
February 8th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Tam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EePtIkuy5lg
I promise you’ll never be able to watch it again without hearing it that way.
February 8th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
You mock that poor woman’s accent Mel. LOL
February 8th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
A friend pointed it out to me years ago, and it changed everything. And maybe if she learned to speak proper Murcan….
February 8th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
Craig–if you ever end up wanting to watch the really really great Sherlock Holmes tv series starring Jeremy Brett as Holmes, you might notice that Jeremy Brett was a (much younger) Freddie in My Fair Lady.
February 8th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
Aren’t they making a new Pee-Wee movie/show?! I hope Tim Burton comes back and gets involved somehow. Can you imagine Pee-Wee under the effed-up lens of T. Burton’s darker films like “Sleepy Hollow” or “Sweeney Todd?” EPIC!
February 8th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Tim Burton would make Pee Wee seriously depressing these days.
February 8th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
And Helena Bonham Carter would play someone. Possibly even Pee Wee.
February 8th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
Craiggerz: Hellz yeah she will! Lurrrrrve her [feat. bewbz]!
February 8th, 2010 at 5:04 pm
Craig, speaking as a musical theater snob, I actually have to agree with you that the sequence with the father bores the living snot out of me. It’s one of my dad’s favorite numbers but I never really took to it. But the rest of the film is wonderful. The parade at the Ascot, the counterpoint in “I Could Have Dance All Night” and the fantasy sequences in “Just You Wait” are all priceless.
Tam: I can’t believe you didn’t know that classic bit from SOM. It’s one of my all time favorite misquotes. And the “Lonely Goatherd” marionette scene is worth the price of admission alone.
February 8th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
DAMMIT! Now I’m going to be singing “Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo” I was fine until I read David’s comment. I will have my revenge. Not even the discovery of “cunt face ” (which is totally new to me) will get that damn song out of my head.
February 8th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
As one of the other musical theatre geeks at Puntabuland… Eh, “My Fair Lady” and “Sound of Music” are alright. They’re no “Cats” though. Have you seen “Cats”? It’s based on these poems by T.S. Eliot and the whole show is literally dancing, singing cats in a giant junkyard. And everyone knows how much I love the feline species. Hopefully they’ll make a movie version of that musical!
February 8th, 2010 at 7:02 pm
And Helena Bonham Carter would make an excellent Grizabella the Glamour Cat. I’m just sayin’
February 8th, 2010 at 7:26 pm
Jere: It’d be so fun to hear her belt out “Mammaries”.
February 8th, 2010 at 7:46 pm
Mammaries??? Seriously??? Is there a song called “Testicles”? Cause then I’d be all into seeing the play. Even it was about *shudder* cats.
HUGS…
February 8th, 2010 at 7:48 pm
Jere: HBC would be great as Grizabella. I love Tim Burton but I do get a bit tired of her in EVERY movie. Saw the preview for Alice yesterday. Looks suitably freaky.
February 8th, 2010 at 8:40 pm
Mel: We know from Sweeney Todd that HBC does not belt. She has a timid, tiny singing voice. Perfectly lovely if you’re into that sort of thing, but it’s a far cry from belting. But there have been worse movie musical castings in history (*cough*MammaMia*PierceBrosnan*OhMyGodThePain*cough*). And Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady is practically the stereotype of non-singers in musical roles.
February 8th, 2010 at 8:43 pm
I loved Helena Bonham Carter in her Golden Globe-nominated performance in “Sweeney Todd!” She was mah favo part of that movie!
February 8th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
I really have to see those two.
February 8th, 2010 at 10:51 pm
lol i actually started watching MFL on streaming netflix last night … I made it 3 minutes before i decided to watch something else.
February 13th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Well, here I am delurking way late as usual. LOVE Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. None of it ever gets old for me. Now I’ll have “Mr. Herman, paging Mr. Herman” in my head all day.
I’ve never seen MFL, but Sound of Music is a staple in our house, now and when I was a kid. Never heard the cunt face thing, now that’s all I will think of next time. “Favorite Things” and “Do, A Deer” are my favorite songs from the movie and so fun to have stuck in your head.
February 19th, 2010 at 11:31 am
Pee Wee’s Big Adventure is one of the best movies ever. I LOVE it so much. Also, useless trivia: anytime you see an early Tim Burton trailer, you might hear the score from PWBA because clearly the studios have some deal where they can recycle the music from one burton picture to the next (same with Ed scissorhands–the music in the Big Fish trailer for a while was the boys choir from ESH.)
February 21st, 2010 at 12:22 pm
I’m writing this as you commented over on Xbox4NappyRashes site congratulating him on the birth of his daughter.
I am writing it here because this post is down the page a bit and i don’t want him to see it
A while ago, before Martin’s (xbox4nappyrash) wife got pregnant I promised I would post a youtube video of me singing “Yes” by Mcalomont & Butler whilst accompanying myself on the ukulele to celebrate the birth of their child.
This will not be a pretty sight as I can neither sing, nor really play the ukulele (this isn’t false modesty – I really can’t).
However what I thought might make it really cool would be instead of just a straight video I put together a montage of videos shot by readers of his blog all celebrating – i.e. dancing, sticking thumbs up, cheering, holding up signs, that sort of thing. It would have to be something that would work without sound as I would put my (awful) soundtrack over the top of it.
It would be great if you could participate. If you send me a short 5-15 second video clip (or at a push a photo, but a video would be much better) along with your name and blog then I’ll put it together with other submissions and get something ready for the end of the week. I think it would be a really nice thing to do for martin to show him and E how pleased we are for him. and Martin has been incredibly supportive of me and my various projects in the past.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. My email address is dghughes28@yahoo.co.uk
Thanks again.
Dan.