Reviews
Gummo (1997)
Oh, the pain!
Xenia, Ohio. Twenty years ago, a twister came to town that took away more than trees and roofs. It also took away lives, families. And pride and dignity. And hope, and IQ points, and EVERY NORMAL HUMAN BEING, APPARENTLY!
This is the funnest, funniest film I've seen in a long time. I watched it with a fellow Ohio native, and my ribs hurt the next day from laughing.
The opening sequence comes across as a hilarious send-up of indie films. The film's avatar, a scrawny, shirtless boy sporting pink bunny ears, spits and shivers on a dingy highway overpass. The soundtrack wails the Hillbilly Granny's smash single, "The Cock-a-doodle-doo song". This movie is such fun! It's the ultimate party flick! Guess who the nipple-pinching guy is pimping out to children. His grandma? Siamese twins? An autistic infant? Who will win the drunken arm-wrestling, the angry fat redneck or the gay black brachycephalic midget? Why are kids killing and collecting cats?
Every single character, every single scene, is disgust and disfunction cranked up to eleven. Present day Xenia? Present day Bosnia isn't this freaking miserable. But hey, a tornado that killed 34 people decades ago is just bound to have this effect. Yo, Harmony. If you ever want anyone to take you seriously, learn to play the silence between the notes. But not for me. I love you, man.
The Guns of Will Sonnett (1967)
No brag, just fact: the wisest show in the west.
Ex-cavalry scout Will Sonnet spouts scripture and wisdom while riding around the west with grandson Jeff. They're looking for the middle generation, Jim, the seldom-seen, lightning-fast, gunslinging anti-hero. Old man Will is grumpy and frugal. He's faster than son Jim ("no brag, just fact," as he says.) Jeff is as good as he is pretty. He sometimes gets suckered by the bad guys, but is still plenty fast and resourceful, since he's been raised by the best. Jim is only occasionally present, but never betrays the moral and badass Sonnet name.