<![CDATA[moviewise: Life Lessons From Movies: Ready To Laugh]]>https://moviewise.substack.com/s/ready-to-laughhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6-g4!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4133a65e-a9f1-4536-830d-3046427d2c44_512x512.pngmoviewise: Life Lessons From Movies: Ready To Laughhttps://moviewise.substack.com/s/ready-to-laughSubstackTue, 21 Apr 2026 07:59:00 GMT<![CDATA[To Wit: Funny Language In Movies]]>https://moviewise.substack.com/p/to-wit-funny-language-in-movieshttps://moviewise.substack.com/p/to-wit-funny-language-in-moviesTue, 01 Aug 2023 13:00:39 GMT
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Wit (noun): clever or apt humor

Movies are anchored by dialogue, at least after the silent era. And sometimes the witty observations made by various quick-thinking characters are downright enlightening, as well as funny. This impressive use of language is bedazzling, a wonder to behold, and one of the reasons why comedic banter in movies is so powerful.

The following is a collection of clever quotes that highlight the type of language play contained in these highly entertaining movies. They showcase a difficult, complex skill that doesn’t get enough recognition for elevating movies beyond the story and the acting.

This is next level wit; worth your time and consideration:

Your small minds are musclebound with suspicion.
That’s because the only exercise you ever get is jumping to conclusions!
— Walter Mitty

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) is a comedy directed by Norman Z. McLeod based on the story by James Thurber about Walter Mitty (Danny Kaye), a man who daydreams constantly and gets caught up in a murder mystery when he meets a beautiful wealthy woman, Rosalind Van Hoorn (Virginia Mayo).

Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room.
— President Merkin Muffley

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) is a comedy co-written and directed by Stanley Kubrick about the events in the “war room” where military and government officials have gathered to try to stop an air strike launched by a rogue U.S. general, Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden), against a country with nuclear weapons.

I can’t stand the marriage. I don’t find you any fun. I feel you suffocate me. I don’t feel any rapport with you, and I don’t dig you physically.
Oh, for God’s sake, Allan, don’t take it personal! — Nancy

Play it Again, Sam (1972) is a comedy directed by Herbert Ross about Allan Felix (Woody Allen), a recently divorced film critic who looks for guidance from Humphrey Bogart, the actor who plays the hero in the movie Casablanca.

Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. — Dennis

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) is an absurd comedy spoof co-written and co-directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones about the legend of King Author (Graham Chapman), his Knights of the Round Table, and their search for the Holy Grail.

Airplane passenger: Nervous?

Ted Striker: Yes.

Airplane passenger: First time?

Ted Striker: No, I've been nervous lots of times.

Airplane! (1980) is a comedy co-written and co-directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker about Ted Striker (Robert Hays), a pilot with a fear of flying who has difficulty maintaining a relationship with his stewardess girlfriend Elaine Dickinson (Julie Hagerty), but is tasked with landing a plane full of passengers.

Dark Helmet: Before you die there is something you should know about us, Lone Starr.

Lone Starr: What?

Dark Helmet: I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate.

Lone Starr: What's that make us?

Dark Helmet: Absolutely nothing! Which is what you are about to become.

Spaceballs (1987) is a comedy co-written and directed by Mel Brooks about a father, King Roland (Dick Van Patten), who hires a mercenary, Lone Starr (Bill Pullman), and his sidekick, Barf (John Candy), to rescue his daughter, Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga), from an invading force led by Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis).

Garth Algar: Uhm, Wayne? What do you do if every time you see this one incredible woman, you think you're gonna hurl?

Wayne Campbell: I say hurl. If you blow chunks and she comes back, she's yours. But if you spew and she bolts, then it was never meant to be.

Wayne’s World (1992) is a comedy directed by Penelope Spheeris about Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey), two underachieving friends who host a public-access cable show that is bought by a sleazy tv executive, Benjamin Kane (Rob Lowe).

Amy Archer: [to Norville] Shut up! After all, you haven't talked to me for a week and now I'm going to say my piece. Look, I've never been dumped by a fella before, and that hurts. But what really hurts is watching you outrun your soul, chasing after money and ease and the respect of a board that wouldn't give you the time of day if you, if you...

Norville: Worked in a watch factory?

Amy Archer: Shut up! Exactly!

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) is a comedy co-written and co-directed by Joel and Ethan Coen about Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins), a recent business school graduate from a small town who is unwittingly made president of a successful company as part of a scam by its board of directors.

The Dude: Are you sure he won't mind?

Bunny Lebowski: Uli doesn't care about anything. He's a Nihilist.

The Dude: Ah, that must be exhausting.

The Big Lebowski (1998) is a dark comedy co-written and co-directed by Joel and Ethan Coen about The Dude (Jeff Bridges), a lazy unemployed man who is mistaken for a millionaire with the same name, Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston), and inadvertently gets himself embroiled in an increasingly escalating series of conflicts.

Po: Maybe I should just quit and go back to making noodles.

Oogway: Quit, don't quit... Noodles, don't noodles... You are too concerned about what was and what will be. There is a saying: yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.

Kung Fu Panda (2008) is a humorous animated fantasy directed by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson about an unlikely hero, Po, a warrior panda voiced by Jack Black, who trains to become the legendary Dragon Warrior.

What have we learned? Hopefully an appreciation for the intelligence displayed in the dialogue of some great movies. Beyond the story line, beyond the performance, sometimes we can catch a glimpse of witty language, a human capacity that is as significant and awe-inspiring as any masterful skill because of its remarkable combination of insight and ingenuity.

Of the thousands of choices available in entertainment, these are the films that are worth the time watching and studying because they are entertaining as well as rewarding in an intrinsically satisfying way. There is just something about appreciating a turn of phrase that is genuinely uplifting.

Simply put, we are made better for having been exposed to it.

Wit is the crown of the human intellect.

— Peter Ustinov

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]]><![CDATA[A Guide To Peace: Take It Easy]]>https://moviewise.substack.com/p/a-guide-to-peace-take-it-easyhttps://moviewise.substack.com/p/a-guide-to-peace-take-it-easyTue, 18 Jul 2023 13:00:06 GMT
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A knee-jerk response to an action is not wise. Any reaction that is done without thought or care is most likely to cause more problems. This is self-evident. It’s obvious on its face, and yet it’s common for people to automatically retaliate when they feel that they’ve been wronged.

But enacting “an eye for an eye” solution to being victimized—particularly if questions of ethics, of propriety, of decency are ignored—just leads to an escalation of conflict, often resulting in a cycle of violence.

Such is the path that the Coen brothers’ funny, unconventional cult classic, The Big Lebowski (1998), takes us on. Through the main character, The Dude (Jeff Bridges), we learn something profound about reacting to negative events: everything gets worse when you don’t act virtuously.

This same message is echoed in another Coen brothers movie, A Serious Man (2009):

  • Life Lesson: Even if you think life is meaningless and unfair, be a good person with integrity, because without it things will get even worse.

The Big Lebowski (1998) is a dark comedy co-written and co-directed by Joel and Ethan Coen about The Dude (Jeff Bridges), a lazy unemployed man who is mistaken for a millionaire with the same name, Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston), and inadvertently gets himself embroiled in an increasingly escalating series of conflicts.

Now, The Dude of The Big Lebowski is a charismatic character. He is quite lovable even though he embodies what many would call sins. Others may more charitably describe his lifestyle as appalling and degenerate. What are these negative traits? Well, he is above all a lazy man, unwashed, unkempt, unmotivated, unproductive, irresponsible, and constantly under the influence of drugs and alcohol. So how could such a man be the good guy, the likable hero?

As it turns out in the movie, The Dude is one of the few characters who is non-violent, doesn’t want to hurt or rule over anybody, and doesn’t have any strange hangups like sexual addiction or antisocial beliefs like nihilism. He is a good-natured, friendly, unpretentious everyman. Moreover, at first glance he appears to be the victim of a number of unfair, unfortunate events, so he has the audience’s sympathy.

But on closer inspection one realizes that much of the misfortune that rains upon him was set in motion by his own hand as a result of acting less than virtuously. He commits two wrongs in the beginning of the movie: he tries to get a blameless person, the wealthy Jeffrey Lebowski, to pay for damages caused by someone else, and he brazenly steals Mr. Lebowski’s expensive rug. For this he is punished severely through a series of mishaps that include physical injury and loss of property. Yet, The Dude perseveres.

In the end, it’s The Dude’s relaxed attitude toward setbacks that makes him appealing, and which actually promotes a healthy response to adversity. When things are not going well be Dude-like: take it easy, stay calm, be gentle. To do otherwise is to escalate into uncontrolled violence and chaos.

In many ways then, the The Big Lebowski is a continuation of the main theme in The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), an earlier Coen Brothers film that explores the Wheel of Fortune as explained in Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy, which postulates that good and bad fortune come and go like the spokes of a spinning wheel. So when things are looking dire, when you’ve hit rock bottom, all you have to do is wait because the wheel of fortune will eventually turn again.

But what is the best way to wait and endure misfortune? Watch The Big Lebowski (1998) and see how The Dude abides. You’ll likely take comfort in knowing that there are people out there who believe in taking it easy when problems arise, which means de-escalation, i.e. peace.

Oh, and the music in this movie is excellent; it’s worth the price of admission alone. There is not one wrong note anywhere and it encompasses a wide range of genres that somehow fit harmoniously well together, from folk music to rock, Bob Dylan to ZZ Top, to Mozart, instrumental, and Western. It even includes a choreographed musical number featuring the song “Just Dropped in (to See What Condition My Condition Was in)” sung by Kenny Rogers.

It’s a fun, and wise, movie.

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]]><![CDATA[A "Kung Fu Panda" Fan-Fiction Scene!]]>https://moviewise.substack.com/p/a-kung-fu-panda-fan-fiction-scenehttps://moviewise.substack.com/p/a-kung-fu-panda-fan-fiction-sceneTue, 06 Jun 2023 13:01:18 GMT
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Here’s an observation: funny movies have a comedic actor in the lead. If you want to watch a comedy where you are likely to laugh repeatedly throughout the film, your best bet is to look for one where a standup comedian, a physical slapstick performer, and/or a master improvisor is given free reign to experiment and/or is allowed to contribute to the development of the main character. The words on the page are not enough to make a movie funny. A regular dramatic actor cannot deliver the words with that twinkle of the eye that comedic actors have, nor are regular actors attuned to the timing, the delivery, the improvisation, or the authentic interaction with the environment, including other actors or objects, that great skilled comedians have and which elevate movies from merely entertaining to hilarious.

Kung Fu Panda (2008) is a humorous animated fantasy directed by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson about an unlikely hero, Po, a warrior panda voiced by Jack Black, who trains to become the legendary Dragon Warrior.

Related:
The Wisdom In "Kung Fu Panda" (2008):
Laughing All The Way To Peace, Harmony, and Focus

Want some evidence? Here are some examples of laugh-out-loud movies from the article, What is Funny? — The Rules Of (Punching Up) Comedy According To The Movies:

Other examples of great comedic actors include the forerunners and pioneers of the comedy genre, including Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Jacques Tati, who were all experts in slapstick, which is why many of their movies are still universally funny decades later. In other words, physical comedy withstands both time and culture. And good contemporary comedic performers likewise use their bodies, their voices, and their facial expressions both in exaggerated and subtle ways that clearly convey to audiences the intent, the spirit, and the motivation of their characters. This allows the humor to shine through at an almost intuitive level, and it explains why dramatic actors can’t easily replicate the kind of communication with audiences that comedic actors can have.

Modern Times (1936) is a comedy written and directed by Charlie Chaplin about the Little Tramp (Charlie Chaplin), a man who struggles to keep a job in a modern industrial society, but finds an ally in a destitute woman (Paulette Goddard).

  • Life Lesson: Keep trying, for that is the only way to get what you want.

Related:
Your Guide To "Modern Times" (1936):
A Laugh Out Loud Charlie Chaplin Classic Movie

In a way, movies can’t be funny without comedic actors, so in that sense, the lead performer is just about 100% responsible for how the audience responds. This is not to discount the writers, of course. A story provides the foundation, the skeleton or framework that is needed to focus the comedic actor and keep the audience’s attention for the duration of a movie, which can be from one to three hours long. And a good, witty, engaging, meaningful story lifts a movie from funny to profound, from forgettable to classic, from mundane to iconic.

All of this is to say that comedies require a lot more talent and fine coordination than it appears. The great comedians make it look effortless and easy, which is perhaps why it’s hard to appreciate that very few people have that lighthearted, jocular way about them to make words on a page funny, or to improvise and react in a way that makes others laugh.

This is why many screenwriters write parts for specific actors, who serve as both inspiration and make-or-break linchpins capable of transforming a film. And this same technique is available to fans who create their own fan-fiction, at least as far as their imaginations can take them. When one is inspired by fictional characters and the movie world they inhabit, it’s hard not to immerse oneself even further by expanding the story.

In this spirit then, I give you a comedic Kung Fu Panda fan-fiction movie scene created by OpenAI’s ChatGPT and me, moviewise, acting as the “prompt engineer” and gentle editor. Please imagine the fantastic and lovable Jack Black as Po, and the earnest but serious Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu:

FADE IN

Page 1:
[The scene takes place at the Jade Palace, where Master Shifu, a wise and eccentric master, is instructing Po, the lovable panda, in the art of Kung Fu.]
Master Shifu: (stroking his long beard) Po, my student, the path to enlightenment is paved with discipline and focus. Today, we shall work on your inner peace.
Po: (panting, sweat dripping from his forehead) Inner peace? You mean that thing I lose every time I see a dumpling?
Master Shifu: (laughs) Ah, Po, your love for food is strong indeed. But remember, true inner peace comes from balancing your desires.
Po: (playfully) Well, then I must find the perfect balance between eating and eating some more!
Master Shifu: (chuckles) While your appetite is impressive, let's explore other avenues. Watch closely.
[Master Shifu begins an elegant sequence of slow, graceful movements.]
Po: (mimicking the movements but stumbling) Like this, Master Shifu?
Master Shifu: (raises an eyebrow) Not quite, Po. Remember, grace and precision. Let your body flow like a river, not stumble like a drunken noodle!
Po: (laughs) Drunken noodle? Sounds like a dish I'd order at a restaurant.
Master Shifu: (smiling) Your wit is sharp, Po. But now, focus. Imagine you are gliding through the air, light as a feather.
Po: (attempting to mimic, but falls flat on his face) Oops! More like a panda-shaped cannonball!
Master Shifu: (suppressing laughter) It seems we have some work to do, my friend.
Page 2:
[Master Shifu and Po are now outside in a beautiful bamboo grove, continuing their training.]
Master Shifu: Po, observe the graceful dance of the bamboo swaying in the wind. Channel that elegance into your movements.
Po: (watching the bamboo) Got it, Master Shifu. Sway like the bamboo, be tall and... uh-oh!
[Po attempts to mimic the swaying bamboo but ends up tangling himself in a knot.]
Master Shifu: (laughs heartily) Po, you've turned yourself into a panda pretzel!
Po: (laughs while trying to untangle himself) I guess I took the whole "bend like the bamboo" thing too literally.
Master Shifu: (helps Po untangle) Patience, my student. Let's try a different approach. Picture yourself as a powerful warrior, standing tall and confident.
Po: (adjusting his posture) I am the mighty Dragon Warrior, ready to face any challenge!
[Po strikes a pose, but his trousers rip loudly, revealing a pair of polka-dotted boxer shorts with a giant smiley face.]
Po: (sheepishly) Um... maybe I need to work on my tailoring skills too.
Master Shifu: (laughs uncontrollably) Ah, Po, you never fail to bring joy to my heart. Remember, it's not just about perfection, but the journey itself.
[Po jumps high into the air, attempting an epic flying kick. However, he miscalculates and crashes into a nearby tree, sending a flurry of leaves and twigs cascading down onto Shifu.]
Po: (apologetic) Oops! Sorry about that, Master Shifu. Sometimes my Kung Fu becomes a bit too...tree-mendous!
Master Shifu: A true Kung Fu warrior knows how to make an impression!
They both burst into laughter, shaking off the leaves from their clothes.

FADE OUT

Thanks to advancements in technology, now more than ever regular fans can truly immerse themselves in the world of a character they love, and that, for a film critic, is a sign that we are living in the best of times.

Enjoy the new world of entertainment that is just to come!

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]]><![CDATA[Feel Better Now With "Scrooged" (1988)]]>https://moviewise.substack.com/p/feel-better-now-with-scrooged-1988https://moviewise.substack.com/p/feel-better-now-with-scrooged-1988Tue, 18 Apr 2023 13:01:03 GMT
The titles with the names of the lead researchers of three research papers about laughter are shown together.
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Researchers take seriously the idea that laughter is the best medicine:

Laughter therapy gives our body various physiological changes, and has an influence on the physical temperature, blood pressure, lung capacity, heart rate, muscles in the musculoskeletal system, and brain activity, so it can have an overall effect in promoting health (Hayashi et al. 2007; Bennett and Lengacher 2009). Mentally, laughter therapy helps reduce unpleasant feelings such as tension, anxiety, hatred, and anger, alleviates feelings of depression, aids better interpersonal relationships, and improves insomnia, memory failure, and dementia (Takeda et al. 2010; Bains et al. 2015).1

And one of the easiest ways to change a negative mood to a positive one is to watch a feel-good, funny movie. But even more rewarding is watching a feel-good, funny movie that can improve your life—if you take heed of the message embedded within.

This is the case of the 1988 movie Scrooged, which is a retelling of the Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol. In essence what you get from this movie is a how-to manual for harnessing the powers of being human to access happiness.

Scrooged (1988) is a comedy directed by Richard Donner, adapted from Charles Dickens’ classic book, A Christmas Carol, about Frank Cross (Bill Murray), a cold-hearted TV executive who is given the chance to change his callous ways by three ghosts.

Are you feeling lonely or frustrated? Do you have a sense of failure no matter how much you accomplish? Do you feel angry or irritated most of the time? Are you resentful or jealous of others? This bundle of negativity comprises Frank Cross’ (Bill Murray) life in the movie Scrooged. But, in the end, he shows us by example how to feel better because there actually is a remedy for all of above ailments, and that’s to get in a better mood by acting more human.

Do you think it’s healthy to work all the time as “Scrooge” Frank Cross does early in the movie at the expense of social connections? Do you think that focusing on one aspect of your life while neglecting everything else will produce long lasting satisfaction? Do you think that feeling chronically stressed or angry will lead to healthy outcomes? The same simple answer applies to all the above: of course not! Throughout the movie we are shown specifically how each of these behaviors leads to unhappiness as the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future visit Frank. But there is an easier way to remember this lesson, which is to ask yourself, are you behaving like a human?

Do healthy humans cultivate social bonds with others? Yes. Do healthy humans have balance in their lives? Yes. Do healthy humans chronically experience positive emotions such as joy, curiosity, relaxation, gratitude, appreciation? Yes. Do healthy humans engage in play, in learning, finding meaning? Yes. And aren’t these behaviors really about being human, that is, about expressing yourself fully as a human? After all, isn’t it a more natural state for people to be compassionate and caring, to have interest in those around us, to crave social connection, and to want to feel love?

Hence, the movie Scrooged is a good reminder to establish healthy priorities in order to maximize health, wellness, and happiness, which are all within our capabilities as humans.

There are other benefits to watching a feel-good, funny movie like Scrooged. For one, these movies provide a form of relaxing entertainment that can provide a temporary escape from stress or anxiety. As shown above, these kinds of movies can also serve as sources of inspiration and motivation. Watching relatable characters overcome challenges and achieve personal satisfaction is empowering and helpful. Finally, watching movies and discussing movies with others, provide opportunities for the kind of shared social connection and bonding that can strengthen relationships.

So please don’t underestimate the health benefits of feel-good, funny movies. Find a movie to love, and it will reward you with hours of pure joy for many years to come.

Here is a list to get you started: Ready To Laugh: Humor Inspired By Movies, and remember the words of actor and comedian Milton Berle:

Laughter is an instant vacation.

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1

Yim, JongEun. "Therapeutic benefits of laughter in mental health: a theoretical review." The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine 239.3 (2016): 243-249.

]]><![CDATA[The Future Is Now]]>https://moviewise.substack.com/p/the-future-is-nowhttps://moviewise.substack.com/p/the-future-is-nowTue, 07 Mar 2023 14:00:15 GMT
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The best cure there is for such a disease as the one afflicting you is a correct understanding of the governance of the world, which is not merely a string of random events, but the result of divine reason.

— Lady Philosophy  

Because so many movies are clumsily, artlessly, lazily made, and are pointless, shallow trifles, one is struck deeply when a movie is layered, thoughtful, meaningful and you find yourself feeling enlightened, awakened to a truth, taken to a well of knowledge you had not been exposed to before.

Writer-directors Joel and Ethan Coen and co-writer Sam Raimi have made many of the latter movies. At some point as you watch one of their insightful films, it strikes you that they, the makers, are intelligent, knowledgable, educated, careful craftsmen, magicians, who deliberately set out to construct lessons in philosophy, as they did in their 1994 movie, The Hudsucker Proxy. And here you thought movies were just purely for entertainment. Perhaps some are, but sometimes the ones making movies are not just entertainers who simply want to help you pass the time with a confection.

Sometimes movies are made by sages, by wizards, by philosophers embodying and modeling the lessons learned from ancient knowledge.

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) is a comedy co-written and co-directed by Joel and Ethan Coen about Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins), a recent business school graduate from a small town who is unwittingly made president of a successful company as part of a scam by its board of directors.

For example, the Wheel of Fortune (Rota Fortunae) is a concept from antiquity that explains the fickle, inconstant, nature of fortune and misfortune, most commonly attributed to the Roman philosopher Boethius, who is mentioned by name and quoted at length in the 2002 movie 24 Hour Party People. But The Hudsucker Proxy takes Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy as a foundational guide.

The Wheel of Fortune—which represents highs and lows, ups and downs, triumphs and defeats—is visually represented throughout the movie. The striking visuals includes a recurring circle motif seen, for example, as a coffee ring around a job advertisement in a newspaper, the schematic designs of spherical toys (you know, for kids), and a giant clock that begins and ends the movie. In fact, the clock is used to show the changing fortunes of the two presidents of Hudsucker Industries, with the clock hands pointing to the rise or ascension at 9 o’clock, the highest peak 12 o’clock, the descension at 3 o’clock, and finally the fall 6 o’clock, the very bottom.

The idea of a circle to explain the core inner workings of the universe is also alluded to in other ways. Take, for example, when the movie is set, which is New Year’s Eve, and thus represents a revolution, an orbit, around the sun. There is also a verbal explanation of karma as being, “what goes around comes around,” and an allusion to reincarnation, which itself could be represented as a kind of circle:

Well, the Hindus say, and the beatniks also, that in our next life some of us will come back as ants, some will be butterflies, some will be elephants or creatures of the sea.

Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins), the protagonist in The Hudsucker Proxy, is the Everyman. He is neither brilliant, nor an imbecile. He has great ideas and terrible ones. He has no superpowers, but he is capable. He is pushed around by fortune, but also takes a stand and sometimes exerts control over his life. Is this not us? Are we not also Boethius, sitting in a prison cell lamenting our misfortune, forgetting all the times we were on top, and all the benefits we still have with us even in our lowly current state?

Norville’s love interest, Amy Archer (Jennifer Jason Leigh), is a representation of Boethius’ “Lady Philosophy,” who in The Consolation shoos away the muses, the inspirations for music and art, because they make Boethius self-indulgent and distract him from using his reason to understand his situation and to find real comfort in looking at the truth rather than veils of pleasure that obscure the true nature of the universe. “What we want is the fruits of reason, while all they [the muses] have is the useless thorns of intemperate passion. If he listens to their nonsense, he will accustom himself to depression instead of trying to find a cure.”1

The message is simple, don’t live in a world of illusions because you lose touch with reality and gain no knowledge. Living in this distracted state is itself a kind of prison, where you are not free to see reality clearly and therefore are in a helpless, subservient position. Indeed, one of the messages in the film, represented by Hudsucker Industries’ motto, “The future is now” is to be aware of and live in the current moment because nothing is promised to us, which will allow us to be at peace and make today the day we are waiting for, since happiness is only found in the present.

In the movie, Amy likewise chases away some “muses” from Norville’s office: a string quartet, an artist working on a sculpture, and two women who are giving him a massage and a manicure. She tells him that he’s lost his way, lost his inspiration, lost himself, “You forgot what made your ideas exciting to you in the first place. It wasn’t the fame, and wealth, and mindless adoration,” which is similar to the counsel Lady Philosophy gives Boethius, “You have been banished from yourself, and one could even say that you are therefore the instrument of your own torments, for no one else could have done this to you.”2

Speaking of the passions, the music in The Hudsucker Proxy, from the ballet Spartacus by Soviet composer Aram Khachaturian, is truly divine, and by itself constitutes a reason to watch this film. After all, while distracting yourself too much from reality is not healthy, the occasional indulgence in beauty and art is rewarding as well as life-giving.

But the real comfort that Norville finds, that we get from this movie, comes from reason. It comes from knowing we have a second chance. There is always a second chance, even if you are sitting in a jail cell like Boethius. You must fight on, because you must understand that the wheel of fortune keeps turning and you will not be at the bottom forever. Fight to make today good, even if you are despairing. Fight to see hope, even if you are sad. Fight to be at peace with your life, even if you desire something better. Every day that you fight brings you higher up the wheel, but when you reach the top, do remember how to get back there, because the wheel will keep on turning.

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1

Slavitt, David R., translator. The Consolation of Philosophy. By Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, Harvard University Press, 2008, p. 4.

2

Slavitt, David R., translator. The Consolation of Philosophy. By Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, Harvard University Press, 2008, p. 20.

]]><![CDATA[Your Guide To "Modern Times" (1936) ]]>https://moviewise.substack.com/p/charlie-chaplins-modern-times-1936https://moviewise.substack.com/p/charlie-chaplins-modern-times-1936Tue, 21 Feb 2023 14:00:31 GMT
The silhouettes of Charlie Chaplin’s Little Tramp character, five gears, and a woman.
Image by L.E. Wilson from RedBubble based on work by Mohamed Hassan and Sinisa Maric from Pixabay

The object of education is to teach us to love what is beautiful.

— Socrates  

This 1936 masterpiece by Charlie Chaplin, who wrote, directed and starred in it, is so grand, so amazingly impressive and dazzling, that you’ll be shocked. Not only is Modern Times a masterclass in advanced planning, organization, and choreography, but it is also a great example of a dynamic, suspenseful, intricate story. Oh, and it’s really funny—laugh out loud funny—sincerely hilarious, clever, and fun. It’s a jewel, and it sets the standard for what cinema should be: artful, done with craft and skill, resulting in something so beautiful to behold that it lifts your spirits.

Modern Times (1936) is a comedy written and directed by Charlie Chaplin about the Little Tramp (Charlie Chaplin), a man who struggles to keep a job in a modern industrial society, but finds an ally in a destitute woman (Paulette Goddard).

  • Life Lesson: Keep trying, for that is the only way to get what you want.

Modern Times is a must see for anyone who wants to understand what to expect from a great movie. No, it’s not enough for modern directors to just pan endlessly on a landscape or have inane, improvised dialogue act as filler in their films. These low effort movies aren’t good enough. Audiences deserve better because it’s a kind of cruelty to waste people’s valuable time with subpar, pointless, confusing dribble. The quality of movies would increase dramatically if more people understood what beauty is, that is, if they learned to recognize craft, intelligence, workmanship, and developed an appreciation for intricate details.

We have truly wonderful movies available to us, many of which, like Modern Times, were written and directed by the same person. Before seeking out movies that disappoint with their lack of story logic, their lack of internal consistency, or their appalling artlessness, watch the great movies first, for they reveal what is possible when passionate people seek to elevate their skills and produce magnificent works, not just ordinary, run of the mill, “turn it in” and get it done minimum effort resumé stuffers.

When watching Modern Times, one is immediately struck by how timeless it is. That’s the mark of a great story. The premise of this 1936 film is a world being taken over by machines causing people to be displaced en masse. And here we are in the year 2023 where the same fears and threats of a rapidly changing technological society are being felt across the world as artificial intelligence, chatbots, and self-driving cars become more integrated into our lives. But what can we do? What should we do?

Charlie Chaplin gives us his answer: never give up, keep trying to make life better for yourself, you’ll find your talent, you’ll hone your skills, and you will be able to live happily in this wonderful world because there is room for us all.

There is one other message that comes through in this film, which is that a life of leisure where you do nothing and all your needs are automatically met—which is part of the promise of a modern industrialized world where machines are at our beck and call—may not only be an impossibility, but an unwanted outcome.

In this way Chaplin mirrors an observation by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, who wrote that “one of the most astonishing delusions is the belief that human happiness lies in inactivity. People are so convinced of this that they even imagine paradise as a place where people do nothing.”

Hence, Modern Times reveals to us a truth that we can confirm for ourselves. Although machines certainly have made and will continue to make our lives easier, we still strive to work, to feel productive, to feel accomplished, to feel rewarded and satisfied by our efforts. This is human. We are happy when we learn new skills; we are happy when we master skills; we are happy when we create new things. Hence, no matter what technological changes come our way, there will always be room for people like Charlie Chaplin’s Little Tramp, who at the end of Modern Times discovers a very human skill that will allow him to find employment anywhere he goes.

What a treasure this movie is! The physical humor with the talent, practice, and fearlessness it required is so rewarding to watch. It’s like looking at a live-action cartoon. The intricate set pieces that includes a giant gear machine where the Little Tramp gets stuck is truly a wonder to behold. The jokes, the puns, the gags. The happy ending.

What a movie! What a masterpiece! Please do yourself a favor and seek it out, for it will allow you to know something that is truly beautiful.

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]]><![CDATA[Fruitcake Booty! ]]>https://moviewise.substack.com/p/fruitcake-bootyhttps://moviewise.substack.com/p/fruitcake-bootyTue, 25 Oct 2022 13:00:01 GMT
A reimagined painting of The Scream by Edvard Munch with a figure laughing hysterically instead of screaming.
Image by L.E. Wilson from RedBubble based on work by Edvard Munch and Prawny on Pixabay

Life’s too short to be serious!

It turns out that the idea of looking at life through a humor lens is a long-established philosophy. The movies The Last Laugh (2016), a serious documentary about the controversial topic of gallows humor/dark comedy, and Wayne’s World (1992), a silly lighthearted juvenile farce, both point in this direction—as does a famous quote from the 17th century:

Life is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel.

― Jean Racine

These two disparate, seemingly contrasting movies together demonstrate and prove the observations made by the French playwright Jean Racine and by one of the world’s most famous comedians, Charlie Chaplin:

Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot.

In other words, life is a comedy for those who think long-term, or as comedian Steve Allen put it, “Tragedy plus time equals comedy,” which really comes to mean that we can and do laugh equally and freely at death and at life, at experience and at youth, at the somber and the fluff, at the politician and the clown—but I repeat myself.

Or more to the point, have you noticed that life is absurd? This, of course, is the inevitable conclusion that the renowned 19th century Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard made when like Racine, Chaplin, and Allen—eggheads all—he found the comedy in our existence:

I saw that the meaning of life was to secure a livelihood, and that its goal was to attain a high position; that love’s rich dream was marriage with an heiress; that friendship’s blessing was help in financial difficulties; that wisdom was what the majority assumed it to be; that enthusiasm consisted in making a speech; that it was courage to risk the loss of ten dollars; that kindness consisted in saying, “You are welcome,” at the dinner table; that piety consisted in going to communion once a year. This I saw, and I laughed.

Oomph! In this spirit then, here are some absurd comedies and the life lessons you could learn from them to help you and your noggin decide once and for all that life is a comedy after all—or at least that it’s better to laugh oodles than to cry gaggles:

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.

― E. E. Cummings

Of course, don’t let the idea that life is absurd drive you into an existential crisis. The fact is that there is meaning to be had in focusing on the comedy in life, which may allow us to reach the level of enlightenment that Kierkegaard found when he wrote, “I opened my eyes and beheld reality, at which I began to laugh, and since then, I have not stopped laughing.”

May the same be true for you.

With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.

― William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

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]]><![CDATA[Silly Is Funny]]>https://moviewise.substack.com/p/silly-is-funnyhttps://moviewise.substack.com/p/silly-is-funnyTue, 18 Oct 2022 13:00:08 GMT
Two smiling yellow plush toy figures sit next to each other on a bench displaying the words ‘happy’ and ‘keep on smiling.’
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You become what you understand.

— Soren Kierkegaard

Wayne’s World (1992) is one silly movie. And silly is endearing. Silly is fun! Silly is the lighthearted joy and nice, beautiful ride you’ll experience if you watch this film. But above all, silly is hilariously funny.

Wayne’s World (1992) is a comedy directed by Penelope Spheeris about Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey), two underachieving friends who host a public-access cable show that is bought by a sleazy tv executive, Benjamin Kane (Rob Lowe).

The main character, the center, if you will, of Wayne’s World is Wayne Campbell, who is optimistic but does not have any illusions. Imagine that for a moment. Imagine the complexity of a character who is happy with everything as is, yet has dreams to make things better, but is realistic enough that he makes self-deprecating jokes about achieving his big dream. “It might happen,” he says, “yeah, and monkeys might fly out of my butt,” he replies to himself. And all of this is done with a smile, because as you’ll recall, Wayne is an optimistic and happy person.

Wayne doesn’t believe he can make a living doing his cable access TV show, but he’s happy anyway. He’s happy trying. He also has a goal to purchase an expensive guitar, a “64 Fender Stratocaster in classic white, with triple single-coil pickups and a whammy bar.” Garth, his best friend, tells him, “Stop torturing yourself, man. You’ll never afford it. Live in the now!” Wayne’s reply is full of optimism, “It will be mine.”

Wayne and Garth don’t just board a car, they ride in the “mirth-mobile,” because they still know how to party, how to play, how to have fun and tell silly jokes to make each other laugh. For example, when talking to a police officer, Wayne says, “I smell bacon, does anyone else smell bacon?” And Garth replies, “Yeah, I definitely smell a pork product of some type.” And the best part, of course, is that the police officer, Officer Koharski (Frederick Coffin), chuckles, “Yeah, yeah. I know what you’re doing, Campbell. Bacon. Pig. Oink, oink. Police officer. I used to say that to cops when I was your age.” He laughs along with them—with us. What a nice world this is. Lighthearted. Fun. Funny. It’s a good time.

Talking into the camera. Winking at the audience. Self-referential. Playful. Party on! This movie is inventive. “Ex-squeeze me. Baking powder?” Yes, Wayne’s World is party time. Excellent. It’s so silly! But it’s also earnest and wise. Consider the following exchange between Wayne and his love interest, the rock-babe Cassandra (Tia Carrere), who says, “That is very funny. But labeling people can be dangerous.” To which Wayne, in Cantonese, replies, “Was it Kierkegaard or Dick Van Patten who said, ‘If you label me, you negate me’?” And isn’t it in fact true that if we stopped labeling people—especially when it’s meant to degrade or separate them—that we’d probably live more peacefully with each other?

But to paraphrase Wayne, “We’re not mental or anything, so don’t be afraid.” The point is that this movie about a pair of guys who just want to hang out, have a good simple life, and play their music is a million laughs. And it’s also a movie that shows us the thrilling, exciting, energetic, child-like glee that comes from everyday common experiences when you know that what you want is to have fun in life no matter what. Watching this movie is like playing games with your best friends.

You think you’ve got problems? Things going badly? Don’t worry, you’ll figure something out! We should do a mega-happy ending!! That’s what Wayne and Garth would say. Make everything fun; it’s the essence of positive thinking. Imagine going through life with this attitude, instead of being cynical, indignant, self-righteous and humorless. Wouldn’t that make a world of difference?

Anytime you end a movie with joy in your heart, we all win. The world wins. Wayne’s World is one of those rare movies that makes it possible to say that we’re better people for having seen it.

It’s relatable. Clever. Brilliant. Endearing. Whimsical.

Ahh, good times.

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]]><![CDATA[Is It A Spoof? Is It A Parody? It’s Airplane!]]>https://moviewise.substack.com/p/is-it-a-spoof-is-it-a-parody-itshttps://moviewise.substack.com/p/is-it-a-spoof-is-it-a-parody-itsTue, 07 Jun 2022 13:00:42 GMT
A smiling cartoon airplane floats in the air with the word ‘moviewise’ written on its tail.
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When I think of funny, I think of the movie Airplane! (1980). It’s so silly and fun! Oh, it’s not a perfect film by any means, but it is a unique movie, quite different from other comedies because it’s chock-full of puns, gags, slapstick, and absurdity, which are all bundled in an exciting, thrilling plot that even includes a bit of romance. It’s an amazing feat really, and why this movie remains embedded in the consciousness for years and years after watching it.

Airplane! (1980) is a comedy co-written and co-directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker about Ted Striker (Robert Hays), a pilot with a fear of flying who has difficulty maintaining a relationship with his stewardess girlfriend Elaine Dickinson (Julie Hagerty), but is tasked with landing a plane full of passengers.

For anyone who is interested in figuring out how they did it—yes “they” because it took three writer-directors working together to make it happen: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker—the following is a short breakdown of it all:

The laughs start with the opening credits. Over a sea of clouds set against the dramatic music from the thriller Jaws (1975), the tail of an airplane appears ominously. An airplane, rather than a shark, is the threatening menace in this abyss. There is real suspense from the beginning, and we don’t know what we’ve gotten ourselves into, or what we’re going to get. As noted in “The Funniest Movie Scene”:

Laughter is the reaction to being surprised in a safe environment. Laughter is the release of tension when it becomes clear that the reason for the tension is something harmless.

Airplane! captures the setup and the danger of airline disaster films, particularly Zero Hour! (1957), which it parodies the most. Some of the dialogue, scenes, character names, and costumes were taken taken straight out of other movies or novels. Then, absurdity is generously intermixed. The result is an unusual, exhilarating, fun ride.

Within the opening credits, and just moments after the spoof of Jaws, we hear bickering airport announcers arguing over the loading zone, see a traveler taking off his arm and metal leg after going through the metal detector, and watch as an airplane crashes into a gate, having been led astray by a distracted airfield worker.

It’s the density and variety of the gags that makes this movie so enduring and endearing. For example, a phone call to a pilot from the renowned Mayo Clinic has a doctor—with a beating human heart bouncing on his desk—talking in an office full of mayonnaise jars, which sets up this pun:

Phone operator: Excuse me this is the operator, Captain Oveur. I have an emergency on line 5 from a Mr. Hamm.

Captain Oveur: Alright give me Hamm on five, hold the Mayo.

Something else that’s interesting is that the directors had a screening process where they showed the movie at different universities, and every time people didn’t laugh at a joke it was taken out. This is probably one of the reasons the movie is so funny. There were, however, a few scenes—the painting at the hospital, the watermelon dropping from the ceiling—that the directors left in because they found them hilarious, even though those bits didn’t get the laughs from the audiences that they expected.

What’s instructive about this is both the idea that people who are good at creating humor 1) can fail to make something funny that connects with audiences, and 2) need to have the confidence or passion to stick to their guns. This reveals that creating comedy is both a difficult skill to achieve that even experts need to constantly refine, and that comedy requires a high level of conviction.

In other words, comedy is hard work, and past experience is no guarantee of future success, so you have to constantly keep trying. But if something you wrote makes you laugh, that is invaluable, and at the end of the day, perhaps the most important reward that you get for your dedication and skill.

There is no doubt that the three writer-directors had fun making Airplane!, which is also a movie that reliably makes audiences laugh even though it’s from a different generation set in an unfamiliar time period. In fact, some of the gags may not be understood because they are parodies of TV commercials, celebrities, cultural phenomenons, and movies that have not been seen in the last forty years. Yet, these gags still work at some level because they fit in with the rest of the absurdity in the movie.

Overall, Airplane! delivers hilarity because funny is funny, and that is everlasting. The most enjoyable and meme-like aspects of this movie, which allows it to endure through the generations, are the one-liners, comebacks, and wordplay:

Passenger in plane: Nervous?

Ted Striker: Yes.

Passenger: First time?

Ted Striker: No, I’ve been nervous lots of times.

And throughout all of this buffoonery, a real drama is playing out that includes multiple passengers getting sick, incapacitated pilots, and no one available to fly the plane but Otto, a smiling inflatable autopilot with a randy personality.

Dr. Rumack: Can you fly this plane and land it?

Ted Striker: Surely you can’t be serious.

Dr. Rumack: I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley.

The fog is getting thicker. The airplane is miles off course. The camera pans endlessly across the airplane controls, ad absurdum. But, don’t worry, this is a comedy. There will be a happy ending. You’ve just got to watch the movie to find out how they do it.

Fun, fun, fun!

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]]><![CDATA[What Is Funny?]]>https://moviewise.substack.com/p/what-is-funnyhttps://moviewise.substack.com/p/what-is-funnyTue, 05 Apr 2022 13:00:41 GMT
A collection of 15 movie posters for popular comedies with the words ‘moviewise: Life Lessons From Movies’ in the center.
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The funniest things are the forbidden.

― Mark Twain

What things are forbidden? Obviously risqué or taboo subjects are forbidden, and it’s true that these serve as vast wellsprings for standup comedians and all kinds of adult humor. But breaking any rule is also forbidden, and among the funniest jokes, gags, and puns are those that disregard the laws of physics, the norms of expected behavior, and reason itself.

The tools available to filmmakers to make a scene or an entire movie funny are vast. Even the best dramatic films have some humor, which serves both as a reprieve to the intensity and to highlight contrasting moods for even greater effect. In fact, one of the most stimulating and exciting film experiences, akin to going on a rollercoaster ride, is when a horror movie is also a comedy, as in Edgar Wright’s 2004 movie Shaun of the Dead, starring Simon Pegg. You’re screaming, you’re laughing, you don’t know what to do with yourself—it’s wild!

Above all comedy is fun, and filmmakers like Edgar Wright implement many specific techniques to get audiences laughing. The video essay by Taylor Ramos and Tony Zhou from the YouTube channel Every Frame a Painting details many of those techniques, which are summed up here:

  • Find humor where other people don't look.

  • Be inventive!

  • Cut dialogue in creative, funny ways, not in a linear or straightforward way.

  • Don't have characters just stand around talking.

  • Show, don't tell, the joke. 

  • Zooms and pans can be funny, especially when something ridiculous or completely unexpected is revealed in the process.

8 things Edgar Wright does with picture and sound to make things funny:

  1. Things entering or popping up into the frame in funny ways, e.g. an arm holding a cup and saucer appears from the side of the frame in front of a character who is talking. Reactions to the object can be even funnier.

  2. People leaving the frame in funny ways, e.g. running away.

  3. There and back again, i.e. a glimpse at something, a break, then a repeat of the same thing seen a moment before.

  4. Matching scene transitions showing the exact scene but on another day/time.

  5. The perfectly-timed sound effect.

  6. Action synchronized to the music.

  7. Super-dramatic lighting cues, e.g. a knife edge twinkling / bright spotlights.

  8. Fence gags, e.g. falling, tripping, slipping—when interacting with them.

  9. Imaginary gunfights, i.e. "The frame is a playground, so play!"

  10. Miscounting or misremembering things.

For your additional consideration, here is a breakdown of one scene from the movie High Anxiety (1977)—which is a spoof of a number of thrillers by the master in anxiety-inducing suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock—that was directed by comedian and filmmaker Mel Brooks: THE Funniest Movie Scene!

Why is it so funny? Because being surprised is funny.

This is the best way to get a laugh:

You show the fat lady approaching; then you show the banana peel; then you show the fat lady and the banana peel together; then she steps over the banana peel and disappears down a manhole.

—Charlie Chaplin

Taylor Ramos and Tony Zhou additionally breakdown the mechanics behind the incredible gag comedy that famed actor, comedian, and director Buster Keaton used in his silent movies.

  • Tell your story through action, not title cards (dialogue).

  • Focus on gesture and pantomime. Each gesture should be unique. Never do the same thing twice. 

  • Find creative ways to do the same action, i.e. 100 ways to fall down.

  • Don't split viewers' attention. Show one action at a time. 

  • Use the camera placement to create visual gags that make sense from the angle shown, but then are revealed to be ridiculous. e.g. a lady walking away turns out to be a horse with a dress draped on the back. 

  • Geometry can be funny. Characters making or using shapes like circles, triangles, parallel lines, rectangles is funny.

  • Magic, or impossible/cartoon gags, are funny, e.g. painting a hook on a wall then hanging a hat on it.

  • Natural gags are more believable and help maintain a story. They emerge organically from the character and the situation, e.g. mistaking how a door swings.

  • Call-backs are funny. 

  • Never fake a gag.

Historian Sal St. George explains how Buster Keaton took a young Lucille Ball under his wing to teach her his comedy rules: 1) clearly show the character observing the situation, 2) show the character thoughtfully considering the situation, and 3) show the character reacting to the situation. All the steps are deliberate and each take their time. Eventually “Lucy” would become a giant movie and TV star herself, renowned the world over and influencing many other comedic performers.

Of course cartoons by virtue of the medium can exponentially raise the level and execution of a gag. The Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Vol 4 includes a documentary on the making of the famed series. Here are some key takeaways:

  • Be extremely visual and creative.

  • What's funny: unexpected behavior, funny walks, unfortunate results, mistakes, changing shapes. The reactions to these events can be even funnier.

  • Parodying / lampooning very well-known characters, events, or things is funny.

  • Wordplay is funny.

  • Body parts are funny, especially if they fall off or do something unusual.

  • Extremely nervous, frustrated, or angry characters are funny.

  • Breaking the 4th wall is funny.

  • Flashbacks can be funny.

  • Objects behaving in unusual ways is funny, e.g. a doorknob that can be pulled and released like a slingshot.

  • Have fun creating gags. It's play time!

  • Define the personalities of the characters well. It's not a plot, it's a situation with conflict.

  • Use the objects in an environment in a funny way, e.g. a drink straw to pull in another character.

  • Irony is funny, e.g. a character saying "this time I will use my head" then accidentally hitting his head on a beam.

  • Hold an action like falling down for a good amount of time, and sometimes an absurd amount of time, e.g. Wile E. Coyote falls down a cliff for 14 frames.

  • Take risks.

  • Make yourself laugh.

  • Chases are funny.

Examples of funny animated movies:

Ultimately, the cartoon gag boils down to visual comedy, which Andrew Saladino from the The Royal Ocean Film Society YouTube channel analyzes by deconstructing where French film director Jacques Tati found visual comedy:

  1. Props: inappropriate, slightly creepy, ludicrous. Make an ordinary thing the prop, and let it also be a problem for the character to solve that interrupts their ability to get from Point A to Point B, e.g. a gate that falls apart. Put a prop in between the character and their objectives, e.g. a pole in between the person's back and the towel he is trying to use to dry off. 

  2. Sounds: exaggerate them, e.g., a loud sneeze. Make them unusual but believable, e.g. a bump on the head that sounds mechanical.

  3. Exaggerated movement: use large, mime-like gestures.

  4. Reverse expectations: Set up an idea and then do the opposite for the punchline, e.g. a man keeps missing a nail with a hammer, then it's revealed that he can't see well. Set up an idea, cut away from it for a moment, then bring it back, e.g. man pulls up his shirt sleeve to pull something out of an aquarium, gets distracted by someone walking in the room, then starts pulling out the item with his other arm, thus getting his sleeve and watch wet.

As Jean Ann Wright from Animation World Network observes, “Animation comedy is above all, visual with plenty of sight gags. It uses motion and misuses the laws of physics. The comedy is exaggerated and often illogical. Dialogue may be smart with comebacks, put-downs, puns, rhymes or alliteration. Titles are funny.”  She continues:

Some of the funniest comedy develops out of a character’s personality. What makes that character naturally funny? Use a character’s attitude, mannerisms and dialogue to increase the comedy. Reactions can often be funnier than the gag that has gone before. Use characters as different from each other as possible so that these conflicting personalities can bounce off of each other in a funny way.

Comedy devices:

  1. Pretense and Exposure (hypocrisy, “The Emperor’s New Clothes”)

  2. Pull Back and Reveal (the basic gag element is at first hidden from the audience)

  3. Hidden Element (the basic gag element is hidden from one of the characters)

  4. Misunderstanding

  5. Turnabout (things are the opposite of what we expect)

  6. False Logic (“How do you get milk from a kernel of corn? You use a low stool!”)

  7. Malapropism (the wrong word, e.g. Dr. Seuss holiday dinner of “roast beast”)

Comedian Rowan Atkinson masterfully illustrates in a comedic lecture a number of rules, methods, and techniques found in visual humor that make things funny:

  1. Unusual bodies, unusual movements of the body and body parts, ill fitting clothes, either too small or too large, create the canvas for a visual comedian.

  2. Unusual behavior of objects, e.g. a banana that bends down before you can eat it, wobbly legs on a sturdy object etc., provide the comedian with funny props.

  3. An object being in an unusual place or being a very wrong size, e.g. extremely large or small. Extremes can be best done in animation.

  4. The visual comedian behaving like the objects above, especially in combination.

  5. Slapstick (falling, chasing) and violence (destroying things) with unexpected or shocking results, e.g. preparing to slip on a banana peel and accidentally slipping on it in the opposite direction. The more real or believable it is, the funnier it is. Sound effects can be very helpful in creating realism.

  6. Overstating or understating reactions to the above can increase the humor, e.g. a long dramatic fall, or a very delayed fall, after being hit with a frying pan.

  7. The physical comedian is at the mercy of magic and surrealism, e.g. people or objects suddenly appearing or disappearing. If someone falls over, it’s funnier if the person disappears at the same time. Running in and out of doors allows for a quick succession of appearances and disappearances. The faster a character shoots in and out of the frame, the more effective the comedy, e.g. being yanked suddenly by something offscreen.

  8. Transformations that are absurd and astonishing become comic, e.g. a car alarm that changes the car to something unappealing.

  9. Speeding up the action, e.g. walking tour, bus ride, etc. is funny.

  10. Comedy is entering a bizarre dream world where anything is possible.

  11. Imitating another character is funny. Parody is exaggerated imitation, often including ridicule. If parodying a person in power or authority, then it is satire, which can be used as a (political) weapon.

  12. Parody of well-known films and tv programs is an endless source of comedy, and you don’t have to think up too many original ideas. Parody allows for three different kinds of comedy happening at once: a) imitation, b) jokes about the mechanics of the parody itself, i.e. parodying the parody, e.g. revealing how a cape is blowing in the wind by panning to an assistant shaking it, c) exaggerating the visual style of the original to make it absurd.

  13. In comedy, nothing is greater than character. The physical comedian communicates through mime, illusion, comic acting, and body language. It is no longer the comedy of gags, but the comedy of personality. It’s not about doing funny things, it’s about doing something quite normal in a funny way. The skill relies on the accuracy of human or life observation, and the precision of the execution.

  14. Comic attitude allows comedians to essentially repeat the same joke in a new way. This is where character shines:

    1. The dim comedian with a lack of awareness who knows less than the audience about what is going on, e.g. the comedian is stepping on the water hose without realizing it, which is why water is not coming out.

    2. The aggressive, unhelpful comedian with a lack of consideration for others, and little regard for morality or legality who doesn’t conform to social expectations.

    3. The crude, rude, uncivilized, lazy, or vulgar comedian who thrives on the comedy of social embarrassment and doesn’t understand social conventions or is incapable of following them.

  15. The comic attitude that audiences identify with, or get involved with most will be the funniest. Only if you identify with a comic attitude can you laugh.

  16. Visual comedians are aliens who aren’t quite normal, nor do they understand normal. Whereas the verbal comedian is often smarter, sharper, and faster than others around, the physical comedian usually has a quality of impossible innocence, of having been born yesterday, emotionally and intellectually, and is basically a bewildered child masquerading as an adult.

  17. The physical comedian is childish (or drunk), and has difficulty with everyday objects, e.g putting on clothes, handling a bar of soap, etc. in a way that seems to give the objects a will of their own. In a battle with the objects, the comedian is found to be clumsy or inept, or be constantly making mistakes, or be very susceptible to accidents. However, the physical comedian is very tenacious and keeps on doing things well after the point a normal person would have stopped.

  18. The physical comedian is maladjusted and a threat to decent and respectable people, causing offense and spreading confusion either by too much aggression or too much affection, and makes a mockery of all authority, politeness, and pretension.

  19. The comedy of embarrassment leads the comedian to try to impress someone and then fail miserably, e.g. leaning on a chair and falling over when the person sitting on it stands up.

  20. The physical comedian is an outlaw who breaks all the rules of decorum and convention and does all the things we can’t, couldn’t, and shouldn’t do in real life. But breaking the rules makes the comedian get into lots of trouble. However, the physical comedian is indestructible, e.g. bombs, explosions, etc. don’t cause any damage. There is always a happy ending.

Some additional notes and observations on things that are funny:

  1. Throwing something then losing your balance.

  2. Pratfalls, tripping, falling, tipping over, falling down stairs, getting hit by a projectile, toppling over, breaking a chair or table.

  3. Unintentionally hitting (or missing) the wrong person or thing.

  4. Getting clothing stuck on things can be funny, especially if someone is left naked.

  5. Misunderstandings / misplaced focus, especially when two characters are not talking about the same subject.

  6. Trying to be quiet / keep a low profile / be respectful, but being unable to do so.

  7. Slow-motion is funny, especially with a drawn out "Nooooo" when something complex is happening.

  8. Using the wrong name, or misremembering someone's name.

  9. Bad dancing.

  10. Bad disguises.

  11. Impersonations.

  12. Tension / conflict, e.g. a character pretending to like something / someone, or a character having an unusual perspective on the world.

  13. Slapstick: walking into a wall, door, window, pole.

  14. Impossibly deep pockets containing a lot of unexpected things.

  15. Crazy things happening outside a window, but nobody inside notices. Or strange things happening in the background, e.g. someone jumping out of a window while trying to avoid the person who can clearly see them. 

  16. Mistaking two characters, e.g. someone talks confidentially to one only to find out later that it was the wrong one.

  17. Answering the question, "what's the worst thing that could happen?" with something absurd. Also, saying a character is probably fine, then cutting to the character who deadpans, "I'm not fine.” And, saying "not again" when something unusual happens again to the same character.

  18. Unusual voice, laughter, or other bodily sounds e.g. a mismatched / unexpected voice that contradicts the character’s physical appearance.

  19. Unusual physical strength or weakness that contradicts the character’s physical appearance.

  20. Accidentally / inadvertently / absentmindedly avoiding a danger, e.g. a brick falling, or being oblivious to a dangerous environment, e.g. a character slipping on blood, but not realizing it.

  21. Inappropriate sound effects, e.g. footsteps in a corridor change to footsteps on squishy mud.

  22. Words with a “k” sound in it are funny: Alka-Seltzer, chicken, pickle, cupcake, cucumber, cab. Tomatoes are not funny!

  23. Literal interpretation of words, e.g. "walk this way.”

  24. Having one character mistake what they hear for something else, or mishearing what another character says, or saying the wrong thing, e.g. “turn right — the other right,” or reading the wrong thing, e.g. “I’ve got a gum?” instead of “gun.”

  25. Saying “I will / would never,” then cutting to the character doing what they said they wouldn’t do.

  26. A character screaming then revealing that what they screamed at was innocuous / harmless / silly.

  27. The villain’s evil laugh turns into a coughing fit.

  28. Repetition, e.g. “I am speechless. I am without speech.”

  29. Having a TV show / movie / song / advertisement amplify the danger or problem a character is facing.

  30. Allowing physics to take effect only when the character notices.

  31. Things falling apart, e.g. a car separating into pieces.

  32. Offscreen cat screech when someone or something is thrown out a window.

  33. A character not knowing the definition of a word in a serious conversation, e.g. “What do you mean? … No, what does ‘exacerbate’ mean?”

  34. Fake name that is made up of objects the character sees nearby.

  35. Intentional continuity errors.

  36. Asking, “what’s that smell? or “Listen… you smell something?”

  37. A character walking in at the wrong / inopportune / time and reacting badly to what is happening.

  38. Trying to drink out of an empty glass.

  39. Re-arranging well known idioms or phrases, e.g. “boredom is something up with which I will not put.”

  40. Comparing objects to themselves or to unusual animals, e.g. “an asteroid half the size of a giraffe; a large boulder the size of a small boulder.”

So go make something funny already! Why? Well, what’s better than giving others the gift of laughter? Is there really a higher calling than bringing joy and smiles to others? The great writer and humorist Mark Twain explained it thusly: “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.” And, wouldn’t the world be better if we all did a little bit of cheering each other up? Moreover, there is also the very real possibility that this is in fact the meaning of life!

But even if it isn’t, at least you’ll have fun trying, and hopefully the list above can help you get started. The world awaits your genius contribution!

Comedy is acting out optimism.

— Robin Williams

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]]><![CDATA[The Wisdom In "Kung Fu Panda" (2008)]]>https://moviewise.substack.com/p/the-wisdom-in-kung-fu-pandahttps://moviewise.substack.com/p/the-wisdom-in-kung-fu-pandaTue, 15 Mar 2022 13:00:39 GMT
A movie poster featuring six animal characters from the animated movie, Kung Fu Panda.
Image by L.E. Wilson from RedBubble based on Wikipedia licensing

 

The 2008 animated movie Kung Fu Panda opens with a funny turn of phrase delivered to even greater comedic effect by the great Jack Black,

Legend tells of a legendary warrior whose kung fu skills were the stuff of LEGEND!

In one instant the mood is set. This is going to be fun. In less than one minute, we’ve also already been exposed to beautiful animation and dazzling music. This is going to be good.

But when the movie ends, we also realize that we have just completed a journey where we were taken by the hand and shown the way to peace. Kung Fu Panda deftly reveals some deep truths about life and how to find harmony within it.

Kung Fu Panda (2008) is a humorous animated fantasy directed by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson about an unlikely hero, Po, a warrior panda voiced by Jack Black, who trains to become the legendary Dragon Warrior.

The very first conversation in it, at around the 4 minute mark, deals with the unhappiness of confining expectations. It’s a trap. Po, the titular giant panda, hides his true passion, kung fu, in order to appease the dreams of his father, who wants him to take over the family business, just as he did from his father and his father did before him.

You are almost ready to be entrusted with the secret ingredient of my Secret Ingredient Soup. And then you will fulfill your destiny and take over the restaurant!

But obviously this is not the right path for Po, who must develop the courage to be honest with himself and his father so that he can focus on his destiny.

  • Life Lesson: To feel fulfilled and happy with your life,
    pursue your dream, not someone else’s dream.

The second conversation, around the 7 minute mark, is one of the most profound and deals with the unhappiness of trying to control that which you cannot. Master Oogway, a Galapagos tortoise, tells Master Shifu, a red panda who is still struggling to find inner peace, that:

One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it

  • Life Lesson: You bring about what you focus on, whether good or bad.

What can we control? Perhaps nothing. Master Oogway gives this counsel,

Your mind is like this water, my friend. When it is agitated, it becomes difficult to see.
But if you allow it to settle, the answer becomes clear.

  • Life Lesson: Emotions cloud your judgment.
    Wait until they pass to make decisions.

The next insight encompasses the whole story arc of Kung Fu Panda; it is a theme that is repeated a couple of times by different characters, and is one of the most empowering messages:

  • Life Lesson: Physical appearance does not determine ability.

Or, as Mantis, the smallest of the Furious Five puts it, “Who am I to judge a warrior based on his size? I mean, look at me.”

But it’s not just physical appearance. It’s identity. Po gives a touching speech when talking to Master Shifu about what it feels like to confuse the two:

I stayed because every time you threw a brick at my head or said I smelled, it hurt, but it could never hurt more than it did every day of my life just being me. I stayed because I thought, if anyone could change me, could make me, not me, it was you.

In his journey, Po learns that he can use food as a source of comfort, “I eat when I’m upset, ok?” but also as a source of limitless motivation, which allows him to reach new and unexpected heights, even as a fat panda.

  • Life Lesson: Find what naturally motivates you.

The third conversation, at about the 30 minute mark, touches on the unhappiness of worrying. Master Oogway tells Po,

You are too concerned with what was and what will be. There’s a saying, ‘Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.’

  • Life Lesson: “Do not use your energy to worry. Use your energy to believe, to create, to learn, to think, and to grow.” —Professor Richard Feynman

Later Master Oogway reiterates this message to Master Shifu by saying, “There is just news. There is no good or bad, ” which is a thesis that is further explored in the moviewise post, “There Is No Bad News; There Are Only Blessings In Disguise.”

But before we can reach the next level of enlightenment, we must truly embody and accept the one precept that Po already knows, “a real warrior never quits.”

  • Life Lesson: Don’t quit.

The fourth conversation, near the 43 minute mark, returns to an earlier lesson, one that bears repeating because it is a difficult truth to receive. We naturally feel compelled to rage against it because to accept it seems to diminish our importance, our significance. But this doesn’t have to be an eternal struggle, if we heed Master Oogway once again when he says,

Let go of the illusion of control.

“But how? How?” we plead alongside Master Shifu.

“You just need to believe,” is Oogway’s answer. You must believe. There’s nothing else.

By the end of the movie we learn the secret to limitless power, the secret to hearing a butterfly’s wing beat, seeing light in the deepest cave, and feeling the universe in motion around us.

It is nothing. It’s just you.

So say, “Skadoosh!” to all your troubles and fears. Let them go. Let them disappear.

And believe in yourself. To make something special, you just have to believe it’s special.

So, if you lived one thousand lifetimes, would the lessons found in Kung Fu Panda be something you’d master? Or is one lifetime enough?

Or is reading this one essay enough?

There was one other message that was repeated multiple times in this movie and bears consideration:

There are no accidents.

How did you get to be so lucky?

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]]><![CDATA[The Meaning Of Life]]>https://moviewise.substack.com/p/the-meaning-of-lifehttps://moviewise.substack.com/p/the-meaning-of-lifeTue, 25 Jan 2022 14:00:38 GMT
The word ‘moviewise’ in white capital letters floats in front of a starry night sky.
Image by L.E. Wilson from RedBubble

The most important decision you make is to be in a good mood.

― Voltaire

The whole point of the film, the whole emotion that I am trying to get at the end of this film, is for you to be real uplifted, emotionally and spiritually, and feel absolutely good about life. That is the greatest thing that we could possibly ever do.

— George Lucas

If you could live 1,000 lives, what would you learn? What would you be able to find out and apply to your life that would help you now?

Do you want to know a secret? Good movies let you delve into the lives of others and learn from their experiences. Well-made documentaries can give you a glimpse into another world, another life. They allow you to appreciate and to feel someone else’s perspectives, triumphs, and struggles. But you know what, well-crafted fictional movies can also do the same.

If you listen carefully, if you pay attention and pick the movies that were deliberately and carefully crafted, you will discover that they are beacons sending you a message. These messages, or life lessons, are guides to life. Like a magic mirror, they show you a glimpse of a life you could have. And when the movie ends and the spell is broken, you are left with an understanding about the world, about life, about yourself—that you did not have before.

Can you see what an amazing gift a finely made thoughtful movie can be?

But we can go further. What if you have catalogued the life lessons of hundreds of films and combed through these looking for the ultimate message, the answer to the question: what is the meaning of life?

The solution starts with a line from the movie Grand Canyon (1991):

All of life’s riddles are answered in the movies.

It is said when one character, Davis (Steve Martin), attempts to help his friend, Mack (Kevin Kline), understand a problem better by recommending that he see the movie, Sullivan’s Travels (1941), which is about a very successful and wealthy movie director who goes out into the world to experience it for himself so that he can make a poignant, significant movie. John Sullivan has a horrific experience when he goes on his travels to find what life is like outside his bubble, a real life-shattering event, but what does he learn?

He realizes that the most valuable gift one can give another is laughter. He had set out to make a great tragedy that would make the world weep and humanity sob, but after facing the horrors of life, he finally embraces what is a higher calling, to make a comedy. Why? Because he’s too happy to make a tragedy, and because he hasn’t suffered enough to make one either.

In this paradox is a revelation: focusing on tragedy will make you miserable, and no matter what horror you have experienced, focusing on tragedy will only increase that horror.

So then, what are you doing following the news and making yourself sad at every instance of cruelty, scapegoating, deceit, violence and suffering that is intentionally amplified by the media? If the apocalypse comes and you are not aware of it, are you really worse off?

Clearly there is a path towards finding peace and joy that goes in the opposite direction of a focus on tragedy. Life is fun in the comedy lane. And quite a few of these comedies reveal some deep secrets about life that can help you now:

Sullivan’s Travels (1941) is a comedy written and directed by Preston Sturges about John L. Sullivan (Joel McCrea), a successful Hollywood director who sets out on a journey to experience poverty firsthand with the help of an actress (Veronica Lake). 

Life Lesson:

“We don’t laugh because we’re happy, we are happy because we laugh.”
— William James

This movie is a comedy. It is very funny at times, and quite delightful. But it is not only a comedy. A good portion of Sullivan’s Travels is an earnest and frightening drama. In this way, the movie mirrors what most people experience if they live a long life: A tranquil, sometimes quiet existence with some fun and games, punctuated with the occasional gut punch and devastation. But what can one do? Sullivan has an answer: “There’s a lot to be said for making people laugh.”

Laughter is a balm, a medicine in distressing times, and a nutrient that nourishes all the time. It is an act of kindness to give this healing gift to people who are hurting.

Singin’ in the Rain (1952) is a comedy co-directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly about Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly), a Hollywood superstar who falls in love with a dancer, Kathy Delden (Debbie Reynolds), which he tries to hide from his jealous onscreen partner Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen).

Life Lesson:

Make the best of every situation.

What a delightful comedy Singin’ in the Rain is! It’s one of those movies that can accurately be called a “spectacle.” It’s a dazzling, amazing, fun movie that will astound you. It has fun songs, fun dance numbers, fun costumes and a fun story. And all the while Singin’ in the Rain is telling you how to find joy, and how to have fun no matter the obstacles.

It’s in the title. Lighten your load. Say “Good Morning,” and mean it. And make them—and yourself—laugh.

High Anxiety (1977) is a comedy co-written and directed by Mel Brooks about Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke (Mel Brooks), a successful psychiatrist who also suffers from a debilitating fear of heights, which is made worse when he starts to work at the Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very VERY Nervous alongside Dr. Charles Montague (Harvey Korman) and Nurse Diesel (Cloris Leachman).

Life Lesson:

Figure out what you really are afraid of.

THE funniest scripted movie scene is in High Anxiety, a silly, lighthearted film that has the ability to make you feel like a child without a care in the world. What could be better if you do, in fact, feel anxious or depressed sometimes? And the message in the film, which is to really understand what your fear is stemming from, can in fact be therapeutic.

Learning to distinguish between an actual danger and a perceived threat allows us to better react to the world and to each other, thus increasing the number of positive interactions and experiences. This, believe it or not, is a recipe for world peace!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) is a comedy written and directed by John Hughes about two very different men, uptight executive Neal Page (Steve Martin) and jovial salesman Del Griffith (John Candy), who embark on an accident-prone Thanksgiving journey together.

Life Lesson:

“Don’t sweat the small stuff …and it’s all small stuff.”
— Richard Carlson

Although it is not immediately obvious, Planes, Trains and Automobiles is a movie about learning to have compassion for others. One curious aspect about life is the fact that other people can at times be annoying, irritating, frustrating—even people you like and love—but at the same time other people are also the source of much of our happiness. We have to learn to get along with each other in order to get to the point where we can make each other happy. Life affords us the opportunity to learn how to get past superficial quirks in order to get to know and love the complex beings underneath crusty exteriors.

If you can tolerate some minor inconveniences, or disagreements, you can meet more interesting, warm people, who will enrich your life. Isn’t this better than harboring hostility towards others simply because they are not on the surface similar to you?

Play it Again, Sam (1972) is a comedy directed by Herbert Ross about Allan Felix (Woody Allen), a recently divorced film critic who looks for guidance from Humphrey Bogart, the actor who plays the hero in the movie Casablanca.

Life Lesson:

“But above all, in order to be, never try to seem.”
― Albert Camus

Play it Again, Sam is a movie that references another movie, the classic Casablanca. In fact, the title is from a phrase used in a very touching scene, where one character asks to hear the song “As Time Goes By” in remembrance of an old romance. But the movie, Play it Again, Sam, is an imaginative, unique comedy where the actor, Humphrey Bogart, who plays tough no-nonsense leading-man roles in movies like Casablanca, serves as a life guide to Allan, a neurotic, awkward, desperate man who, unsurprisingly, has great difficulties with romantic relationships.

This is a fun movie with an important message: be yourself. There is absolutely nothing to gain by being phony or pretending to be someone else. And, yes, that means some people won’t like you, but if by some miracle someone does, then you’ve made a real rewarding connection with another person. And that’s what really matters in this life.

The Great Dictator (1940) is a comedy written and directed by Charlie Chaplin about a humble Jewish barber who is mistaken for Adenoid Hynkel (Charlie Chaplin), the cruel, anti-Semitic, and inept dictator of a small country.

Life Lesson:

“To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
—Nelson Mandela

Charlie Chaplin is a master of comedy and The Great Dictator is hilarious. There is a food fight scene between the leaders of two warring countries, a dramatic barber scene set to the music of Johannes Brahms’ “Hungarian Dance No.5” that animated cartoons would later emulate, and an absurd airplane scene where the pilot flies upside down and nobody knows it. It’s truly a must-see movie.

But, like Sullivan’s Travels, there is also a poignancy and an urgency in the message it is trying to convey. It’s a variation of the Life Lesson in Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Please, learn to get along with others. Please let other people live their lives free of oppression, of force, of cruelty. As the barber played by Charlie Chaplin says:

You the people have the power – the power to create machines, the power to create happiness! You the people have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.

Tootsie (1982) is a comedy directed by Sydney Pollack about Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels (Dustin Hoffman), a temperamental, struggling actor who decides to impersonate a woman in order to get a part on a soap opera, then learns firsthand what it is like to be treated like a woman, all while falling in love with a co-star, Julie (Jessica Lange).

Life Lesson:

You’ll have more empathy for others if you put yourself in their shoes.

The word “tootsie” means sweetheart or darling, but in the movie it is used to denote how some people see women as interchangeable, without individual identities, such that it’s not necessary to learn their names and it’s therefore acceptable to call any woman “tootsie.”

The movie Tootsie has a message for such people: There are too many interesting women you have not allowed yourself to know in this life because of preconceived notions about who is valuable and who is not. If you can put yourself in someone else's shoes, a miracle happens. The world becomes more beautiful and kinder.

The sun shines after every storm; there's a solution for every problem,
and the soul's highest duty is to be of good cheer.

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

1,000 lives. What would you learn?

Is it the Life Lesson from the documentary, The Last Laugh (2016):
“A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs –
jolted by every pebble in the road.” — Henry Ward Beecher

Is it the Life Lesson from the movie Groundhog Day (1993):
“Take joy in the simple pleasures of life: books, music, learning, being kind to others.”

Perhaps it is both. Perhaps there is some wisdom to be found in watching movies that echoes the ancient belief of reincarnation—a surprisingly universal concept found in many religions and philosophies—that we are here on this Earth to learn something important which will help us reach a higher level of awareness and harmony. An idea that could be summarized thusly: “the beatings will continue until morale improves.”

But even if you are not a believer, wouldn’t you be interested in finding something that would help you attain peace within yourself and with the world? Wouldn’t it be useful to learn to let go of minor irritants, of deep-seated anger, and embrace the challenge of seeking laughter and joy in spite of tragedy, to reach the level that novelist Heinrich Mann alludes to in his statement: “Whoever has cried enough, laughs,” and filmmaker David Lynch claims, “They tell me that there's this all pervading happiness underneath everything, and the more time I spend with them, the more I believe it.”

So you want an answer to the big question: what is the meaning of life? Then, we have to go back to where we started, the movie Grand Canyon and the Life Lesson it shares:

Don’t get distracted from your life’s purpose.

If it is within your abilities to make others laugh, then this is what you must do. There are some people out there who are under such repression and hardship that laughter, truly, is the only thing they have. But if you are not gifted in this department, then your mission is to learn to laugh a little.

Laughter heals all wounds. If you can laugh, then you can make yourself and others feel better, which can help in solving any problem.

This is how we make the world better for all.

The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.

—Pablo Picasso

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]]><![CDATA[Avenge Me!]]>https://moviewise.substack.com/p/avenge-mehttps://moviewise.substack.com/p/avenge-meSun, 26 Dec 2021 16:13:15 GMT
A cartoon dog holding two swords with plumes of fire in the background stands ready to fight.
Image by L.E. Wilson from RedBubble based on work by PeachPink, LuisMiranda, and OpenClipart on Pixabay
FADE IN: 
Will, an academic ne’er-do-well turned successful businessman, has been invited to speak at his former high school’s graduation ceremony.
WILL
This is to the faculty, not you students. It’s not all about you, you know. Even if it is your graduation.
I know what certain teachers are thinking right now: “Oh, you again.” I can see it in their beady little eyes from here. Well, yes, that’s right. I’m back.
Right here, again, at the behest of YOUR boss.
You all thought you could get rid of me, didn’t you? Thought you were done, eh?
Unteacheable? Huh!
You thought when you said that I’d never amount to anything and was a slacker who walked funny (shame on you Mrs. Glacé!) that I’d go hide under a rock.
Well, I did!
It turns out that rock was blocking the entrance to an abandoned gold mine and I walked out with a truckload of gold.
Yes, it was a funny walk Mrs. Glacé, but they were very heavy trunks, with no handles and splinters—very spiky, pokey splinters.
And now I’m wealthier than all of you combined.
So what did I learn?
That being rich is fun!
I can have my own school. My school. My old school.
This place. It’s mine now. And there are going to be some changes around here… 
FADE OUT:
PAN TO SHOCKED AUDIENCE MEMBERS.

Inspired By Current Events And Old Films

vengeance: noun

The act of punishing or harming somebody in return for what they have done to you, your family or friends — Oxford Dictionary

There are moments when in spite of ourselves we relish the thought of sweet, sweet vengeance upon someone, or someones, who may have done us wrong. Oh, how great it would be to have an almighty entity smite our enemies when we need it, while we innocently stand in a corner gently nodding our heads as justice is done on our behalf and our hands remain pure and clean of the deed. For we only humbly asked the universe to avenge us, and the one, or ones, who did us wrong merely got what they deserved from a righteous and just higher power.

What a great fantasy this is! It’s no wonder why so many movies let audiences experience sweet, sweet vengeance, usually in the form of superhero movies, and it’s quite enjoyable. This can’t be denied. Try as we might to be reasonable, forgiving, above-the-fray, morally-advanced people who can turn the other cheek, show love to our enemies, and let people be, it just feels good and right to see the bad guys get a mighty smackdown in the end.

This is perhaps a weakness, but hoping and wishing that we are avenged by some greater force is but one of a (pitifully) few things that victims of horrible, mean people have to self-soothe. At least it seems to come pretty naturally and appears quite universal. Nevertheless, you know it’s wrong. Truthfully, you have to let it go, whatever it is that is making you angry. Let it go and move on. It’s for your own good. Don’t let yourself become bitter and spiteful. There are movies about how that leads to even more disaster, if you need the visuals:

  • The War of the Roses (1989), drama based on the book by Warren Adler and directed by Danny DeVito about a couple going through a divorce.

    Life Lesson: Don’t go down the path of pettiness and vindictiveness; it just escalates suffering. Instead, accept your losses and find another way — you’ll be better off.

  • A Serious Man (2009), drama written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen about a man with serious problems.

    Life Lesson: Even if you think life is meaningless and unfair, be a good person with integrity, because without it things will get even worse.

But for a glorious moment, we can indulge a little teeny tiny bit in the fantasy of being avenged by Truth and Fairness through movies. And why not? This is one of the gifts movies afford us, and it’s wonderful.

So please enjoy this dramatic speech on vengeance from Ghost Rider (2007), a fantasy written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson about a man cursed to become the Devil’s bounty hunter:

Movie Scene:

Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda): [After Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) defeats the demon, Blackheart (Wes Bentley)] Congratulations, Johnny. You upheld your end of the bargain. It's time I take back the power of the Ghost Rider. You get your life back. The love you've always wanted. You can start a family of your own. There are more deals to be made. More people willing to give their souls for what they desire. Let someone else carry this curse. You're free now. After all, a deal's a deal.

Johnny: [Looks at Roxanne (Eva Mendes), then points at Mephistopheles with a flaming hand] No. I'm going to own this curse. And I'm going use it against you. Whenever innocent blood is spilt, it'll be my father's blood, and you'll find me there. A spirit of vengeance, fighting fire with fire.

Mephistopheles: I will make you pay for this!

Johnny: You can't live in fear.

Do, however, remember what’s at stake, and what Ghost Rider is all about:
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]]><![CDATA[THE Funniest Movie Scene!]]>https://moviewise.substack.com/p/the-funniest-movie-scenehttps://moviewise.substack.com/p/the-funniest-movie-sceneSun, 03 Oct 2021 14:24:07 GMT
A rolled up newspaper seems to fall into a circular vortex.
Image by L.E. Wilson from RedBubble
ANATOMY OF A MOVIE SCENE
If you haven’t seen High Anxiety (1977), directed by Mel Brooks, yet—stop reading this; there are spoilers ahead. Please watch the movie then come back for a play-by-play and deep level analysis of the greatest comedic scene ever put to film. Don’t ruin for yourself what may very well be the funniest sequence you’ll ever see in a movie.
High Anxiety (1977) is a comedy co-written and directed by Mel Brooks about Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke (Mel Brooks), a successful psychiatrist who also suffers from a debilitating fear of heights, which is made worse when he starts to work at the Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very VERY Nervous alongside Dr. Charles Montague (Harvey Korman) and Nurse Diesel (Cloris Leachman).
Why is it so funny? Because being surprised is funny.
This is the best way to get a laugh:
You show the fat lady approaching; then you show the banana peel; then you show the fat lady and the banana peel together; then she steps over the banana peel and disappears down a manhole.
—Charlie Chaplin
Laughter is the reaction to being surprised in a safe environment. Laughter is the release of tension when it becomes clear that the reason for the tension is something harmless. That is essentially what a surprise does; it gives you a moment, just a moment, of trepidation, of fear, of discomfort—and when the surprise reveals itself to be not only harmless, but also puzzling, intellectually stimulating, and/or amusing—you laugh.
In the above Charlie Chaplin example, we expected the lady to slip on the banana peel and fall, but instead she steps over the peel, and falls anyway down a manhole we didn’t know was there. That was the surprise. For a moment we feel something like shock, then the realization that it’s a joke hits us (no fat women were hurt). It was a harmless surprise, and so we laugh. In High Anxiety there is a stairway gag that demonstrates this exactly: the rickety, crumbling, old wooden step that’s splitting down the middle is the focus of the shot, so the main character jumps over it only to fall through the sturdy step next to it. It’s hilarious!
Set within the structure of a serious drama, High Anxiety builds tension culminating in a scene that is an homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller Psycho (1960)—a master class in suspense. The fear and anxiety you feel while watching a menacing shadow approach a translucent shower curtain while someone is in there showering is real.
But in High Anxiety, all that tension and trepidation you feel gets released as uncontrollable laughter by the extremely surprising turn of events once the shower curtain is pulled back. You’re brought back from the brink. This isn’t Psycho, this is a comedy. No one is injured.
The joke in this scene has a long set up and build up. You have to go through the whole path to enjoy the grand payoff. If you experience it fully, really let yourself feel the tension, you will run out of air from laughing so hard when the surprise is finally revealed. This is the visceral underpinning of comedy: fear being reshaped into thunderous laughter.
Then comes the button (the joke that ends the scene): “That kid gets no tip.” Genius! What an understated reaction by the “victim” to the dramatic scene that just unfolded. It stands in stark contrast to the humorous overreaction and screeching by the bellboy. It’s another surprise! More uncontrollable laughter ensues.
(Amusing anecdote: the actor who played the crazed bellboy, Barry Levinson, would eventually become the director of many successful movies including Rain Man (1988), for which he won the academy award for best director.)
So without further ado, here is the funniest movie scene in its entirety:
Movie Scene:
[At The Hotel Reception Desk]
Receptionist Randolph: Oh Dennis, will you take Dr. Thorndyke to his room, please?
Bellboy DENNIS: (to Thorndyke) Anything I can get you, Sir?
Dr. Thorndyke: Yes, please. I'd like a newspaper.
DENNIS: Gotcha. Get you one and meet you at the elevators.
Thorndyke: Please don't forget. It's rather important.
DENNIS: All right. All right, already!
Thorndyke: (to Brophy) I want to see if there's any mention of Wentworth's death.
Brophy: Yeah. Oh, Doc, there are the elevators! [Ominous music plays.] Come on, Doc.
Thorndyke: I'm-I’m-I-I’m, coming. I’m coming.
DENNIS: Here we go. Straight to the top… Quite a view, isn't it? Here we are. Top floor. Top of the hotel. You can't get any higher. We're pretty high!
Thorndyke: We know it! We know we're high! That we know. That part we know.
DENNIS: Excuse me. This way. This way, please. Right around the corner.
Brophy: Wow! Hey, Doc, look at this. What a view! This is spectacular!
Thorndyke: I can see it from here. It's very nice. Very nice indeed. Very nice.
[Thorndyke screams as he is pushed to the edge of the floor railing by a housekeeping cart.]
Brophy: Are you all right, Doc? Are you all right?
Thorndyke: I’m all right. I'm all right, Brophy. I’m all right.
Housekeeper [Surly]: I'm sorry, Sir. I didn't know anyone was there.
DENNIS: You fellas want to see your rooms or not? Huh? Well?
Thorndyke: Come on. Let's get out of here.
Brophy: Boy, if you would have gone over you would’ve been smashed like corned beef hash. Your brains would have splattered all over the lobby. Your guts would have…
Thorndyke: Brophy, please.
Brophy: Oh, yeah. Ooh.
DENNIS: Right here is 1702. (to Brophy) You're in 1703. Here's your key. I'll bring your bag in a minute. 
Thorndyke: See you later, Brophy. Thank you. (to Dennis) Here you go. [Gives Dennis a tip.] Thank you very much.
DENNIS: Thank you. Anything else I can get you, Sir?
Thorndyke: Oh, yes, my newspaper. What happened to my newspaper?
DENNIS: Oh, the newsstand didn't have any. I didn't feel like running around the corner. It’s a hassle.
Thorndyke: I want that newspaper! It's very important.
DENNIS: All right! I'll get your paper. I'll get your paper.
Thorndyke: What a hassle—Don't forget!
DENNIS [Shouting]: All right! All right! What's so important about a lousy, crummy newspaper?! [Slams the room door as he leaves.]
[Back At The Hotel Reception Desk]
Randolph: Oh, Dennis? Dr. Thorndyke in room 1702 just called down to remind you not—
DENNIS [Shouting]: I know! Get the newspaper! Get the newspaper! Get the stinking newspaper!!
[Back to Thorndyke who is in the bathroom taking a shower. Ominous music plays.]
DENNIS [Enters bathroom, pulls back shower curtain, repeatedly stabs Thorndyke with a rolled-up newspaper.] [Screaming]: HERE! Here! Here! Here! Here! Here’s your paper! Here's your paper! Here's your PAPER! Happy now? Happy? Happy now? [Dennis leaves and slams the bathroom door behind him.]
Thorndyke [Grabs the shower curtain and pulls it down off its rail. Newspaper ink spirals down shower drain. His head rests on the rim of the bathtub.]: That kid gets no tip.
[Knock on door]
Thorndyke: [Straightening his tie in front of a mirror.] Who is it? [Knock on door] Who is it?—It's not the bellboy, is it?
So next time you feel irritated or angry about something, ask yourself if you are being as ridiculous as Dennis the bellboy in High Anxiety. Hopefully it will at least make you smile a little to recall this hysterically funny scene in this amazing movie, and thus allow you in the end to have a good day anyway.
And remember: always get your own newspaper!
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]]><![CDATA[A Funny Conversation In Two Parts: Two Movies For The Crazy Ones]]>https://moviewise.substack.com/p/a-funny-conversation-in-two-partshttps://moviewise.substack.com/p/a-funny-conversation-in-two-partsMon, 24 May 2021 17:16:41 GMT
A yellow round circle is screaming with its eyes shut.
Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay
FADE IN: 
EXTREME CLOSE UP—MAN’S MOUTH
A crotchety old man, Frank, is screaming at someone. As the dialogue progresses, PULL BACK to reveal the faces of the participants.
Frank: YOU THINK YOU’RE BETTER THAN ME???
Is that why you’re inviting me to your house, so you can show me how nice you have it and rub it in my face?
Robin: It’s ok, you don’t have to come.
Frank: OH, SO NOW I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOUR HOME???
You think I’m too low class, too dirty and filthy, to be invited into your pristine house?
Robin: How about we meet at your place?
Frank: WHAT??? SO YOU CAN SIT THERE AND JUDGE ME, AND HOW I LIVE!
You just want to have something on me, find something I did wrong to tell your cocktail buddies, and then have a big old laugh at my expense.
Robin: Ok, then, we can think of another place.
Frank: SO NOW MY HOUSE ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU???
You can’t “honor it” with your “holy” presence? It’s too worthless to even cross its threshold?
Robin: Would you like to choose?
Frank: SO YOU CAN BLAME ME FOR EVERYTHING THAT GOES WRONG?!
Yeah, sure. I know that’s what you want, then you don’t have to take any responsibility. You’ve just been leading me down this path so I make all the decisions.
Robin: I choose the park.
Frank: NICE IDEA! YOU JUST WANT TO SEE ME ALL BITTEN UP BY MOSQUITOS AND SUNBURNED!
You know how uncomfortable the park is; I’ll be sneezing the whole time.
Robin: How about your favorite restaurant?
Frank: HA! SO YOU CAN RILE ME UP AND EMBARRASS ME IN FRONT OF THE WAITRESS?!!
Then I won’t be able to show my face in there again. You never liked that place. You’ve always had it in for them, and only want to stop me from going!
Robin: Should we go to a movie theater?
Frank: WHERE WE DON’T HAVE TO TALK? THAT’S REAL NORMAL, JUST SITTING THERE IN SILENCE!
That’s what you’ve wanted all along, to not have to listen to me so you can ignore me!
Robin: Ok, I think I tried. I’ll say goodbye for now.
Frank: THIS IS WHY I NEED TO STAY OFF SOCIAL MEDIA––EVERYONE IS SUCH A JERK!!
WIDE—SPLIT SCREEN SHOT:
PULL BACK to reveal the two characters in different locations sitting at computer desks typing to each other. The dialogue heard/seen was a vocalization/dramatization of their online interaction.
FADE OUT:
Both characters get up and walk away from their computer desks.
Inspired By Current Events And Old Films
The strange and amusing (funny) dialogue above is symbolic of the rage found on social media, particularly when everything someone says is interpreted in the worst possible way, even when the interpretation is completely unhinged from reality. The dialogue was also inspired by a mad and hilarious scene in the movie, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), a drama written and directed by John Huston, based on the novel by B. Traven, about three Americans: Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart), Curtin (Tim Holt), and Howard (Walter Huston), who search for gold in Mexico.
Movie Scene:
Curtin: No, Dobbs, I’m on the level with the old man, just as I’d be on the level with you if you weren’t here.

Dobbs: Get off your soapbox will ya. You only sound foolish out here in this wilderness. I know you for what you are. For a long time, I’ve had my suspicions about you. Now I know I’ve been right.

Curtin: What suspicions are you talking about?

Dobbs: Oh, you’re not putting anything over on me. I see right through you. For a long time you’ve had it in your mind to bump me off at the first good opportunity and bury me out here in the bush like a dog, so you could take not only the old man’s goods, but mine in the bargain. When you get to Durango safely you’ll have a big laugh won’t you, thinking how dumb the old man and I were. (Dobbs pulls a gun on Curtin.) You make another move towards me and I’ll pull the trigger. Now get your hands up, come on, get them up. Was I right, or was I? You and your Sunday school talk about protecting people’s goods. You! Go on, stand up and take it like a man. Come on, get up.

(Curtin tackles Dobbs.)
Curtin: Let go of it (Curtin takes the gun away from Dobbs). The cards are dealt the other way now Dobbs.

Dobbs: Yeah.

Curtin: Now listen to me. Look, you’re all wrong. Not for a moment did ever I intend to rob you or do you any harm. Just like I said, I’d fight for you and yours, just the same as I’d fight for the old man’s. 

Dobbs: If you really mean that, give me back my gun.

(Curtin returns Dobb’s gun, without the bullets.)

Dobbs: My pal. (sarcastic)

Curtin: Wouldn’t it be better the way things are to separate tomorrow, or even tonight?

Dobbs: That would suit you fine wouldn’t it?

Curtin: Why me more than you?

Dobbs: So you could fall on me from behind, sneak up and shoot me in the back.

Curtin: All right, I’ll go first.

Dobbs: And wait for me on the trail to ambush me?

Curtin: Why wouldn’t I do it right here and now if I meant to kill you?

Dobbs: I’ll tell you why, because you’re yellow. You haven’t nerve enough to pull the trigger while I’m looking you straight in the eye.

Curtin: If you think like that, there’s nothing to do but to tie you up every night.
The Thesis
What does it all mean? How can we do better? 
The answer is found in the life lesson from a movie released over half a century later: 
A Beautiful Mind (2001) is a drama based on the book by Sylvia Nasar and directed by Ron Howard about John Forbes Nash (Russell Crowe), a Nobel Prize-winning theoretical mathematician diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
Life Lesson:
Learn to tell the difference between what is real and what is only in your mind.
Movie Scene:
John Nash: Would I embarrass you? Yes, it is possible. You see, I– I am crazy. I take the newer medications, but I still see things that are not here. I just choose not to acknowledge them. Like a diet of the mind, I choose not to indulge in certain appetites. Like my appetite for patterns. Perhaps my appetite to imagine, and to dream.
The Antithesis
But please take heart gentle reader! Choosing "not to indulge in certain appetites" is only a suggestion. As a famous Apple Inc. advertisement once said:
"Here’s to the crazy ones: 
The misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers––the round pegs in the square holes. 
The ones who see things differently…  
Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world––are the ones who do.”
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]]><![CDATA[Be Relentlessly Happy 🤗]]>https://moviewise.substack.com/p/be-relentlessly-happyhttps://moviewise.substack.com/p/be-relentlessly-happyFri, 25 Dec 2020 17:42:20 GMT
A blue round circle has a happy smile and cheerful eyes.
Image by Radoan Tanvir from Pixabay
We don’t laugh because we’re happy; we are happy because we laugh.
—William James
I don’t have a philosophy about it. I just know that it’s much more fun to laugh than not to laugh.
— Carl Reiner, The Last Laugh (2016)
Remember being between seven and ten years old, when life was simple and so many things were fun, and new, and funny? The experience of watching a good comedic movie (including stand-up comedy) is similar to that. It’s like going back to the best part of your childhood, and finding a buddy to goof around with. What’s better than laughing out loud freely without inhibition? 
Here are some movies that can help you get there because, as Tony Robbins says, “you make your own happiness”:
High Anxiety (1977) is a comedy co-written and directed by Mel Brooks about Dr. Richard H. Throndyke (Mel Brooks), a successful psychiatrist who also suffers from a debilitating fear of heights, which is made worse when he starts to work at the Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very VERY Nervous alongside Dr. Charles Montague (Harvey Korman) and Nurse Diesel (Cloris Leachman).
Life Lesson: Figure out what you really are afraid of.
Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979) is a satiric comedy directed by Terry Jones about Brian (Graham Chapman), a man whose life parallels the life of Jesus.
Life Lesson: Do not follow others blindly and accidentally join a cult.
Airplane! (1980) is a comedy co-written and co-directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker about Ted Striker (Robert Hays), a pilot with a fear of flying who has difficulty maintaining a relationship with his stewardess girlfriend Elaine Dickinson (Julie Hagerty), but is tasked with landing a plane full of passengers.
Life Lesson: Don’t let fear paralyze you.
A Christmas Story (1983) is a comedy directed by Bob Clark, based on the semi-autobiographical book by Jean Shepherd, about nine-year-old Ralphie Parker’s (Peter Billingsley) wish to get the greatest Christmas gift ever.
Life Lesson: Life delivers both disappointments and unexpected joys.
Wayne’s World (1992) is a comedy directed by Penelope Spheeris about Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey), two underachieving friends who host a public-access cable show that is bought by a sleazy tv executive, Benjamin Kane (Rob Lowe).
Life Lesson: Be optimistic: You’ll find better solutions.
Aladdin (1992) is a fantasy co-written and co-directed by Ron Clements and John Musker about Aladdin, a petty thief (Scott Weinger) who finds a magic lamp and befriends the genie (Robin Williams) inside.
Life Lesson: Don’t judge a book by its cover.
The Wedding Singer (1998) is a comedy directed by Frank Coraci about Robbie Hart (Adam Sandler), a struggling musician who finds out what true love is when he meets Julia Sullivan (Drew Barrymore), a waitress.
Life Lesson: Find someone to love who wants to grow old with you.
The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) is a comedic animated fantasy co-written and directed by Mark Dindal about Emperor Kuzco (David Spade), a selfish despotic ruler who gets turned into a llama by an aggrieved advisor, Yzma (Eartha Kitt), and learns how to be kind with the help of a peasant, Pacha (John Goodman).
Life Lesson: Everyone has kindness in them, but some need help showing it to others.
Spongebob SquarePants: The movie (2004) is a fantasy co-written and co-directed by Stephen Hillenburg about a pair of friends, SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) and Patrick Star (Bill Fagerbakke), who go on a journey to vindicate Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown), a restaurant owner falsely accused by his rival Plankton (Doug Lawrence) of stealing King Neptune’s crown.
Life Lesson: Rise above the low expectations of others.
Kung Fu Panda (2008) is a humorous animated fantasy directed by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson about an unlikely hero, Po, a warrior panda voiced by Jack Black, who trains to become the legendary Dragon Warrior.
Life Lesson: Physical appearance does not determine ability.
Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.
—Victor Borge
Sometimes life can feel like you are on a J. R. R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings adventure. Somewhere along the path you may very well be met by mean-spirited, nasty, underhanded obstacles that get in your way for no reason, but all you have to do is remember that you are stronger than any problem that rises up, and you can get through anything if you just keep going. 
And the core of that strength that pushes you forward is your disposition or mentality, which can be improved tremendously by having a good sense of humor. It’s a secret weapon; it’s a superpower. If you learn how to wield it, by exposing yourself to comedy, for example—and learning to laugh at anything—then you can walk through life with the outlook of a child clowning around with a funny friend. 
It’s a good place to be.
The young man, who does not know the future, sees life as a kind of epic adventure, an Odyssey through strange seas and unknown islands, where he will test and prove his powers, and thereby discover his immortality.
The man of middle years, who has lived the future that he onced dreamed, sees life as a tragedy; for he has learned that his power, however great, will not prevail against those forces of accident and nature to which he gives the names of gods, and has learned that he is mortal.
But the man of age, if he plays his assigned role properly, must see life as a comedy. For his triumphs and his failures merge, and one is no more the occasion for pride or shame than the other; and he is neither the hero who proves himself against those forces, nor the protagonist who is destroyed by them.
― John Williams, Augustus
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