If you watch just one 50 minute documentary (via /Film) on a grainy Google Video player today, make it this BBC documentary, Stanley Kubrick's Boxes. It was made by Jon Ronson, who I've already mentioned is the best. After Kubrick's death, Ronson was invited to Kubrick's Childwick Manor in Hertfordshire to look through the boxes of papers and memorabilia and notes and stuff from Kubrick's many decades as such a good filmmaker, and it's through the lens of these cryptic notes and misplaced memories that Ronson is able to create a startling and altogether unique portrait of the man/artist. Great!
Watching contemporary British comedy is a lot like traveling to Canada. It seems familiar, but just a little bit off. It's some kind of amalgamation between things you know and things you do not know. But at the end of the day you realize that Canada (contemporary British comedy) is really quite pleasant and you don't know why more people don't go there (watch it). What I'm saying is that this new-ish show from the BBC, Gavin and Stacey, is the sitcom equivalent of poutine.
See? They were doing funny dances! We do funny dances in America sometimes! And they have nicknames! We have nicknames! Why am I treating them like accessory pets? I don't know! Isn't it condescending? Yes it is! Anyway, this show looks nice. It's like Spaced meets Coupling.
Gavin and Stacey premieres on BBC America on August 26.
This video (by Jason Rees via VSL) in which balloons are inserted into famous movies is the funniest/best thing that I have seen in weeks.
Ha ha ha! Balloons! Balloons! This is the best thing! My personal favorites are CasaBALOONca and Balloon Cassidy and the Sundance Balloon. If you were me you'd watch this all day (because I am going to watch this all day).
The Line is a web series about fanboys waiting in line for a Sci Fi movie called Future Space, starring The State's Joe Lo Truglio and Bill Hader and directed by Seth Meyers. The funniest episode so far introduced Paul Scheer as "The Spoiler," and today The Spoiler is back to further tempt the line nerds with Future Space information:
The three comedies they name are The Line's sponsors, of course. Wink wink.
Spine Chillers was a short-lived BBC show that aired in 2003. But in England they don't call them "shows" they call them "lorries." Anyway, this lorry is a mystery. It doesn't have an entry on wikipedia (i.e. it doesn't exist), and the information on IMDB is piecemeal. There are a couple of shortclips dispersed throughout the internet, and from what I can gather, each episode told a stand-alone story with its own cast and is regularly billed as a "comedy drama" whatever that means. In any case, no one seems to know exactly what Spine Chillers is or was because it's somehow the only thing that has slipped through the internet's fingers.
But we do know one thing for certain. One episode of Spine Chillers, "Goths," about a pair of goths who are house hunting, stars Mackenzie Crook, better known as Gareth from The Office (UK), is hilarious, and is available in its entirety after the jump. Hooray, we win.
The State and Reno 911!'s Kerri Kenney-Silver has a new website/internet show called Dame Delilah's Fantasy Ranch in which she's the madame of a brothel in a cheap Nevada motel. The site will be updated every other Wednesday and currently features video interviews with the brothel's characters (including The State and Horrible People's Jo Lo Truglio and A.D. Miles), "House Rules", and a menu of sexual favors for sale. Here Kerri (as Delilah) takes us on a tour of her bunny ranch. "Corn dogs look like penises":
If you're used to seeing Kerri only as Deputy Wiegel, it's always a shock to see her as herself or someone else. She looks so hot!
It's Alcohol Day here at videogum.com, so mixology your favorite cornichontini and check out the third volume of Drunk History, which was posted this weekend. It features Jen Kirkman as a drunk Jen Kirkman and Danny McBride as George Washington. Let's fucking honor and, like, totally cherish the noble story of Oney Judge.
"She writes to the President because she has his address because she used to live there. Dear, President Bush." You can't make this stuff up you guys, not unless you are really, really drunk. Then you can't do anything EXCEPT make this stuff up. You can also puke if you drink about it hard enough.
The filmmaker Werner Herzog is the kind of guy who says "talk shows are going to kill us," which is kind of an anti-populist mindset that I can't totally buy into, because at talk shows only really exist because people want them to (i.e. watch them), and while you can make lots of arguments for how society has taught people to want things that are bad for them, it's no longer true that people don't have access to an alternative. At this point, with the stratification of culture across television, radio, cinema, and the internet, you really don't have to buy into anything if you don't want to, and I think that the "shoot your television" crowd are on the losing end of philosophical relevance. THAT BEING SAID, Werner Herzog is a winner, and in the late '70s he told his friend Errol Morris that if he ever finished his film (which turned into the great Gates of Heaven), he would eat his shoe. And he did. And documentarian Les Blank made a film about it. And watch it.
"I have survived so many Kentucky Fried Chicken so it won't do harm to me," indeed.
Founder/Editor-In-Chief
Scott Lapatine Senior Editors Gabe Delahaye Lindsay Robertson Executive Editor
Amrit Singh Technology & Operations
Jim Jazwiecki
Angela Williams
We once again interrupt Videogum's usual posting schedule of viral fart videos and behind-the-scenes Jennie Garth news in order to display our second post that is an actual advertisement. Fuji won't quit with the contests. In case you are worried...
After watching Death Sentence, a terrible movie starring Kevin Bacon as a father in search of vigilante justice directed by Saw's James Wan, Gabe embarked on The Hunt For The Worst Movie of All Time. This is his sad journey.
I'm coming to realize that I've set for myself an impossible task. I'm like Don Quixote facing off against the windmills, except that the windmills are really difficult to watch, and often the windmills have Bruce Willis or Dakota Fanning...
Blogging about TV and movies isn't all fun and videogames. Every week, Lindsay or Gabe will be presented with a physical or mental challenge that tests their bravery, patience, and taste.
The Challenge: Despite being averse to cameras, teamwork, exotic foods, travel, haircuts, and physical exertion, I have to submit an audition tape to Survivor. The Result: As with the Saw marathon challenge, once again I find myself rocking back and...
Even though Lindsay and Gabe are friends, they very rarely agree on anything. Every day, they have a fight about something. On Fridays, we publish one.
Gabe: who is worse for the country Gabe: sarah palin or serena van der woodsen? Lindsay: Well definitely Palin. Gabe: no, i mean as president Gabe: just kidding Gabe: a serena van der woodsen presidency Gabe: though Gabe: would be...
Violin music gently filled the tastefully appointed Tea Room at the Plaza Hotel. Blair Waldorf and Serena Van Der Woodsen sat at a table near the back, along with Nate Archibald, Chuck Bass, and Dan Humphrey. Accompanying them were Heidi...
![thumbnail: <![CDATA[Gabe And Rich Watch A Movie: Saló]]>](/img/thumbnails/photos/salo/salo_criterion_8_50x50.jpg)
