catapult magazine

I just had the most fun I’ve had on TV since Sesame Street. Has anyone else seen the new show, Banzai, on Fox? It’s television as a toy. I nearly choked on my dinner laughing as I watched two blind ladies trying to hit eachother with bumper cars in less than 40 seconds. I also enjoyed the baby race and the Russian Roulet game played with de-springed umbrellas (the “Don’t Try This At Home” warning was funny in a different way than usual). And the commentary is hilarious. This show is a real joy.

Ditto.

Absolutely! It’s so wonderful to thoroughly enjoy a movie. Amanda and I left the movie theatre last weekend knowing we had seen an excellent piece of work. That doesn’t often happen (e.g. by no means should you see “Party Monster”).

At first it seemed to me that setting the film in Tokyo was just a framing device that would produce a few gags and allow the two white people, who had to meet each other in order to make it an interesting movie that would sell in the states, to meet each other. But the cultural aspect is really integral to the intricately wrought relationship between Charlotte and Bob. There are jokes dealing with cultural differences, but they’re certainly not played in a way that is mean or disrespectful toward Japanese culture. And it definitely made me jealous that we in the US don’t have those cool private party karaoke rooms like the one Charlotte’s Japanese friends took them to. I want to do that!!!

Later in the week the movie Ghost World, which I also love, was on TV. It’s a great companion piece to Lost in Translation, I think. Partially because Scarlett Johansson is in both, but mostly because they’re about searching characters that relate to each other in a very non-hollywood, real way.

Hmm. That doesn’t really address Banzai at all. I’ll leave that to someone else.

ps. I knew you’d like it Kristin! I even thought that while I was watching it: “Kristin will love this.”