Friday Night Law: 101 Damnations Kicks Off, Crossovers, Being 8
101 DAMNATIONS
It has begun. My ridiculous attempt to watch 101 first-watch horror movies in the month of October is off and running and I can confidently say I’m going to go insane. As of writing this I’ve spent two full nights at work watching some epic crap. NYMPH is supposed to be about a killer mermaid. What NYMPH is actually about is some mystery involving the killer from I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, a bunch of stupid foreigners taking a day trip to a abandoned prison island, and five minutes of said killer mermaid towards the end. INFLICTION is pretty much the worst film I’ve seen this year. The acting, the story, and the camera work in this film was almost enough to make me throw in the towel for this task. It was the second movie I watched. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES is an abomination of cinema. DEAD WITHIN is so boring I was concentrating on my actual job. Things picked up a bit for me with HONEYMOON if only for the performances and the legit distress I had while watching it. “I fucking love you Jon Snow” is pretty great here as she transforms from ideal wife to creepy clone whom bleeds a lot. 7500 is interesting enough until you get to the end and realize it’s no better than a mediocre Twilight Zone episode. WER is great for an hour and then things get so goofy by the end it’s like your watching a different film, and should involve Scooby-Doo for some reason.
I’m two days in and have watched eight films already. I can do this. Tune in for the Binge Cast this Monday to hear how far along I am by then and allow me to verbalize my anger.
CROSSOVERS
I’ve said it time and time again – I’m a sucker for a crossover. The recent Family Guy/Simpsons event was, in my humble opinion, fan-fucking-tastic. Every note that should have been hit was hit and my appreciation for both shows was celebrated for an hour straight. Television has been doing these sorts of things forever so I’d thought I’d highlight some of my favorites through the years.
I used to lose my childhood shit when Lavern & Shirley would show up on Happy Days so you can imagine the pressure put on my little brain when Mork got in on the mix to stir shit up with The Fonz and Laverne.
The Emmy whore, Mad About You spread the love with Friends once but it wasn’t until Kramer from Seinfeld showed up that I watched my first episode of the show ever.
I watched some weird drama when I was a kid. For some reason I was obsessed with St. Elsewhere, an hour long hospital production that offered nothing for kids. When the doctors showed up on Cheers (my favorite show of all time) I felt sophisticated and privileged to be in on the joke.
This one came later in life, as I watched TV through the eyes of my kids every night. It was because of them that my excitment got the better of me when The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles popped up on The Power Rangers In Space. Oddly, my kids were very meh about the whole thing.
8
Speaking of my kids, my oldest turns eight-years-old today and I’m thinking it’s time to turn a corner when it comes to the movies he’s watching. I’ve shelved shit like MARMADUKE, ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS, and MVP to make room for GREMLINS, GOONIES, and GHOSTBUSTERS. There’s no way he’s going to share the same experience I had at his age however. When I was eight I was brought to the theater to see things like THE EVIL DEAD, AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, and PORKY’S. Yes, my brother and father were the worst. I’m taking the “small steps” approach to parenthood and thus keeping THE EXORCIST out of reach until I know he’s not creeped out by vagina mutilation. BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA is fair game now me thinks, as is E.T., THE KARATE KID, and BACK TO THE FUTURE. It’s an exciting time around here for sure as I try to mold my kid’s brain into the perfect little fanboy mold. This is way more important to me than you can imagine.
ERIC KING of Hollywood
October 3, 2014 @ 9:13 am
Go easy on the boy. Start with a dvd viewing of RAD.
ERIC KING of Hollywood
October 3, 2014 @ 9:14 am
product of Canada
Anthony D
October 3, 2014 @ 10:34 am
Your post on your son had me reminiscing about my first R-rated movie: Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Coincidentally, I remember acting like a big shot in 1st Grade, because while all the other kids were talking about the new episode of the Simpsons, which was the “Touch of Death” episode (When Flanders Failed), I missed it to watch T2.
That episode aired on October 3rd, 1991. 23 years to the date. It had minimal effects on me. Probably.
Bob Simms
October 3, 2014 @ 10:53 am
I think I saw an ad somewhere that said “8 is old enough for GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY”. It’s still in theaters–talk about a great birthday present!
Kupka
October 5, 2014 @ 10:00 am
Bob has a great point. I’m also glad to hear someone else enjoyed the Simpsons/Family Guy Crossover as much as I did.