Snoskred - Life in the Country

The Other Half is truly one of the funniest men I know. Funny is a major point on my list of things a man must be in order for me to be attracted.. Some women would be attracted to this - or maybe something like this - but me, I don’t mind if a man looks like this - or even this - as long as he can make me laugh.

The guy in the above “tough love” picture actually looks a little like my other half. and thankfully the other half does not read this blog. At least he tells me he does not.. He knows I think that guy looks like him - it’s actually Mick Molloy who is a comedian here in Australia, and that picture was on a radio station poster which was all over the place a while back.

Like I say, the other half was already a very funny guy, but one year in the days before you could buy it on DVD the cable tv channel here ran a marathon of Seinfeld episodes, in order. I taped the whole thing. The marathon lasted four days. I’d never really watched Seinfeld much other than caught the odd episode, but when you watch it IN ORDER it is a lot funnier than the way a lot of the TV shows played it.

The reason I taped it was the Other Half and I often could not agree on what to watch while we eat dinner. Dinner time was one of the rare times we actually watched TV, and we could sit there and argue about what we should watch until dinner went cold. Movies were too long. We didn’t have DVD’s back then. Often there would be nothing decent on the TV at dinner time. He didn’t mind Seinfeld, I was willing to give it a try, and the episodes lasted for 22 minutes, just perfect for eating dinner. We became real fans of the show, and it somehow made the other half even more funny than he’d been previously. He can take any topic and go all Jerry about it.

I can’t really give you any examples of his funniness here, because when I write them down they don’t seem so funny. Let me simply say that not one day goes by where The Other Half does not have me laughing so hard I have to sit down before I fall down.

I will leave you with a couple of Seinfeld videos from Youtube - these are both funny. One is from the Seinfeld show, and one is an actual Jerry Seinfeld stand up.

The car reservation.

Men in the world.

Before Pirates Of The Carribean, there was The Pirate Movie. (IMDB page here) I love this movie, and here’s why.

1. The music -

the movie is loosely based on the Pirates of Penzance. I have never seen the actual original in full, so I wasn’t sure how much of it had been taken from there until I read the Wiki, but you can easily recognise the songs which are from Gilbert and Sullivan and which ones have been specifically written for this movie and are 80’s music. This was one of the first ever videos I saw in Stereo, how we actually found it was on a demo tape for stereo VCR’s - there was a clip of the final song, and we liked it, so we hired the tape.

2. The locations - For all you Melbournites, this movie was filmed entirely in Victoria. The movie brings together two beautiful locations in such a way that you believe they are actually together. This is done incredibly well and without any obvious computer assistance. The two locations are Werribee Park Mansion and Loch Ard Gorge. The two should be named in the cast list because they really star in this movie, and they are nowhere near each other in reality - 160kms as the crow flies (thanks Sephy!). That’s movie magic for you.
3. The Pirate King knows where to put the sparkly stuff.

Men, if you want women to pay attention to your *ahem* nether regions, here’s a thought. Codpiece. But not just any codpiece. Get out the bedazzler and make yourself one that is sparkly. Believe me, this is quite attractive. We ladies like sparkly things and this is an easy and simple way to brighten up an otherwise dull area. Much better than glitter, which can be a real bitch to get rid of once you put it everywhere.

4. The costumes.

What is it about pirates that makes them so appealing? The puffy shirts? The tight pants? The velvet? The leather? The costumes for this movie have got everything you want to see pirates wearing but the real triumph is Frederic’s costume. It’s perfect for his character. Those cream leather thigh-high boots are just gorgeous.
5. The cast.

While there are many great performances, the overall cast really makes this movie great. It seems like they’re all having an awfully good time.

6. Garry Mcdonald.
A true Aussie genius of comedy. While his role in this movie is small, it is hilarious. By the time he did this movie of course he was known for Norman Gunston, and after the movie he went on to be a part of Mother and Son, a huge Australian hit which is still brilliant to watch today. I would say he is my favourite Australian actor, and coincidentally he lives quite near to where I do and he used to shop where I worked but never on days when I was there. If I ever ran into him I do not know what I would say but there is so much I would want to say, in particular thanks for being so honest about your depression because that’s helped a lot of people, including me, but I also wouldn’t want to annoy him so I’d be a real mess. Seriously. Just the thought of it makes me nervous. He looks like he’s having fun in this movie, which I love.7. Maggie Kirkpatrick.

Otherwise known as “The Freak” from Prisoner, she plays Ruth the Nurse. Another Aussie Icon, and she’s brilliant in the role.

8. Kristy McNichol.

Quite well known for playing the tomboy in sitcoms at the time she was chosen for this role, this was really her first leading lady type of role, and she played it beautifully. She can also really sing. Nice eye candy for the men as well. 9. Christopher Atkins.

Already a legend for his role in Blue Lagoon just two years earlier, this curly haired guy works very hard in this movie. According to this interview he can’t sing “Thank God for machines. They can make a dog sing!” and there was a lot of work involved in the sword fighting. He does a great job in my opinion. Plus, he’s not bad to look at. That’s always nice. But his *hair* is so curly and blonde, you just can’t look away, you want to know what it’s going to do next. 10. Cheese overdose.
Yes, this movie is somewhat lame and full of cheese but I still love it anyway. I really only liked two musicals, this and Grease. So it’s Available on DVD at Amazon, at an fairly cheap price. Next time you are dvd shopping, consider this little cult classic masterpiece and see if you love it as much as I do.. And I won’t be surprised to find many people reading this are already fans of it - comment here, let the world know! And there’s a small trailer on youtube, if you’ve not seen it check this out.