Posted On: Saturday - March 10th 2018 9:06PM MST
In Topics: Music Movies Liberty/Libertarianism
To start off with, I will state categorically that Peak Stupidity does not care a bit about the Oscars, who should be winning them more, who has been acting in the movies, or directing, producing or running the cameras. WE! DO! NOT! CARE! ABOUT! HOLLYWOOD! I personally haven't gone to a movie theater in 3 years of so, and that was to a kid's movie based upon a recommendation from one of my favorite sites - VDare recommended Angry Birds. I was not disappointed, as, yes, during wintertime, one can get away with sneaking in gummy bears in a jacket.
Now, still without any regard one way or another for who are the stars and the director and such, I enjoy an occasional movie from (usually) mid-1990's and prior on the DVD player. Because of an on-line discussion about Paul Newman and the movie Cool Hand Luke, this post will be another half-assed movie review.
First thing, go get it and watch it! You could read this post afterwards. In the 1967-produced film*. Cool Hand Luke, Paul Newman plays a man who gets imprisoned for a reasonably short stint for the rebellious act, well he was drunk, of using a pipe cutter to saw off the heads of some parking meters. Peak Stupidity can really relate to this. Luke got into a prison that does not resemble anything like the horrible PMITA prisons we think of today, at least for maximum security. It's just a movie anyway.
Luke in this movie has a high level of disregard and disrespect for authority, which is what calls for the Liberty/Libertarianism topic key on this post. Because hee does not show a much respect for authoritah as others would expect, there eventually comes the famous line "what we have hear is failure to communicate." Nah, that's not what it is - Luke will just not play the game. That's basically the theme of the move, and so as not to spoil it for you in any way, I'll just say that Luke's problems stem from this knowing how to pick his battles, whether due to stupidity or principle (hard to tell).
The discussion I had was with someone who thought more of the John Wayne movies, as he was the tough guy and won his fights, while Paul Newman could be seen as a loser in most of his movies. Which ones are more realistic? It's just about the story to me anyway, not one actor vs. another. In Cool Hand Luke however, the scene where Luke gets beat up by George Kennedy (is he in half of the movies through 1975?), is where I and the other commenter differed. Luke was knocked to the ground over and over in the prison year, but he kept getting up, even after taking enough punches to be half-unconscious. He would not quit, and George Kennedy finally walks off. This earns much respect from the men in the prison. I'd say Newman plays the tough guy here (it reminds me of Alec Guiness as the British Colonel in Bridge on the River Kwai, also a top-notch movie). Then there are the eggs: "Why'd you bet you can eat 50 eggs, why not 30?" "It just seemed like a nice round number."
OK, this post is out of nowhere, but I could see this move once a year without a problem. Two thumbs up! Now, I remember that it was an old song from the movie that I really like, called "Plastic Jesus". Keep in mind that Newman's singing isn't great, but that's just part of the scene (he is really down when the warden won't let him out for his Momma's funeral):
You can take the lyrics however you like, serious or mocking, but here's the part in the movie:
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“I don’t care if it rains or freezes
long’s I got my plastic Jesus
riding on the dashboard of my car.
Comes in colors pink and pleasant,
glows in the dark cause it’s iridescent.
Take it with you when you travel far.
Get yourself a sweet Madonna
dressed in rhinestones, satin on a
pedestal of abalone shell.
Goin ninety, but I aint scarey
cause I’ve got the Virgin Mary,
assurin’ me that I won’t got to hell.”
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It turns out that, being a really old song, there are lots of lyrics around. Here is one for the atheist readers:
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"I don't care if I'm broke or starvin',
as long as I've got a fish named Darwin
glued to the trunk lid of my car.
God, I'm feeling so evolved
drivin' with my problems solved,
proclaiming what I think of what we are."
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More stupidity will be discussed on Monday. Lots of serious posts are on deck, but sometimes this stuff doesn't want to come out. Good night, readers.
* If you're gonna be a movie reviewer, you've got to call them "films". I don't know why, but I've gotta start somewhere to get to be the next Ebert (I don't have the metabolism, thankfully, or the popcorn money, to become Siskel.)
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