humor eh? who knew canadians were so funny. this is my latest discovery. canada = fun(ny). it's a difficult equation to comprehend but apparently all that peace prosperity and universal health care cranks out some hilarious shit. tonight we watched a mighty wind. ever since i've seen best in show, i've been on the lookout for future christopher guest projects. this was it. i must admit, upon first viewing, this mockumentary is just strange. funny weird and strange. the acting is bomb, some of the lines are unforgettable, the characters are kooky to the point of hilarity but the plot was incomprehensible and the payoff seemed nowhere in sight. as the movie ended and the credits rolled i had this urge to watch it again with the commentary. (also, always watch the deleted scenes in christopher guest movies, these are some of the funniest scenes ever.)



the commentary provided a valuable piece of information: the way mr guest and his actors work is through improvisation. all the scenes are improvised and unrehearsed. mr guest writes a basic plot and detailed character descriptions and then his cast shows up and goes to work. this is amazing. i'm not sure how they handle re-shoots and mess ups but i'm betting there aren't that many. they just point and shoot and then out comes a movie. knowing that all the lines are improvised makes this movie a whole new ball game. it is hilar-e-fucking-ess. not quite as laugh out loud funny as best in show but upon a second viewing (and i'm guessing a third and fourth and so on), a mighty wind really reveals it's humor and all the little details that might have escaped your eyes and ears during the chaos of the first viewing disappear. it's straight unbelievable to realize that all the work you see on screen is improvised. is that incredibly crazy or what?



at first after the movie, we were stuck in limbo in our reactions towards it. it was funny but weird. we didn't hate it. we didn't love it. but after you start to get some back story on the process of making this movie then you start to watch it again with a new set of eyes. i have to watch waiting for guffman as soon as possible because i've heard that it's the best guest movie and so far the two i've seen have blown my socks off.



this is the type of movie humor that i like. forget austin powers. forget ben stiller (for the most part). forget jim carrey and his facial contortions. screw adam sandler and his childish antics. i'll take this stuff every time. if you can enjoy these movies, we can be friends. not otherwise.



also, parker posey. big fan.



and what is it about canada that produces funny shit? many of guest's actors hail from toronto's second city improv troupe. kids in the hall is canadian. who's line is it is canadian. canadian bacon, while not canadian, is another of my favorite "funny as a cracker jack" movies. canada man. maybe i should move there. they seem to appreciate intelligent humor of the non-flatulent kind. o canada....