The Culture Enthusiast

Funniest comedy one liners

lists 9:00 AM

After all those horror movie marathons you went through during Halloween it's time for a couple of laughs. Total Film is having a pool about the greatest comedy one liners. Naturally, I had to make a list of my own.

While I was reading the list I realized many of the lines didn't sound so funny because I hadn't seen the movie. Funny how comedy depends on context. Anyway, here are some of the lines that make me crack up:

"If someone has been murdered here, please let it be Clouseau." from A Shot in the Dark

Just like all Pink Panther movies, A Shot in the Dark relies a lot on Peter Seller's hilarious performance and physical comedy, but Clouseau's dead serious lines and Commissioner Dreyfus' despair at Clouseau's incompetence are just to funny not to be mentioned.

"Look at me now, LOOK AT ME NOW! I'm wearing a cardboard belt!" - from The Producers

I've already talked about how much I love the 1965 version of The Producers. It has tons of hilarious one liners. They are even funnier because of the amazing performances.

"I want to see what love looks like when it's triumphant. I haven't had a good laugh in a week." from It happened one night

This 1934 comedy starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert is all about funny dialogues between the two protagonists. I literally cried when I watched this scene for the first time.

"A big fat lummox like you hiring an airplane to write: "Hildy, don't be hasty. Remember my dimple. Walter." Delayed our divorce 20 minutes while the judge went out and watched it." from His girl Friday

Even though most people prefer Arsenic and Old Lace I think Cary Grant does a much better job in His girl Friday where he plays a cunning newspaper editor trying to win back his ex-wife. This movie has really fast dialogues and a lot of veiled, and not so veiled, insults exchanged between the divorced couple.

"We may be small but our hearts are large... metaphorically speaking." from Night at the Museum

Maybe this is more of a kid's movie than a comedy, but I just laugh so much at Steve Coogan as a Roman general and Owen Wilson as a cowboy. You can tell I'm all about wholesome fun.

What are you favorite comedy lines?

PS: Most of these movies are available on Netflix.

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Cool facts about Dürer

Art 11:32 AM

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The Iron Lady

Movies 3:11 PM

Since we were talking about guilty pleasures the other day I feel obliged to disclose my YouTube guilty pleasure: European Parliament videos. I could watch them for hours, they are just too exciting.

That's why I was bound to love The Iron Lady and include Margaret Thatcher videos on my Youtube playlist. The latter definitely happen, the first is... uncertain.

I mean, how would liberal Hollywood portray one of the most conservative politicians of the 20th century? You kind of expect some biased portrayal there.

Amazingly, there wasn't much in the movie that seemed directed at damaging Margaret Thatcher. The Iron Lady did focus too much on her later years, dedicating a lot of time to her dementia and hallucinations. It is a pity her years as Prime Minister weren't covered more extensively, but that is not criticizing or degrading her.

I also liked Meryl Streep's performance which is excellent as always. Notice the movie mentions that Thatcher practiced improving her voice and Meryl's voice in does change accordingly.

And there are so many excellent lines in it that we become more and more interested in her. Hallucinations aside, the way she - in her old age - talks to her doctor is impressive.

But there's one thing I can’t let it slide. The "die washing up a tea cup" scene.

In this particular scene, she loses an election and later receives a marriage proposal. Below is part of the dialogue and, no worries, there are no spoilers:

Young Margaret Thatcher: I love you so much but, I will never be one of those women, Dennis. Who stays silent and pretty on the arm of her husband. Or remote and alone in the kitchen - doing the washing up, for that matter.

Young Denis Thatcher: [Interrupts] We'll get help for that...

Young Margaret Thatcher: No. One's life must matter, Dennis. Beyond all the cooking and the cleaning and the children. One's life must mean more than that. I cannot die washing up a teacup! I mean it, Dennis. Say you understand.

Basically, before accepting her marriage proposal, Thatcher dismiss being a mother and a housewife as doing things that don't matter. This bothered me a lot.

Firstly, there's the veracity issue. We don't know for sure if she said something like that or held such views. However, it is highly unlikely that she did. She was a conservative with a family of her own. Plus, she once said: "The feminists hate me, don’t they? And I don’t blame them. For I hate feminism. It is poison." I doubt she would say something that insulting to many women.

Secondly, even if we put the issue of whether she said that or not aside, we have the fact that the movie said it. It is preposterous to not simply insinuate but clearly state that the work of housewives and mothers "doesn't mean" much. The viewers, specially women that think their life choices deserve respect, should not accept this.

As if Thatcher's ambitious career and incredible achievements were a product of some sort of feminist liberation ideal she had and not her courageous sense of duty.

Not to mention that regardless of the feminist issue, the "die washing a tea cup line" in the context of this movie is extremely nihilistic. Most of the movie is about Thatcher's dementia and decline, so it's as if regardless of how ambitious you are or how much you accomplish, you will end up in a miserable situation in the end of your life.

It seems that since the movie wasn't openly critical of her politically, they inserted some political correctness into her personal life.

Overall, I really enjoyed watching the movie (I know it doesn't look that way) which proves that even a movie with some faults can't help but showing what an interesting character she was.

What do you think of "The Iron Lady"? Any favorite lines? Mine is "Watch your character for it becomes your destiny"

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In defense of guilty pleasure reading

Books 11:09 AM

For the longest time I was against guilty pleasure reading. But it wasn't always like this. I used to be an avid detective novel reader. One day a guy asked me what I was reading and I answered “A detective novel”. He rolled his eyes and said: “No, seriously. That’s not reading.”

It’s sad to say but that was when I stopped reading detective novels. Then I got to college and my intolerance towards guilty pleasure books became worse. Books were supposed to be serious, challenging and well... difficult. No detective stories, no best sellers, no “but this is Madonna's favorite author right now!”.

I still think this “Literature major” way of thinking is ok, as long as you don’t substitute guilty pleasure reading for other, worse, cultural guilty pleasures.

And that’s exactly what I did.

I was so scared while reading Macbeth I couldn’t read it at night. I also couldn’t read the other books on my list because they are too demanding to be read half an hour before bed.

So, I watched Tv. But I realized a little guilty pleasure reading was better than hours of The Office.

Sure, I wouldn’t be learning as much from my detective stories as I would from Dostoyevsky or an Art history book but I’d definitely be learning more than from sitcoms.

Now, I’m not saying let’s all indulge in our guilty pleasures for life. There are some pretty bad books out there, books that are incredibly popular, mind you.

It’s all a matter of choosing the better of two evils. We need some entertainment and it’s better getting it from a good book than from Tv shows.

However, not every book we read must be entertaining. Even though pleasurable books are exciting and page turners, we must remember we’ll miss out on a lot if we stick only to books that are fun and easy to read.

I now read my Nero Wolfe novels before bed, but you can also alternate between one serious reading and a guilty pleasure one.

I’ve learned that even guilty pleasure books can help you increase your vocabulary and improve your grammar. Plus if you choose well they can also expand your horizons and stimulate your imagination. Why shouldn't books also serve as fun and intelligent entertainment?

What do you think of guilty pleasure reading? What are your favorite guilty pleasure books?

Image via FYReading