After nearly a year lay-off from his LWB debut, Oobstastic is back…

Just finished watching the Social Network…

When the trailer was out, I thought this was bound to suck. I continued to believe this until my Dad saw it and told me how good it was.

I asked him, “Dad, what makes it so good? Isn’t it just about a stupid goddamned website?”

“No, son”, he said. “It is an exploration of the dynamism inherent in American society, as well as an assessment of the permanence of traditional class structures.”

He did not actually say this. That was my interpretation. What he actually said was: “You’ll laugh when you see what a bunch of useless assholes those Winklevoss twins are.”

So what about the socio-cultural analysis? It’s in there. The film, and by extension the real-life story, features the same sorts of fascinating characters that F. Scott Fitzgerald or Tolstoy might have invented.

Let’s start with the lawyers. The actual vehicle for conveying the plot is a series of deposition hearings which take place in fancy, wood-paneled law offices. Not only was this a clever move from a screenwriting perspective, but it served to immediately impress upon the viewer what worthless tools litigators can be (sorry, litigators).

The partners are old, vaguely unattractive, pedantic, condescending – and most importantly, an accessory to the plot. They don’t make anything happen. They simply: (more…)

In the 2001 movie Training Day, academy award winning actor Denzel Washington, plays a crooked cop who owes money to the Russian Mob. In one of the final scenes, when Denzel’s life is in danger, he utters one of the most famous movie lines in recent history saying, “I run shit here, you just live here!…King Kong ain’t got SHIT on me! (see clip below)

In the world of relationships, make no mistake about, Women run shit. Men just live here. Most men claim to wear the pants but in actuality all women control the relationship.

Despite the best efforts of women, we are still a male-dominated society.  Women still make less money than men on average, males hold more high-level jobs and women are continually portrayed as sex objects on television. (For the record, I’m not saying this is how it should be, these are just facts).

However, once the man enters a long-term relationship, those inequities no longer apply because women hold the one key that tips the relationship scale in their favor…THE VAGINA. Despite the best efforts of George Constanza and other men, we have no upper hand, because if we do anything wrong, the woman will withhold entry to the best place on Earth.  For this reason, men always have to make a conscious effort to be on their best behavior. (more…)

Continuing with the Best of the Decade series this month, LwB has the Funniest Movies of the Decade. No matter how many times I see these films, I still laugh hysterically. In the past ten years, I’ve constantly repeated great lines from these movies to the annoyance of my friends and family everywhere.

10. Tropic Thunder (2008)
Robert Downey Jr playing a black guy? That concept alone makes this film great. Then I saw how well he pulled it off. Jack Black and Tom Cruise do a phenomenal job as well. No disrespect to the late Heath Ledger, but Robert Downey Jr. should have won best supporting actor for his performance.
Robert Downey Jr. talks about his role (more…)

I had a chance to see the documentary Tyson the other day, which features 90 minutes of interview footage from Mike Tyson himself. Mike Tyson has been one of the most polarizing and controversial sports figures of this generation and this documentary gives insight into his life like never before. The documentary chronicles Tyson’s life from his childhood, to his rise to the top of the boxing world, and then his downfall.

As the director, James Toback said in the commentary, if someone were to make a fictional story about Tyson’s life, it would be hard to believe. I quickly understood what he meant as I watched this film. (more…)

Director and producer Mike Judge is set to release his new movie Extract on September 4. The movie looks like it will be funny but I doubt anything he does will match up to his first movie, Office Space , which is now 10 years old in 2009. So in honor of ten years of one of the greatest comedies of this generation, here are some of the most memorable Office Space quotes and scenes. (more…)