www.purelyhypothetical.com

[lauralh]

You know what I hate? When you're watching TV and your housemate throws a bag of Swedish Fish at you, and it hits your face and neck and you can't breathe for a few minutes. And then as revenge you eat not just half, but the whole bag, and then you feel like absolute crap afterwards. That really sucks.

Another thing I hate is when you accidentally get on the wrong bus home, and so you want to get off as soon as you realize you have no idea where you are, but some sketchy dude is blocking your way - and you don't want to really fuck with him, maybe you'll just wait till the bus completes the circuit. But finally you suck it up, get off, and walk the two miles home.

--

Dude, this movie sounds AWESOME:

"When released theatrically in 1932, FREAKS was met with near universal disgust by critics and audiences alike, lasting in theatres for only a short time in the states and banned in England. The film stars Harry Earles as Hans, a suave midget who belongs to the sideshow of a seedy circus and who makes the mistake of falling in love with the beautiful Cleopatra, one of the "normal" circus performers. Learning that Hans is about to inherit a fortune, Cleopatra agrees to marry Hans even though she abhors him, planning to steal his money and get rid of him. When the freaks of the circus, who keep a watchful eye on Cleopatra, discover her scheme, they plan to exact an unforgettable revenge."

Comments

[ravenword.livejournal.com]

"Freaks" is like, a super-culty cult classic. I've been meaning to get ahold of a copy for a long time, but it's supposed to be REALLY unsettling. They cast actual circus freaks for the roles rather than using makeup or prosthetics or anything like that, and most audiences couldn't handle seeing that sort of abnormality on a big big screen.

[discogravy.livejournal.com]

freaks IS awesome. hard to find but worth it. reminds me of The Elephant Man except creepier, with a more authentic vibe to it. also, it's where the ramones got their "gabba gabba hey we accept you we accept you one of us" chant that they used to do.

[jvb419.livejournal.com]

"Freaks" is unsettling, in the sense that watching people with microcephaly (for example) is inescapably unsettling--that is, it's unsettling for just as long as their microcephaly remains the most important thing we know about them, which in this movie it always is. The "freaks" are allowed to take their revenge, but they never become real characters--and neither does anyone else. The "plot" (sketched above) is laughably simple-minded and the acting embarrassing. Tod Browning also directed the original "Dracula" (the one starring Bela Lugosi) but to be honest I don't think he was very talented--just a purveyor of thrills 'n' chills. However a key line from the ending is quoted (by Lyle Lovett of all people) in Robert Altman's excellent "The Player," so I guess "Freaks" isn't a total loss.

[ravenword.livejournal.com]

Plus they reference the movie in the last of the "Clerks" cartoons. ONE OF US! ONE OF US!

[mattholland.livejournal.com]

i've been meaning to see that one for a while. i think the broadway hollwood video's strangely adequate "cult" section has it.

[babycola.livejournal.com]

surprisingly, in sweden they are just called "fish". heh.

[vonpookie.livejournal.com]

Pfft. It's not hard to find. Not anymore, at least.

Hell, the reason I finally got to see it was that I rented it at freaking Hastings of all places.

It's on DVD and video at Amazon, too. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JH9W/qid=1042814748/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-9281096-7794546

That does remind me, though. I need to see if that's at Netflix so's I can make J burn me a copy. I'm gonna have my own copy of Nosferatu. Yaaaaaay!

Wow.

[wanton-bliss.livejournal.com]

I can't believe you've never seen Freaks before. One of us? Gooba gabba? Important pop culture references. It is utterly fantastic and only mildly exploitive. You have not lived until you've seen a quadriplegic worming his way through the mud with a knife in his mouth.

[hydrozoa.livejournal.com]

Dude, I've been meaning to see Freaks for years. We should rent it together.

(I typoed that as "Greaks.")