Strange things are afoot at the Circle K!

Can you name the movie that headline is from?  If not, don't worry... I'll get to it eventually, but first I need to vent a little.  I am a product of the 80's and therefore... 80's movies.  I've always loved going to the movies.  It's an escape, a treat, and one of my favorite things to do when I get a few rare hours to myself.  My favorite movie genre is usually comedy, but lately I've been really disappointed.  When did the shift in comedy writing take place?  When did comedy writers stop thinking?  It seems to me that comedy nowadays has turned into one of 3 categories... where is the most absurd place you can throw in a swear word (or other shocking term), what is the raunchiest thing we could possibly film without getting an X-rating (oh and add obnoxious body noises to make it funny... wth?!?!), and what is the most politically incorrect comment we can make that will offend as many people as possible. 

Now, I'm pretty easy going.  I don't mind swearing or references to sex in movies and I don't get offended easily, but c'mon people.  I miss intelligent humor!  It doesn't really take a lot of thought to shock the public and make them giggle uncomfortably in their seats.  This isn't real laughter and certainly not intelligent humor.  In fact, I can feel the brain cells being sucked out of my head when I am forced to watch shows like South Park, Family Guy, The Simpsons, etc.  Movies are now starting to follow suit.  I understand it's probably much cheaper to make these kinds of movies... scripts are probably a dime a dozen.  Afterall, how much thought goes into having a woman say the word "cock" a couple times to get the cheap laugh (movie: The Ugly Truth).  It's not that I don't ever enjoy a little dumbed-down humor, but I'd like my smart humor, physical comedy, and comedy with a plot back too.  Another example of how stupid society has gotten... a bunch of people will soon be rushing out to see a movie where an old has-been wrestling star dresses up as the tooth fairy... how is that funny?!?!?!  Is it just me?

So, I've been increasing my selection of humorous old movies.  The problem is I've already seen them all.  I still enjoy watching them... especially with my kids, who haven't seen them before, but I long for some new, funny material.  In the meantime, here's a toast to movie's like Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure ("Strange things are afoot at the Circle K!")... which actually, despite being the 80's version of a dumbed-down movie, had some brilliant comedy and taught me quite a few things about history.  Then there are other favorites... Coming to America, The Blues Brothers, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, Pure Luck, Romancing the Stone and too many more to list.  Try rewatching some of these classics with a big bowl of popcorn ... after all, today is National Popcorn Day!  I'm going to be breaking out the new DVD copy of Pure Luck for us tonight!  I can't wait!  If you want to bulk up your DVD comedy selections, check out my favorites at Amazon! 

Post your own favorite comedy movies in the comment section and be sure to check out my new rating buttons which will be appearing at the end of each blog post.  Take a minute to rate this post... you can choose more than one if you need to.