![Siena IV (The Tuscany Series) [Explore]](http://static.flickr.com/7083/7320391910_8e527775a2_t.jpg "Siena IV (The Tuscany Series) [Explore]")
Filed under: Famous People We Wish We Were | Tags: crap, dumb, film industry, marketing, movies, silly, trailers, wtf
Depending on one’s preference, the twenty minutes preceding the feature presentation are either the best or worst part of the cinema experience. Much like proto-butter topping on popcorn, movie trailers could be the most entertaining, tantalizing part of one’s day or the worst. They tease and beckon with a curling finger and a wink; they showcase the best 3-5 minutes of a plot, brand the film with music blasted by Dolby digital and they connect to a target audience.
The narrow branding of trailers seems to be yet another indication of film eroding from its traditional role as a collective medium of entertainment to a personal, individualized experience. In the ‘60s, everyone loved the Beatles, wore paisley and saw “The Graduate.” In 2009, everyone has his niche band, niche clothing store and a movie can be marketed to any of these vastly divergent tastes.
The trailer for the 2007 movie “Lucky You”, starring Drew Barrymore and Eric Bana, is a prime example for the warping that niche marketing often creates. Depending on which one an audience was given, the movie either was a Las Vegas riot, a contemplative jaunt, suspenseful gambling epic or a romantic comedy depending on choices of editing, lead in music, lighting, dialogue, and introduction of characters. One line of dialogue was even comically used in two completely different contexts. At one point Drew Barrymore’s character says, “when you mentioned your father, your eyes got all quiet.” Yet, in one trailer the line seems romantic, cuddly and something that unites her romantically with the male lead. In the other, it is a foreboding, melancholic line that leads one to believe that the male protagonist is ruminating about a strained relationship with his father.
Meaning is muddled by the ever-increasing scope of film advertising. Viral videos, web campaigns, Twitter accounts and niche marketing can make a movie into anything its audience needs. These newfangled, easily modified trailers make movies as artificial as their concession stand counterparts. Now, not only is the melted butter on the popcorn fake, so are the coming attractions.
Filed under: Pet Friends | Tags: cat, fun, goofy, kids, lisa frank, pets, retro, silly, toys
Lisa Frank Cat, originally uploaded by spraynardkreuger.
Remember all of those charming little folders and gorgeous stickers from our childhood? Lisa Frank is definitely emblematic of the youth of a certain set of young women who grew up in the 1990s. I miss those days when all you needed to be cool was a shiny, iridescent folder and a love of unicorns. Social mobility was marked by nothing more than school supply choice in those days. Ahh, even the commercials were better:
Filed under: Dumb Criminals | Tags: criminal, funny, idiot, silly, why?, wtf
We’re all guilty of breaking the law. Zoning ordinances, imbibing of questionable substances, traffic violations. It’s pretty commonplace. But there are those that take crime to a whole new level. The most moronic of less-than law abiding citizens. The stupid criminal. Obviously, they can fall into a few different classes:
Conspicuous Much?: Hey, guy. You’re breaking the law. In broad daylight. On a well-traveled street. In plain sight of a cop car. While wearing a rainbow unitard. And you’re shouting obscenities.
Ruuuuude: Yup, it looks like that cop is writing you a parking ticket/pulling you over/handcuffing you and throwing you forcefully into the cruiser. I don’t think you’re going to do much for your case by ripping off your wife-beater in drunken anger while shouting, “I’m innocent!”
Just…What?: Maybe you could’ve gotten away with what you were doing. Completely fine. But guess what. For example, you were drunk then called the cops on yourself like this Rhode’s scholar:
But that lovely gem has nothing on the alpha and omega of silly criminals who embodies all the best markers of idiocy. You have to give it to him for his tenacity though:
Filed under: Pet Friends | Tags: cat, exercise, fat, funny, lazy, silly, tv
I remember a while back seeing some show about overweight pets on Animal Planet. There were fat Rottweilers, fat cats, maybe even obese birds, I’m not sure. Either way, it amused me that an entire show was dedicated to slimming down domesticated animals. Sort of like The Biggest Loser but for adorable pets. So, what does one do when a pet has taken on a little extra chunkage?
But like humans, not all pets are enthusiastic about their exercise regimen.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: america, funny, goofy sights, museum, silly
Liberace Museum, originally uploaded by spraynardkreuger.
The U.S. has a great deal of weirdness to offer in terms of notable sites and museums to visit. If you are a tourist interested in the weird and wonderful that America has in store, check out the link below:
sad lady tat, originally uploaded by spraynardkreuger.
G4P: What have been some of the most extreme reactions people have had while you’ve been tattooing them?
AC: Typically, people either cry or pass out. I almost feel worse when people pass out. If people cry when they get a tattoo, they’re obviously pretty sensitive. One girl I worked on was really pumped [before] and then she got nervous when I put the stencil on her. I was inches from starting the tattoo and she started bawling.
G4P: It’s probably hard to deal with people crying and freaking out.
AC: All the anxiety seems to happen before it starts. When people cry, it’s frustrating their whole body heaves. Typically, after a while they’ll either tell me to start or calm down. I’ve started before with the intention of finishing and people won’t come back to get the tattoo finished up. One girl wanted this traditional tramp stamp with a heart and some black tribal around it, and I got through the heart and she asked me to stop.
G4P: Have any guys had really bad reactions?
AC: I’ve heard of guys peeing themselves but that’s never happened to me. Usually, they’ll pass out then come to and act like nothing has happened.
G4P: Is it hard to tattoo people knowing that you’re hurting them?
AC: At first, it’s super hard because you’re causing people pain. It’s a bizarre feeling. After time goes on, it’s a job, like anything else. If you worry too much about it, it affects the product.
ugly tat, originally uploaded by spraynardkreuger.
Tattoos can be utterly hideous and completely defile one’s body. Yet, by the masses, people continue to spend large amounts of dough on getting “inked,” including myself. So what sort of person can put up with being commissioned to create the best of the worst in body art?
Sweet tribal tats, slutty tramp stamps, offensive, sociopathic criminal-inspired scenes – tattoo artist Aaron Kramer of Decorative Injections in Athens, Ohio has done them all. Kramer is a longtime resident of OU’s college town and comes from a long line of arty people, so it’s no wonder that he gets sadistic glee out of using flesh as his canvas. With 22 tattoos of his own, (his favorite being of Lenny Kilmeister from Motorhead,) he’s had a great deal of experience on both ends of the deal.
G4P: I know there have probably been a bunch, but what were some of the worst tattoos you’ve ever given?
AC: Joe Birch, the brother to the mayor of Chauncey, got “last person said they gonna fuck my sister is dead” in Ren and Stimpy writing. [Another one] was on the arm this biker who got in a high speed car chase while he was high on meth. There were a few people riding in the car and the girl in the back, his son’s girlfriend, got decapitated. This guy got a tattoo of the grim reaper cradling his son’s girlfriend in his arms and [the grim reaper] was also holding her decapitated head up by her hair. The same guy also said he wanted another tattoo of the grim reaper but ‘with big tits.’
