Blessings #26

El-P - Cancer For Cure (2012)

He was angry. So what else is new? There were so many layers to plunge the knife through. So why not go ahead and do it? We hold ourselves back. We refrain from sucking at the fuel that could cause the explosion. So light the match already. Put fire to the wick and illuminate the world. Show the planet that there are mightier things than the flashy display that haunts our brains. So why don't we close our eyes? Let the darkness take over for awhile. Allow the dreams that swirl in our imagination to take us into a better realm. One where our desires aren't confiscated to line the toilet lining for some CEO. One where we learn how to communicate with bolder ideas than this pithy anguish that holds us down. One where our anger is based on a truth more noble than hate. So why don't we shake it of our heads? The visceral redness that has shot through our blood and caused us to yearn for waste. Throw it from your fingers so that the facade is sliced away, a clean break. Vomit it out of your lungs until the cancer has turned into a cure. Shall we listen for awhile? Hear the word that converts the veins from distaste into a sigh, from the primal sacred into a scream that blows away kingdoms and leaves behind the most beautiful landscape known to exist.

The Trip - Michael Winterbottom (2010)

Is there an actor anywhere who can make more fun of themselves with such a straight face than Steve Coogan? The guy is the straight man for himself, for chrissakes! Is there someone in the acting world who can take all of the fun out of any situation and still make you laugh because you feel so damn sorry for the guy? He is the most selfish bore you will ever watch but also absolutely wonderful to behold. Rob Brydon, on the other hand, is simply just a nice guy who will never make you wonder what is wrong with humanity. He's sweet and funny. And they are perfect together! Michael Winterbottom cast them in his movie "Tristam Shandy" and he saw something happening behind the scenes and behind the scenes that were behind the scenes. So he thought about bringing them together for a mockumentary with the two of them vacationing together around the English countryside. Who knows if this was scripted or if the two of these guys are simply that tuned into one another but it is really enjoyable to watch them spar. They compare everything; impersonations, food, shows, lifestyles, family, projects. Steve plays the bigger celebrity but constantly envies Rob's good-natured everyman. Rob seems to be so much more content even though Steve has all the charisma. This film classically takes a comic duo and displays them for our enjoyment. It's not to be missed.