July 2, 1999

Went and saw that new South Park movie last night. Let me just say this: you WILL be offended and shocked by this film. There is no way to avoid it. Trey Parker and Matt Stone skewer EVERYBODY--every race, religious creed, sexual orientation, age group and personality type. You can't even imagine it--take what you think is offensive and crude, and multiply it by ten.

At the same time, it's a brilliant flick, not just because our society needs stuff like South Park to constantly push the envelope and challenge the boundaries of decency, but because all the outrageous humor is put in the service of a plot that offers a sharp satire of so many of our current societal woes. I won't get into it here--hopefully we'll get some kind of review up in the next few weeks, though I may have to write one for work--but suffice it to say that the jokes sting so powerfully because there's the momentum of satire behind them. It's not just poop jokes and swipes at jews--it's black and vicious, but it makes a point. Plus, it's goddamn funny.

Big plans for the holiday weekend? Mine include checking out Summer of Sam, probably watching some fireworks, and enjoying a fascinating dinner outing with a bunch of friends and my girlfriend's ex from high school. She insists that I stop being jealous. But that's just not in my code, baby. Anyway, I always get a thrill from fireworks, even though they're essentially the same show over and over again, so I'm excited for those. Hot, sweaty summerness has officially descended upon Chicago as well, so it should be a very fun couple of days away from the usual concerns of the working world. Hell, at the very least there's next week's WKRP in Cincinatti marathon on Nick at Nite to look forward to. Bring on Johnny Fever!