Le Sigh

This is so unfair....
It looks like the parents of Balloon Boy will be charged with something. See, a sheriff in Colorado is now saying that, yes -- the whole balloon fiasco last week was a hoax, after all. Well, I still doubt that. I mean, c'mon -- can't anything in this country JUST HAPPEN anymore? Why is it that every time something interesting goes down, there's got to be accusations made and criminal charges filed? No one's really proved that this was all just a publicity stunt on the part of the child's father. Innocent until proven guilty! INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY!!!


But fine. Let's suppose for a second that I'm wrong, and the balloon incident really WAS staged. So what? I still don't see a problem. Is anyone SERIOUSLY going to claim they're upset because THE GOVERNMENT had to waste a few hours of its time on this nonsense? Ha! Richard and Mayumi Heene provided this nation with a solid afternoon's worth of entertainment, and I say they should get their own show. If I were a TV executive, I'd make sure these people were signed immediately. Clearly, they've got the right stuff for reality programming. I can see it now -- "At Home with the Heenes, featuring special guest nanny, Octomom Nadya Suleman!" Send a crew to the family compound, give Dad whatever resources he needs to conduct further scientific experiments, and mix in a few professional writers to punch it all up. I guarantee this show would get better ratings than some tripe about a has-been rapper looking for a date, or a former congressman learning to dance.

Anyway, while I'm on the subject of misfits, here's a great film I just streamed through Netflix this afternoon.

SLC Punk (1998)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133189/


Netflix description:
Recent college grads Stevo (Matthew Lillard) and Heroin Bob (Michael Goorjian) sport blue Mohawks, listen to hard-core punk and live according to their own rules. Not a problem in many places, but in Salt Lake City they're total outcasts. Add to the mix Stevo's father (Christopher McDonald), who wants his son to study law at Harvard (just as he did). Stevo must decide whether to stay true to his own ideals or start planning for his future.

I loved this movie. It reminded me of my own teenage and early college years. See, it's about a couple of rebellious punk rockers searching for themselves while navigating the social scene of Salt Lake City, Utah in the 1980s. Now, admittedly, my coming of age period was in the late 90s, and I lived in Suburban Detroit instead of Salt Lake City, but STILL -- the lessons in this film are almost universal. Anyone like me ought to appreciate the things our heroes, Steveo and Bob, experience.

SLC Punk is rather thin in the plot department, but that's not an issue, as this film's premise is enough to keep us coasting for 90 minutes. Steveo and Bob (especially Steveo) struggle for individuality in one of the most culturally restrictive places in America. Rednecks and Mormon Zealots rule the adult half of their town, and the only way for the kids to make a mark for themselves is through rebellion.


It takes many different forms. Some youngsters become goth-types; you've got your wussy new-wavers; metal heads; guys who dress in zoot suits for some reason; hippies...just like when I was young! Same attitudes, different names, really. As SLC Punk begins, Steveo and Bob are confident in their identities. They're nihilistic, destructive little PUNKS! Nothing matters, and screw authority, they say. They hang out with other punks who all look just like them, and even accuse each other of being "posers" and "trendy". Boy, does this stuff take me back. In one scene, Steveo's ultra-understanding parents lovingly tell him that they're proud no matter what he does, and he responds by giving them the finger. Heh heh....

Anyway, Steveo eventually starts to notice the same things that I noticed when I was his age. Namely, restricting himself to just being a punk (or ANY one thing, for that matter) is friggin' boring. A girl in the film at one point raises the same ironic question I often did as a teenager: "If being 'punk' is about individuality, then why do you people all go out of your way to look the same? It's like you're wearing uniforms. How does that make a point about anything?" Steveo can't answer it at first, but figures things out by the end.

In case you couldn't tell, I enjoyed SLC Punk because I could relate to it. Watching this film was a nostalgic walk through more more promising times for me, although my younger self still differs significantly from Steveo in that, when I was his age, I couldn't even fit in with the outcasts. In fact, every social group in high school hated me. I wasn't smart enough to be a nerd, I thought sports were boring, and I wasn't allowed to play with the other rebellious types because I couldn't afford a skateboard and that stupid Manic Panic hair dye never seemed to work on me. Too bad there wasn't a group of kids who just liked watching Comedy Central and playing video games....

I recommend SLC Punk to anyone who is looking for an amusing afternoon diversion that could take them back a bit. It's funny, smartly-written, and also features an excellent soundtrack. And remember -- you can STREAM it!

4 out of 5.

b.