Movie stories

Okay, okay, so this is supposed to be a blog celebrating the joy of stories told in the oral tradition, but doggone it, there are some great stories told in film! Besides, Tony of Milkriver, issued a movie meme challenge to a bunch of us on his bloglist. Probably my other blog is the one on his list, but I already did an entry there, and I have this "rule" about posting no more than once per day. So.....

Tony's challenge was to post a favorite movie that is probably pretty obscure. He'll check the various selections and gather them all on his blog, sort of a "best of the unknowns," as it were.

I will offer two choices, and if you actually know of them or see them, please don't judge me completely by these choices. I like humor on a higher plane, too, but both of these are funny and probably can release all kinds of cancer-fighting neurotransmitters as you laugh your fool head off.

#1--Waking Ned Devine I saw this Irish film when I went to Synod School a few years ago. A couple of the people there seemed a bit upset by some of the humor, especially when the trouble-making old biddy gets knocked off the cliff while she's in the phone booth calling the police, but I thought it was hysterical. The premise of the movie is this---excitement comes to a small town when it's learned that one of their own won a huge lottery. Unfortunately, the ticket holder, Ned Devine, died of shock upon realizing his good fortune, but some of his neighbors conspire to pose as the deceased and cash in. British humor, but slightly more understated in an Irish sort of way.

#2--Escanaba in Da Moonlight This one is a family favorite. I will preface my comments by pointing out that I married a genuine Yooper. If you have to ask, you just won't understand.
Jeff Daniels produced and released this movie independently, filming much of it in Marquette Michigan. It tells the story of a family deer camp, in which Rueben Soady, "da buckless Yooper," sets out to finally end his personal curse of being the only Soady never to bag a buck. The humor is completely sophomoric, and you know, sometimes that's exactly what one needs.

I figure I have done my part to offer up some lowbrow movie choices to appeal to your adolescent soul, while still maintaining a level of obscurity that renders the humor to be almost of an avant garde nature.