Two Fingers
Before I get to the point of this item, let's take a quick gander at Andrew Fleming's Hamlet 2 (Focus Features, 8.27), which I've seen. It's about a somewhat immature, emotionally imbalanced, self-loathing ex-actor and high school teacher (Steve Coogan) who stages an irreverent musical sequel to William Shakespeare's Hamlet co-starring himself and his students. Hamlet 2 was a comic hit at Sundance '08, which led to its acquisition by Focus Features.
It's two movies in one -- an irreverent, somewhat downish comedy of manners and ineptitude about preparing the show (and fighting small-town elements who don't want it performed) and the show itself, which turns out to be much slicker and professionally performed than you're led to expect, and is fairly entertaining. And one of the big musical numbers [see You Tube clip below] is called "Rock Me Sexy Jesus." Coogan -- dressed in a dark beard, dark hippie hair and a white gown -- plays the Christ figure in the number.
Yesterday, to finally get to the point, I received a tiny bobbing Coogan doll to promote the film -- a mildly cute little thing. But there's a little detail about it that seems...well, funny. Or weird. Even given the satirical "goof around with Jesus" tone that's already part of the musical number.
The problem is this: look at the hands of the Coogan Jesus doll, and you'll see he's making the devil hand sign with his fingers (i.e., the index finger and the pinkie finger raised) and not the "hang loose" hand sign, which is conveyed with the thumb and the pinkie.
If you're a football fan from Texas you'd say, "No, no, that's just' the 'hook 'em, Longhorns' sign." Or if you're a rock musician you'd say "No, no, that's just a hand sign that all the rockers use." But in a Jesus context (and particularly given the fact that Hamlet 2 takes place in Arizona, not Texas), the doll's finger sign is still a little bit odd...no?
For clarity's sake here are two images of the hang-loose sign -- image #1, image #2.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on August 13, 2008 at 6:24 PM
comment #1
Caustic712 says ...
So you've got a Jesus doll with a glowing crotch, and the hand signs are what have you concerned? Why don't you take that to Wal-Mart and get 100 opinions?
Posted by Caustic712 at August 13, 2008 6:32 PM
comment #2
gruver1 says ...
Wells to Caustic712: I took the photo and the glowing crotch is some kind of weird optical accident. The doll's crotch does not glow at all.
Posted by gruver1 at August 13, 2008 6:38 PM
comment #3
Walter Sobchak says ...
I will slit the throats of all those who were responsible for the above desecration. Then, I will set fire to their entrails and besmirch the honor of their ancestors! Once that task is completed, I will strap explosives to myself and, God willing, blow up the entire studio behind that sacrilege.
Oh wait.... for a minute there I thought that was a doll of
Mohammed and I was a soldier of Islam. Never mind.
Posted by Walter Sobchak at August 13, 2008 6:40 PM
comment #4
Caustic712 says ...
Say what you want, but "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" + unearthly light down yonder does not sound like a weird optical accident to me. It sounds like the next poster for RELIGULOUS.
Posted by Caustic712 at August 13, 2008 6:44 PM
comment #5
Geoff says ...
Jesus Christ in
Brock Landers: Angel's Live in My Town
Posted by Geoff at August 13, 2008 6:50 PM
comment #6
actionman says ...
Coogan was priceless in Tristam Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story. He was funny in Tropic Thunder as well. I'll be checking this one out.
Posted by actionman at August 13, 2008 7:18 PM
comment #7
Aladdin Sane says ...
Tristam Shandy is awesome. I'll be seeing this for sure.
Posted by Aladdin Sane at August 13, 2008 7:22 PM
comment #8
DarthCorleone says ...
Unintentional honest mistake? Intentionally cutely comic? (As in, "sexy Jesus" doesn't realize what he's doing?) Intentionally subversively irreverent? (As in, Jesus is lame?)
I have no idea. The sanctity of these hand signals is new to me.
Posted by DarthCorleone at August 13, 2008 7:39 PM
comment #9
mutinyco says ...
With hand signs like that, Jesus would fit in pretty well here: http://www.hotchickswithdouchebags.com/2008/08/hcwdb-of-week-crapser-douchey-ghost.html
Posted by mutinyco at August 13, 2008 7:40 PM
comment #10
D.Z. says ...
Walt: "I will slit the throats of all those who were responsible for the above desecration. Then, I will set fire to their entrails and besmirch the honor of their ancestors! Once that task is completed, I will strap explosives to myself and, God willing, blow up the entire studio behind that sacrilege. Oh wait.... for a minute there I thought that was a doll of Mohammed and I was a soldier of Islam. Never mind. "
Or maybe you're just a gun nut who shoots up a church for being too liberal..
Posted by D.Z. at August 13, 2008 8:18 PM
comment #11
Walter Sobchak says ...
D.Z. takes the medal stand to receive the Gold in "Moral Equivalency".
You really, I mean REALLY always take the other side, don't you?
I'll serve one up to you.... Despite the rule that states participants must be at least age 16 to participate the Chinese Olympic Women's Gymnastic Team is using girls that are probably closer to 12 and 13 to grab gold.
(Here's were you counter with the awful thing the U.S. is doing)
It must be fun hearing you rooting against Michael Phelps. "Falter, representative of a corrupt Capitalist system! Falter!"
Posted by Walter Sobchak at August 13, 2008 8:32 PM
comment #12
D.Z. says ...
Walter: "Despite the rule that states participants must be at least age 16 to participate the Chinese Olympic Women's Gymnastic Team is using girls that are probably closer to 12 and 13 to grab gold. (Here's were you counter with the awful thing the U.S. is doing)"
How about detaining people that age indefinitely?
Posted by D.Z. at August 13, 2008 8:39 PM
comment #13
EOTW says ...
Walter S: Coogan has actually said the reason why he didn't do a Sexy Mohammed is because Muslims would try to kill him. True.
Posted by EOTW at August 13, 2008 8:39 PM
comment #14
D.Z. says ...
>It must be fun hearing you rooting against Michael Phelps. >"Falter, representative of a corrupt Capitalist system! >Falter!"
No, I'm just rooting for those Tibetans we sold out for tainted cat food...
Posted by D.Z. at August 13, 2008 8:46 PM
comment #15
Teacher's Pets says ...
What's funny is that most Islam-mocking right-wingers are usually devoted to some degree to their own ludicrous "prophet spreading the word of the invisible death dealer in the sky" story...they just think their myth is better because they did most of their slaughtering of infidels 500-1000 years ago.
Congrats - your regressive, backward, inane, brutish cult is less regressive, backward, inane and brutish than theirs.
Posted by Teacher's Pets at August 13, 2008 8:47 PM
comment #16
frankbooth says ...
Who would be the characters in a Hamlet 2? Because all the characters in Hamlet One, sort of, you know (SPOILER) die.
I hope I didn't ruin that for anyone.
I'll guess I'll have to see it and find out. Any comedy with a title that makes you laugh starts out on the right foot.
Posted by frankbooth at August 13, 2008 9:25 PM
comment #17
Mgmax says ...
"What's funny is that most Islam-mocking right-wingers are usually devoted to some degree to their own ludicrous "prophet spreading the word of the invisible death dealer in the sky" story...they just think their myth is better because they did most of their slaughtering of infidels 500-1000 years ago."
That IS funny!
Posted by Mgmax at August 13, 2008 9:44 PM
comment #18
EricGilde says ...
I take his hands to be used in a sort of generic "Rock and Roll!" way. I don't think it's any more odd for him to use it than for him to be wearing a wife-beater. And personally, if I'd been nailed to a cross I'd probably have chosen a different belt-buckle.
All in all, he looks like he's on his way to a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert or something.
It's the whole, it's funny because it's irreverent thing. Like writing a song called "Rock Me, Sexy Jesus." Or putting Jesus in a sequel to Hamlet. It's not really proper to do either of those things, but that's where the joke is. Same thing going on here.
Posted by EricGilde at August 13, 2008 9:55 PM
comment #19
Walter Sobchak says ...
I'm sorry. I didn't mean to mock Islam. Actually I've no problem with a bunch of extremists causing riots and declaring death threats because they were offending by a FUCKING CARTOON.
Posted by Walter Sobchak at August 13, 2008 10:13 PM
comment #20
Terry McCarty says ...
frankbooth wrote:
Who would be the characters in a Hamlet 2? Because all the characters in Hamlet One, sort of, you know (SPOILER) die.
I hope I didn't ruin that for anyone.
I'll guess I'll have to see it and find out. Any comedy with a title that makes you laugh starts out on the right foot.
In the HAMLET 2 trailer, there's an explanation as to how the characters reappear.
Posted by Terry McCarty at August 13, 2008 10:29 PM
comment #21
D.Z. says ...
Walter: "Actually I've no problem with a bunch of extremists causing riots and declaring death threats because they were offending by a FUCKING CARTOON."
But when they trash a record because of some comment by the Beatles, or when they throw Pokemon into a bonfire, and ban Harry Potter, then they get a free pass.
Posted by D.Z. at August 13, 2008 10:30 PM
comment #22
Walter Sobchak says ...
Hmmm... a few rednecks throwing "Rubber Soul" into a drum fire 40 years ago, someone throwing a Pokemon into a similar fire but now, not allowing Harry Potter books at a school....
VS.
Sawing someone's head off because they have Jewish ancestery, blowing yourself and a pizza joint packed with teenagers up, flying airliners into skyscrapers, destroying Buddhist relics and going generally ape-shit over a newspaper wacky cartoon...
Yeah, I see your point.
Advantage - D.Z.
Posted by Walter Sobchak at August 13, 2008 11:51 PM
comment #23
D.Z. says ...
Walter: "Sawing someone's head off because they have Jewish ancestery,"
How about shooting up a Jewish Community Center?
"blowing yourself and a pizza joint packed with teenagers up,"
But giving citizenship to a guy who blows up planes in the name of fighting communism is perfectly normal.
"flying airliners into skyscrapers,"
As opposed to dropping bombs on medicine factories?
"destroying Buddhist relics"
But looking the other way when Iraq relics get looted...
"and going generally ape-shit over a newspaper wacky cartoon..."
*cough* Emmett Till *cough*
Posted by D.Z. at August 14, 2008 12:05 AM
comment #24
Walter Sobchak says ...
I already said "you win", and you do.
Point taken.
Radical Islamists are NO more dangerous than your average American Methodist, Catholic or Mormon.
(P.S. Why do you live here? Really? Don't give me that "love it or leave it" crap, either.... you're more than welcome to stick around, but REALLY... aren't you kind of a dumb-shit to live in a place you obviously can't stand?... or am I assuming you wouldn't bitch and whine about any other country you'd live in?)
Posted by Walter Sobchak at August 14, 2008 12:56 AM
comment #25
Walter Sobchak says ...
Walter: "Sawing someone's head off because they have Jewish ancestery,"
D.Z. "How about shooting up a Jewish Community Center?"
Touche!
(btw... HOW many people were so much as injured when that one deranged guy shot up the community center?)
Posted by Walter Sobchak at August 14, 2008 12:59 AM
comment #26
D.Z. says ...
Walt: "HOW many people were so much as injured when that one deranged guy shot up the community center?)"
Why? Because guns don't kill people; suicide bombers kill people, right?
"Don't give me that "love it or leave it" crap, either.... you're more than welcome to stick around, but REALLY... aren't you kind of a dumb-shit to live in a place you obviously can't stand?"
If you mean L.A., hell if I know. If you mean the country,
I just can't stand the idiots who keep looking for new
ways to make us look less informed and cultured than the rest of the world; my new favorite is Cokie Roberts.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/08/12/draft-senator-akaka-slams-cokie/#comments
Posted by D.Z. at August 14, 2008 2:05 AM
comment #27
Richardson says ...
"I'll serve one up to you.... Despite the rule that states participants must be at least age 16 to participate the Chinese Olympic Women's Gymnastic Team is using girls that are probably closer to 12 and 13 to grab gold."
It shocks me that I have heard more people complaining about that in the past week than have complained about China aiding the genocides in Darfur in the last year.
Do people really care that much about possible, entirely unproven, cheating in a meaningless event? (And, BTW, if you look at serious gymnasts at 16, they often look younger, it has to do with training.)
Posted by Richardson at August 14, 2008 8:26 AM
comment #28
Bocephus says ...
"Because all the characters in Hamlet One, sort of, you know (SPOILER) die."
Gee thanks, asshole, I was waiting for the Michael Bay version to come out!
Posted by Bocephus at August 14, 2008 8:34 AM
comment #29
Richardson says ...
"Who would be the characters in a Hamlet 2? Because all the characters in Hamlet One, sort of, you know (SPOILER) die."
It opens with Horatio being visited by Hamlet's ghost, and Hamlet tells him that, it turns out, Fortinbras masterminded the events of the first one in order to get the throne away from Hamlet. So Hamlet 2 is about Horatio taking revenge on Fortinbras for Hamlet's death. It's Shakespeare's only foray into torture porn -- should be interesting.
Posted by Richardson at August 14, 2008 9:13 AM
comment #30
a1 says ...
I thought "Titus Andronicus" was Shakespeare's first torture-porn effort.
Posted by a1 at August 14, 2008 10:16 AM
comment #31
Richardson says ...
a1 - touche.
Posted by Richardson at August 14, 2008 10:25 AM
comment #32
T. S. Idiot says ...
JC=Joe Cocker?
Posted by T. S. Idiot at August 14, 2008 11:41 AM
comment #33
dd
says ...
It opens with Horatio being visited by Hamlet's ghost, and Hamlet tells him that, it turns out, Fortinbras masterminded the events of the first one in order to get the throne away from Hamlet. So Hamlet 2 is about Horatio taking revenge on Fortinbras for Hamlet's death. It's Shakespeare's only foray into torture porn -- should be interesting.
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