Master Pancake Obsessed
The Austin Chronicle, a publication similar to that of the Gambit, celebrated it’s 31st birthday yesterday. The party if you could call it that was held at the historic Austin Paramount Theatre. You can tell the place is old. I heard people talking about the seats and walking up the stairs. As people live longer we keep getting taller and taller.
I didn’t know what to expect. See, I was only going because there was a free showing of the film Obsessed, which starred Ali Larter and Beyonce’ Knowles. I never saw the film in the theater because it was Beyonce’ and it looked like a bad version of Fatal Attraction. This was my chance to check it out. What I found out was that Master Pancake, a parody troupe, would be performing. I had no idea what this meant. At first I was thinking (Rocky Horror Picture Show) where performers act out what is going on at the same time on the stage. In any event I wanted to check it out. I had never been to the Paramount and it was a chance to experience something new and the possibility of networking.
I was concerned about parking because Austin recently changed free parking at the meters. There isn’t a lot of free parking as it is in Austin. You would think they would give people a break. I was in luck as it turns out, Monday through Wednesday parking is still free after 6 P.M. That worked out in my favor and this means I could go out on Tuesdays like I used to do in NOLA and have a drink when I have the funds.
When I got to the theater there was a nice crowd. The lobby was small and I figure since I didn’t have to pay for a ticket, I’d buy some popcorn. The theater could probably seat about a thousand people. There was the first floor and balcony and upper level, box seats and the nose bleed section. I sat in the second balcony. There was no rails to hold on to so I’m glad I didn’t have an alcoholic beverage. The seats were very small and very close together. Every time the couple in front of me moved they were touching me. There was no obstruction of my view.
The show began a little after 7 P.M. with the Publisher, Nick Barbaro and the Editor, Louis Black. The talked a little about the Chronicle and introduced Master Pancake. Three guys came on stage, a tall thin guy with a shaved head, a shorter guy with a full head of dark hair and a blonde guy that was slim in stature. I was glad that I was not the only person seeing them perform for the first time or that I wasn’t the only person that hadn’t seen the movie. They continually informed everyone of how bad they thought the movie was.
I like movies, and I’ve seen my share of movies that weren’t the best, but there’s something that makes it entertaining. Sometimes it’s the star in the film or the location. The fact that someone creates this art and gets it out is an accomplishment. I know many times and film looks good on paper, but an editor can chop it up really bad. Sometimes the director doesn’t direct the actors very well. There are a lot of components that have to come together.
Master Pancakes opening was about 10 minutes. There were some jokes about Beyonce’ sharing her birthday with the Chronicle and whether or not she could actually act. (The Jury is still out on that.) She’s finally becoming a singer. Some of Master Pancake language was vulgar. There were some hits and misses, but that’s the world of comedy. Some people get the joke, some are embarrassed by it and sometimes the joke just flies overhead into the rafters.
So it was time for the movie to begin and I realized it was going to be like Mystery 2000, I believe that was the name of the show in which an astronaut and his alien would watch movies and talk during certain scenes to make it funny. That is what Master Pancake did with Obsessed. Now I will have to try to see this film just to see what was changed and how it flows without the comedy.
There was one catch phrase that was voted on by the audience to be used whenever the male lead rubbed his head, which he does a lot in this film. (I won’t repeat the phrase.)
Master Pancake was very entertaining and I’m glad I got to experience it. I’d be interested in seeing what else they do, but it might be hard to top what they did with this film. It was almost non stop laughter. Every joke during the film was on point. There were one or two jokes that a few people didn’t really like, but I thought they were all funny. Some were dated, but a lot of things were current so the younger set could share in the fun.
I could tell some of the film had been edited. There was an intermission and Master Pancake took the stage to do a recap of the film thus far and they even included a dance number to Beyonce’s song. (I’m not sure of the title, but it’s one for the single ladies, if you like it then you should have put a ring on it.) Anyway, it was hilarious. Then the last 20 or 30 minutes of the film played and the fight scene was sped up to the music of Benny Hill and then we saw the final fight and the film ended.
That was my first Keeping Austin Weird experience. Next time I’ll have to hang around to mingle, but I always have to get my feet wet. It’s rare that I go anywhere alone for the first time, but I have to do what I have to do. Next time maybe I’ll invite someone along or get a group together.
Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind.
http://artbydlonzo.blogspot.com
http://vimeo.com/27482821
http://dlonzo-OpenYourMind.blogspot.com
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54325957
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54365247
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