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Screening Party
Mare's still P.O.-ed at Rob in the next scene, in which the gang shows up at St. Elmo's on Halloween night sporting Groucho Marx-style nose glasses. "This is the one night a year where Judd Nelson feels normal," says Tony. In this scene, Rob's sax-synching is so powerhouse that Demi, who's newly crimped hair makes her look like an albino Pointer Sister, is compelled to dry hump the jukebox. "I'm obsessed with this moment coming up," says Marcus, "where Rob starts clapping and says, â ~Let's rock!' I think he looks so awkward." Just then, his wife traipses in looking like Pat Benatar from the "Love Is a Battlefield" video. When Rob notices she's with another man, all hell breaks loose. "Get your hands off of my wife!" threatens Rob. "With narcissists," explains Dr. Beaverman, "everything belongs to them. They see everything as an extension of themselves. They are not independent objects." Dr. B takes a swig of Snapple and adds, ". . . .unlike whatever Demi's got stuffed into her bra which seems to have a mind of its own." "And check out that metallic lip gloss," says Tony. "It looks like she just went down on C3PO in the bathroom."-Screening Party on St. Elmo's Fire
??It started as a series of articles for the British version of Premiere, and Instinct Magazine, but soon took on a life of it's own. Dennis Hensley, author of the bestseller Misadventures in the (213), has been getting together with 5 friends to watch and debate, rant, criticize, and reminisce about films that are both recognized classics and guilty pleasures. Partway through this deconstruction of memorable cinema, you will encounter this musing on "â ~What girl would make out with her boyfriend in front of her dad?' wonders Tony, as Liv straddles Ben and sucks his face off while Willis and company look on. â ~She mounted him in a sundress in front of her dad.'" If you're tired of plodding through earnest studies of film's impact on society, these words alone should convince you that this book is anything but.
??Dennis Hensley is a Los Angelesâ based journalist whose writing has appeared in Movieline, Premiere, The Advocate, and other publications. He is the author of the n
??It started as a series of articles for the British version of Premiere, and Instinct Magazine, but soon took on a life of it's own. Dennis Hensley, author of the bestseller Misadventures in the (213), has been getting together with 5 friends to watch and debate, rant, criticize, and reminisce about films that are both recognized classics and guilty pleasures. Partway through this deconstruction of memorable cinema, you will encounter this musing on "â ~What girl would make out with her boyfriend in front of her dad?' wonders Tony, as Liv straddles Ben and sucks his face off while Willis and company look on. â ~She mounted him in a sundress in front of her dad.'" If you're tired of plodding through earnest studies of film's impact on society, these words alone should convince you that this book is anything but.
??Dennis Hensley is a Los Angelesâ based journalist whose writing has appeared in Movieline, Premiere, The Advocate, and other publications. He is the author of the n
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First published September 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 1, 2013
Not for those easily offended by any means. Really.
I must say that it made me a little sad to read this, as long ago, in my seven-year-stint at university, there was a group of folk known as the Bombshelter, and often, while watching movies, there was a free-for-all discussion of the movie while it played. It was always amusing, witty, and a hell of a lot of fun, but said gatherings don't quite measure up to "Screening Party." It shames me to admit this. Though, to be fair, you know how you can colour-code friends on Live-Journal? All the Bombshelter folk are in Light Tan, which was the closest I could get to 'beer.' This explains how perhaps the edge of wit might have been somewhat dulled in comparison to those of the Dennis Hensley group.
Here's the stich: A phenomenal group of six regulars (and occasional visitors) watch 'great' (and not so great) movies and allow their wit to run rampant. The characters themselves are what keep this theme going: Dennis, our author/narrative voice, is a gay guy I can really relate to - he's not so fabulous in all, but somehow he manages to get out a good bon-mot without embarrasing himself overmuch. His roommate, Tony, (they do not date each other) is the more super-fab guy (and at one point, Dennis wants to ensure that in the book jacket cover, Tony is on the back, as Dennis has enough trouble getting dates as it is). Tony is the nasty queen, dripping with acid comments sure to please your inner bitch, regardless of your own gender. Lauren is your (dare I say it?) pseudo-fag-hag friend of Tony and Tony, and it's just as much fun to chart her relationship with Barry as it is to read her dead-on comments about just how pathetic most of these movie heroines are. Onward to Dr. Beaverman (yes, that's her name), who is just about the funniest Freudian mailed-away-for-her-degree lady I've ever had the pleasure to read. It's all about sex, and she makes it all about sex in a psychological way that left me in hysterics. Ross is the guy who works at the movie rental place and dreams of making his own movie - and has the Fun Facts for nearly every movie. He's the movie geek you all know and love, and has a wonderful tendancy to say, "I just want her to say," or "I just want him to go," and fill in with the perfect dialogue. And lasty, Marcus, who I think I've fallen in love with reading this book. He brings themed baked treats to every show (his vanilla butt cupcakes with vanilla filling for 'Cruising' nearly made me guffaw on the train ride home), and is just such a sweetheart.
I'm not kidding when I say this has been the funniest book I have read in years. It doesn't even matter if you've seen the movies they slaughter... er, critique, but if you have, all the better. I know I'll never see 'The Sound of Music' the same way again.
Better - you get to see the character's lives move onward. Hearing about Dr. Beaverman's life, or Lauren's love troubles, or yet another Marcus 'this reminds me of...' story will make you smile. Tony's life crises really struck a chord at one point. And throughout it all is the countdown to Dennis' loved Mariah Carey's 'Glitter', the showing of which is crashed by one hell of a star, to hilarious results. Seriously.
Huge thanks to GoryDetails who sent this to me for Christmas. I have got to find an appropriate way to pay her back!
Ahh. Breathe. Still laughing.
Best Line: Too many, but from the 'Sound of Music' write up: "I want Maria to go, 'Excuse me, Captain, the oldest girl is marching same leg-same arm. Is she retarded or just uncoordinated?'" - Dennis
I must say that it made me a little sad to read this, as long ago, in my seven-year-stint at university, there was a group of folk known as the Bombshelter, and often, while watching movies, there was a free-for-all discussion of the movie while it played. It was always amusing, witty, and a hell of a lot of fun, but said gatherings don't quite measure up to "Screening Party." It shames me to admit this. Though, to be fair, you know how you can colour-code friends on Live-Journal? All the Bombshelter folk are in Light Tan, which was the closest I could get to 'beer.' This explains how perhaps the edge of wit might have been somewhat dulled in comparison to those of the Dennis Hensley group.
Here's the stich: A phenomenal group of six regulars (and occasional visitors) watch 'great' (and not so great) movies and allow their wit to run rampant. The characters themselves are what keep this theme going: Dennis, our author/narrative voice, is a gay guy I can really relate to - he's not so fabulous in all, but somehow he manages to get out a good bon-mot without embarrasing himself overmuch. His roommate, Tony, (they do not date each other) is the more super-fab guy (and at one point, Dennis wants to ensure that in the book jacket cover, Tony is on the back, as Dennis has enough trouble getting dates as it is). Tony is the nasty queen, dripping with acid comments sure to please your inner bitch, regardless of your own gender. Lauren is your (dare I say it?) pseudo-fag-hag friend of Tony and Tony, and it's just as much fun to chart her relationship with Barry as it is to read her dead-on comments about just how pathetic most of these movie heroines are. Onward to Dr. Beaverman (yes, that's her name), who is just about the funniest Freudian mailed-away-for-her-degree lady I've ever had the pleasure to read. It's all about sex, and she makes it all about sex in a psychological way that left me in hysterics. Ross is the guy who works at the movie rental place and dreams of making his own movie - and has the Fun Facts for nearly every movie. He's the movie geek you all know and love, and has a wonderful tendancy to say, "I just want her to say," or "I just want him to go," and fill in with the perfect dialogue. And lasty, Marcus, who I think I've fallen in love with reading this book. He brings themed baked treats to every show (his vanilla butt cupcakes with vanilla filling for 'Cruising' nearly made me guffaw on the train ride home), and is just such a sweetheart.
I'm not kidding when I say this has been the funniest book I have read in years. It doesn't even matter if you've seen the movies they slaughter... er, critique, but if you have, all the better. I know I'll never see 'The Sound of Music' the same way again.
Better - you get to see the character's lives move onward. Hearing about Dr. Beaverman's life, or Lauren's love troubles, or yet another Marcus 'this reminds me of...' story will make you smile. Tony's life crises really struck a chord at one point. And throughout it all is the countdown to Dennis' loved Mariah Carey's 'Glitter', the showing of which is crashed by one hell of a star, to hilarious results. Seriously.
Huge thanks to GoryDetails who sent this to me for Christmas. I have got to find an appropriate way to pay her back!
Ahh. Breathe. Still laughing.
Best Line: Too many, but from the 'Sound of Music' write up: "I want Maria to go, 'Excuse me, Captain, the oldest girl is marching same leg-same arm. Is she retarded or just uncoordinated?'" - Dennis
September 8, 2016
“Her hat is killing me,” insists one of the regulars. “I swear to God, I just lost 30 T-cells.”
There’s a fine line between shock humor and bad taste, and if Screening Party seems constantly in danger of tripping over it, things usually come down on the preferable side.
The premise is simple… and promising. A mixed bag of guests (men and women, straight and gay, psychotherapist, attorneys, stand-up comics, et al) get together on a regular basis to watch a mixed bag of old movies, most of which were produced somewhere between the sixties and the nineties. If not classics exactly, all the films can at least be described as big movies.
Big, fat movies: they make the best targets after all.
Let’s face it, we all do this, but Dennis Hensley and his friends raise the simple act of talking back to the screen to the level of high comedy. At moments, the proceedings might seem reminiscent of Mystery Science Theater 3000 – I loved those bitchy ‘bots – but Hensley’s gang targets everything from The Sound of Music to Taxi Driver, and it isn’t all just played for laughs either. Amid the ruckus, they unearth fascinating details about the making of the films, background material on the artists, and even manage some sobering social commentary, establishing once and for all that movies are more than just entertainment. A film can be an event, a distillation of the spirit of its time.
(Or not.)
This group is nothing if not forthright and incisive, and it’s hard to predict what will elicit a moving anecdote about their personal lives. For instance, even a vacuous effort like the old Bruce Willis vehicle Armageddon prompts an intense moment when one of the group recalls his initial response to being diagnosed with HIV. The humor may be sharp, but Hensley and pals prove gutsy, smart and caring – even when the movies are less than masterpieces. “I don’t know if I should watch Glitter with compromised immunity,” one of them comments.
Some things are hard to argue with.
There’s a fine line between shock humor and bad taste, and if Screening Party seems constantly in danger of tripping over it, things usually come down on the preferable side.
The premise is simple… and promising. A mixed bag of guests (men and women, straight and gay, psychotherapist, attorneys, stand-up comics, et al) get together on a regular basis to watch a mixed bag of old movies, most of which were produced somewhere between the sixties and the nineties. If not classics exactly, all the films can at least be described as big movies.
Big, fat movies: they make the best targets after all.
Let’s face it, we all do this, but Dennis Hensley and his friends raise the simple act of talking back to the screen to the level of high comedy. At moments, the proceedings might seem reminiscent of Mystery Science Theater 3000 – I loved those bitchy ‘bots – but Hensley’s gang targets everything from The Sound of Music to Taxi Driver, and it isn’t all just played for laughs either. Amid the ruckus, they unearth fascinating details about the making of the films, background material on the artists, and even manage some sobering social commentary, establishing once and for all that movies are more than just entertainment. A film can be an event, a distillation of the spirit of its time.
(Or not.)
This group is nothing if not forthright and incisive, and it’s hard to predict what will elicit a moving anecdote about their personal lives. For instance, even a vacuous effort like the old Bruce Willis vehicle Armageddon prompts an intense moment when one of the group recalls his initial response to being diagnosed with HIV. The humor may be sharp, but Hensley and pals prove gutsy, smart and caring – even when the movies are less than masterpieces. “I don’t know if I should watch Glitter with compromised immunity,” one of them comments.
Some things are hard to argue with.
January 7, 2008
It is very, very rare that anything in a book will make me laugh out loud. I might smile, or appreciate the author's wit or turn of phrase, but seldom is there actual laughter.
I'll bet I laughed aloud about ten times while reading this hysterical, irreverant book about a group of people who meet weekly to watch some great and not-so-great movies. This book is a must-read for any popular film buff (you won't see "Citizen Kane" or anything by Kurosawa in here). Incredibly enjoyable, and even holds up on the re-read.
I'll bet I laughed aloud about ten times while reading this hysterical, irreverant book about a group of people who meet weekly to watch some great and not-so-great movies. This book is a must-read for any popular film buff (you won't see "Citizen Kane" or anything by Kurosawa in here). Incredibly enjoyable, and even holds up on the re-read.
October 30, 2008
I have bought 3 copies of this book because everytime I loan this out it never comes back. So So So funny. It makes me feel like I'm one of their friends right there on the sofa. I laughed out loud. It just reminded me of being with my friends JD, Chris and Chris watching "Designing Women".
November 11, 2009
I strongly recommend reading the book in order as the participants evolve throughout the encounters; I came to appreciate the book more the further I got into the story. However, I couldn't identify with these people much at all - what a truly shallow lot, not in the sense that they don't care about each other, but the continual emphasis on looks (the three gay guys are hot n buff, and only the same need apply, thankyouverymuch) was a lot to take. Dr. Beverly Beaverman, the next door neighbor old enough to be their mother, wasn't so much shallow as self-impressed, but there's a payoff late in the adventures where she has moment, too. Her psychological insights are hilarious, especially in sessions where she becomes progressively more irritated, rather than ones where she's seen the film and knew she'd dislike it from the beginning.
Of the 16 films they critique, I'd only seen two ("Jaws" and "James Bond"); for newbies, Hensley does a good job outlining the plot as they watch along. The only one I'd consider watching would be "Saturday Night Fever" to put the music in context, although the storyline seems dreadful. The rest of them I don't think I could be paid to watch.
I've given it to four stars, because there are, indeed, loads-o-laffs (as well as a few poignant moments) provided. The one that sticks with me most was Dr. Beaverman on "The Bodyguard": Whitney's wig in this scene is like a tri-cornered hat. I keep waiting for her to cross the Delaware.
Of the 16 films they critique, I'd only seen two ("Jaws" and "James Bond"); for newbies, Hensley does a good job outlining the plot as they watch along. The only one I'd consider watching would be "Saturday Night Fever" to put the music in context, although the storyline seems dreadful. The rest of them I don't think I could be paid to watch.
I've given it to four stars, because there are, indeed, loads-o-laffs (as well as a few poignant moments) provided. The one that sticks with me most was Dr. Beaverman on "The Bodyguard": Whitney's wig in this scene is like a tri-cornered hat. I keep waiting for her to cross the Delaware.
September 27, 2007
This book what a bit scattered. You definitely need to read it from front to back to have it make sense, and even then, its so so. The editing was crap, with a lot of typos or double words. Painful
May 15, 2008
This is a funny funny book. An eclectic group of friends in LA gets together to review movies and then one guy writes about it. Hilarious.
November 12, 2008
LOVE IT!!! Dennis, PLEASE do a part 2!
September 9, 2020
Really enjoyed this and laughed out loud multiple times. There's nothing like making vicious fun of bad movies and overblown celebrities—in particular Barbra Streisand and her misbegotten remake of A Star is Born really get raked over the coals here and it's 100% hilarious. I've definitely been spurred on to watch Cruising again soon and my curiosity has actually been piqued about perhaps watching St. Elmo's Fire (something I never before thought possible). The only thing I wonder is how this crew of friends manage to be so incredibly quick and witty. Every great now and again I manage a good zinger but with these folks it's all very rapid fire. It made me sort of jealous.
August 28, 2015
REVIEW OF THE 3-Disc Audiobook:
Dennis Hensley held a series of movie screening parties for friends and recorded the group's caustic chatter while watching the films. He relates what's happening on-screen while his pals (voiced by Kathy Griffin, Tony Tripoli, Erin Quill, Mark Salzberg and Robert Abele) create a Mystery Science Theater 3000-like atmosphere with astute put-downs, wry observations and behind-the-scenes anecdotes to delight film buffs. This crowd can even make a fun evening out of sitting through Armageddon, A Night in Heaven and 9 1/2 Weeks (which everyone agrees refers to "how long Kim Basinger is going to have to be on penicillin" after she breaks up with Mickey Rourke). When Julia Roberts enters Pretty Woman in a blonde pageboy wig and sailor hat, someone notes, "She looks like the Captain and Tennille rolled into one unfortunate person." During Flashdance, Griffin wisecracks, "The metaphors in this movie are about as subtle as Bruce Jenner's face work." Hensley saves the best commentaries for the last CD, when the group takes on Al Pacino's Cruising and Mariah Carey's Glitter. The entire cast is splendid. Hensley deftly handles the majority of the narration, but vies with Eve Arden reincarnate Griffin and hilarious mimic Tripoli as top laugh-getter.
Dennis Hensley held a series of movie screening parties for friends and recorded the group's caustic chatter while watching the films. He relates what's happening on-screen while his pals (voiced by Kathy Griffin, Tony Tripoli, Erin Quill, Mark Salzberg and Robert Abele) create a Mystery Science Theater 3000-like atmosphere with astute put-downs, wry observations and behind-the-scenes anecdotes to delight film buffs. This crowd can even make a fun evening out of sitting through Armageddon, A Night in Heaven and 9 1/2 Weeks (which everyone agrees refers to "how long Kim Basinger is going to have to be on penicillin" after she breaks up with Mickey Rourke). When Julia Roberts enters Pretty Woman in a blonde pageboy wig and sailor hat, someone notes, "She looks like the Captain and Tennille rolled into one unfortunate person." During Flashdance, Griffin wisecracks, "The metaphors in this movie are about as subtle as Bruce Jenner's face work." Hensley saves the best commentaries for the last CD, when the group takes on Al Pacino's Cruising and Mariah Carey's Glitter. The entire cast is splendid. Hensley deftly handles the majority of the narration, but vies with Eve Arden reincarnate Griffin and hilarious mimic Tripoli as top laugh-getter.
April 21, 2008
This was a surprisingly enjoyable book, I have to say. It's a bit like watching bad moves with your friends, and I suppose it helps if you've seen the movies. The author's friends reminded me of mine, so it was a good time. Recommended if you love bad films!
June 4, 2012
Funny
December 15, 2007
...i'm in it!!!
Read
June 10, 2009All movies can be ranted about.
April 19, 2011
Hilarious book! I loved it!
April 1, 2012
One of the quickest, funniest reads! Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews