Overheard at the video store: Cannibals, dead movie stars, and unrealistic superheroes

Local video store's replacing Barnes and Noble as my favorite place to spy and eavesdrop.  Other night, while I was browsing I spied and eavesdropped on the following.

Trio of college students, three women all fans of Heath Ledger and looking forward to the release of Dark Knight on DVD.

First Ledger Fan: Wasn't he great?

Second Ledger Fan:  He made that movie!  He made it!  He was totally brilliant.

Third Ledger Fan:  It was a good movie.

Second Ledger Fan:  It was the best!  I can't wait.  I wish we could rent it tonight.

Third Ledger Fan:  What are we renting?

Second Ledger Fan:  Prom Night.

First Ledger Fan:  Prom Night?

Second Ledger Fan:  Prom Night.  It's good.

Third Ledger Fan:  What about Iron Man?

Second Ledger Fan:  You know, I didn't care for that one.  Everybody was like it was so wonderful?  But I didn't think it was all that good.

First Ledger Fan:  Why not?

Second Ledger Fan:  It was unrealistic.

Then there was a gang of high school students, mix of boys and girls.

One of the girls:  Oh, let's get this one!

One of the boys:  Raising Jeffrey Dahmer?  What's that about?

First girl:  It's based on a true story!

First boy:  Who's Jeffrey Dahmer?

Another girl:  "Who's Jeffrey Dahmer?"  You don't know about Jeffrey Dahmer?

First boy:  No.  Who's Jeffrey Dahmer?

Second girl (Big "Hello!" in her voice):  Jeffrey Dahmer?  Cannibal?

First boy:  Nope.

Second girl (Big "Duh!" in her voice now):  The Dahmer Party?

Comments

[Michael Bartley]

Thanks for the morning laugh. I'm still smiling as I write. It would be funny to hear you tell that story with Palin and Bush in the room and watch as they slowly move to a quiet corner to powwow in order to figure out why everyone was laughing. Solemn talk, slow nodding, lights flickering on and off, finally, after a numbed pause, Bush takes her by the arm and announces to the room that dinner is served. With his trademark cocky ass twinkle, he leans toward her ear, pauses to smell her scent and remember his days as a cheerleader, and whispers, "that's how you change the subject darlin'."

[Mike Schilling]

Q. What did Jeffrey Dahmer say to Lorena Bobbit?

A. Don't throw that away, I'll eat it.

[sfmike]

I didn't think "Iron Man" was all that good, either, and it had nothing to do with being "unrealistic." What a creepy movie it was, from beginning to end. If we're still around in 20 years, people are going to look at it with amazement and horror.

[actor212]

Dahmer party....*giggle*

Actually, give the girl credit for actually being aware of the Donner party.

"Donner, party of 33?...Donner, party of 33?..pass?"

[Falstaff]

Hm. Now I'm curious -- though this is totally off-topic, and this is the second time I've done this lately, so everyone should feel free to ignore me. That said, I'm an old comic book fan; I've been reading 'em for over twenty years now, and while Iron Man was never a particular favorite of mine, I always thought he was pretty cool.

It's interesting to me to hear what someone who doesn't necessarily have the same level of immersion with the characters and their history thinks of parts of the genre -- I'd especially like to hear why SFMike thought "Iron Man" was creepy.

(Especially since, on and off over the last twenty years or so, there's been a subtle undercurrent of acknowledgement that the guy in the red and yellow armor isn't the most stable guy in the world, and perhaps oughtn't to be flying around telling people what to do.)

But, like I said, it's off-topic, so feel free to ignore!

[crossbuck]

The Dahmer party? I was there, and what a disappointment. The punch was unpalatable (tasted metallic), the prairie oysters were overseasoned, and the ribs were just too fatty with no meat to speak of. I vowed never to go again, but the bastard insisted I stay and wouldn't let me have my coat. I left without it.