Review of Modern Times (1936) by Blake L — 02 Jun 2009

Batshit, energetic, coked-out (really!) action movie star and insanely good rollerskater CHARLES CHAPLIN tears through this socially (and topically) relevant, occasionally expressionistic, and consistently hilarious odyssey through, inside, and straight at everything from the American Dream to sound films, all with a most crucial babe Paulette Goddard (of Goddard Residence hall fame?) at his side, prancing around in a mindblowingly adorable orphan pirate-gamin dress and making 99.

9 percent of women on screen in the last 72 years look like lifeless shit. When a movie can successfully make fun of television and big Brother 15 years before they were invented and get away with gas jokes and robot prop gags and climatically end in the most accurate and honest statement on the role of entertainers in "Modern" society AND have its genius score written by the director and tireless lead actor/stuntman/clown, you know you've just witnessed the second greatest film about unemployment ever (that would be Dumb and Dumber, 1994).