"Death to Smoochy" vs "Being John Malkovich"

[Hays]

Just wondering if any other puppeteers (or puppet groupies) had the same reactions I did to these movies.

At the insistence of many of my friends, I rented "Being John Malkovich," which everybody referred me to for two reasons: I once was a puppeteer, and many of my friends work for Steppenwolf Theatre, where John Malkovich occasionally appears. Boy, did this movie creep me out! Satire is funny because it shows you an exaggerated side of the truth - and this movie was WAY too close to the seamy underbelly of puppetry for me. I won't say I didn't enjoy the film, but it REALLY creeped me out, as I know too many people who do inappropriate street puppetry and have girlfriends who own too many animals.

"Death to Smoochy" on the other hand, was one of my favorite films of the year. I loved the idea that the live-action kids tours are run by the mafia. I also liked that, though it crossed the line into the dark underworld, the movie somehow ended on a positive note, like it's predecessor "Get Shorty"

Anyway, just wondering what you all think.