Of Note to Fans of Bukowski... and THE ROOM

Readers of this site know of my appreciation for both Charles Bukowski and Tommy Wiseau, and truly I thought "ne'er the twain shall meet," so to speak. Well, I was reading Bukowski's 1975 novel FACTOTUM this morning on the subway, when what should I come across but the following passage:

"I finished my beer, got up and found a bottle of vodka, one of scotch and sat down again. I mixed them with water; I smoked cigars, and ate beef jerky, chips, and hard-boiled eggs. I drank until 5 a.m."

Clearly it's being referenced by the "scotchka" which is so infamously enjoyed by Johnny and Lisa in that one scene in THE ROOM.


Obviously, it's a sign that Tommy Wiseau's next film should be a Bukowski adaption starring himself as the Chinaski alter-ego. I would pay good money to see that.

Film Review: THE ROOM (2003, Tommy Wiseau)

Stars: 5 of 5.
Running Time: 99 minutes.
Notable Cast or Crew: Tommy Wiseau, Juliette Danielle, Greg Sestero, Philip Haldiman, Carolyn Minnott, Mike Holmes, Robyn Paris. Music by Mladen Milicevic.
Tag-line: "A film with the passion of Tennessee Williams."
Best one-liner: " I did not hit her, it's not true! It's bullshit! I did not hit her! I did NOT. Oh, hi, Mark!"

Somewhere beyond the far reaches of our galaxy, there lies a world which shares certain superficial similarities with our own.

The creatures who inhabit it resemble humans physiologically (albeit with pock-marked, squamous, steroid-ravaged skin and long, greasy, buttery tresses),


but their culture and behavior is wholly alien. Occasionally this planet receives transmissions of American daytime television, soft-core films of the early 90's, JC Penney ads, and Boyz II Men music videos. On one memorable day, they intercepted a double feature of REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE and THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. This had quite an impact.


Now, the atmosphere of this world has an unnatural character to it- the best way to describe it to a human would be perhaps to say that it resembles a superimposition via one of our "green-screens."


For recreation, these beings are known to playfully toss a football back and forth across a short distance, but this activity is extremely dangerous, and frequently leads to injury.


Their favorite food is cheesecake, and their favorite beverage is scotch, topped off with vodka: "scotchka."



Some of them are afflicted with breast cancer, but on their planet it's no more serious than the common cold. And unlike in our dimension, when these life forms reach adulthood, they still have a great deal of homework assignments. They deal with the stress by constantly partaking in the sweet, gentle music of laughter: i.e., "Anything for my princess!... Hah-ha-hach-hach-haaaa."



Regardless, in the hopes of expanding the pool of our collective human consciousness, they compiled- at the cost of 7 million Earth dollars- a new gospel. A film.


They sent Ambassador Tommy Wiseau to our world to submit, for our consideration, THE ultimate, definitive exploration of the human condition- from the outside.

So I urge you all to attend this extraterrestrial seminar on that species known as Homo sapiens. It’s held in a little-known institution of higher learning, so humbly called… THE ROOM.

-Sean Gill