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America, F--- Yeah!
Oct. 12th, 2004 11:57 pmHans had a free pass to go see Team America: World Police, the movie from the guys who do South Park. I saw the movie with Chris (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
oakleycub), Matty (mattycub), Paul(barecub), Kenny (kennydoug71) and Tony (pornocub) last weekend, but since poor Hans didn't have anyone to go with, I thought it would be fun to see a second time.
Yes. it's a movie with puppets, or to be more precise, marionettes in the style of the old "supermarionation" of the Thunderbirds. The faces are pretty detailed, even when the puppets movements are awkward, and the filmmakers do very little to cover that up. It's that cheese factor, which is never acknowledged by the characters, that will endear the movie to some, and annoy the rest. Really, the movie isn't about the puppets.
The movie is a skewering of the old 1980's style "America's #1" style action movies. The two that come to mind are Rambo:First Blood Part 2 and Delta Force. Still, it has the whole storyline that a special fighting force needs help from an unlikely source, an reluctant source, much like the 1990's feature, Armageddon. Can Team america defend the world against terrorists? And What is North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Il's involvement with a whole lot of WMDs? You'll just have to see to find out.
If you thought all the explosions and steroid-patriotism were big in the 80's, it's really done to it's most extreme here as Team America fights with little regard for anything but getting the terrorists. Still, the world may be turning on them, as the protests for the Film Actors Guild are rallying against the hot-shot special force. Of course, as soon as you can sing "Take My Breath Away" love develops between the hero and heroine. Still, will the team focus against these two threats and save the world?
You probably know that answer. You probably also know that Trey Parker and Matt Stone will ratchet up the crudity, the language and the celebrity-bashing. The swings seem to be aimed at all sides and have varying-degrees of success. Yes, the criticize the Hollywood Elite, and those that warmonger, but not too deeply. In fact, compared to most South Park episodes, the moral is decidedly low-key, and there's no big stand either way. They seemed much sharper criticizing war when it was more fictitious in South Park:Bigger, Longer and Uncut.
There are some good moments, Kim Jong Il singing is one of them, as is a puppet sex scene that will make you wonder what they did cut to get the R rating. Many will want to find out when the DVD appears. The most well defined character is the despotic leader, which may not bode well for this movie, but you certainly want to see more of him. He's funny.
Of course, if you get offended easily, this isn't the movie for you. Let's just start with the fact that every foreign language in the movie is somewhere between using a couple of words from a language, and just being plain made up. Some will see it as just childish fun, others will think it's down right stupid. How you side on this will decide if you might want to see it.
Trust me, Sunday night talk radio right-wingers were already going off on this movie, saying that it makes fun of a serious situation. Hell right it does! I just think they don't quite understand parody in that black-or-white, with us or against us kind of mindset. I think they actually pulled punches.
Like the South Park movie, the songs help keep things rolling, and actually provide some of the best lines in the movie. if you remember those 80's films, you know the type of songs they'll be parodying - so pay attention.
Funny, but not as biting as it could be, just more crass.
oakleycub), Matty (mattycub), Paul(barecub), Kenny (kennydoug71) and Tony (pornocub) last weekend, but since poor Hans didn't have anyone to go with, I thought it would be fun to see a second time.Yes. it's a movie with puppets, or to be more precise, marionettes in the style of the old "supermarionation" of the Thunderbirds. The faces are pretty detailed, even when the puppets movements are awkward, and the filmmakers do very little to cover that up. It's that cheese factor, which is never acknowledged by the characters, that will endear the movie to some, and annoy the rest. Really, the movie isn't about the puppets.
The movie is a skewering of the old 1980's style "America's #1" style action movies. The two that come to mind are Rambo:First Blood Part 2 and Delta Force. Still, it has the whole storyline that a special fighting force needs help from an unlikely source, an reluctant source, much like the 1990's feature, Armageddon. Can Team america defend the world against terrorists? And What is North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Il's involvement with a whole lot of WMDs? You'll just have to see to find out.
If you thought all the explosions and steroid-patriotism were big in the 80's, it's really done to it's most extreme here as Team America fights with little regard for anything but getting the terrorists. Still, the world may be turning on them, as the protests for the Film Actors Guild are rallying against the hot-shot special force. Of course, as soon as you can sing "Take My Breath Away" love develops between the hero and heroine. Still, will the team focus against these two threats and save the world?
You probably know that answer. You probably also know that Trey Parker and Matt Stone will ratchet up the crudity, the language and the celebrity-bashing. The swings seem to be aimed at all sides and have varying-degrees of success. Yes, the criticize the Hollywood Elite, and those that warmonger, but not too deeply. In fact, compared to most South Park episodes, the moral is decidedly low-key, and there's no big stand either way. They seemed much sharper criticizing war when it was more fictitious in South Park:Bigger, Longer and Uncut.
There are some good moments, Kim Jong Il singing is one of them, as is a puppet sex scene that will make you wonder what they did cut to get the R rating. Many will want to find out when the DVD appears. The most well defined character is the despotic leader, which may not bode well for this movie, but you certainly want to see more of him. He's funny.
Of course, if you get offended easily, this isn't the movie for you. Let's just start with the fact that every foreign language in the movie is somewhere between using a couple of words from a language, and just being plain made up. Some will see it as just childish fun, others will think it's down right stupid. How you side on this will decide if you might want to see it.
Trust me, Sunday night talk radio right-wingers were already going off on this movie, saying that it makes fun of a serious situation. Hell right it does! I just think they don't quite understand parody in that black-or-white, with us or against us kind of mindset. I think they actually pulled punches.
Like the South Park movie, the songs help keep things rolling, and actually provide some of the best lines in the movie. if you remember those 80's films, you know the type of songs they'll be parodying - so pay attention.
Funny, but not as biting as it could be, just more crass.
