My first post since "I don't know when" isn't exactly film therapy, but what the heck.
South Park - The Complete Sixth Season DVD Review
Every season of South Park has its hilarious and memorable moments/episodes. The sixth season is full of laughs and funny stories. Asspen is one of the season’s standouts, which finds the boys on vacation in Asspen while their parents have to endure the pain of sitting through countless Time Share presentations. The best part is when Stan gets challenged to a ski race by a stupid jock, but he must win in order to save a youth center and “get the girl” (a famous cliché). The episode is also memorable for its “sports montage” song that Trey Parker and Matt Stone later adapted for their hilarious action-spoof-with-puppets movie Team America.
Freak Strike is also funny as Cartman signs up Butters for a talk show that offers special assistance to grossly disfigured people. The New Terrence and Phillip Movie Trailer is another memorable episode as we are introduced to “Russell Crowe: Fightin’ Around the World,” which finds Crowe going around the world and fighting people (it’s pretty hilarious and ridiculous). In Professor Chaos, the boys fire Butters as their friend, which uncovers a deep and dark part in his life.
The Simpsons Already Did It is a direct response to that show which has forced Parker and Stone to abandon some of their ideas because, you got it, the Simpsons already did it. Free Hat offers excellent commentary on why directors (in this case Steven Spielberg and George Lucas try to alter Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Arc) should not go back to update or “improve” their movies. The boys make a case for this debauchery trying to win support from the townsfolk by offering a “free hat”, which everyone assumes is a crusade to free a convicted baby killer.
Bebe’s Boobs Destroy Society says something true about all of us guys (or most of us); the fascination with boobs and sex turns us al into competitive monkeys! Child Abduction Is Not Funny offers great social commentary on the subject of child abduction – the boys’ parents go to extreme lengths to protect their children by protecting them from themselves, because parents can become child molesters or kidnappers, too. Also, because of fear of kidnappers, the parents hire the owner and operator of the local City Wok to build a Great Wall around the city, which is then continuously attacked by “stupid Mongorians”.
You’ll also remember the funny spoof of The Lord of the Rings where the boys must return a “precious” videotape to the Two Towers video store. Also hilarious is The Death Camp of Intolerance, which features the introduction of Mr. Slave and Lemmiwinks, and also finds Mr. Garrison trying desperately to be fired as the boys’ 4th grade teacher using every means (and sick ways) possible to prove he’s a pervert. Meanwhile the boys get a big life lesson when their parents send them to a concentration camp to learn “tolerance”.
Another memorable episode is The Biggest Douche in the Universe, for several reasons: 1) Stan finds psychic John Edwards is a giant douche because he gives fake hope to people by claiming to talk to their dead loved ones, and he calls Edwards out on it too, 2) Cartman drinks Kenny’s ashes which traps his spirit and the only way to exorcise it is some voodoo magic from Chef’s mom in Scotland, 3) Throughout the episode we see trailers for stupid Rob Schneider movies where he plays a stapler, a carrot and Kenny (a take-off on Schneider’s other stupid movies where he plays an animal and a hot chick). Also funny is the completely nonsensical title of one of the movies, “Derp Dee Derp Da Diddly Derp Dee Dumb Dee Dum”, or something to that effect.
The last two episodes of the season are also very funny. The last ten seconds of My Future Self N’ Me are classic (it affects Cartman’s future), and Red Sleigh Down is an action-packed Christmas episode (one scene is excellently modeled after Black Hawk Down) that finds Santa and the boys trying to bring Christmas to the downtrodden citizens of Iraq. In summation, you just can’t go wrong with South Park, ever. It always succeeds to make us laugh and cry.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Sunday, February 01, 2004
Welcome to MovieFreak’s first-ever roundtable critics’ discussion on the Academy Awards. For those reading; and maybe for even some of those getting this e-mail; the idea behind this roundtable is to enter into the type of in-depth critical discussion that review writing doesn’t usually lend itself towards. On the surface, this back-and-forth by-play between us all should start with the Oscars, and then quickly dissolve into an analysis of 2003’s year in film.
Only ground rule: keep it fun and don’t take anything personally. Film, like any art form, is a fluid medium. We are not all going to agree, and thank goodness for that. What good would a forum like this be if we did?
All right, I guess I should introduce our players. For those that don’t already know, I’m Sara Michelle, Seattle resident and the senior critic and columnist here at MovieFreak. Joining us is Dennis, the owner, webmaster and chief DVD reviewer for the site, and the Diva, another Seattle-area critic and one of the three gloriously talented and quick-witted women of www.3blackchicks.com (if you’ve never checked out their site – please do – it’s fantastic). Finally, also along for the ride are two other MovieFreak film critics, Chris and Greg.
Now I know all of you at this point have gotten a chance to look over this year’s Academy Award nominations. I have to say, for my part I’m not really all that disappointed. Each category, for the most part, I have to admit being pretty much happy with. What surprised me the most is the breadth of wonderful little films the Academy chose to recognize this year. In what was supposed to be the year of the epic-sized Hollywood event picture, a score of lesser-known independents stole a great deal of the thunder.
Case in point: “City of God.” This great Brazilian entry was submitted last year as its county’s foreign film, and despite a plethora of accolades, didn’t manage a nomination. Going into general release in the United States in January of last year, it became eligible for this year’s Oscars in every category except, of course, Foreign Language Film. This time around, it scored four nominations, including nods in both directing and screenwriting.
This just astounds me. Not only is this a tough, brutal picture about societal disintegration, it also opened in January and is in freaking foreign language!! These are not exactly things that translate into award nominations, especially not with the traditionally snobbish old-guard of the Academy. They’re not supposed to like movie like this one, preferring safe, generic (and almost slightly geriatric) movies like “Seabiscuit.”
So does this mean the Academy is changing? Last year saw two foreign films, “Y Tu Mama Tambien” and “Talk to Her,” score major nominations in categories other than Best Foreign Film. Is this just a short-termed jest on the part of the Academy to make us believe they actually want to recognize quality? Or are nominations like these and ones for, say, Keisha Castle-Hughes of “Whale Rider” (Best Actress) and “Lost in Translation” (Best Picture) going to become the norm from now on?
This is just one of the topics this year’s Oscar nominations could lead us into. Hopefully, it won’t be the only one. I know I, for one, am just dying to find out what you all really do think of “Lost in Translation.” This was a movie I liked, emphasis on the word “liked,” but for the life of me don’t understand all the hubbub about. I found it far too meandering and unfocused, and while it was indeed grounded by an wondrous central performance from Bill Murray I’m still not sure it warrants all the attention its garnered. In fact, in the realm of 2003’s independents, I’m not too sure it would even make my top ten, “American Splendor,” “Whale Rider” and “In America” just three that I cherished far more than Sofia Coppola”s sophomore feature.
But I’m leaving you all in the driver’s seat as to where we go from here. Remember, try to keep your responses to no more than once or twice a day, and really put some thought into where you want this forum to go. We’ll post everything that’s said for the next week. If everyone feels like going longer, so be it. All the same, a week should be more than enough.
Can’t wait to see where this all leads. (Introduction by Sara Michelle Fetters.)
Only ground rule: keep it fun and don’t take anything personally. Film, like any art form, is a fluid medium. We are not all going to agree, and thank goodness for that. What good would a forum like this be if we did?
All right, I guess I should introduce our players. For those that don’t already know, I’m Sara Michelle, Seattle resident and the senior critic and columnist here at MovieFreak. Joining us is Dennis, the owner, webmaster and chief DVD reviewer for the site, and the Diva, another Seattle-area critic and one of the three gloriously talented and quick-witted women of www.3blackchicks.com (if you’ve never checked out their site – please do – it’s fantastic). Finally, also along for the ride are two other MovieFreak film critics, Chris and Greg.
Now I know all of you at this point have gotten a chance to look over this year’s Academy Award nominations. I have to say, for my part I’m not really all that disappointed. Each category, for the most part, I have to admit being pretty much happy with. What surprised me the most is the breadth of wonderful little films the Academy chose to recognize this year. In what was supposed to be the year of the epic-sized Hollywood event picture, a score of lesser-known independents stole a great deal of the thunder.
Case in point: “City of God.” This great Brazilian entry was submitted last year as its county’s foreign film, and despite a plethora of accolades, didn’t manage a nomination. Going into general release in the United States in January of last year, it became eligible for this year’s Oscars in every category except, of course, Foreign Language Film. This time around, it scored four nominations, including nods in both directing and screenwriting.
This just astounds me. Not only is this a tough, brutal picture about societal disintegration, it also opened in January and is in freaking foreign language!! These are not exactly things that translate into award nominations, especially not with the traditionally snobbish old-guard of the Academy. They’re not supposed to like movie like this one, preferring safe, generic (and almost slightly geriatric) movies like “Seabiscuit.”
So does this mean the Academy is changing? Last year saw two foreign films, “Y Tu Mama Tambien” and “Talk to Her,” score major nominations in categories other than Best Foreign Film. Is this just a short-termed jest on the part of the Academy to make us believe they actually want to recognize quality? Or are nominations like these and ones for, say, Keisha Castle-Hughes of “Whale Rider” (Best Actress) and “Lost in Translation” (Best Picture) going to become the norm from now on?
This is just one of the topics this year’s Oscar nominations could lead us into. Hopefully, it won’t be the only one. I know I, for one, am just dying to find out what you all really do think of “Lost in Translation.” This was a movie I liked, emphasis on the word “liked,” but for the life of me don’t understand all the hubbub about. I found it far too meandering and unfocused, and while it was indeed grounded by an wondrous central performance from Bill Murray I’m still not sure it warrants all the attention its garnered. In fact, in the realm of 2003’s independents, I’m not too sure it would even make my top ten, “American Splendor,” “Whale Rider” and “In America” just three that I cherished far more than Sofia Coppola”s sophomore feature.
But I’m leaving you all in the driver’s seat as to where we go from here. Remember, try to keep your responses to no more than once or twice a day, and really put some thought into where you want this forum to go. We’ll post everything that’s said for the next week. If everyone feels like going longer, so be it. All the same, a week should be more than enough.
Can’t wait to see where this all leads. (Introduction by Sara Michelle Fetters.)
Friday, May 23, 2003
TELE NEWS
FOX cancelled FASTLANE. Big deal! But JOHN DOE? The tears in my eyes! The tears! The season, well, series finale, wasn't all too bad, but the twist just begged for a conclusion, one we'll never get! Who the fuck is John? Whatever, Fox! Well, bad things happen and good things happen. Good thing: TWENTY-FOUR (24) will be back in the fall (Tuesdays). FOX will come out with quite a few dramas in the Fall, but expect another JOE MILLIONAIRE if I was you... then I'm not, so what now? FOX should be the network to watch!
For CBS, they'll bring back the two CSI vehicles and have a JAG spin-off (CSIS) with... John Harmon (is that his name?) Uh, good thing, THE AMAZING RACE 4 will premiere next Thursday, May 29 @ 8:30pm! YES! It's been a while since my last RACE fix, so I'm glad! BIG BROTHER 4 is likely to follow suit!
ABC cancelled some shows and is going somewhere in the Fall, but I don't know where. NBC is renewing the redundant and Rashomon-ripper BOOMTOWN, blah! The WB will bring back SMALLVILLE, too. GREAT!
HBO will premiere THE WIRE on June 1! CARNIVALE in September, I think. CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM must come back, too, so let's hope for the best. SEX IN THE CITY will also return, but since I don't follow that show, I don't know when the sex starts! In my case, I do, but not for them (LIAR!). Uh... 5.15/Hr is a pilot from Richard Linklater about a single-camera show about people living on the mimimum wage paycheck, or something -- sounds great! SIGN ME UP! SOPRANOS in January 2004, at the earliest.
Until next time, I remain... CLYNICALLY DEPRESSED OVER THE FATE OF JOHN DOE.
Source: www.thefutoncritic.com
FOX cancelled FASTLANE. Big deal! But JOHN DOE? The tears in my eyes! The tears! The season, well, series finale, wasn't all too bad, but the twist just begged for a conclusion, one we'll never get! Who the fuck is John? Whatever, Fox! Well, bad things happen and good things happen. Good thing: TWENTY-FOUR (24) will be back in the fall (Tuesdays). FOX will come out with quite a few dramas in the Fall, but expect another JOE MILLIONAIRE if I was you... then I'm not, so what now? FOX should be the network to watch!
For CBS, they'll bring back the two CSI vehicles and have a JAG spin-off (CSIS) with... John Harmon (is that his name?) Uh, good thing, THE AMAZING RACE 4 will premiere next Thursday, May 29 @ 8:30pm! YES! It's been a while since my last RACE fix, so I'm glad! BIG BROTHER 4 is likely to follow suit!
ABC cancelled some shows and is going somewhere in the Fall, but I don't know where. NBC is renewing the redundant and Rashomon-ripper BOOMTOWN, blah! The WB will bring back SMALLVILLE, too. GREAT!
HBO will premiere THE WIRE on June 1! CARNIVALE in September, I think. CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM must come back, too, so let's hope for the best. SEX IN THE CITY will also return, but since I don't follow that show, I don't know when the sex starts! In my case, I do, but not for them (LIAR!). Uh... 5.15/Hr is a pilot from Richard Linklater about a single-camera show about people living on the mimimum wage paycheck, or something -- sounds great! SIGN ME UP! SOPRANOS in January 2004, at the earliest.
Until next time, I remain... CLYNICALLY DEPRESSED OVER THE FATE OF JOHN DOE.
Source: www.thefutoncritic.com
Monday, March 17, 2003
Anyone interested in this therapeutical outlook feature is welcome to comment or apply for a staff position by e-mailing me at dennis@moviefreak.com
Good news is: Six Feet Under is back on HBO since March 3. ALI G SHOW and REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER are great late night programs (HBO). JOHN DOE and SMALLVILLE are gearing up, while 24 is on hiatus after its storyline took a dramatic turn. In other telly news, the 75th Academy Awards are coming up to take away ca. 4 hours and 11 minutes of your life on March 23, 2003. You decide how to spend that time -- watch politics or porn.
Thursday, October 17, 2002
Monday, September 30, 2002
Welcome to Film Therapy #1.0
I did not see any films over the weekend, but I did watch many fun TV shows.
HACK - TV spots for this show, which David Koepp ("Panic Room") created, were pretty engaging and, above all, promising. After watching the premiere episode this past Friday on CBS, I cannot be more disappointed. In fact, as many critics have pointed out, HACK is just not a very serious show. At some points Mike Olshansky (David Morse) feels comical when the music suggests otherwise. He's got a friend who's a pastor (or priest?) at a neighboorhood church. His son and wife distance themselves from Mike, which alienates him most of the time. However, he gets by on a daily basis while chauffeuring passengers through New York in his cab. Oh, and Mike used to be a cop, too. But he's not anymore. Of course, he's got a friend at the station, Marcellus (Andre Braugher), who'll come in handy whenever Mike's storyline demands a helping hand. Well, as you can gather from my tone, I did not like HACK. It lacked particular intellect and a character we can relate to more. It's sad to admit, but I probably won't watch the next episode, because at the same time...
JOHN DOE airs on the FOX channel at 9pm. Dominic Purcell wakes up in a forest without any knowledge as to how he got there or who he is, but he does know everything else (such as the exact population of a city in a foreign country, among other outrageous facts and trivia). Doe begins to investigate his origin and identity, and in the meantime, he helps police solve crimes. What has kept the first two episodes running is the ever-recurring question, "who is John Doe." JOHN DOE is a good show and I like what I see so far, despite some discrepancies in plot development and shaky character arcs.
At 10pm this past Friday, CBS premiered ROBBERY HOMICIDE DIVISION. Michael Mann ("Heat") and Frank Spotnitz ("X-Files")are executive producers on the show which stars Tom Sizemore and other semi-familiar faces. RHD is gritty and feels very real, basically, because of the style in which the show is shot. Sizemore plays Detective Cole who, with the help of his partners, investigates crime in the Los Angeles area. The premiere episode was fueled with great visuals, a great music score, and a clever plotline. Even though the plot advanced faster than comprehension allowed, RHD nevertheless impressed the hell out of me. You now know where to find me this Friday at 10.
Another new show, as part of the fall season, is NBC's BOOMTOWN. Created by Graham Yost (of "Speed" fame, and a writing assignment on "Band of Brothers"), this show uses multiple points of view to tell the story of a crime or whatever troubles the Los Angeles Police Department. Neil McDonough and Donnie Wahlberg star along with Mykelti Williamson, Nina Garbiras, Gary Basaraba, and Jason Gedrick (the "Iron Eagle" kid). The concept is exciting, but let's hope the next episode will feature a more interesting plot, because the premiere's effort was not. Most of the characters seem interesting enough to hold our attention for the whole hour. Again, the next episode will either prove or disprove whether a concept like this can work well.
That's it for the new arrivals to the Fall season, but wait, there's MORE!
This past Tuesday, SMALLVILLE premiered its second season, and it was a blast! The continuation of the storm and the multiple subplots that began during last season's finale episode came to an exciting close, formally speaking. In any case, SMALLVILLE is a great and fun show to watch on a Tuesday night on the WB network. FASTLANE also premiered not too long ago (Wednesdays at 9 on FOX). While the first episode was fun, albeit mindless, the second effort featured even more mindless entertainment. You're right, I'm not watching it anymore.
In terms of HBO programming, we have OZ, THE SOPRANOS, and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM (I've already seen both seasons of SIX FEET UNDER -- and the show is great!). OZ is in its 4th season in terms of reruns, but I'm just now catching up on this extremely addicting, cool, hilarious, dangerous show! SOPRANOS continues to impress after three seasons (I've seen them) of great storytelling and entertainment. CURB is Seinfeld-creator Larry David's semi-autobiographical/reality show. It's not reality, per se, but he does play himself. The show is scripted, very well I might add, and continues to crank up those laughing muslces of ours. In case you haven't noticed, HBO rules in the world of original programming. Hooray!
EVERWOOD (3rd ep) and CSI: MIAMI (2nd ep) air today but I won't be able to watch them until tomorrow. I will also include my thoughts on the two shows as a whole in addition to the usual comments. Until nex time, I remain... SPEECHLESS.
I did not see any films over the weekend, but I did watch many fun TV shows.
HACK - TV spots for this show, which David Koepp ("Panic Room") created, were pretty engaging and, above all, promising. After watching the premiere episode this past Friday on CBS, I cannot be more disappointed. In fact, as many critics have pointed out, HACK is just not a very serious show. At some points Mike Olshansky (David Morse) feels comical when the music suggests otherwise. He's got a friend who's a pastor (or priest?) at a neighboorhood church. His son and wife distance themselves from Mike, which alienates him most of the time. However, he gets by on a daily basis while chauffeuring passengers through New York in his cab. Oh, and Mike used to be a cop, too. But he's not anymore. Of course, he's got a friend at the station, Marcellus (Andre Braugher), who'll come in handy whenever Mike's storyline demands a helping hand. Well, as you can gather from my tone, I did not like HACK. It lacked particular intellect and a character we can relate to more. It's sad to admit, but I probably won't watch the next episode, because at the same time...
JOHN DOE airs on the FOX channel at 9pm. Dominic Purcell wakes up in a forest without any knowledge as to how he got there or who he is, but he does know everything else (such as the exact population of a city in a foreign country, among other outrageous facts and trivia). Doe begins to investigate his origin and identity, and in the meantime, he helps police solve crimes. What has kept the first two episodes running is the ever-recurring question, "who is John Doe." JOHN DOE is a good show and I like what I see so far, despite some discrepancies in plot development and shaky character arcs.
At 10pm this past Friday, CBS premiered ROBBERY HOMICIDE DIVISION. Michael Mann ("Heat") and Frank Spotnitz ("X-Files")are executive producers on the show which stars Tom Sizemore and other semi-familiar faces. RHD is gritty and feels very real, basically, because of the style in which the show is shot. Sizemore plays Detective Cole who, with the help of his partners, investigates crime in the Los Angeles area. The premiere episode was fueled with great visuals, a great music score, and a clever plotline. Even though the plot advanced faster than comprehension allowed, RHD nevertheless impressed the hell out of me. You now know where to find me this Friday at 10.
Another new show, as part of the fall season, is NBC's BOOMTOWN. Created by Graham Yost (of "Speed" fame, and a writing assignment on "Band of Brothers"), this show uses multiple points of view to tell the story of a crime or whatever troubles the Los Angeles Police Department. Neil McDonough and Donnie Wahlberg star along with Mykelti Williamson, Nina Garbiras, Gary Basaraba, and Jason Gedrick (the "Iron Eagle" kid). The concept is exciting, but let's hope the next episode will feature a more interesting plot, because the premiere's effort was not. Most of the characters seem interesting enough to hold our attention for the whole hour. Again, the next episode will either prove or disprove whether a concept like this can work well.
That's it for the new arrivals to the Fall season, but wait, there's MORE!
This past Tuesday, SMALLVILLE premiered its second season, and it was a blast! The continuation of the storm and the multiple subplots that began during last season's finale episode came to an exciting close, formally speaking. In any case, SMALLVILLE is a great and fun show to watch on a Tuesday night on the WB network. FASTLANE also premiered not too long ago (Wednesdays at 9 on FOX). While the first episode was fun, albeit mindless, the second effort featured even more mindless entertainment. You're right, I'm not watching it anymore.
In terms of HBO programming, we have OZ, THE SOPRANOS, and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM (I've already seen both seasons of SIX FEET UNDER -- and the show is great!). OZ is in its 4th season in terms of reruns, but I'm just now catching up on this extremely addicting, cool, hilarious, dangerous show! SOPRANOS continues to impress after three seasons (I've seen them) of great storytelling and entertainment. CURB is Seinfeld-creator Larry David's semi-autobiographical/reality show. It's not reality, per se, but he does play himself. The show is scripted, very well I might add, and continues to crank up those laughing muslces of ours. In case you haven't noticed, HBO rules in the world of original programming. Hooray!
EVERWOOD (3rd ep) and CSI: MIAMI (2nd ep) air today but I won't be able to watch them until tomorrow. I will also include my thoughts on the two shows as a whole in addition to the usual comments. Until nex time, I remain... SPEECHLESS.
Sunday, September 29, 2002
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