One of the benefits of “The A-Team” is that you can bask in the sheer idiocy of the story as most of the fans of the series did. Where in the original had four grown men in a black van storming through gates and beating people up, this one has a guy shooting from a tank dropping down to Earth and shooting down fighter planes. It also has a goofy 3D gag involving a truck that is pretty memorable. When all is said and done “The A-Team” doesn’t really want to re-invent the wheel, but instead just seeks to pay homage to the dumb original series that starred Mr. T and made him an eighties sensation.
Tag Archives: Comedy
Day & Night (2010)
One of the elements of animation that Pixar has always excelled at that will garner them a bonafide place in history books and text books about storytelling and animation (whether you’re sick of seeing them on TV and awards shows or not) is the fact that the animators and writers in the studio are able to understand that animation is just as much a narrative experience as it is about sight and sound. As well you can also surround an animated film around sight and sound and little dialogue without overloading us with explosions and colors.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)
“Scott, if your life had a face, I’d punch it.” – Kim Pine
The stellar Edgar Wright has finally made it to the American shores by way of a cult series of graphic novels and in typical Wright-fashion, he’s not prone to just making any movie that would appeal to an audience of the PG-13 sector. “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” is self aware. It’s so self-aware it’s aware that it’s self-aware and makes its audience aware of its self-awareness by reminding us of its self-awareness with an often self-aware sense of humor that very few will get. Leave it up to Wright to make a broad mainstream teen film that will only appeal to a cult audience as “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” is basically about the modern generation. It’s pure unadulterated pop culture overload with ideals that are simplified and set to the tune of classic video games.
Piranha 3D (2010)
Alexandre Aja’s latest remake feels so utterly lazy and muddled and idiotic that it seems like the studio just threw a few million dollars his way and asked him to just throw as much blood and guts to the screen as humanly possible. And I imagine it was the easiest payday this man ever saw. From minute one Aja’s film wants to be taken on so many levels. It wants to be a political commentary, a schlock cult film, and a satire of schlock films, it doesn’t take itself seriously, but it depicts violence so realistically.
Dear "It's Always Sunny," It's Time For Me to Go
Dear “It’s Always Sunny,”
What happened to you?
We used to have so much fun together and now you’re listless, mediocre, uninspired, and you’re bringing a baby in to the fold? We used to have kicks with one another with episodes involving armed robbery, fake news reporters, dance contests, and the like all of which brought me to my knees with laughter, and this year you’ve just been slacking off.
Community of the Dead
If you’re one of the many TV viewers right now being disappointed, you’re not alone. Most of the returning shows are horrible this year, and FOX Television has been pulled from Cablevision subscribers thus most of the television now is a drab affair. Every year Halloween comes down on our doors, and every year many shows are up to the task to create something inventive. Sometimes they ignore it altogether (Shame on you “The Big Bang Theory”) and sometimes they’re up for some fun.
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998)
When it comes to hardcore well versed Scooby Doo Fans… we’re not one of them. But for a brief (oh so brief) period in the late nineties, Hanna Barbera thought it’d be a good idea before the live action movie to feature the Scoobies solving actual paranormal cases that they presumed were originally just scams and con jobs. “Zombie Island” is one of the best (and few) examples of Scooby-Doo done well and correctly with a case the entire gang gets in on that is creepy and actually risks their lives, in the end. With animation I’m never above being experimental, and my faith in “Zombie Island” was rewarded with a wicked and creepy little yarn about the Mystery Machine group re-uniting after a long stretch on their own.