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Marbles86
Reviews
The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002)
Ripe for rediscovery
In 1998 Paramount sent a big screen adaptation of Nickelodeon's popular animated series RUGRATS into theatres. It exceeded all expectations by becoming the first animated film to break $100million at the US Box Office. This lead to a glut of other animated series (HEY ARNOLD!, WILD THORNBERRYS, POKEMON among others) following the trail onto the big screen. These films, along with successful releases from Dreamworks, Aardman Animations and BlueSky Studios helped break the monopoly on animated films Disney had held in America for some sixty years (the odd challenge from the likes of Don Bluth aside). While no one, bar their subsidiary Pixar, has been able to match Disney's grosses or consistency, parents now know that there will be an at least competent animated film they can take their children to every 2 months or so.
Still, THE RUGRATS MOVIE was no classic, and the other big screen TV show adaptations which followed in its wake were mostly forgettable. The one major exception is, ironically, the one which was perhaps the biggest Box Office disappointment.
THE POWERPUFF GIRLS MOVIE is fast, funny and smart entertainment. The plot provides an origin story for the characters from the TV show, a set-up which may have confused some of the younger fans at the time, but nonetheless is savvy mirroring of the standard format for live action remakes of TV shows, as well as a standard trope of the comic books which inspired the characters, and had in turn been echoed by cinematic treatments including Richard Donner's SUPERMAN and the same summer's SPIDER-MAN. The animation tastefully enhances the look of the TV show for 35mm, neither negating or overwhelming the minimalist visual charms, nor letting the expanded canvas feel wasted. James L. Venable's score is able to enhance the excitement of the action scenes, and pour on the charm for the domestic sequences, ranging from lush orchestral sweeps to then fashionable techno stabs; a little of its time perhaps, but to my ears not in a bad way.
Completely subjective of course, but I do also find the humour very funny (with one particular stand-out involving a series of speeches by a group of monkeys) and the characters themselves either funny, endearing or both. In these regards, those who have seen the series that spawned the movie will know what to expect, and it is to the film's credit that this is accurately recreated in the film.
So the film holds up as entertainment, and even popular art, very well. But what really makes it striking in 2017 is how timely it feels; there may be no other animated film so suited to an audience who have been turning out for superhero movies again and again every year for the past five years. With the understated yet prominent theme of female empowerment and subversion of gender stereotypes for both its characters and audience, the POWERPUFF GIRLS concept as a whole feels almost tailor made for the audience which made WONDER WOMAN quite possibly the most beloved and debated popular hit of the year. Even more so the comically exaggerated scenes of urban destruction, which at the time left some people with a bad taste in the wake of 9/11, feel very much like a response to the similar but often less self-aware scenes of destruction in many recent superhero movies, particularly MAN OF STEEL and THE AVENGERS. And I do mean very much so; I believe if this were shown to someone with no knowledge of the historical context of the film or overall franchise they would believe it to be a parody of the MCU and DCEU films dominating our cultural landscape. But this film addresses the fallout from the damage with far more wit than BATMAN V SUPERMAN managed.
It is a shame that the current reboot of THE POWERPUFF GIRLS airing on Cartoon Network seems (from my limited firsthand experience, and from the overall reception) to be a bland facsimile, lacking in the pop super-heroics which gave the original POWERPUFFs such potency, and failing to connect with new and old audiences, for this is truly one property which does feel as if it could be more relevant than ever now. Perhaps one day Craig McCracken and the original team will be granted the opportunity to return to these characters and find a way to revitalise them, or perhaps simply without the reboot more people would have had the chance to discover or rediscover the original body of work. Still, THE POWERPUFF GIRLS MOVIE stands as a monument to memorable animation phenomenon which more than holds up all these years later, with enough unique strengths in and of itself that I hope it one day achieves a cult status of its own in the vein of TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE, the only other big screen TV cartoon adaptation I believe to have received this level of care and consideration. For now, it's out there for fans and new fans to discover.
Hale and Pace (1986)
Deserve to be treasured
Gareth Hale and Norman Pace rose to prominence through stage, radio and TV appearances in the 80s, mostly via their characterisation of The Two Rons; two east-end bouncers who took their jobs a bit too seriously and often referred to themselves as "the management". The Two Rons were extremely dimwitted, incredibly violent and screamingly funny characters who found great favour with the public. After C4 gave Hale and Pace a Christmas special in 86 and The Rons themselves a low key sitcom in 88, ITV saw fit to give Hale and Pace their own sketch show. The duo rewarded the channel's faith in them handsomely, winning the Golden Rose of Montreaux within a year and earning the channel solid ratings many a Sunday night for a decade.
Along with the Two Rons other characters the duo brought to life in their early years included the risqué children's presenters Billy and Johnny, bitchy fashion experts Jeffrey and Jeffrey, and burnt out hippies Jed and Dave, a cheerful and affectionately observed pair of characters whom Gareth Hale cited as his favourites. In later years Gareth and Norman adapted to a changing comedy climate shaped partly by Harry Enfield, Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson by adding a greater roster of recurring characters, the most enduring of which were brash but friendly cabbies Frank and Steve ("a large portion, yes!") and Curly and Nige, a pair of deliberately old fashioned comic characters redolent of comedy troupes like The Three Stooges, with a propensity for violence which gave Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson a run for their money.
Yet HALE & PACE is perhaps more notable for being possibly the last in a line of sketch shows modelled most closely after NOT THE NINE O'CLOCK NEWS, focusing less on repeated characters and more on one-off sketches and "quickies" based around whatever caught the actors and writers' fancies that week. Hale and Pace proved themselves willing to take on a variety of subjects, both as writers and performers. While they generally took the direct route to the funny-bone, Hale and Pace also occasionally proved themselves quite adept at pathos, with a parody of GOODBYE MR. CHIPS being particularly moving.
As another reviewer noted Hale and Pace also showed considerably musical talent in the series; whereas for many sketch shows the obligatory musical numbers often seemed a chore, on HALE & PACE they were often the highlight. Hale and Pace revealed themselves to be pretty good singers and songwriters, both in their parodies of artists like Chris Rea and R.E.M. and in their original compositions like "The Days of Black and White" (another fine example of their pathos).
Hale and Pace divided opinion from their first episode when they microwaved a cat, and frequently came in for criticism, particularly in their later series. Alexi Sayle and Victor Lewis Smith were among their most prominent critics. After their disastrous 1999 BBC game show, H&P@BBC, some people began to wonder if they had ever deserved their fame in the first place. Hale and Pace were far from perfect; a tendency towards laziness revealed itself fairly early on, and the in the last two series they did seem a little low on ideas. But while the criticism may have had merit, Hale and Pace were still two frequently hilarious, exceptionally talented performers, who had a natural chemistry which is perhaps unrivalled in recent UK comedy history. Indeed it is the sketches in which they played fictionalised versions of themselves sharing a London flat which perhaps stick out as the most enjoyable material.
Ultimately for many of us Hale and Pace often seemed to have a "direct line to our funny bone", and their sketches gave them a dedicated following not only in the UK, but all over the world, particularly in Czechoslovakia, Finland and Australia. Indeed, they proved more popular in the later country than their homeland, continuing to perform sell-out tours there. Best of all Australia released their complete TV series on DVD, well worth importing for all those enthusiastic enough. Overall, for all the bad sketches they may or may not have made, Hale and Pace made a unique contribution to British comedy that deserves to be treasured.
Catch Phrase (1986)
Kind of Perfect
Though it actually pioneered computer animation on television, there's nothing "important" or remotely cerebral about CATCHPHRASE, but the recent addition of CHALLENGE TV to UK Freeview channels has reminded me what an easy-going delight this show was and is to watch. It's a simple concept executed brilliantly. Roy Walker's jokes are corny and cringe-worthy, but that just adds to the charm of the show, and he is an excellent and lovable host. And who wouldn't love Mr. Chips?
Comparing this to DEAL OR NO DEAL is revealing; here the contestants are encouraged to have fun, there they are put into a constant position of frustration. CATCHPHRASE is a game the viewers at home can play and enjoy just as much as the contestants, DEAL OR NO DEAL is a game it's hard to see why people even find it interesting to watch. The prizes on CATCHPHRASE are varied, and no one goes away empty handed (well, unless they play a truly shocking game, which I've yet to see happen). Lest you think I'm looking through the Rose-Tinted glasses of nostalgia, catching an episode of the contemporary FAMILY FORTUNES after CATCHPHRASE on CHALLENGE TV also easily illustrates how much more entertaining CATCHPHRASE was and is than many other game shows.
CATCHPHRASE is a show I'm sure many people find easy to be cynical and sneery about, but I also dare say I think many people would find it hard not to enjoy its simple charms when stumbling upon an episode on TV.
It's good and it IS right!
Episodes (2011)
Watchable, but a considerable waste of potential so far
I love shows like CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM and LARRY SANDERS and am generally fascinated by the behind the scenes workings of Television and film, so I was quite excited about EPISODES. Sadly, on the whole it has been disappointing. For a start the supposedly "brilliant" comedy that is being "ruined" by the American writers ("Lyman's Boys") sounds dull as dishwater, and it's hard to believe it would be so acclaimed and popular in modern British society. For a start, if Matt LeBlanc could notice it's a rip-off of HISTORY BOYS right down to the star, wouldn't someone in the UK have noticed it by now? The "remake" the US producers are making is not a believably dumbed down version, but something so far removed from the original (even its title "Pucks") that it begs the question if it is really worthwhile for them to keep paying the writers for the "Lyman's Boys" rights.
I know Matt LeBlanc isn't the most versatile of actors, but some of the lines he's been given are blatant "Joey lines". Still he and John Pankow (and in a small way Daisy Haggard) are the only people really keeping this afloat. I've never been a fan of Stephen Mangan but he's OK here, and his character is semi-likable. Tamsin Greig's character on the other hand is almost completely unbearable and it's hard to see why anyone would put up with her constant whining, however horrible LA is. It can't be because she's got too much artistic integrity; if that were the case she would turn down the money and leave.
As of this writing I have seen the first four episodes of, er, EPISODES and they have just about been decent enough for me to probably tune into the next three, but unless something special happens I think this series is going to go down as a major missed opportunity.
Disaster Movie (2008)
Useless but still an improvement
I have seem most of these Friedberg/Seltzer films, despite knowing full well how bad they would be. What can I say? They fascinate me. Pretty much everyone intelligent enough to have an IMDb account knows why they're bad if they've ever seen any of the trailers. DISATSER MOVIE is, like all of them, useless. I didn't laugh. But it's still noticeably better than MEET THE SPARTANS. Despite the horrible costumes and puppets, it's not as horribly cheap looking and flimsy. It does have an embarrassingly empty "comic dance off sequence", but at least unlike SPARTANS it doesn't take up about 25% of the screen time. The JUNO spoof has a little bite to it, and Crista Flanagan's impression is pretty good. Nicole Parker brings some energy to the ENCHANTED spoof. It's not quite as jaw-dropping in its condescension to the audience as SPARTANS, which had the genuinely unbelievable moment where Friedberg and Seltzer thought they needed a narrator to explain that a scene where Carmen Electra wore a SPIDER-MAN suit was a SPIDER-MAN parody. Where SPARTANS had several gross-out gags that were too nauseating to be even vaguely amusing, DISASTER MOVIE has only one.
Is it really worth noting that DISASTER MOVIE is an improvement when it's still painfully unfunny? Well if you had a student who failed all his classes and was also excessively disruptive, and he went to merely failing his classes, you'd have to say one or two nice things on parent's night.
The best thing you can say about DISASTER MOVIE is that it's exhaustive check-list "parodying" of almost every major summer 2008 release might make it a somewhat effective nostalgia trip in another decade or so.
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)
Holds Up
Many Adventure films before RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK are great films but perhaps do not gel with our current conception of "adventure". This is one that does. It is an old-fashioned tale certainly, but it was deliberately retro in 1974 too. The action scenes are exciting and imaginative. Harryhausen's effects are vivid, tangible and fluid; a world apart in artistry to the effects in something like last year's joyless CLASH OF THE TITAN update. The characterisation and performances are above average for the genre too; John Phillip Law is a charismatic and photogenic Sinbad, and it's a great shame he didn't stay on for SINDAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER. Tom Baker is a marvellous villain, who under the circumstances is rather restrained. Kurt Christian does brilliantly with a role that could have easily been lazy comic relief, but ends up as more, holding his own in the drama and fight scenes. And Caroline Munroe was one of the best Bond girls and is simply stunning here.
All in all, THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD is a great watch for anyone of any age who wants some good old fashioned adventure fun.