Posted on 06/01/2005 12:55:25 AM PDT by ambrose
The guilty pleasure of 'Team America'
By Gary Arnold
The most astonishing and hilarious movie of last year, "Team America: World Police," finally has made its belated transition from theatrical to home-video release. The adventure-flick parody from "South Park's" Trey Parker and Matt Stone ridicules in one fell swoop the U.S. war on terror, a lucrative Hollywood genre, Kim Jong-il, several Hollywood stars and their most conspicuous political propagandist, Michael Moore.
It was never in the cards that such a movie would be in serious contention for Academy Awards. Nevertheless, "Team America," a marvel of satirical perversity and technical craftsmanship, deserved the Oscar for best animated feature and nominations for best art direction, visual effects, cinematography, editing and costume design. The DVD edition,released May 17 and retailing for $29.98, provides behind-the-scenes featurettes showcasing many of the people responsible for the movie's conceptual effrontery and pictorial sophistication.
"Team America" hit on a happily brazen way of cutting Hollywood down to size, literally as well as figuratively: The characters are played by 2-foot marionettes.
The timing of its theatrical release was dandy. This uninhibited smack-down of Hollywood cliches and pieties appeared in the wake of a long summer of derision aimed at President Bush and his re-election aspirations. The one-sided malice began with Mr. Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" and continued through such summertime monstrosities as "The Day After Tomorrow" and "The Manchurian Candidate."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
I've got a plan... I get the family (old and young) to go out for a walk or grocery store run while I "take care of a few things around the apartment".
Then I load it up on the bedroom DVD player and lock the door...
Might work....
Mercat, you are a blessing to those you serve. My hat is off to you. I wish my lawyer had trained under you. God Bless You.
In-a-nutshell BUMP!
George Clooney also enjoyed their portrayal of him. He said he would have felt let down if they didn't include him in the film.
The "free speech for me but not for thee" crowd really hated it. Probably because they were directly in the line of Parker and Stone's fire.
And what's this "guilty pleasure" crap? I didn't feel guilty watching "TEAM AMERICA". I didn't feel guilty telling everybody I knew just how hysterically funny it was.
Enjoying a comedy about a bunch of cursing puppets who defeat one of the world's most brutal dictators is a "guilty pleasure", but cheering for another, completely serious movie that tries to tell us how great life was under the thumb of another of the world's most brutal dictators, ISN'T?! C'mon, Washington Times.
-Dan
With luck, my copy (unrated, repaired, super-dirty-puppet version) should be in the mailbox tomorrow!
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Never saw that one, but good for him. People that can't handle being satirized should remain unfamous.
Cool BT download link.
Team America is a guilty pleasure. :)
and retailing for $29.98
Talk about sticker shock. The movie is great, but 29.98 is the price of a tv dvd set, not a movie.
That is outrageous. I will wait until they have a copy at thet local used movie store and I can get it for 7 bucks.
This going sound sick I like scene where Little Kim shoot his translator with Israeli made Desert eagle gun LOL!
Where do you shop? It's around $14 in most places.
"Yes, it is. Now............"
I couldn't breathe I was laughing so hard.
"..I'm not from Hollywood.."
oh. Well, that is fine.
The article claimed it was retailing for 29 bucks.
Obviously the article is wrong.
Gary: "Are you from Hollywood?"
Spottswoode: "You could say that. But you'd be wrong."
I can't believe they cut that line out!
Some parts should be seen by EVERYONE, and some should not be seen by anyone ;~D
Biggest laugh I ever had in a theater, and a worthy DVD with lots of good extras.
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