Even if the resulting film is total crap, the trailers are some of the funniest, most original ever made. And they don't even have anything to do with the movie.
Here's the second (and newest) teaser, featuring Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Izzard, and Steven Spielberg:
For you late-comers, here's the first trailer, featuring Seinfeld and Chris Rock.
Bored out of your mind? You must be; you're reading this blog. But now that [adult swim] has finally made their streaming video service The Adult Swim Fix Mac-compatible, it's time for me to tell you what you ought to be looking at on a website that is not my own. Let's have a looksee:
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: "Sebben and Sebben Employee Orientation"
One of the newest episodes of Birdman, this episode plays out like an old 16mm film showcasing the benefits of employment at the law firm of Phil Ken Sebben (voiced by Stephen Colbert). Listen for special guest Lewis Black as an irate office supplies manager.
The Brak Show: "Brak Street"
The famous "rap episode" of the short-lived Brak Show, featuring Cee-Lo, the singing half of Gnarls Barkley, as Prime Cut. Also, keep an eye out for a certain glob of meat on a scooter.
Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job: "Cats"
Despite the show's somewhat disappointing pilot episode, Tim and Eric might have finally found their footing in this insane, yet witty and provocative third episode, featuring special guest appearances by Michael Cera ("George Michael" from Arrested Development), comedian Zach Galifianakis, and Paul "Pee-Wee" Reubens. While the individual bits are pretty good, the running gag involving Tim transforming into a cat are brilliant.
The Venture Bros.: "The Trial of the Monarch"
Finally, what block of [as] content wouldn't be complete without a priceless episode of Venture Bros? This one, from the end of the first season, chronicles the Monarch's fall from grace as he is arrested for disturbing the peace in front of Dr. Girlfriend's house...I mean, Dr. EX-Girlfriend! Worth watching almost entirely because of the opening sequence. MECHA-SHIVA!
I wish I had found this website sooner. Yewknee pointed me in the direction of Daily Monster, a really cool site run by artist Stefan G. Bucher. The deal is he draws a different monster every day for 100 days, and asks readers to post a story about the monster. Most of the creatures exhibit similar features, but it is still fun to see him draw a new one each day. Unfortunately, I've got some catching up to do. He's already at Monster No. 94 (featured above).
Thanks, Stereogum, for the heads up. While it's no treadmill video, OK Go's new video for "Do What You Want," the second time they've made a video for this song, is pretty cool-looking. Somewhat unoriginal idea, but good execution. The backflip on the pogo stick is a definite highlight. See it at MTV.com (don't worry, it works for Macs now).
Chris Rock will be making his return to the big screen with his new film I Think I Love My Wife, directed by himself and featuring a script he collaborated on with comedian extraordinaire Louis C.K., loosely based on the French film Chloe in the Afternoon. If the trailer is any indication, it looks very promising, if not a tad reminiscent of the films of Spike Lee.
The verdict on Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job is...unimpressive. While I did enjoy the seemingly off-the-cuff nature of the show, there didn't seem to be much in the way of content. The episodes best segments, "Hacky Sack Extreme" and "B'Owl," had already been played ad nauseum on adultswim.com, and the "B'Owl" bit didn't even feature Tim or Eric. Which leads me to my next problem with the show. While Bob Odenkirk did make a funny guest appearance, having John C. Reilly, a truly wonderful actor, appear but not do anything funny seemed like a waste of time and talent. It did seem like he would be making more appearances on the show, so hopefully, next time around, they'll give him more to do.
Surprisingly, I found much more to like on the second all-live-action [adult swim] show, Saul of the Mole Men. A witty premise, intentionally bad special effects, imaginative costumes, and an awesome theme song helped propel the show above its seemingly unoriginal concept. Sid and Marty Krofft parodies have been done many times, the best being "Drugachusetts", by the aforementioned Bob Odenkirk and David Cross.
Still, neither show has yet to reach the level of humor and innovation of previous AS hits, like The Venture Bros., Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, and the show recently voted Most Likely to Cause a Bomb Scare in Boston, Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Does live action have a place on [adult swim] or should it be cartoons only?
Regardless of whether or not the robots win, I'll still be listening to techno. But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this impressive Lite Brite animation by Ryan Divine for the band Maldroid:
For another example of Lite Brite goodness, check out Rilo Kiley's video for "It's a Hit"
Yesterday, Stereogum showed me just about the best thing ever. It's seems one Andrew Bird, the violin-playing virtuoso, made a recent appearance on a little-known (at least to me) children's television program called Jack's Big Music Show, another one of those "interactive" shows a la Blue's Clues, but with a slant towards music-making and suprise musical guests. Previous episodes have included musical performances by The Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players, blues guitarist Buddy Guy, and Steve Burns & Steven Drozd, the former host of the aforementioned Blue's Clues and the guitarist for The Flaming Lips, respectively. (If you watch the clip, you'll also catch a certain "fake news anchor" making a cameo appearance.)
Anyway, the Bird dropped by as the character "Dr. Stringz," and all I can say is I wish the TV shows I watched when I was a kid were as cool as this...
When my beloved Carolina Panthers lost to the Seahawks back in 2005, I did something I had never done before. I skipped watching the Super Bowl. Turns out, it wasn't such a bad idea. The game was pretty uneventful, the ads were uninspiring, and the Rolling Stones are...well, old.
This year, things were a bit different. I was rooting for the Bears, and even though they delivered a particularly thrilling first quarter, the Colts ultimately pulled ahead and remained the scoring leader for the rest of the game.
Also, who else thought Prince rocked at halftime? I don't particularly care for these stupid "medleys" of past hits, but I thought he did a damn good job. Maybe I was just hypnotized by the neon lights, fireworks, and breakneck guitar solos. It's been known to happen.
So, on to the ads. This year, there were some pretty clever ads nestled amongst the "been there, done that"s and the standard talking animals, stuntwork, and inspirational messages. Coke decided that instead of us wasting our budget on new commercials, let's just re-air the ads we've been playing in movie theaters across the country for the past six months. Toyota aired a pair of visually impressive, but ultimately dull, ads showing the strength of their new pickup truck. Finally, comedians Jim Gaffigan and Michael Ian Black returned for a new slew of Sierra Mist ads, none of which topped the cleverness and humor of past spots like "Wand" and "Lost and Found", which also feature Kathy Griffin and Tracy Morgan, respectively.
So, who's left? Bud Light may deliver a crappy-tasting beer, but their commercials always go down smooth. This year, they produced two of their best ads to date, the slasher-inspired "Axe" and the utterly hilarious "Fist Bump". Additional spots featured a wedding auctioneer, a particularly brutal game of rock, paper, scissors, and Carlos Mencia.
Despite my outright hatred for Kevin Federline and all that he stands for, his controversial Nationwide ad had me in stitches. Just something about that bald guy who plays his boss hollering "Federline! Fries!" Other effective uses of celebrities came in the form of Robert Goulet's stealth-like reflexes for Emerald Nuts, and a surprise voice-over cameo by Ricardo Montalbahn for Taco Bell.
But, my two favorite ads in this year's Super Bowl were the especially heartfelt assembly line robot ad by GM, and the brilliantly campy Godzilla/Ultraman tribute ad by Garmin GPS Systems. Both ads had a great sense of visual style and humor, and unlike most Super Bowl ads, the concepts for the spots actually supported the message regarding their products, namely GM's concern over quality, and Garmin's desire to eliminate the need for maps.
Of course, thanks to YouTube, it is now possible to rewatch every single Super Bowl ad that aired, and in some cases, much more. The Snickers ad featuring two men almost first-basing invites you to choose one of four alternate endings. The aforementioned Garmin ad also includes interviews with the cast and musicians. Doritos even went as far as to hold a contest in which people submitted their own homemade ads.
Will next year's Super Bowl be made up entirely of amateur commercials made by YouTubers? Or will Bud Light simply buy up all the ad space and air never-ending "Wazzup?" spots? Only time will tell.
It's so nice to know that, in this day and age, something as innocent-looking as a Mooninite from Aqua Teen Hunger Force flicking off unsuspecting passersby can cause people to collectively freak out so chaotically. Of course, now that the city of Boston has been considerably embarrassed by endorsing and encouraging mass hysteria, they're looking desperately for a scapegoat, which they have found in the form of their two "fugitives from justice," Peter Berdovsky, 27, and Sean Stevens, 28.
Seriously? Are we so jumpy that a couple of strategically-placed "lite brites" can incite a citywide panic? If that's the case, then we don't stand a chance in our so-called "war on terror."
Coincidentally, this is going to give Aqua Teen Hunger Force tons of free publicity, all thanks to Assistant Attorney General John Grossman. Congratulations, sir. You've managed to single-handedly make yourself look like the elderly grandparent in the room, constantly berating at the youth of America for listening to that "dang-blasted rock 'n roll."
Posts
All Comments
