Thinking & Feeling

“The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think.” Horace Walpole

Friday 9 June 2006

Team America!

I managed to watch the movie Team America : World Police the other night and OMG how BRILLIANT was that!?

I realise that only people who *get* South Park and find it funny, will probably like Team America, but I thought the satire and parody was frikken excellent!

Basically it is a Thunderbirds style puppetry movie, loosely based on the plot of the movie Armageddon and with South Park whit, satire and irreverence. Much of the subject matter is very topical, and is dished out with a large helping of crude vulgarity. (I think it is important to realise that it is not the language or crassness which should cause offense, but the subject matter they are dealing with. I think it is an interesting comment on society when people are outraged by crude language - but are ok with their leaders chosing to blow up half the world without due cause... think about it!)

This is a very brief synopsis of the plot:
"Team America follows an international police force dedicated to maintaining global stability. Learning that power hungry dictator Kim Jong Il (Parker) is out to destroy the world, the team recuits Broadway star Gary Johnston (Parker) to go undercover. With the help of Team America (Stone, Miller, Masasa, Parker, and Norris), Gary manages to slip into an arms dealer's hideout to uncover the plan to destroy the world. Will Team America be able to save the world?"

and this is from a review:
"I'm sure plenty of parochial critics will berate this film for anti-American values during the current "war on terror"....BUT...the great thing about this film is that no one is spared being mocked. This bears the standard of a great film by expressing the ironies innate in every argument in this quasi-political tale; from socialist Michael Moore, fashionably charitable celebrities to the terrorists and the, ahem "world police." This couldn't be more accurately summed up than in one of the funniest ever analogies that is employed in this film; the "Dic*s, P*ssies, and a*s*holes, argument." This film also wonderfully parodies the standard conventions and cliché's of the action film genre to create an entertaining, and gleefully controversial film."

Memorable moments for me were:
- The sex scene - how over the top, cringe worth and hillarious was that?
- The vomiting scene that never ended. Hahaha. My saturday night ended a bit like that so I can relate...
- The 'black panters'. LMAO that was SO clever, I loved it when they savaged and ate the actors.
- The lyrics to the Pearl Harbour song "I need you like Ben Affleck needs acting school..."

Anyway I thought the movie was brilliant and I think Trey Parker is a genius. Did you know that he was in the same school at the same time as the kids that were responsible for the Collumbine Shootings? Clearly all those people are severely f**ked up. Luckilly he found a creative way to channel it.

There is some interesting and funny trivia about the movie here , and quotes are here, and there is a longer review here.

The songs in the soundtrack are also surprisingly funny and catchy... Although I can't get this out of my head today... "America f**k yeah! Coming again to save the mother f**king day yeah!"
headbang headbang headbang headbang headbang headbang
headbang headbang headbang headbang headbang headbang
It's hard core, in your face and offers no appologies to anyone.

Did you love it or hate it?

1 comment:

  1. I *love* that movie as well, and found it also had good morals.

    Its coming to 'save' the M-fing day

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