Posted on 08/10/2004 11:43:03 PM PDT by freedom44
August 10, 2004 -- CONSERVATIVE commentators have been lining up to denounce "Team America: World Police," the cheeky comedy due in October from "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. But it's actually Hollywood liberals who might have the most to worry about.
A key conceit of "Team America," which is essentially an action film made with sophisticated marionettes, is that it depicts left-leaning show business elites as selfish and superficial.
Among the many prominent activists who may be shown in a less-than-flattering "Team America" light are Ben Affleck and Michael Moore.
Says Parker: "We only went after people who at least invited it."
The movie also spoofs many action-film conventions, from editing to dialogue, established and perfected by Jerry Bruckheimer, the producer of such blockbusters as "Con Air," "The Rock" and "Armageddon."
"The joke of this movie," says Stone, "is that it's a big, dumb Bruckheimer movie, done with puppets."
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Thunderbirds Go! got remade with kids instead of puppets and now this. =o|
Here's a link to the trailer.
http://www.teamamericamovie.com/
Click on the trailer bottom right
Parker and Stone, whose past humor targets included everything from Mormons to Canada, say Bush isn't even central to the "Team America" story.But some critics already are attacking the project.
On Aug. 1, conservative Internet gossip columnist Matt Drudge posted a story under the headline "Paramount Puppet Movie to Mock Terror War." The article quoted a "senior Bush adviser" condemning the film as "unconscionable" for making fun of terrorism.
They are both right. Bush is not central to the story and it is in questionable taste to be making fun of terrorism. This seems to be a trumped up controversy.
Reacting to the Drudge Report, "Team America" producer Scott Rudin says: "I think he misinterpreted where the politics of the movie actually lie. It's not Bush-bashing. It's not Kerry-bashing. It's going after everybody."A week later, the Wall Street Journal reported that Move America Forward, a conservative group, also was blasting "Team America" sight unseen.
The group's chairman, Howard Kaloogian, was quoted as saying it would be "inconceivable" for filmmakers to have spoofed the Nazis during World War II.
"That's totally ridiculous and absolutely, historically wrong," says Stone, noting that wartime Bugs Bunny cartoons had Bugs in battle against the Germans and Japanese. "It's what everybody did."
And many of those films were then suppressed for decades until they were rereleased in a historical context. Additionally, while Hitler was made a fool, there were no jokes about Nazi attrocities ("I'll send you to the showers" or "Dr. Mengle will be able to make you forget about your toothache...").
Such films can create a national incident (where a war is not already declared, as with North Korea). Look at how the Canadians responded to Triumph the Insult Dog's visit to Quebec.
Such things don't always help even if they do provide some postmodern laughs.
With the portrayal of Terrence and Phillip, I'm surprised the Canadians haven't invaded us.
We'll fend them off with a troop of girlscounts armed with very sharp sticks.
... and fart jokes.
Right. Servicemen and women, policemen and firemen, etc, will not be the butt of any of their humor. Or so they said on Drudge a couple weeks ago.
They have also said they make fun of the libs because they are way out silly.
If anything conservatives have a sense of humor but are not really good fodder. The libs as they again say just Invite it themselves.
I'll be there to watch it!
From what I understand, the South Park guys lean conservative, if they lean at all, when it comes to politics.
Where's my Metamucil?
Tell that to Charley Chaplin.
Geez, some people should research before opening their mouths.
If they did, they'd get flanked by the Quebec separatists.
... or Bugs or Popeye.
or Ernest Lubitch and Jack Benny, or The Three Stooges, or Donald Duck, or...
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