South Park (DVD) Review

Posted by admin on May 18th, 2008 — Posted in Films

Premiering in the late summer of 1997, South Park took American pop culture by storm with its no-holds-barred examination of social and political issues and its lewd yet unique brand of cartoon humor. Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, South Park is the lynchpin of cable network Comedy Central’s original programming lineup. Centered around the lives of several kids in the small Colorado town of South Park (a place prone to odd and paranormal occurrences), the series presents itself in the form of crude animated drawings, yet the concept works, playing home to innumerable well-written shows filled with boundless wit, well-timed one-liners, and an endless array of politically-incorrect humor. Love it or hate it, South Park is a truly original animated series with relentlessly off-the-wall plot twists and comic relief. If you love oddball humor, then this is the show for you…

South Park mostly follows the exploits of four elementary school kids - Cartman (who’s overweight and sarcastic), Kyle (who dreams of eliminating his little brother Ike), Stan (who throws up at the sight of a girl he likes), and Kenny (who manages to get killed in every episode). All four attend South Park Elementary School where third grade teacher Mr. Garrison educates them with the use of a hand-puppet named “Mr. Hat” and cafeteria employee “Chef” McElroy (Isaac Hayes) dispenses his advice while periodically breaking into 70’s love songs about making love to women. South Park is the setting for numerous oddities such as alien visitors, a monster with a hand of celery and the leg of Patrick Duffy, and Big Gay Al’s Big Gay Boat Ride. South Park also hosts a number famous people from time to time, such as the Devil, Saddam Hussein, the Antichrist, Kathy Lee Gifford, Scott Baio, Tina Yothers, Elton John, and Jesus Christ - who has his own cable access show…

The South Park DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere “Cartman Gets an Anal Probe” in which Kyle tries to rid himself of his baby brother Ike by playing a game of “kick the baby” at the bus stop. Meanwhile, Cartman reveals to his friends that he had a nightmare in which he was abducted by aliens, leading Stan, Kyle, and Chef to the conclusion that aliens inserted an anal probe in Cartman. As cows are mutilated in South Park, Cartman continues to live in denial of the alien machine residing in his anus… Other notable episodes from Season 1 include “An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig” in which Kyle’s science project to cross-breed an elephant with a pig is made possible when Chef and Elton John create the necessary atmosphere for proper loving-making, and “Pink Eye” in which Kenny dies early in the episode but is turned into a zombie by accident…

Below is a list of episodes included on the South Park (Season 1) DVD:

Episode 1 (Cartman Gets an Anal Probe) Air Date: 08-13-1997
Episode 2 (Volcano) Air Date: 08-20-1997
Episode 3 (Weight Gain 4000) Air Date: 08-27-1997
Episode 4 (Big Gay Al’s Big Gay Boat Ride) Air Date: 09-03-1997
Episode 5 (An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig) Air Date: 09-10-1997
Episode 6 (Death) Air Date: 09-17-1997
Episode 7 (Pink Eye) Air Date: 10-29-1997
Episode 8 (Starvin’ Marvin) Air Date: 11-19-1997
Episode 9 (Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo) Air Date: 12-17-1997
Episode 10 (Damien) Air Date: 02-04-1998
Episode 11 (Tom’s Rhinoplasty) Air Date: 02-11-1998
Episode 12 (Mecha-Streisand) Air Date: 02-18-1998
Episode 13 (Cartman’s Mom is a Dirty Slut) Air Date: 02-25-1998

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the South Park (DVD).

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Movie Reviews for Aquamarine & Shaggy Dog

Posted by admin on April 23rd, 2008 — Posted in Films

A splashy movie for teen girls,Aquamarine, tackles the age-old dilemma of “he’s so cute, but how can I get him to notice me?” The fun begins when a mermaid (Sara Paxton) washes up on shore and befriends Claire and Hailey(Emma Roberts & Joanna Levesque.) Aquamarine is a walking and talking blonde by day, but sprouts a tail and fins by night. In bizarre twist of fate, Aquamarine must prove that “true love” exists. Evidently, Aquamarine’s father is planning an arranged marriageand the only way to get out of it is to find someone to say, “I love you.”

When it comes to romance, Aquamarine is a fish out of water. She has a crush on the lifeguard, Raymond (Jake McDorman) but doesn’t know how to get his attention. Out of desperation, Aquamarine promises to grant a wish to both girls if they help her experience true love. Comic complications abound when a rival girl discovers Aquamarine’s true identity, and sets out to expose her. Bottom line: Aquamarine is a sweet, spunky and wholesome movie that will capture any teen’s attention: hook, line and sinker!

The Shaggy Dog is about a lawyer (Tim Allen) who discovers his client is doing cruel and unethical experiments on animals in hopes of developing an anti-aging serum. The fun begins when the lawyer is bitten by one of the tortured lab animals. Suddenly, the man transforms into a sheep dog.. Yep,
it’s extremely funny. Tim Allen is covered with hair, sprouts a tail, and experiences a dog’s heightened awareness with acute hearing and smell. Ultimately, Allen uses his canine intuition to unravel the hidden conspiracy of animal testing, as he sinks his teeth into issues he previously ignored.

There’s a funny scene in the elevator where he is sniffed you-know-where by
another dog. Being down on all fours also forces Allen to come to grips with his shortcomings. The poor guy is a workaholic, and isn’t connecting with his wife (Kristin Davis) and children (Zena Grey and Spencer Breslin.)

Bottom line: “Shaggy Dog” is a fun family movie. Adults will enjoy the empathetic moments that are mixed in with the silliness. (Isn’t it refreshing when a high-powered attorney admits he is wrong, and now sees things from a new perspective?) Kids will enjoy the movie’s silliness, and probably not take it too seriously. Talk about zany the rescued lab animals include
a cobra with a dog’s tail, a circus monkey, and a frog that barks. Anyone for a game of fetch?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nicky Vanvalkenburgh is a film critic who runs a stress reduction website. Check it out at http://www.20minutestolessstress.com/

Note: this article may be modified to meet space requirements.

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