Surprise Cinema

This is yet another totally sick but very funny film from Bill Plympton. It has a bit of sex and is very violent--very, very violent. Not surprisingly, it can be found on his "Bill's Dirty Shorts" DVD.

A TV host-sort of person comes up to various unsuspecting folks and plays 'pranks' on them. All the pranks are VERY cruel, violent and nasty--but also quite funny to watch since it's not real. Had it been done with real people, I shutter to think about the results. But, with Bill Plympton's usual style and flair, it can't help but make you laugh. Even if you can't possibly watch this around 'normal' folks or your children or mother, I recommend you give it a look. But don't say I didn't warn you!

I should note that a few years ago, I met Bill Plympton and bought some DVDs from him at a convention. When I asked about buying "Bill's Dirty Shorts" (of which "Sex and Violence" is a part of) he STRONGLY recommended I not because I told him my 16 year-old loved his work. So, instead I got a few other DVDs and, inexplicably, he seemed so normal and nice--not the sort to make a raunchy (but hilarious) film collection like this one!

To the backing of a laughter track a smartly suited man introduces his newest idea – a series of cruel and violent practical jokes played at the expense of the unsuspecting general public. Of course nobody will really come to harm, after all, it's only a bit of light entertainment isn't it? And so it is with this basic set up that we have an amusing and gory short animation that ridicules and attacks the culture of television shows that simply go out to annoy and upset the public in order to fill a few minutes of television without putting much effort in. It is a type of television I detest whether it is Candid Camera, Beatle's About or the new MTV spin on it (whatever it is called). In going after this target the short is guaranteed friends but this alone doesn't make it that good, mainly because the film only has this simple point to make and it makes it in a pretty blunt manner. This means it is funny the first few times but really it just becomes very gory and dull quite quickly. Some are delivered with humour but most are rather too reliant on gore to make their mark.

The animation is rough but effective and it was only the very gory nature of it that put me off a little bit. Overall it is an OK animation but it gets a bit samey before the end (a problem for a short) and it lacks real invention and wit. A worthwhile thing to see just because it mocks a horribly lazy sort of television show but it could have been better than this.

Surprise Cinema (1999)

*** (out of 4)

Classic Plympton short probably could have been a little funnier but we still get some hilarious stuff. The film is a spoof of Candid Camera but instead of funny stuff we see our people put through acts of sexual violence and pain. The vignettes include a man whose wife is replaced with an octopus, a toilet replaced with an alligator and another man whose electric razor is replaced with a chainsaw. Yes, you could argue these people would see what was about to happen before they did it but this is just a comedy and not meant to be taken serious. The film has some extremely funny moments with one of the highlights being the sex with the octopus. Other classic bits include the alligator/toilet scene as well as another one involving a pair of glasses. The film doesn't have the wild imagination of some of the director's other works but that doesn't hurt the film too bad as the dark, gory humor still gets plenty of laughs so fans will certainly want to check this one out.

Bill Plympton does it again with this hilarious collection of ultraviolent animated sketches. This time they all share a common theme, though-- deadly practical jokes on unsuspecting people, usually with hilariously gory results.

It is obvious that Mr. Plympton is making a statement about how cruel and exploitative "Candid Camera"-type shows can be, and he seems to feel strongly about it, while at the same time he succeeds in making the viewer grimace and crack up simultaneously. Good work, Bill! Don't stop making these f**ked-up shortfilms!