wdeadder
Joined Aug 2002
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Reviews8
wdeadder's rating
This film is not so much a political satire as much as it is a social commentary. There is a tendency among reviewers to see what side of the political fence Parker and Stone straddle more toward. However, the jabs are equally liberal and conservative.
The remarkable point that everyone seems to miss is that it points out social absurdities of the western world. It takes a jab at over-stylized Broadway plays that draw out folks in droves that want to tell all of their friends they were at the 'theatre', despite the fact that the play is drivel. It makes sport of our obsession with bad Hollywood productions by showing us, point blank, just how outrageously benign film dialog has become. Along the same lines, it shows how most modern cinema requires a gratuitous sex scene, despite the lack of need for it.
The film also points out how absurd Hollywood actors have become. Some actually think that pretending to be someone else in a blockbuster gives them immediate credibility when they decide to beak off about world issues. Only in the western world would you see a guy like the Terminator in office.
Another great issue it brings up is the uber-important way we see ourselves in a world forum. Just the title alone: "Team America:World Police" is the tip off.
Folks, we are spoiled and uninformed in the western world. These filmmakers have merely pointed out how sheltered and naive we actually are. They have not poked fun at sides of a political agenda so much as poked at those who take sides at all.
This is a funny film. Very funny. It is well executed and so over the top that it deserves a look. Be warned....if you can't laugh at yourself, don't tune in.
The remarkable point that everyone seems to miss is that it points out social absurdities of the western world. It takes a jab at over-stylized Broadway plays that draw out folks in droves that want to tell all of their friends they were at the 'theatre', despite the fact that the play is drivel. It makes sport of our obsession with bad Hollywood productions by showing us, point blank, just how outrageously benign film dialog has become. Along the same lines, it shows how most modern cinema requires a gratuitous sex scene, despite the lack of need for it.
The film also points out how absurd Hollywood actors have become. Some actually think that pretending to be someone else in a blockbuster gives them immediate credibility when they decide to beak off about world issues. Only in the western world would you see a guy like the Terminator in office.
Another great issue it brings up is the uber-important way we see ourselves in a world forum. Just the title alone: "Team America:World Police" is the tip off.
Folks, we are spoiled and uninformed in the western world. These filmmakers have merely pointed out how sheltered and naive we actually are. They have not poked fun at sides of a political agenda so much as poked at those who take sides at all.
This is a funny film. Very funny. It is well executed and so over the top that it deserves a look. Be warned....if you can't laugh at yourself, don't tune in.
I applaud NYC fire fighters and their plight. I salute the incredible people of NYC and how they have risen above this horrorific day. I have an incredible amount of respect for the film makers and marvel at the bravery they demonstrated that day (staying in the tower to film, etc.).
Indeed, during a recent trip to NYC, I was taken by how the city has seemed to bounce back from 9/11. To me, the NYFD and NYPD are celebrities and heros.
However, this film is worth seeing only for the footage and hearing the tales, firsthand, from the people who were there. The glorification of this day in this film is sickening. It becomes obvious that once the brothers who originally posessed this footage handed it over to TV executives, it became something all together different than it should have. I agree with others that narraration is far too distracting and obtrusive.
Having scripted dialogue in a film like this is insulting. These firefighters are articulate, interesting men who don't need one of their own rattling off the events of that day from a script. Let their own words and pictures do the talking.
That being said, the footage that was gathered makes this movie worth seeing (I could do without the hanging of the flag...an image that we had seen all over the world a million times at this point). While I respect the patriotism that came out of this horrific event, it has very little to do with the actual event itself or the people directly involved. I'll bet that not a single person was trying to get out of those buildings for their country, or singing the national anthem while running for their lives. No, they were trying to save their lives for the sake of themselves, their families and friends. Not one firefighter in this film says anything that can be deemed political or patriotic because, for them, getting out of those buildings wasn't about America. That is, after all, what this film is about (excepting the sub-plot of the rookie firefighter)....surviving that terrible day.
It wasn't nessasary to show the flag being hung and cheered. The world was crying for America and we all know that. In Canada, the stars and stripes were hung everywhere in support of our friends to the south. What we need to see is the human element of this story, not the cheering squad.
The moral: never hand over indie footage to network big-wigs trying to drum up patriotism and anger. Let the horrific images speak for themselves for the people of America are smart enough to figure things out without having the flag shoved down their throats.
God bless America, New York and the world.
Indeed, during a recent trip to NYC, I was taken by how the city has seemed to bounce back from 9/11. To me, the NYFD and NYPD are celebrities and heros.
However, this film is worth seeing only for the footage and hearing the tales, firsthand, from the people who were there. The glorification of this day in this film is sickening. It becomes obvious that once the brothers who originally posessed this footage handed it over to TV executives, it became something all together different than it should have. I agree with others that narraration is far too distracting and obtrusive.
Having scripted dialogue in a film like this is insulting. These firefighters are articulate, interesting men who don't need one of their own rattling off the events of that day from a script. Let their own words and pictures do the talking.
That being said, the footage that was gathered makes this movie worth seeing (I could do without the hanging of the flag...an image that we had seen all over the world a million times at this point). While I respect the patriotism that came out of this horrific event, it has very little to do with the actual event itself or the people directly involved. I'll bet that not a single person was trying to get out of those buildings for their country, or singing the national anthem while running for their lives. No, they were trying to save their lives for the sake of themselves, their families and friends. Not one firefighter in this film says anything that can be deemed political or patriotic because, for them, getting out of those buildings wasn't about America. That is, after all, what this film is about (excepting the sub-plot of the rookie firefighter)....surviving that terrible day.
It wasn't nessasary to show the flag being hung and cheered. The world was crying for America and we all know that. In Canada, the stars and stripes were hung everywhere in support of our friends to the south. What we need to see is the human element of this story, not the cheering squad.
The moral: never hand over indie footage to network big-wigs trying to drum up patriotism and anger. Let the horrific images speak for themselves for the people of America are smart enough to figure things out without having the flag shoved down their throats.
God bless America, New York and the world.
Okay, let's examine the facts first: 1) Canadians are not a bunch of stereotypical goon-loving hockey nuts (Gretzky is a Canadian folks...when did he ever fight?) 2) Thunder Bay is a beautiful city populated by great people who do not wear, primarily, plaid shirts 3) If a fight breaks out on the ice, even in junior hockey, there would be serious disciplinary action taken if the benches are cleared, the coach attacks a spectator or sticks are used as a weapon 4) The game of hockey is an incredibly fast paced game and 90% of the hits and plays depicted in this laughable film would be penalized
This movie is, in a word, ridiculous. These guys are painfully slow skaters and the actual game of hockey wasn't even remotely researched before shooting began. I'm going to avoid the obvious plot flaws in my review, for I think it goes without saying that this movie was written for the teenage mentality.
But the most insulting thing about this film is it's depiction of we Canadians. The dingy streets. The rabid fans. The stupid girls in bars. Hollywood's version of Canada is a slap in the face. When the Hamilton team travels to Thunder Bay for a game, they give a 5 second flash of a bus traveling up a rural road to depict the trip. This, folks, is a 20 hour drive!!! Then, when the team's performance is questioned by the coach, he threatens to send them to (gasp!) Blind River (a beautiful waterfront town in Northern Ontario). I've travelled all over Canada and can assure you that we are far from perfect, but if we were the morons depicted in this trashy film, I'd move.
Why should I be surprised? It's fine for Hollywood to depict Canada as a dump, yet when they need a place to make a film depicting an American city, Toronto is suddenly the most beautiful place in the world. Anyone seen "Chicago"? Guess what folks, it was shot in Canada.
By the way, what's with Canada's own Keanu Reeves making an ass of himself doing what can only be deemed the worst French Canadian accent ever on screen? Hey Keanu! Haven't you ever travelled to Quebec? If I was French Canadian, I'd boycott all your films.
This movie is, in a word, ridiculous. These guys are painfully slow skaters and the actual game of hockey wasn't even remotely researched before shooting began. I'm going to avoid the obvious plot flaws in my review, for I think it goes without saying that this movie was written for the teenage mentality.
But the most insulting thing about this film is it's depiction of we Canadians. The dingy streets. The rabid fans. The stupid girls in bars. Hollywood's version of Canada is a slap in the face. When the Hamilton team travels to Thunder Bay for a game, they give a 5 second flash of a bus traveling up a rural road to depict the trip. This, folks, is a 20 hour drive!!! Then, when the team's performance is questioned by the coach, he threatens to send them to (gasp!) Blind River (a beautiful waterfront town in Northern Ontario). I've travelled all over Canada and can assure you that we are far from perfect, but if we were the morons depicted in this trashy film, I'd move.
Why should I be surprised? It's fine for Hollywood to depict Canada as a dump, yet when they need a place to make a film depicting an American city, Toronto is suddenly the most beautiful place in the world. Anyone seen "Chicago"? Guess what folks, it was shot in Canada.
By the way, what's with Canada's own Keanu Reeves making an ass of himself doing what can only be deemed the worst French Canadian accent ever on screen? Hey Keanu! Haven't you ever travelled to Quebec? If I was French Canadian, I'd boycott all your films.