FUTURAMA - your guide to the universe

it's amazing that a cartoon show can provide so many insights into society, culture, and beliefs. whilst a superficial viewing of the show is enough to make it entertaining and fulfilling, looking beyond the celluloid can make the futurama even better than what it already is.

from beginning to end, each episode in the currently four-season series has brought to light some insight into societal values, trends, beliefs etc. even if in a satirical way, futurama makes comments on 20th century society and is constantly comparing it to the future world the show is set it.

phillip j fry (maybe a ode to "homer j simpson"?) is the main character here, and his trial and tribulations through the series brings to our attention the things we hold dear to ourselves.

there are a handful of completely quotable and memorable characters, such as captain leela, dr. zoidberg, bener bending rodrigez, and of course prof. hewbert farnsworth. each brings thier own unique comedic presence to the cartoon that is futurama. suporting characters such as zapp brannigan and the robot devil also make futurama, even on a superficial level, hilarious.

the writers of futurama (including brad bird, writer/director of "the incredibles (5/5)), i think are absolute geniuses when it comes to 20th century contemporary culture. all the episodes highlight something that we are all familiar with. not only that, each concept in the series is backed up by theoretical considerations that generally go unnoticed in a cartoon format. but still, futurama is one of those cartoon series that just makes you love being alive in the 20th century. it makes you appreciate things you always seem to take for granted. i could probably go one for a while about this series, but that would means i'd go through every episode with a fine-tooth comb.

if you get the chance, there are a few episodes that you really have to see:
"Jurrasic Bark"
"The Sting"
"I Dated a Robot"
"A Tale of Two Santas"
"The Luck of the Fryish"

i would like to advocate and justify the imporantance of cartoons and even comics - mark waid and alex ross's "kindgom come" is a testament to this genre.

matt groening, i salute you.

the romantic comedy

the other night i had a conversation with a friend of mine about the credibility of the romantic comedy formula. the reason this came up was because the "suddenly 30" (starring jennifer garner) dvd had just been released and of course, i went out and bought it.

i knew i enjoyed it when i saw it at the cinemas, but i got a lot more out of it when i watched it a few times on dvd. not only little things in the story, but also the whole notion of the 'romantic comedy' and why some are just good, and others great.

basically, you have one character who is chasing the love of their life, usually the best friend or some other close person who, in the past, had a completely platonic relationship with one another. either one of these two usually have some kind of quirky personality traits which add to the 'comedy' element of the combination.

and the other main protagonist is usually the reluctant hero, modest, witty, and shy.

throw in a fiancee or a job offer, and there you have the main obstacle for the two main protagonists to get over.

and that's about it.

in the end, the guy gets the girl and all the people hurt on on their path to 'true love' just have to deal.

"suddenly 30" follows this formula, but alters it slightly to allow the film to take a different direction when it comes to romanic comedies. if you haven't seen this film, this little insight to romantic comedies will have some spoilers, but if you don't mind then keep reading.

in the end, the guy doesn't get the girl. the whole film is about jenna trying to get back her best friend and her true love. but, according to the formula, he's already engaged. "suddenly 30", despite having a fantasy-type story, puts a realistic tone on the perils of love and life and the choices we make.

matt, though in love with jenna and has been pretty much forever, chooses to go on with his wedding to wendy, someone he cares for but not necessarily loves. and c'mon guys, this is what would happen in the real world. none of this "true love conquers all" bs that only ever works in the movies. there is a key scene where matt (played by mark ruffalo) tells jenna that you "just can't turn back time". this scene i believe adds that realistic dimension to the film that most romantic comedies lack.

see "suddenly 30" and perhaps it'll make you think twice about the concept of romantic comedies. in the end it does make you feel good on the inside, which i think is the main goal of these kinds of film. like i said in my review a while back, this film might not rock your world but it'll make it it that much more enjoyable (3.5/5).

KING ARTHUR

stars clive owen, ioan gruffudd, kiera knightley, hugh dancy
3/5

apparently this movie did pretty dismally at the cinemas, but the dvd director's cut version i think is alright. i haven't seen the theatrical release version so i've nothing to compare it to, but i'll base this review from what i've seen.

i'm not sure how closely the film follows the 'real' legend of arthur and his knights. but i guess the legend itself aint that clear either. anyways, the main story of the film portrays arthur's pre-king journey with his knights in thier numberous battles with the britains, the saxons, and the 'wolves' for the casue of freedom. after they defeat the saxons, their freedom will be granted - and after fifteen years, they have all come but one battle away from it.

but, as lancelot (gruffudd) tells arthur (owen), "only certain death awaits you."

this film was to me, kind of like a medieval, bloody, grown-up version of rob reiner's "stand by me" which is probably the main reason i liked it. the directing and editing was pretty ordinary, but the characters and the trials they faced together were well executed really well.

i don't know if this review has changed anyone's opinion of the film, but i thought it was pretty cool. and if you haven't seen it yet, i recommend it. if not for the gratuidous violence, head-lopping, and axings, then for the shit these knights go through for thier freedom.

LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS

2.5/5
stars jim carrey, meryl streep, emma browning, jude law

i was desperate for something to do and thought seeing a movie would be a good thing to kill some time. i went into the theatre thinking this film would be kinda funny, a little hollywood-ish, and perhaps even a bit suspenseful. unfortuante indeed, that none of my expectations were fulfilled.

the film is about three kids who are orphaned after a mysterious fire burns down thier mansion and kills their parents. of the three children, there's violet the inventor, klaus the reader, and summer the biter. they are put into the custody of count olaf (carrey), who is only after one thing - their inhertience.

the film goes through a series of events (pun, get it?) that sees the kids escaping time after time the plots of olaf to bring about their untimely deaths.

the film to me was very repetetive, and even boring in some parts. it lacked the hollywood bs despite having the big name actors. this was the thing i liked about the film, that it was quirky and different. the sets, colour-scheming, music, and atmosphere in general gave this film a sense of mysticism.

jude law lends his voice as the narrator, lemony snicket, as he follows the events that happen to these children.

its an odd-ball film with little to offer. perhaps the only meaningful thing in the film is at the end, where violet reads aloud a letter sent from their late parents. i suppose this last scene was worth the wait. if you're up for a theatrical, but somewhat boring and ho-hum film, see this movie.

the obligatory 'new year' blog

its funny that my first blog for the year was for an animated feature film. apart from the drunken screaming out of car windows while in the backseat of a rundown statesman, i didn't have much else on my mind. either that, or i was probably too wasted to think about anythign else.

seriously though, it's a new year - a time to look back on '04 and see what i learnt, what i want to change, and how i'm gonna make it through this year. even with 04's many downs, there were enough ups to get me through. events, people, food, water, and oxygen helped me survive the year and i've grown a lot since then i think.

university and working 15-hour days is a tough hand to be dealt, but i think i maanged rather well. time management is the key - and plenty of coffee, coke, and berocca. actually, i tried that berocca bs and it did nothing at all. it just made me breathe faster and dehydrate me. berocca can kiss my ass. anyway, even with a busy scheduel, i always tried to made time to hang with my good friends, even if it meant 3 hours sleep before getting to work at 5am.

i feel as though i'll be regurgitating stuff i wrote on another blog belonging to a friend of mine about change, people, and friendships, so maybe i will redirect you there so you don't have to read this anymore.

it's a new year, try make the most of it. if 2004 was shit for you, look at the reason behind that. if you find that you're looking into a mirror, i can assure you you wouldn't be alone. but if not, then use this year to change aspects of your life that just really suck.

get out on your own for a bit, do your own thing. but don't pull a julius caesar on your mates and turn your back on them, cos you know that the real ones are what make life worth living.

do that, and 2005... it's gonna be big.

THE INCREDIBLES

stars holly hunter, craig t. nelson, samuel l. jackson, jason lee
5/5

continuing from the thread i started earlier...

i really don't know where to begin when it comes to this film. writer and director brad bird ("the iron giant" - another great animated feature) knows how to combine the right amount to sentiment with action, humour, and emotion.

firstly, this is what the film is about. after an avalanche of lawsuits filed against super-heroes and the crippling effects of legal costs to the government, super-heroes were forced to relocate and make their "secret identity their only identity." moving fifteen years on, bob parr aka mr. incredible has struggled to let the glory days go, the days where he used his powers for the good of the people. instead, he is a pencil pusher at an insurance company being both degraded and unappreciated by his co-workers and boss.

bob then gets a mysterious message asking for his help. he jumps at the opportunity and starts getting back into shape and using his super powers and for the first time in fifteen years, mr. incredible was back. and his family? his wife helen (voiced by hunter) aka elastigirl has hung up her super hero outfit and has tried to lead a 'normal' like under the radar of everyone else. their kids, dashiel (or "dash") and violet both have their own powers too, super speed and invisibility respectively.

mr, incredible realises only too late that his new employer is really the bad guy, and suddenly his family are brought into the plans of a crazed fan.

while the animation in this film is definitely awe-inspiring, what really stands out are the interactions between the family members. brad bird has captured the essence of what it is to be a family in this film, and uses the characters to explore all those ideas. the script, voices (with an excellent performance by jason lee (mall rats, dogma) as "syndrome") and animation make this film absolutely amazing and while this is a family of super heroes, one can't escape the fact that deep down, emotion and feelings are something that everyone - super or not - has in common. and brad bird hits the spot every time.

other characters make this film really cool too, such as edna mode - the fashion designer of super heroes (voiced by mr. bird himself), and the kid who lives down the street (voiced by bird's son, also voiced "squirt" from finding nemo).

what this film is really about a family dealing with family issues... but being super heroes as well.

this film is the sh|t, it has everything to offer and only asks 115 minutes of your time.

go see this movie, it's bloody awesome.