We’re back from our break between seasons (yes, that’s what I’m calling it, go with me on this one) with a freshly invigorated group of gentlemen ready to take on the world!
Or at least, to take on your questions. Martin, Chris and Beau go through a giant heap of your concerns and queries that will likely both delight and enrage. Much is said about comics and all things geeky, as is our wont.
So tune in for the first of a new regular second season of THEOG promising many familiar faces, the occasional reverting to old and beloved formats, and much more.
Enjoy the return of the Gentlemen, as this one is for everybody! But after this, I’m afraid you’ll need to be a subscriber to hear future episodes, at the Brown Coat level or above. We hope you’ll join us for what is sure to be a pretty fantastic bi-weekly second go-round.
This week Brad and Sean had a chance to sit down with the guys over at Vinegar Syndrome to talk Exploitation Cinema and Film Preservation. We also offer up a “Vinegar Syndrome Virgin Survival Guide” for those of you who have yet to jump into their catalog.
Vinegar syndrome is a term used to describe the chemical reaction that goes on during the deterioration of cellulose acetate film. When films begins to decompose, ‘deacetylation’ occurs and the acetate ion reacts with moisture to form acetic acid, producing a vinegar odour when the can is opened. The reaction is continuous, and once started, it cannot be stopped or reversed. In fact, the reaction is autocatalytic, which means it feeds on itself and speeds up over time.
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2015 promises to be a year packed with comic book films, especially with Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man both coming from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But in the scope of Marvel adaptations, one has remained an outlier in terms of what to expect; Josh Trank’s The Fantastic Four reboot. Promising to wash whatever audiences still remember from Tim Story’s Fantastic Four from 2005 as well as 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, this newly updated version of Marvel’s First Family had been shadowed in secrecy and rumor for most of it’s development, with the occasional plot description or horrible looking costume set picture being our only clue into what director Josh Trank has been cooking up for us. Now, the silence has been broken and 20th Century Fox has given the public it’s first look at the updated version of the classic quartet of heroes in the form of this new teaser trailer.
In this retooling, our heroes Reed Richards (Miles Teller), Sue Storm (Kate Mara), Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan) and Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell) are young outsiders who teleport to a strange alternate universe which ends up distorting their physical forms and giving them powers. While trying to get accustomed to their new abilities, they have to collaborate to stop a former friend who threatens to bring chaos to Earth. The trailer is embedded below for your viewing pleasure;
So, this is our first official look at this new Fantastic Four… and I’m not that impressed. Keep in mind, my limited exposure to these characters isn’t really from the comics as much as from the 1994 cartoon series (and even re-runs of the Hanna Barbera cartoon from 1967) and the earlier mentioned Tim Story films. In theory, my limited point of view is the one Fox is trying to hook with this trailer, not bound by continuity of the comics but familiar enough with the property to have interest, especially with a cast filled with great young talents like Whiplash‘s Miles Teller, Fruitvale Station’s Michael B. Jordan and House of Cards‘ Kate Mara. Still, even from the few bits of exposure I have had, this trailer presents little of what I enjoy about those characters. With a teaser trailer like this one, the most important thing to establish is tone. One obviously can’t fit a lot of character dynamics into this short an amount of time, so we’re supposed to get across the basic iconography and tone of what the film is going for. So from this trailer, I get the idea that this is a darker grittier reworking of the original characters, with the stakes high enough to ensure many moments of characters in torturous pain about their powers and the fate of our world hanging in the balance. Sound familiar? Well, it should if you’ve seen any number of the more lacking and lesser superhero films of the last decade, particularly The Amazing Spider-Man franchise with that final “ominous” shot and the very thin hollow attempt at an authentically gritty tone.
This more dour turn really does deflate much of any interest I have in this, with imagery like the car driving along the cornfields or Reed talking with someone in a hospital (who I presume to be our Doctor Doom or a victim of his attacks) that feels more in tune with a Christopher Nolan film than a Fantastic Four adaptation. In a post-Marvel Cinematic Universe world, we don’t need every superhero movie to be dark. We can have fun yet appropriately dramatic and engaging superhero movies. Many a comic book fan friend of mine has said that the best film version of the Fantastic Four is The Incredibles, mainly for it’s major thematic drive of a group of very different people feeling like one cohesive family team and little to nothing of this trailer brought on any of those vibes, instead coming off as bleak and honestly kind of dull. The announcement of Philip Glass helping out with the score does little to sway me from this reading either. I managed to get more of those thematics from the horrendous earlier films. It’s a shame that this reboot appears to be going for more of a sullen grand scale Earth shattering angle as more of a focus on the destruction and reorganization of a small yet powerful family unit would give this an edge that the MCU’s The Avengers doesn’t quite have, especially when two of the members are adopted brother and sister. Of course, often times a trailer will lie about what makes the film it’s advertising work. Maybe Josh Trank will be able to dig into the familial relations that made those characters relatable and translate that to screen much in the way he managed to do on his first film Chronicle. Still, as of yet, I’m not too excited to see this new Fantastic Four when it comes to theaters August 7th, 2015. Maybe I’ll just watch old episodes of Fred & Barney Meet The Thing instead.
Marvel has been busy as of late, casting a number of actors for their highly anticipated series, A.K.A. Jessica Jones. After the casting of Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones and Mike Colter as Luke Cage, Marvel was proud to announce that David Tennant has been cast as the villainous Zebediah Killgrave, also known to comic readers as the Purple Man.
Born in Rijeka, Yugoslavia, Dr. Zebediah Killgrave was a physician turned spy tasked with investigating and infiltrating a chemical refinery. After being doused in numerous chemicals, Killgrave learned that his skin and hair had turned purple and that he was capable of releasing pheromones that manipulated the minds and emotions of anyone he came in contact with. Calling himself “The Purple Man,” Killgrave began a criminal career and was initially introduced as a Daredevil villain in the early 1960s. After falling into obscurity, the character was brought back as an antagonist to Jessica Jones in the series Alias, where he played a significant role in ending Jones’ superhero career.
Tennant has built an insane amount of clout among television viewers, specifically for his performance as Dr. Who in the series of the same name. His turn as the Doctor is considered to be the best among many fans, and his longtime appreciation for the series and numerous geek properties has made him well loved among comic readers. His most recent series, Broadchurch, in which he stars as Detective Alec Hardy, further showcased his capabilities as a dramatic actor.
A.K.A. Jessica Jones Executive Producer and Showrunner Melissa Rosenberg praised Tennant as an actor, highlighting his delivery of dialogue.
“I’m so honored and excited by the prospect of David inhabiting this multifaceted character,” said Rosenberg. “He can deliver the most heart-wrenching moment to the driest of lines, and all points in between. He’ll make Killgrave a truly original villain.”
In all honesty, the Purple Man is considered to be one of Marvel’s lesser known D-List villains. The character has often scrapped with street-level heroes like Daredevil and Luke Cage, getting his ass handed to him each and every time he’s come across them. His appearance in A.K.A Jessica Jones makes sense, but Tennant’s impeccable abilities as an actor would suit him better to play someone like Bullseye, or even a version of the criminally underrated 1980s Marvel villain, The Rose. However, Tennant has been cast as the Purple Man, and while the character is often looked at as a footnote in the Marvel Universe, Tennant will most likely provide an interesting take on the villain.
Currently, the synopsis of A.K.A Jessica Jones reads:
“After a tragic ending to her short-lived super hero stint, Jessica Jones is rebuilding her personal life and career as a detective who gets pulled into cases involving people with extraordinary abilities in New York City. An enigmatic figure from Jessica’s past, Killgrave’s reappearance will send shockwaves through the former super hero’s world.”
What do you think reader? Happy to hear about Tennant’s casting in the Neflix series? Were you hoping he would play a different comic book character? Let us know in the comments below!
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Internet Horror! Racial Stereotypes! Mean Bosses! Man the burning ship that is the latest Public Axis with guest Mike Robles!
Recorded on January 22nd, 2015 at the Public Axis F-Stop.
00:00 Welcome to the F-Stop! This week, we welcome one of the nation’s top Latino comics and creator of the Que Locos comedy show, Mike Robles. We actually become one degree closer to Tupac…er…Deepak Chopra and discuss the virtues of Couch Surfing.
24:17 Yeah, Imma Look Into Dat! Topic #1: Share your worst internet horror story! (Hacked? Stalked? Lost Data? Interpret as you may!) Inspired by the film, Killers. (Not that Katherine Heigl one. This one.)
51:50 Dad’s Corner(ed)! Topic #2: What racial stereotypes are you guilty of? Hijole, sir.
1:27:16 Hey, That’s Not Funny! Topic #3: Have you had a mean boss? If so, were you mean back?
1:52:20 What Did We Come to Know? Public Axis is an educational program and at the end, we always ask our guests and listeners, “What did you come to know?” Enlighten yourself.
Let your friends know about Public Axis on Facebook and Twitter and keep those Facebook comments coming at our Happy Campers group!
On this week’s show, the guys leapfrog from sports news into some interesting discussions on film. Is Justin Lin the Pete Carroll of film franchises? Over which 2015 cinematic sure thing would they most confidently bet a tattoo? And how well do J.C. and Adam know the diabolical plots of the various James Bond villains?
All that, plus Brian goes on a rant about cheating in the NFL and the guys resurrect the ITL Pensieve not for football game outcomes, but instead to predict some of the Oscar winners!
Give the episode a listen and don’t forget to join us this Sunday at 7pm CST for a live commentary of the WWE Royal Rumble featuring Amanda and John from All Rings Considered!
Follow us on Twitter, getting new followers makes us feel even more triumphant than Jermaine Kearse!
Let it be known that although Animated Anarchy is made with the safety and care of equines in mind, it is held together by Elmer’s Glue.
So before I get to the big review topic of this weeks blog, I’ve been wanting to talk about a noticeable change in my experience watching cartoons. Thanks to the work of Cartoon Network’s brilliant programming schedules, shows like Adventure Time and Regular Show remained steady in the world of broadcast animation. No matter what the time, day of the week, or bizarre theme to connect four shows together at once, Cartoon Network has remained consistently viable by changing the definition of an episode “premiere.”
We’ve known a premiere as a new show in its entirety taking up the full 30 minutes of it’s designated blocks. In a move that feels disingenuous, but smart from a marketing standpoint, Cartoon Network has narrowed this down to be a single, fragment of that show instead of giving us two or three episodes for the price of one as we’ve become accustomed too. I imagine years ago, I would have been outraged that they were shortchanging me by only giving me a small chunk of an episode to chew on week-by-week. But these days with a glut of amazing things to watch, limiting the stream to one small episode of Stephen Universe or Adventure Time per week keeps me invested in every show.
It’s a big dynamic shift in how kids watch cartoons these days, but we live in a time of Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Streaming that allows us to see any show, current or past as much as we want. This slower pace also alleviates much of the stress from the animators who get every episode highlighted. Think about it back in the day when an episode of Dexter’s Lab or Ed, Edd, and Eddy was promoted to us. Yeah, you’d get invested in the upcoming episode, but we’d also completely wonder about the next one or two segments to come afterwards. Would they be any good? The Cartoon Cartoon Fridays programming block was great as an event, but that was a lot of animation to digest in one evening.
Insert Nostalgia Flood Here!
In retrospect, the new way of branding TV shows and rationing them throughout the year is a better marketing strategy that makes all the behind-the-scenes workers happy. Instead of going through mysterious slumps or droughts of seasons of reruns, we are constantly reminded when there’s a new episode or a new two-parter if it’s a significant event like a season finale. It’s probably what has led to a majority of Cartoon Network’s shows have devoted fanbases since we can get new content for 70% of the year rather than an overload during 30%. Plus, to all of us who remember checking the TV Guide for episodes, we always knew which two episodes would be sandwiched together. That’d be great for some cartoons, but others that were more hit-and-miss like Cow & Chicken or Billy and Mandy, it would just play more into the monotony.
This discussion of availability and how much is displayed at once is critical to Bojack Horseman’s success. Being Netflix’s first animated original program sets the bar for how you represent the network and what kind of talent can be brought into a new project. It’s incredibly tempting to watch all of new show at once, especially with the same team that grabbed immediate smash hits like Orange is the New Black and Horse of Cards. I was curious to see how it rated amongst buffs and TV fans a like with its unusual, shoddy art style, but immensely competent voice cast.
I wonder if a horse, cat, and dog are the real spirit animals to Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris and Paul F. Tompkins respectively…
Bojack Horseman baffles me. It’s not that I don’t see the appeal or how they are using animals to play the roles in very relatable, flawed people. I just don’t understand how this show that is so painfully mediocre was able to build such a fanatical fanbase. People are claiming that show has a hidden genius by looking silly, but having tons of supposed depth and raw emotional power. Is Bojack an experience? Certainly, especially as the show prides itself with it’s use continuity and deep character plotlines. But I honestly don’t think that Bojack Horseman could have survived if it was put on Adult Swim or FX where we’d have to wait week-by-week to see what would happen next or if it would improve.
At the core of it, Bojack Horseman is a very familiar story: an obscenely rich, but washed up actor is jaded from dealing with the isolation, depression, and shallow nature of Hollywood. He has his own personal demons, but has such an aggressive ego that it makes him a selfish, reprehensible asshole. Still, he wants better himself by making friends and having a comeback career, despite his frustrating views on life and impulsive decisions. I also found it particularly odd that Bojack’s dream project would be to do a movie all about Secretariat, even though they already made that movie nearly 5 years ago.
And with his drinking, he’ll end up like the horse in “Half Baked.”
To the show’s credit, halfway though the series it becomes more of a serious character drama about how Bojack has burned bridges with people he cared about and if he’s even capable of keeping his sanity afloat with his strained relationships. There aren’t many animated cartoons that are able to handle somber storylines aside from Morel Orel or Duckman where the narrative progresses throughout several seasons in a very bleak, dark tone. Yet every time I want to credit what Bojack Horseman does, it keeps slapping me away with it’s hamfisted writing.
Creator/Head Writer Rapheal Bob-Waksberg’s inexperience with comedy keeps me from wanting to revisit the show. He wants to handle awkward comedy like Archer or The Venture Brothers, but it is nowhere near their startling quality of great nonsequiters. The humor is delivered in the exact same three ways: Someone gives an obvious precipice to the punch-line, someone goes off on a rant and the person listening completely misses the point, and/or Bojack asks over and over again if someone gets the joke or reference he was referring too. The show actually tends to be the most funny when it’s done unintentionally or when they have background/referential gags to the true animal nature of the cast.
Bojack Horseman sticks out as such a hodgepodge of ideas and cliches that it was constantly reminding me of other shows. At it’s best; the show reminded me of a program like Eastbound & Down, where I could laugh at obnoxious attitude of Danny McBride because the show was very swift at punishing his mistakes and he was entertaining no matter how awful he was. At worst, it struck me off as sheer drek like Fox’s Allen Gregory, a show that was infuriating by being forcefully, shockingly unfunny and pretentiously self-satisfying.
The program it reminded me the most of was actually The Looney Tunes Show that was recently cancelled last year. The setting and plot is based off its premise alone of shoving the Looney Tunes in a modern, suburbanite situations. Both of them suffered from the exact same problem with their humor. The Looney Tunes Show thought it was funny by acting out sitcom clichés but knowingly winking at the camera in an unflattering, Judd Apatow attempt of breaking the meta.
“Those kids sure love those big farcical, Meet The Parents type stories!”
This aspect is exceptionally visible with Bojack’s unannounced Christmas Episode taking place in the fictional, feel-good 90s show that defines the premise. Bojack Horseman’s main selling point is focusing on embarrassing comedy and one-dimension characters and then flipping the premise mid-season like “No wait! We’re actually dramatic and have really layered characters!”
Did I mention how awful the show looks too? The style is designed by web-cartoonist Lisa Hanawalt, who does absurd, anthropomorphic images like a demented, children’s picture book. But the animation itself is flat and dull for 90% of the show until it goes into a drug-inspired scene. Many of Adult Swim’s shows are good at combining the gonzo animation with their absurdity. I’d even say there’s work done on YouTube channels with more life and creative ingenuity than this lifeless Flash work.
Look! 90s References in MS Paint!
To continue on with the wasted potential of the show, it has a fantastic voice cast riddled with tons of character actors. You have Will Arnett playing the titular Bojack, although he’s essentially playing another version of Gob Bluth. I was also sad that Aaron Paul was type casted to play a watered-down version of Jesse Pinkman, which makes me unsure of what his next project will be. Yet I really loved the inclusions of Amy Sedaris as Princess Carolyn and Allison Brie as Diane, who fit seamlessly into their roles.
There’s a substantial amount of celebrities voicing versions of themselves from Margo Martindale and Wallace Shawn to even Naomi Watts. Many stars even attached themselves to one-off characters like J.K. Simmons, Stanley Tucci, Patton Oswalt, Olivia Wilde, Stephen Colbert and John Krasinski to steal their individual scenes. I get the feeling that many people attached themselves to Bojack Horseman because they saw it as the next big thing or it rung true to them, but the quality just is not there.
That isn’t to say I’ve completely written the show off. There is some genuine substance as it takes more dramatic turns to unfold Bojack’s character or emphasize on his loneliness. The episode I was really impressed by was Downer Ending, where Bojack explores his life through a drug trip that really helps you understand the sacrifices he made to become an icon and how he could have had a happier life. I can feel for this horse and the struggle is something that is very relatable; there’s just no consistency with how the audience is should feel about him. Every time I want to care, I’m being reminded that I was supposed to laugh at several of the jokes at his expense or wacky shenanigans happening to everyone else.
Seriously writers, why did you create a pedophilic running gag for this show?
This is why I believe being that Bojack Horseman could not have worked on any other medium other than Netflix. The surprise factor of how the series changes in tone is what makes it significantly different any other show out there. You might have watched the first few episodes and thought it wasn’t funny, but you could check out the rest of the season to see if it improves, which does indeed happen. I can certainly see why the fanbase defends the show on forum posts saying “people aren’t giving it a chance” or “this is more than just a talking animal cartoon.”
We are at a great point in time where we can watch all types of cartoons on every kind of device out there. All forms of animation be it 11-minute programs or full feature amines are the most digestible shows to binge watch period. Most cartoons are tightly contained within their episode contracts so you never feel a show can get mercilessly cancelled. Bojack Horseman could play in a safe sandbox with an audience who was already willing to watch the whole season and that’s why it was immediately renewed for a second season.
However, In this day and age, you have to be more than just different to stand out as good. As animated programs move from being purely episodic to having big, continuity-driven plots, you do need more substance to hold people’s attention. What it states about the unfortunate nature of alcoholism or the obsession of celebrity culture is nothing new nor is explored enough. The show takes place on a medium where you can do absolutely anything; yet it plays down a very safe road. I am interested to see what happens in a second season, but I want it to focus on the dramatic elements. The way it handles comedy is really mismanaged, but it can succeed in telling a compelling story we can all consume once it irons out several of it’s problems.
My Arbitrary Rating on Bojack Horseman Season 1: 4 out of 10 Flasks Filled With Johnny Walker Blue Label.
Whoo, that was quite a long review. Thanks for reading everybody! I’m going to start prepping for some Oscar-related discussions to come next month! What are your thoughts on Bojack Horseman? Do you think the change in episode “premieres” is a good thing? Leave a comment below!
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Brian and Richard were lucky the last time they recorded together, the workload was light. Now the bill has come due and their penance for that slow week is a nearly insurmountable mountain of titles. But these undaunted two push themselves over that mountain like Fitzcarraldo’s steam ship.
First they tackle the big stuff–Annabelle, Boxtrolls, Coherence, Honeymoon–in the usual fashion, and then for the abundance of leftovers, they resurrect an old Digital Noise segment. That’s right, give a listen to this episode to hear the return of The Lightning Round!
All that plus a giveaway and an extended rant about Atlas Shrugged Part III!
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