Team America: World Police

Vince Yim, OP Puppet Master

As the creators of the television series
South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone
have been accused of many things, but
with the release of Team America: World
Police, it’s clear that subtlety won’t be one
of them. Team America portrays a montage
of gfaphic celebrity deaths, gratuitous
puppet sex, and an extended vomiting
scene that puts Monty Python’s Meaning of
Life to shame.

The plot of such a hilarious film like
this is simply secondary. However, if you
absolutely need one, it goes like this: a tal-
ented actor. is recruited into a team of
terrorism fighters to make the world safe
from the likes of Kim Jong II, who is the
evil dictator bent on unleashing weapons
of mass destruction on the earth. Clearly
plot is not what drives this film, as it
appears to have been intentionally recy-
cled from all of the worst parts of the
Hollywood action genre. But don’t worry.
You'll be laughing too hard to notice.

Simply put, this film rocks. While it
may look like it was written on autopilot,
the execution is nearly flawless. Nothing is
spared, whether it is American foreign
policy, celebrities standing on an anti-war

soapbox, or Jerry Bruckheimer action

movies. While many may scoff at the use
of puppets (an obvious homage to

Thunderbirds), it proves to be just as visual-

viewpoints that aren’t necessarily

informed. For example, a puppet repre-

senting Janeane Garofalo makes

WANTED

Kim Jong Il
_ DATE OF BIRTH: 3-16-1942 RACE: Asian SEX: Mate HEIGHT: 19°
WEIGHT: 10 tbs EYES: Brown HAIR: Black STRINGS: 4

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT

TeamAmerica.com

 

ly appealing as the latest Bruckheimer
offering,

As a satire, it is fairly thought provok-
-ing, if a bit heavy handed. Although it is
presented in a very blatant manner, the
script raises some valid points about

actors using their celebrity status to push

comments about reading the newspaper
and then presenting the viewpoints as her
own. But on the plus side, the film does
encourage viewers to think more critically
about curtent world events, and to make
their own decisions on the issues.

That is, if one can first get past the

 

gratuitous sex, violence, and adult con-
tent. However, all of it is done in such a
ludicrous, over-the-top manner that
laughter is the only natural reaction. While
some may question the MPAA’s decision
to force the filmmakers to edit the film for
an “R” rating, there is still a lot of materi-
al that most people would be embarrassed
to watch with loved ones. Apart from the
infamous puppet sex scene (which was
the main reason for the initial NC-17 rat-
ing), there is lots of humour that would
be best described as sophomoric (genitalia
as a metaphor for the war on terror, for
one). But regardless of what level of
sophistication you think you might have,
watching puppet caricatures of famous
celebrities getting gunned down and torn
to shreds is hilarious no matter how you
approach it.

While done in a completely different
style from South Park, Parker and Stone’s
trademark brand of humour remains
intact, burying a strong message some-
where in the violence, foul language, and
potty jokes. Obviously, it is far from the

ideal date movie, but it’s still worth seeing.

 

Trouble Ray LaMontagne

Kali Thurber, A&E Editor

A friend recently told me a story about a
70-year-old man that she knows who just
mastered the cello. He lived for 69 years
without even laying eyes on the instru-
ment, and in his 70th year he just picked it
up and started a new career. In a world
where it’s commonly believed that you’re
never going to make it if you haven't
learned a second language by the time
you're eight, or mastered the piano by
your first double-digit birthday, it’s nice to
know that these aren’t rules we need to
restrict ourselves with. Like the 70-year-
old cellist, singer Ray LaMontagne teaches
this lovely lesson with his first album,
Trouble.

It was four years after his high school
graduation, while working at a shoe facto-
ry in Maine, that LaMontagne suddenly
decided, “This is what I’m gonna do.” He
had never sung before in his life, hadn’t

i

even really listened to Otis Redding or
Joni Mitchell. But now Ray LaMontagne
sings like the kind of young man whom

 

you'd imagine wrote five new songs a
week as a boy and sang them to his
schoolyard friends around the sandbox.

 

Brimming with folksy fiddles and
syrupy-slow lyrics, the songs on

    

Trouble sound like they’ve always
existed.

That is complimentary for all
songs except “Shelter.” When
“Shelter” came lulling out of my
speakers, I thought I had acci-
dentally put on Bob Dylan. I’m
sorry that Bob already stole the
word “Shelter,’ and that no
other singer/songwriter can use it in a
tragic romantic lullaby again, but that’s
just the way it is, Ray. Despite the fact that
“Shelter” is a total rip-off song, it’s beau-
tiful, and might even be a little, itsy-bitsy
bit better than “Shelter from the Storm”
(don’t tell Bob).

The other winner on this album is the
title song, “Trouble.” When LaMontagne
bellows, “I’ve been stained by a woman,”

RAY LAMONTAGNE)

 

it’s
enough to make a country girl’s knob-
by knees wobble.

Trouble, the album, is like a romantic
affair between two people who are in love
with sadness. It’s sweet, it’s sad; it’s real
and it’s hard. Ray LaMontagne is a natural
singer, and truly shows us that it’s never
too late to discover your passion.

Oeuober = a0/200u