ENTERTAINTMENT

Lots of Fun, Simple Humor in 'Team America'
Jason Kimbro | Staff Reporter

Matt Parker and Trey Stone have brought us some wonderful characters that have filled our hearts with joy and our souls with eternal damnation.  These loveable scants, such as Cartman and Big Gay Al, have found a way to offend just about everybody in the world and still win over the world’s love.
“Team America: World Police” is able to achieve the exact same notion, except this time the two kings of crude humor use another kid-friendly medium, puppets, and they take on the realm of the action flick.
This extremely hilarious gambol of a film, which almost hangs from a one-joke string, should keep even the most jaded Christian on the edge of their seat with laughter.
Strings and genitalia-lacking love scenes amongst, here’s the gist:
We start out in Paris, France.  A man who looks very much like Osama Bin Laden is seen carrying a brief case around the vicinity of the Eiffel Tower.  Some of the natives begin to freak out, but never fear!  Team America is here!
They take care of the Afghan terrorists, but in the meantime, they destroy the tower, the Louvre, and that arch thingy they have over there as well.  You know, basically the main attractions of gay Paris.  Yes.  Gay Paris.
When all is supposedly safe, a team member proposes to another team member, the hot blonde with the gun (names aren’t important here.  These are all basically token characters that are meant to be token).  Well, just before he can hand her a ring, a terrorist jumps out of nowhere and shoots him dead on the spot.
So she becomes the distraught and emotional team member.  The rest of the team includes:  the angry one, the overly chipper one, the weird girl with a sixth sense, the old boss in the moving chair, and the new guy who happens to be an actor.
After causing much havoc in Egypt, destroying some more man-made wonders of the world, the team feels they have thwarted the terrorists, but there are two major problems:
First of all, the Film Actors Guild, or F.A.G., which they refer to themselves as quite often, headed up by Alec Baldwin (not the real one, guys) are enraged that Team America keeps destroying everything, causing more damage than the terrorists.  They begin to rally people together against Team America.
Second, the terrorists have not been completely thwarted.  Under the leadership of that Jong Il dude in North Korea, who is the evil madman of this here movie, the weapons of mass destructions are in full production and are being distributed across the world, with over 200 targets. 
Il wants to cause so much damage that it makes every nation a third world country and make him the most powerful man alive, or as he would say it, “arive”.
Nobody is spared in this flick.  Michael Moore helps with a mood-swinging scene when he blows himself up within the Team America headquarters after making much denouncement with his face covered in mustard.
F.A.G. and Jong Il team up to thwart Team America and next thing we know, it is all up to the new guy to save the day.  And that is what you’ve got.  An hour and a half flick that should have probably only been maybe half an hour long, but some jokes were spread out a little too long, even though they were quite uproarious.
This movie is indeed a lot of fun.  Like I said before, some of the gags were spread a bit thin, but not too thin to take away any flavor.  From the anticipated doll sex scene to the great analogy using the terms, well, euphemisms for penis, vagina and anus, you get the point; this movie is hilarious on both the low-brow and intellectual realm.
Performances were bad.  Of course this is a part of the whole point behind the parody, though I must admit, the characterization of Kim Jong Il was done quite well.  Can’t give a bad grade for performances based on that fact and of course the whole essence of satire.
Atmospherics were grand to the effect that you felt like you were watching both an over-the-top action film and an immensely insane lampoon of the action genre. 
With songs such as:  “AMERICA!  F**K YEAH!” and that one ditty from South Park which made fun of Alan Jackson’s “What Would You Do” piece of crap, the feelings were placed just where they should have been, where the decadent sun don’t shine.   Or something like that.
The story and plot was very simple, as are all parodies.  These films are not out to win any awards.  They are basically modes of entertainment to make the masses laugh their asses off.  But this story was a bit too thin.
So there it is.  Another film, another week, another virtue of American pride shot to pieces with a feces shooting cannon.  But those of us who aren’t too prude, enjoy it.
Freedom of expressions such as this are too few and far between and the way things are going, one use of this freedom is being ostracized by another use of this freedom everyday, such as the whole “Fahrenheit 9/11” versus “FarenHYPE 9/11” thing.
Blah.  I just want to sit back and watch a film with my chocolate covered almonds in one hand and my ho in the other.  Word to your mutha!

Report Card: 

Entertainment Value:            A
Story/Plot:                           D
Performances:                      B
Atmosphere:                        A
Overall GPA:                        3.0   



Yeah Yeah Yeahs DVD “Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow” $14.99
Richard Carter | For the Wichitan

Late last year, I had the perfect birthday gift of getting to see Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Trees in Dallas. My favorite band, this trio from Brooklyn put on an amazing show full of energy, cool songs and moxy.
It was heaven.
Of course, seeing this band live, even in the metroplex, may only be a once in a year experience. Short of a private party, the next best experience would be a live DVD. And that now is possible.
Recorded earlier this year at the Fillmore, “Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow”captures a full Yeah Yeah Yeah’s set in all it’s sex, energy and passion.
This must-have DVD also features six songs from another night at the Fillmore that was even a little wilder. Check out “Tick,” for example.
Also included are documentaries, one by Spike Jonze from the Japanese tour, plus 4 videos by the band including “Y-Control,” directed by Jonze, who also happens to be Karen O’s boyfriend. I promise you that the “Y-Control” video isn’t going to be in heavy rotation anywhere, though it probably should be.
The full set features 16 songs, some of which have yet to be recorded. The band is in very good form, with lots of beat and guitar and the infectious sass and overdrive of Karen O.
What I love best about Karen O is that she does the full gamut of ‘70s and ‘80s poses while utterly smirking at them. She throws herself full-blast into each tune along with drummer Brian Chase and guitarist Nick Zinner.
The band has adjusted brilliantly from the post-punk sounds of their early all-out eps to the new more developed songs on the first album, “Fever to Tell.”
Rare is it that a band can adapt midstrem and rarer is it that a band can do it as well as Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
The group is clearly one of the better live acts around with great songwriting, music sense and presence. The drums and guitar create a perfect bed
for Karen O to writhe about.
Definitely check them out before they break up. The DVD is seriously good, That said, the live act is that much better. Nothing this good ever stays around forever.
The DVD was loaned for review purposes by Hastings,
696-8029.