South Park: Britney’s New Look
(S12E02) The thing that makes South Park stand out above all other television shows is the creators’ ability to take an old idea and put a new spin on it with depth and good reasoning. This episode is a perfect example of that.
Britney Spears tries to escape her fame by hiding out in Colorado. Sadly, the paparazzi follow her and through a confluence of events, she blows her own head off with a shotgun. Fortunately, this is South Park and such things aren’t fatal here.
There were a tremendous number of horror movie references in this episode. I caught Children of the Corn, The Omen and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I remember them doing similar ominous music during the first season episode “Damian” which was a more direct parody of “The Omen”. I’m certain I missed a few references. If you caught any others, please mention them in the comments as I (along with all the other readers) would be interested in knowing them.
Of course the first observation that Trey Parker and Matt Stone make in their satire is how Britney Spears news seems to overwhelm important news such as the Presidential debates. I did love Hillary’s line when they returned to the debates after going to Britney Watch: “And spearchuckers.”
It seemed out of character when Cartman ran out of the room after Britney put the shotgun in her mouth and pulled the trigger. I would have thought he would have tried to snap some pictures so he could collect $100,000 or more from the media (”That’s enough to buy slaves”).
South Park has always had its shock moments and Britney’s suicide was definitely one of them. And then she was STILL ALIVE (albeit as a body without most of its head). It’s a testament to the creators that they can make that funny.
The episode exemplified the tendency of the media (and, by extension, the American public) to tear down celebrities in an attempt to make ourselves feel better, such as labeling Britney’s suicide attempt as a “crazy no-top-of-the-head look”. And then, to make matters worse, they point out deficiencies in her body, her mind, her voice and her camel toe (”a slap in the face to camels everywhere”).
I did catch a pastiche of “Frosty the Snowman” for the narration during Stan and Britney’s train ride to the North Pole. I found this unusual in an episode that had so many horror references and it seemed to detract slightly.
The core of this episode is how we treat celebrities. I love how they compare it to the human sacrifices of ages past. Those sacrifices were also done to make individuals feel better about their lives (by appeasing whatever deities they worshipped). We raise up and tear down media icons nowadays for much the same reasons.
Going back to my opening statement in this review, South Park has always stood above other programs by its willingness to pursue meaningful satire rather than immediate laugh-out-loud humor (although this episode had both). This was exemplified at the end of the episode where Britney’s death led to a good harvest (they killed Britney for a good corn crop?) and the mention at the end that Miley Cyrus will be the next teen icon and therefore the next sacrifice. If Matt and Trey are right, we’ll be reading about Miley’s self-destruction in about ten years.
It wasn’t their best episode, but it was far from their worst. On a scale of “poor” to “excellent,” I’d rate it as a “very good”.
New Television Spot for M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening
LA Times and admits that it was inspired by the 1956 version of the classic horror film Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel star as a couple who goes on the run from an apocalyptic crisis that presents a large-scale threat to humanity.
The Happening is due in theaters on Friday, June 13th, 2008.
Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island Changes Title To…Ashecliffe
Well, it’s official: Martin Scorsese’s mystery drama, due in 2009 and formerly known as Shutter Island, is now entitled Ashecliffe. New title is the name of the plot’s asylum located on the fictional island off Boston harbor. No word on why the title was changed. I keep thinking of a fat kid with a pinwheel hat pronouncing it “Asscliffe” while producing lots of drool to entertain himself. Shutter Island is also the name of the 2003 Dennis Lehane novel on which the film is based.
Dehane is quoted as saying his novel is a cross between the classic, romantic imagery found in Bronte sisters’ literature (Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre) and the paranoid creepiness of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers from 1956, the decade in which the book is based. I wouldn’t read it, but I’d watch it. Scorsese’s film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, the currently mourning Michelle Williams, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley (hot off The Wackness) and Patricia Clarkson. And if you’re a babe wondering about Sly Stallone, he’s no longer rumored to be involved. So, babe, you like Rambo, huh?
All of the details thus far make it sound like an ideal bookend to the director’s wonderfully deranged and tension-bubbling remake of Cape Fear from 1991. As long as the fat, drooling kid above doesn’t sit behind me, call me siked. And is it just me, or does Paramount seem like its behind all of the surefire moneymaking powerhouse flicks these days?
Not Another Invasion of the Body Snatchers!
I was very disappointed today when I read a posting here on Slashfilm about the remake of the 1956 horror classic, Invasion of the Body Snatchers. While I initially planned to just post a comment, I realized I had more to say on the topic than just a few lines. It has been awhile since I have written an op/ed piece for Slashfilm, but here I go again.
My objection is that there should not be any more remakes of this classic. There was the very dated 1978 version with Leonard Nimoy and Donald Sutherland. Then in 1993, Forest Whitiker had a role in the version titled, Body Snatchers which updated the story and gave it a very cheesy and ultra happy ending. And now, in addition to other rip offs, we are getting a fourth big screen addition, with The Invasion. As long time Slashfilm readers might remember, I have written several times about the lack of creativity in Hollywood, and this just rams my point home. I cant believe there is another version coming out.
What really gets me down about it is the level of talent involved. Obviously the Wachowskis have done very impressive work, and can certainly bring talent to this project, but couldnt they bring that talent to something more fresh and new like they have done in the past with The Matrix and last years very underrated V For Vendetta. Of course, right now they are working on Speed Racer so I guess they arent exactly going for originality in their careers right now.
But the Wachowskis arent the only talented people involved in this project. The film stars Nicole Kidman and Daniel Criag. Kidman has had a very good and long career and Criags career has sky rocketed since Casino Royale. I would rather they put their acting abilities elsewhere.
I guess my big question is, arent two remakes enough?
And I guess the answer would be, no.
That is very disappointing to me. Is it too much to ask that Hollywood come up with some fresh new ideas? There are so many sequels coming out this year, films based on novels, graphic novels, and comic books it drives me crazy. Yes, adaptations, sequels and remakes can be very good, but I crave a little balance of more original ideas.