7A - Wednesday, September 9, 2009
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
7A - Wednesday, September 9, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
PRANKED
* From Page 5A
on CollegeHumor.com is a perfect example of dis-
comforting gags done right, with a premise that's
basic enough: Seidell and Blumenfeld pull pranks
on each other. But their willingness to escalate the
situation and the subsequent uncomfortable chaos
(in one memorable episode, Blumenfeld secretly
arranged a public proposal from Seidell to his girl-
friend at Yankee Stadium) makes that series work
well.
It's a shame that "Pranked" can't muster up any-
thing near the same level of ingenuity. The clips each
episode features are banal enough to make "Ameri-
ca's Funniest Home Videos" seem classy. So far,
the show has featured clips of assorted sophomoric
shamings, various gags involving private areas of
the body being inserted into non-private areas and
in one confusing case, a man pranking his cat.
The problem is the inherent unpleasantness in
the featured clips. Instead of clips that could be
funny by themselves, the show's bread and butter
is less "laughing with" and more "laughing at." For
example, the pilot episode featured a son playing a
series of pranks on his redneck dad who would make
Jeff Foxworthy look like a New Yorker subscriber.
The pranks the son pulls are unimaginative - he
sprays the living room with a stink bomb and tapes
down the sprayer head on the sink - but when the
dad starts swearing and vowing to "beat the shit"
out of his son, it's hard to know whether to laugh or
call child services.
With all the clips being selected from the mas-
sive goldmine that is the Internet, good videos occa-
sionally surface on "franked," but they're few and
far between. Hosts Blumenfeld and Seidell do what
they can with their material, but their banter and
commentary is mostly forgettable.
Overall, it's easy to see what niche "Pranked"
aspires to fill. So long as the sun continues to rise
and fall, people are always going to find a well-done
prank amusing. But "Pranked" has a mentality
that's insulting to anyone with opposable thumbs.
And with so many better outlets delivering the
same thing today, it's hard to find a reason to bother
watching it.
PONYO
From Page 5A
what G-rated movie doesn't?).
With "Ponyo," Miyazaki
doesn't seem to be aiming as high,
thematically, as he has in the past.
At its heart, the film is a cute fairy
tale, albeit one that's breathtak-
ing to look at. All the life forms in
the sea are lovingly detailed, and
there's a bravura action sequence
when Ponyo breaks free of her
underwater prison by riding on
the back of a school of fish.
As with Miyazaki's previous
Disney-distributed films, Pixar
vice president John Lasseter
("Toy Story") supervised the
dubbing while also serving as an
executive producer. Determined
to reel in mass American audi-
ences, he lined up an A-list cast
for the English-language version,
including Liam Neeson, Tina Fey
and Matt Damon. Ponyo is voiced
by Miley Cyrus's little sister
Noah, and Sosuke by the "lost
Jonas brother" Frankie Jonas;
the two up-and-comers can take
solace in knowing that, with this
one film, they've already gar-
nered more critical acclaim than
the combined efforts of their
older siblings.
When it comes down to it,
"Ponyo" isn't meant to be taken as
anything more than a children's
flick. And in truth, there really
isn't anything wrong with that.
The little kids in the theater abso-
lutely adored it, and witnessing
their admiration for a Miyazaki
movie was incredibly rewarding.
Every young generation needs a
special movie to act as a "gateway
film" for more sophisticated mov-
ies. For the children of the late
2000s, that film could be "Ponyo."
Moments before a gruesome death.
CRASH COURSE
From Page 5A
nothing more than another cheap reality show. For
now, the show's competitors are fashioned after those
on "The Price is Right," but it won't take much for a
"Flavor of Love" attitude to take over.
The art of being a game show host has somewhat
diminished over the years as game shows have shift-
ed into reality programming. But the hosts of "Crash
Course" are refreshing and talented. Dan Cortese
("What I Like About You") and Orlando Jones ("Drum-
line") have no reservations about ridiculing the con-
testants, often saying exactly what those at home must
be thinking. Their painfully honest style of hosting is
hilarious and they work well as a team.
Whilethesubjectson"CrashCourse"arefuntowatch,
the show's gimmick - cars getting wrecked by average
Joes - is why people should (and will) tune in. Unfor-
tunately, of the four obstacles per show, only one each
episode has been anything remotely dangerous (read:
totally kickass). The final course is exactly the same on
each episode and the finale is extremely anticlimactic.
And though the show's running time of one hour is way
less than those never-ending NASCAR races, itstill feels
alittle toolong for too few crashes.
"Crash Course" is great to watch for an episode
or two. The contestants are eccentric, the hosts
unabashed and the crashes satisfying. The producers
ought to introduce more dangerous stunts and contin-
ue to carefully select the competitors in order to make
"Crash Course" something worth watching on a regu-
lar basis. But really, if you can sit through NASCAR,
you can sit through anything.
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