Team America: World Police (No Spoilers)

We went to go see Team America: World Police Friday night. Let me say right now that this movie ruled! I thought it was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. I think (and take this with a grain of salt) the movie is pretty even-handed, but it's definitely political. Still, like Trey Parker and Matt Stone have said, if you're taking political advice from puppets, you might want to abstain from voting.

The movie is definitely for a mature audience (that R rating is earned and then some), but if you like South Park, you'll definitely like this one too. And like the South Park movie, some of the best stuff in the movie is the music. The other thing I really liked about the movie was how often they broke the "reality" of the movie, by making the marionettes seem aware of the fact they were just puppets, and how they would point out to the audience just how cliched everything they were doing was, and thus how formulaic action movies (along with every other genre) have become.

There are two things that I really hope Hollywood can learn from this film. First, that it's the script and the acting that make a movie, not over-the-top special effects, and tight choreographed, multiple camera shots. Second, that if they really feel political about something, do what they do best, make a movie about it, or give money to organizations to support their political views. But using their spotlight to shoot off their political views, especially in light of the fact that most of them seem less informed than the average voter seems like a worthless idea. Telling E! Hollywood Minute that you oppose the current regime is not my idea of being politically active. Just using up oxygen.