swankgd Reviews

Xavier: Renegade Angel (2007–2009)

Brilliant in its crude stupidity

[10/10 · 28 October 2009]

Don't worry, mattbromagin, I won't tell you you JUST don't get it. Because you went far beyond JUST not getting it.

The first brilliant thing about this show is that there isn't a bit of dialog that's throw-away. Every sentence, every word is carefully crafted in service of some point. Sometimes the point is as crass as a stupid wiener joke, sometimes the point is a genius bit of biting social commentary. Which brings me to the second brilliant thing about this show is that it is equally comfortable with the high brown and the low brow, recognizing that each has its place and that "smart humor" isn't about content as much as craft. It makes little distinction between the two and fluidly uses one in service of the other.

If you think the dialog is dumb or inane, you don't get it. If you think the content is pointlessly crude, you don't get it. And if you think the animation is crappy, you reaaally don't get it.

Varmints (2008)

Atrocious attempt at social commentary.

[1/10 · 9 February 2009]

I suffered through this drivel when it was presented this weekend as filler for a screening of academy nominated shorts. The animation quality was fine, I'm not going to bother commenting on that. It was nothing earth shattering, but it was competent. But the content of this short was simply awful. A banal, simple-minded "cities bad, trees good" feel-bad story with absolutely no clear message. The only thing I could figure out they were trying to say was that environmentalists are starting a Scientology-like cult and waiting for some weird aliens to come and collect them in their pods. Horrible from beginning to end. On the plus side, it elevated my opinion of every single other animated short I watched that evening because at least it wasn't as horrific as this junk.

What the #$*! Do We (K)now!? (2004)

So full of pseudoscience and misinformation that it's hardly worth commenting on...

[1/10 · 15 March 2007]

...but I will anyway.

I love philosophical movies. Give me Waking Life, or I (heart) Huckabees any day of the week. So it's not that I need everything to be scientifically accurate to be happy.

But this movie is SO far at the other end, I was actually offended. Pseudoscience, misinformation, poor analogies, misrepresentation of actual science, unsubstantiated conjecture presented as fact, and a completely incoherent message. Somewhere in there were some mildly interesting philosophical questions, but they were completely subjugated by the overall hokum and cult/infomercial-like qualities.

And that doesn't even touch on the ridiculously pathetic attempt at a compelling story with Marley Matlin. I literally felt like I was watching some cult indoctrination film (and learning afterwards about its connection with Rathma confirmed that).

Philosophy and what if is one thing. Presenting conjecture, guesses, and outright fantasy as scientific fact ought to be criminal.