Television Show Review: Archer

FX Network is the latest to create an animated adult-oriented anime program for the Thursday night slot. But unlike The Simpsons, this is a show more aking to Cartoon Networks celebrated Adult Swim line-up than the prime time original.

Even before the show came on the month long rollout from FX has made it clear that the college crowd was the target audience. The multiple 30 second spots promoting the show made it clear that this was meant to be a mix of non-PC themed jokes, crude sexual inuendo, and a parody of James Bond style spy movies.



The real question is will the program work in its 30 minute format as well as it did in 30 seconds? The answer was, not really.

It's not the over-used semi-3D blockish art that takes away form the show (which has been used for Frisky Dingo and Assy McGee among others). It's not the style of jokes. It's not the voice acting. It's a combination of all the above.

Obviously the first thing most will notice is the art. Fans of Adult Swim will be bored as this is a style that is quickly becoming overused. It's not overly detailed, eye-catching, or involving. For those that haven't seen it before it might be a change of pace, but it gets old by the end of an episode. Probably because the colors are more of a bland wash-out than bold or striking.

The voice acting is much on the same level. The actors are competent in what they are doing. The lead character, Sterling Archer, is H. Jon Benjamin - best known for being the voice of Assy McGee. His former love interest is Lana Kane, Aisha Tyler who may be most recognized from her role on CSI. Jessica Walter adds experience to the cast in the role of Mallory Archer, the mother of Sterling. Another accomplished actor is George Coe as Woodhouse, the longtime man-servant of Sterling.

They are all good at what they do. But listening to them with 80% of their lines you just don't get a feeling that there is any excitement. That somehow the cast is just not in snyc. Or that they really aren't enjoyig the lines that they have.

Which brings up the writing. It's just par. It hits the mark, but just misses the big laugh. Like the pace is off. It's so close to being very funny, but not quite.

There are many good lines though. Little bits of side comments or quick quips that catch the attention. But it's not consistent.

Watching the first 2 episodes you get a feel for the programs' potential. There is huge potential for the show to get it's legs and take off. You can feel how it could be really good. Or come completely off the wheels and crash and burn.

One thing I liked was Lana and her hyper-sexuality and interracial porn addiction. The almost Clousea-like nature of Sterling Archer is good as well, though his character would definitely be grating at an hour length.

The negatives are far more numerous. I won't even try to list them. But the good news is they are things that the show can work to remove. In fact I would imagine that many of these issues are likely worked out by the end of the season.

Archer is a bold try to grab the attention of college 20-somethings. It makes fun of the Bond types and the serious outlook on the spy thriller. The art is ok, as is the writing. But potential must be realized for the show to make it past the first set of episodes. I'll watch it again, maybe even for the most of the season, as long as this does not compete with Burn Notice. Ultimately, I don't see the show making it past 2 season though. It just doesn't have enough to make it tread water.

What’s funny about abortion?

Well that was a question that was addressed by the one television show that could possibly find a funny angle to such a controversial topic. Family Guy. Of course the general public will never be able to see this on television, unless it comes out in a DVD (yeah, that won’t happen).

For those that somehow have missed this long running, 2x resurrected, animated comedy show you have no idea what you are missing. Don’t let the fact that this is animated beguile you into thinking this is just some kiddie entertainment. This even isn’t on the level of The Simpsons. No this is often high-brow, adult focused, risqué, pusing the edge comedy. With a bit of slapstick thrown in.

Some of the topics the show has dealt with are infidelity, swinging, gay lifestyles, nuclear holocaust, sex, BDSM, race relations, divorce, disabilities, pedophilia, various Rights and Liberties (taken to extreme), and television programming to name just the tip of the iceberg. To say this show often offends some viewers, on either side of the political scale, is to say that air is a nice thing to have.

Here are 2 examples of what I mean (though the video clip I wanted I can't find)





But the show hit a new point when they took on the abortion issue. Whatever actually happens in the show must have really sent the censors running as FOX will NEVER air the episodes on broadcast television. But they did provide this episode to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences that will be voting for the Emmy for a comedic series. Family Guy is nominated in this category, the first time since 1961 that an animated show since The Flinstones has been nominated.

What I do know of the story is the following:

“Most of the episode dealt with matriarch Lois (played by Borstein) deciding to become a surrogate mother for her infertile friend — against Peter's wishes. After her friend is killed in a car crash, the Griffins are left with the difficult decision of what to do about the pregnancy.

At one point, Peter watches an anti-abortion video, which proclaims several people would be alive if abortion wasn't legal, including a fourth Stooge, the guy who would have killed Adolf Hitler and Osama bin Laden's America-loving brother, who could have prevented 9/11.”

According to the AP the viewers were in stitches, thus answering the question posed in the headline of this post. Which makes me all the more curious about what they did in this episode. But until the DVD comes out, or someone makes a bootleg on the internet – neither of which will happen anytime soon – we will never know.

Still, somehow, I expect that those for and against abortion will waste no time in attacking this episode of Family Guy, and/or anyone speaking about it.

Anime Music Videos

And just for those that enjoy anime and music videos, I found a collection of interesting items

Naruto


Rurouni Kenshin


Bleach


Trigun


Ghost in the Shell


Full Metal Alchemist

A trip from Kanye to Naruto with Beethoven and the Matrix

Ah sometimes I take strange trips when I follow a thought. Case in point, I was on Youtube and happened to find a mash-up of Beethoven and Kanye West. I have no great like of Kanye but it was the infusion of classical that made me watch it.



That lead me to wonder what other classical mixes might be out there. Were their others that found classical as great as I do, and see the ease and multiple formats that classical could be mixed with more modern music. Was there a bridge of the too forms of music?

So I found this video.



and I went from there to



Which lead me to



and then I ran into something really different and amusing. Mixing my love of classical music, anime, The Matrix and Naruto.



It's an odd journey, but I must say I was pleased by it. How about you?

What are dolls telling young girls - 8.19.2007.1

Ok, I saw something on the Cartoon Network and it upset me. I’m not talking about the Naruto marathon. I love anime, and Naruto is up there with Rurouni Kenshin, Cyborg 009, and Dragonball Z. Still there is a bit that isn’t as good as some of those others.

But let me not wax on about anime. Either you get it or not. The point is that there have been several commercials throughout the marathon. One particular commercial was far more disturbing to me than all the others. It’s not the endless Pokemon games, nor the super sugar bomb pop cereals. It’s a doll.

I want to specifically point out the Hi-Glam dolls. They are similar to the various, and idiotic, Bratz dolls. But these are worse. Basically they are a bunch of pipe cleaners with hair. I don’t know much about dolls, since my sisters out grew them decades ago. But I do notice the difference.

Barbie has had arguments about her proportions since the feminist movements in the 70’s. They finally changed her figure to more realistic proportions, on the basis that little girls would feel better about their own proportions. How the proportions on a doll can affect anyone I don’t know, but that is the argument. Then came the fact that there were no Black, Asian or Hispanic dolls.

After years, finally Barbie got some friends with color and other dolls were made featuring various cultures as well. That argument I can understand. I remember back when I was a child and my sister threw her doll she got for Christmas because it looked nothing like her and was of zero interest. So I can see that.

But these Hi-Glam dolls are different. Yes they have various races covered. No they don’t represent women as anything more important than objects to be looked at because of how they dress. Yes it’s good they are dressed more substantially than a music video hoochie. But they are all anorexic. Seriously, they are proportioned like twigs.

It has to be an obvious negative if I can see this. These dolls look like a female version of Jack Skeleton. The connection to reality on any level is abysmal. I wonder where are the calls from feminists to get these dolls changed. They just don’t look healthy.

While I think anyone who might be influenced by a doll has self-esteem issues, the fact is they do affect the young girls’ self-image. That coupled with the desire for Hollywood to promote women that are about as curvaceous as adolescent boys and it just can’t be good. Why is it so strange for doll makes to create a doll that looks like a real woman? Why must every doll be a size -2, and supermodels are a size 0. Where is the reality in that? What guy actually likes that?

We should promote dolls and women that look like our mothers, wives and girlfriends. I mean who is on the arm of Jay-Z, or Denzel Washington? Look at virtually all the successful marriages of entertainers, celebrities, politicians, heads of state, and business and you will not find a woman that is under a size 10. I don’t think it’s just me.

As everyone freaks out how heavy our kids are, is it any better to ignore things that emphasize an even less healthy life by being malnourished and barely more than a sack of bones? Can any man truly say they are interested in a woman without curves and barely enough skin to cover her bones? Can any woman say they really think that clothes look better when they drape on them like clothes on a hanger as opposed to a mannequin?

How long will it take before some doll manufacturer realizes the .0002 cents it costs to add a bit more plastic to make a realistic looking doll will be healthier and probably sell better. Or am I just not getting it since I’m a man and older at that?

This is what I think, what do you think?