I have to admit, I rarely watch Television these days. My TV experiences peaked back in the early 1980’s when indulging in Hammer’s House of Horror as an 8 year old while(Social Services look away now) my parents had a bevy or two at the local watering hole. So while I evade cathode tubes and plasmas, I cannot avoid those irritating recollections by co-workers regarding the latest episode of Family Guy, which seems to be revered as the most offensive comedic vehicle ever to have existed. Yes I‘ve caught the odd episode, yes it’s mildly amusing, but wouldn’t it be nice to say "Family Guy eh? Pffff. I see your diabolical baby named Stewie, and raise the stakes with a song about paedophilia!" Well folks – now you can, courtesy of those good folk at Little Men Entertainment.
Little Men Entertainment, describe themselves as a "broadcast design firm" who produce animation as well as live action material. While their style is fairly primitive, especially in these times of high end computer graphics, they have never the less peddled their wares to the likes of HBO, MTV and the Disney Channel.
Considering their affiliations with mainstream TV, I couldn’t help but feel that a certain Mouse called Mickey could well be pulling his trademark round ears over his eyes if he subject himself to their DVD entitled "LITTLE MEN ENTERTAINMENT'S GRAND EXALTED ANIMATION SHOW AND OTHER TWISTED STUFF".
The DVD is basically a compilation of various animated skits and sketches which are occasionally blended with real film footage. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s hilarious, but it is constantly twisted!
The opening sketch, for example, imitates a TV executive boardroom meeting where a new game show called "SLUT TOSSING" is discussed! With subliminal posters in the background advertising past sitcom glories such as "Hey Dad, I got Mom Pregnant" it sets the uncouth tone for the 82 minute duration.
The rudimentary animation is complimented by some quick fire dialogue that literally peppers the viewer with crude gags. The rapid pace of the jokes delivery means the movie could be easily revisited to catch the inevitable one liner that got away first time round.
A word of warning though: even those of you who claim to have a strong constitution for offensively lewd comedy, get ready to have your limits tested! While some of the humour features evergreen classics such as ‘fart jokes’ and a ‘Viagra induced levitating table’ the DVD tears the envelope to pieces as oppose to merely pushing it! One particular scene involved a bit of 1950’s footage of a young lady strumming an acoustic guitar in a restaurant cabaret setting, over dubbed with a cringing little ditty about the delights of paedophilia... As vile as that sounds, its execution is so slick it’s nearly impossible not to have a guilty giggle!
But to label this anthology of clips simply as an attempt to shock the viewer would be grossly unfair. Some of the cartoons had more than a touch of the surrealism of vintage Monty Python, with their Flying Circus graphics. At times though, the content went from the surreal to the ridiculously bizarre. One scene in particular was when a scattering of chocolate ice-cream cones, complete with white feathered wings, simply hung in the air on screen to the soundtrack of a harp and some wind chimes. It was a scene that went on for a few more minutes (yes minutes!) that was necessary. Maybe that sequence would have worked better had I have had a little ‘toke’ beforehand - but even then I reckon it would have more likely given me the munchies than a chuckle!
The odd celebrity makes an appearance such as Jack Nicholson and George Bush but my personal favourite was the ‘Ozzie’s Birthday’ skit which took the so called Prince of Darkness’s slurring to a whole new level!
So while this may not be the answer to that elusive stocking filler for your mother-in-law this Saturnalia, it is an extremely funny DVD that is bold enough to rip into everything from Louis Farrakhan and his white trash girlfriend to ‘Anti Pea’ jokes.
Phew... managed to complete my review about potty mouthed cartoons without even mentioning South Park... DOH!!!
Review by Marc Lissenburg
| Released by Little Men Entertainment |
| Region 1 - NTSC |
| Not Rated |
| Extras : |
| see main review |