TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film
Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film
mrcreen My ex-boyfriend bought me season three of this show on DVD after I watched a bunch of episodes on Adult Swim. When I was in college, I had this friend, and "Home Movies" was her absolute favorite show, and she would rave about it, as they say, all the time. Now, thank the Lord, I know what all the hubbub was about! It seems everyone on here loves Coach McGuirk the most, but he is my least favorite character; my favorites are Paula, Walter, and Perry. I had a feeling most boneheads would love McGuirk the most. Anyways, this is one of the best shows of all time and now I just need to get the rest of the seasons on DVD. Adult Swim will probably stop airing it eventually.
S.R. Dipaling Many--if not all--of the people responsible for the Comedy Central cult-ish hit series "Dr.Katz,Professional Therapist" came together again shortly after finishing that series to make this offering for Cartoon Network. Even though I may not be the best arbiter of what's good and not good on Adult Swim(a phenomenon I've been watching as far back as 1997)since I'm generally easy to please where they're concerned and even my least favorite stuff on it is still great curiosity watches compared to much of what is on TV late at night already,I will single this show out this time to show that,after watching a fair swath of episodes,I can say I truly like this show.The exploits of grade school film auteur Brendan Small(voiced by,get ready for this...Brendan Small)involve a mix of his schooling,his family life,which consists mainly of his give-and-take with this perpetually single/divorced mom Paula(voice of Janine DiTullio),his less-than-successful career as a soccer player for the wrong-headed mentor/coach McGuirk(voice of H.Jon Benjamin,who will always be Ben from "Dr.Katz")and,of course,the movies he makes with his schoolmates and friends Melissa(voice of Melissa Bardin-Glasky)and JAson(didn't catch who does his voice.Loren Borchard?). The neuroses and repartee may not reflect anything you or I recall from our grade school years,but that doesn't prevent this show from having a casual,real and very(sometimes painfully)funny touch.I haven't really kept up with the production of this show,so for all I know,this show may've ceased being made years ago,but the lack of direct timely references make this show pretty ubiquitous. Recurring characters voiced by Jonathan KAtz and Ron Lynch add to the low-energy,squiggle-inspired universe that is Tom Snyder productions(I'm pretty sure this isn't the same Tom Snyder who spent about four decades of radio and television,speaking avuncular,guffawing and "thanking people for dialing up the show" and "watching the pictures as they flash before you"). "Dr.KAtz did four plus seasons of shows that were very limited in squiggly visuals,preferring to let the characters and the veritable universe of comedians to let their words power the show. This show allows the characters to periodically move through space and time,but the general principle remains the same: verbal,dry,ironic humor full of pathos. This is kind of moving along the original "KAtz" dynamic to make this show a little less about making an animated "radio play" and more of a show. I believe that there are more than one or two ways to view the "Adult Swim" experience,and this one fulfills a dryer,less sight-gaggy need. While certainly not all of the "Swim" viewing audience(particularly those who enjoy a more sped up,visual tempo of animation/comedy,demonstrated in such shows as "Robot Chicken" or "Aqua Teen Hunger Force",to name but a few)will dig this show,I think those,like myself,who appreciate a wide spectrum of shows to fill a four to five hour spate of programming late at night. Worth a purchase(perhaps)or rent(more likely)on DVD,too.
axemblue 'Home Movies' has an interesting history. First given a brief run on UPN, it later found a new home on Cartoon Network's then-new "Adult Swim" block. The first season was animated in a jittery, amateurish style called "Squigglevision" (think "Dr. Katz"); subsequent seasons were rendered using Macromedia's popular Flash software. And yet it never gained much more than a small, loyal cult following. (Fortunately, the complete series has been released on DVD.) Brendon Small (loosely based on the show's creator, also named Brendon Small) is a 4th-grade kid living with his divorced mom Paula and bespectacled baby sister Josie. And he has an interesting hobby: creating shoestring-budget home movies on his camcorder with his friends Melissa and Jason. These movies often run parallel to his day-to-day misadventures, including those involving school, rabid pets, bullies, road safety, and even little Josie's curious tendency to shove marbles into her nostrils.Other acquaintances include angsty rocker kid Duane, Melissa's father Erik, the hyperactive pals Walter and Perry, a spoiled brat named Fenton, and the dorky cat-loving teacher Mr. Lynch. On top of that, Brendon has a rather unwanted mentor and adult figure in the form of his soccer coach, Jon McGuirk, a beer-bellied, obnoxious, loud, money-squandering oaf.The episode which introduced me to 'Home Movies' was, in fact, the one in which Josie is sticking marbles in her nose; Brendon makes a film instructing kids about the dangers of doing such and also has Duane's band perform a metal-rock song about not putting marbles in your nose. (As it turns out, Brendon's production unintentionally encourages children to do just that.) It's situations like these and the show's brand of sarcastic, off-the-wall humor that made me fall in love with it.On the other hand, the first season was the most enjoyable to me because, behind the scenes, the show was somewhat improvised in that the actors were given the general idea for a scene and basically just ad-libbed it from there. The spontaneity of it all made the show funny, while the squiggling animation gave it the look of something a child such as Brendon would make. That said, while the show remained funny (the gross-out humor was largely phased out, thankfully) and the transition to Flash made the animation easier on the eyes, the later seasons lost some of the first season's humanity, so to speak.In the end, although Brendon and his pals give the impression that they act like miniature adults, this is a goofy look at childhood that aims more toward high-brow humor than 'South Park', and I think it's worth it to check out at least the first season.
lemon_magic I came late to "Home Movies" - I never saw the UPN season because I don't pay any attention to network television. And I knew (somehow) that it was in "Squigglevision", which was one aspect of "Dr Katz" which I really didn't care for. However, I happened to catch a couple of episodes on the "Adult Swim" segment of the Cartoon Network a year ago and was instantly charmed by the quirky humor, whimsical plotting, and brilliant voice work by an (obviously) skeleton cast and crew and have spent the last few months catching up on the backlog via reruns on Cartoon Network and the collected DVD reissues of Seasons 1 and 2. Folks, this is brilliant stuff which will sink right into your cortex if you give it half a chance. Saying that it's about an eight year old who make movies with his friends in his basement just doesn't do it justice. "Home Movies" is an elusive blend of Oscar Wilde style "comedy of manners", deadpan pop culture lampoon, childhood memoir, character study and multi-part acapella choir. It almost always manages to sustain a certain wistful, tender attitude towards its characters even in the middle of some truly hilarious dialog exchanges and slapstick physical comedy. That's not an easy thing to do. About the actual animation: Season 1 is indeed cursed with "Squigglevision", a truly annoying design choice, but the eye eventually accepts it and gets on with enjoying the proceedings. And fortunately, by Season 2 the creators decided just to go with straightforward "Flash" style animation, and the remaining episodes are much easier to watch. The animation never rises above the level of "barebones minimalism", but it is effectively harnessed in service to the story and voice work. In fact, if you pay attention you soon realize that the artwork is quite sophisticated in of storyboards and layouts - the "camera" zooms and pans and sets establishing shots and even manages some moments of delicate mood and beauty. For comparison think of the old cheaply made "Hanna Barbera" cartoons from the 70's, 80's and 90's ("Yogi Bear", "Flintstones" after the first season, cookie cutter crap like "Wacky Races" and "Josie and the Pussycats"). In of storytelling sophistication and care, this animation style compared to that is like London Broil compared to a Big Mac. My favorite episodes (that I've seen) are probably "Bye Bye Greasy" and "The Art Of The Sucker Punch", and "Marbles and Mortgages", which contain a mix of parody, slapstick, and character study which many full blown feature comedy movie releases can't match. Watch these episodes carefully (especially the parts where H. Jon Benjamin's "Coach McGuirk" is involved), and you will see an awesome mastery of comedic timing and superb delivery that Woody Allen might envy. It's not so much that the writing is tight (though it is inspired) - rather, the whole thing has a loose, improvised, inspired feel, where even the dead ends and misfires are used as a springboard for further hijinks and blandishments. I don't know how well Small and his group of creators would have done with furthur episodes if "Home Movies" had gone past the fourth season. This kind of inspired inanity can have a very short "shelf life" as the pressure of constantly coming up with fresh scripts and performances weigh upon the creators. But man, while these guys were in the groove, they were GOOD. I plan to get the Season 3 collection as soon as it comes out, and will relish completing the viewing of every episode there-in. My thanks to Small and his co-creators for a wonderful series that has given me many hours of pure delight.
