Pepe Le Pew Movie? The Bad Reviews Just Write Themselves

Corpsman RHPT sent me a link that WB is attempting to reinvigorate their cast of cartoon characters with a slate of new projects including a possible live action/ CGI movie featuring Pepe Le Pew. 

Here.

The article states that comedian Mike "The Love Guru" Myers is associated with the project and will, one way or another, play the WB's amorous french skunk  (despite his turn as another black and white furry scamp in The Cat in the Hat, the movie that terrified kids and turned a generation off of Dr. Seuss.).

If I may:  why on Earth, given the track record of live action movies featuring formerly popular franchises, would you pick the one character that will give every film critic on a global scale the opportunity to use the word "stink" in their review?

And the movie will stink.  As will box office. 

I foresee weeks upon weeks of entertainment headlines pounding and pounding away on the idea that this movie stinks, and just by virtue of going to my iGoogle or Yahoo! account, my eyes will be bombarded by this clever play on words from a million different sources, over and over. 

Also, Mssr. Le Pew's romantic tactics would get the rape whistle blown at him in this day and age.  I'm not sure who in a modern audience is going to find it hilarious that this stalker of a skunk manhandles a helpless cat against her will for the duration of the film, even if in the third reel he learns a little lesson from WB's HR about appropriate workplace behavior and not being "handsy".  And, of course, the kitty decides she misses the attention (got that, girls...?  you're gonna miss Mr. Handsy Stalker when he's gone!).

In this modern age, I am not sure Mr. Le Pew will work quite as well as he once did, in days gone by when interspecies sexual assault was good for a laugh. 

Yeah, I think I've even creeped myself out at this point

I don't have any advice for the WB. How about trying to be actually funny?  You know, the way Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett and others were able to do without resorting to ridiculous CGI for the sake of CGI nonsense?

Also, the appropriate amount of time from when an anvil enters the image to when it makes contact?  13 frames.  13 frames is funniest.  Everybody knows that.

What's Opera, Doc? - Live Action?

I consider it a great tragedy that Bugs Bunny is no longer part of the television landscape. Bugs represented the great tradition of the wiseacre, keenly aware of the absurdity of his own situation and the people/ water fowl who had created that situation, and who responded with intentional absurdity.



These kids today with their Pokemons and their Hannah Montanas... No love of mayhem in their funny business, and the subversion is mostly sly nods to the adults who might be watching. No appreciation for the well crafted gag, these kids.

Like everyone else born between, oh.... 1950 and 1985, my first exposure to opera came from Bugs Bunny. Primarily "What's Opera, Doc?" (the "I Killed the Wabbit" one), and the always classic "Rabbit of Seville".



Anyhow, I stumbled upon this live action take on "What's Opera, Doc?". It made me laugh.




The original, for comparison:

What's Opera Doc? | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

Dang, man. That's a heck of a great cartoon.

Signal Watch Watching: Adventure Time

I am beginning to notice a curious thread when I discuss shows that I like, and that's "to describe the show would not do it justice, nor would it explain the appeal".

I've caught a few episodes of Cartoon Network's new show, Adventure Time, and it's a new favorite.



No, I do not know why Finn wears the hat with ears.

I'm going to do this, anyway...

The show is about a kid named Finn who lives in a sort of all-purpose fantasy land with fairies, dragons, robots, talking mountains, burly men, penguins, etc... He's partnered with a talking dog named Jake who seems to be able to change shape and stretch. The pair often have to deal with an Ice King who really, really likes kidnapping princesses.

But, none of that is what makes the show entertaining. It's sort of the utter disregard for a straight narrative in each 10 minute chunk, or even a straight line of thought.

Anyhow, recommended.