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Published on Friday, August 3, 2007 - 9:38am |
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Massawyrm -vs- The BRATZ!!
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It's not every day that I risk incarceration to review a film. But sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do. Sometimes you have to be the only grown man in a theatre that doesn't have a daughter with him. Some men run marathons. Some men climb mountains. Me? To prove my endurance I sit through all 110 minutes of Bratz: The Movie. What no one told me going in was that this totaled 6600 seconds, each one longer than the one before it. This isn't just a movie geared at little girls. This is their Lawrence of fucking Arabia, an epic tale of friendship, love and a Passion for Fashion (tm). In fact, David Lean should totally sue. They ripped his ass off.
And while I've spent months jacked into a testosterone and Mountain Dew fueled world of "flames on Optimus" and "No faceguard equals teh suck" I somehow missed the earth shattering debate on the raping of every little girls childhood. Maybe I really should check my Myspace more.
Little girls everywhere are pissed. They're texting. They're blogging.
They're calling their BFFs and crying. Because these Bratz…have normal sized skulls. W? T? F? SRSLY? Look, there are exactly two things preventing Bratz dolls from being cheap Barbie knock offs. The first is that the Asian, Black and Hispanic girls aren't simply relegated to being the white girl's back up band, and second they have ginormous fucking heads on top of impossibly small bodies. Yeah. I know. What were they thinking? What, was Nicole Richie busy? Really? Don't they realize that there are actresses destroying their internal organs every day to achieve the patented Bratz doll look? And they hire four complete unknowns with normal looking skulls? Nice.
You know the dolls I'm talking about, right? They're the ones you see in the grocery stores that look like they were modeled off of the girls you see in those internet videos that begin with the question "Do you know the password?" and end with the question "are you ready for the fiesta?" And these dolls are of vital importance to the future of this nation, and really, this society as a whole. Do you think guys like me can just get laid and reproduce on our own? No. Fuck no. It takes years of systematically breaking down the self-esteems of young women, of filling their heads with impossible expectations and then leaving them empty and hollow with a void that only booze and an endless string of faceless cock can fill. And that's where I come in. Just as we need pervert fathers eager to touch their daughters buttholes in order to keep the poles of this nation's stripclubs filled, so too must we give our daughters dolls that they can never live up to. Bratz.
Now I know what many of you are thinking. Why even bother reviewing a movie like this? Isn't this Ain't it Cool News? Your god damned right it is. But this movie was produced by Avi fucking Arad. Oh, yeah. Now you're listening. When Marvel's main man gets behind something, you know it's gonna be good. Just like The Punisher and Ghost Rider and Elektra. And in an interview last week he referred to Bratz as "X-men for Girls." Wow. You know, I thought I knew everything there was to know about the X-men. But clearly, I didn't know the first fucking thing about them. I didn't understand. X3 makes so much sense now. I'm sorry. I didn't know. I finally realize that a bunch of girls trying to desegregate the clique structure of the high school is exactly like everything the X-men went through. I was always focused on the awkwardness of puberty and the struggle against the oppression of minorities, and really it was all about teenagers in tight fitting outfits and having the right pair of boots.
And in order to tell a story this big, this important, this, dare I say it - epic - you need to find a director equal to the task. And so they turned to the one man able to bring these dolls' stories to life. Sean McNamara. The man who wowed us with Hilary Duff's timeless performance in Raise Your Voice. The man who managed to do what no one thought could be done by filming a sequel to the classic The Cutting Edge without either of the original leads in The Cutting Edge 2: Going for the Gold. And the man who proved that Hulk Hogan's career was not quite yet over with 3
Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain.
Here McNamara takes big creative risks by eschewing the classic notions of story in exchange for a surreal, nonsensical series of music videos, montages and irrelevant plot points that hint at a story rather than simply delivering one. And why bother developing characters beyond simple stereotypes when there's little for them to do but pose and occasionally speak? What's important isn't what they have to say. It's what they have to do. And that's look good, have attitude and stand by your BFF, even when the only thing you share in common is your overdeveloped sense of rampant consumerism.
For those still unfamiliar with the vast Bratz mythology, it boils down to four incredible role models. There's Jade, the repressed Asian girl with a clear sense of style, attitude and she likes science. Then there's Cloe, the klutzy white girl with a clear sense of style, attitude and she likes Soccer. Then there's Sasha, the saucy black girl with a clear sense of style, attitude and she likes cheerleading. And last but not least, there's Yasmin, the shy Hispanic girl who likes to sing. Oh, with a clear sense of style and attitude. But what's more important than their individual skillsets is the message that they send to little girls. And that is that you too can roll out of bed looking beautiful, never having a pimple and always sporting perfect hair. And if you can't, maybe you'll be lucky enough to be friends with those girls.
Opposite them is their antithesis. The archetypal popular villain hell bent on ruling high school with an iron fist. The girl who hates the Bratz for just how cool and well dressed they are. Oh, and for some asinine reason she feels they violate her strict sense of clique organization (because one's a jock, ones a brain, one's a cheerleader and one's a singer) despite the fact that they all speak, act and dress exactly alike. And rather than simply classifying this as an as yet undiscovered clique and issuing them their much coveted Z, she sets out to destroy them. For three years. Or I'm pretty sure that's the plot. This thing is so enmeshed in symbolism and metaphor that I'll be dissecting it for ages.
Throw in a deaf kid who becomes a DJ, a sleazeball 7th grader who seems to have a thing for younger women, and Jon Voigt wearing a prosthetic nose and you have a director that seems to be reaching to be the David Lynch of the Myspace generation. If there is sense to be made of this thing, it is by smarter men than I. And before you ask yourself What the hell is Jon Voigt doing here?, ask yourself this. Isn't that what we always say when he shows up these days?
Look, odds are your daughters don't want to see something this heady and intellectual. They're most likely interested in some insipid, vapid entertainment geared more towards selling a soundtrack and toys than it is passing on positive wisdom to the youth of America. But if your daughter feels far too good about herself or has bought into all this It's what's on the inside that counts bullshit, then you not only owe it to your daughter to take her to this, but you owe it to the 20 or so guys that in ten years will be tagging her while she lies face first in a puddle of her own vomit. These girls don't make themselves. They need your help, Dad. They need Bratz.
Until next time friends, smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em.
Massawyrm
Hey girls, here's a tip from your old pal, the Wyrm. If someone asks you if you are ready for the fiesta, the answer is yes. Oh, and close your eyes.

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Reader Talkback
testing 1 2 3 by xega | Aug 3rd, 2007 09:44:13 AM | No by BigSugar | Aug 3rd, 2007 09:44:41 AM | uh... by strosmer | Aug 3rd, 2007 09:46:58 AM | WHY??? WHY??? by grendelson138 | Aug 3rd, 2007 09:47:05 AM | Sooooo.... by beastie | Aug 3rd, 2007 09:47:08 AM | Avi has got Robosapien The
Movie lined up next... by Boba Fat | Aug 3rd, 2007 09:48:49 AM | HAHAHAHAA!! by Durendal | Aug 3rd, 2007 09:53:04 AM | In the UK we them... by Bono Luthor | Aug 3rd, 2007 09:53:15 AM | Is it still alright to wonder
- by Samson_K | Aug 3rd, 2007 09:54:24 AM | So Massawyrm..... by MasterShake | Aug 3rd, 2007 09:54:54 AM | So, it's Tranformers then. by Logo Lou | Aug 3rd, 2007 09:55:47 AM | "We call them" by Bono Luthor | Aug 3rd, 2007 09:56:06 AM | this is the first time by FakePlasticGuava | Aug 3rd, 2007 09:57:41 AM | Bono Luthor by Boba Fat | Aug 3rd, 2007 09:58:47 AM | Rule of thumb by Samson_K | Aug 3rd, 2007 09:59:46 AM | Best quote on
RottenTomatoes.com by beastie | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:02:15 AM | seriously, why did you go to
the movie? by RockLobster800 | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:03:24 AM | Jade=Asian chick... by Kid Z | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:03:29 AM | The Unsung Heroes of America by studioki | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:05:32 AM | THIS LINE IS POETRY by WISEBLOOD | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:07:51 AM | Durendal by dale_cooper | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:07:53 AM | Slutz by Flipao | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:08:21 AM | Banged em by lost.rules | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:09:40 AM | Avi Arad is a dirty old man. by Anna Valerious | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:21:12 AM | "one for bratz, please." by 40ozToFreedom | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:22:54 AM | woot... by kennofolds | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:33:01 AM | Quality review, mate by Col. Tigh-Fighter | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:33:35 AM | Paedos gotta eat. by BillyPilgrim | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:33:54 AM | Good point, D.Vader by Anna Valerious | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:35:26 AM | 40ozToFreedom: by mbeemer | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:36:20 AM | Sad fact I know a guy at my
job by Phategod1 | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:36:31 AM | wow, brilliant by dr sauch | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:37:31 AM | BRATZ is about Communists by finky089 | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:39:35 AM | I feel sorry for you Massa by Jonesey1111 | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:41:21 AM | jon voight by 40ozToFreedom | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:45:47 AM | Best review ever by Yogsoggoth | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:47:07 AM | Please tell me every
talkbacker posted w/out
reading... by Nice Marmot | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:47:21 AM | Misrepresentation by YakMalla | Aug 3rd, 2007 11:29:31 AM | Massawyrm by spaceghost1818 | Aug 3rd, 2007 11:43:52 AM | YakMalla by theBigE | Aug 3rd, 2007 11:48:02 AM | I cry bullshit.... by BangoSkank | Aug 3rd, 2007 12:03:17 PM | BOYCOTT! BRATZ IN NAME
ONLY! BRATZ IN NAME ONLY! by Daddylonghead | Aug 3rd, 2007 12:06:21 PM | Good God... by yesiamaplant | Aug 3rd, 2007 12:23:51 PM | Reviewing Bratz = Man Card
REVOKED by TheBloop | Aug 3rd, 2007 12:31:19 PM | ThreeOranges, you man card in
next.... by TheBloop | Aug 3rd, 2007 12:32:40 PM | Where's Neil? by One-Eye Tigh | Aug 3rd, 2007 12:37:03 PM | Even without any kids... by BizarroJerry | Aug 3rd, 2007 12:55:52 PM | my sister by Bloo | Aug 3rd, 2007 12:57:42 PM | but what about the outfits put
together by Paula Abdul? by durhay | Aug 3rd, 2007 01:00:15 PM | I hate to say it Wyrm but your
best reviews by Borgnine JR | Aug 3rd, 2007 01:03:27 PM | I saw the trailer for this and
my IQ dropped 20 points by Big Jim | Aug 3rd, 2007 01:05:45 PM | The Most Awesomest Review
Like, Ever by Harry Weinstein | Aug 3rd, 2007 01:20:32 PM | Recovering victim? by Quin the Eskimo | Aug 3rd, 2007 01:28:40 PM | I didn't even know this was a
movie, but that was possi by Cyan09 | Aug 3rd, 2007 01:36:00 PM | BRATZ-THE SEVEN PERCENT
SOLUTION! by Pennsy | Aug 3rd, 2007 01:44:56 PM | Um...How exactly do you know
"little girls are pissed"? by SpyGuy | Aug 3rd, 2007 01:53:06 PM | I was expecting a brilliant
movie, but not THAT good. by EthanRunt | Aug 3rd, 2007 01:57:19 PM | "This is X-MEN for girls" by 433 | Aug 3rd, 2007 02:03:57 PM | Bratz is a amazing by lionbiu | Aug 3rd, 2007 02:17:49 PM | do they give them big heads... by Automation Overlord | Aug 3rd, 2007 02:19:52 PM | jeebus! by Grendy | Aug 3rd, 2007 02:21:11 PM | 433! by Grendy | Aug 3rd, 2007 02:23:36 PM | Imagine if the Bratz actresses
drank six Slushos? by Pennsy | Aug 3rd, 2007 02:29:04 PM | Appropriate Review for Content by rune_spell | Aug 3rd, 2007 02:29:50 PM | You're a braver man than I by Harold The Great | Aug 3rd, 2007 02:30:36 PM | Did they force you to see this by CherryValance | Aug 3rd, 2007 02:36:04 PM | Great Review by Norseman1111 | Aug 3rd, 2007 02:48:50 PM | The trailer raped my eyeballs. by Cameron1 | Aug 3rd, 2007 03:21:07 PM | Hey, Massawyrm, Your Review... by buster00 | Aug 3rd, 2007 03:24:37 PM | ::checks IMDB:: 19, 18, 18,
15... by themikejonas | Aug 3rd, 2007 03:28:34 PM | Oops, wait, one's almost 21 by themikejonas | Aug 3rd, 2007 03:31:12 PM | Gawd Massawyrm! by quadrupletree | Aug 3rd, 2007 03:31:37 PM | More like SKANKZ. by MaxTheSilent | Aug 3rd, 2007 03:52:54 PM | Bratz dolls should be renamed by seppukudkurosawa | Aug 3rd, 2007 03:59:14 PM | OMG! by Colier Rannd | Aug 3rd, 2007 04:03:33 PM | This was the greatest movie
review ever.... by Raphman | Aug 3rd, 2007 04:20:16 PM | Massa takes Vern down for this
round! by Spandau Belly | Aug 3rd, 2007 04:37:10 PM | Pennsy by Trader Groucho 2 | Aug 3rd, 2007 04:46:34 PM | Great review Massawyrm by Trader Groucho 2 | Aug 3rd, 2007 04:50:04 PM | Who the fuck is reviewing this
@ Rotten Tomatoes... by Jackie Boy | Aug 3rd, 2007 04:59:37 PM | soylent mean, I don't know if
you're joking... by TheGreenStyle | Aug 3rd, 2007 05:17:39 PM | Spandau Belly, about vern's
transformers rv by TheGreenStyle | Aug 3rd, 2007 05:26:08 PM | Ah, okay, Soylent. by TheGreenStyle | Aug 3rd, 2007 05:27:15 PM | This movie is why some Muslims
hate us, & wants us dead by The Dum Guy | Aug 3rd, 2007 05:58:19 PM | It is because of movies like
this.... by ckane123 | Aug 3rd, 2007 05:58:46 PM | OLD MEN. PEOPLE COMPLAINING
ABOUT THIS ARE OLD MEN by Playkins | Aug 3rd, 2007 06:08:19 PM | "faceless cock"? by rbatty024 | Aug 3rd, 2007 06:24:17 PM | MASSA by The Real MiraJeff | Aug 3rd, 2007 06:26:29 PM | Playkins by The Dum Guy | Aug 3rd, 2007 06:31:24 PM | Very Best of This Review by Kragmose | Aug 3rd, 2007 06:36:38 PM | My sister has wisely banned
Bratz for her daughter. by rbatty024 | Aug 3rd, 2007 06:51:14 PM | However... by Anna Valerious | Aug 3rd, 2007 07:03:16 PM | Bratz is just one part of the
problem w/making... by The Dum Guy | Aug 3rd, 2007 07:06:31 PM | ckane123... by TheGreenStyle | Aug 3rd, 2007 07:11:26 PM | A review for this movie on
AintItCool was entirely... by LittleDudes | Aug 3rd, 2007 07:11:40 PM | Now bring on Teen Girl Squad! by TheNorthlander | Aug 3rd, 2007 07:22:00 PM | The Dum Guy: S&M!?!?!?! by Playkins | Aug 3rd, 2007 07:42:20 PM | So yeah, I went to see The
Simpson Movie... by ThisLifeArtificial | Aug 3rd, 2007 07:48:00 PM | Playkins by The Dum Guy | Aug 3rd, 2007 08:10:09 PM | ----should have said 40 year
old---- by The Dum Guy | Aug 3rd, 2007 08:10:55 PM | My 11 year old thinks Bratz
are stupid by Vergil | Aug 3rd, 2007 09:32:49 PM | THE FUNNIEST THING ABOUT THIS
TALKBACK... by Playkins | Aug 3rd, 2007 09:45:18 PM | ThisLifeArtificial: by Playkins | Aug 3rd, 2007 09:50:57 PM | Playkins by TheNorthlander | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:01:51 PM | TheNorthlander: by Playkins | Aug 3rd, 2007 10:09:15 PM | The Demolitionist by JohnIan | Aug 4th, 2007 12:57:43 AM | The decent thing they could
have done was.............. by wackybantha | Aug 4th, 2007 01:24:35 AM | Ahh, Bratz... by uglyMood | Aug 4th, 2007 01:32:55 AM | At least Bratz is more
Caricatured and honest than
Barb by half vader | Aug 4th, 2007 02:00:54 AM | RE: half vader by uglyMood | Aug 4th, 2007 02:24:46 AM | Furthermore, I can't spell in
the middle of the night by uglyMood | Aug 4th, 2007 02:46:47 AM | WAITAMINUTE UGLYMOOD...... by Playkins | Aug 4th, 2007 02:53:28 AM | Playkins by The Dum Guy | Aug 4th, 2007 03:08:47 AM | Playkins: I know you are. by TheNorthlander | Aug 4th, 2007 03:12:10 AM | Playkins by uglyMood | Aug 4th, 2007 03:16:36 AM | Because Bratz are the end
of.... by Playkins | Aug 4th, 2007 03:31:26 AM | TheNorthlander by Playkins | Aug 4th, 2007 03:35:13 AM | Massa just enjoyed fantasizing
about the jailbait... by W3bzpinn3r | Aug 4th, 2007 03:53:36 AM | Playkins by uglyMood | Aug 4th, 2007 03:54:11 AM | Furthermore by uglyMood | Aug 4th, 2007 04:04:17 AM | Further-Furthermore by uglyMood | Aug 4th, 2007 04:08:13 AM | uglyMood by The Dum Guy | Aug 4th, 2007 04:23:52 AM | uglyMood: Thanks for proving
my point. by Playkins | Aug 4th, 2007 04:37:01 AM | There is a book out at the
moment by emeraldboy | Aug 4th, 2007 06:05:16 AM | This is why some Muslims hate
us, & wants us dead? by TheBloop | Aug 4th, 2007 08:37:03 AM | TheGreenStyle, more on Vern's
site by Spandau Belly | Aug 4th, 2007 09:11:03 AM | Barbie has had hundreds of
jobs... by Anna Valerious | Aug 4th, 2007 10:21:52 AM | Bratz = Stupid Spoiled Whore
Playset (from South Park) by LaserPants | Aug 4th, 2007 10:23:55 AM | Rant = Feminisim + Sarcasam by buffywrestling | Aug 4th, 2007 10:48:19 AM | I meant to spell it that way
too... by buffywrestling | Aug 4th, 2007 10:53:15 AM | Thanks, LaserPants by uglyMood | Aug 4th, 2007 10:55:58 AM | When I was a child... by buffywrestling | Aug 4th, 2007 11:28:24 AM | Then again... by buffywrestling | Aug 4th, 2007 11:35:40 AM | Awesome by sevenrivera | Aug 4th, 2007 11:41:11 AM | Massawyrm, how about a
Backyardigans review? by TheBloop | Aug 4th, 2007 11:45:07 AM | Why Jon Voight was in this
movie? Its simple! by Uncapie | Aug 4th, 2007 11:49:00 AM | The reason why Jon Voight took
this role... by Immortal_Fish | Aug 4th, 2007 12:59:52 PM | Oh boy Uglymood (way to go
with the handle)... by half vader | Aug 4th, 2007 01:06:03 PM | A Generation of Cunts... Just
Got Cunt-ier. by xXMr_BoJaNgLeSXx | Aug 4th, 2007 01:25:14 PM | Voight only does toy movies
now by PacmanFever | Aug 4th, 2007 01:37:51 PM | this is funny by The Dum Guy | Aug 4th, 2007 02:15:41 PM | Wow, This Is Some Talkback! by LaserPants | Aug 4th, 2007 02:21:43 PM | Awesome review. by Pops Freshemeyer | Aug 4th, 2007 02:28:18 PM | Where's the love for
Madonna??? by Trader Groucho 2 | Aug 4th, 2007 02:53:41 PM | "Bratz skinjob" by Trader Groucho 2 | Aug 4th, 2007 02:54:56 PM | Easy by Kree42 | Aug 4th, 2007 02:58:57 PM | Massawyrm! by The Dum Guy | Aug 4th, 2007 03:28:27 PM | TheGreenStyle and Spandau
Belly by Chopper Sullivan | Aug 4th, 2007 03:30:21 PM | Jon Voight, to my knowledge,
still works SAG by Trader Groucho 2 | Aug 4th, 2007 03:33:42 PM | half vader by uglyMood | Aug 4th, 2007 03:56:09 PM | But what does this haveto do
with CLOVERFIELD!!! by wackybantha | Aug 4th, 2007 05:04:57 PM | THE BRATZ WILL SAVE US FROM
THE RAT! by Pennsy | Aug 4th, 2007 08:26:58 PM | wow. by kirttawesomio | Aug 4th, 2007 08:27:18 PM | I kinda want to marry
Massawyrm by ScienceMan | Aug 4th, 2007 08:30:52 PM | I have two young daughters, 11
and 7.... by closeencounter | Aug 4th, 2007 11:59:57 PM | Well fair enough, Uglymood. by half vader | Aug 6th, 2007 10:29:59 AM | Precisely. by half vader | Aug 6th, 2007 11:34:52 AM | LOL. Priceless. by Martorelli | Aug 6th, 2007 04:39:52 PM |
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