Download Space Junk Radio for June 24, 2005
The weekend has arrived, and so has another edition of the always liberating Space Junk Radio! This week we engage in a smattering of discussions; from the perils of video game addiction, to a Scientology machine that can detect negative energy, to a review of Troma’s “Make Your Own Damn Movie” DVD set. This week’s episode is a full blown study of the human condition. Plus we also rock out with our junk out to Sloan and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! Choose your poison below…
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Comments (24)
RANT:
for the record, I can easily tell by a trailer what is a Pixar movie and what isn’t, and it isn’t necessarily based on the overall quality of the movie. its everything from character design to cinematography, soundtrack. I dont think there is ONE Dreamworks CGI movie or a CGI animation movie from any other company that is better than ANY of the Pixar films. The closest Dreamworks came to competing was Antz, and I still think Bugs Life is better. As for the Brad Bird/Incredibles thing, noone was concerned for that one because he wrote Iron Giant. its not really an ‘outsider’ issue, its a matter of trust. and right now, noone trusts Disney to do a good job. and with good reason.
have you seen what they’ve done with the sequels to their “classics”? they dont give a shit if its any good, its just a cash-in, and I doubt Toy Story will be any exception.
you definitely underestimate the fanbase that animation movies have amongst adults. knowing several animators personally, and just how much more work an animated movie takes in comparison to most other films, its really depressing to the animation fanbase when something is really bad… because a bad big budget CGI animated movie takes just as much effort as a good one. For me personally, I actually care more if Toy Story 3 is good than I would Indiana Jones 4, or any new Romero movie. I like a good animated movie.
So basically, I think animation fans deserve a little more respect than Jay seems willing to give.
both Toy Story movies are in the IMDB top 250, and deservedly so.
I dont even care about the “it doesnt matter, its the third one” thing. Sure, it would be better if people would just move on to other projects, but if a project is confirmed and on the go, enough people have made enough investment into these characters to be allowed to care at least a little bit what is going to be done with them.
and PS – the animation world already knows who is in charge of Toy Story 3, so their anger is not presumptuous – http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713214/
Bradley Raymond, whose only credits are other bad Disney sequels.
what is funny though, is the writer has Tapeheads as a credit.
Posted by Goon on June 25th, 2005PPS – I’d like to make the other point that bad enough sequels can tarnish the legacy of the original in very many ways. Toy Story fans dont want to see any other person than Jim Varney as the Slinky Dog, and Varney is dead.
A lot of Muppet hardcores, like me, have a hard time accepting any new project because Steve Whitmire is not Jim Henson, Richard Hunt is dead, Frank Oz and Dave Goelz are too busy, and thus the spirit of the old Muppets has faded. They think it would be better if they just went away. And theres a good argument for that. If Carroll Spinney died and they still made Sesame Street with a new person playing Oscar and Big Bird, a little part of me would die.
I guess my point is never underestimate kids movie franchises. Childrens cartoon/movie franchises I feel have a lot more value and should be judged on a different level than adult ones.
Posted by Goon on June 25th, 2005i just read my posts. i’m surprised at myself. apparently I take kids stuff very seriously.
Posted by Goon on June 25th, 2005I keep going… this is mostly because its late and my head is racing with thoughts….
its a bigger deal to me when someone screws up a kids’ franchise because kids movie characters are way more iconic and long-lasting… i want the new kids classics to last generations and generations much like old disney movies have, and not be cheapened and run into the ground within a decade.
Posted by Goon on June 25th, 2005Well the question was about Disney screwing up Toy Story 3, my answer was i don’t care.
As for Pixar, here’s a few ideas i’ve had kicken around for animated film ideas. I offer this to the executives at Pixar.
1. “Phones” – Soundtrack by Randy Newman
A young cellular phone, which talks, goes on a cross country quest to find his father, an old english telephone booth, who has been put on display in a telephone museum. Along the way, the young cellular phone meets up with a vintage rotary phone with a british accent and a femail answering machine. They help him on his journey to reconnect with his father.
2. “Chairs” – Soundtrack by Randy Newman
A love seat and maching couch, that talk, are happily married and the proud parents of “Ottie” the ottoman. When their owners decide to replace their living room set with a sleek black leather couch, the family is sold at a garage sale. Father couch, voiced by Ray Ramono, travels cross country to re-assemble his family. Co-starring Jack Black as the fast driving moving van.
3. “Cars”
A group of talking cars…oh wait. They did this one.
4. “Boats” – Talking Boats
Posted by JAY C. on June 25th, 20055. “Planes” – Talking Planes
6. “Sports Balls” – Talking Sports Balls
7. “Computers” – Talking Computers
8. “Groceries” – Talking Groceries
9. “Garbage” – Talking Garbage
10. “Boats 2″ – Talking Boats
it doesnt bother me if you specifically dont care. it just seemed like such a browbeating to anyone who does care.
oh come on, anyone sarcastic enough can reduce any director or studio to such simplistic terms
besides, things go way beyond the general plotline. theres the character development and more importantly, how well the story is told. Pixar put more care into their stories and characters than almost all ‘adult’ movies, and certainly more care than any other studio creating kids movies…
is the plot all you care about?
if anything, the simplicity, the universality of the stories is one of Pixar’s greatest strengths, and helps make them contemporary classics, unlike “Shark Tale” which is just a mafia movie with fish and SNL type jokes.
I might also remind you that talking non-human objects were pretty much a necessity for any CGI company at that period of time, as absolutely noone could pull of doing humans yet, and they werent going to focus on a human movie before they knew they could pull it off as well as they did with the Incredibles…
Posted by Goon on June 25th, 2005Well i guess some radio personalities recieve criticism for their opinions on contreversial topics such as gun laws, abortion, war and religion. I guess i’ll join the club with the backlash from animators and die hard Toy Story 3 fans.
Posted by JAY C. on June 25th, 2005I do agree with Jay that Toy Story 3 is pretty far back on my own list of “troubled movie projects that I’m upset about”, but I also have to agree with Goon in that it felt like Jay was putting down people who might care about Toy Story 3.
While I’m all for putting nerds in their place (particularly where it includes keeping my own uncool vices in check), I have to point out the fact that the Space Junk radio show and website is almost exclusively made for debating nerdy topics such as these. Even if we (the radio show hosts) didn’t personally have much of an opinion on the subject, I don’t think that makes it a useless point of discussion.
Also, I would definitely like to see a movie about talking groceries.
Posted by Sean on June 25th, 2005I’ll see the talking groceries movie if they have to save a salad from being tossed or something. or if it has Christopher Walken.
let there be e-peace
Posted by Goon on June 25th, 2005Yes, you guys are right. The state of Toy Story 3 is definitely something that should be on the minds of North Americans. Afterall, 2008 is right around the corner.
Hopefully the folks at Disney see the light and cancel all plans to make this film. I agree that this could tarnish the Toy Story legacy forever.
I plan to start a petition to halt the release of Toy Story 3. Everyone interested in taking part, please leave a message on this thread. Once we’re at one million names, i personally will send the list to Disney in hopes to stop their franchise smashing machine for good.
Posted by JAY C. on June 25th, 2005There will be no peace until DISNEY IS STOPPED!
Posted by JAY C. on June 25th, 2005Christopher Walken could play the pack of hot dogs.
Posted by JAY C. on June 25th, 2005theres more of a petition already going on over on the Movie Blog – outrage courtesy of John Campea:
http://www.themovieblog.com/archives/2005/06/more_toy_story_3_abomination.html
I’m not trying to come down on you because you’re not concerned about it. I’m not the Pixar Police. I just thought it was rude to act so harsh on the show toward people who care just long enough to ask your opinion. how long did it take to ask that question, 4 seconds? surely you’ve cared for some trivial matter at least that long before.
Posted by Goon on June 25th, 2005anyways, regarding Toy Story 3:
yes. Disney IS a “shit director”. Disney is not good and havent been for several years. Animation fans know the difference.
okay. I’m gonna just let this go. argument happens. whatever. its not worth yelling about.
its just that you were saying that people shouldnt care based on the reasoning that its a ‘childs film’, that they’re not worth caring about, and that you’re some child if you care. and this is probably what set me off.
it just sounded so… condescending. Look at it from this perspective: I draw cartoony type things for a living. I know animators. We respect animation and kids illustration as just as respectable art as anything else. When someone says you shouldnt care about the quality of such things, its personally insulting, as if saying what we do with our lives doesn’t matter.
Posted by Goon on June 25th, 2005Haha Well that was a funny way of ‘letting this go’.
1. We’re not talking about the role animated films play in filmmaking. We’re talking about Toy Story THREE. The THIRD movie in the series. I liked one and two. I don’t hate animated movies.
2. We’re talking about a movie that doesn’t come out for another THREE YEARS.
3. We’re talking about a movie we HAVEN’T EVEN SEEN AND HARDLY KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT.
4. When i’m on the show, i talk about how I feel about things, not how you or anyone else feels. I feel that it’s WAY to early to be up at arms about a movie that’s not only the THIRD film of a series, but is THREE years away.
5. Don’t ask a question if you’re only looking to hear something you agree with.
6. Do i hate animators? No. Do i hate animated movies? No. Do i care about a movie that’s three years away? No. Do i think it’s a waste of time to even be arguing about Toy Story 3? Yes.
7. All of Pixar’s movies have been under Disney. How can you say how good or bad a Toy Story film will be until you’ve seen a feature length Pixar film under their own name? Their next film is CARS. Definitely not groundbreaking storytelling if you ask me.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY….how entertaining would the radio show be if we agreed with everything you say? SERIOUSLY, do i really have to do the radio show with the worries of offending TOY STORY fans and lovers of ANIMATION??? That doesn’t sound very fun to me.
Posted by JAY C. on June 26th, 2005And as far as being rude to the person asking the question, it was a joke. We all know you write all of the questions, i was being rude to someone fake. If you thought i was being rude to you, i apologize. I just thought that being strongly oppinionated may spice up what is, let’s admit it, a usually pretty bland show. (based on the fact that most of the topics we discuss we all agree on.)
Posted by JAY C. on June 26th, 2005Goon writes all of the questions?
Posted by Sean on June 26th, 2005Of course not
Posted by JAY C. on June 26th, 2005In Soviet Russia, the questions write Goon!
personal shit out of the way first:
“We all know you write all of the questions, i was being rude to someone fake. If you thought i was being rude to you, i apologize.”
I did think it was directed at me actually, and the apology is accepted. You go off on sincere sounding non-joke rants and this one certainly didn’t seem like one to me.
I was holding off mentioning myself as the letter writer. Its stupid but I didn’t know if I should actually “break the fourth wall”
“I just thought that being strongly oppinionated may spice up what is, let’s admit it, a usually pretty bland show.”
I didnt know you purposely spice up any of your opinions. The show’s not so bland. I don’t think you have to do so on our behalf.
Anyways, I guess all I have left to say is that being strongly opinionated means someone strongly opinionated like me who listens to the show is going to be strongly opinionated back.. I refuse to stay mad at anyone over a movie for more than a day, so I’m done being a pissy twat and also apologize.
Being opinionated people though means we’ll likely have heated discussions on trivial matters such as this again. I’m not scared to ask you guys questions I won’t like the answers to. But you guys know I’ll want to continue the discussion on the board, as its the only way I can get in on it.
Posted by Goon on June 26th, 2005anyways, if anyone actually cares to keep talking about the show and/or Pixar, I’m game.
“I feel that it’s WAY to early to be up at arms about a movie that’s…THREE years away.”
I’m really actually not all that up in arms just yet. However I do happen to agree with the negative feelings about what is confirmed.
anyways i get the point and I actually agree (but I dont think behind a third movie in a series means its not worth discussion). thats not what had ticked me off, it was the ‘this is a kids movie so who cares, its stupid to be 40 years old with a blog about Toy Story’
…and I already got to why that bothered me. done.
“how entertaining would the radio show be if we agreed with everything you say?”
I like hearing you go off most of the time. the show is better when you are on then when you’re away.
but the show is definitely funnier whan I agree with everything you say.
“All of Pixar’s movies have been under Disney.”
made for and distributed by Disney.
Pixar had full creative control, Disney was just their marketing and merchandising machine.
“CARS” is also for Disney and is basically a ‘contractual obligation’ movie before Pixar is free to do what they want on their own. it might even somehow end up good anyways, they’ve giving it a long time to put it together. I didnt like the teasers for Monsters Inc, Nemo or Incredibles but they all turned out fine, so I’m reserving judgment on “Cars” because they’ve earned the benefit of the doubt. Disney, with their countless DTV sequels, on the other hand, hasn’t.
I understand why you’re sick of CGI kids movies Jay. I am too, and its mainly because no studio is even trying to keep making quality ‘classic’ animation. Everyones jumped on the CGI bandwagon just because they think it means instant box office. Unfortunately, they’ve been proven right. But I can’t get sick of Pixar because I genuinely think they’re the best
Posted by Goon on June 26th, 2005“You go off on sincere sounding non-joke rants and this one certainly didn’t seem like one to me. ”
ugh, I said the opposite. I meant you sounded like it was a real rant.
Posted by Goon on June 26th, 2005“the show is better when you are on then when you’re away.”
I completely agree with you.
“ugh, I said the opposite. I meant you sounded like it was a real rant.”
Well it was real, but more Matrix real then real real. On spacejunk it’s usually my opinions on steroids.
“I like hearing you go off most of the time.”
That sounds kind of gay. I’m cool with it though.
P.S. Dave Chappelle has been confirmed as the voice of the bottle of root beer in the upcoming animated film “Groceries”.
Posted by JAY C. on June 26th, 2005Oh, and thanks anyways for filling in on the mailbag letters this week. Hopefully next week the dry spell will be over and we can go back to real letters.
Posted by JAY C. on June 26th, 2005there was one real one from someone named Emperor Narno that Sean didn’t choose to read. I don’t blame him, it was mostly jibberish.
I can’t believe Chappelle allowed himself to be typecast like that.
Posted by Goon on June 26th, 2005Leave a Reply