Colombiana es muy Estupido

Hey there, we're back, after nearly a year-long break. We'll provide no explanation for that and dive right into some new raving reviews. Last night, while watching Netflix we came across Jean-Luc's (Besson's) Colombiana - a movie with nearly no redeeming attributes - perhaps explaining its so-so performance at the box office (losing about $4,000,000).

 

What I want to be when I grow up - a female assassin, by Zoe Saldana 

The story goes something like this - cute, innocent nine-year old Cataleya's parents are killed for no reason other than that they are doubling dealing hit people who betrayed their drug lord boss. Inexplicably, the Drug Lord fails to appreciate that folks need to make a living and that killing people and selling out drug lords can be really profitable. The seemingly helpless waif stabs the head goon from the hit-squad and proceeds to outrun the rest of the crew on a chase through Bogota (which looks a lot like Mexico) doing roof jumping scenes that would make James Bond proud and sewer diving al la Harrison Ford in Fugitive.

She escapes to the American embassy where she proceeds to barf up what looks like an SD card (full of Drug Lord secrets) which somehow gets inserted into a floppy disk. This was supposed to be 1992, SD cards weren't invented yet but who cares right? She couldn't have swallowed a floppy disk. So, naturally after inventing the future and bringing down Colombia's biggest cartel she is whisked away to the US where she somehow magically manages to escape from the airport bathroom and find her way to Chicago. She ends up in Chicago because that's where her uncle lives  (a real nice guy who works in the family trade) and yet no one ever thinks to look for her there.

Fast forward to 2011 or so where we witness the all-grown up and painfully skinny Cataleya infiltrate a jailhouse to kill some really creepy looking guy for apparently no reason. Of course, as an assassin, she's supposed to be smart and deadly - that's why she can do all these amazing things. Her uncle made a big point out of telling her (al la Mel Gibson in Braveheart) that warriors or killers think with their head - he does this while shooting up a stranger's car in broad daylight in front of the school where she's just enrolled with dozens of witnesses nearby.

Note the mysterious flower and the fact that Juan Valdez looks like every Drug Lord ever portrayed in the movies

So anyway, Cataleya, named after an exotic flower - they reminder of this about 57 times - sports her slinky body leotard for hits because as we know wearing a lot of clothes makes it harder to fit into air ducts, sewers and other tight spaces. Cataleya is a very artistic girl as she likes to paint a picture of the flower she is named after on all of her dozens of victims. This is supposedly to ensure that the drug lords who killed her parents come and find her so she can ensnare them in her elaborate trap. Of course it turns out she really doesn't have a trap and gets the rest of her family of killers killed. Did we say that this movie was muy estupidia - si...

Anyway, on the periphery this cinematic misfire there are lousy performances and oddities in all directions. We've got Callum Blue playing a CIA operative who can't seem to master his American accent, we've got that guy from Jericho playing an FBI agent with the same problem. We've got a Chicago police Sargent who can barely seem to speak English at all. We've got locations in Chicago that look oddly like Mexico. We've got a location in New Orleans that looks just like Miami. We've got Cataleya confessing to the FBI that she wanted to be one of the good guys despite the fact she spent her life with killers training in the family business. We've a got big fat guy wearing funny underwear getting eaten by sharks. We've got a movie that associates everything in Colombia with drugs and killers yet seems not to know anything about the place they're maligning.

The only positive thing we might say about this movie is that it isn't as stupid as Taken or Taken 2 - a film made by folks involved with producing Colombiana.

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Firefly Still Burns Bright

It's amazing that a show that only ran for 14 episodes is still relevant and is still making news, but Firefly isn't your typical series. This year the Science Channel relaunched Firefly almost as if it were a new show and remarkably it worked - this was nearly 8 years after it was initially aired on Fox. The short-lived series has become a bit of a cult favorite with many and that devotion led to a 2005 theatrical release that helped tie together some of the unresolved plot lines left dangling at the end of the cancelled first season.

Firefly remains a truly original series concept

The movie version of the series, Serenity, while not a huge commercial success raked in over $40 million which allowed to break even but didn't cross over much beyond its loyal fan base. Perhaps if the series had lasted a little the results would have been different - in terms of quality the film far surpassed the majority of Star Trek Theatrical releases (both in terms of storyline and overall entertainment value).

Although there was and still is a lot of discussion about the interest that was generated because Firefly being linked to Joss Whedon and his previous projects (notably Buff the Vampire Slayer) for us that simply wasn't a factor. When we first watched the series in 2002 we'd never heard of Joss and we couldn't stand "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Firefly for us and we believe in all contexts stands uniquely on its own. The show successfully created a new universe which could still continue to be populated with new plot-lines if anyone decides to give it another go.

So, what is about Firefly that makes it so special. We'll try to put into perspective:

1. The characters were not just unique, they were memorable. This goes for nearly the entire cast which is a fairly remarkable achievement.
2. The show's premise was cool. It's a bit of a civil war theme juxtaposed into space several hundred years hence. We've got a ship full of renegades / pirates fighting to survive in a galaxy ruled by an oppressive "Alliance" with new frontiers and dark dangers lurking out there - just beyond reach.
   
3. The Genre Mash-up was just fun to watch. We love Westerns, We love Sci-Fi - why not combine them? Works for us.
4. The quality of the show's dialog - the scripts. We love good writing.
   
5. The musical score - when someone does it right - it makes a huge difference in helping to create the ambiance for a show. The music for Firefly helped solidify the cultural connection of that is the Space Cowboy.
   

Good writing is fun to watch - sounds odd but it's true

We have to ask ourselves again - why are all the most interesting, innovative shows getting cancelled before they have a chance to really bloom? What's at work here - let's take a look at the possible causes:

• The current ratings system isn't necessarily a good predictor of long-term ratings or marketability. A loyal fanbase can bring profit over a much longer timeframe than one season - yet decisions are based on what happens on in the that season without taking into account other mitigating factors.
  

• People are too unsophisticated to appreciate something novel - naaay - we're not buying that.
  

• The networks and studios are risk averse. It doesn't take much to scare them off of an interesting project. These folks tend to be more comfortable running with show formulas they're familiar with. When something new rolls in it is always scary.
  

The movie version was awesome - what more can we say?

Mr. Whedon has gone on to do some very interesting things since Firefly including the recent Thor movie and the upcoming Marvel Avengers flick, but perhaps he'll give Firefly another shot sometime later on - we certainly hope so.

We'd also like to see more of the cast in other projects, particular the actress who played Inara (Morena Baccarin), as well as Nathan Fillion. Christina Hendricks who had a recurring role on Firefly hit it big on AMC's Madmen and Summer Glau went to star in the Sarah Conner Chronicles.

Check out our complete YouTube playlist for Firefly on the Raving Reviews Channel...


Copyright 2011, Raving Reviews™

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New Sitcom to Be Released this Fall - "Love Child"

Raving Reviews is proud to announce an exclusive story today straight from Hollywood; a new sitcom is being developed to take advantage of recent headlines and the upcoming elections - the tentative title for the half-hour weekly series is "Love Child."

It was rumored that a number of other titles for the show were considered including:

• "I've got it Maid"
• "Lie Hard"
• "One & Half Marriages"
• "Three's a Crowd"
• "Family Values"
• "Gorilla in Our Midst"
• "Sex in the Statehouse"
• "I'll be Back"
• "You Can't Fight City Hall"
• "Power Corrupts"
• "A Family Affair"
• "Domestic Service"

"Love Child" Plot Synopsis

A powerful politician and wealthy heiress marry and form an unbeatable political alliance - together they conquer the State and set their sights on the White House. There's only one thing standing in their way towards the quest for ultimate power - women - And lot's of 'em!

Talk about bimbo eruptions - this family is like Mount St. Helens! Watch the insanity as Governor Horndog tries and fails to ignore the multitude of women that parade by his door. Each episode puts us on the brink of nationwide scandal as loyal aids and family save the day with a new cover-up. But wait - Governor Horndog won't be so easily thwarted - when the pickings get thin at the office - he does his prowling on the home front!

And that's where the fun really begins. We meet junior, a seemingly normal adolescent who has one heck of secret - he's the Governor's Love Child living right in the same house. His mom may be the maid but this kid has got it made! It's non-stop hilarity as everyone has to keep this secret - for years...

Who wants to embrace an Ox? Good question

Any similarities between this show's plot and the recent scandal in California are somewhat coincidental and purely intentional.

 Love Child, by Diana Ross & Arnold (maybe)

Copyright 2011, Raving Reviews™

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10 Reasons Why we Won't Watch Pirates of the Caribbean

We thought it only fair to announce why we're not going to review or even ever watch the latest sequel in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise; so here are our reasons:

1. We still remember the ride and now memories of our childhood have become intertwined with drunken, gay pirates and the Rolling Stones.
2. Zombies, mermaids and mythical sea creatures were not in the original ride and represent desperate attempts to stretch out what was already a thin plot from the first Pirates movie. It's clear there won't be much of a story.
3. It's just not the same without Keira - not that is was that great with her.
4. We're sick of being sucked into McMovie chain franchises like this and Transformers, although we can't wait for the next Bond film or another Star Trek or Star Wars - that's different.
   
5. Johnny Depp reminds us too much of those winos on the street asking for quarters.
6. We hate seafood.
7. We think Penelope Cruz would make a better Flamenco dancer than pirate - maybe that's sexist, but we just don't see it.
8. You can't convince us that any man wearing eye makeup would have lasted 5 minutes on a real pirate ship.
9. We believe in the War on Grog - "Don't do Rum."
10. Having Depp in the film was bad enough - actually putting Keith Richards in it was just too creepy.
    

Yo Ho Ho, which one is the animatronic Johnny Depp ???

Copyright 2011, Raving Reviews™

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Life on Mars

One minute it's 2008 or 6 or maybe 2011, next thing you know its 1973 or 1972. Well, it gets a bit confusing - there were two shows, one on the BBC and one in the US on ABC. This review will cover the US series, although it is worth noting that there was a pilot version to the show that got scrapped (w/ the action taking place in L.A. instead of New York and with a largely different cast). We intend to do a review on the original (it took place first) BBC version later.

The first thing that struck us about Life on Mars was the attention to detail in trying to recreate a gritty big city atmosphere of the early 1970's. Some of us here are just old enough to sort of remember that and of course a period piece you can remember is quite different than a costume drama. We also were impressed with the cast and the premise of the show - we know it was borrowed but they still made it seem original (perhaps the 2nd try helped).

Life on Mars is named after the David Bowie song...

Life on Mars follows the rather bizarre circumstances of one Sam Tyler, a detective who while in the midst of trying to solve a case and save his girlfriend is hit by a car and wakes up in 1973. Somehow, Sam seems to have a purpose in 1973 - working in the same precinct as before as a new transfer - yet he spends the rest of the series trying to determine how and why he was transported back 35 years.

We liked the show and here's why:

1. The lead actors were excellent: Jason O'Mara, Harvey Keitel, Gretchen Mol and that guy from the Sopranos really hit it off. It was fun watching them and observing their characters grow - unfortunately it only lasted for one season.
2. We loved the music: Life on Mars scored much of their work to the best music from the early 1970's and you could tell they had fun doing it.
3. We loved the writing: not everyone can write well and as many of you probably can tell some folks on today's top sitcoms can't write at all. It's always a pleasure to see clever and meaningful dialog on a consistent basis. And given the subject matter they had opportunities to dive into some interesting philosophical territory.
   

This is the real David Bowie from about 1973 - we still don't get the whole Ziggy Stardust thing - but the song was good enough to somehow inspire this show.

We were especially impressed with Gretchen Mol and Jason O'Mara, both of whom have incredible star potential but haven't quite made it to that point yet (not sure why). Jason will be starring in this Fall's most interesting new series "Terra Nova" which is being produced by Steven Spielberg and Star Trek's Brannon Braga (who will act as Showrunner). It's a real shame that these two didn't have more time to develop the emerging plot line that connected their characters in Life on Mars - given the show's premature cancellation a somewhat abrupt ending was put together to wrap up loose ends. Even still, the series as a whole is exiting, fresh and entertaining throughout.

We highly recommend it.


Copyright 2011, Raving Reviews™

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The World's Tallest Milkshake

Here at Raving Reviews we don't limit ourselves to just critiquing movies or TV, or even popular culture - we also review restaurants, attractions and even products - but only the things that really stand out. Today's review was definitely outstanding; the world's tallest milkshake.

When we went to Vegas some time back we knew we'd be on the lookout for great food - we don't tend to gamble much because we just don't have the aptitude or luck for that sort of thing. We do however have some skill in finding good restaurants. Anyway, we had gotten it into our heads that the best locales in Las Vegas were buffets, but last time around we were getting disappointed so we decided to try something different. We checked out the ESPN Zone but weren't too impressed and then we happened to be strolling through the Stratosphere Casino watching retirees sink all their life savings into the slots and then we heard what sounded like a concert. We were drawn to it somewhat like a siren call and then we soon discovered that there were two locations with live musical activity close to one another - one had drinks but the other looked like a diner so we ventured towards the diner.

As we entered it was soon apparent that this was no ordinary eatery. On half of the tables giant 2 foot tall milkshakes were fairly noticeable and the wait staff was dancing around with microphones in their hands. At first we wondered whether this was some bizarre variant of the ever-unpopular restaurant birthday humiliation ritual and were about to Skedaddle - but it soon became apparent that they were singing for everyone and there were no birthday lyrics. So we took a booth.

We were too dumbstruck to videotape our experience at Roxy's, but many others have

We were hungry and decided to go with both shakes and typical diner fare - hamburger, fries, onion rings - the works. While we were waiting for our meal we noticed that the wait staff sometimes took turns signing and sometimes joined in together a bit like a mini-musical and in some cases the patrons stood up and joined in. We were somewhat dazed by the whole experience given our previous dining history - it just wasn't something our rather conventional brains could comprehend too well, but it did seem like a lot of fun.

And then they arrived. Two foot tall milkshakes in giant plastic glasses that were shaped in the form of the Stratosphere tower. We estimate that each one of these mega-shakes had approximately 3,000 calories worth of jaw-dropping ice cream mixtures in them although there is no way of telling for certain. We figured ours were probably even more densely packed with calories given that we had added fudge and extra whipped cream. The shakes came first and as you might have expected that's all she wrote for the rest of the meal. Our stomachs were pretty well extended to max by the time the fries and burgers arrived - we had just enough room to taste them but no more. We seem to remember that they were good but everything got a bit blurry after the milkshakes as we sank into a semi-euphoric state of near oblivion.

The Stratosphere casino has a giant tower, some games in it, other restaurants and even a few shows but all we can remember is Roxy's Diner. We figure it should only be visited a maximum of once per year to avoid overdosing on their shakes - but the next time we're in Vegas not gambling we're going to spend most of our time there.

Our next review of unique restaurant Americana will be the Velvet Elvis (located in Patagonia Arizona), home of some of the most unique pizzas on the planet.


Copyright 2011, Raving Reviews™

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Dead Like Me Comes Alive

Sometimes we may sound overly critical but we do in fact have a great number of things that we actually enjoy. We've decided to focus the next few posts on some of our favorite TV series - some of which we discovered years after they left the air through Netflix.

Dead Like Me is an example of one of our recent finds. We completely missed the series while it was on Showtime (we were either too busy at the time to watch much television or in a Cable Rejection phase) but we found it this year while browsing through Netflix. It turns out the show's creator Bryan Fuller, had also developed one of our all time favorite shows "Pushing Daisies." He had also worked on Star Trek Voyager. That's some resume.

It also seems somehow appropriate to review a show called Dead Like Me which features the lives of Grim Reapers on the eve of the Apocalypse.

The Season 1 Trailer of "Dead Like Me"

The premise of the show is unusual - it also somewhat presages what you'll see if you decide to watch Pushing Daisies. The main character dies in the pilot episode but that's OK because she doesn't really go anywhere - death is the beginning of her story. Georgia, the main character rediscovers life through her new role as a grim reaper and through a proxy life she establishes as an undead girl trying to make ends meet. Needless to say, the premise alone was intriguing - but what really grabbed us was character development and the offbeat humor present in most of the episodes.

The show also sports one of the most original opening credits sequence and musical score that we've ever experienced - the music by the way was composed by Stewart Copeland - former member of the Police.

How could anyone resist this title sequence?

Each of the characters in the show represent seemingly real people - albeit somewhat quirky but real. Oddly enough the least interesting character is Georgia but that's because she's acting as a bit of foil or straight man through most of the series while observing the world around her. Mandy Patinkin plays a bit of a foil himself but often devolves into his own quirky directions on many occasions. The cast assembled for the show is very talented with standout performances coming from Mandy, from Callum Blue, from Laura Harris and from all the actors portraying Georgia's family. Georgia's co-workers at her new found office career are pretty fascinating as well - it's a large ensemble effort.

Callum Blue launched his career on Dead Like Me

We suppose that the somewhat dark humor on the show may not be to everyone's tastes - or perhaps it may be an acquired taste. We do believe that most of you will enjoy it though. There is something altogether therapeutic in being able to laugh at death or the circumstances revolving it and of course we're seeing another way to view life as well in most of the plot-lines. We give Dead Like Me our highest rating and we weren't the only ones who thought so - fans of the show helped to bring most of the cast back for a movie version of the show in 2009. And if you check out the ratings on most of the movie review sites you'll see Dead Like Me coming close to the highest ratings possible.

Someone asked us a fairly interesting question the other day - they said "why do studios & TV networks always cancel the best shows after one or two seasons and then run the crap like Two & Half Men for decades?" That's a good question - perhaps we need grim reapers to help us weed out the wretched programming and make room for more shows like this.


Copyright 2011, Raving Reviews™

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Apocalypse Party Tips

An update - it's now time for the 2012 Apocalypse and we've come up with a film festival to celebrate; however if you didn't hold an Apocalypse party last year then please feel free to follow our party planning tips from last year...

Well, this weekend seems to mark the end of the world - Saturday May 21, 2011. While we're a little bit sad we'd like to look at the bright side of things so we've dedicated a post to exploring ways to really go out with a bang - and what better way to do that than throwing a party !

It's the end of the world as we know it, and we don't care !

Before getting to the party tips though, we'd like to review some of the evidence that led to the prediction that this weekend will be the week END-time. So, here are the signs and scientific evidence that have provided overwhelming proof of our collective demise on Saturday at 9:00 pm:

• Jerry Springer has just announced he's running for President.
• Frogs and Bees have engaged in a mass suicide pact.
• Arnold Schwarzenegger ran out of Viagra.
• Dr. Who starts at 9:00 pm on the BBC channel (we never trusted that guy).
• Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Dandruff and ring around the toilet.
• The Super-collider team will be leaving their experiments on automatic power saver mode over the weekend.
• Jesus is really, really ticked off at us (at least that's what we heard).
• Broadcast television can't think of any new ideas for series.
• We just can't afford to live anymore - we've mortgaged off everything and now aliens are coming to repossess the planet and kick us out (a.k.a. Planetary Foreclosure).
• Someone is unplugging the Matrix (the power bill is overdue).

Now that we've established why the end is near - we must resolve ourselves to making the best of it, right? More importantly, what form will the destroyer come in? We've been investigating this and we have a number of plausible scenarios:

The forms of the apocalypse...

• Zombies will emerge as the result of food additives and genetic engineering and will devour the rest of us. This leaves some folks lingering around for awhile to ponder why Twinkies were necessary.
• Artificial Intelligences led by Watson will rain nuclear death on us.
• Nature will rise up to smite us as maniac wildlife fights back.
• The Sun will explode, few people will have sunblock 2 million - those who do will turn into meat Popsicles shortly thereafter.
• The Universe will collapse on itself (although this might involve us going backwards from death to birth - still not pretty).
• Aliens will invade - well you know the rest of that story.
• A signal will be broadcast through our TV's and we will all drink diet soft drinks until our brains explode.
• The planet will destabilize - poles will reverse, the earth's crust will turn to jello and we will all sink into the magma.

Are you prepared for the Apocalypse, if not try a video game...

It's Party Time !

Now to the important part. It goes without saying that this is likely to be the last party you'll ever have so getting it right is pretty darn important. We'd like to recommend going with a party theme - here's some suggestions:

1. The Apocalypse wasn't our fault - we were the good guys. (a.k.a. we're Climbin' the Stairway to Heaven)
2. The Apocalypse was our fault and we're loving it. (a.k.a. Fastlane on the Highway to Hell)
3. No Regrets - Celebration of the Stupidest Things we ever did.
4. Costume Party - All the things we thought we'd be.
5. Chicken no More - Let's do whatever we were afraid to do before.
6. Russian Roulette Karaoke.
7. Fight Club party.

Here are some more tips for helping to make the party a memorable one (at least for the few minutes you'll have left):

• Tip 1 - Buy the good stuff, you can't take that money with you and hey - credit - who cares right?
• Tip 2 - Invite some really famous people and then make fun of them (to see if they have a sense of humor).
• Tip 3 - Don't worry about complaints, be as loud as you want to be.
• Tip 4 - Forget about hangover remedies - you won't need any.
• Tip 5 - Light up all your bills in a giant bonfire.
• Tip 6 - Call up Arnold and tell him about the love child you had together and ask for an immediate wire transfer of cash.
• Tip 7 - Announce you're running for President representing the Party Party.
• Tip 8 - Dance naked, unless you're really fat and then just dance in whatever makes you feel comfortable.
• Tip 9 - Invite your worst enemies and forgive them for being buttheads. If they don't accept the forgiveness, beat the crap out of them.
• Tip 10 - Make resolutions for your next life, but expect not to keep them.

That's it - we hope you have fun, we know we will. It's the beginning of the end, or is it the end of the beginning - we can never get that straight.


Copyright 2011, Raving Reviews™

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Thor's Tool Time

We went to see the new Marvel action flick "Thor" last weekend - caught it at the IMAX in 3D. Now going to see any movie in IMAX 3D is a bit of cheat - the viewing experience often surpasses the quality of the film being viewed. Sorry to say, that's what happened with Thor. Despite walking in with very high hopes, knowing the talent on board - Thor turned out to be a mortal movie with fatal flaws.

Why were we excited? Well we had been impressed the Iron Man efforts which will eventually get tied back into the Thor plotline through the Avengers movie in a year or two. We knew that J. Michael Straczynski was on board helping to write the script and we had supporting roles with actors such as Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins. J. Michael Straczynski wrote and produced Babylon 5 and more recently penned the Changeling (starring Angelina Jolie) and we expected more - what we got with Thor was pretty superficial.

This guy is really obsessed with his tool, think of the psychology behind that...

Visually, Thor was somewhat interesting, especially after the 3D and IMAX kicked in, although we wondering whether parts of his city (Asgard) was constructed out of old church organs. It was also a little strange to see Japanese and African American vikings wandering around in Valhalla, but hey it's all good. What was a little more difficult to deal with was the very tired theme - King / Father trying to pass on the reigns of power to trouble-making kid. Now, to some extent Norse mythology is at least partly responsible for this but even still it was kind of tedious. What was even more tedious was the performance from the guy playing the evil half-brother Loki - a bit over the top.

Thor has had some image issues over the years - it seems he may have finally worked them out.

Now, you may be asking yourself, 'hey - why take this seriously - this is just a Marvel comic book interpretation of a Norse legend. ' And you'd be right. This is a pretty silly movie all the way around. It seems likely that the only reason the Thor character may get some screen time in the upcoming Avengers movie is due to the quantity of steroids ingested by Chris Hemsworth in preparation for this role. He is poised to be the next Arnold - maids everywhere - watch out!

Mythology ain't pretty...

What could have been done differently? Well, maybe Thor could have gotten amensia and ended hosting his own TV show focused on Home Improvement and power tools only to find his old hammer in the tool-chest?


Copyright 2011, Raving Reviews™

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The 2012 Guide to Negative Political Ads

The presidential election season is upon us and we'd like to dedicate an article to one of the most important foundations of Democracy - The Negative Political Advertisement. Negative Ads have been with us since the beginning and provide voters with exactly as much information as they need to know - in short they represent both our heritage and the primary mechanism for conveying political knowledge. But there is a problem - Negative Ads aren't always done properly and when that happens, chaos follows.

Negative Ads are as American as Ground Beef

We'd like to take a few moments and provide a guide for producing more effective political ads - we'll start with the basics... The Negative Political Ad typically consists of the following elements:

1. An illogical argument.
2. An unsupported personal attack on your opponent.
3. Disturbing imagery or music or both (both is preferred).
4. An emotional plea targeted at unrelated issues so as to somewhat distract the true intent or agenda of the sponsor of the Ad.
5. A good catchphrase or slogan that people can remember.

Now, we must ask ourselves, why do these ads work so well?

• Because politics is supposed to be easy - so making it easy makes people happy.
• Because it is easier to get mad at something than to support something.
• Because politics is entertainment and people love to be entertained - the more sensational - the better.
• Because ad space and attention spans are short.
  
• Because no one running for office wants you to know what they really support or who they might work for - so focusing on the opponent is rather helpful.
  

Let's look at an example TV ad and rate it based the core guidelines listed above.

A Typical Negative Ad

Point 1 - The argument is not logical, good - in this case there doesn't even seem to be one.
Point 2 - It is an unsupported personal attack.
Point 3 - Lot's of disturbing imagery, sound effects. The cadaver model is especially effective.
Point 4 - It's emotional and unrelated to running for Congress - good.
Point 5 - Good catchphrase "He just can't be trusted."

Overall rating = A-

But of course that ad was pretty timid in some respects. We feel that the best negative ads are those which go to extremes. Check out the following video which recreates some historically profound dirty ad campaigns:

Who said the Founding Father's were nice guys?

We have left out an important element though that is often critical in developing exceptional negative ads - creative use of farm animals. There are few technique as effective as using pigs, sheep and monkeys when developing your political ad. For example, if you can't find a wretched photo of your opponent - substitute it with an orangutan. Check out of the following example of the farm animal technique in action.

Don't be messing with these silent lambs...

Last but least, there are times when negative ads can be mixed with a positive political message - while we don't recommend this it sometimes works - check out the following example.

If only more politicians would admit they are monsters...

Just remember - if someone can't explain to you in 30 seconds why his opponent is a jerk, he has no business holding office.


Copyright 2011, Raving Reviews™

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