NYTimes disses Paul

[landshark]

From the 9/29/06 New York Times:

In the grand-scale animated comedy-adventure “Open Season,” periodic bursts of cleverness and eye-popping imagery, further enhanced in the 3-D Imax version, can’t disguise that this is just another movie full of jive-talking computer-generated animals with little new to say.

Here, Boog (voiced by Martin Lawrence), a lovable and slightly dopey grizzly bear pampered by a kindly park ranger since cubhood, is set free in the wilderness just days before hunting season begins. Tagging along is Elliot (Ashton Kutcher), the needy, motormouthed mule deer Boog rescues from the evil hunter Shaw (Gary Sinise). Elliot’s mischievous ways are contagious. (Most disastrously he gets Boog to help him ransack a convenience store while they’re both high on sugar.)

Despite some slow stretches, the usual morals and the forgettable Paul Westerberg tunes, there are probably enough action-packed animal-versus-hunter battles and gross-out gags (very little time elapses between the mention, or appearance, of one bodily function or fluid and another) to keep the kiddies amused.

Adults won’t be so lucky. For best effect they should imagine that they’re watching a sequel to “Bambi,” and that Boog and Elliot’s oddball army of rabbits, beavers, skunks, squirrels, deer, a porcupine and a dachshund are taking revenge on the hunters responsible for the traumatic murder of Bambi’s mother. This bit of fantasy won’t necessarily make “Open Season,” the first feature from Sony Pictures Animation, an enjoyable experience, but it might make it a slightly more satisfying one.

“Open Season” is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested) for some crude humor and generally playful animal abuse.

OPEN SEASON

Opens today nationwide in IMAX and non-IMAX versions.

Directed by Jill Culton and Roger Allers; written by Steve Bencich, Ron J. Friedman and Nat Mauldin, based on a screen story by Ms. Culton and Anthony Stacchi from an original story by Steve Moore and John Carls; edited by Pamela Ziegenhagen-Shefland; music by Paul Westerberg and Ramin Djawadi; production designer, Michael Humphries; produced by Michelle Murdocca; released by Columbia Pictures. Running time: 100 minutes.

WITH THE VOICES OF: Martin Lawrence (Boog), Ashton Kutcher (Elliot), Debra Messing (Beth), Gary Sinise (Shaw), Billy Connolly (McSquizzy) and Jon Favreau (Reilly).

[cford]

landshark said:

From the 9/29/06 New York Times:

In the grand-scale animated comedy-adventure “Open Season,” periodic bursts of cleverness and eye-popping imagery, further enhanced in the 3-D Imax version, can’t disguise that this is just another movie full of jive-talking computer-generated animals with little new to say.

Looks like this movie is going to suffer from mixed reviews which seems to be typical for animated flicks.. My local paper gave it a glowing 3 stars..

CF

[FreeRider]

"Forgettable Paul Westerberg tunes"? Sometimes, I think these reviewers, if they don't like something, tend to go after everything, just to highlight the fact that they didn't like the movie and were forced to sit thru it and write a review.

Of course, I'm biased, but I think "Good Day" is one helluva poignant song. I don't think that 's a"forgettable" tune at all.

[A Regular]

freerider said:

"Forgettable Paul Westerberg tunes"? Sometimes, I think these reviewers, if they don't like something, tend to go after everything, just to highlight the fact that they didn't like the movie and were forced to sit thru it and write a review.

Of course, I'm biased, but I think "Good Day" is one helluva poignant song. I don't think that 's a"forgettable" tune at all.

What tune was that?

[who?]

Opinions are like a$$holes...and critics are usually a$$holes.

[scoOter]

here's the deal. of COURSE i am going to defend paul's songs, but i have to say that if i distance myself from my love for the guy i think at the very minimum, the VERY MINIMUM, "the right to arm bears" is so goddamn catchy & MEMORABLE it is crazy.

honestly, i am trying to be objective. i'm not saying it is a great song or a shitty song. i am just saying that paul really hit it out of the park if catchy & memorable is what he was looking for.

[MacGyver]

To be fair, the movie doesn't look very original, by any stretch.

[FreeRider]

unsatisfied2 said:

freerider said:

"Forgettable Paul Westerberg tunes"? Sometimes, I think these reviewers, if they don't like something, tend to go after everything, just to highlight the fact that they didn't like the movie and were forced to sit thru it and write a review.

Of course, I'm biased, but I think "Good Day" is one helluva poignant song. I don't think that 's a"forgettable" tune at all.

What tune was that?

oh, just using "Good Day" as a frame of reference, and I can't see how a song like "Good Day" falls under the category of "forgettable". but to each his own.

I haven't heard the all of the tunes. but apparently, there's not one tune that this reviewer thinks is memorable?

[headlightbeams]

freerider said:

I haven't heard the all of the tunes. but apparently, there's not one tune that this reviewer thinks is memorable?

To split hares, that reviewer (NYTimes) finds all the tunes "forgettable." This reviewer finds them "not particularly memorable."

[mrwhirly]

Times writers think they are smarter than everyone else. Westerberg is an easy target for these guys. they like to sit around wearing their husker du t-shirts acting so punk rock and trashing Paul for everything he's done after sorry ma. they really bore me

[kgp]

There's still (and probably always will be ) a large faction of rock critics who think Paul hasn't done anything worthwhile since 1985. Why care? I doubt he does.

[Stegman]

This might be blasphemous, but I'm not sure I disagree with the reviewer. Would anyone on this board put any of the songs on the soundtrack in their PW Top 30? I know I wouldn't. In the grand scheme of things, they are pretty forgettable compared to all the other stuff he's produced. That doesn't make 'em bad, they're just not essential.

[MWells]

dhanchett said:

This might be blasphemous, but I'm not sure I disagree with the reviewer. Would anyone on this board put any of the songs on the soundtrack in their PW Top 30? I know I wouldn't. In the grand scheme of things, they are pretty forgettable compared to all the other stuff he's produced. That doesn't make 'em bad, they're just not essential.

The record came out on Monday. It's a bit early to decide whether any of the tunes are "essential"(they certainly have been this week) or in my "PW Top 30". I can tell you I really like the new stuff. And I certainly don't think, even if none any of them ultimately knock "Left Of The Dial" or something down a place in the rankings they must be "forgettable".

[headlightbeams]

I find these songs growing on me better than most. Better than I thought they would from the samples, for instance. But then I am in the pop wing of Westerberg fans, anti-corporate division.

[Wolfdog]

I dont know about 'essential'.....but I would personally put some of them on par with Mono.

For me, its the straight forward guitar rock/pop. Meet Me In The Meadow, Love You In The Fall, All About Me, and the PW version of Wild As I Wanna Be. I Belong and Right To Arm Bears are fine, but I could take em or leave em.

In the liner notes for C'mon C'mon C'mon from Besterberg, PW says something to the effect that he could make albums of this sh!t (the rock and roll stuff)....and I for one, would like to hear them.

[timtoast]

dhanchett said:

This might be blasphemous, but I'm not sure I disagree with the reviewer. Would anyone on this board put any of the songs on the soundtrack in their PW Top 30? I know I wouldn't. In the grand scheme of things, they are pretty forgettable compared to all the other stuff he's produced. That doesn't make 'em bad, they're just not essential.

I have to agree. Maybe I set my "cartoon movie song" bar too high, but while listening to the cd and then watching the movie, all I kept doing was comparing the songs to Disney tracks. Songs from the Lion King, Little Mermaid, etc, are great movie songs. PW's aren't there yet. Good Day is a great song, but I don't count it since it wasn't written specifically for the movie.

Now, Open Season as a movie isn't a Disney movie either. At most it was a 3 star out of 5.

[hudson99]

Bravo, sir. It's hard to really rank an album that's less than a week old. So far, so good for me, though. I bought 8 new releases last Tuesday, and the only one that's even been opened is the soundtrack.

mwells said:

dhanchett said:

This might be blasphemous, but I'm not sure I disagree with the reviewer. Would anyone on this board put any of the songs on the soundtrack in their PW Top 30? I know I wouldn't. In the grand scheme of things, they are pretty forgettable compared to all the other stuff he's produced. That doesn't make 'em bad, they're just not essential.

The record came out on Monday. It's a bit early to decide whether any of the tunes are "essential"(they certainly have been this week) or in my "PW Top 30". I can tell you I really like the new stuff. And I certainly don't think, even if none any of them ultimately knock "Left Of The Dial" or something down a place in the rankings they must be "forgettable".

[MacGyver]

F*ck the critics.

[Stegman]

hudson99 said:

Bravo, sir. It's hard to really rank an album that's less than a week old. So far, so good for me, though. I bought 8 new releases last Tuesday, and the only one that's even been opened is the soundtrack.

mwells said:

The record came out on Monday. It's a bit early to decide whether any of the tunes are "essential"(they certainly have been this week) or in my "PW Top 30". I can tell you I really like the new stuff. And I certainly don't think, even if none any of them ultimately knock "Left Of The Dial" or something down a place in the rankings they must be "forgettable".

If it takes more than a week to determine if these tracks are essential or not, then chances are they're probalby not. I know it only took me a couple of listens. And since that time, I haven't found the need to put the CD back in the player. Instead I've been spinning the new Lemonheads, which is pretty damn good.

But that's just me. There might be people out there that rank this as one of PW's finest. I wish I could agree, but I can't.

[zook]

Eye of the beholder.

I have been playing Right to Arm Bears over and over. Catchy as hell and easily in my top 30. All these songs all holding up well for me even after a dozen listens.