ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

patton oswalt

Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.: Mutant Mid-Life Crisis Makes M.O.D.O.K. Marvellous

by Leave a Comment

I mean, who doesn’t think a mutated head bent on murder and ruling the world is adorable?

Wait. Maybe I should rewind a little bit.

Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. follows Marvel supervillain MODOK (voiced by Patton Oswalt) who has come to major crossroads in his life. After years of failure in his attempts to defeat the Avengers and take over the world, MODOK (which stands for Mobilized Organism Designed Only for Killing) has broken his villainous tech company AIM financially and it falls into bankruptcy. When AIM is sold to tech rival GRUMBL, MODOK is displaced as CEO and left in somewhat of a mid-life crisis. Things become even more challenging when his frustrated wife asks him for a divorce. Frustrated and hurt, the criminal mastermind must suddenly navigate a new chapter of his life and pick up the pieces with his family.

Created by the team behind Robot Chicken, Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. is wild, hilarious and (somehow) charming. Offering a behind-the-scenes look into the life of AIM’s brilliant super-mutant, MODOK is a sharp and silly satire of the dark side of superhero films. Consistently having his plans thwarted by the Avengers, MODOK nevertheless remains undeterred and continues to look for ways to prove to the other supervillains that he belongs among their ranks. In this world, superheroes are beloved by all yet, from MODOK’s perspective, remain nothing but a nuisance. While the series is not related to the current Marvel Cinematic Universe, MODOK has the keys to the Kingdom with the Marvel characters and manages to create something new and different with familiar characters. (Jon Hamm’s appearances as Iron Man and Nathan Fillion as Wonder Man are particularly hilarious.)

M.O.D.O.K — “O, WERE BLOOD THICKER THAN ROBOT JUICE!” – Episode 108 — The time travelling Young M.O.D.O.K. finally exacts his revenge by kidnapping the family and replacing them with robots. M.O.D.O.K. goes to save his them, and they all end up in a twisted family therapy / battle to the death in Murderworld. (Photo Courtesy of Marvel)

Make no mistake though. Despite its Marvel roots and animated look, MODOK is not for kids. Like parent series Robot Chicken, MODOK uses its stop-motion style to go dark with his humour. From severing limbs to blood splatters to sexual humour, MODOK gives its writers the freedom to laugh at its evil acts and dives in with enthusiasm.

Although it’s popping with energy and dark humour, MODOK has a surprising amount of heart. Because of its serialized story-telling, MODOK has the opportunity to explore more than the maniacal machinations of a mad machine/human hybrid. With Loki and Thanos as the exceptions, the Marvel Cinematic Universe seems to rarely take time with their villains to properly flesh them out, creating a ‘monster-of-the-week’ vibe to the majority of their films. However, backed by some wonderful work by Patton Oswalt, Modok becomes more than a mutated floating head. In fact, MODOK manages to humanize its villain. (Not an easy feat for one of Marvel’s strangest villains.) While the entire cast are a joy to watch (especially Melissa Fumero and Ben Schwartz), it’s Oswalt who gives MODOK his soul.

In this way, the funniest part of M.O.D.O.K. isn’t the bizarre shenanigans. Instead, it’s how relatable he becomes. Despite his appearance and motives, MODOK is simply having a mid-life crisis. Though taking over the world remains his ‘job’, his day-to-day issues are relevant to us all. After a major tech company takes over his own, MODOK fears that his job is in peril. Moreover, he has also finally become aware that his over-emphasis on work has been causing problems at home and in his marriage. Realizing that his family is slipping away, his real hope is to make things right with his estranged wife and kids. In MODOK, we see a villain who wants to have it all… but simply cannot find balance within his family/work life. 

M.O.D.O.K — “O, WERE BLOOD THICKER THAN ROBOT JUICE!” – Episode 108 — The time travelling Young M.O.D.O.K. finally exacts his revenge by kidnapping the family and replacing them with robots. M.O.D.O.K. goes to save his them, and they all end up in a twisted family therapy / battle to the death in Murderworld. (Photo Courtesy of Marvel)

As such, M.O.D.O.K. empathizes with its lead character in such a way that he becomes relatable and strangely lovable. In Modok, we see glimmers of hope that he can turn things around in his life. This evil genius is not only relatable but also redeemable. In fact, we even root for him. (Honestly, I didn’t see that coming.) While the circumstances are vastly different, MODOK’s story could be many of ours and we want him to be able to make it work.

Violent, hilarious and touching, Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. is a wonderful expansion for Marvel into the world of adult animation. However, while the writing works on its own, it’s Oswalt who makes MODOK so likable. His affability gives his supervillain a murderous innocence that makes him into someone you’d be willing to bring into your home.

Because, after all, who doesn’t think a mutated head bent on murder and ruling the world is adorable?

M.O.D.O.K — “IF BUREAUCRACY BE THY DEATH!” – Episode 105 — M.O.D.O.K. and Monica reluctantly team up to overthrow GRUMBL’s control of AIM. Their “complicated” history threatens their mutual goals as they work through their grievances the only way they know how… a mad-scientist fight! (Photo Courtesy of Marvel)

Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. is available on Hulu on Friday, May 21st, 2021.

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return – Appreciating the Good (and Bad)

by Leave a Comment

Photo by Darren Michaels, SMPSP

A large portion of my cultural knowledge came while attending graduate school. One of my classes involved watching classic films such as Crimes and Misdemeanors and The Godfather, analyzing them for their relation to aspects of the Christian faith. Friends introduced me to the Claymation short films of Nick Park one evening (specifically those involving Wallace and Gromit).  Another student in my department talked glowingly about a series called Mystery Science Theater 3000 that poked fun of horrible films.  This concept sounded interesting, so my roommate and I invited a friend over to watch Joel and the bots skewer Manos: The Hands of Fate. It was oddly fascinating to see the effect witty commentary had on one of the worst films in history (the guy we invited over actually fell off the couch from laughing so hard).  Since then, I’ve enjoyed an occasional foray into the world of MST3K.  The series ended in 1999, but devoted fans kicked in over $5 million dollars to have a new season created (currently on Netflix as Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return).  For the most part, it’s as if the gap of seventeen years didn’t exist—and this is a great thing.

For those who are unfamiliar with the concept of MST3K (as it’s commonly known), here’s a quick primer: an unwitting human (in this case, Jonah Heston [Jonah Ray]) is forced to reside in a bone-shaped spaceship called the Satellite of Love by some mad scientists (Kinga Forrester [Felicia Day] and TV’s Son of TV’s Frank [Patton Oswalt]) as part of an experiment: How much can a person deal with when it comes to watching horrible films?  The answers are revealed as the subject and his robot friends (Cambot, Gypsy, Crow [a gold-plated wisecracker voiced by Hampton Yount], and Tom Servo [gumball machine body and all played by Baron Vaughn]) endure horrible film after horrible film, seen only as silhouettes sitting in the front row of a theater. There is some interplay between the Mads and Jonah, and that’s about it.

Strangely enough, it works.

There are definitely some changes between the old episodes and the new—Crow has movable arms; Tom Servo can fly in the movie theater; the Mads’ base is on the dark side of the moon; and the jokes come quicker.  As with the older episodes, each will take multiple viewings to pick up on different aspects of the commentary, ranging from Aeschylus and Shakespeare to Facebook and Temple Run.  You’re not going to get it all on a first viewing, so sit back and enjoy the films as best you can.

As for those films . . . MST3K has always prided itself on picking non-mainstream films to make fun of, and this season is no exception.  At this point, I’ve seen the first four episodes, so here’s what you can look forward to:

* Ep 1 – Reptilicus: It’s a Godzilla-like film that takes place in Denmark with wooden dialogue and some laughable graphics—as an example, two of the monster’s human victims look like they were excised from a flannel board.  After about 20 minutes finding their footing, Jonah and friends begin to get into a rhythm.

* Ep 2 – Cry Wilderness: Imagine a forest with wolves, eagles, raccoons, and tigers.  Add in a sunburnt, badly costumed Bigfoot and a kid who runs away every thirty seconds, and you can imagine the result.  I thought the tiger sequence involving the jeep was classic.

* Ep 3 – The Time Travelers: A bunch of scientists jump a century into the future, only to find some ugly android creations and mutants.  Danny, meanwhile, is too focused on the future women.  If I was on the Satellite of Love, I might’ve pleaded for mercy after this one.

* Ep 4 – Avalanche: Poor Rock Hudson and Mia Farrow—their chemistry is completely nonexistent (I think he’s still trying to fufill that lunch date). It’s a horrible sign when an avalanche is the most memorable character in the film.  Crow gets in a zinger while the snow falls: “Just when you thought this movie couldn’t get any whiter…”

As is typical for MST3K, some of the jokes fall flat, but others are fantastic.  Your experience will vary, of course.  The more you’ve invested in the series, the more you’ll be rewarded.  There are also cameos by famous actors sprinkled into the season (one sings a duet with Day in the fourth episode)—see if you can spot them.

One thing I’ve come to appreciate from viewing episodes of MST3K over the years is what it takes to make a good film.  There must be a convincing plot, actors and actresses willing to invest in the film emotionally, quality camerawork, and realistic sets/backgrounds.  If any one of these is not present, the movie will not work as intended (and could become fodder for a new season of MST3K, should more be created).  A beginning filmmaker would be wise to consider examples of what comprises a good film—and what doesn’t—in order to get the full perspective. If anything, God wants us to learn from our mistakes instead of repeating and perpetuating them across generations, as the Israelites often did (see Isaiah 1:10-20).  If we can do this, our lives will provide encouragement and purpose the whole world can see and appreciate.  Appreciating the bad can truly be a good thing!

The Confirmation: Lessons From the Father

by Leave a Comment

confirmation

Clive Owen plays a raggedy, older version of himself as Walt, an out-of-work, alcoholic carpenter who must fake his way to fatherhood of his eight-year-old son, Anthony (Jaeden Lieberher), for twenty-four hours. When Walt’s ex-wife (Maria Bello) and new husband (Matthew Modine) head out on retreat, Walt gets a chance to teach his values … in contrast to the boy’s Catholic confirmation. But are they actually as different as he thinks?

Quietly funny, and definitively charming, The Confirmation also boasts an above average cast (Patton Oswalt and Robert Forster to name a few). But whatever else is going on here, the focus is primarily on how a father and son interact, even when the father hasn’t been there. Whether he’s there or not, there’s a space there for him – and it’s a man’s responsibility to fill it.

While other films have tackled stories like this before, Bob Nelson’s (Nebraska) screenplay and direction take us on an exploration of a good kid in a bad situation, and a discussion of sin. Walt says bad workmanship is a sin, and that translates across most timelines, even if it’s an older model. Rather than focus on what others are doing or not doing, it’s clear that we’re called to do the best with what we’ve got and the time we have. Thankfully, that’s a lesson that father and son are learning here, not just the moldable eight-year-old boy.