Movie Commentaries you have to hear: Hoodwinked!
If you’re looking to have the Jungian undertones that are layered within the collective subconscious of society as its individuals view the tumultuous fairy tale film Hoodwinked! Explained to you in the commentary of said film…well, you’re out of luck.
The Commentary features Director-Screenwriter Cory Edwards, Co-Director-Screenwriter-Song Writer Todd Edwards, and Co-Director-Screenwriter/Editor Tony Leech. The insanity of this movie is the brain child of these three mania...er...gentlemen. You may or may not know that Hoodwinked is, in fact, the first independent animated film.
(You also may or may not know that Killer Whales are actually the largest breed of dolphin, and technically not a whale. That has nothing to do with the review, but the phrase "you may or may not know" can basically be applied to anything that may, or may not be true.)
Edwards, Edwards, and Leech (sounds like a sleazy law-firm) ...
had no Mouse statue to bow-down and sacrifice a virgin to (which meant they had more creative control) but they had no money either. So what did they do? They relied on story and creativity (What a concept!)
The commentary is fantastic. It bounces between how story-ideas were developed, anecdotes about working with the likes of Anne Hathaway...
Glenn Close...
and Jim Belushi
and tons and tons and TONS of movie references. The track is also full of self-referential/deprecating jokes which straddle the line between tooth-grinnin' funny and annoying. You definitely get the feeling that you're hanging out with a group of guys that "get it." They get each other, they get that they're 30+ year old men giving commentary on a "kids" movie, and that "the biz" can be incredibly rewarding (like watching an 8 year-old proclaim "I knew it was the Bunny!") but is usually bizarre and frustrating.
My favorite moments include the "clarification" that the filmmakers were making no statements regarding police officers when they had the Three Little Pigs dressed as Cops. "Pigs are Funny." That was all they had in mind. And you know what? Pigs are funny.
The other gag that I enjoyed were Cory's references to the stunts all being done in CGI...If you don't get that joke, don't worry. There was an actually critic that wrote a review of Hoodwinked! that referenced the great stop-motion animation.
The best part of this commentary however, is the DRINKING GAME that I invented to along with it!
There is only one rule: Every time a Film reference is made (even vaguely) by Edwards, Edwards, or Leech you drink. I recommend 1/4 shots of vodka (my D.o.C.) or just sips of beer. Either way...it'll be interesting. Here is a list of the film references that I noticed (I'm excluding TV and it's probably best if Looney Tunes is only counted once):
Please note the variety of films being referenced...
The Lion King
Heat
The Thin Man
Batman the Movie (Starring Adam West...Shark Repellent Lives)
Wallace and Grommit
Kill Bill
The Incredibles
Fletch
The Incredible Mr. Limpet
Beverly Hills Cop
Wizard of Oz
Star Wars
Swingers
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Rashomon
A Christmas Story
The Squid and the Whale
Napoleon Dynamite
Polar Express
Hustle and Flow
Memento
The Sixth Sense
Jurassic Park
The Lords of Dogtown
Better Off Dead
The Untouchables
The Fugitive
The Matrix
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Van Damme & Segal movies (I'm going to call it Hard Target and Under Siege)
Mission: Impossible
Chocolat
Magnolia
Munich
Holy Crap! It's only a 71 minute movie... DO NOT PLAY THIS DRINKING GAME!
Overall, I give this Commentary 4 Hoods out of 5.
Thanks for watching,
The Giant
