Category Archives: Saturday Matinee

Saturday Matinee: Final Deployment 4: Queen Battle Walkthrough

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Too Many Cooks Creator Takes on Videogame YouTubers in New Adult Swim Short

By Garrett Martin

Source: Paste Magazine

We should probably be past the point where YouTube videogame walkthroughs and Twitch streams seem weird or confusing. People have been making—and watching—them in ever increasing numbers for years now. Yeah, I don’t get why people would rather watch hours of some stranger playing a videogame instead of, I don’t know, Netflixing Frasier, or something, but it’s clearly a thing that happens and is popular and resonates with millions of people.

It might seem like a strange niche to those who aren’t into ‘em, but streaming is already a form of mainstream entertainment with a massive fan base who will grow up with no outdated distinction between YouTube and “real” TV. Random overacting yahoos with webcams are already bigger stars to “the kids” than television legend Ted Danson. It’s a small thing to fret about within the larger societal collapse that we’re currently living through, but c’mon, using a computer to watch other people play games on their computer is definitely some kind of low stakes dystopian sci-fi nonsense.

That’s what Casper Kelly, the creator of Too Many Cooks, and co-creator Nick Gibbons latch onto in their new Adult Swim short Final Deployment 4: Queen Battle Walkthrough, which premiered very early this morning on the TV station. Framed as a YouTube Let’s Play, it slowly reveals its true nature, reaching a prolonged absurd height about two-thirds of the way through that does for videogame streaming what Too Many Cooks did for TV opening credit sequences. One could argue it would be stronger without the longform walkthrough parody that opens the video—YouTubers are so formulaic and obnoxious that making fun of them is just too easy, like mocking Morning Zoo-style FM radio hosts—but the fake in-game footage of life after the war for its Marcus Fenix stand-in is hilarious in its depressing banality, and it’s also important to establish this world before folding everything up and twisting it around like a Möbius strip.

Final Deployment 4: Queen Battle Walkthrough isn’t available on YouTube, ironically, but you can find it online at Adult Swim’s site.

Saturday Matinee: A Boy and His Dog

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The great science fiction writer Harlan Ellison recently passed away on June 27. Whether or not one is familiar with his large body of work (the majority of which are short stories), “A Boy and His Dog” (1975), is definitely worth watching. It’s the first and best feature film adaptation of one of Ellison’s stories and features Don Johnson as Vic who, with his dog Blood, struggles to survive the post-apocalyptic wasteland that the southwestern U.S. has become in 2024.

Saturday Matinee: 7 Boxes

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“7 Boxes” (2012) is a Paraguayan thriller directed by Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schémbori. It takes place in Asunción circa 2005, where a daydreaming 17-year-old pushcart porter named Victor (Celso Franco) is contracted to deliver seven boxes of valuable cargo in exchange for half of a torn $100 bill and the promise of the other half when the job is done. With a borrowed cell phone and the help of his friend Liz (Lali Gonzalez), Victor struggles to accomplish the mission which he hopes will put him on the path towards fame and fortune, though he quickly realizes the danger of his situation as he encounters thieves, gangsters and police along the way.

Watch the full film here.

Saturday Matinee: Military Intelligence and You!

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“Military Intelligence and You!” (2006) is a satire poking fun at the military-industrial complex written and directed by Dale Kutzera. Using public domain archival WW2 propaganda films mixed with new footage, the film tells the story of military intelligence officer Major Nick Reed (Patrick Muldoon) whose job is to locate a secret enemy base housing the dreaded Ghost Squadron. Complicating his mission is the reappearance of his former love, Lt. Monica Tasty (Elizabeth Ann Bennett), now dating fellow Major Mitch Dunning (Mackenzie Astin). There’s also a notable appearance of a gung-ho fighter pilot played by a young Ronald Reagan.

Saturday Matinee: The Occupation of the American Mind

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From OccupationMovie.org:

Israel’s ongoing military occupation of Palestinian territory and its repeated invasions of the Gaza strip have triggered a fierce backlash against Israeli policies virtually everywhere in the world — except the United States. The Occupation of the American Mind takes an eye-opening look at this critical exception, zeroing in on pro-Israel public relations efforts within the U.S. Narrated by Roger Waters and featuring leading observers of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the film explores how the Israeli government, the U.S. government, and the pro-Israel lobby have joined forces, often with very different motives, to shape American media coverage of the conflict in Israel’s favor. The Occupation of the American Mind provides a sweeping analysis of Israel’s decades-long battle for the hearts, minds, and tax dollars of the American people — a battle that has only intensified over the past few years in the face of widening international condemnation of Israel’s increasingly right-wing policies. (Running time: 85 mins)

If you are a member of a major library system you can watch the full film at Kanopy.

Saturday Matinee: Threads

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“Threads” (1984) is an apocalyptic cautionary tale written by Barry Hines, directed by Mick Jackson, and originally aired on BBC  2. It’s a docudrama depiction of nuclear war and its devastating effect on society and in particular two families in Sheffield England. Various news media reports describe the events leading up to the war (precipitated by aggressive US movements against Iran). With unflinching realism, the film depicts the sudden nuclear attack and devastating aftermath including medical, economic, social and environmental consequences. Should be required viewing for all chickenhawk neoliberals, though some may be too psychopathic to rethink their pro-war convictions.

Saturday Matinee: How to Get Ahead in Advertising

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“How to Get Ahead in Advertising” (1989) is a British comedy written and directed by Bruce Robinson (Withnail and I) and starring Richard E. Grant and Rachel Ward.  Grant plays Denis Dimbleby Bagley, a cold but effective ad executive who suffers a nervous breakdown due to a crisis of conscience while brainstorming a promotional campaign for acne cream.  His anxiety manifests in a boil which escalates the breakdown as it increases in size. Rachel Ward stars as Julia, Denis’ long-suffering wife who becomes increasingly alarmed by the sudden and drastic changes his personality undergoes.

Watch the full film here.