Despicable Me is about a villainous inventor, Gru (Steve Carell) who has been working for years on a plan to steal the moon. Gru, who is described as “nice but scary…like Santa,” works with an old man as well as an army of little yellow (not to mention kind of cute) minions. He lives and works in a dark house surrounded by dead grass in the middle of an otherwise happy looking suburban neighborhood.

In order to steal a tool he needs to finish his plan, Gru adopts three little girls who he will have sell secret cookies to Vector (Jason Segel). The cookies are actually robots who will gain him access to Vector’s house. The girls, Edith (Dana Gaier), Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), and Agnes (Elsie Fisher) team up to win over there new father figure while remaining slightly skeptical about his motivations for adopting them in the first place.

The film itself keeps the story simple. Watching it reminded me of the enjoyment of my own childhood (a much less complex time to say the least!). While the film could have taken a chance and dove into much deeper intellectual territory, it was a relief to see something simple as well as appealing for a change. No, it’s nothing like the vaunted Toy Story 3, but that’s alright. I can settle for the newscaster who was a clear rip off of an animated and melodramatic Keith Olbermann.

Many of the films released in 3D are lackluster at best; however, Despicable Me provided an excellent experience. A film like this is a perfect reason to promote great 3D, which so far has been not as good as advertised. It’s a simple and fun film for kids to enjoy with an added bonus of exciting 3D. My press screening was open to the public and all of the children in the audience thoroughly enjoyed the film, especially the one kicking the back of my seat that made me feel like I was on a cross-country flight.

The diagetic world of the film is appealing in a way that is often desired but rarely accomplished. It’s the kind of appeal that is only possible with animation and it works wonderfully here. The atmospheric charm also has a lot to do with the characters that were cast perfectly. The little girls were adorable. Gru, along with his partners and enemies, were placed neatly and voiced adequately. After all, how much does it suck to have a great animated film where the only fault is bad voice acting? Such is not the case here.

The film is fairly short at about 90 minutes, which is a good length for a children’s film. So many movies today are pushing the 150 minute mark and it’s starting to get annoying (Shutter Island excluded). Despicable Me doesn’t expect much but gives a lot in return for a seat in the audience. When the film is over it leaves us wanting more, which is a reminder that uncomplicated films can be rewarding too.

After all, the many useless trailers for Despicable Me ended up being a fun hour and a half that will leave you grinning. If you are in the mood for a simple, fun film or have kids you want to take to the movies, this would be a great choice. There is no worry of subliminal indoctrination here, just sit back and enjoy.

Film Grade: B

The film, based on the popular Nickelodeon show, is about four nations (Earth, Air, Wind, Fire) that are bound together by destiny. It all changed when the Fire Nation waged war on the others in a pursuit for global domination. One day, two members of the Water Nation, brother and sister Katara (Nicola Peltz) and Sokka (Jackson Rathbone), stumble upon a frozen water bubble. Katara, their nation’s last water shifter, decides to break the ice.

What they find is a child and dinosaur like creature lying unconscious.  The child turns out to be Aang (Noah Ringer) who downplays his role as part of an ancient tribe after he realizes he had been frozen for a century. His entire family was killed by the war brought on by the Fire Nation. Aang turns out to be part of an extinct species, airbenders, which had long been outlawed. On top of that he is an Avatar, which is a shifter that can move all elements instead of just one and can also communicate with the spirit world.

The Fire Nation puts a large target on Aang’s head because they know if anyone can stop the war by rallying the other shifters it’s this last airbender. Katara and Sokka are determined to help Aang in his quest to bring the nations back together (all shifters have been imprisoned by Fire Nation). Many obstacles lie ahead, including Prince Zuko (Dev Patel) who was declared a weakling and exiled by his father (rule of the Fire Nation) until he brings the Avatar home.

Unfortunately, this film falls flat on its face for many reasons. While I understand that we are dealing with a lot of young and inexperienced actors, the dialogue was incredibly lousy. It didn’t allow for proper character development. If they aren’t provided with good material we cannot expect any of actors or characters to shine. Useless dialogue was generally followed by awkward reverse shots, sometimes accompanied with equally floundering expressions from the characters.

The digital aspect of this film was not impressive either. The 3D was so lackluster that I often forgot it was a 3D film. Actually advertising this film as 3D is a joke. Only a couple of short shots actually appeared in acceptable 3D. You could watch this film with the glasses off just fine, there is little to no extra depth in most scenes. Instead, it is limited to very specific shots that were put together almost for the sole purpose of having a three dimensional shot following a lot of relatively two dimensional dialogue scenes.

When you are dealing with a franchise with possible sequels, it’s imperative to hook the audience on the first film. Instead, we get flat acting and pointless action. It is also possible that Airbender’s controversy will overshadow the actual film. Some people are upset that the film’s casting choices were racist. You can read about it here and see the director’s reaction here. However, the truth is the film has much bigger problems than a possible casting controversy and the promise of a sequel feels more like a threat.

It’s clear that the director needs to quit taking risks and focus on what has made him famous, the thriller film (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs). Today’s horror/thriller genre is in shambles as torture-porn films like the Saw franchise still rule the day. This is where the director is needed more than ever. If Shyamalan could go back to his roots and focus I still believe he can blow us away again. Until then, The Last Airbender is a disappointment for anyone still crossing their fingers for an exciting return of this once highly regarded director.

Film Grade: D-

NewsReal Blog managing editor David Swindle and I have been talking for about a year regarding something we call “stealth conservatism” in many major films (most notably comedies). If we look at something like Superbad or the work of Judd Apatow (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Funny People) we can see conservative messages hidden cleverly amidst the gross-out gags. Of course, one has to be able to stomach vulgarity in order to see this (easier for younger generations desensitized to foul language).

The same is at work in Get Him To The Greek. Now, that isn’t to say that the filmmakers are conservative by any means. It is just saying that this film is yet another example of conservative sentiments packaged neatly into a film that is promoted for today’s college crowd.

As Aldous continuously makes things worse for Aaron, we see the negative effect that drugs have on everyone around him (even those not taking drugs). Aldous’ family life is a mess  – his relationships with his  son and father are falling apart. Aaron’s girlfriend threatens to leave him because of his destructive behavior on the road. Unfortunately, Aaron is only trying to keep Aldous on track even if it means doing drugs (or hiding them in not so happy places).

It isn’t until Aldous decides to take another shot at sobriety when his priorities begin to come back into focus. As a drug addict, he only had to worry about drugs which gave him a false sense of stability. He wanted to avoid reality, but once he saw his careless lifestyle not only hurting the lives of him, his child and wife (now ex) but also Aaron, he slowly began to change.

Filmmaker Judd Apatow was on Real Time with Bill Maher last Friday and they discussed Get Him To The Greek (which Apatow produced):

Maher: I always love a movie about drugs because drugs are funny in real life, they make people funnier…but you are not a drug user.

Apatow: I’m basically anti-drug. I mean the point of most of my movies is you don’t want to behave like this…

Maher: That doesn’t come through, it really doesn’t. I want to behave…you can’t get more charismatic than Aldous Snow, the Russell Brand character.

Apatow: But things don’t go well for him as a result of his drug use….he smokes angel dust in the movie and then tries to kill himself.

Maher: I don’t care, he’s cool.

Apatow: Really???

Maher: Yes, of course.

While Maher acknowledged that Apatow is the John Hughes of today, he still can’t figure out why anti-drug films resonate with people (not to mention the positive family values seen in Apatow’s films). Of course, if Maher is actually on drugs while watching these films, that may explain why he doesn’t understand them.

Look at films such as Superbad and Funny People where the focus in the beginning is on either having sex or breaking up a family for selfish purposes. However, in the end the characters realize that what they set out to do originally is not the answer to their happiness. The focus shifts from destructive behavior to the importance of friends, family and constructive stability. While the raunchy humor is fun, it all leads to something bigger and better. Get Him to the Greek takes a similar path.

What started as an endorsement of drug use actually turns into a story of redemption. Only by meeting Aaron did Aldous see what he was missing in his own life. Their relationship allowed for the realization that drugs don’t manifest into happiness. In the end, the importance of family and sobriety remain above all. Aaron and his girlfriend continue their life together and Aldous reignites his career sober with the help of his new friends.

Hollywood has long been mocking the moral values that most Americans stand by. If you look closely, you can see that it isn’t always the case anymore. Positive messages are actually instilled in some of today’s most disgusting comedies. It’s time to start calling this trend by its true name: stealth conservatism.

See full piece at www.newsrealblog.com

The Good:

Since long before the current oil spill, actor Kevin Costner has been shoveling money towards cleanup research. He began during the filming of Waterworld and has since put about $24 million towards finding a way to clean oil spills fast and efficiently unlike our inept government and BP. Costner’s efforts culminated in centrifugal oil separators which will soon be put to work. Costner’s attorney describes the machines:

“The machines are essentially like big vacuum cleaners, which sit on barges and suck up oily water and spin it around at high speed. On one side, it spits out pure oil, which can be recovered. The other side spits out 99% pure water.”

This is a rare good example of a celebrity actually DOING SOMETHING instead of telling us what to do.

The Bad:

Filmmaker James Cameron recently sat in on a brainstorming session with real scientists about how to address the oil spill. Cameron actually went directly to BP and offered to help. Hilariously, he was denied.

Of course, since he made a lot of money combining a horrible story with fun technology in Avatar it automatically means he is a great fixer of everything forever… Here is what Cameron feels has to be done:

“The government really needs to have its own independent ability to go down there and image the site, survey the site and do its own investigation.”

They don’t need to look at it, they need to stop the leak. We can all watch a live camera that is already watching the oil spill out by the gallons. Less theorizing and more action is what we really need. It is ridiculous that this leak has gone on for so long. If one thing is for sure, Cameron doesn’t have the answer.

The Ugly:

Sometimes celebrities who aren’t quite famous do really dumb stuff in order to get attention. Case and point – actress Q’orianka Kilcher who starred in Terrence Malick’s lackluster film The New World. Lilcher was recently arrested at the White House for attaching herself to the property gates while having her own mother dump a dark substance onto her.

Apparently they were protesting the upcoming visit by the president of Peru. Kilcher is being charged with disorderly conduct and her mother is charged with defacing U.S. government property. It looks like getting a jump on the “latest cause” backfired, better luck next time!

…

Celebrities desperately looking for another way to get “out there,” should look closely at these three stories and decide just how smart or ridiculous they want to appear.

To put it bluntly, if you can picture Angus MacGyver literally ripping out someone’s throat, then maybe you have an idea of what Macgruber will be like.

The film opens in Siberia where a nuclear weapon is being stolen by Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer) and his men. United States Colonel James Faith (Powers Boothe) knows that our country’s best bet is to track down MacGruber (SNL cast member Will Forte), who is living overseas and has been presumed dead for many years. Faith and Lieutenant Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe) brief MacGruber who is reluctant to be reinstated until he heard that the stolen nuke was the work of Von Cunth (who murdered MacGruber’s wife).

Following a humorous introduction song, “Grubes” assembles a second unit after his first team didn’t work out (I won’t spoil why). Along with Lt. Dixon, old friend Vicki St. Elmo (SNL co-star Kristen Wiig) joins forces to bring down Von Cunth. Grubes takes the cover off his “hot ride” which turns out to be a red Mazda Miata, complete with a removable stereo (usually blasting 80’s hits) that he carries with him when not in the car.

Wielding nothing more than his bare hands and a couple of household items including a large piece of celery, MacGruber takes to the streets to track down Von Cunth. Fortunately for Grubes, Lt. Dixon is good with a firearm and is able to keep the team safe from consistent gunfire. Of course, every now and then Grubes gets lucky and follows his victory with a money line such as “Hoss Bender, dead at the age of who gives a F***.”

Just like MacGruber’s obvious inspiration MacGyver, he does not use guns, at one point telling Lt. Dixon “MacGruber don’t play like homey, and homey don’t play that.” While the film certainly has its moments, I have a feeling Richard Dean Anderson (who played MacGyver) won’t find most of it funny. Although Anderson did star in a Pepsi ad with Forte that was based on the SNL skit (see below).

The only real problem is awkward combinations of campy humor with overt sexual situations that rival a Sasha Baron Cohen flick and make an Apatow film look G-rated. Even with the harsh transition between harmless and offensive humor, MacGruber manages to be a fun experience. Anyone who grew up in the 80’s has at least a small place in their heart for this kind of nostalgia. The film remains exciting due to old character placement in contemporary society. Robert Altman did the same thing wonderfully by placing the 1940’s Philip Marlowe character in the 1970’s in The Long Goodbye (a far superior film).

For actors like Powers Boothe and Val Kilmer, this film is certainly a step down but they do manage to save it from fatal boredom when it’s desperately needed. If these roles would have been filled by other members of today’s sad SNL cast the film would have been closer to disaster.

While SNL films are generally a bust these days, this one will be worthwhile for anyone who has even a small appreciation for the crappy 80’s TV action dramas like MacGyver. Speaking of delightfully bad 80’s shows, I’m still waiting for a spoof (or resurrection) of Airwolf, but I won’t hold my breath!

Film Grade: C+

Six months have passed since the end of the first film, and pressure has increased from the government for Stark to hand over his invention to the “proper authorities.” Being a rational capitalist entitled to control his own product he resists successfully and continues his operation. Senator Stern (Garry Shandling) sits as the typical “government is the only answer” player in the film as the debate rages on about if the Iron Man suit is either a weapon as the government asserts or a shield/”nuclear deterrent” as Stark defines it.

Unfortunately all is not well as the reactor that keeps Starks’ heart beating is beginning to poison him. Stark has been working unsuccessfully to come up with a solution to his growing problem but appears to be giving up hope. Desperate measures follow, Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) is appointed as CEO and is replaced by the sultry Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson) as Stark awaits his inevitable death.

An annual “Stark Expo” was initiated to showcase all of the latest inventions that will influence world security. The expo got the attention of Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), son of a former soviet spy, who is planning his attack against Stark. Meanwhile, Hammer Industries twitchy front man Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) searches out a way to destroy the legacy of Stark Industries. As Stark hears his anatomical clock tick louder and louder, he needs to make sure that the business remains confidently secured in the private sector without slipping into the wrong hands.

Fans of the first Iron Man will most certainly be happy with its follow up. Director John Favreau (who has a small yet comical role in this film) has once again put together fast and whimsical dialogue along with drone crushing action (not to mention new, innovative weaponry) in order to produce one of the most enjoyable sequels in many years. The climax alone will please the Transformers crowd but the film is packed with enough intelligent commentary to justify multiple viewings.

Iron Man 2 is more patriotic than its predecessor and probably one of the most pro-American films to come from Hollywood in years (at least since the first Iron Man). Tony Stark bluntly reminds us that he no longer cares about pleasing the liberal agenda in this film. The media can go to hell, as far as Stark is concerned, and his drive remains on continuing the battle to keep America safe. Stark continues as the poster boy for capitalism, freedom and the American Dream.

The film is not as unique as the original, but certainly builds on all of the right elements to ensure a great experience. The soviet villain is a bit cliché, but the source material was written during the cold war so what else would we expect? The filmmakers probably knew that a jihadist bad guy would likely be too realistic for a Hollywood studio to green light (besides, they already got away with it once). On that note, it is surprising that they allowed the military to be represented positively by Lt. Col. James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), but we’ll take it!

Robert Downey’s star power soars through this film on its highest level yet. The truth is he didn’t even need his excellent supporting cast, but it surely didn’t hurt either! Mickey Rourke is cool as ever playing the angry Russian Ivan Venko. Scarlett Johansson’s Natalie/Natasha manages to kick some ass and Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper is once again an excellent “better half” to Stark.

As a true renegade film project, Iron Man 2 shows not only Fox News but also Bill O’Reilly without taking a cheap shot. Who knew this was still possible from Hollywood? What this film lacks in originality it makes up for in unapologetic patriotism and enthusiasm for capitalism not to mention some great action sequences. Kudos to Favreau, Downey and the rest of the cast and crew for creating yet another fun summer blockbuster that reminds us that sometimes Hollywood does get it right!

Film Grade: A

Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) is an aging single woman who has yet to find Mr. Right. She owns a pet store in New York City and has everything she wants, except a child. Out of frustration, she takes it upon herself to get artificially inseminated and raise a child on her own. Zoe joins a support group for single women which should have provided enough material for some hilarious scenes. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work.

On that same day she meets Stan (Alex O’Laughlin) when they enter a cab at the same time. After arguing over who the cab belongs to, they part ways. As fate would have it (cue the cliché) they meet again at a local farmer’s market while Zoe is with her friend Mona (Michaela Watkins) who is emphatically advising her to not have children. Mona eventually gives Stan Zoe’s contact info and he surprises her predictably one day at the pet store (there is a Caesar Milan cameo here, don’t get to excited).

After a couple painfully standard dates complete with spilled wine on a white dress and a table on fire, Zoe admits that she was artificially inseminated and is actually pregnant. This sets off a whole bunch of useless drama that drives the rest of the movie. The best parts of the film are the couple of short scenes where Anthony Anderson plays a small role of a father sarcastically in denial. Unfortunately, this is not enough to save the film from being a painfully cliché ridden snooze fest.

We can’t ask much from a first time feature film director, but the supporting cast could have been much better. Certain scenes relied on the rest of the cast to set the tone, such as an awkward birth scene with the support group, and it just wasn’t hammered home. The only exception is the role of Mona, which was executed in a delightfully snarky manner.

During the majority of the film I was more interested in the characters in the audience. There was one man behind me on one side snoring through most of the film (which was understandable). On the other side there was a man who was belly laughing at every stupid thing that Jennifer Lopez did. There is always an interesting crowd at press screenings that are also open to the public. Luckily there were none of the screaming babies who are generally regulars at night screenings.

One good thing remains; Jennifer Lopez is still beautiful and charming even if her acting is not good enough to keep our attention. I am continuously amazed by actors who keep playing in the same replaceable roles one after another. It is easy to say that J-Lo is not a good actress when she mostly stars in crap films. If we put her in a femme fatale role like she had in Out of Sight she may surprise us.

What happened to this Jennifer Lopez?

I would say that a J-Lo comeback would be cool, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

Film Grade: D+

Last night marked the much anticipated second part of a series of South Park episodes that sparked controversy recently. In a post that ran Wednesday, I reported on the death threats targeted at the show’s creators. It appears that the extremist website (Revolution Muslim) harboring the threatening video has been removed. Watch a video here of a CNN reporter talking to one of the founders of the extremist website.

While these death threats are certainly worth censoring, what still remains is that Comedy Central has surrendered to this intimidation. Doing so makes them look timid, which is never a way to describe South Park. An executive producer of the show has said that past censorship was due to fear of violence.

As history shows, we know that South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone refuse to be coerced into anything they don’t want to do. The second episode in the controversial two part series featured not only a censored Mohammed but also a lengthy bleeping of almost the entire end of the show. Of course editing a large chunk of dialogue may have been planned (with South Park you never know), but it’s hard to believe that Parker and Stone actually tried to play it safe. We now know that the overt censoring was a network decision.

On Tuesday night Bill O’Reilly discussed the issue of the death threats and censorship. Normally O’Reilly would stand strong against scare tactics but in this case he cautioned them to back down and get personal security. Of course there are good reasons to do this, it is just not the advice you would expect from the “culture warrior” himself. The segment also featured former undercover special agent Ann Hayes who also cautioned Parker and Stone:

“If it does escalate I think that they are going to have to take precautions. This is serious; I think that Matt and Trey knew what they were getting into when they started it.”

I also believe the show’s front men know what they are doing, but at some point we need to address reality. Yes, the jihad is real and Theo Van Gogh did get murdered. However, bleeping out the payoff following Kyle’s “ya’know, I learned something today” line appeared cowardly. They might as well have just played an old episode. On the other hand, the over the top nature of the censorship in the latest episode could also be a way of saying that if they are going to bleep everything, they might as well scrap the whole episode.

The truth is that if you are going to play this game you must pick sides or get out of the fight. If South Park wants to continue to create their culture of provocation we have grown to love, Comedy Central must allow them to do so. The lack of censorship on the show has made it the success that it is today. By allowing fear to force a change to their mode of operation now only sets a bad example.

One thing is for certain, Parker and Stone’s upcoming Broadway musical The Book of Mormon won’t provoke any death threats, but maybe an angry letter or two.

Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is the typical comic book geek in his high school who admits that in his small group of friends, “I’m not even the funny one.” The film begins with what appears to have been the perfect standard virgin role for Michael Cera, but eventually transforms into something much more unique. One day, Dave begins to wonder why no one has ever tried to become a superhero. Of course, we don’t have super powers, but the idea of a vigilante in the streets intrigued him.

After buying a wetsuit, mask and some work boots he put together a costume for his new persona, “Kick Ass.” He creates a MySpace account to advertise his services and heads out to the streets to fight crime. Other superhero characters include Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz) who are a father/daughter team who are very representative of Batman and Robin (among others).

What is interesting about this film is that it certainly shows what would happen to most people if they one day decided to become a superhero. Needless to say they would get seriously hurt. The film also gives us some over the top action from a few youngsters that will, without question, prove to be controversial in many circles.

Kick Ass is far from your typical vigilante film. My friend and editor for Newsrealblog.com David Swindle put it best; the film feels like Superbad meets Watchmen. It did not necessarily work for him, but a film like this is guaranteed to have a mixed audience. The transition from violence to humor in this film is often jarring.

The characters in the film refuse to be intimidated by the thugs that live in their city. There is something to be said for their courageous attitude. Many comedies are able to make a larger point (intentional or otherwise) through their humor and content. On some level, this film is able to do that. We get a coming of age story that comments on personal identify as well as the refusal to become victimized. If anything, this combination is worthy of discussion.

Another important aspect of this film is that it is a tale about good versus evil. At its core it is about the importance of personal choices and doing what is right even if you have no clue how. These kids desire a safer city environment but have minimal skills to enforce their ideas. Some people are making deep political readings of Kick Ass seeing that most films about good and evil are libertarian or conservative by default. However, this film still remains more of a genre exercise than a political statement.

Naturally, many people will be put off by images of an eleven year old girl killing people. It is important to remember that the film is a play on genre and the age of the characters is meant to be ironic and in favor of youth violence. There is a scene where Hit Girl takes out an army of henchmen in a purposely over the top Tarantino-esque scene that was beautifully put together. Pop culture references are abundant and noticing the intertextuality of the film will help put it into context.

The tone is inconsistent throughout the film, which is why reading into it too far would be troublesome. Instead, Kick Ass is better seen as a fun experience for those who have seen the films or are familiar with the genres that are both directly and indirectly referenced here. See the  comparison of Hit Girl and Dirty Harry to the left.

The film is certainly more than it appears on its surface and is definitely worth a watch. Vigilantism has often been the basis for great films (Dirty Harry, Taken) and combining it with college-style humor allows for a unique and memorable experience. If you enjoyed Watchmen and were able to get past the vulgarity in Superbad, give Kick Ass a try. You may think you have seen this film before, but trust me, you haven’t.

Film Grade: B+

**caution**Due to the nature of the topic at hand the videos and images below contain graphic images and language

Last week's episode depicted Mohammed disguised in a bear suit

After being on the air since 1997 it is clear that South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are not afraid to tackle any subject. For years I have appreciated their courage and spent many episodes in side-splitting laughter. However, after thinking about the legitimate threat that real radical fundamentalists present to the free world I began to fear for South Park’s irreplaceable front men for the first time since the show’s inception.

Seeing how extremists handle a harmless satire only heightens my respect for people who literally speak out against violence at the hand of Muslim radicals. Men like David Horowitz and Robert Spencer are brave enough to open a dialogue only to get animosity and death wishes in return. Over the years South Park’s creators have also proven their courage by utilizing Muslims and Mohammed in their cartoon even though such an act has led to death in the past.

South Park celebrated their 200^th episode last week by exploring the idea of having the celebrities previously lampooned by the show file a lawsuit against the small mountain town. They will only drop the case if the town presents Mohammed to them but they are afraid to show him in public due to fear of jihad. The episode is funny but unfortunately for some there is a no tolerance policy for joking about the Muslim prophet.

Here is a video of Parker and Stone discussing the episode where they make their intentions clear. They did not mean to directly mock the Muslim faith but instead wanted to prove a double standard when it comes to showing the Prophet on television:

While the two appear unafraid of any threat posed to them, I hope they realize their brilliant commentary is grounds for death in some circles. Many of us remember the senseless murder of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh by the hand of a Muslim radical. If it can happen to him it can certainly happen to some of our favorite cartoon satirists. Though the threat is real, it is important that we have people who are not afraid to stand up against it.

A website called revolutionmuslim.com has produced video that promotes the use of violence against Parker and Stone for their depiction of Mohammed in more than one episode. CNN.com reports that:

“Revolutionmuslim.com, based in New York, was the subject of a CNN investigation last year for its radical rhetoric supporting “jihad” against the West and praising al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Its organizers insist they act within the law and seek to protect Islam.”

The website utilizes our freedom of speech in America but its creators will not tolerate when Parker and Stone express their right to do so. Below is the chilling Revolutionmuslim.com video. The pictures are synced with a sermon from Anwar al-Awlaki who is an American born radical preacher who is now in hiding.

The video on this website makes it clear that people will be (and should be) killed if they speak out against Islam. We are told that Parker and Stone will end up like the late Theo Van Gogh. The speaker asserts, “We executed him because he defamed me with his poetry.”

After showing a picture of Van Gogh, the speaker continued, “If any of you try to defame me through your words this is the way we will deal with you. There is nothing between us and you except the sword.” The next image is of Van Gogh stabbed to death on the ground with text that reads, “Theo Van Gogh after he was sent to hell.”

There is not much that rattles me, however, this kind of rhetoric is truly terrifying. The video ends with a warning to the show’s creators that “the dust will never settle.” While it is Parker and Stone’s job to keep us laughing, it is good to see that they show no signs of being intimidated by thugs.

Although we have Horowitz and Spencer standing strong on the academic side of these threats, it is essential that we also have entertainment like South Park that also refuses to back down from intimidation.

Author’s update: Last night’s episode was part two following last week’s episode in question. Comedy Central decided not only to censor the image of Muhammed but also bleep out almost the entire end of the show. It looks like Viacom’s play was to fold to intimidation. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.