DVD Review
The Yes Men
are a small, rotating group of subversive pranksters led by Mike
Bonanno and Andy Bichlbaum, who, under the guise of political
consciousness, media/corporate control, and social awareness, have
staged a number of mock events over the years that, to their delight,
have been eventually passed of as legitimate news items. From The
Barbie Liberation Organization (when they swapped the voice modules for
GI Joes and Barbies and replaced them on store shelves) to a parody of
the official George Bush website (theirs featured a grinning President
flipping off black Americans), the Yes Men toe the line between parody
and reality so effectively that no matter how ridiculous the premise,
it seems to get media coverage as if it were legit.
Directed by the triumvirate responsible for the brilliant documntary,
American Movie (Chris Smith, Dan Ollman, Sarah Price),
The Yes Men
focuses on two major pranks: representing themselves as members of the
World Trade Organization (WTO) by speaking about "remote labor" (aka
slavery) at a conference in Finland, and a presentation on solving
third world hunger that proposes feeding the poor McDonald's hamburgers
made out of recycled human waste. It is all ridiculous and far-fetched,
but Bonanno and Bichlbaum play it seriously (or as serious as one can
get considering the subject), although the most alarming thing is the
reactions of their audiences, who seem to not entirely realize its all
satire.
The WTO is their primary target, and the Yes Men attack the
principles of globalization and corporatization with glee; their
original mock WTO website led to them receiving an invitation
(obviously intended for the real WTO) to speak at a Finnish conference
on the subject of "Textiles of the Future." The lecture ends with
Bichlbaum, after talking at length about the benefits of "remote
labor", tearing away his suit to reveal a gold lame outfit with an
inflatable phallic attachment that houses a video monitor on its tip to
supposedly allow harried managers the ability to track the work of
laborers implanted with special microchips. There is awkward laughter
at times from the attendees, but when Bichlbaum appears in a number of
press publications, representing the WTO in his gold phallic suit,
their point seems to be given legitimacy.
These are well-staged gags, sort of like a left-wing
Candid Camera, especially if you find films like
Bowling For Columbine or
Fahrenheit 9/11
refreshing and fun. Michael Moore appears briefly, giving the Yes Men
an unspoken blessing of credibility amongst people not pleased with
things like the iron-fisted grip of corporate-controlled globalization.
But directors Smith, Ollman, and Price, however, spend the majority of
the time following Bonanno and Bichlbaum as pranks are fine-tuned and
developed, on through execution and the often surprising aftermath.
There is a breezy casualness to the way the two principal Yes Men find
themselves representing the WTO before all sorts of media and corporate
types, and even something so laughable as the human-waste-into-burgers
presentation (complete with spiffy computer graphics) is met with angry
debate, as if the whole concept were somehow real.
That is really, really scary if you stop and think aboutit.
Rating for Style: B+
Rating for Substance: B+
Image Transfer
| | One |
|---|
| Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 - Widescreen |
| Original Aspect Ratio | yes |
| Anamorphic | yes |
Image Transfer Review: Though presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen,
The Yes Men
looks like a low-budget documentary, and the quality is often just very
average, at best. Color levels fluctuate a bit from scene to scene,
depending on lighting conditions, but in general look passable. Things
like fine grain are fairly constant, but compressions issues and
pixelation are basically nonexistent.
Image Transfer Grade: B-
Audio Transfer
| | Language | Remote Access |
|---|
| DS 2.0 | English | yes |
Audio Transfer Review:
Audio is provided in what is listed as 2.0 "stereo surround", and that
may be slightly misleading. There are no real surround cues to speak
of, and the presentation is essentially basic two-channel stereo. But
as a documentary, with the majority of the material recorded "on
location", there really isn't much need for an elaborate or
over-processed audio track. Voices are mostly clear at all times,
though a couple of comments from spectators utilize burned in subs
because the quality is a bit sketchy.
Audio Transfer Grade: B
Disc Extras
Animated menu with music
Scene Access with 16 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English, Spanish, French with remote access
6 Other Trailer(s) featuring
Code 46,
Undertow,
Wicker Park,
Species 3,
Confessions of an American Girl,
When Will I Be Loved4 Deleted Scenes
1 Feature/Episode commentary by Mike Bonanno, Andy Bichlbaum, Chris Smith, Dan Ollman, Sarah Price
Packaging: Amaray
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: dual
Extras Review:
Yes men Mike Bonanno and Andy Bichlbaum, along with directors Chris
Smith, Dan Ollman, and Sarah Price contribute a commentary track for
the film, and its primary function seems to be chatting about the roots
of the group, and elaborating on the process of creating the pranks.
There are a few funny anecdotes along the way, but most of the track is
pretty straight forward in explaining the goals of the pranks and how
they were developed. For the curious, it is one of the first
commentaries I've heard where the entire group imitates the MGM lion's
roar at the outset.
There are also four nondescript deleted scenes (running a
total of 05m:45s), as well a ton of MGM trailers. The disc is cut into
16 chapters, with optional subtitles in English, French or Spanish.
Extras Grade: B
Final Comments
Two
guys pull wacky pranks, passing themselves off as representatives of
the World Trade Organization with crazy ideas, and the results are
quite funny; Mike Bonanno and Andy Bichlbaum are guerilla activists,
parading bizarre concepts to an embarrassingly gullible media.
I'd be more ashamed of the world today if this wasn't so funny.
Especially recommended if you're part of the Michael Moore nation.
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