ULTRA CITY SMITHS SERIES REVIEW

Tom Waits narrates this stop-motion animated noir thriller that delves into a world with alley cats abandoning their alleys for picket fences and howling at a moon that shines over the city. In the dead of night, a baby howls back at them, sitting abandoned outside a police station. Maybe that baby was crying out for justice like we all were. Maybe that baby was wailing for the warm embrace of its mother, hungry enough to forget how cold it is but much too hungry to remember when the last meal it had even was. Maybe it pooped itself and sobbed for a changing; the city didn’t care. With an election on the horizon and a murder rigging the results for change no one was sure what tomorrow would bring but everybody knew that the smoking gun belonged to a Smith, but which one? Bradly, Mindy, and Harmoni discuss the latest animated feature from Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, “Ultra City Smiths”. They ask the dangerous questions like, is there still a place for stop motion in the animation line up? Can a musical number hinder a story? How big a cast is too big a cast? And why use kewpie dolls to tell a story of a murder?

WATCH HERE

CREATED BY: Steve Conrad

STARRING: Julian Barratt, Kristen Bell, Chris Conrad, Luis Guzmán, Tim Heidecker, Damon Herriman, Hana Mae Lee, Sunita Mani, Jason Mantzoukas, Caleb McLaughlin, Tim Meadows, Bebe Neuwirth, Terry O’Quinn, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, John C. Reilly, Alia Shawkat, Dax Shepard, Jimmi Simpson, Kurtwood Smith, Melissa Villaseñor, Tom Waits, Debra Winger, Kim Becker, Mike O’Connell, John Moxley, Antonie McKay, Valerie Azlynn, Peter Moxley, Jermaine Fowler, Bobby Bare Jr., Dana DeLorenzo, Tony Fitzpatrick, Cassidy Slaughter-Mason, Nickie Bryar, Dan Navarro

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Bradly Martin (Screener Squad, Eye on the Prize, Breakfast Pub)

Bradly Martin was born in the united states and grew up on a healthy diet of sports, films, and books. A rather shy lad who kept to himself, Bradly soon discovered the best way to know a person was to know what people liked. Throughout the years Bradly became a fan of many things and a fanatic of none. From Doctor Dre, to Doctor Strange and the who’s who of Whos. From Playstation to the Dreamcast and Marvel to DC. From LeBron James to James Bond and Lord of the Rings to Lord Palmerston (or Pitt the Elder if you agree with Wade Boggs) and is a huge fan of dad jokes and randomly obscure Simpsons references. Armed with a vast knowledge of comics, films, and pop culture. Bradly traveled the world making friends and sharing takes. As a young man Bradly married the love of his life young and grew older every year with each new child brought into the brood. If trends continue, Scientists predict that .2% of Canada (where Bradly and family reside) will be populated by Bradly’s children by the year 2029. You can hear him leading and listening to his favorite critics on the Screener Squad and Eye on the prize and maybe even provide some comments of his own.

 

 

Mindy Rast-Keenan (Screener Squad, Highly Suspect Reviews)

Having grown up in Nairobi, Kenya, and being very disappointed at the lack of riding elephants her cartoons had promised her, Mindy spends the majority of her time as a film, theater, and voice over actress in the Austin, Texas area. They still give her money for being on HBO that one time, with her name in the credits spelled wrong. A nerdy geek, this award-winning actress joined One of Us figuring she’d put her summa cum laude BFA acting degree to good use…by judging other people’s acting. In the few seconds she gets to herself, Mindy bakes for charity, knits eccentric plushies, plays original RPG’s with her gamemaster husband, and spends time with her soulmate, Batman.

 

 

Harmoni Anderson (Screener Squad,