Editorial: What Was Up With LarryBoy Getting Beaten Up?

Hi, I'm the Whatsoever Critic. I review just about anything.

Ever since my Character Analysis of the Mother Weed monster from LarryBoy and the Rumor Weed,

I've been getting requests to give my opinion on something in particular: What do I think about LarryBoy getting beaten up by monsters like the Fib and the Mother Weed?

Well, let's put this into perspective here.

In LarryBoy and the Rumor Weed, there's a scene where LarryBoy is fighting the Mother Weed...
-...even though the actual fighting is kept off-screen...
...and LarryBoy is abruptly thrown to the wall, covered in bruises and a band-aid. The suckier part is that he doesn't technically save the day in the Rumor Weed video.
-So did LarryBoy just get beaten only to not have technically saved the day?
Why did the movie make that decision to have LarryBoy do all the dangerous work, while everyone else gets a pass on the "dangerous" stuff?

-Even though Alfred gets captured by the Mother Weed at one point,

before then, he's chilling in his computer chair giving LarryBoy instructions.
Now before I give you guys my theory, I'm going to show you another instance where LarryBoy was doing all the dangerous work. Case in point: LarryBoy and the Fib from Outer Space.

In LarryBoy and the Fib from Outer Space, as LarryBoy steps in to save Junior Asparagus from a giant alien monster simply known as the Fib, our hero gets captured himself, and the monster puts him in his mouth.

And it isn't long before Junior tells the truth that the monster spits out LarryBoy and shrinks away.
This would be marked as the first instance that LarryBoy was subjected to any kind of harm.

So looking back at both the Fib and Rumor Weed videos, why would LarryBoy suffer through both?

Well, I would like to propose a theory, which may or may not be Big Idea's intent, but here it goes:

You know how some superheroes like Spiderman and Superman would show off some "Jesus" symbolism in some of their movies?

It's like Hollywood is trying to glorify the "Jesus" symbolism, while having these superheroes kill people and engage in violent behaviors.
-Isn't trying to be like Jesus seem contradictory if you're displaying graphic content and violence? I'm pretty sure the real Jesus wasn't violent, but wanted to promote peace.
So where am I going with this? Well, remember my editorial "Why Did LarryBoy Save Dr. Flurry?" I wrote that editorial almost a year ago (March 2014). If you haven't read that editorial yet, the link is here:

WHY DID LARRYBOY SAVE DR. FLURRY?

http://ama-critic32.blogspot.com/2014/03/editorial-why-did-larryboy-save-dr.html

Anyway, in that editorial, I said that LarryBoy wasn't trying to be like Jesus with the obvious Jesus symbolism displayed in the Superman and Spiderman movies. LarryBoy only did what was right- not engaging in violence or wishing death on anyone, but saving people, even though the person he's saving is the one that did significant wrong to him. As such, LarryBoy is willing to risk his life to save another person, regardless of their character. And obviously, LarryBoy wouldn't kill anyone.

So why did LarryBoy get beaten up in his first two installments (the Fib and Rumor Weed videos)? Perhaps Big Idea wanted to show the audience that he didn't need to try too hard to be as great as any other superhero (Marvel or DC). It goes to show that LarryBoy puts his life on the line to ensure the safety of Bumblyburg, even if he gets hurts in the process.

Not that I'm saying that LarryBoy should get hurt more (Big Idea learned that lesson in LarryBoy and the Bad Apple), but what he's doing to ensure people's safety is a sacrifice that he makes more than once. To me, that's a true hero.

Now would this be the real intent of Big Idea? We don't know.

Again, I only gave a theory of why LarryBoy gets beaten in the first two installments. As for the real intent on Big Idea's part, we don't know what they were thinking when deciding to put LarryBoy in mortal danger. It's probably the writing. Who knows? But still, I think LarryBoy is one of the best heroes I know and love, because he doesn't try to sell himself as epic and full-blown awesome...
-...I hope he's not trying to sell himself as those things, now that Veggietales In The House gave him an extreme makeover...

Whatsoever Critic
Sources:
LarryBoy and the Rumor Weed
LarryBoy and the Fib from Outer Space
Man of Steel
Spiderman 2
The League of Incredible Vegetables
Veggietales In The House

Courtesy: Big Idea/DreamWorks; Warner Bros.; Columbia Pictures/Marvel Enterprises.

Top 10 Overlooked Things in "For The Honor of LarryBoy"

Hi, I'm the Whatsoever Critic. I review just about anything.

Earlier this month, I posted a review on the Veggietales In the House episode, "For The Honor of LarryBoy."

If you haven't seen it yet, it's in this month's archive (February 2015).
Anyway, today I'm here to bring you my Top 10 things that were overlooked in this LarryBoy adventure. Trust me; they're definitely worth mentioning.

10. The villain doesn't go to jail.

I guess the steel cage was punishment enough for Motato?

Does this veggie town have a prison, or a police force or sheriff at least?

9. LarryBoy doesn't have a butler anymore?!

In the original series (Veggietales), LarryBoy had a tech savvy butler named Alfred (Archibald) Asparagus.

That was one of the best parts of the LarryBoy series. So, it's sad that Veggietales In the House decided to ditch the butler concept and make Archibald as the veggie town's mayor/informant.

The two still communicate with each other, but it's just not the same.

8. Do Motato's radishes remind you of anything?

Just so we're clear: these radish minions have little to no personality outside of being in cahoots with Motato. Even though they get very little screen time, you still get to see them take on LarryBoy.

If you watch their fight scene, the radishes are being tossed around and thrown all over the place without a scratch. I would like to propose a theory

(may or may not be true, but I'll take a stab at it): I think the radishes may have been inspired by the Angry Birds game.

I mean, think about it: they're thrown all over the place; they come in packs; and they're easy for LarryBoy to handle. Maybe I'm reading too deeply into this one, but it's just a thought.

7. Ichabeezer and Motato are voiced by the same actor.

This came to a surprise to me, because I found it hard to believe that Rob Paulsen (voice actor) can be two people in the same scene: going from a crabby old guy, to an authentic and obnoxious Brit accented villain.

-It's like a one-man show, almost.

-At first, I thought there was a casting call to be the voice actor for Motato, but after reading the end credits, I was baffled. Either way, Motato sounds obnoxious as is.

6. Pa Grape is not in this episode.

Pa Grape is usually in this show, because he's usually the one giving moral advice to anyone that's faced with a problem. It didn't really affect how I saw this episode, but I thought I point this out.

5. Dr. Blowhole Symbolism?

Motato rides a segway that was given to Ichabeezer previously.

He starts riding the segway as soon as he kidnaps Ichabeezer.

-Does Motato remind you of another villain?

That's right. This villain may have been inspired by Dr. Blowhole. Dr. Blowhole is known for moving around on a segway, because (obviously) he's a dolphin. That's a legitimate excuse to use a segway on dry land.

In Motato's case, Motato is just a lazy bastard, except when he uses the segway to fly after LarryBoy.

I may be reading too deeply into this one overlooked thing, but it's just my theory.

4. Ichabeezer's thanking LarryBoy for saving him is bulls***.

At the end of the episode, as LarryBoy is dropping off Ichabeezer, Ichabeezer says to him, "Don't tell anyone this but... thank you."

For me, I wasn't convinced that he was grateful for LarryBoy rescuing him, because throughout the episode, Ichabeezer is yelling at people and telling them to "get off [his] lawn!" Not once did Ichabeezer say: "I shouldn't have been hard on LarryBoy. He was only trying to help me" or "I should stop yelling at people for a change, because that's rude." Nope. We get a self-centered jerk who thinks he above anyone else.

-This is why you don't take the "respect your elders" motto too seriously, kids.

3. Are french fries lethal?

During the fight scene between hero and villain, Motato uses a gun to shoot at LarryBoy. And what does this gun shoot out? French fries.

That's probably why Motato made that bad pun: "Good fry" (him saying "Good bye"). And when the french fries are being launched at LarryBoy, the fries are driven through a chair and the walls... and narrowly misses a radish minion.

-Well, people always say fried foods can kill a person...

2. What is Motato's motivation?

When LarryBoy is rescuing Ichabeezer, you get a glimpse of a throne.

Even though this is Motato's first appearance in the series, the throne chair seemed so random. However, you can't help but wonder what this bad guy's motivation is.

Does he want to take over the veggie town as overlord? Most likely, because villains with thrones in their lairs are usually seeking world domination.

-However, you can make the argument that some villains don't make the obvious world-domination symbolism by having a throne chair on standby.

Just look at a villain like Dr. Blowhole;

nowhere in his lair is there a throne sitting around.

So just think of this fact as just another villain cliche.

And this leads me to...

1. Motato's lair

Okay. I want you to get a good look at this villain's lair and tell me if it reminds you of anything...

Ready for the answer?

It's a bathroom.

Why? Well, when I first saw this episode, I didn't realize what the lair actually looked like until I viewed it a few more times. In the third viewing, it dawned on me that this place was a bathroom, because of the following things:

1. the purple toilet (that should've been a dead giveaway)

2. the toliet paper (where Motato slides from at some point)

-Well, talk about a shitty villain... (pause) XD LOL

Well, to be fair, this show is set inside a house. So it's like a world within the house. For example, Ichabeezer's mansion is actually a human-sized couch.

So, in the case of Motato, his lair is a human bathroom. Creative, yet odd.

So yes, this was my Top 10 Overlooked Things about the Veggietales in the House episode "For The Honor of LarryBoy."

Whatsoever Critic
Sources:
Veggietales in the House
Angry Birds
Penguins of Madagascar
Nintendo DSi (for pointing and circling things on photos)

Courtesy: Big Idea/DreamWorks; Rovio Entertainment; and DreamWorks Animation. (Plus, courtesy: Nintendo DSi)

Top 10 Dumbest Moments from "LarryBoy and the Bad Apple"

Hi, I'm the Whatsoever Critic. I review just about anything.

LarryBoy and the Bad Apple will always be one of my all-time favorite installments in the LarryBoy canon.

However, I also know that every success has its flaws and/or humor. That's why I'm bringing you the Top 10 dumbest (but not-a-big-deal) moments in LarryBoy and the Bad Apple.

Disclaimer: This is all based on opinion, and shouldn't be taken the wrong way. So why not have a good laugh every once in a while?

10. Alfred's monocle

Yeah, you may notice that Alfred's monocle would either glare continuously or reflect something like webbing (for example). I mean, no matter what scene he's in, the most noticeable thing about Alfred is his monocle.

-I found it kind of distracting in some scenes, because you can't help but look at the monocle, but miss important stuff like... LarryBoy, and... (pause)... LarryBoy!
But, to be fair, the animation is really good, compared to the first two LarryBoy installments. In fact, the animation was one of the risk-takers in this movie, pushing the shadows, the colors, and even the movie's environment. But again, the monocle was... well, that seemed a bit off.

9. Alfred explaining the chemical reaction between the web and the sports drink
Here's a fun question: Did anyone catch all of what was said there?
I mean, this was the scene where after a bottle of sports drink spills onto Alfred, releasing him from being tied up by webbing...

-...because I guess the web was a dissolving matter to liquid (I don't know)
...and then he goes into turbo speed, explaining the chemical reaction between the two object. Here's what I was able to catch:
Alfred: "Oh, well, what do you know? The potassium... [inaudible]... thus working like an acid..."
-Yeah, again: Did anyone catch all of what was being said here? Why not explain it in 8 words?: The web can dissolve in Gatorade! Holy shit!
Well, to be fair, if this clip made you laugh, then... yay! (sarcasm)

8. Pointless bathroom scene and burping moment
When LarryBoy returns home to the LarryCave, we can see that LarryBoy is sick from eating too much chocolate. But... why show us that he's going to the bathroom, and then return to it after cutting to the Bad Apple for one or two minutes?
-It's like they wanted us to forget that bathroom clip by showing us something different?
And plus, answering Alfred's question: "How much chocolate did you eat?" by saying: "Too much," LarryBoy burps.
-(jaw drops in disbelief) Wha...?

7. Alfred rushing into the LarryCave after the Bad Apple takes over the place

Yeah, this was one of the more obvious dumbest moments in this movie.

It's like: how come Alfred is able to come out unharmed after tumbling off of his scooter at a high speed?
-Um... I don't know. I'm not a scientist or anything, but I'm gonna call that bullshit... in a way.

6. What is up with the Bad Apple?

The way I see it: if you go door to door seducing people into temptation, while speaking in a seductive voice, in my book, you're a...
-[Fill in your own insult here]
Plus, notice how close the Bad Apple got in that one scene with LarryBoy.

-In my opinion, she violated the No-Touch zone. It's obvious that she's trying to hit on LarryBoy, while she's carrying out her plan to enslave Bumblyburg with temptation. Well, to be fair, men aren't smart enough to know when they're being hit on... so you can't really blame LarryBoy...

Oh, come on! The Bad Apple was violating the No-Touch zone! Would you get a clue?!
And lastly, the voice acting for this diabolical creature: it's obvious that Cynthia West (the actress that plays the Bad Apple) was trying to be Tim Curry. I mean, throughout the movie, I was like: Don't give up, LarryBoy! Put that wannnabe Tim Curry in her place! I mean, just listen to how she said this one line in the movie:
Bad Apple: "All will enter... but none will ever come out."
-(pause) Drake [from The Pebble and the Penguin]...

I thought your scary-as-fuck line was creepy... you know, where you said the line: "Marina is mine"? But after hearing the Bad Apple say a creepy line of her own... (pause) I think you may be on a run for your money. I think; I don't know yet...
Anyway, the Bad Apple was interesting... interestingly full of herself. And you'll probably ask the same thing: what was up with the Bad Apple?

5. Why do people welcome an obvious villain into their workplaces and/or homes without legitimately questioning it?

a. The Mayor was seduced by flattery.

b. Petunia Rhubarb was lured with the promise of a new video game to fuel her gaming addiction.

c. LarryBoy noticed a bar of chocolate, which served as an ace in the hole for our villain.
-Again... [fill in your own insult here]

4. "The Umph! has umph."

This was something that LarryBoy said after Alfred explained the "epic" chemical reaction between the webs and the sports drink.

-Sounds kinda foreign, when I first heard this line.
-Kinda like saying: "Ok-lay-in-the-ag-bay." (Okay, we're not opening that door again!)

3. Why don't the mother and child move out of the way when the Funhouse grows chaotic during the fight scene?!

-I mean, nice thought in making LarryBoy look like somebody that would step in front of a train for someone else, but... MOVE!!! At least take a few steps back, instead of just standing there in fear!

2. Alfred is the worst spotter ever!!!
I say this because...
a. Alfred is "conducting," while overseeing Larry run on a treadmill.

-WTF was up with that?

-Did he get this mixed up with band class?

b. If that wasn't as bad, then get a load of this: Alfred watches TV, while Larry bench presses.

-(pause) Rule of thumb: do not take this guy to the gym. He is the worst spotter ever! He will act goofy and not pay any attention to you when you're dealing with dangerous exercise equipment!

And the number one dumbest moment in LarryBoy and the Bad Apple is...

1. "Promise not to tell anyone about my secret cave?"

This passes as your so-called "security clearance"? And for that matter, why ask this to somebody that shows up to your door, claiming that they know somebody that you know so well? It's called stranger danger! That should've came to mind...

-(pause)

Wait. Stranger danger... (thinking)

You know what this is?

This is a reoccurring factor that exists in each of the three Veggietales installments of LarryBoy: the lack of stranger-danger awareness. I mean, think about it!

a. strangers coming into people's homes w/o the homeowners questioning it

b. victims falling for anything the stranger says

c. the strangers becoming a bigger threat as their stories progress

It makes sense now!

But, to be fair, this dumb scene is only a plot device, which carries on the plot even further- fair enough. But seriously, who says that?!

And that was my Top 10 list. Just because this movie had its awkward moments, doesn't mean that it's a bad movie. I still love this movie regardless.

Whatsoever Critic

Sources:

LarryBoy and the Bad Apple
The Pebble and the Penguin (that one pic)
LarryBoy and the Fib from Outer Space
LarryBoy and the Rumor Weed

Courtesy: Big Idea Entertainment and Don Bluth.