matt maiellaro Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I'm 37. If I lived in medieval times, I'd have five kids and about five years left to live. If I lived in Victorian England, I'd have a block-rocking mustache, three kids and work in either the mines or the docks. But in the 21st Century, 37 is not old; I have dreams, hopes, aspirations, action figures. Still, I felt old watching the beginning of Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters; I felt clueless, slow, uncool -- like I'd been left out of the joke. But, as ATHFCMFfT unspooled, I felt less old -- primarily because I realized I wasn't left out of the joke; rather, there was no joke to get.

Created as time-filler for Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" late-night programming block, Aqua Teen Hunger Force the TV show followed the adventures of talking, mobile, super-powered fast-food items. And by "adventures," I mean the opposite of adventures -- squabbling with each other, dodging work, arguing with their landlord. There's Frylock (voiced by Carey Means), the smartest of the crew; Master Shake (Dana Snyder), dim and vain; and Meatwad (Dave Willis), bone-stupid and bonelessly malleable.

Begun by Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro, Aqua Teen Hunger Force has run for five seasons; I couldn't tell you if that's a good or bad thing, as I've never been able to watch an episode through. Oh, people I know love ATHF -- unabashedly, and I don't think it's just drug-induced -- but it has no sticking power for me. And showing me ATHF bigger and longer and uncut doesn't do much to change that.

I am going to get crucified for what I am about to say in this post. Deep breath. Please don't hate me. Deep breath. Here goes ... I do not watch Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Yes, it's true. Family Guy. Check. Robot Chicken. Check. Futurama. Check. Erik gets yelled out by his wife when he attempts to watch three minutes of Aqua Teen Hunger Force (or ATHF) because she thinks it's the stupidest show on the planet. Triple check.

The bits and pieces of the show I have watched were pretty solid, though it's safe to say The Force is best enjoyed when your mind is a bit altered ... if you catch my drift. For those who are not aware, ATHF is a cartoon aired daily on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, and it revolves around the bumbling adventures of Meatwad (a wad of meat), Master Shake (a milkshake) and Frylock (a box of french fries). Needless to say, the show has built up enough steam (as well as a massive fanbase) through its television play and DVDs to warrant a feature film on the big screen. Not long ago, a very funny teaser hit the net, and now Variety brings us word that First Look Pictures will debut the 86-minute film this March on 800 screens across the country.

Pic, which was written, produced and directed by co-creators Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis, will primarily focus on the origins of the three characters and feature the voice talent of Maiellaro, Willis, Bruce Campbell (kick ass!) and Neil Peart of the band Rush. It shall be interesting to see how this film does theatrically (I'd say $8-9 million would be a huge success -- keep in mind it's only on 800 screens), but I'm positive the DVD will rake in the cash. What other Adult Swim toons would you like to see on the big screen?