Closed Mondays vs. Mountain Music: Which Kicks More Ass?

Well, I'll spare you the suspense this time and declare Closed Mondays the kicker of more ass. Don't know why exactly; maybe because I saw it before Mountain Music if memory serves, maybe because simpler is better, maybe because of Todd Oleson's enigmatic performance as the Ed Begley (Sr.!)-ish drunk. But let's dive into both unequally, shall we?

STILL CLOSED AFTER ALL THESE YEARS
Ah, what a wonderful technological age we live in. Isn't it, though? As long as we've got enough food, anyway. As the current post on YouTube says, I was also a kid of around 10 years old when I first saw Closed Mondays, so it would've been a high technological achievement for the time. What it must be like to be a kid these days. With great shows like Jane's Dragon and Penguins 1,2,3, who needs a mind-bending experience like this anymore? I still do, damn it. I still do.
The plot is simple, of course, but like all things great, it's not about the plot so much as it is an experience. Yes, not the destination, but the journey, although the destination's equally great, too. A drunk wanders into an abandoned gallery and experiences three art pieces, and a fourth and fifth to a lesser degree. For fear of diagnosing myself on a couch of my own making, I gotta say the first art piece with the musical notes is my favorite, with the computer running a close second. I'm more of a comedy guy, I suppose. Not that the dramatic piece isn't good, too. Will Vinton and company make good full use of the camera's range. A classic. But you know how these things are; if they're not full length, they're not going to be shown on a regular basis on cable... not like, say, Death Wish 2. Sheesh!!!!

****

Closed Mondays on YouTube

NO ONE ROCKS HARDER THAN MOTHER EARTH

While I have yet to study Vista-Glide on Wikipedia, needless to say it really took off in the 80s. Most notably with Back to the Future Part II with Michael J. Fox and others playing multiple roles, practically seamlessly with each other. A lot of extra light poles in that town for some reason! But before that, it hit the world of live action animation. The earliest example I can recall is the Peter Gabriel music video for his song 'Big Time.' It looks like they employed it in Mountain Music as well, or as closely as they could. Still a bit clunky. Vinton's got a larger canvas this time than with Closed Mondays... and isn't that part of the problem? Oh, I'm just picky. The animals are cute, though, and you gotta like those frogs. Never underestimate the value of cute animals... then of course, there is that Rodney Dangerfrog, for lack of a better name. Not so cute, but still gotta love it. You can see shades of the California Raisins to come in the rock trio that end up destroying the world. See also: Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas for that theme. But in the end, nature will renew itself no matter how long it takes. And just remember: no one rocks harder than a volcano, literally and figuratively. As for the possible implications of Original Sin because of the woman in the group and her final push of the button, well, I'll leave that to others to bicker about. To be fair, it doesn't cause the end of the world right away! Damn. Guess I will throw in my two cents. Drop the whole thing.

***1/2
-so sayeth The Movie Hooligan

Mountain Music on YouTube