Do you love the fake trailers before Tropic Thunder as much as I do? Then this is your thing.
"Heat Vision and Jack" is a parody on shows like Knight Rider, The 6,000,000 $ Man or the old Doctor Who episodes, especially when it comes to the special effects. Jack Austin (Jack Black) is a renegade astronaut who gained his super powers of superhuman knowledge when his brain was baked as his rocket ship came too close to the sun; therefore he is now hunted by the evil NASA, personified by Ron Silver as himself. Jack's only friend is his motorbike Heat Vision (voiced by Owen Wilson), who once was his room mate Doug, who was once merged with his motorbike by a laser beam weapon by Ron Silver.
Why the hell does Jack call the motorbike not Doug, but Heat Vision? Where did Ron Silver get his superpowers? It's this brazen impudence to refuse giving answers that makes this show so priceless. The special effects are an unbounded cheek for the late Nineties, but, like the "vintage" looks and the cheap lighting choices, it adds to the whole thing. The same goes for dialogue lines like "The human brain isn't unlike cookie dough", "Is that blood? - "The blood of tomatoes!" or "Quiet! I can't see the road when you talk!".
This and the delicious overacting of all involved. At first chubby Jack Black seems like an odd choice for a renegade hero, lonely and melancholic, the ladies fall for. Actually he's the perfect choice, as he nails the heroic looks and poses to the point. Every inch of him says, look at me, I'm a victim of fate, I'm lonely and on the run, but dang, I'm such a bad ass hero. Plus him reacting to pain like the alien laser beams is so Shatner-esque I cried with laughter.
Just like the trailers from Tropic Thunder, I'm not sure "Heat Vision and Jack" would've worked as a full thing, a TV show in this case. Since it says "episode 14" in the credits, I suspect it might have been devised as a one-off by the makers, esp. Ben Stiller who produced and directed it. But like those trailers, this short left me craving for more. It's working on a similar genius level. May only work for a special kind of humour, but if you love Tropic Thunder or Tenacious D, you're in for a huge huge treat.
"Heat Vision and Jack" is a parody on shows like Knight Rider, The 6,000,000 $ Man or the old Doctor Who episodes, especially when it comes to the special effects. Jack Austin (Jack Black) is a renegade astronaut who gained his super powers of superhuman knowledge when his brain was baked as his rocket ship came too close to the sun; therefore he is now hunted by the evil NASA, personified by Ron Silver as himself. Jack's only friend is his motorbike Heat Vision (voiced by Owen Wilson), who once was his room mate Doug, who was once merged with his motorbike by a laser beam weapon by Ron Silver.
Why the hell does Jack call the motorbike not Doug, but Heat Vision? Where did Ron Silver get his superpowers? It's this brazen impudence to refuse giving answers that makes this show so priceless. The special effects are an unbounded cheek for the late Nineties, but, like the "vintage" looks and the cheap lighting choices, it adds to the whole thing. The same goes for dialogue lines like "The human brain isn't unlike cookie dough", "Is that blood? - "The blood of tomatoes!" or "Quiet! I can't see the road when you talk!".
This and the delicious overacting of all involved. At first chubby Jack Black seems like an odd choice for a renegade hero, lonely and melancholic, the ladies fall for. Actually he's the perfect choice, as he nails the heroic looks and poses to the point. Every inch of him says, look at me, I'm a victim of fate, I'm lonely and on the run, but dang, I'm such a bad ass hero. Plus him reacting to pain like the alien laser beams is so Shatner-esque I cried with laughter.
Just like the trailers from Tropic Thunder, I'm not sure "Heat Vision and Jack" would've worked as a full thing, a TV show in this case. Since it says "episode 14" in the credits, I suspect it might have been devised as a one-off by the makers, esp. Ben Stiller who produced and directed it. But like those trailers, this short left me craving for more. It's working on a similar genius level. May only work for a special kind of humour, but if you love Tropic Thunder or Tenacious D, you're in for a huge huge treat.