From: owner-monkey@valinor.eldar.org (Monkey Digest) To: monkey-digest@valinor.eldar.org Subject: Monkey Digest V1 #717 Reply-To: monkey@valinor.eldar.org Sender: owner-monkey@valinor.eldar.org Errors-To: owner-monkey@valinor.eldar.org Precedence: bulk Monkey Digest Friday, March 31 2000 Volume 01 : Number 717 In this issue: [monkey] Monkey review ("Later" magazine) [monkey] My _DreamWatch_ Review ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 17:25:46 GMT From: "Howell Parry" Subject: [monkey] Monkey review ("Later" magazine) I've just bought the May 2000 issue of "Later" magazine, and there's an absolutely _glowing_ review of Monkey on page 157. It's been given the full 5/5, whereas the other videos (which include "Taxi", "South Park Series 2" and "The Blair Witch Project") get 3s and 4s... - --- Monkey Kung fu sitcom, Buddhist parable and masterpiece of kitsch TV (Fabulous video, £12.99 each) 5/5 Almost the moment it was taken off air in 1982, an obscure imported BBC kids' show passed into the realms of misty-eyed nostalgia. Mere 14-year-olds were known to gaze into the distance, suck their teeth and pity their younger schoolmates' misfortune never to have seen the wise-cracking, stick-fighting, cloud-riding, law-breaking "Son of Vacuity" known as Monkey. And now they're finally releasing it on video, after a wait of nearly twenty years, we must admit our manly self-restraint has deserted us. Monkey madness has broken out. The original Buddhist legend concerned a young Chinese priest travelling to India to retrieve some scrolls, accompanied by the king of the monkeys and two guardian angels. The 1979 Japanese series added to the mix a disco soundtrack, intermittent kung fu fights and cartoonish characterisation (Monkey's the delinquent one, Pigsy's the debauched one and Sandy's the, er, underwater Goth). The masterstroke though, came when it was dubbed into English, throwing in Benny Hill-style jokes about the size of Monkey's magic stick and a general air of playground boisterousness. When Monkey taunts his enemies: "Come on then, I'll have the lot of you" in a ridiculous Charlie Chan accent, it's not hard to see why a nation of schoolboys fell in love with him. Thirty-nine episodes were made in total and, at three episodes per tape, that would mean buying 13 of these babies to complete the set. But if that sounds like a tall order, just play one of these tapes at a party. Guaranteed, every male between the ages of 25 and 35 will be crowded round the box within minutes, chucking tenners at you to run out and buy the other twelve. "The nature of monkey", as there say, "was irrepressible." How very true. - --- If you see a Monkey review anywhere, please type it up and send it to the list. I'm not going to put any of them on my web site (just the ratings) - but I think it'd be cool if we can send them all to the mailing list. Howell ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - --------------------------------------------------------------- + To unsubscribe, send an email to: majordomo@valinor.eldar.org with 'unsubscribe monkey' in the body of your message + Need help? Send an email to: owner-monkey@valinor.eldar.org - --------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 19:41:18 +0100 From: "Martin Day" Subject: [monkey] My _DreamWatch_ Review In case anyone's interested (well, Howell *did* ask!), here's the *first draft* of my _Monkey_ review. It's already 200 words too long (and I had sufficient notes for about another 600 words on top!), it'll be trimmed and chopped and reworked before I send it tomorrow, so please read the following very much as work in progress: ______ MONKEY Volume 1 Fabulous Films, Out now, £??.?? FAB 4153 Long ago, in a land much like Ancient China, a stone monkey is born from a magic egg. He becomes ruler of his people, gains magical powers and an awesome weapon - but still he desires more. Nothing short of immortality, and a top job in heaven, will do... What was Monkey? A crash-course in Buddhism with a cheesy pop soundtrack? A sophisticated ancestor of Power Rangers with charming (and cheap-looking) special effects and iffy dubbing? An adventure serial with a glorious mixture of martial arts fighting and moralising? It was all these things, and more. Monkey Goes Wild About Heaven is a reasonably faithful presentation of the opening chapters of the ancient Chinese text, Hsi Yu Chi (The Journey to the West), by Wu Ch'êng-ên. Highlights on the small screen include Monkey's first summoning of his cloud (soon to be imitated in playgrounds up and down the country) and his surprised exclamation at seeing the Great Buddha in female form ("I always thought you were a fellah!"). After an unsuccessful attempt to jump out of the Buddha's palm, King Monkey is buried under a mountain of rubble, with an eternity to try to gain Enlightenment - or, at the very least, learn patience… 8 Monkey Turns Nursemaid introduces us to the boy priest Tripitaka, ordered by Buddha to go to India to recover the holy scriptures that will save the world. Tripitaka releases Monkey from his awful prison, and, together with a dragon who has taken the form of a horse, they begin their pilgrimage. Tripitaka was, famously, played by a woman: Monkey always had a relaxed attitude to matters of gender. In addition, David Weir's elegant adaptation into English balances the philosophising with a good deal of broad and, to modern ears, rather politically incorrect humour (enraged by a monster in this story, Monkey exclaims "You cissy! Pooftah!"). 7 The Great Journey Begins reacquaints us with Sandy and Pigsy, who we saw expelled from heaven back in the first episode. In scenes reminiscent of the legendary encounter between Robin Hood and Little John, Monkey and Pigsy indulge in an epic confrontation, but all, of course, ends well. There are the usual great lines aimed at the adults watching ("Nothing to lose but your chains"), but this episode is a little more 'bitty' than most. 6 Volume 2 Fabulous Films, Out now, £??.?? FAB 4154 In Monkey Swallows the Universe, Pigsy - tricked by Monkey, and victim of his own lusts - encounters a pair of cannibalistic demons. There's a hysterical scene of Monkey trying to shove a pig into a magic bottle, and lots of good jokes about crackling (poor Pigsy). Like The Water Margin, it's good to see that women fight, too! 7 The Power of Youth tells the story of the King of Youth's overthrow of the old Earth Gods. We are told that he listens to "terrible new music" and lives in a "semi-detached palace". This time, it's Sandy's turn to fall in love. 7 Even Monsters Can Be People - the title sums up the teaching of the series in a nutshell - sees Monkey banished back to his kingdom, and the other travellers at risk from demons released from Tripitaka's mind. Unusually introspective, and blessed with a genuinely moving ending, this is a gem. 9 All in all, I've got nothing but praise for this long-overdue release of one of cult teleivision's forgotten classics. Buy one of these videos and I reckon you'll end up wanting them all. Still, as the narrator would remind us, why do we want so much, when we need so little? _______ Cheers Martin - --------------------------------------------------------------- + To unsubscribe, send an email to: majordomo@valinor.eldar.org with 'unsubscribe monkey' in the body of your message + Need help? Send an email to: owner-monkey@valinor.eldar.org - --------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ End of Monkey Digest V1 #717 **************************** ----------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the Monkey Mailing List digest list, send mail to: majordomo@valinor.eldar.org with the following command in the body of your email message: unsubscribe monkey-digest To send a message to the list, send mail to: monkey-digest@valinor.eldar.org If you have any problems or questions, send mail to: owner-monkey@valinor.eldar.org For lots more information and news about "Monkey", check out the Monkey! web site: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/8153/