By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com
The Trib's wedgie for edgy: cover play for Jibjab jabbing "superstores"
The Chicago Tribune’s internet guy, Steve Johnson columnizes sarcastic JibJab’s take on Wal*Mart, including background on their 2004-2005 successes. “The transition from feared lunacy to Leno came with the presidential election and their video “This Land,” a brilliant piece of equal-opportunity satire that inspired both raucous laughter and the instant urge to e-mail it… It seemed sunny, because of the cheery song it’s based on and because in [the] Monty Pythonesque animation George Bush and John Kerry always smile, but it could also be read as a bitter lament over the quality of choice the country faced…” After 80 million downloads, “The brothers’ new short is a workingman’s critique of discount superstores. Labeled “Big Box Mart,” it’s an angrier piece of work than “This Land” or their previous videos, which include a rap parody featuring the Founding Fathers and a Christmas song played by flatulent elves…. The kicker: “Those everyday low prices have a price. They aren’t free.” … It’s an attack on Wal-Mart and the companies who… sell to the chain, yes, but the real object of the satire is the shopper himself too “hypnotized” by stuffed aisles and low prices to realize where his true economic interests lie.” As for the Spiridelli Bros.’ economic interests, “The business model is starting to emerge,” said Gregg, an MBA and former investment banker…. You can even go to Walmart.com and buy some of the Spiridellis’ earlier work, at least for [now].”