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a14 people & arts
Friday 15 July 2022
Review: 'Paws of Fury' a sad, declawed 'Blazing Saddles'

By MARK KENNEDY Wars" references — "The
AP Entertainment Writer cuteness is strong with this
Writer and director Mel one" — and "Jurassic Park"
Brooks' 1974 Western spoof gags, and sometimes has
"Blazing Saddles" tackled tone-deafness due to its
racism so head-on that long gestation, like this line:
Brooks recently mused he "Guns don't kill cats. Cars
wouldn't be able to make and curiosity kill cats." That
the film today. Maybe, just lands differently in summer
maybe, he has done just 2022.
that with "Paws of Fury: The Many of the jokes — both
Legend of Hank," but at a traditional visual smacks
terrible cost. and verbal joists — are dat-
Paramount's limp, animat- ed and just not up to snuff.
ed remake actually trig- One dog gets hit in the
gers new stereotypes in the face by a Japanese pot
service of trying to expose and that's called "woking
racism for a pre-teen au- the dog," "NWA" stands for
dience. The studio seems "ninjas with attitude" and
to have reached for legiti- twice this gag is offered: "In
macy by bringing the ven- case of emergency, break
erated Brooks along for paper."
the bumpy ride, darkening Ricky Gervais is excellent
both legacies. as a scheming noble cat,
What emerged sits uneas- This image released by Paramount Pictures shows characters Chuck, voiced by Gabriel Iglesias, George Takei gets to offer
ily at the corner of tribute, left, and Ichiro, voiced by Aasif Mandvi in a scene from "Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank." his trademark catchphrase
parody, theft and lazi- Associated Press "Oh, myyy" twice and
ness. "Paws of Fury" follows Brooks voices the shogun
Brooks' original playbook This is a Japan with cherry Pryor and Alan Uger. For The put-upon pup Hank with his rat-a-tat one-liners.
right down to a horse- blossoms and origami and a while, the film was even (voiced without distinction One recurring bit simply
punching moment and a also dance clubs with VIP titled "Blazing Samurai." by Michael Cera) seeks a doesn't work — a big toilet
group farting scene but sections and house music. In both cases, an evil plan mentorship with a worn-out joke — but the filmmak-
doesn't capture his thrilling It has no real setting. The is hatched to send a rook- cat samurai (a perfectly ers return to it again and
boundary-pushing vibe. animators only a few times ie lawman to a town that cast Samuel L. Jackson) again.
"Paws of Fury: The Legend mix up the visuals, giving instinctively hates him in and the two begin a push- Eventually, Hank proves
of Hank" switches the set- the film a predictable, big- hopes that townsfolk will pull dance so familiar that himself a warrior, and the
ting from the original film's eyed and overly violent scatter. Hank turns to his teacher dog-hating cat town em-
American West for an ani- look. In the film, it is a Black man and asks "Hey, this is the braces their canine protec-
mated medieval Japan The screenplay by Ed Stone in a racist town in the Old training montage isn't it?" tor.
but is really of no time, and and Nate Hopper builds so West. In "Paws of Fury," it's That winking and fourth- "Go back where you came
not in a good way. There much off "Blazing Saddles" a dog in a community of wall breaking is a running from" is exchanged for "We
is a timid, punning humor, that the original films' writ- dog-hating cats. Why Ja- joke, but it's not clear to can all be better together."
as when a character an- ers are credited, including pan is natural for this set- what end. This is a film that But as important as that les-
nounces "There's no busi- Brooks, Norman Steinberg, ting is never convincingly borrows much of "Kung son is, this is a poor vehicle
ness like shogun business." Andrew Bergman, Richard made. Fu Panda" and adds "Star to send it.q
Ada Limón named the 24th U.S. poet laureate

ate, Ada Limón, has long 1-year term begins Sept. 29 our world with. They speak in Lexington, Kentucky —
thought of her work as a with the traditional reading of intimate truths, of the and are generally free to
public art form. at the Library's Coolidge beauty and heartbreak shape the position around
"I grew up with poetry be- Auditorium, one of the lau- that is living, in ways that their passions. "The Slow-
ing in the community," says reate's few formal obliga- help us move forward." down" podcast grew out
Limón, a native of Sonoma, tions. Limón, who succeeds The position was estab- of a project launched by
California. "It wasn't sup- Joy Harjo, is an award-win- lished in 1985, with other Tracy K. Smith when she
posed to just be something ning and unusually popular laureates including Louise served as laureate from
read on page; it was sup- poet, her acclaimed col- Glück, W.S. Merwin and 2017-2019.
posed be read out loud. I lection "Bright Dead Things" Rita Dove. Laureates re- Limón is known in part for
remember going to poetry selling more than 40,000 ceive a $35,000 stipend, her poems about nature
readings at the bookstore copies. She has published along with $5,000 for travel and hopes to give read-
where I worked when I was six books of poetry, most expenses, the funding origi- ings at parks and other set-
16. It's the oral tradition. recently "The Hurting Kind," nating not from the govern- tings that emphasize and
That part of poetry has al- and also hosts the podcast ment, but from a private celebrate our place in the
In this undated photo provid- ways remained true to me." "The Slowdown." gift made decades ago by world.
ed by the Library of Congress,
Ada Limón poses for a portrait On Tuesday, the Library of "Ada Limón is a poet who the philanthropist Archer M. "Poetry is a way of to re-
in Washington. Congress announced that connects," Librarian of Huntington. member our relationship
Associated Press the 46-year-old Limón had Congress Carla Hayden While the job is officially with the natural world is
been named the 24th U.S. said in a statement. "Her based in Washington, D.C., reciprocal," she says. "It's
By HILLEL ITALIE poet laureate, officially accessible, engaging po- the poets are not required having a place to breathe
NEW YORK (AP) — The called the Poet Laureate ems ground us in where to live there — Limón will and having a place to pay
country's next poet laure- Consultant in Poetry. Her we are and who we share mostly work from her home attention."q