"The Terminal" (2004) and a fantasy sponsored by Burger King

 

Oh sure- in 2004, a hamburger at an airport terminal Burger King cost 74 cents.  Of course it did.  And a full meal including a Whopper, salad, fries and a drink cost what looks like five dollars in quarters- uh huh, sure I totally buy that. 

Come on.  I've been in plenty of airports over the years.  The prices are ridiculously inflated- after all, you're limited in your options, you're traveling, you're either in a hurry or you're stuck waiting for a delayed flight but (like Tom Hanks' character here) you really can't leave to seek cheaper facilities elsewhere.  It's like eating in a sports complex- you take what you can get and you pay what they want to charge.  

This scene exists because Hanks' character had three quarters and Burger King threw money at the producers.  This being the case, it would hardly do to have the cashier turn a very hungry Tom Hanks away because he (obviously) lacked sufficient funds to buy ANYTHING on the menu- that would have been right up there with burning an American Flag.  I mean, this is Forrest Gump and Captain Miller- he fought in Vietnam AND World War II!  And when Hanks' character has five dollars, he's going to go right back there to Burger King where, instead of getting that hamburger and MAYBE a small soda, he's going to be handed what would cost $15 at a typical strip mall Burger King or closer to $25 at an airport terminal BK.  

The only realistic part is that Hanks keeps rushing back to BK several times over the course of the day to ravenously gulp down the garbage they serve up there- because the stuff is highly palatable, hyper-processed, low-nutrient and extremely addictive Nothing that will leave anyone extremely hungry within hours after consuming it.  Hanks being trapped in that terminal for months is kind of a metaphor for the rest of Burger King's customers, except they can't see the walls they've created for themselves with every trip to the Drive-Thru. 

Who- or what- is Orbit afraid of?

 

Notice how interracial couples have basically become the norm in commercials EXCEPT when it comes to Asians?  We've reached the point when I am genuinely surprised to see an all-white or all-black couple, and homosexual couples don't merit the bat of an eye.  But whenever I see an Asian guy in a commercial who is part of a couple, I know the other half of the relationship is going to be an Asian girl.  It never fails. 

Why is that?  Is it the same reason why every blockbuster film includes a Chinese actor (who is always one of the good guys?)  Something to do with a rather large market on the other side of the planet that we must avoid offending with our Crazy Western Sensibilities?  Just a thought. 

The Fox Bet Super 6 Something To Do Before the Next Powerball Drawing Insult

 

A few weeks ago I snarked on the concept of commercials promoting gambling addiction.  Well, here's Fox's NFL programming offering a fix by giving viewers a chance to win a million dollars from everyone's favorite brain-damaged ex-Quarterback It's Ok To Laugh At* He Doesn't Mind It's Basically Been His Job for More than Half his Life. And it's never been entertaining.  

*I can honestly say I've never once laughed at Terry Bradshaw.  Not because I was taught it was rude to laugh at the obviously disabled, but because Terry Bradshaw has never once done or said anything that struck me as remotely funny.  Go figure. 

Taco Bell Knows Americans

 

And what is it that Taco Bell knows about Americans?  That it's all about Quantity, not Quality.  That's why these commercials focus on cost, not taste.  Taco Bell is well aware that its customers will never rave about the actual taste of the "food" they are shoveling into their mouths (the food which is gradually killing them, but yeah keep answering that bell, America.)  What keeps them coming back (besides the addictive nature of the calories they are consuming) is the price.  Taco Bell is all about providing increasingly large amounts of fat, sugar and carbs for the least amount of immediate damage to one's wallet (of course, over time this type of diet is EXTREMELY expensive, because the food is not at all filling and, as pointed out early, very addicting....plus there are the medical bills coming down the road, because seriously, your body can't do this forever....)  Busy, lazy, and/or poor Americans aren't interested in an actual dining experience featuring actual nutrition.  They ARE interested- or, again, ADDICTED TO- fast calories that stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain short-term.  The crash that comes later?  Well, that's just another bell going off telling them to go get more.  Win-win for Taco Bell, Lose-Lose for the rest of us. 

And here's the kicker- the more stressed and economically marginalized the country gets, the better Taco Bell- truly the Dollar Store of fast food- does in blowing past its profit projections.  More stock is sold at a higher price, and the money can be used to make more commercials and draw in more hungry dupes.  Talk about a vicious cycle....

Coca Cola Cringe

 

I have to give a rare Shout Out to one of the YouTube commenters reacting to this garbage- it's the one who posts "Guyssss you keep getting in my shots!  How am I gonna be cringe and unoriginal on tiktok if you won't let me finish?"

Yes, exactly. This girl doesn't need privacy and time to create something of value. She just wants to jump around for a few seconds in the hopes of going viral or whatever the Zoomer Generation calls it. And she's repeatedly thwarted by her idiot family and friends who are just going about their everyday activities- ordering junk "food" to be delivered because preparing meals is something the uncool old fogies did back in the day.

I hope I'm not triggering this girl by suggesting that maybe the universe is trying to tell her something with all of these interruptions- like, put the phone away, put the light away, and go be part of that family you share a house with instead of working so hard to make a fool of yourself in front of the planet. Just a thought. Oh, and skip that huge cup of diabetes your parents purchased for you Because They Love You. They meant well, it's the thought that counts, and if you wait till they leave the room before pouring it down the drain they'll be none the wiser.

I don't see a can anywhere in this Yummy Can Potatoes ad. Just one huge Can't which is a deal-breaker.

 

My goal in life is to someday be as happy about ANYTHING as this woman is about being able to "bake" potatoes in her microwave.  Seriously, now this is a woman who set the bar very, very low and is better off because she did. 

I notice that the word "crisp" is not heard anywhere in this ad, and if this thing can't produce baked potatoes with crispy skin- and it can't- it's not anything I'm interested in.  That gigantic piece of steak they are being served with looks very nice, though.  

And I find it very funny that the last thirty seconds of this ad isn't about the product, but just a few of the amazingly tasty ways that one could prepare potatoes.  Sour cream and chives?  Butter and salt?  Quick, let me write these down!

4imprint.com's "Moment" we all tolerate out of a false sense of obligation.

 

Watch this commercial without the sound on, and see if you don't come up with exactly the same conclusions that I did:

Girl carrying the basket:  "I can't believe it's come to this.  I had hopes and dreams.  I was going to have a great career.  For a while I thought I was gonna be an engineer* even!  And look at me now- in my late 20s, with a Master's Degree, carrying a basket of cheap disposable garbage with some soulless company's name on it across the room to give to someone who will probably chuck it into the nearest trash can as soon as my back is turned."

Girl receiving the basket: "Oh god, what is with it with these companies and their insistence on sending people off with crap with their logo on it?  Like I don't have enough umbrellas that break with the first rain or travel mugs that make coffee taste funny and leak and end up sitting in the cupholder for a year because I never remember to bring it inside or sitting in the break room because I never remember to put it back in the car or ugly pullovers I wouldn't wear if I was freezing to death.  And a whole damn BASKET full of this trash?  Maybe the basket has some utility.  How far do I have to carry the contents before I find a dumpster big enough to ditch it in?"

I do appreciate the fake frozen smiles on both of these women at least.  They look seriously deranged, or at least like they both know the other is playing a stupid role in a charade they'd rather skip but can't because this is still a weird ritual businesses go through for some reason. 

*shoutout to Peggy Seeger.