Jacob Two-Two is an interesting book series about a young boy named Jacob, nicknamed Jacob Two-Two because as the youngest member in a family with 5 kids he tends to need to repeat himself for people to pay attention to him.
Jacob Two-Two is an interesting book series about a young boy named Jacob, nicknamed Jacob Two-Two because as the youngest member in a family with 5 kids he tends to need to repeat himself for people to pay attention to him.
The series started in 1975, written by Mordecai Richler, the first book is called "Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang" the names of kids in the family in the story are of his real-life kids. In order, Daniel, Marfa (his daughter's real name is Martha so, the only name change), Noah, Emma, and Jacob. The book was a best-seller and this of course meant that it didn't take long for this first book to make it to the movie world and I mean the cinema, not a television movie.
The series started in 1975, Ok fine that joke would be much for you to read and for me to write because I didn't copy and paste, so yeah. Let's take a look at this movie from 1978.
It starts with Jacob trying to do something and it jumps to Marfa watching some wrestling and her telling him that wrestling will scare him because of he so young and the other siblings and his mother say he's too young and goes on. Jacob requests to do an errand and his father seems receptive to this and lets him go get some ice cream for after dinner. Oh, this starts the credit sequence and the theme music which is uhh interesting.
Jacob is now at the store where the shop keeper doesn't like that Jacob repeating himself as his normal prerogative. He thinks Jacob should be arrested and this causes the boy to run the cop tries to call him back saying he was only teasing him but Two-Two is long gone. Jacob hides in some fallen leaves and falls asleep in them because running is tiring. Then he imagines that he is in prison. (This town also executes their litterers)
Not saying sorry, that's automatic life sentence
He also has a lawyer in the dream named Mr.Loser. (Uhhhh, that's not a winning name) That's right this is Canadian court so, Jacob is going down. I do love off the all imaginative scenes and this one is that. It shows what Jacob's view of the world is at his young age. He dreams that his brother and sister and their group child power come and try to help, but he ends up in still sentenced to 2 years, 2 months, 2 weeks, 2 days, 2 hours, and 2 minutes to prison. (What?) Child Power! gives him a jewel to find child cruelty in the children's prison to help him out. (Canada's legal system is weird.) Jacob is now transported to the children's prison by a couple named Mistress Fowl and Master Fish. (Uhh sure) They take an escalator to the prison (waht?) while telling him scary stories on the way to 1970's groovy prison or an old Doctor Who set. Finally, they make to Children Prison Island. (The Fantasy Island spin-off you didn't know you wanted)
Pictured: LA in 1975
Finally, they make to Child Prison Island. (This line is still as strange as my writing, Alf goes to a strip club, but it's cutting it close) Now Jacob meets the Hooded Fang. (roll credits? The Hooded Fang also gets a song, yes this movie has a bunch of little songs in it. H.F says he hates kids because when he was a wrestler everyone feared him but then a kid said he was funny and now people didn't feel fear anymore. Jacob says he feels bad because he feels that he's a nice man. Uhh not helping your case, Jacob.
You're not Batman!
The child prison has some examples of child cruelty already, like threatening to feed children to snakes for a stomach ache. Also some green things start slumping through because it's that kind of movie. They also give children rotten apples. Jacob is ending up with the harden criminals in the maximum security section. (Oooh my) They give him dinner of water and stale bread. Jacob finds a note that says "You have a friend" and they also left candy.
Jacob goes to sleep. Another song because yes. A man in a fur coat wakes him up he's Mr.Fox , a guard. (He doubles as a pimp.) Then he tells Jacob that he has to get a uniform but first take a shower which is in the freezer what am I watching? Also Fantastic Mr.Fox finds the jewel and takes it thinking it's well a jewel (fits his fur coat) There's a party and Jacob meets all the other prisioners who are gray because the smog outside blocks out the sun. (Gray-t)
Uhhh help!
The Hooded Fang shows up they are there to honor Mr.Fox for his Rotten to Children Award. (Watch them live on FOX every June) Mr.Fox is leaving to the city with the jewel and that means the tracker in the jewel will not let Child Power! find the prison. Meanwhile, Child Power! are having a hard time finding the jewel but now because Mr. Fox network is in the city sabotaging toys (why not?). They figure out that it's not Jacob they leave dejected and they think he drowned. (This movie is dark.) Meanwhile not drowned Jacob has to work making smog. (So he's going to drive a 1976 AMC pacer) Jacob still wonders who the person giving him candy is as well.
Oh gray-t
Meanwhile, the Hooded Fang complains to his mother that Jacob is getting to him, he thinks to break Jacob's spirit by making Jacob say a different number than 2. Oh, and Jacob is getting grayer. Hooded's attempts don't work and Jacob tries to convert him to two-two ism. (a new religion has been created) Fang says he's going to feed Jacob to two sharks. (over kill) Jacob decides to create a way to escape. Jacob decides to write a letter to Child Power!
Dear Child Power! this gray disguise won't confuse the sharks
Fang gives Jacob is last meal before he is fed the sharks. He tries to get Jacob to scream once but Jacob says he knows that the fang isn't horrible and mean. Jacob also says he figured out that it was Fang who's been giving candy to him. Jacob says that he will hug and kiss the fang unless he makes a deal. (This movie has taken a different unexpected turn) The deal is to give the letter he wrote to Child Power! At first, Hooded says no but then Jacob hugs and kisses him causing him to agree.
I see.
Child Power! Got the letter and looks for Mr. Fox (Sports) and something happens.
This is how you capture a fox
Whatever that was they do defeat him and he agrees to help them find the island , where they will poison the crocodiles. (PETA hates this movie) Mr. Fox tries to taunt Child Power ! while, Jacob starts helping the other prisioners escape. Also, slimeball canons , and I think Mr.Fox is dead. (this movie has a high kill count) Then the kids help the sun show up and all the prison workers but Fang are blinded and the green monster things die. (Again, this movie kills alot) Child Power! finds out that he did great work. Also Jacob has only been saying things once because people are listening to him now. Hooded Fang is reformed and oh yeah it was a dream. Jacob wakes up his family had found him (they must have a tracker on him) and they walk away happy.
Share a Coke together
Fun fact, Emma/The Intrepid Shapiro was played by Richler's real daughter, Marfa (not the daughter she is named after).
It's not best acted movie and it's a little strange but I can't say it wasn't enjoyable to me. It's so over the top because of the dream that it fits and really makes it a fun and entertaining movie. It was nothing of what I was expecting and I barely knew what I was expecting in the first place. Some of the strange things were like the songs they were at least short where they individually weren't annoying but could get annoying on how many of them were but, it's not a musical in the sense where the characters are breaking out in song just kind of background song to fit the scene.
The Jacob actor is alright, but I have to say he makes it feel more genuine take what that means in your own mind. I'm not going to compare it to the book it's based off of, since that's not usually what I do anyway. I love how the actors ham it up in this movie ,and it's slightly dark edge is amazing really it's pretty much a prison movie but with kids with some tweaks. I think you should check this movie out if you have an hour and 20 minutes and want ot watch something a little old and strange.
Anyway, Jacob Two-Two appeared in a few more books, this movie also got remade in the 90's and in the 2000's an animated cartoon that ran on YTV in Canda, first aired in the US on Telemundo in Spanish then when Ion Media and NBC Universal made a television block called Qubo it appeared on NBC and I (later Ion Television) and ;ater on the Qubo television channel.
That's our lookback tune in next time when, we wonder if this movie was actually our dream and this blog post doesn't actually exist. This blog post doesn't actually exist.
The poster is kind of cool though.
There's a bonus after the jump
As a bonus here's Mordecai and the real life Jacob talking about the book with the CBC in the 1970's.
https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/jacob-two-two-meets-the-hooded-fang
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