redherring Reviews

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Shake yourselves awake, people....

[1/10 · 6 September 1999]

At the time that I am writing this, The Sixth Sense is ranked on IMDb as the 19th best film of all time. And I have seen little but positive comments about this movie. Please help me to understand this. This can't be the same movie I recently saw. I have read other users suggestions calling for an Oscar nomination for young Cole. If anyone in this entire cast receives an Oscar, I will know that the awards are fixed. Did anyone get the feeling that this movie is ONLY about the ending (not even an original one), and they were jerked around for an hour and a half previous just to get to the lame ending? How this movie can be considered one of the best movies of the year by some is far beyond me. This should have been an episode of an X-Files ripoff and not a full-length motion picture. Please don't misconstrue one or two "shock" gore scenes as scary OR intense. And the so-called "amazing" twist ending is not worth the price of admission. Although it does explain why Bruce Willis looks like he doesn't age.....

Notting Hill (1999)

Whoopsy-daisies...

[1 June 1999]

Just a quick comment. If Hugh Grant and his agent are intelligent, Hugh will keep rehashing his earlier hit "4 Weddings". Every reincarnation will be a box office and critical success. He just has to keep finding American actresses that find him irresistible. Prediction for the next film: Cameron Diaz. Although Ewan MacGregor may already have her locked up.

The Larry Sanders Show (1992–1998)

Larry would eat Conan O'Brien for breakfast

[26 April 1999]

Sufficiently skewers the late-night circuit. The most important names in 21st century comedy were on this show. Forget Seinfeld, this was the funniest show on TV of its time, because it felt so real. Can Garry Shandling ever do another show after this? He may have shot his career in the foot after exposing the true demons that run in entertainment circles. Devastatingly funny and will be influential to many. One of a kind. "I hate you, I hate my audience, I hate this network, I hate this job, I hate myself. So, your show is on Tuesdays at 8:30 on ABC, right? We'll be right back. Stay tuned."

Something Wild (1986)

It's better to be a live dog than a dead lion.

[26 April 1999]

What is this movie? A road picture, a thriller, a farce, a touching drama, a fish-out-of-water comedy, a love story. It's all of these things and a lot more. jeff daniels is charlie driggs, a wonderfully multi-dimensional "nice guy" whose life is just going by without a blip. he desires challenge, mystery, intrigue, passion. enter lulu (m. griffith). she whisks him away for a weekend which he will never forget, living carefree in the present, but never quite outrunning the past. Liotta as Ray, griffith's ex-husband, is absolutely amazing. His wrong-side-of-the-tracks ladykiller is psychotic but also the voice of reason. It's nice to dream of beauty and love, but there is a dark side which Ray's character reveals. All in all, a film which I have watched several times, always revealing new things, such as John Waters as the used-car salesman, John Sayles as the motorcycle cop and the Feelies as the high-school reunion band, who filled the musical gap left by the Velvet Underground......

Paris, Texas (1984)

Captivating, moving...whatever happened to Hunter?

[26 April 1999]

If cinematographer Robby Muller's fantastic view of the desert and of L.A. isn't enough to make you love this movie, the story will bowl you over. So much is said through silence and Shepard and Carson chose the dialogue carefully. This is a movie of lost people who struggle to find connections. Harry Dean Stanton delivers another just fabulous performance, and does a great impersonation of a "rich father". Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Ry Cooder's soundtrack that perfectly matches the desperation, loss and joy in the film. Whatever happened to Hunter Carson, who plays the little boy in the film? Perhaps his father, writer Carson, dissuaded his son against an acting career, but Hunter breaks your heart in this movie and can really act. Only a few child actors really have that ability, and then it's usually the directors or editors that pull the performance out of them. I'd put Hunter up against Henry Thomas in E.T., Lukas Haas in Witness, and Anna Paquin in The Piano anyday.

Albino Alligator (1996)

worth a look, but not the hype

[23 April 1999]

Spacey is so spectacular in the acting realm that I hope he gets the chance again to hone his skills at directing. Unfortunately, he didn't get it right the first time. The visuals work well, the acting is tolerable. However, even though the story provided some good ideas, these ideas were not fleshed out in characterization or action. It is a simple story with a few twists that could have been done more convincingly in another writer's hands. Also, I believe that a different edit of the film would have created a more boxed-in, no escape, hopelessness feel that was missing in this film. watching this film, it looks as if Dunaway wants to do so much more, but is stifled by the script. Dillon is unconvincing in his role. I wish he could look back to his earlier roles for some inspiration ("drugstore cowboy", "rumble fish", even "my bodyguard"). However I think this is only a stumble for him, not a downfall. And worst of all sins, Joe Mantegna is wasted in this film. Again, mostly I blame the script, which almost seems like a ripoff of "dog day afternoon", including the reference to media intervention. To assemble this crew of actors and use them so inefficiently is not good filmmaking. This film should be looked at by those interested in making a film, because it has the potential to be a lot more than it is. An admirable effort, but misses the mark.

Lost in America (1985)

a bird lives in a round stick

[3 March 1999]

i disagree with a previous comment. i don't think you need to be over 45 to appreciate this film. you just have to have the same fear that Brooks has in this movie: could i have caused the unhappiness that i feel because i made a bad choice with my life's direction? wonderful neurosis is portrayed, but backed up with a bit of pomposity, too. this is an overlooked film. catch it if you can.

Young Frankenstein (1974)

you take the blonde, i'll take the one in the turban.

[16 February 1999]

i have seen this movie repeatedly since its release in '74 and have memorized almost every joke in the thing. however, it still holds up after each viewing and i look forward to each new time i watch the film again. mel brooks and gene wilder's labor of love for the classic horror film is visually supreme. and the slapstick and double entendre (a staple in brooks movies) actually works in this text. the story is still maintained throughout the laughter. zaniness is held together by the thread of the shelley story and the james whale films. peter boyle has one of his best roles as the monster, fear-inducing, pitiful and hysterical at the same time. i can't imagine how much fun this picture must have been to make. highly recommended.

The World According to Garp (1982)

Garp bit Bonkie

[11 February 1999]

this is the only movie of robin williams' that i can sit through. in every other movie (too many to count), robin drops character more than once and becomes mr. lovable comedian. not because the script calls for it, but because i think he gets uncomfortable with acting and finds it easier to go back to his roots. even "good will hunting," where he is his most restrained in years. it helps that George Roy Hill is an amazing director, and that the story is odd enough that robin doesn't have to invent something weird to keep him interesting. glenn close and john lithgow are amazing in their roles. and robin is touching and funny without going overboard. a nice, quirky American classic. and who doesn't love the Beatles "When I'm 64"?

Get Shorty (1995)

the Cadillac of mini-vans

[10 February 1999]

cooler than cool. wonderful soundtrack. Barry Sonnenfeld really nailed it with this film. stylish, slick. the best movie about moviemaking since "the Player". best part: DeVito trying to get the look of the shylock. Elmore Leonard never had it so good. Travolta continues his return to cool. makes me wonder why H-wood lost him in the middle part of his career. (too many baby movies and "Staying Alive".) at least he is back.

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

2nd prize is a set of steak knives

[9/10 · 10 February 1999]

dark dark dark.....dog v. dog. if, for some reason, you ever doubted jack lemmon's talent (why would you?), this role, stands as one of his best. he is the true tragic hero, led to destruction by his own misguided hand. however, he has an office full of help. i know i have worked with each and every one of these characters, from alec baldwin to alan arkin. mamet's dialogue is delivered very well, instead of stilted, (e.g. Oleanna, American Buffalo). if you've ever tried to read a Mamet play as it is written, you'll understand how difficult that is. it is a movie that puts a knot in your stomach from start to close. it's a good knot though.

Evil Dead II (1987)

an experiment in messin with yr head

[10 February 1999]

silly, over-the-top, gruesome, and all in all, not a horror film. i loved it. raimi uses every device in the book, not just those in the horror genre like loud sound effects and the camera sweeping through the woods to signify the unseen terror. then he inserts the 3 stooges and a few pages from tex avery. suspension of disbelief is an absolute necessity, but who cares? don't you get tired of the same old s*** in horror movies? see this movie for what it is: farce. unfortunately for most horror fans, they usually stumble upon this movie by accident expecting great things from a movie called "evil dead 2". okay, be disappointed on the 1st viewing. after that, sit back and enjoy it with the rest of us. ash is laughing, why can't you?

Eraserhead (1977)

is that a baby or a salamander?

[10 February 1999]

i was a late-comer to Lynch's work. i saw the elephant man, scratched my head thru dune, marveled at blue velvet. then came twin peaks, which was wonderful for a season or two. rode the wild pony of wild at heart, even saw some redeeming value in fire walk with me. but i had never seen eraserhead. i just knew that i needed to. well, i've seen it. and now i'm thinking that maybe i need to see it again. HELLO, SYMBOLISM THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND AT ALL. i really want to like it but i don't know if i can. what does it all mean? should i even try to figure it out? the lady in the radiator, the worm in the drawer, the mounds of dirt, the amphibian-baby....HUH?!? i have read that it's a nightmare about parenthood. but throw us a bone once in a while, mr. lynch. it's like he doesn't want to let us in on his joke.

Blue Velvet (1986)

A candy colored clown they call the sandman.

[9 February 1999]

This film is quintessential Lynch. Light and dark, normal and warped. The sugar-sappiness of the town of Lumberton is contrasted by the depravity that Jeffrey sees and Dorothy and Frank inhabit. Jeffrey actually becomes a fragment of Frank even though he is repulsed by him. In fact, it is his curiousity and repulsion that draws him in.

More than one viewing of this film is required. Dean Stockwell is so suave . Honestly, this one is not for everyone, but a must for Lynch fans.

Stranger Than Paradise (1984)

I'm choking the alligator.

[8/10 · 9 February 1999]

Odd and inspiring. This film rings true with rich detail in its depictions of utter loneliness. Smoking many Chesterfields, watching television, playing solitaire, visiting Aunt Lottie, sightseeing at Lake Erie (for God's sake). It alters from tragic to comic from almost moment to moment, and often has a foot in both pools.

Jarmusch is minimalist to the core with this one, and yet manages to pull off a solid story. A small black and white gem that deserves a larger audience.

Slap Shot (1977)

Old-time hockey. Eddie shore, right, coach?

[8/10 · 9 February 1999]

Violence played for laughs in the game that is old-time hockey. The ensemble for this film is flawless, especially the goons and the Hansons. It is no small feat that this movie has lasted in hockey fans' hearts for over 20 years. Charlestown Chiefs jerseys are still worn in large numbers at big-league and minor-league games. You won't find a better hockey movie (forget the Mighty Ducks trilogy).