Miyagi Reviews

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966 TV Movie)

My theory on the Grinch

[7/10 · 15 May 2000]

I feel bad for the Grinch and wish he would've gotten away with stealing Christmas and here is why. The Grinch was once a citizen of Whoville, however, because he was "different" than the others he was kicked out of town and forced to live in a cave within shouting distance with only a scrawny dog to keep him company. Now, every year the Whos in Whoville would have fun together and sing songs, get and give gifts, and enjoy a huge meal of roast beast and the fixins, mocking the Grinch. This bothered the Grinch and year after year he grew more resentful and this triggered a chemical imbalance in his head, and depression set in. This chemical imbalance caused the Grinch to set his mind on revenge, which is what he almost accomplished until he realized that he was stealing Christmas from a whole new generation of Whos and in doing so he would be no better than the previous generation who banished him to the cave. The Whos accepted the Grinch out of fear as they saw the evil genious that he had become and they realized what he was capable of. Since then the Grinch has lived with the Whos, providing them with "protection" in return for their acceptance.

If you agree with my theory I'd love to hear from you.

Fight Club (1999)

A film worth seeing

[8/10 · 26 April 2000]

Fight CLub was a pleasant surprise. I'll be honest, when I first saw clips of this film I did not have any desire to watch it at all. However, I did wind up watching and am very happy to say that it was an excellent film. The storyline is great, a little confusing, but not so much that you'll miss stuff as long as you pay attention to the movie. The acting was great, Edward Norton reached the usual high standards that he has set from other fine performances. Brad Pitt also did an excellent job, although it really seems like he plays the same type of character in each film that he is in. The film had humor, action, suspense, and plenty of drama. I highly recommend Fight Club. 8/10

Mixed Nuts (1994)

As far as random, warm-hearted comedies go, this is one of the best

[7/10 · 13 January 2000]

First of all you should not be watching this film expecting some kind of message, or to walk away having learned something, what you should watch it for is a few good laughs. Adam Sandler in an early role is very funny. And of course, the late Madeline Kahn is also her usual hilarious self. The story line is very random, and you never know where it is going to take you. All I have to say to people who don't like this movie is lighten up and grow a sense of humor.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

I want two hours of my life back

[2/10 · 10 January 2000]

The Talented Mr. Ripley was probably one of the worst movies that I've seen in recent years. It was a blatant attempt at being an "artsy" movie, and an utter failure at that. The story line was long and dragged out and never got on track. I have been left with a million unanswered questions about this film, and to be honest, I'm not in any hurry to have them answered. Here are a few of my complaints:

1. Many of the scenes were totally unnecessary adding to the horrible length of the film.

2. There were references to homosexuality throughout the film, which would in itself not bother me, however, it was NEVER cleared up and left me feeling a little bit uncomfortable. (To understand what I mean by this see the film, on second thought don't waste your time and money.)

3. Gwyneth Paltrow was her usual bland self. Will she ever play someone again who is not either rich or British?

There were a few bright spots in the film, Matt Damon did fairly well in portraying a confusing and rather psycho, but somehow shallow character.

The scenery was beautiful

The jazz part of the soundtrack had a few tunes that even had this non-Jazz fan tapping his feet.

All in all I give this film a 2 of 10

Toy Story 2 (1999)

A very pleasant surprise

[9/10 · 10 January 2000]

I saw two movies this weekend. Toy Story 2 and the Talented Mr. Ripley. I liked Toy Story a lot. (To find out about Ripley check my comments) I saw the first Toy Story once and thought it was pretty cute, a little childish, which can be expected, but not bad. Toy Story 2 on the other hand was truly funny for children and adults. I just have to say that Toy Story 2 was a very enjoyable film and I recommend it to anyone. 8/10

Dogma (1999)

What are those catholics so mad about?

[9/10 · 29 November 1999]

I just saw this movie over the weekend. Being a huge Keven Smith fan I had to watch it. I think it is his best movie yet. Just barely edging out Clerks. It's a little bit Hollywood, but the comedy is still intelligent and has an edge. The acting was excellent, especially from Ben Affleck. Chris Rock isn't his usual annoying self either, very funny. I never pictured Salma Hayek playing in a Smith film, but she definitely did a great job fitting in. Smith himself stole the show with facial expressions so good that he didn't even have to speak. As far as the story line goes, it isn't like any other Smith film, but it does have moments that will remind you of his previous films. It definitely made me think about some of the issues with religion today. I highly recommend this movie.

Meet the Feebles (1989)

I love the muppets, but this spoof of them is a must see

[2/10 · 5 September 1999]

This movie is just beyond description. If you like REALLY bad movies I highly recommend it. It's only an hour and a half, but it seemed more like three. I don't know if that is bad or good, all I know is that no matter how God awful the beginning is, it is all worth it at the end to watch a rhino or some other puppet get taken out by a rampaging hippo with a heavy machine gun.

The Pom Pom Girls (1976)

I Wasted Two Hours of My Life Watching This Film

[5 September 1999]

This is probably one of the earliest and worst attempts at high school toilet humor. The day after my high school graduation we had a party and my friend Kristi picked Pom Pom Girls out. It was awful. I like to watch bad movies sometimes, but this was beyond bad.