mr_hypocrite Reviews

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)

Brilliant Dark Comedy

[1 November 2004]

People that don't like this movie, don't GET this movie. It is a joke. Yes, Stretch screams waaay too much but Dennis Hopper's over-the-top performance is brilliant. Chop Top has some of the best lines EVER in film.

"What is this? The Rambo III soundtrack?"

"It's a hit, it's a gas it's . . . Nam-Land!!"

And how about the father? "It's a dog-eat-dog world and

from where I'm sitting, there just ain't enough dogs!"

I own the DVD of this film. It is a horror-comedy! Watch it again and be ready to laugh.

Countdown to Looking Glass (1984 TV Movie)

Realistic, scary Nuke Scenario

[9 January 2004]

"The Day After" tried to scare us with it's vision of nuclear horror. It failed. But "Countdown To Looking Glass" worked because it fictionalized the events leading up to a nuclear conflict. You basically watch it like you were watching CNN coverage of a Middle East crisis (except you get a little bit more omniscience.) It was made in 1984 yet I can still remember scenes from it. Scott Glenn's live shots from an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf were so much like Peter Arnett, John Holliman and gang broadcasting from the Al-Rasheed hotel in Baghdad during the first invasion of Iraq. The film doesn't appear to be on DVD which is a shame. This film perfectly captured my fears of nuclear war at this time (I was 18.)

Gladiator (2000)

Matte Painting Festival

[6/10 · 8 January 2001]

Why do people think it is so good? It was fair. It was obviously an elaborate production but I was not overwhelmed by the set design or the action sequences. The story was mundane. Maximus might as well have been Moses (born to privilege, cast out by a ruler, returns to exact revenge and free a nation.) Russell Crowe and River Joaquin Phoenix were good but no one else was. The grand scale shots of the coliseum or any part of Rome were obviously matte paintings (painfully obvious.) I don't think I could watch it again from beginning to end, there were too many dull moments. When fair actors speak bland lines I nod off.

I did enjoy the fact that Maximus' (Maximi?) servant was played by Tommy Flanagan (big scar on his face) who's most recent other role was playing the father in "Ratcatcher". How many of the millions of people who saw "Gladiator" saw "Ratcatcher" ?

The Golden Girls (1985–1992)

Quentin Tarantino as Elvis!

[13 March 2000]

I hated this show. But there I am on March 12, 2000, flipping channels when I stop on this repeat for some reason. One of those old ladies is getting married and there are about a dozen Elvis impersonators there. Then they all get up and sing and do the "Elvis" moves. One guy in the back looks familiar. I think, "Hey, that looks like Quentin Tarantino." Sure enough, in the credits, there he is. This must've been when he was still a video clerk. The cosmic forces that had to come together to have me stop on this show and recognize him are quite spooky. Because I really hated this show.

The Insider (1999)

Best Picture of 1999

[9/10 · 1 March 2000]

Let me start off by saying that i don't like Michael Mann. I thought "Heat" was a long, boring waste of my time and I never liked "Miami Vice". That is why it is with great surprise that I announce that "The Insider" is the best film of 1999. I won't get too much into it, but this film tells a riveting story with great acting. It is well written and beautifully filmed. The cinematography by Dante Spinotti is outstanding. he worked on "L.A. Confidential" which had a great look as well. If we think of cinematography as the use of light in film (which is what it is), then this film gets it just right. The scene that really stuck with me was when Pacino is sitting in the hotel lobby waiting for Russell Crowe. The shadows in that lobby just lend a whole mysterious tone to their meeting and the way Pacino's whole face is in the dark except for his searching eyes is wonderful. This film is what a best picture should be: great story, great acting, great technical work. Like "Titanic" except that didn't have a great story or great acting. It also has a great group of smaller role actors which lend it a richness so many other films lose because they focus too much on the stars. Phillip Baker Hall, Christopher Plummer and Bruce McGill (forever D-Day in "Animal House") are just a few of the names that add to the greatness of this film. Whod've thought Michael Mann could pull this off? Not me. Thanks to the Academy for forcing me to see this film.