ActJef1077 Reviews

The Godfather (1972)

What else can be said?

[10/10 · 25 June 2003]

What else can be said about this cinematic masterpiece that has not been said a million times? What exactly is it about this movie that ranks it the #1 movie of all-time on many lists, including imdb.com's list? It isn't just the plot. While masterful, I have seen better plots before. Not many, of course, and not better by much, but there still are a couple. It's not just the acting. Again, I am hard pressed to think of better performances, but there are a few out there. I will say that Brando's acting, Pacino's, Caan's, Duvall's, Keaton's, and so many others all mixed together were awesome. But it's not only the way each one acts, but also the way each one acts off the others. But still, the acting alone could not make this movie #1. The cinematography, the lighting, the sound, the musical score, all these were terrific, but none of them made this movie. So then, what DOES make this movie what it is? I would say that it is taking all of these elements together and breathing life into them. Rather than simply being a voyeur, watching all the action from the outside, the viewer is thrust into the middle of it. He becomes surrounded by the action and to a certain extent becomes part of the Corleone family. And as the movie races towards its climax, the viewer is pulled emotionally at every turn, forcing hatred towards good people, love towards evil people, respect for those who do not deserve it, and ultimately a great deal of sympathy for a man who rules with an iron fist and seems to be too concerned with his own well-being to care about the feelings of anyone else. And yet, at the same time, we see that he does care, and he does feel, and he does love. There is a tremendous feeling of family in this movie, a great sense of belonging. And I believe that is the secret to this movie. The viewer is not left on the outside, but brought inside warmly to share the innermost thoughts and feelings of men he might normally avoid and fear. And the viewer learns a profound secret by watching this movie: There is no greater desire than the desire to belong, to be a part of something, no matter what that something may be; and this desire will be ultimately fulfilled no matter how much it is ignored or resisted. Underneath it all, we are all the same.

Magical Mystery Tour (1967 TV Movie)

No, you didn't miss something; it's supposed to be like that

[5 May 2003]

I've been a Beatles fan since I was about 11 years old. I'm now 21. I just finished watching this film for the second time, and felt a need to comment. I first saw Magical Mystery Tour several years ago. I thought it was the biggest piece of crap I'd ever seen. But then I went through my teens and emerged on the other side a completely different person. I was turned on by some friends to Monty Python a few years back, and can't help but notice the striking similarities. Even Neil Innes shows up in both MMT and most Monty Python films. Perhaps it was just me, but John looked strangely like Eric Idle in the spaghetti sequence. By the way, the others were correct by warning not to eat while watching this scene. But the look on John's face is absolutely priceless. I snickered when I heard the name Bloodvessel. It seemed so... Pythonian. But I couldn't help laughing aloud when he announced his first name was Buster. The plot was extremely weak, when it was even present that is, the cinematography was bizarre, the acting was subpar, and the humor was barely there. That being said, I thought this film was incredible. Teriffic? No. As good as A Hard Days' Night? Not even close. But it was simply... astounding. You don't have to be on drugs to enjoy this film, though it probably wouldn't hurt. You do have to have an open mind and a liking for the superreal. Some people have noted it wasn't very surreal. I agree. I thought it was superreal, exaggerated colors, strange noises, etc. Among the best moments: Paul's glassy-eyed stare right at the end of Fool on the Hill's instrumental break, Victor Spinetti's ramblings, the Flying sequence, the entire I Am the Walrus section, John's interaction with the young girl, George playing a chalk piano, and the camera overlays in Blue Jay Way. 7 of 10.

To Grandmother's House We Go (1992 TV Movie)

Terrific! The Olsens' 1st & still a classic!

[10/10 · 5 April 2003]

I don't care what anyone else says about this movie. I loved it when I was 10, and I love it now. The Olsen girls are so talented and absolutely adorable. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a moron, no exceptions. Jerry Van Dyke and Rhea Perlman give wonderful performances as the two crooks. And the cameos by Saget and Loughlin only put the icing on the cake of this lovely, funny, adorable, fun-filled show.

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968–2001)

Goodbye Mr. Rogers

[4 March 2003]

Fred McFeely Rogers. A brilliant man. In a time when children were largely ignored (and even feared at times by adults) this man had the good sense to realize one simple fact: children are people too! I am 20 years old and I am PROUD to claim that I watched Mr. Rogers every day growing up. All I watched when I was little was Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, and Today's Special. Those were children's shows that made a child feel good. Unlike the wave of horrible children's shows that came in a few years ago (any show ending with -mon comes to mind), these shows were real. Mr. Rogers was real. You could almost believe that he really was your neighbor. He seemed like the kind of man you would see every day. But there was a huge difference: he loved and cared about children. Mr. Rogers has taken a lot of flack for his feelings towards children. How sad is it that feelings such as kindness, love, and sympathy are regarded with suspicion? Despite hundreds of attacks, despite cries of "pedophile" or "child raper", this man never wavered in his beliefs. He never backed down from what he felt was right. Some people (including 1 person on here) have wondered about the origin of the name McFeely. Well, I will tell you. It's not a hidden reference to a supposed desire to "feel" children. McFeely is his middle name, his mother's maiden name, and his maternal grandfather's name. His grandfather was responsible for some of Mr. Rogers' trademark lines: "I like you just the way you are", among others. Some people may know the song "Mr. Rogers" by Korn. Jonathan Winters, the lead singer and songwriter, screams at him "I hate you!" "I wish I never would have watched you" and "child f----r" to name a few. The reason Winters had so much hostility towards him is that as a child when he heard Mr. Rogers' kind words, he thought it meant that if you were nice to people, they would be nice to you. He thought everyone in the world was like Mr. Rogers. Unfortunately, he was wrong, and Winters was molested on many different occasions by a neighbor. Very sad, yes, but he was only projecting his anger onto this kind man. I think even Winters realizes that he really doesn't blame Fred Rogers for what happened to him. In conclusion, I'd just like to say thank you to Fred Rogers for giving so much of yourself to us and asking so very little in return. God bless you, Mr. Rogers, and my prayers go out to his family and friends.

The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley: The Case of the Logical i Ranch (1994 Video)

Absolutely Adorable

[10/10 · 7 October 2002]

The 2nd in a series of adventure videos starring the Trenchcoat Twins made me wish I was a little kid again. As hard as I tried not to, there were a few times when I caught myself thinking `That's so juvenile.' But, I mean, of course it was juvenile. After all, Mary-Kate and Ashley were 8 when this came out. I imagined myself being 8 years old and watching this video on Saturday morning over a plate of pancakes, and I realized how perfect it was. It was 30 minutes of pure fun. There were several times when I actually laughed. The singing, while not worthy of a Grammy, was more than enough to keep children entertained. And that's the goal of all this. To everyone who complains that these movies are terrible because they have no plot or the acting isn't straight from Juliard or whatever, you've completely missed the point. These movies weren't made for you. They were made for 2 reasons. 1, they are to entertain young children. 2, they are something that Mary-Kate and Ashley enjoyed doing. And they succeeded at both tremendously.

Full House (1987–1995)

I miss these days

[24 May 2002]

I was born in 1982. I grew up on shows like "Full House." Kids need TV shows like this again. Instead, they're watching that soft porn anime crap and pokemon and junk like that. Yes, the plots were kind of contrived. Yes, it was syrupy sweet. Yes, it was predictable. The typical story line was one or more of the girls gets in trouble, Joey acts more immature than Michelle, Danny goes up to the girls room and says "I know it's been tough since Mom died," the violins start, and then they hug and live happily ever after. But I loved it. And I still love it. It's so sad that TV shows like this would never survive a month now. Now, sex sells, even to little kids.

Celebrity Boxing (2002 TV Special)

Terrible, even for Fox

[1/10 · 22 May 2002]

I watched this. It was like watching a train wreck. Absolutely horrific, but I could not tear my eyes away. I felt like I was literally watching the last lingering shred of Fox's dignity and integrity being destroyed. I can't believe they're actually doing Celebrity Boxing II. This was not only degrading and stupid, but it was completely boring. There were like 10 punches thrown the entire 30 minutes. Complete waste of my time.

Passport to Paris (1999 Video)

Really cute, even for an Olsen movie

[10/10 · 22 May 2002]

All Olsen movies are cute. Even if you don't care for the Twins themselves, you have to admit they're cute for kids. But I thought this was one of the cutest of their more recent films. The girls were adorable, as were their outfits. The supporting characters were very good. I especially enjoyed François Giroday's character of Henri. And this movie has their first on-screen kiss, which was absolutely precious. Great movie!