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Reviews
Funny People (2009)
Squandered Potential. Unfortunate. Unfunny.
Dick and fart jokes can be funny. Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen have been funny in the past. Judd Apatow has done great things, especially with 40 year virgin (quality dick and fart jokes, hilarity, and emotions).
So what went wrong here? First, the movie is very long. I know, there is no one way or right way to do anything (especially any creative endeavor) - but this film had an extremely long (too long) running time for a comedy. Which leads me to my second point, was this a comedy? It wasn't funny; actually, it was more like a slice of life meets a depressing drama.
Actually, it was uncomfortable. I felt awkward watching it. Weird. Third, there are like-able 'bad' characters and likable 'good' characters in the cinema world - and this movie had something in between, either blah characters that were not engaging or characters who you downright disliked.
I got this movie as a loan from my library, so luckily I only wasted a lengthy chunk of time on it, not money. But I feel bad for anyone who saw the only two funny lines on the trailer and actually paid to see this. It was a major let down. And a blah, meh kind of bummer too.
South Pacific (1958)
Ambitious
I would recommend the soundtrack of this film far more than seeing the film itself. There are some really fun and catchy songs ("Wash that Man Right out of my Hair" and "There is Nothing like a Dame") as well as the provocative "You have to be Very Carefully Taught". The movie itself is very (way too) long, story too wide-spread, and it seems to be (clumsily) strung together only to incorporate the great songs, whose arrivals are generally awkward. The love story- it's hard to care about. Mitzi Gaynor was a cold fish. Mentally you wanted her to overcome her raised in a small town closed-mindedness, if nothing else to just give a chance to Emile's character- but there wasn't any romance you could feel. Cable and Bloody Mary's daughter's romance evoked more affection, strangely, since they barely spoke two sentences to each other.
The hazy color that would come on for every other song was bizarre; we wondered if it was an old worn out tape at first until the frequency of the occurrences cleared that up. I think the movie aimed admirably high and landed somewhere in the middle. I think the message is that love can be found anywhere, that it forms in the heart, mind and soul- and is not to be determined (or deterred) by skin color or nationality.
Worth seeing once.
Smart People (2008)
Smart Babble Wins No Points
Lisa Simpson is smart and often right about things. When she gets one-uped in the intelligence arena she usually sees is as an opportunity to learn and make new friends (of which she has few) like when she met the new girl at school who was younger, smarter and could also plays the sax- better. Or when she met Paul McCartney. But like I said, she's lonely, marooned by keen mind and opinions she can't restrain herself from having and vocalizing. Being smart isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Maybe that's the message the movie makers were going for in Smart People. Sure these people are smart- that's a given! (Is it?) But are they happy? No. They're miserable. They're flamboyant jerks. They're book smart, sure, maybe. But emotionally? No. Functionally? Not at all. The college professor can't even operate a condom. Gets a girl pregnant who he has only dated for a short time, each date ending in argument and hurt feelings and one or the other of the two calling the other "an asshole". So
Smart People, shouldn't't you keep the baby, get married and magically all will be well? You worry about what kind of life the kid will have.
This movie is bleak, depressing. The actors in it are all fine actors. Generally they all are in better movies. Like the Smart People in the movie they made poor decisions. Though they acted well in the movie, the movie was uneven, strangely unresolved, not a smart choice for my rental that night. There was one fun part, where in two of the characters get high and watch Mexican soap operas, laughing and interpreting zanily. But that can't carry the movie. If you want feel good-don't rent this. If you want clever- this has that, but it goes absolutely no where, and clever dialogue aside, much of what goes on is brainlessness, short term decision making, and audience frustration.
Sister Act (1992)
Nuns on the Run- Fun Movie
Ah, Sister Act
I am one of those new age types, you know, the kind of people who believe in laughter being the best medicine. So the other weekend I was sick, suddenly and unbearably. I could barely drag myself to the couch, where buried under tens of billions of blankets I shivered and pushed play on my remote. I had put Sister Act in because it's feel good, familiar and funny. I also have a crush on Kathy Najimy (the Voice of Mrs. Peggy Hill from TV's King of the Hill). Anyway, I drank fluids, watched sister act, laughed, cried just a little, and felt much better in no time.
So I recommend this movie. It's sort of a cookie cutter tale, identity shift results in personal growth for the main character- but having mobsters/goons, nuns, the witness protection program and the pope- spices it up a bit. And the music, some horrible, some beautiful, it's worth a listen, especially when Whoopi Goldberg turns the crappy choir (that probably used to repel church goers) into a modern and harmonized group (that brings new life to the church).
In a way this is a very time period specific kind of movie- which I always enjoy. I can't imagine it taking place at any other time than the late 80's/early 90's
(1992). The generic music that fills the background from time to time is very
21 Jump Street? Something
Of Coarse Kathy Najimy is wonderful in this film, as is Whoopi, and Maggie Smith- pre Hogwarts! How cool is that?
Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)
Succumb to the Merriment- By Jingo!
This is a brilliant movie! I would recommend it for the catch phrases alone! After viewing this movie only once (and just the other day), why-I've already absorbed the expressions "By Jingo!" and "Banana Oil!" into my lexicon-"thoroughly"! I can't wait until I'm screaming "Raspberries" without a second thought, or talking about "using the ol' bean" instinctively.
Two stories are weaved together seamlessly in this movie. One part of the equation deals with unaccompanied girls who have "nobody in the world-so sad" and their misadventures of being duped, drugged and then turned into "white slaves" in Chinatown. This side of the story is pretty outdated, stereotypical, and unenlightened in how it addresses the Chinese characters. The Chinese are "Orientals" in this movie (as opposed to real life, where rugs are oriental and people from China are, you know, Chinese), they all seem to know each other and be up to no good, their ringleader is portrayed by a woman who is a talented actress, but not Asian at all, though, she does have dark brown hair
I guess this movie is 40 years old, and you kind of need to roll with the punches and be tolerant if you're the type who despises intolerance, no matter how small the instances or casually it may be dealt out.
I like Mr. Magoo and it is the same thing if you can manage to find some of the old episodes of the show, Characters like Joe Jitsu- all Karate Chop and broken English. There was the English Cop who looked like a bull dog and I can't remember what, but something was off about him. Also there was Charlie, Mr. Magoo's houseboy- Wikipedia has this to say about him: "The character was prone to unusual misuses of English, such as referring to himself in the third person as "Cholley", and calling Mr. Magoo "Bloss" instead of "Boss". In the late 1960s, episodes featuring Charley were dropped from the series and his character was never mentioned again." If you can see past that- Magoo is a funny character, so adept for such a blind fool! Hilarity ensues!
Anyway, I lost focus- got off track. The other half of the story is more PC, and very enjoyable. It's all about Millie having a "plan" for love that gets messed up by her actual feelings,and outside events. It's about Millie becoming "thoroughly modern" and evolving in other ways as well. Her adventures, her eccentric friends, her undercover discoveries and trying to act cool around some prostitutes while accidentally setting off an entire where house full of fireworks. It is a fun and reasonably unpredictable story- you kind of know how it's going to end, but the path it takes there is delightfully winding and comically unusual.
Carol Channing is hilarious in this movie. It's really fun to see Mary Tyler Moore and Julie Andrews so fresh-faced and young. Julie Andrews voice is wonderful and there are some really cool dances to look forward to- especially at the Jewish wedding and the party scene featuring the spontaneous "tapioca" song and dance. James Fox plays an incredibly charming character that you can't help but fall for in one way or another. The ending has a song where there lyrics are displayed as it plays, the villains head bopping along like a ball to let you know when exactly to sing along. It's great. A surprising film, I'd never heard of it before, my mom used to love it and so I watched it for the first time last night. It is deep yet flashy, retro and yet modern, comedy, romance, drama, all rolled into one. See it!
Five Easy Pieces (1970)
Five Wasted Half Hours
This was a hard movie to watch and I would not recommend it to anyone that I know. I'm all for character studies, even of characters that are in one way or another hard to like. Amadeus comes to mind, as does American Splendor. The Lion In Winter is a character study of sorts, of the whole messed up royal family that movie portrays. TV's house is sort of a character study. But those examples had something that this movie did not. Depth.
Curmudgeons, jerks, petty people, you really don't have to like the main character to find a movie engaging. That being said, the main character in Five Easy Pieces was one I thoroughly did not like. Yes, he was a loner, but why? How did it initially come about? Hard as it was to watch him be such a jerk to his girl, she was probably ideal for him, since she let him treat her poorly, run off when he needed to, he screwed up- she apologized. Not my ideal, but it worked for them.
So? Still, I'm left cold as a viewer, wondering why anyone cares. And yes he can play piano. But he doesn't live the piano man's life and I guess there is supposed to be some conflict, but many people have talents they don't take to the next level, etc.
This movie was nothing special, if you ask me, other than a highly recommended and lengthy waste of time.
The Majestic (2001)
Jazzy hit for folks who value freedom, hope, and the triumph of good vs. evil
I loved this movie.
It has a cast of wonderful actors who you may recognize at a glance, but probably won't know by name. It has a enjoyable soundtrack, lots of lively jazz (up tempo with sparkling piano solos) and "Paper Doll" by the Mills Brothers plays at one point. The plot is solid; mainly feel good, though it makes a number of good points along the way. Bruce Campbell has a small cameo that is pretty fun. He plays a B-Grade actor in the movie with in a movie "Sand Pirates of the Sahara".
Back to the movie and why I liked it, nay loved it.
It speaks to the basic good in humanity. Jim Carrey plays a man who has no idea who he is and an entire town takes him in with open arms. They are pretty sure they know who he is, but nothing is definite. What he represents might mean more to these people than who he ultimately, truly is. A small town that has lost too many of their young men to the Second World War, the possibility that they have gotten one of their boys back gives them hope, heart, comfort, joy. He rejuvenates the whole town.
This movie also speaks to the darker sides of the human spirit.
It's a fearful time, especially to be anyone working in Hollywood. Jim Carrey plays a the part of a screenwriter who is wrongly accused of being a Communist, during the days of the Hollywood Blacklisting. His life as a movie man is most certainly over, he is innocent of the charges but may end up in jail- his only hope is to give an oath to tell the truth and then lie, calling others in his industry (many of whom he's never even heard of) communists. He is given a boiler plate "I __ name __ so that they may have the opportunity that I have had to purge myself of my communist ways". It's a witch-hunt atmosphere where fear feeds on itself and things can only get worse.
Jim Carrey is great in the movie. His character knows initially who he is, then he has amnesia, then he rediscovers who he is- only to find out that he is no longer the man he thought he was. Throughout the movie he has picked up some admirable qualities, strength, courage, conviction, wisdom, passion. Doing what Luke (the man he at one point thought he was) would do, he takes a stand against fear mongering, stands up to a very biased Congress, speaks truth, asks questions, and resolves not to let the bullies of the world take over. That's not the America people like his amnesiac doppelganger fought to defend.
It's a passionate picture and you can't help but to feel impassioned as you watch it. And at the end you feel good, like you have just won in a battle of good over evil. A very good movie.