To be fair, this was not a bad movie. It was a decent movie. But it is nowhere near as good as T1 and T2 and it untied what I thought was a very good, clean, well tied-off ending to T2. They made two good movies that told a good story and had a near-perfect ending and they should have left it alone. But, Hollywood is all about making money, and for a few million dollars they were willing to undo that ending and create a new one that was rather unsatisfying and makes you look back with skepticism on the efforts of the futuristic characters of the first two movies. I really wish they'd just left it alone after T2 and never made this one.
Reviews
8 Reviews
The Big Lebowski
(1998)
Most unique, most funny comedy I've seen
19 May 2009
Possibly the funniest movie I've ever seen. Perfect character development and acting combined with an out-there but flawlessly-interwoven series of plots are the perfect combination for laughs. I can't get enough of this movie, and neither will you.
This story follows three bowling buddies- Lebowski aka "The Dude" (Jeff Bridges), an aging burnout hippie with a carefree, laidback manner; Walter (John Goodman), a large Vietnam War veteran who approaches his daily life and philosophy as if he were still at war; and Donnie (Steve Buschemi), a dimwit follower placed mostly for comic relief. A case of mistaken identity gets the three caught up in the aftermath of a kidnapping, and watching their antics as they try to sort their way through the situation is as funny a thing as I've seen.
I think the beauty in this movie is that there don't have to be any jokes or actual attempts to be funny to produce a laugh. The characters, just by being themselves, make the movie funny. Every scene where they're in the bowling alley talking to each other- there's no joke or attempt at humor, just a burnout, a dimwit, and a gun toter with post-traumatic stress disorder sitting there talking for five minutes, and I die laughing. Heck, there doesn't even have to be dialog! The scene where Lebowski is driving down the road smoking a roach- two minutes go by from start to end without an intelligible word of dialog, and I must have laughed 3 times. Or his reaction to being forced in the limo ("Watch out, there's a beverage here!"). He was being serious, and that by itself made it funny. Just by being themselves, the characters are funny and hence the movie is funny. Well, that and a few well-placed dream sequences!
If you haven't seen this movie, drop what you're doing and run to the video store. You are in for a treat.
This story follows three bowling buddies- Lebowski aka "The Dude" (Jeff Bridges), an aging burnout hippie with a carefree, laidback manner; Walter (John Goodman), a large Vietnam War veteran who approaches his daily life and philosophy as if he were still at war; and Donnie (Steve Buschemi), a dimwit follower placed mostly for comic relief. A case of mistaken identity gets the three caught up in the aftermath of a kidnapping, and watching their antics as they try to sort their way through the situation is as funny a thing as I've seen.
I think the beauty in this movie is that there don't have to be any jokes or actual attempts to be funny to produce a laugh. The characters, just by being themselves, make the movie funny. Every scene where they're in the bowling alley talking to each other- there's no joke or attempt at humor, just a burnout, a dimwit, and a gun toter with post-traumatic stress disorder sitting there talking for five minutes, and I die laughing. Heck, there doesn't even have to be dialog! The scene where Lebowski is driving down the road smoking a roach- two minutes go by from start to end without an intelligible word of dialog, and I must have laughed 3 times. Or his reaction to being forced in the limo ("Watch out, there's a beverage here!"). He was being serious, and that by itself made it funny. Just by being themselves, the characters are funny and hence the movie is funny. Well, that and a few well-placed dream sequences!
If you haven't seen this movie, drop what you're doing and run to the video store. You are in for a treat.
Men at Work
(1990)
Close to as bad as a comedy gets
13 May 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of those movies that I watch every time it's on not because I like it, but because it's so bad I can't take my eyes off it (like "Battlefield Earth" or "3000 Miles to Graceland"). The first time I watched I kept waiting and waiting and waiting to laugh and didn't get my chance until about 3/4 of the way through the movie when they strip the harassing cops to their undies and handcuff them in the park in a unflattering position. Beyond that, the jokes aren't funny, the characters aren't funny, their mishaps and missteps aren't funny...add it up, it's not a very funny movie! Not even at a slapstick level! And what's with the reggae soundtrack? It's a movie about two white garbagemen and the music is all reggae. Seems out of place, don't it? If you like a good trainwreck, this is for you. If you like a good comedy, look elsewhere.
The Cable Guy
(1996)
Not funny, just annoying
12 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I've read a lot of good reviews for this movie, and I'm wondering what I'm missing. Jim Carrey's Chip Douglas is one of the more annoying movie characters this side of Jar-Jar Binks. The "Porno Password," pick-up basketball game, and karaoke party scenes were almost unwatchable because of Carey's irritating, over-the-top, and not at all funny performance. The only time I laughed was the scene where Broderick's character tells Carey (who has an obvious lisp) that his brother is a speech therapist, to which Carey cluelessly responds, "So?" Other than that, the movie was a major letdown. It's just not funny and if I were you I wouldn't waste my time with it.
Truly superior...the best of the prequels
23 May 2005
This movie turned out to be fantastic. I am one of the fans of the old Star Wars movies who has been skeptical about these new ones, but this movie was extremely enjoyable and definitely the best of the three prequels (and for that matter, maybe better that Return of the Jedi, the weak link in the original three). It ties everything in very well and sets the table almost perfectly for Episodes 4-6. I guess my only complaint is the same I have with the other prequels: overkill with the computer graphics. I know special effect technology has come a long way since "A New Hope" but the graphics, especially in the battle scenes, actually seem more realistic in the original versions. They look like real battles...in the prequels, they look like video games. But go see "Revenge of the Sith." You will not be disappointed.
Undefeated
(2003 TV Movie)
Horrible, horrible, horrible
16 June 2004
I don't know if this movie could have been any worse if it tried. My two roommates and I were totally pumped up to see this film, we set a timer on the TV and all ran into the living room when the timer went off and sat attentively on the couch like dogs about to be fed.
When it was over, we slowly got up and walked out of the room without saying a word to each other. The movie was so bad it left us speechless. This farce of a film was nothing more than a way for John Leguizamo to live out his boxing fantasies. I recommend avoiding it at all costs.
When it was over, we slowly got up and walked out of the room without saying a word to each other. The movie was so bad it left us speechless. This farce of a film was nothing more than a way for John Leguizamo to live out his boxing fantasies. I recommend avoiding it at all costs.
61*
(2001 TV Movie)
How about that!
16 October 2002
This is a very strong film that gives us great insight into everything that went on off the field during that special 1961 season- the anguish of Roger Maris as the pressure and stress mounted, the friendship between Maris and Mickey Mantle, the political games of powerful people who didn't want Ruth's record broken, and the hounding media that made the best year of Maris' life his worst as well. The real strength of this film is the casting. Barry Pepper was an exceptional choice for Roger Maris; he had the look of Maris and simulated his humble ways perfectly. Thomas Jane was even better as Mickey Mantle, I don't think Mickey Mantle himself could have played Mickey Mantle as well as Jane did. When you saw these two, you didn't get the feeling you were watching two actors playing the M&M boys, you got the feeling you were watching the M&M boys themselves. I highly recommend this movie to anyone, baseball fan or not.
The Rat Pack
(1998 TV Movie)
All good but Liotta
19 August 2002
I enjoyed this movie. Anyone who has seen "Sinatra," starring Philip Casnoff as Sinatra, will notice this movie portrays some of the same events, only fewer in number but greater in detail. With the exception of Liotta, chosen for the part of Frank Sinatra despite the fact that he neither looks nor sounds anything like the man, the casting was marvelous. Don Cheadle makes a very good Sammy Davis, and Joe Mantegna is very believable as Dean Martin. Angus MacFayden couldn't be a more perfect choice to play Peter Lawford.
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