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Reviews
The Hebrew Hammer (2003)
Easily pleased
I was raised on a diet of The Goons, Monty Python and a lot of British stuff. I also enjoy Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, the Zuckers, Naked Gun, Jacques Tati, Seinfeld, etc and I like to think that I have a good all round sense of humor. The humor in this movie, however, escapes me. It amazes me that the producers found someone gullible enough to finance this turkey. Those who thought it was 'the funniest movie ever' and 'a riot' must be easily pleased. I thought it was utter garbage, poorly produced and decidedly unfunny. If you think the acting was bad, consider the caliber of the actors they turned down for the roles! Perhaps Jewish people may find this hilarious - but not I.
People Like Us (1999)
An acquired taste
What appears to be a serious documentary about 'a day in the life' of some member of a profession (policeman, priest, bank manager etc.) is actually a very clever spoof of a documentary. If you listen carefully you realize that most of what the commentator is saying is gibberish and very funny. The commentator (Roy Mallard) is mostly off camera (except for the occasional hand when requested) and is a fine example of how not to do an interview. Some examples of his commentary 'X is 2 hours from London both by rail and train', 'It's 4pm and everybody has left school except for those who have stayed behind', 'It's 2 p.m. and already the Japanese are on time' and 'the world of financial money'. That's not all. The people whom he interviews are also prone to mangling the English language with many misstatements and misunderstandings. This is not the brash, crude humour that many Americans enjoy but more subtle and laid back. American humour tends overdo the one-liners in order to make sure the audience 'gets it'. This is the type of humour that has to be experienced more than once as it is very easy to miss the subtleties the first time around. Overall, an acquired taste, but much to my liking.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Not as good as I expected
Firstly let me say that I enjoyed the movie. It depicted as near as possible the conditions on board a British man of war in the early 19th century. However, even though it was adapted from a couple of Patrick O'Brian's books, it was almost plotless. Apart from the opening and closing battles, almost nothing happened. Very little was explained and at the close of the movie, most of the characters remained anonymous. To those people who had no interest in the Napoleonic era, the movie would have seemed deadly dull. It would appeal to die hard O'Brian fans who would have seen the O'Brian characters come to life. American audiences, raised on a steady diet of wham bang action and special effects would be bored silly. Still, it was streets ahead of the 'Hornblower' series which was full of historical inaccuracies and very much misrepresented the fictional Hornblower character. Personally, I felt that Crowe, even though he made a good attempt at the role of Aubrey, was miscast - as was Paul Bettany as Maturin. I saw Gerard Depardieu as being the closest to the physical Aubrey, Stephen Rea as a perfect Maturin, and Peter Postlethwaite as a sublime Killick. Kevin Whately would have made a very good Tom Pullings. Oscar winning material? perhaps. I rate this 7 out of 10.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Not as good as I expected
Firstly let me say that I enjoyed the movie. It depicted as near as possible the conditions on board a British man of war in the early 19th century. However, even though it was adapted from a couple of Patrick O'Brian's books, it was almost plotless. Apart from the opening and closing battles, almost nothing happened. Very little was explained and at the close of the movie, most of the characters remained anonymous. To those people who had no interest in the Napoleonic era, the movie would have seemed deadly dull. It would appeal to die hard O'Brian fans who would have seen the O'Brian characters come to life. American audiences, raised on a steady diet of wham bang action and special effects would be bored silly. Still, it was streets ahead of the 'Hornblower' series which was full of historical inaccuracies and very much misrepresented the fictional Hornblower character. Personally, I felt that Crowe, even though he made a good attempt at the role of Aubrey, was miscast - as was Paul Bettany as Maturin. I saw Gerard Depardieu as being the closest to the physical Aubrey, Stephen Rea as a perfect Maturin, and Peter Postlethwaite as a sublime Killick. Kevin Whately would have made a very good Tom Pullings. Oscar winning material? perhaps. I rate this 7 out of 10.