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Reviews
Chappelle's Show (2003)
Phenomenal ...except for the Lost Episodes
The Chappelle is just brilliant. Especially Season 2. I was hard pressed to find a skit that I didn't throughly enjoy. Its timely humour combined with timeless social commentary. The musical guest appearances where amazing. I really enjoyed performance by Kanye West and Common. I didn't the any of the skits form the "Lost Episodes a.k.a. what was supposed to Season Three". Don't get me wrong. Charlie Murphy and Downell Rawlings are very funny. They are great character actors that are part of a brilliant ensemble cast but only Dave Chappelle can really do these skits just with his monologues. I am not a fan of the way the media seemed to portray Chappelle as having a emotional breakdown because he couldn't handle the pressure. This was how it seemed to be spun to me. Chappelle was given a boatload of money by Comedy Cental for season three. Chappelle went to Africa because he "crazy". Give me break. This show stands on its own. I really believe that he didn't walk away from his show because of the pressure. I think he betrayed philosophically by a number of people around. Especially Comedy Central. That is why he felt that he had to make "Block Party". To explain his actions to his fans. Isn't about brand extension or merchandising? Its about people. A connection between himself and his fans. His material spoke to me personally. Made me think. He could really mix it up. He wasn't one dimensional in the sense that he would strictly use stand-up comedy or throw in a random joke here and there to "spice things up".
Dave Chappelle: Killin' Them Softly (2000)
Amazing, just flat out amazing ...
His delivery was excellent. His comedic timing was outstanding. What I really enjoyed about this comedy special was the manner in which the social commentary was mixed into the act. It wasn't limited to one specific topic or theme. He didn't just touched on a wide range of topics, he was able to combine these topics with other in a poignant, yet accessible manner: politics, relationships, race, poverty, crime, terrorism, darwinianism, economics etc. After watching this special, the material tends to with you, you are able to reflect back on it and say to yourself: "He is right, I would have never thought of it in that way". Many comedians seem to have a hook, they seem to rely on this hook to shape their act. Dave Chappelle just knows how to combine many elements to produce an interesting act. Dave Chappelle also has the ability, in my opinion, to build up to a climax in a extraordinary manner. I felt that started of slowing, kind of lulled into false sense of comedic direction, then totally shifted gears and changed direction at the same time. It wasn't just a random change of speed or direction. Be he did in a well-crafted manner. Like a really good song or movie. The ability to manage these transitions extremely well.
Say Anything... (1989)
Awesome Film
From start to finish, just an awesome film. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it just felt like you were watching real people, not actors. I think its the manner in which a series of those uncomfortable, sometimes even awkward moments were strung together to form a plot. The characters seemed to have this desire to relate to each other by creating a collective cohesive set of performances that individually might seem out of sync, but combined together are in complete harmony. The selection of music was also just fantastic. That moment when John Cusack is holding the ghetto blaster,standing outside of the house, while "In your eyes" is playing, sets the bar of excellence for romantic comedies to come. It really doesn't matter if this scene is plausible or not, its symbolic, everybody should strive to have a moment like that at least once during the course of their lifetime. Its about self-expression, its about clichéd expression like "wearing your heart" on your sleeve and "putting yourself out there". Its a moment that will make you remember this film. A reminder to all of us not to lead a life of quiet desperation. John Cusack is simply outstanding as Lloyd Dobler, John Mahoney ("The dad from 'Frasier'") turned in an incredible performance. This film wasn't your typical eightes teen romance flick, but it definitely left me with a great vibe at the end. It left me with, as cheesy as this might sound, that nice guys don't actually finish last and they do get the girl at the end.
Old School (2003)
Classic Comedy
This motley crew of: the Wilson brothers (Luke,Owen), Will Ferrel, Vince Vaughn, and Ben Stiller have collaborated to create some of the best comedic films in recent memory. They simply have amazing on-screen chemistry and comedic timing. Its the attention to detail that really surprises about this film. The music is outstanding. Vince Vaughn is just so dry. I don't know how any of the other actors could keep a straight face while he his delivering lines on set, during the course of filming this movie. I still can't get past Will Ferrel's facial expressions. His subtle expresssions say so much. The only thing that this film could have improved upon with was a cameo by Dave Chappelle. Two thumbs up. Way up.