hcrsteeves Reviews

For Your Consideration (2006)

Guest's best

[23 April 2010]

Among the many "satires" made by Christopher Guest, this is by far the very best one. The acting is superb, especially that of the always wonderful Catherine O'Hara. This one centers on a movie being made and all the people involved. I love the concept of a film within a film, plus, like "Best in Show" and "A Mighty Wind" this one has a mostly improvised script. The cast,also including Eugene Levy , Harry Shearer and Guest himself, do a wonderful job at capturing humor and insecurity.

If you have seen Guest's other films, I would definitely recommend this one. Smart and really funny.

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards (2010 TV Special)

Oscar night has come and gone once again

[8 March 2010]

I always look forward to the Oscars! This was the most enjoyable one for me in a long time. Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin were great hosts -- very funny. Baldwin is the epitome of cool. The only real disappointment was that there were no real surprises in most of the categories. So I made a pact with myself next year not to read magazines newspapers or watch television shows that pertain to Oscar predictions. Just so there will be an element of surprise next year.

Regardless of that it was one of the best Oscar telecasts in a long time. The tributes to the lead actors and actresses prior to the announcement of the winners in those categories was a bit tedious for me, even though, as I said, I pretty much knew who would win. Even at almost 3 and a half hours, it was pretty entertaining.

30 Rock (2006–2013)

one of the best shows on TV

[1 March 2010]

I don't think I really want to classify this show as a situation comedy or "sitcom". This term brings to mind stupid jokes and "wacky" situations, stupid plots and "laugh tracks". Anyone remember laugh tracks..often referred to as canned laughter"? These were pre-recorded tracks of audience laughter played during some shows..mostly dumb sitcoms of the fifties and sixties.

Anyway, this is a really funny comedy centering around the people who work for a fictional sketch comedy show called "The Girlie Show" or TGS starring Tracy Jordan played by , who else?, Tracy Morgan. With an equally hilarious cast including (show creator)Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin , this is funny, smart, intelligently written comedy ...one of the funniest shows on television.

No Country for Old Men (2007)

call it.....friendo.

[7 January 2010]

The Coen brothers have made some very interesting films, there's no doubt about that. Anyone who has seen "Fargo" for instance knows this. Rich with interesting characters, with a tense an exciting plot,this film was based on a novel of the same name. In a category all by itself,with a villain unlike any other I've seen in a film, this has the elements that you would expect to find in a Coen brothers movie, even in an adaptation. All the performances are really good, especially that of Javier Bardem, playing a totally unbelievable character who almost belongs in a comedy, in my opinion...not played for laughs, but quotable in a Hannibal Lecter sense. Well worth a rental!

Strange Brew (1983)

beauty,eh?

[7/10 · 5 January 2010]

I recently received this film as a gift on DVD. It brought back a lot of memories. My brother and I used to watch the Bob and Doug characters on SCTV when we were younger. I still believe, after all these years, that they are two of the funniest comic characters of all time. I remember seeing this movie for the first time on Pay Cable..I was 12 or 13.....my brother and I watched it together. So what if they were never as popular as Wayne and Garth? (or for that matter Cheech and Chong). I think that is actually part of what made them, and this movie, so great. It never really gained that type of popularity and yet it is so much funnier than other comic duos or movies.

About Schmidt (2002)

one of Jack's best!!

[7/10 · 27 October 2005]

This is a remarkable film and a wonderful showcase for Jack Nicholson. No film is without its flaws but certainly the performances here are outstanding. Nicholson plays Warren Schmidt, newly retired from an insurance company, a man who begins to question, shall we say, the meaning of his life. I don't want to give away much of the story here but trust me when I say that I have never seen Nicholson in a role like this. As a man who doesn't believe he has ever made a difference in anyone's life, he doesn't come to any real true revelation until the very end of the picture. I hope you will be moved, as I was. The other performances are good especially Kathy Bates although there was a very brief hot tub scene I could have done without. You'll see what I mean. Rent it if you can.

Lost in Translation (2003)

A good film with occasional laughs

[8/10 · 22 September 2005]

This is a very slow moving film with not much of a plot but it is sweet and funny at times so I do recommend it. It stars Bill Murray and Scarlett Johannson as two strangers who happen to be at a hotel in Tokyo, Japan at the same time. He is an actor doing a whiskey commercial and she is the wife of a photographer who is on a shoot. They are both alone there and eventually meet and become friends. Not lovers, but friends. That is one of the nicest things about the movie: They may be attracted to each other but the movie never really explores this in depth. They are just two lonely people wandering, together, around this hotel in Japan. And that's what the movie is about. They go to a party, sing karaoke and talk to each other about their lives. You will be surprised especially by Murray's performance.

Orange County (2002)

funny and absurd

[7/10 · 12 September 2005]

This is another one of those movies I rented after I saw "School of Rock" and discovered Jack Black is an amazing comic talent. This is a funny movie, and of course the presence of Black makes it even funnier. Movies don't all need to have some deep meaning in order to be good and this one's just plain funny and absurd. Almost every character in the film is lovable in his or her own right. It has it's moments of gross humor but it is mild in comparison to, let's say, the "American Pie" movies. It also stars John Lithgow, Catherine O'Hara and has some cameos from other famous people. Colin Hanks and Schuyler Fisk make a cute couple and there are many funny surprises. Not for the whole family although I suppose teenagers will enjoy it.

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

a family of geniuses

[8/10 · 9 September 2005]

I bought a copy of this film on VHS without having seen it. I watched it twice before I actually began to like it. This is an enjoyable film although it doesn't exactly jump out at you. You may not be sure at first if it is a comedy or drama and, to be honest, I'm not sure if I could classify it as either one. It is funny but in a quiet subtle way. All of the characters are quite odd, and the patriarch of the family, played almost perfectly by Gene Hackman, is a jerk, but not so much that he isn't likable. He loves his family but never seems to say or do the right thing. With a cast that also includes Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow and Bill Murray (palying a character it seems only Murray could play) this is a film that requires some patience on the part of the viewer but it's well worth it in my opinion. The DVD is a 2 disc set. The first disc is the film and the second contains extras including 2 trailers for the film, interviews with the major cast members and more.

School of Rock (2003)

Let's get rockin'!!!!

[8/10 · 7 September 2005]

Jack Black is an acquired taste. At least for me he is. I saw him on a Conan O'Brien special once and became a little intrigued by the guy. So I went out and rented a movie called "Shallow Hal". I enjoyed it. After that I rented this one. This was even better. The guy is actually FUNNY. Black plays Dewey Finn, a musician who gets kicked out of his band just before they enter a Battle of the Bands contest. In order to make some money he takes a job subbing at a private elementary school and discovers that the kids in his class are pretty good musicians themselves so he starts his own band with the kids. It's funny and the kids in the movie are actual musicians. It really is enjoyable from beginning to end. Roger Ebert recommended it but mentioned that he couldn't understand the PG-13 rating. I agree. It is sort of a family picture, I think some kids will love it, and it could have been rated PG.

Vanilla Sky (2001)

Cannot be summarized in one sentence.....

[9/10 · 23 August 2005]

So much has been written about this film and I must say if forced to pick an all time favorite this would be it for me. Some call it confusing and it can be. I find it particularly interesting that the filmmaker, Cameron Crowe, apparently allows the audience to have their own interpretation of the film. All I can say is if you've only seen it once you've missed a lot. Some have said that the film reveals something different every time they watch it. Is the ENTIRE FILM a dream or not? The tech support character refers to a "splice" as to where he chose the "lucid dream" to begin but who knows??? Perhaps that is a dream too. Definitely a film to be watched again and again. If you haven't seen the film you'll understand why.