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Reviews
Tom and Jerry (2021)
Not the Cat's Meow
A disappointment. Tom and Jerry are shoehorned into a live-action plot about a grand wedding at a New York Hotel and the results are uneven and strange to say the least.
Also, instead of looking for inventive ways to update the characters, loud rap music is used, and not too effectively.
There are some amazing chase scenes between Tom and Jerry, but that doesn't help fill a 101 minute movie.
This classic cartoon duo deserved better and so did the audience.
Serpico (1973)
A Gritty, '70's Masterpiece
Based on the true story of. NYPD officer Frank Serpico, one of the first whistleblowers in the department, this film has a unique, documentary feel to it. Al Pacino delivers one of his best, most heartfelt performances. Sidney Lumet proves why he was one of the best at his craft. Brilliant.
The Hard Way (1991)
"Hard" Not to Like
A unique spin on cop-buddy Movies has a pampered movie star (Michael J. Fox) researching a role by spending time with a grizzled NY City cop (James Woods). A little cartoonish and frenetic at times, but there's great chemistry between the stars and some nice one-liners that makes this hard not to like.
Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)
Still "Big" fun!!
Like so many well-crafted film comedies and fantasies, this film captures a sense of timeless whimsy, joy and fun. "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" launched a mainstream career for the titular star who, up to that point, had been a cult comedian. The film also introduced the world to the talent of Tim Burton, who would become one of movie's most visionary directors.
In the film, Pee-Wee goes on a cross-country search for his beloved bicycle, after it is stolen by his archnemesis, Francis (Mark Holton).
The whole adventure is set in a world that truly resembles a real-life cartoon, perfectly realized by director Burton.
Hallmarks of his future films like "Beetlejuice" (1988), "Batman" (1989) and "Edward Scissorhands" (1990) are seen in his debut with "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure," as the film is a true, unique vision, taking place in a setting that seems to exist on the periphery of our real world. This is especially true in the early scenes of Pee-Wee's house, with its detail and Rube Goldberg inventions.
This adds to the childlike, innocent tone of the story, and of the character, which is no doubt why both the character and the film have been embraced by all ages.
Of course, it doesn't hurt that the film also includes scenes and dialogue that seem to be tailor-made for the multiple VHS and Cable viewings that would follow the film's initial, theatrical release.
For those through the years who have dismissed "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" as infantile and foolish, well fans would simply respond, in the words of Pee-Wee himself...
"I know your are, but what am I?"
The Hunt (2020)
The Thrill of "The Hunt!"
"The Hunt" pulls you in quickly, yanks the rug out from under you and then slowly unravels its truths like a magic trick. Somewhat of an update of the classic short story "The Most Dangerous Game," with an underlying political and societal subtext, "The Hunt," with its in-your-face violence may turn some off...but you will not soon forget it. In the film, a group of strangers wake up in a field to discover that they are being hunted like animals...but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Kudos to writers Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof and director Crag Zobol for an original thriller with its own perspective...a rarity in film today!