Reviews

I think this was a student project, I saw it at a local film festival that mostly shows student works. And this gem was the grand finale after a load of mostly boring wannabe arty video projects showcasing just how untalented our local student population is. I have to give it a ten because of how hilarious a product they made from obviously no money and minimal resources. Just raw talent for sketch comedy writing and acting, which is some of the hardest writing and acting to perfect. These people are well on their way to entertaining the masses. I wish I had 5 million bucks to give them to make a full length feature musical. I bet it would rock. From conception to realization these guys delivered exactly what audiences can't help but bust a gut laughing at. Good on ya, boys, thanks for the laughs!

I have to agree that this is the most thorough and well made documentary on Keaton I have seen. Of course it could be longer, but then you might as well just buy all of Keaton's movies and watch those instead and form your own opinion on his life (which this three part series will inspire you to do anyway). If you are looking for something to show a "newcomer" to the Keaton flock, this is it. If you are looking for a complete visual biography, this is it. A must see for anyone who wants to call themself a Buster Keaton fanatic.

OK, I might be the only person who thinks so. You must admit that Jim Varney, rest his soul, was a pop-cultural icon, whether you liked him or not. I don't think the only thing this particular film of his (though it is not his best) has to offer is his facial contortions. The writing is pretty hilarious, as long as you free your mind to it's ultimate stupidity. Anyone who doesn't appreciate a grown man calling his pet turtle a "heartless beast" is missing the point.

"There is a fine line between stupid and clever," once said David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap. Sometimes genius is not appreciated until long after all the neigh-sayers are dead or gone. Remember, Citizen Kane was a flop at the box office.

This was a really great movie, but too much star power and not enough Bill Murray. Gwenneth and Luke are annoying together (and apart, for that matter). Rushmore had no fat in it at all, and of course, they are made in similar style, so Rushmore was first and therefore more original. It was the little things in Rushmore as well, and they were missing in this new one. The songs in Rushmore were better, too.

I saw this film at the Toronto Film Fest. I expected a typical "soldier" movie (whatever that means), but I was highly entertained and impressed by this film. This is not a war film, this is barely a military film. The Army is merely a setting and an occasional comedic character. Ed Harris gives his best performance since Pollock and is better than his performance in Apollo 13. Better, because this role is different for him. He usually chooses intensely dramatic or heroic or evil roles. This time he's just an intense buffoon. But he's one of the only ones who "wins" in the end...

I saw this film at Toronto Film Fest's Midnight Madness. This is exactly where it belonged. I laughed myself silly and I LOVED the music, but ONLY at 2AM! If I had seen this movie at 9AM before breakfast, I would have been in awe of it's uselessness. Rent/Buy/See this movie in the wee hours of the giddy night and it is a guaranteed pleaser. A low-budget gem.

I am not saying she is perfect as Lily Bart, but this movie had nothing more than lavish sets and striking costumes going for it. I am mainly rooting for her because she is trying ever-so-hard to break away from "Scully", and if anyone has the talent to pull it off it's her. I wish her much luck, though I feel at heart she doesn't need it.

Mere words cannot justify the meaning and social commentary that this film makes. It personifies the isolated feeling from "reality" that all humans feel from time to time, and as a bonus does so with our favorite pop culture sock, movie and TV stars! Where else can you see Cyndi Lauper with, Pia Zedora, Katey Sagal, Harry Anderson (sorry, no magic tricks), Paul Simon, The Stray Cats, Art Garfunkel, ZZ Top, and Woody Harrelson dressed as a cigar smoking sheep? Maybe in Rhymeland...

I saw this film in the fall of 2000, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, at the Telluride by the Sea Festival. It was amazingly beautiful. The director fused modern cinematography of the antarctic with old moving pictures taken by the expeditions photographer. The landscape hasn't changed a bit.

This was a stunning piece of work. It would be easy to let the story speak for itself, the survival of all crew members for over a year in inconceivable surroundings. But, these film makers didn't just tell the amazing story, they brought it back to life. Most stories of this ilk are old legend. They are being told by historians and great great grandchildren. This story is laid out before our eyes, in movies shot at the site. It didn't happen all that long ago. 1914, or thereabouts. Their children are alive to tell their tale. It makes you realize that we have come as far as we have come in a very short span of time. All of our technological advances are still very new. Perhaps this would not happen to a crew in the age of cell phones, world wide web, helicopters, survival suites, satellites, etc. But it happened in our century. The century of advancement.

First saw this at the Toronto Film Festival, and it was great. Better than some two hour features I saw there! This director is a talent to watch, I hope he is already working on a feature. I think you can see this little gem for yourself at atomfilms.com. It was there a few months ago.

I can't tell you too much about the story, cause I don't want to give it away! The actor was in those Doritos commercials, and some other stuff, he's very familiar. The writing is all there, and the acting by (forgive me, I don't know the names) the "purgatorial officer" was hilarious. You could tell that the people making the short were having fun. Well, if they weren't they sure looked it. Try to find this somewhere, you be glad you did.

Obviously his writing is superior. I am not sure of this is his directorial debut, I think maybe Oleanna was. Anyway, he's really done it this time. Funny as hell, and well acted. State and Main is almost perfect.

It might be a timely piece of work, maybe in a few years it will be a moot point, but for now, it is uncannily relevant. Even Sarah Jessica Parker did an OK acting job (yes, surprized me, too). All the Mamet usuals are compiled, and some great additions thrown in, like Doctor Katz and Alec Baldwin. Personally, I think Bill Macy is faultless and Phillip Seymour Hoffman is priceless treasure. It can't hurt to have people like that in the cast. But what every movie comes down to is the script and Mamet will never have problems in that category. It's a very quick, intricate story, but you are never confused. It was intelligent laughs from beginning to end.