Reviews

After reading several negative reviews analyzing this and other stoner movies as being stupid, mindless and lacking in plot. HELLO!!! This is a stoner movie about stoners getting stoned. Who cares about plot or social messages or that other deep crap. You want depth go see a Bergman or a Fellini film, lighten up and smoke a joint. I'm glad to see stoner comedies back in fashion after suffering through pretentious, preachy, boring 80s anti-drug dramas that are never truly grounded in reality and where the characters always either predictably OD or just simplistically kick their addiction. So rent this movie (or watch it currently on cable), fire up one and enjoy

Which "T" film do I think is the best? I, II & III, in that order. The first one was made on a very low budget, but I think that helped focus on the characters and the action. The second broke new ground with it's CGI but once the "ooh, aah factor" wore off it seems like an above average action movie. The third fall into the same camp as the second without the "ooh, aah factor". While Cameron's touch and Hamilton's & Furlong presence were missed I found Mostow's direction was tight and very fasted paced for what it was (I'd only seen one of his previous films BREAKDOWN, which I really liked). All in all, not as bad as I was lead to believe.

This is one of those Hollywood movie that would've worked as a B film instead of an A list production because it fails on just about every level. This is one of those horror movies where I'm rooting for the ghosts to bump off the each member of the crew one by one because they're all so stupid they deserve whatever happens to them. After a strong opening the film just seems to go through the usual slasher movie motions. The movie does have a few strong points: the opening and the fact that it's the goriest horror film I've seen in recent years. The DVD version also has a very good 5.1 surround track (especially effective if watching it a night with the lights out). I'm just grateful that movie's a loaner and didn't waste any of my money on it. Other may find more something out of this to enjoy but I feel this is another film that wastes an otherwise talented cast.

To start off I'm not going to bore you with the usual boring terms Americans seem to use when describing a family movie. Terms like "no, sex, no violence, no profanity". I'm no parent but if I were I wouldn't take my kids to see a good majority of the safe, boring so-called "family" movies. I'll just review this movie on it's own merits. I found this one to be very funny and entertaining. I found the humor sharp enough for kids without going over most kids head or talking down to them and with enough Hollywood "in" jokes to keep adults amused. The blue man gag and the Urkel cameo was particularly funny. Fankie Muniz, Amanda Bynes and Paul Giamatti were great. A nice balance in it's execution.

I just saw this movie on DVD and though it was pretty bad. It might have worked as a B direct-to-video movie with a B budget and a B list cast, but as a big budgeted studio with an A list cast it just looks dumb. Come to think of it I've seen DTV movies that are better than this crap. With CGI and the influence of Hong Kong has had on American films you would think that the big studios would have grown out of making a '90's type action movies. Car Chases, car crashes, big explosions. So 90's. A great big yawn. And who in the hell is KAOS anyway?

I can't say anything more that hasn't been said already. But there's one running gag that wasn't mentioned in previous reviews and that was the Edgar Allen Poe reference with The Raven inside the cuckoo clock whose answer for everything was always "never more". One of my all time favorites. A true classic. Catch the reruns on TVLand.

Just watched this movie on DVD. And while I found the hip-hop commentary interesting, the love story seemed to close too to LOVE AND BASKETBALL for comfort. After the cool opening scene (featuring cameos by Doug E. Fresh, Big Daddy Kane and De La Soul) I thought maybe the hop-hip angle would dominate the love story, and for a while it seemed like it would, but the opposite occured. The "friend-becoming-lovers" angles has been done better in other movies (LOVE AND BASKETBALL, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY.., etc.) and it's getting old. Don't get me wrong, the movie's not a total waste. The two leads are great, the supporting cast is good too. So if you don't mind a typical love story you just might want rent this one. Not great, but not bad as the other reviewers states.

Before I start my with my review I would like to address the politically correct whiners who whined about this movie being racist: LIGHTEN UP, PLEASE! YOU P.C. CRYBABIES MAKE ME WANT TO PUKE. Now, as for the movie. Funny from beginning to end. Black and White racial stereotypes are made fun of with equal opportunity without being mean-spirited. Obvious comparisons have been made to AUSTIN POWERS, but another reviewer made a good comparison to BLAZING SADDLES with it's racial humor. As for Eddie Griffin, a funny stand-up whose previous movies (FOOLISH, DOUBLE TEAM) were duds finally gets a good vehicle for his talents. A sharp script and a fine supporting cast, which includes Dave Chapelle, Aunjanue Ellis and Denise (I'm so dense) Richards, makes this one of the better comedies of last year.

Yes, this movie looks as if it was filmed and directed by a first year film student but this is one funny movie if you give it a chance. Lance Crouther brings his character from THE CHRIS ROCK SHOW to the big screen. And while stretching a 5 minute TV routine into a feature film can sometimes be disastrous (most SNL spin-offs are proof of that) this is one of the few exception (the WAYNE'S WORLD and the first BLUES BROTHERS movies come to mind). So if you're looking for a good leave-your-brain-at-the-door movie, you just might enjoy this one.

From the other reviews you may already learned that this film is the second remake of 1941's HERE COMES MR. JORDAN which was remade in 1978 as HEAVEN CAN WAIT which is one of the few remakes that's better than the original. But the story takes a big nose dive with this recent remake which is more of a starring vehicle for Chris Rock than any attempt to do a decent remake of a good story. The supportting cast (Regina King (JERRY MAGUIRE), Chaz Palmenteri (A BRONX TALE) and Eugene Levy (AMERICAN PIE)) do their best to rise above this lameness but they're just reminders of their wasted talents. Another thing that p***es me off about this movie is that the filmmakers had some idea that the average moviegoer is so stupid that they had to keep being reminded that Rock's soul is inhabited in the body of a middle aged white man by switching back and forth between the two. The makers of JORDAN and HEAVEN had enough confidence in the intelligence of the audience to not to have to explain that angle to them. Another point is with Rock, who along with Pryor, Carlin, Foxx, Cosby and Kennison, is probably the best stand-up comic ever and has had a few good film moments (NURSE BETTY, NEW JACK CITY and I'M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA) but this film doesn't help his case (I know this movie made a lot of money. So what.) I just hope his movie career doesn't go the same path as Adam Sandler, another once funny person who now makes sucky movies. Do yourself a favor and rent HEAVEN or maybe even JORDAN and skip this turd.

Cameron Diaz certainly deserved better than this lame female take on THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY. The female characters were just as much jerks as the men with the exception of Thomas Jane (MAGNOLIA) as Diaz's object of desire. He manages to somewhat rise above this tired mess but he's only able to do so much. And the otherwise talented Selma Blair who was great in CRUEL INTENTIONS and LEGALLY BLONDE is just the butt of semen jokes and penis gags, the worst gag being when she has a guy's studded member stuck in her throat. And Christina Applegate (MARRIED...WITH CHILDREN) once again proves that she should stay on the small screen where she belongs. I have nothing against low-brow humor as long as it's funny. MARY was funny. AMERICAN PIE was funny. The SOUTH PARK movie was funny. This movie just lays there like a dull fart. Lame jokes, stall gags and even staler montages sends this crap down the crapper where it belong. You know a movie's in trouble when the movie's only funny line is when an old man says "f*** Grandma". Avoid this movie like the plague.

I watched this late one night on cable thinking I was going to hate it remembering how godawful BORIS AND NATASHA was (I can't believe some of the other reviewers actually liked that movie). But I found myself laughing from beginning to end. The puns and the one-liners still have the same sting as the original 60's cartoon series. Alexander, Russo and De Niro all capture Boris, Natasha and Fearless Leader, respectively, just right and the animation never overpowered the live action. I kept forgetting I was watching an animation/live action combo. I'm actually looking forward to a sequel. Series creator Jay Ward would have been proud of this movie. Highly recommended to fans of the TV series.

This excellent made-for-cable movies tells the story of a group of blacks in a small mill town who form a defense group to protect themselves from the brutality of the Klan during the dawn of The 1964 Civil Rights Act. The fact-based story centers around the main character played by Forest Whitaker (who gives his best performance in years) who was arrested and beaten by racist cop for protecting his daughter from being beat during a peace demonstration that turned ugly. After that you see his character transform from a "good nigger" who thought he knew his place to a man who realized that his dignity and family were more important than "yes sah-in'" and "no sah-in'" to the racist white townfolks. There's also good turns from Ossie Davis (I don't think this man has ever given a bad performance) and Jonathan Silverman (quite surprising), but the film clearly belongs to Whitaker. A place in American history that has gotten forgotten and buried over the years. A must-see for history buffs.

This movie sucks, period! I'm an old school Jerry fan and couldn't believe how bad this movie was. Jawdropping is an understatement. Still doing the same crap in 1980 as he was in 1960, only this time it wasn't funny at all. one bad joke after the next with no relief in sight, bad ethic stereotypes and shameless product placements. JUST PLAIN BAD.

I was a fan of 80's teen comedies and 2 of the more recent ones (AMERICAN PIE and BRING IT ON) and found this movie funny when they made fun of the works of John Hughes. The BREAKFAST CLUB and PRETTY IN PINK references were funny, the BRING IT ON references were funny but the AMERICAN PIE and Freddie Prinze Jr. references falls flat. As for one of the reviewers, The Ebullient One, who stated he thought young audiences today won't get the 80's references: excuse me, that what videos and DVDs are made for. I'm not gonna worry whether someone gets it or not.

As a black man and a longtime movie fan, it angered and frustrated me as to how blacks were stereotyped and exploited in Hollywood over the years. This was especially true during the first half of the 80's when I saw talented actor like Larry Fishburne play a hoodlum in DEATH WISH 2, Wesley Snipe play a hoodlum in WILDCATS and Mario Van Peebles play a hoodlum in EXTERMINATOR 2. Of course they've gone on to bigger, and totally unexpected, better things. That's why this satire hit a nerve with me. The one scene that sticks in my mind are the audition scenes where blacks audition for demeaning roles casted by clueless white producers and directors trying to tell blacks to act the way they think blacks should act (ain't that a blip!) and looking for an "Eddie Murphy type". The script, co-written by Townsend and co-star Keenen Ivory Wayans is accurate and on the money. While Wayans has sone on to better things (IN LIVING COLOR, I'M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA and SCARY MOVIE), Townsend has not been so fortunate (The uneven THE FIVE HEARTBEATS, The lame TV sit-com THE PARENT 'HOOD and the godawful B.A.P.S.). The film also features Helen Martin, Damon Wayans, Anne-Marie Johnson and John Witherspoon. If you a fan of on-target satires, I strongly recommend this movie.

This movie is pathetic. An anti-rape film that wants to have it both ways by being exploitive too. The men are portrayed as insensitive buffoons and the victims are self-pitying, careless, indecisive, vindictive and stupid. The gratuitous nudity is another issue that I have with this piece of junk. And the ending in which I guess is suppose to have the audience cheering just seem ridiculous (as I'm sure it did back in '74). A previous reviewer refered to this movie as I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE-lite. ISOYG didn't try to hide the fact that it's trash. This one tries to have it's cake and eat it too.

I remember seeing this short in '95 at SPIKE AND MIKE FESTIVAL OF ANIMATION. An infectious piece of film that will have the most jade film watcher laughing. Sure it's one-noted, but it's works. I came across several years ago on a compilation tape of shorts featured on the Spike & Mike tour. I don't know if it's till in print. Do yourself a big favor by tracking down this short. You won't be sorry.

This film was suppose to be the follow-up to ANIMAL HOUSE. But it sat on the shelf for a while and finally went straight to cable. As a longtime fan of National Lampoon magazine I was eager to see the film (the shelf period should have warned me). And when I finally did see it I was very disappointed. Aside for a few moments of gratuitous nudity, this film has nothing going for it at all. The 3 segments just lie there with no other purpose than to say "ha ,ha, ha isn't this funny". How they managed to get veteran actors Robert Culp and Richard Widmark to appear in this junk is beyond me. Lampoon has gone on to make other films. Some good ones (VACATION, CHRISTMAS VACATION) and some stinkers (CLASS REUNION, THE DON"S ANALYST, DAD'S WEEKEND OFF) but this film has to be the worst from a franchise that was once at the cutting edge of contemporary humor.

Watching this film is like watching a train wreck. As bad as it is I couldn't change the channel. A waste of a talented cast and director (I put it up there with the wasted talent in FIRST FAMILY and THE BONFIRE OF VANITIES. I'm no fan of Susann, but I think she deserved better than this.

I'm a big fan of director Sam Raimi's work (DARKMAN, EVIL DEAD films, A SIMPLE PLAN) but this has to be has weakest film since his second fiom CRIMEWAVE. But I can't lay total blame on Raimi. Billy Bob Thorton's script is so routine and predictable it doesn't leave Raimi or the cast much to work with. I knew who the killer's identity the moment a certain cast member turned up missing. Everyone, including the viewer, deserve better. If you haven't already seen Raimi's other films, see one of those and skip this one.

I caught this film on STARZ recently and found it a lightweight but enjoyable film with a cute (the females are cute) and upbeat cast who know the limitation of the script and play it at a level that's not board or gross or any of the things that ruin a lot of post AMERICAN PIE teen films. Good as a view on cable or a bargin video rental.