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Reviews
Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew (2008)
Relics of a Failing Drug War
This pained me to watch for a few reasons.
First off, I do honestly believe that this isn't a bad premise, and I was morbidly fascinated throughout the entire show-- mostly at how everyone there was their own personal trainwreck (to an extreme-- I've known plenty of drug users and I've thankfully never trucked with this particular breed of them), and how eagerly the staff seemed to exercise a need to be controlling, even authoritarian-- which may have been necessary with these people, but even then. In the reunion there was comments about how Dr. Drew and others on staff were painted as the bad guys-- frankly, the moment they started up with propaganda that had no basis in MEDICAL fact (saying nothing of psychology, which dictates that anyone can be addicted to anything, it doesn't matter if it's heroin or pink fluffy bunny slippers)... that was the moment I couldn't help feeling bad for the already arsed-up inpatients.
As a professional, the 'good' doctor shouldn't be spreading misinformation about the drugs he's attempting to undermine. The unfortunate side-effect of this guilty pleasure put out by VH1 is that it still serves as a mouthpiece for the failing war on drugs, which costs us more money and causes more problems than the legalization of one of the substances he goes to town on-- namely, marijuana. I notice how it's all the same demonizing crap you see in abstinence-only campaigns against teen sex-- and hilariously, it's that attitude that tends to drive people towards these outlets. The show had a chance to demystify drugs and it didn't-- in the end, that's what earned it the low 3 on the voting scale.
There was very little attempt to address people who make use of marijuana and other pain medications-- be it oxycontin, vicodin, any of the opiates, muscle relaxants-- properly. Even amphetamines weren't all that readily discussed. There was very little attempt to show responsible drug use as opposed to just the blanket statement of 'drugs r bad mmkay?' Considering the typical audience for reality TV-- undoubtedly I'll get kicked for saying so, but-- the tailoring of the medium is incredibly telling of what side of the fence these people stand on. Even if I'm with everyone else saying 'my god, these people are throwing their lives away,' (Conaway's record amounts of pain pills seriously blew me away-- I can barely take half a vicodin and I suffer from chronic pain, myself) the utter lack of attention to actual, factual details and the unbelievably Draconian ideals expressed in the series made it a triple-edged sword, one that most won't be able to parse without flailing around an agenda that should have died off a long, long time ago.
In the end, I was suckered in just like everyone else-- but if you're gonna have a pot user up there, you may as well have an internet addict, a porn junkie and an energy drink fiend right up there with them. Better yet, get an overzealous Christian up there as well; I've known plenty of people addicted to religion.
This isn't a bad idea, but the execution was all wrong, and the gross misinterpretation of blatant fact interwoven so imperceptibly with ACTUAL facts makes it an unfortunate addition to a suffocatingly inane line-up. Also: thanks to Jeff Conaway's 'performance,' I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to lol at Taxi as much as I used to. Damn you, Celebrity Rehab!
Crazy Eights (2006)
Don't Believe the Haters - This is Silent Hill done RIGHT
Just because all of one inarticulate reviewer has sandy privates over other people giving this film good reviews, don't let that deter you.
The only thing that's 'off' about this particular flick is the editing -- otherwise, the pacing is VERY steady, the film only seems to drag in places where you can tell they wish they had more time, and there aren't all that many 'boo' scares to speak of. It follows in the tradition of Session 9 in terms of overall atmosphere and mood, but overall, here's the breakdown: We're all sick of slashers and psychological thrillers that fail to meet their mark. What we're seeing here is a genuine attempt to go back to the films that teased at our imaginations and left us feeling subtle chills. No, it's nothing particularly original and the themes have been done before, but considering the slop that's been farted out of Hollywood these past few years, this was a breath of fresh air. And this is speaking as a horror buff that has a penchant for falling asleep during MOST horror flicks in the theatres unless there's a significant level of Drunk going on.
Again: don't believe the haters with sandy privates. Go give it a look and judge on your own. To that end, I will say this: This is a Silent Hill film done correctly. The themes are intact and the very visceral look at guilt and redemption (if indeed there is such a thing as redemption) is sound. Anyone fond of that particular series will find themselves instantly intrigued and drawn back into the mindset of puzzling out the question of 'So what DID happen?' And really, psychological horror is all about questions.
I'm much happier with this than the usual crappy 'you won the movie' sequence. Still, lower rated because, again, the editing was NOT the best.