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Reviews
Death to Smoochy (2002)
Attempting to commit suicide in front of children - WOW Thats FUNNY!! Thanks Danny!! !!
I am baffled by the positive reviews for DTS. This has so far been one of the worst big-budget movies that I have seen since The Mexican. The suppossedly "outrageous" black humor just fell flat to me. The gags were poorly set up and way over the top. ***UH OH SPOILERS***
The movie is barely two minutes old when "Rainbow Roberts" is busted for taking bribes. We have no background info on his character other than he appears to be a lonely grump of a childrens talk-show host who might drink too much. OOOOOHHHH, NO!! How "unbelievable"! A t.v. character might not be who he seems! WOW - What a shock! He immediatly is made out to be the biggest pariah in America and loses his show and pretty much everything else. Puleease! A Non-Sexual "scandal" scenario like that would have been forgotten about in about a week in modern America. Rainbow Roberts and network spin-doctors would have made sure that this story was downplayed to the point of non-interest in less than 2 weeks. Public Relations is a very big businesss, Life would definately go on. This whole movie was chocked full of incomplete,unpleasant,unbelievable and unsympathetic characters. Frankly by the time the movie was "mercifully" over, I did not really care about any of these people. I just wanted to go - Anywhere out of the theater. The content and timing of the jokes are really suspect as well. Is it really funny for a former t.v. clown to try to set fire to himself in front of a bunch of children!?! I usually like, or am at least not offended by dark and satirical humor, however I found very little to laugh at in DTS. The jokes were either way too obvious and broad, or just plain brutally mean and dumb.
The movie was way too uneven and ultimately too insulting to recommend. DeVito has made me laugh in the past, perhaps this one just got away from him.
Death to Smoochy (2002)
Attempting to commit suicide in front of children - WOW Thats FUNNY!! Thanks Danny!! !!
I am baffled by the positive reviews for DTS. This has so far been one of the worst big-budget movies that I have seen since The Mexican. The suppossedly "outrageous" black humor just fell flat to me. The gags were poorly set up and way over the top. ***UH OH SPOILERS***
The movie is barely two minutes old when "Rainbow Roberts" is busted for taking bribes. We have no background info on his character other than he appears to be a lonely grump of a childrens talk-show host who might drink too much. OOOOOHHHH, NO!! How "unbelievable"! A t.v. character might not be who he seems! WOW - What a shock! He immediatly is made out to be the biggest pariah in America and loses his show and pretty much everything else. Puleease! A Non-Sexual "scandal" scenario like that would have been forgotten about in about a week in modern America. Rainbow Roberts and network spin-doctors would have made sure that this story was downplayed to the point of non-interest in less than 2 weeks. Public Relations is a very big businesss, Life would definately go on. This whole movie was chocked full of incomplete,unpleasant,unbelievable and unsympathetic characters. Frankly by the time the movie was "mercifully" over, I did not really care about any of these people. I just wanted to go - Anywhere out of the theater. The content and timing of the jokes are really suspect as well. Is it really funny for a former t.v. clown to try to set fire to himself in front of a bunch of children!?! I usually like, or am at least not offended by dark and satirical humor, however I found very little to laugh at in DTS. The jokes were either way too obvious and broad, or just plain brutally mean and dumb.
The movie was way too uneven and ultimately too insulting to recommend. DeVito has made me laugh in the past, perhaps this one just got away from him.
For Keeps? (1988)
Well-intentioned yet LAME!
For Keeps is a movie with good intentions yet I found it to be obvious and lame. The script does not sound the way that real people talk- it sounded very much like the way middle-age people think teenagers talk. The characters seemed too cliched to really have an impact.
And what was wrong with Molly Ringwald? She was so real and interesting as an actress in Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles, and so dull and uninteresting here. I don't want to sound like a grouch, but For Keeps just seemed poorly made. The characters were simplistic and shrill - especially the parents. "Stretch marks are the badge of a real woman!" bellowed the dad. Puleease, I used to teach middle and high school, my students would not buy these characters for a minute. They just seemed false and overly stereotypical. I was in high school in 1988 when this came out and I did not buy it either. Real people are much more complex and interesting. Teen pregnancy is a potentially rich subject for a film, the teens who could benefit from a well-done movie about it. A disappointing 4 out of 10 for this well-intentioned mess.
Death to Smoochy (2002)
Attempting to commit suicide in front of children - WOW Thats FUNNY!! Thanks Danny!! !!
I am baffled by the positive reviews for DTS. This has so far been one of the worst big-budget movies that I have seen since The Mexican. The suppossedly "outrageous" black humor just fell flat to me. The gags were poorly set up and way over the top. ***UH OH SPOILERS***
The movie is barely two minutes old when "Rainbow Roberts" is busted for taking bribes. We have no background info on his character other than he appears to be a lonely grump of a childrens talk-show host who might drink too much. OOOOOHHHH, NO!! How "unbelievable"! A t.v. character might not be who he seems! WOW - What a shock! He immediatly is made out to be the biggest pariah in America and loses his show and pretty much everything else. Puleease! A Non-Sexual "scandal" scenario like that would have been forgotten about in about a week in modern America. Rainbow Roberts and network spin-doctors would have made sure that this story was downplayed to the point of non-interest in less than 2 weeks. Public Relations is a very big businesss, Life would definately go on. This whole movie was chocked full of incomplete,unpleasant,unbelievable and unsympathetic characters. Frankly by the time the movie was "mercifully" over, I did not really care about any of these people. I just wanted to go - Anywhere out of the theater. The content and timing of the jokes are really suspect as well. Is it really funny for a former t.v. clown to try to set fire to himself in front of a bunch of children!?! I usually like, or am at least not offended by dark and satirical humor, however I found very little to laugh at in DTS. The jokes were either way too obvious and broad, or just plain brutally mean and dumb.
The movie was way too uneven and ultimately too insulting to recommend. DeVito has made me laugh in the past, perhaps this one just got away from him.
The Mexican (2001)
Who the Hell thought THIS was a good idea?!
While perusing this site I had the misfortune to flip the channel to the beginning of The Mexican. What a load of crap! I saw this turd in the theaters when it came out- it might have been the worst movie I saw that year. The story is dull and full of plot holes-but if you have half of a brain by the time this movie is over with you probably won't care anyway. The acting is lame, the writing even worse. There is no consistency to the direction-pointless violence one minute, idiotic sight gags the next. The film is sadly stereotypical and condescending to homosexuals, Mexicans and pretty much anyone with an I.Q. over 65. Julia Roberts could not be less believable or interesting. And anyway, she is way too old for this type of role and was obviously just going through the motions. Brad Pitt was nothing to write home about either. If Pitt has no edge to his character ala Fight Club, he just looks bored. Bored, boring just about sums up the whole (LONG) experience with The Mexican. I wonder just how a movie with such star power could be made so dull and listless? Did someone lose a bet? Is this really the best vehicle they could come up with for Pitt, Roberts, Gandolfini et al.? Anyway I have wasted enough time deriding The Mexican. If you rent this joyless mess you will be sorely disappointed. If for some reason you did like this, WHY? Seriously, WHY? Just how low are your standards?
The Right Stuff (1983)
" You're Damn Right It Is!"
"Over there-Is that a Man?"
"You're damn right it is!"
My favorite line from one of my favorite movies. Sam Shepherd defiantly walking accross the floor of the desert with half of his face burned off, having just crashed his jet is one hell of an image. The embodiment of human bravery caught on film. I understand the arguments against this movie-but I don't buy em. Great show!! Great Job to all of the men and women who risk it all every day!
Le ballon rouge (1956)
A rainy third grade day all over again
I just caught The Red Balloon on Turner Classic Movies and I found myself being instantly transported back in time to grade school. I must have watched TRB at least 10-12 times as a kid and enjoyed it immensely. Although I surely did not understand all of the symbolism throughout the film I do remember being enchanted and thoroughly entertained. I mean it was a movie about kids-not adults, what could be better? As a kid TRB always made me laugh and think. You know it's funny, out of all of the hundreds of films that I have seen in my life TRB is one of the few that has made a lasting impression. I did not fully realize the extent of the affect until tonight when I saw it agian for the first time in probably 15-16 years. Perhaps it is the funky energy of the film - the whole look, sound, and pace is so unique and honest. Growing up in the suburbs of Florida full of strip malls,gas stations and "nice" yet sterile housing developments, seeing a film about a young Parisian boy engulfed in the business of being a kid was a revelation. (That kid could have been me!) Maybe that was truly the first time that I experienced the ability of a film to magically transport me to another time and place. At any rate I am glad to share my thoughts with you. TRB brought back a little nostalgia for me tonight, and unexpected jolt to a childhood imagination that I had not considered in years. Judging by some of the other comments on this site many of you feel likewise. I realize that it is a rather simple observation, but I am heartened by the fact that the comments have come in from around the world about TRB. The fact that such a short and simple film has made such an impact on such a wide variety of people fills me with surprising amount of hope. Normally I am a bit of a cynic. I wonder if the kids in the Middle East have the opportunity to watch TRB? Just wondering...
Saving Silverman (2001)
Butt-Implants!!! Haaaaaaaa!!!!!! No!!!! - It Really sucked!!
On a slow night a few friends of mine and I decided to check this one out. We were all big fans of Jack Black ( an amazing talent ). I have always thought highly of Steve Zahn and Amanda Peet as well. Jason Biggs is talented, yet I am not that big of a fan. How could "Silverman" miss we thought? Good Lord does this film suck!!! How could the director miss with such a cast!?! I mean my Grandma could have made a more interesting comedy and she has not seen a "picture-show" since "Oklahoma". The character's motivations made no sense. One minute this guy is in a Neil Diamond tribute band, the next he is hopelessly devoted to a fairly hot chick that he met in a bar. Why? We have virtually no backgound on these people, we recieved no reasoning whatsoever for his lack of balls. He is not even getting to bang her!!!! Peet is pretty to be sure, but she is not all that. I mean c'mon guys would you give up your freedom and friends for a cruel bitch that you can't touch (sorry married guys-you already made this choice)? And why is SHE so big on this idea? She has nothing better to do than screw with this geek's head? A lot of suppossed high-jinks ensue, but if you have half of a brain you probably won't care. The "jokes" are ill-timed and written and executed at about the level of a 10 year-old. As I sat there dumbfounded by this waste of film eyeballing the handfull of (semi-retarded I'm guessing) teen-agers hoot and snort at some of the pitiful "gags" , my mind wandered back a couple of years to another "gross-out" comedy that I saw in the very same theater- "There's Something About Mary". "Mary" was a vastly superior film in every respect. The characters were real, consistent and well-developed. There were genuine surprises and WELL-TIMED bathroom jokes. There was a genuine sense of style and craftsmanship to "Mary" as well. There was absolutely NO sense of style, surprise or craftmanship to "Silverman" it was obviously thrown together-badly. Please don't get me wrong, I am not a snob (or a taleted speller) I usually like the off-color comedies-Mr. Show, Caddyshack, Meatballs, Blazing Saddles, I'm Dancing As Fast As I Can, Swingers, Anything Monty Python, Repo Man... you know what I'm talking about. Go ahead be dumb, gross or "outrageous", but please be competent and consitent with your storytelling. Is it asking too much to not waste the talents of Black, Biggs, Zahn, Ermy, Peet, et al.? I dunno, I feel like a sap for writing this much about it . "Saving Siverman" was a big diappointment-It Sucked!! If you rent it you will be disappointed.
The Cannonball Run (1981)
Adriane Barbeau !!!!
A mere good natured romp? Not hardly my friend. Mr. Needham portrays the very essense of a restless post-Watergate, Vietnam, Anita Bryant, et al. America. The Land of Freedom sorely needed a laugh cavalcade-a bromo if you will to sooth our collective, disillusioned, gaseous belly. Plop plop fizz fizz... YES! our thirst was quenched, our churning acid soothed. Dean Martin! Sammy! Farrah! Terry Bradshaw WITH Mel Tillis!! Jamie Farr! Joe Klecko! Ray Milland! A young and strapping Jackie Chan! Adrianne Barbeau! Roger Moore and so many others!! Not to mention of course the legendary comedy duo of Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise (sp)!! Mr. Needham on behalf of a Grateful Nation we thank thee. How can one man give so much and yet ask for so little in return. A Kennedy Center Honor should lay in your future my friend! Sure we would have liked to have seen Lee Marvin, Connie Francis, Jerry Reed, Mean Joe Greene, and Jimmy Caan in "Cannonball" - maybe even that chimp from "Every Which Way But Loose". Alas these are the stuff of lovely, lovely dreams. Like the song says... "It's not what you do it's how you do it. You be you and I'll be me..." "Just For the Hell of it" Indeed. A big 10 out of 10 stars for this "Good Natured Romp" P.S. Bert Convey, Godspeed my man. You were an original. You will be missed!