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Reviews
Soul in the Hole (1997)
Brilliant and Fun Documentary
This movie got me staying up to see it tll the early morning hours. it takes you inside a hard core new york ghetto neighbourhood, and it really is INSIDE. i was certain that the film maker must be one of th gang, it being such an intimate movie, and was very surprised that its a female director which i suspect is an outsider to this world.
She really managed to get the viewer to see and hear the truth of the characters. and what can i say, these guys, black guys from new york, are incredible characters. the way the move and talk, the great basketball being played out, and the touching relationships between them.
anyway - great film, and great camera and sound work!
Along Came Polly (2004)
"Along came Polly" is a wonderful comedy!
Great plot, incredibly funny minor characters such as: the Great Hank Azaria (he's responsible for the voices of Apu, Moe, Chief Wiggum and others on "the simpsons", by the way) in an absolutely unrecognizable body, playing the role of Claude, a French scooba instructor you'll love to meet. The wonderful Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Happiness", "Magnolia") in one of his funniest roles, and he does a great job at this comedy, in a very physical performance! White Chocolate, let it rain! He plays the traditional "best friend" part, but every time he comes on the screen it's a celebration. With his legs spread in his yellow shorts, torn right in the middle doesn't get more human than that. Bryan Brown adds more flavor with his extreme sports enthusiasm, and there's nothing like skipping to a frantic hand held camera in a squash match in the middle of a steadily shot film. Alec Baldwin is also part of the cast, and it's great to see him at it. Jennifer Anniston plays the girl, and its so refreshing to see such a lead lady. She's genuine, funny, free spirited, unlike most plastic female characters you mostly see. Plus she's incredibly sexy when dancing Salasa, and there's a few points in those scenes when the resemblance to "Dirty Dancing" is so ridiculous that you can't help but embrace this Director to your heart. Ben Stiller is energetic as usual, and we go along with him every minute of it. Yes, there is a "water rising in the toilet" joke, but it's really funny in this movie, because Anniston is sitting right outside of the toilet door waiting for Stiller, when the water starts streaming from under it. And when he leaves, he's holding the Lufa so he'll throw it on his way out. It's just very real, and very funny. A lot of Slapstick, a lot of seemingly "low" humor, but it's just SO funny seeing that slow motion shot of someone's hairy belly rubbing ALL over Ben Stiller's face during a basketball match
Along Came Polly manages to be a real fun Comedy with a true sense of kindness, love, and humor. Very much recommended for a night of DVD. I didn't see it at the cinema so I don't know how that may be.