DogbertIncarnate Reviews

A Funny Thing Happened at the Quick Mart (2004)

Hilarious Short, Very Clever

[10/10 · 18 June 2004]

I just watched "A funny thing happened at the Quick Mark" during last night's prelude to the South Side Film Festival. It was one of the last shorts shown during the first set, and it definitely received some of the best audience response of the night. I laughed SO hard at the antics in the short, of this guy who appears to be insane, and the thought processes he uses to come to the conclusions of what he should say and do next. Mr. Yarovesky wrote that "Some people would call it a dark comedy," and I'd have to agree. It deals with issues like insanity, violence and rape in such a way that is so ridiculous that you can't help but see the humor in it.

Last Writes (2001)

Very Professional, Very Funny

[10/10 · 18 June 2004]

The basic premise of this amusing short was that this Hollywood producer's brother is in the hospital, with not much time left to live, and he goes to his bedside, not to say goodbye, but to get the final script his brother wrote, since his brother is such a talented writer.

This film was the last short after watching shorts for 3 hours, but it was a good enough project that it caught everyone's interest and engaged everyone's attention. The ending was a little predictable, but it was executed flawlessly. This was definitely one of the most professional shorts I saw - the audio didn't hiss or peak, the video was crisp and clear, the acting was very good, the camera work was right on and the set dressing was great (not sure whether they actually used a real hospital or not). Overall a highly recommended short.

The Girl Next Door (2004)

Shockingly Good

[10/10 · 24 February 2004]

Just saw "The Girl Next Door" tonight, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The trailers made it look like a real teen flick, in the style of American Pie or Porkys or something, but that's not the way it came out. The acting was right on in every scene. Even most of the secondary characters were just right. The characters who really stood out were some of the secondary ones, like the main character's best friends and Danielle's producer. The music fits great, and the movie twists in some good surprises. My prognosis is that this movie is being marketed to the wrong audience ala "The Rules of Attraction" and that if it fails it's because it is being advertised to teen moviegoers, not older romantic comedy watchers.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Yay!

[10/10 · 16 December 2003]

Saw a screening of the movie on the 15th, and it was incredible - 3 1/2 hours of payoff from the first two movies. It strayed a little from the book (No Scourign of the shire, no faramir and eowyn wedding, frodo sends sam away before they get to shelob's, etc.) but it just felt soo right. basically, if you liked the first two movies, you'll like this more. if you hated the first two movies, you probably won't like this, but you might like it a bit better. it has more and better action, but also more and better character development, mainly with eowyn, faramir, the hobbits (sam, pippin, and merry) and gollum.