Comments written by registered user
|
| 13 comments in total |

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
In my opinion, this was the first summer 2004 blockbuster. I have seen
Spiderman-2 (2004) in theaters 3 times. It is a rarity that I see a
motion picture that many times in the theatre. In fact, I think the
last instance I did such a thing was when I saw 1989's Back to the
Future part 2.
This movie is excellent. It has all of the good things a movie is
supposed to have.
As customary, I headed get hot wings and Rocky Mountain Oysters after
seeing it the first time, so I could really digest the film. As the
wing sauce covered my face and hands, burning my lips, the impact of
the movie started to take affect. The 'burn the seams off of a baseball
hot' hot wings coupled with my recollection of the film made me start
to sweat. And sweat joy for Spidey 2 did I.
The movie had story. To avoid any spoilers, I will comment judiciously.
While the film was chalked full of too many 'B-Movie' moments of camera
staring, hands flailing terror screams, the mixture of comedy, action,
drama and overall narrative is what makes this picture great.
Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) wrestles with himself in this movie. He
grapples with the fact that he is Spiderman, his super powers have been
acting up, he loves Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and doesn't want
her to get hurt, he's behind on his college school work, his aunt is
going through financial woes while he himself is penniless living in a
dump owned by a rodent-eyed Russian immigrant with a cake-baking, Peter
Parker liking and obscenely thin daughter. Maguire had a tall order to
fill with this role. Peter Parker gets pooped on multiple ways. Nothing
seems to go right with his life.
Along with the great story are some spectacular actions sequences of
Spidey web slinging through New York and a train sequence fight that is
downright breathtaking.
Alfred Molina as Otto 'Doc Ock' Octavious was the perfect villain with
freakish mechanical arms grafted to his body. His character was human
and at heart a good guy. James Franco as Parker's best irritating
friend Harry Osborn reminded me of the whiny Hayden 'Anakin Skywalker'
Christensen. I could do without Franco's character altogether. His very
presence made me shudder with pain.
One highlight of the picture was the scene-stealing J.K. Simmons as
Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson. Mr. Jameson invigorated the screen
with witty dialogue and comic relief. It was a delight to see the
charisma he exhibited on the screen. He is a classic editor in the film
genre. Did you know that J.K. Simmons is the voice of the yellow M&M on
the television commercials?
Bruce Campbell of Evil Dead and Bubba Ho-tep fame made a surprising
cameo as the Snooty Usher. Campbell was also in the first Spiderman as
the Wrestling Ring Announcer.
I loved Spiderman 2. It was hundreds of times better than the first
movie. I saw it again. And again. If you like a combination of action,
drama, comedy and slight horror, see it on the big screen today. And
when they retool it for Imax, see it there as well.
Oh and Catwoman looks thoroughly stupid so if you see it I will never
speak to you again.
I initially did not want to see this movie. Why would I want to see a
freakish puppet movie with the voice talent from South Park? I've never
been a fan of South Park, although there are some damn funny and
irreverent episodes. My favorite South Park character is Mr. Hankey the
Christmas Poo. Feces and Christmas went hand-in-hand in my house
growing up, but mostly just feces.
I caved in and saw the movie because of all the hype. It has been
touted as 'the funniest film of the year.' I hardly agree. Coloradoans
Trey Parker and Matt Stone have done it again however. It had some
great parts, but it's mostly ridiculous and doesn't work very well,
especially the brainless one-on-one fight scenes. The puppets smack
each other around, showing the obvious limitations of the puppets
themselves. They probably would have had more success if they used CG.
I also saw this movie to conquer my fear of marionette puppets. It
hardly worked. I think my mind is even more wounded now.
The visuals were just plain creepy. I shuttered in my seat from the
very start of the movie and my uneasiness continued throughout the
whole film. Nothing makes my skin crawl more than watching inanimate
objects showing emotion, moving awkwardly and even f*cking. Yes
f*cking! To get the R rating instead of NC-17, the hot puppet-f*cking
scene had to be re-cut 9 times. I look forward to the Director's Cut
DVD just to see the puppet-loving scene in its original glory.
One thing is for sure, the loving puppets represent. Oh yes they
represent. They show the audience many human fornication techniques
found in the Kama Sutra. It's the most hilarious part of the movie, if
puppet-sex can be called hilarious. I enjoyed it, although I expected
the puppets to show up in my dreams, using their puppeteer control
strings to strangle me. Marionettes startle me much like the forbidding
Muppet Swedish Chef.
Comedic Genius Phil Hendrie was the voice of Intelligence the computer.
I found amusing how Team America went into different countries to fight
terrorism and ended up saving the day while causing a gaggle of
collateral damage. They destroy many Paris landmarks and the Great
Pyramids in Egypt throughout the movie
all in the name of freedom. It
was funny.
Overall, the film is entertaining but I won't see it again in the
theaters. 1997's Orgazmo was better. 1999's South Park: Bigger, Longer
& Uncut was even better. Even Baseketball was better. Team America:
World Police is a horrifying 'visual achievement' but the creators were
obviously limited. I have a hankering that the studio restricted and
censored them a majority of the time. If these guys would be left alone
to really create, I think they could generate the greatest comedic
achievement of all time.
I would really like to know if the studio gave them any problems.
Obviously they did, considering 9 different edits of the puppet-loving
scene. I enjoy writing the term puppet-loving.
Matt Stone said in an interview, 'We have a sex scene with puppets and
[they] are not even anatomically correct, because they're like Barbie
and Ken dolls. And we put them in little positions and rub them
together and [play] some pretty music.' The sexual intercourse scenes
are almost like how I innocently used to play-emulate sex between my
inarticulate action figures of Han Solo and Princess Leia
but
different.
I suggest seeing this film in the theater, because I think it will
loose something on the small screen. And the funny thing about the
whole thing is that the movie is rated R for graphic, crude and sexual
humor, violent images and strong language - all involving
bloodcurdling, ill at ease moving puppets. I hate marionettes. I really
hate marionettes.
The Twin Peaks pilot aired on April 8, 1990. It created a buzz around
the nation as everyone wanted to know 'Who Killed Laura Palmer?' I
highly recommend you watch this series. It will astound you, disturb
you and most importantly, make you jones for coffee, doughnuts and
cherry pie! Groundbreaking television! Episodes are available on VHS,
with the first season on DVD.
The first episode of the Peaks that I actually watched was episode 16:
Arbitrary Law (2.009, Original Airdate: December 1, 1990), in which a
strange gathering is called to the Roadhouse and the murderer of Laura
Palmer is revealed. I was hooked from that point on.
I've seen the complete series about 6 times and still marvel at the
witty dialogue and 'Lynchian' feel. The series ended on June 10, 1991,
with one of the unhappiest endings in the history of television.
Miguel Ferrer played FBI agent Agent Albert Rosenfield. Albert had the
best lines in the series.
Watch Twin Peaks. Watch it!
consider myself a snobbish shaman when it comes to filmy knowledge.
When I speak on motion pictures, the words flow from my body as if
medicines and elixirs intoxicated me. Be it the opus Zapped! or the
classic Killer Klowns from Outer Space, I pride myself on bringing to
illumination the forgotten masterpieces of cinema. I bark obscure film
knowledge. That is why I am praising the likes of one of the top ten
most overlooked films of the early 1980s: Super Fuzz aka Super Snooper
aka Poliziotto superpiù.
This comedy, live action, sci-fi/fantasy and action/adventure film even
made it to my coveted top 25 Movie Moments list:
19.) The super powers of Officer Dave Speed
Dave becomes able to move
objects with the mind force, discover mysterious crimes, jump with no
problem from a skyscraper and blow a massively huge bubble from one
piece of gum to save he and his friends from a sunken ship. Like most
heroes, there is a weakness
the color red. (Super Fuzz, 1980)
This film was a force on late night HBO during my hazy childhood. It
played everyday and night. I recorded it on VHS and watched it
religiously along with the above-mentioned Zapped!
Super Fuzz was a superhero like no other. Behold his powers! He makes
all the people in the Orange Bowl (tens of thousands of people!)
disappear into the unknown reaches of time and space with but a
thought! The physics and theories behind these mind force powers have
serious implications and are staggering. I only aspire to have such
mind force powers.
I recently acquired a mint condition vinyl recording of the film's
catchy and amazingly plentiful disco theme song 'Super Snooper' by The
Oceans:
'He's a super-snooper, Really super-trooper!'
That Ernest Borgnine made the film even better as Sgt. Willy Dunlop.
It is mandatory viewing for any serious student of film. 'Super,
Super!'
Cast:
Terence Hill as Dave Speed, Ernest Borgnine as Sgt. Willy Dunlop,
Joanne Dru as Rosy Labouche, Marc Lawrence as Torpedo, Julie Gordon as
Evelyn
Sergio Corbucci directed Super Fuzz.
After work yesterday, I went to the gigantic screen Continental 6
theatre in glorious Denver and saw The Day After Tomorrow.
It's about time another extravagant doomsday motion picture summer
blockbuster hit the big screen. Director Roland Emmerich of The Patriot
(2000), Godzilla (1998), Independence Day (1996) and Stargate (1994)
fame really socked it to the audience with this one.
I enjoyed this film. It's so Emmerich-esque! Dennis Quaid is Jack Hall,
a climatologist who figures out the world will suffer from abrupt
global warming. Instead of occurring a hundred to a thousand years in
the future, it begins to happen now. The special effects tense fest
begins. It's a wacky special FX extravaganza!
The audience is assaulted with natural disaster after natural disaster
from Los Angles tornados to massive tidal waves slamming unfortunate
New York City to quick freezes in the 'eye' of the storm. Quaid makes a
promise that he'll get to his young son in New York, which is now being
taken over by a new ice age.
Jake Gyllenhaal, who played Homer Hickam in October Sky (1999) (a
rocketry film which inspires me each and every time I see it), plays
Quaid's son Sam Hall. Gyllenhaal does a decent job with some extreme
action sequences.
Plus this film has a dirty homeless guy as comic relief. One cannot go
wrong with positive or negative portrayals of street people and their
newspaper insulation. The film gets kudos for having a destitute guy
and his dog prominently featured.
It's not the best movie ever made, but it is entertaining. I recommend
seeing it in theaters where one can point and laugh at the
cowering/weeping children in the audience. This film is Rated PG-13 for
intense situations of peril. And if the weather scenes don't scare you,
the ravaging and hungry wolves will.
Trivia: Emmerich executive produced the film Eight Legged Freaks
(2002), but I will not hold against him.
6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
This DVD is a gem in my collection. Never before gathered in one spot
can a man using a puppet as a venue be so insulting and degrading to
all men and women, celebrities or no. It's one of the great pieces of
comedy art ever created.
Being a Star Wars fan, I was delighted to see Triumph mocking and
jeering at all of the nerds in their little Ewok and Jedi costumes
waiting in line to see Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. I
particularly laughed at Triumph talking to contestants auditioning for
American Idol. He is brutal. Too bad it was on Late Night with Conan
O'Brien instead of cable. The network censored too many things in my
opinion. Cable TV is where Triumph would really flourish.
I'm not claiming to be a hater or one who enjoys slinging slurs, but
living vicariously through a cigar smoking dog puppet with Robert
Smigel's hand shoved up its rear-end really means a lot to me. It means
I don't have to do it. It's all about the comedy in my opinion. Smigel
does a great job with improvisation while his prepared shtick is also
good. This DVD caters to a certain demographic; I guess one that I fall
into. It may not be for the pure of heart. I'm crude but a goodly kind
of crude. Rent or buy it today. Do it! Or you can borrow mine.
It's good for a laugh.
After seeing Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ (2004), I had a
hankering for a feast of hot wings, fries, cold beverage and Rocky
Mountain Oysters. I went to the local Wings of Fire restrent.
While partaking in the fried delights, I pondered the movie. I liked
this film. This film moved me. I will give you impressions of the
movie, as it is up to each individual who sees it to decide if they
liked it or not. The scourge of Jesus is pretty vicious, but I am
rarely shocked by anything. There is brutal violence and lots of caking
and pooling blood, exposed ribs and so on and so forth. Be prepared.
Nobody should have to go through what Jesus did. I wept.
James Caviezel, in a role of a lifetime, played a high-quality Jesus.
The original language was a nice touch, and I found it very easy to
read the subtitles and still take in the imagery. I still think Willem
Dafoe's Jesus in The Last Temptation of Christ was better.
This film had Mel Gibson written all over it. Anyone who is a fan of
Braveheart will see many common themes and images in both films. The
score is excellent, a Shankar/Peter Gabriely New World-like score by
John Debney.
It's a must see for people of all faiths. It is cinema art at it's
finest.
Pondering the fate of Jesus didn't make me enjoy my fried feast any
better, but if you've never tried Rocky Mountain Oysters, aka calf
fries, bull testicles, prairie oysters, Montana tendergroins, cowboy
caviar or swinging beef, you are really missing out on a delicacy.
I'm not usually a fan of organ meats, but I like RMOs! I have nothing
against eating animal genitalia. In some cultures, animal genitalia are
considered an aphrodisiac.
That's right friends, we craggy folks of the Rocky Mountain expanse are
not easily upset. Go see The Passion of the Christ.
Boy oh boy
Bubba Ho-Tep (Limited Collector's Edition) (2002) is a
great movie directed by Don Coscarelli. I praise this film.
This is a comedy, horror and drama film all mixed together to form a
great piece of cinema. The movie takes place in Texas at an old folks
home, which is being used as a hunting ground for a soul-sucking
Egyptian entity. It's up to resident elderly men to rid the assisted
living home of this evil. The elderly men are Bruce Campbell as Elvis
Presley and Ozzie Davis as an eccentric Jack 'JFK' Kennedy, both having
never died as history has told us.
I laughed out loud at many of the scenes, mainly because of their
absurdity and hilarious dialogue. Campbell does an excellent job as the
aged, walker-assisted Presley. He lights up the screen with physical
comedy, sidesplitting discourse and some serious moments such as Elvis'
desire to tell his daughter he loves her. Watching the elderly Presley
strike martial arts poses and using his walker as a weapon is worth the
price of the DVD alone. The commentary track by 'the King' is a
funny/wacky bonus as well.
If you have a chance, pick up a copy of Bubba Ho-Tep today.
Memorable Quotes:
Elvis: Don't make me use my stuff on ya, baby!
Elvis: [to Bubba Ho-Tep] Come and get it, you undead sack of s**t.
Elvis: Uh, Mr. President... You're on the floor. JFK: No s**t?
Action! Action! No action! And More. Aside from a few spectacular action
sequences, the very thought of Tom Cruise's "Matrix-esqu" acrobatics is
disturbing. Not enough Impossible Mission and too much character
development. This film does not live up to the hype surrounding it.
If you like "impossible" motorcycle chase sequences and very few gadgets,
this one is for you.
A classic! Worth it to see some pretty good stars "in their prime." Veteran Actor Harry Dean Stanton (the father figure) delivers one of his best performances with the line "Avenge ME!" An 80's master piece that was also the first PG-13 film ever! Also touted as the most violent film of the time.
| Page 1 of 2: | [1] [2] |