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Reviews
All Over Town (1937)
Great fun!
For a movie made on a shoestring during the Great Depression, this movie delivers plenty of laughs -- which is precisely what it was designed to do. It isn't educational, and it doesn't have a "moral", and it isn't high-brow. Neither were the Stooges. The only public goal of making a movie like this (besides getting paid) is to make people laugh a little during one of the darkest times of modern history. And it pulls that off with aplomb.
For anyone out there seeking depth where there isn't supposed to be any, I have this to say: Just because the plot changes direction to fit the jokes instead of the other way around, that doesn't make it a bad movie. Watch the flick and laugh along. It's only 63 minutes long. Can you stand 63 minutes of laughter in your life?
Chocolat (2000)
A combination of good plots
There are several little stories told in this little gem, but the two that stand out for me are the sort of Mary Poppins quality of a strange, mysterious woman (Binoche) who brings joy (and a little upset) to a staid community, and the dignity of the older woman (Dench) who refuses to allow a malady to define who she is, and who she chooses to be remembered as.
Some grand life lessons lie herein, as does a rather good effort by Depp as well. It is interesting to see Leslie Caron's contribution, even though I'm not much of a Caron (Lili) fan. Lena Olin is enchanting and dependable, as usual.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Revenge of the Steaming Pile of Sith
The franchise has gotten so wrapped up in CGI that they've forgotten what the series is supposed to be about. As space opera, Episode III is the lowest of the three "new generation" Star Wars flicks. As high art, it fails.
The Obi-Whine Pierogi character is the cry-baby-est good guy I think I've ever seen. Anyone who spends as much time whinging about how his destiny interferes with his love life doesn't get my vote for joining in to save the universe. Sit this one out, cry-baby.
Natalie Portman's Padme is diluted and flavorless, like canned soup with too much water. The goodness is in there, but you have to swallow a lot of water to find it.
The earlier 70s-80s episodes worked BECAUSE they were 2-dimensional, not in spite of it. Trying to add depth and dimension takes away from the impact of the story which -- let's face it -- has been done. Lonely underdog from out of nowhere overcomes insurmountable odds to save the day. That's everything from Conan to Harry Potter. It doesn't need more depth, and using big name talent takes away from the newness of it all. To work, the series needs the emotional dedication and ingenuity applied to the epic, and not to the special effects and big stars.
Samuel Jackson's Mace Windex, for crying out loud. I cry aloud for the ruin of the golden years of Christopher Lee, who brought awesome power and strength to every role he played until they made him Count Dookie.
I supposed after you make your first 100 million, you don't have to try anymore. The proles will buy anything with your name on it.
The Anderson Tapes (1971)
A good sample of the time
From a time when the USA was very much caught up in the mechanics of surveillance, and the heightened awareness of being "bugged". This film was very much a child of its time.
Sean Connery punched the time clock for a standard performance on this one, during the time after his Bond fame but before other serious winners. Not bad, but not as brilliant as his later work. Dyan Cannon was pretty, dependable, and believable. Garret Morris and Martin Balsam both did great jobs, and it was wonderful to see Margaret Hamilton still getting work in the 70s after her wicked witch fame.
The pacing, editing, and soundtrack were very much indicative of the period; I love many movies from that time that were done in the same style.
The ending is a bit abrupt. If you aren't aware of the political climate of the time, it might make you go, "Huh?". It worked for me, but younger watchers may wonder what all the fuss was.
Emanuelle in America (1977)
Don't bother
The name is intended to bring to mind images of the earlier Emmanuelle efforts, but it's all bait-and-switch. It wasn't erotic, wasn't good at holding my attention, and had some very disturbing visuals -- including some pretty horrific bloody gore that was completely unnecessary and didn't contribute to the story.
If all you want is sexy imagery, then google for the imagery and save your money. If all you want is horrific bloody imagery, then google psychiatric help in your neighborhood.
It doesn't even hold up well enough to serve as an example or warning against anything.
Either way, stay away from this monstrosity.
Tout le monde il en a deux (1974)
Neither as good nor as bad as it could be
It's softcore, plain and simple. Nothing wrong with that in and of itself, but most other softcore flicks from the age at least make fun of themselves a little, tongue in cheek. This one doesn't -- unless you count the scenes where the star can't seem to stop herself from smirking at the wrong point.
I do have to admit that the costumes and lighting were pretty good for this type of film, and the old French houses and manor used for locale were very nice.
If you were an alien, and your first exposure to Earth was through this film, here is what you would have learned:
- When housesitting for your rich cousin, it's okay for you to have drunken parties and climb his walls to throw his belongings on the floor within half an hour of arrival.
- There are no consequences. For anything, as far as I can tell.
- The richer you are, the less clothing you wear.
- All women are lesbians.
- All women are agreeable for sex every 10 minutes, no matter what mood they're in, even if they just found out their best friend was kidnapped. Even with the maid, or strangers...
- Buck-tooth monkey-face hags are sexiest of all.
- Everything can be instantly forgiven, as long as somebody gets laid.
- Disagreements are settled via half-naked, half-hearted catfight.
On the other hand, if you're an earthling who has been around the track and likes a softcore exploitation flick... well, you might like it, but it won't be your new favorite.
The Brown Bunny (2003)
Ambivalence, I think...
Possible spoiler alert, depending on the subjective opinion of the moderators, so I'll flag it as such just in case.
For the first hour of this film, I was disappointed in having chosen it. Very little dialog -- and I mean very little. Nothing of any importance seems to happen. Things transpire, but they don't appear to be things that matter to any plot.
Then, abruptly, the intensity meter goes up to about 105% for the last half hour of the flick. Maybe the first hour is meant to portray desperate loneliness and pointless existence. As with many "art" or independent films, you spend a lot of time wondering what's going on, because nothing is going on. And then, away we go! Difficult to rate the whole thing, so I'll rate the parts separately. The denouement gets 8, but the beginning and too-slow build-up get 3.
Note to aspiring filmmakers: If there is no conflict, there is no story. Hook me sooner.
FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)
Bad science, bad acting, bad movie.
Children will watch just about anything if it's animated. Stop them from watching this one. It is full of so much bad science and outright falsehoods that you owe it to your progeny to protect their little minds.
Not since "Captain Planet" has there been such a blatant effort to use cartoons to brainwash your little ones. The little bit of information that has any truth behind it is exaggerated so far that anyone who paid attention in 6th grade Science class knows it to be wrong.
It's a rather cute story, and that is the problem. It is NOT okay to be wrong as long as you're cute. And it is NOT okay to lie to your children for a good cause.
The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
A great flick that will entertain all ages
This is a nice break from the somewhat preachy trend Disney has been having. I like the way things like school, family and friends are presented in a way that shows being nice can be more fun than being mean.
Along the way, there are jokes at many levels -- like some of the older cartoons -- so the kids will laugh at some, and the adults will smile at each other at the "in" jokes for grown-ups.
Disney has a long history of putting talent into movies that we wouldn't normally expect to work well together, and making it work. I was pleasantly surprised at Spade's adaptability in the role, and glad to see that old darling Eartha Kitt still getting work. (Mrrowww!)
The Lost Angel (2005)
Decent, though somewhat predictable
Alison Eastwood is a solid B-list actress. She's not going to win any Oscars for this kind of work, but there's a reason she keeps getting hired. Quite simply, she brings home the bacon.
The reason the so-called occult mysticism is dropped early in the movie is explained quite clearly by the unfolding plot. There's a little celeb skin for those who go for that.
Judd Nelson's character is a non-entity who feeds the cops information; although it's the first time I've seen an FBI priest in a movie. I suspect actor John Rhys-Davies has fallen on hard times; this is not up to the A-list movie roles he has landed so far. He looks like he has lost a lot of weight in recent years; his character was believable, though somewhat thinly-spread (no pun intended).
It's a murder mystery, a serial killer movie, and has an interesting twist at the end. If you're hoping for the next Sixth Sense, don't bother. But if you like solid made-for-cable cop movies, it's entertaining.