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Reviews
The Twelve Chairs (1970)
Not a regular Mel Brooks film
It was hard to expect too much out of this apparently low-budget production filmed in 1970 Yugoslavia. The script is loosely based on a novel in Russian which originally did not center on treasure hunt but rather on the picturesque characters surrounding the three losers who could not fit in the new life.
I decided to watch this as the only Mel Brooks film never seen before. Unfortunately I had nearly memorized the novel... and in my eyes the movie only reflected about 2% of the potential laughs, while I believe about 40% could be funny if it could make it in the script. The original material was not without flaws but it was mostly satire and drama, which was totally left out of this film.
Seeing Dom DeLuise and Frank Langella 40 years younger was a surprise! They actually account for 50% of the fun, while the remaining half belongs to the brilliant acting by Andréas Voutsinas in the two minutes of screen time! Mel Brooks wrote the title song for the film, and the score is OK, but the scenery is out of place and dress designer had no clue about any Russian clothes.
So, it's far from an average Mel Brooks film. Overall, I would still give it 5 out of 10, mostly for Andréas Voutsinas.
Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan (2004)
Properly trained, a man can become dog's best friend. And the pack leader, too!
"Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan" is a ray of sunshine in latest TV shows and I too became addicted to it the first time I watched an episode.
It's essentially about the "issues" dogs might have, and their frustrated owners. Issues might be repeating, but dogs are different, so one does not get tired watching how the Dog Shrink Cesar deals with the situation in front of astonished owners.
The series is about dogs AND humans, and it shows clearly that so many pets can be put to sleep simply because their owners have no time or skills to walk their dogs, or to train them, or are not responsible enough. Cesar is an excellent shrink and I like his approach to humans.
Just because of this alone, Dog Whisperer really works: Cesar Millan deserves the highest reward for his training of pet owners. Although the show constantly warns us against trying to use same techniques at home, thousands of dogs successfully found peace and joy and continue living in families (packs) thanks to Dog Whisperer and his fans.
I love seeing happy dogs, but I would not last ten seconds with Cesar's pack after he leaves...