disbarro Reviews

The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies!!? (1964)

One of the BEST 'So-Bad-It's-Good' Movies Ever Made!

[9/10 · 4 November 2017]

Don't worry; no (-ahem!-) spoilers here though I'm not at all sure that revealing its plot (or any other of its elements) would, um, "spoil" it for anyone. Let's just say that its tag-line, which is something like, "The First Monster Movie Musical," while basically descriptive, HARDLY does it justice!

It's a 30-karat, genuine fancy diamond of the "So-Bad It's-GOOD!" genre! The only other thing I'm gonna say is this: if you're a true aficionado of the genre, do yourself a favor and see Cash Flagg's masterpiece!

**ONE CAVEAT:** The first several minutes may seem only slightly odd, even dull (to some people, anyway). Those who hang in there will be richly rewarded.

Charmed: Coyote Piper (2001) Season 3, Episode 9

Doesn't the Demon Kierkan Look Like.........

[8/10 · 17 July 2006]

So I'm flipping around the T.V. this morning, and I think I see a familiar face going by... wait... Hmmm: there's this creepy, WAY intense guy - a "demon" - on "Charmed" who apparently creates human-like spirits called essences (or something like that) that he keeps in a bottle (?!), one of which has possessed "Piper"... He's got wild eyes & hair (-and you could call the acting he's doing pretty wild too, lol), a familiar, intense stare... COULD KIERKAN THE DEMON BE... Rainn Wilson?? By god, it IS! Really- would Dwight Schrutte approve of this foray into the occult? I think not! P.S. -Great death scene on the Persian rug!

The Office (2005–2013)

We Americans EMBRACE a Comedy Like THIS ONE?!?

[10/10 · 15 July 2006]

YES! I'm so proud of us (... the U.S!) for embracing a comedy like the American "The Office." Of course, "Two & a Half Men" got nominated by the Emmys ... so we've still got some maturing to do...

If you loved the U.K. series, great: this one's even better, thanks to the writers and especially, thanks to the brilliant cast! That's about it, except to say that within the last year (or three?), the networks FINALLY seem to be BEGINNING to "get it" in terms of the established 1/2 hour sitcom format, and shows like "The Office" & "My Name is Earl" might just save their own old, currently (- and long since) gasping-for-breath network 1/2-hour sitcoms! (Crossing my fingers but not holding my breath; as long as shows like "According to Jim," et al, get decent numbers, who knows with what swill we'll be served...?)

Pasadena (2001–2002)

Damn, it had so much potential.

[8/10 · 31 May 2006]

Not usually a fan of soaps, I read about the cast in some preview blurb. Knowing that a surprising number of worthwhile actors- both established and developing- had been cast in Pasadena, then having heard that Mike White was involved, I decided to give it a go... which turned out to be a huge mistake, in the long run. I tuned in, got hooked on the the excellent actors (nighttime soaps rarely get Pasadena's caliber of actors)...got into the characters, the stories, the production values... then it just ended. It's great that we get to see all 13 episodes again on Soap Net- though not that many people get that channel & so won't get the same chance. Still haven't gotten used to being left hanging virtually every time I really like a superior show (like Arrested Development, etc.) but I suspect I'm gonna have to soon... I really am tired of networks yanking viewers this way, and it gets worse every year.

Hi-Life (1998)

A Small Gem of a Christmas Movie

[7/10 · 9 December 2005]

"Hi-Life" is no Christmas blockbuster. It's a small, rewarding treat of a Christmas-in-NYC movie, and it's one of the few holiday movies I love to see every year. It's a slice-of-life (well, slice-of-one-night, really) film full of small, everyday characters, written smartly and played by first-rate character actors. The NYC setting is warm, colorful and nostalgic without being dated in the least... kind of like New York itself (okay, like some parts of NYC). So: if you don't enjoy that sort of thing, if you've gotta have big-name glamour, special effects, knee-slapping jokes, car crashes or heavy,"message" drama in order not to be bored - avoid this film. P.S., if you miss living in and hanging out around New York, see it, especially during the holidays.

Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical (2005 TV Movie)

Best Musical..uh, Comedy...um,Satire...ALL.! - I've Seen in Years!

[8/10 · 15 May 2005]

I'm SO used to being disappointed by underwritten roles, songs, plot & dialogue, phoned-in performances, etc., in most of what I see in films and T.V. lately... but THIS is SUBLIME! Though it's hilarious and campy, the lyrics are witty and demand intelligence, and the music's terrific, as is every single performance. But there just isn't any actor or aspect of the show to single out as brilliant; every moment of Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical is no less than perfect! My husband, my friends and I haven't been able to stop watching it (it was on Showtime On Demand 'til Saturday), nor can we get the songs out of our heads.... Surely Showtime is going to rerun this on DVD, and (PLEASE!) release it on DVD A.S.A.P. Do yourself a favor and catch it.(And no, I'm in no way affiliated... just a film "buff"!)