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Reviews
Bamboozled (2000)
Missing The Point
In an analogous way, this movie gives new meaning to 'film noir.' Spike Lee's Best Film! I've read all the comments here, pro & con and everyone has a good point to make. I can't believe that no one has mentioned the short film montage Lee inserts of all the stereotypical ads & cartoons of blacks down the years. It really made me sad & hit a hole in my heart for what some people thought (and some still do) was funny. Thank God it's difficult to find these things on the Internet and in print anymore. The New York Times is to be congratulated for extending 1st amendment rights (huh?) to Spike Lee in it's advertising denial for this movie. I'm wondering if they asked for a revamped ad to replace the one submitted at the time. Thank you for this movie & for your candor Mr.Lee. I, for one, got it.
Nothing But Trouble (1991)
Maybe 10 Years Ahead Of It's Time?
It has Demi, Chevy, John Candy, Dan Ackroyd and a Beamer in it. Who wouldn't be jealous? No wonder it was nominated for almost all the 'Razzie' awards. JollyWood and most of the critics weren't ready for a movie like this in 1991. Taylor Negron & Bertila Damas were excellent & funny in this also. The negative critics can just go watch it again and again until they bring themselves up to speed. (Maybe it was Dan's nose?) The picture gets off to a slow start and Demi may have had to do her best in a genuinely tacky role, but once they get to Vulcanvania it starts to get real funny. Digital Underground (w/Tupac & Shock G) are hilarious trying to hold it together when they first see Ackroyd as the judge, as well as the crew Daniel Baldwin was with. I really enjoy the bizarre and humorous. As an added factor the Rube Goldberg type mechanizations were an absolute hoot. I watched it with 5 adolescents in a group home I work at weekends and the kids laughed their butts off and that's what really matters.
Scotland, PA (2001)
Comment written in '02
I am not often swayed to rent and even less, write about those movies you see on the shelves of video rental places sporting those funny little logos that surround their covers. Usually these markings indicate that they are some kind of 'special' movie. From my own experience, that marking signifies the movie is a 'dog.' I have rented one or two of these in my 25 years of video watching. Often, I found myself wondering whether I was culturally deficient, and on the other hand, amazed at what some people in the business get away with under the guise of being amateurs.
Anyway, on a recent evening when I could not find anything to satiate my video yen, I took the advice of the video store clerk, who knows of my esoteric interests. He suggested one of those 'bordered' movies. Rather than succumb to inevitable boredom, which for me is not having anything new to watch, I gave in to his hype and rented Scotland PA. Wouldn't you know It turns out to be one of the freshest, most hip movies I have screened recently. For what it is, a dark comedy (ala Macbeth) you will find this one right on the mark.
Remember Christopher Walken? He is alive and well, at least in this movie. If you are a fan of his, you'll appreciate what he does to make it work. The first time I encountered him was way back in 1983. The name of the movie was BRAIN SCAN, also starring Natalie Wood and Cliff Robertson, that guy who did endless AT&T commercials in the late '70s & early 80's. He was around before that, in many short lived TV series. His most outstanding movies include, The Deer Hunter, Pulp Fiction, True Romance and Disney's The Country Bears. An enduring, diverse and very talented actor.
In Scotland, PA. Chris plays an investigator probing in to the Fry-o-later murder of a local eatery owner played by James Le Gros. Crispy! The plot is intricate and does well with the ensemble cast that make this story set in the '70s, move swiftly. It demands most of your attention, because you might miss something if you turn your head. If you like the 70's music of 3 Dog Night, Bad Company, Janis Ian, First Class and others, the soundtrack is essential. The music audio in the movie sounds a little weird, it could have been cleaner. You will even see some footage of Mark Spitz unfold in this great piece of mystery/comedy. The direction and cinematography separate this from a B offering and may make you wonder why New Line or even Columbia did not pick up this Sundance goo-die.
Scotland, PA. Is the kind of movie you watch alone, so you can laugh crazily and really enjoy yourself. You do not want to constantly be looking to see if anyone else is getting the humor. It goes too fast for that. There probably is not an actor or actress in the movie you have not seen somewhere else, and that makes it even better. Besides, it is a great one to have long, knowing conversations about when you meet someone else that has seen it. My favorites are the marijuana fairies that show up throughout the flick! Something for everybody, and today, that is an accomplishment. Thank you 'all knowing' video store clerk. I owe you one.
Creature with the Atom Brain (1955)
Gangsters & Zombies, OY!
This movie scared the crap out of me when I was a little boy of just 8 years. My mother had to come into my bedroom and check under the bed every night for at least a week. The plot was unique too. I mean, a gangster (where was Edward G. when they made this?) employing a crazed/mad scientist (I guess there were a lot of them left over from the Los Alamos days) to make nasty looking dead old men crawl through tunnels made of industrial plastic wrap and go kill people. The fact that the scientist could talk to the 'dead guys' and make them do his bidding was the thing that scared me most (Kinda like conglomerate broadcasting of today). These guys were real 'working stiffs' and walked like it too. Excellent blank stares, unsuspecting victims, the 50s-ish people... I guess looking at this movie now, it would seem kind of funny, but in those days, it was a horror movie!
Invaders from Mars (1953)
Paranoid, Maybe-Serious, Very.
I saw this movie in it's 2nd or 3rd run, around 1957 I was about 10 years old (same age as David in the movie) and very naive concerning agendas and hidden messages. The hook was the very beginning with a spatial view of the stars, a vocal chorus that sounded 'heavenly' and segued in beautiful fashion. I was a stargazer, thrilled with what was starting to happen in the space race and interested in all things scientific. When you're 10, you don't look for zippers on martian suits, balloons that move when martians go past them, or things like that. What you notice is that some of the people in the movie echo individuals you know in real life. You begin to wonder if people who seem changed in real life have something in the back of their necks. Maybe you look for these markings after you leave the theater?
'Invaders' had a profound effect on me as a child, but then, so did "The Day The Earth Stood Still". I suspect that there wasn't a large budget to make this picture but am moved to say that it accomplished what it set out to do, both in sending a message and being real scary at the time. If you are a real 'Invaders' fan, try to find the 12" laser discs that came out in the late 70s. (2-12" laser disc set) It featured all the trailers and several different endings. I still watch it now and then and hope that I don't wake up in the same dream every day, like David did.