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razorwyre1
Reviews
Bill Cosby: Himself (1983)
Possibly the funniest stand-up routine ever performed.
For those who only know Bill Cosby from his TV shows, this film will show you why he got to do them. It also shows a more mature, thoughtful Cosby than the comic recorded in his earlier works, but one who hasn't yet aged into over-sentimentality, as he eventually did. His bits, which are loosely strung together in a sort of connect-the-dots" way, certainly resonate with every American who has seen typical family life during the latter half of the 20th century, and do so simply by holding up a mirror and pointing out our own absurdities to us. Best of all, he does so without ever getting cruel, mean spirited, or vulgar. (There is only 1 single word in the entire film that would need to be censored for broadcast TV, and its relatively mild.) This is almost certainly Cosby's "career best". I'd love to know how long it took to write and refine, because there isn't a klunker in the lot. some bits are funnier than others, but all of them are very very funny. Be prepared to laugh until it hurts, and be sure only to drink when you see Cosby take a drink onstage, otherwise you risk flooding your sinuses as you try to laugh and drink at the same time (as I did).
Morons from Outer Space (1985)
Amusing, but seriously flawed
Goodness knows here are many worse, and dumber, comedies out there, but its truly a shame that Smith and Jones didn't put this script through some more refinement, and hired a veteran comedy director (one who has a sense of timing), before blowing their chance at international fame. The main problem with the film is it tries to do to many things and use too many comedic styles at once. On one hand it tries to satirize our celebrity focused culture, while on another it tries to send up the conventions of science fiction films (and films in general)a la the Zuckers. At the same time that its trying to juggle those concepts, its also trying telling a story that could have been inherently funny on its own, without the distractions of the slapstick and the parodies. The idea that the first aliens to openly visit Earth are here by accident simply because they're too stupid to pilot, let alone understand the workings of, their rented spacecraft had great potential, but the movie is too distracted by everything else it tries to do for it to work. Despite its problems, there are some genuine laughs to be had here, and its well worth a watch.
The Village (2004)
a disappointment (again)
OK i was one of those who didn't see the twist in the 6th sense coming. however once i had seen it, and had a few minutes to mull over it i thought "y'know, rod serling could have told this story better, and done it in a half hour".
(POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD) similarly, signs was nicely suspenseful, and although it didn't have a twist per se, i was left thinking "ok lemme get this straight; these aliens have developed interstellar travel, developed technology that duplicates their own natural chameleon abilities, but they haven't figured out raincoats? (especially considering how much of the earth is wet?!)" so today i rent the village. and very early on i guessed the twist ending. (i wish i could say i figured it out, but it was a guess, and that only.) i'm also fairly sure i would have predicted the deception as well (which would have given me the entire plot and motivation), except i had been mislead by a review at the time of the films theatrical release which said that the creatures were a let-down when they are finally seen, which led me to believe that they were going to be something other than what they actually turned out to be.
i suppose what I'm trying to say is that while MNS is a fine director in terms of mood and handling the actors, if he wants to do these twilight zone-ish plot twist endings, he needs to get a lot better at it. even if you had figured out the twist on a TZ episode, the execution made the payoff worthwhile, instead of leaving you feeling cheated.
House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
rip-off garbage, drivel made for dimwitted teens and fools
one of the worst films i have had the misfortune of viewing. totally derivative, zombie steals the elements of other genuinely frightening horror with both hands (particularly Texas chainsaw massacre), and pats himself on the back and calls himself an "artist" (much as he does with his illustrations, which are copped from such greats as ed roth). unfortunately, he is incapable of stealing their impact as well.
some notes to rob zombie to guide him in the sequel: vulgarity can be funny if used with wit, but not when applied for its own sake, gore is not synonymous with shock, and a surprise isn't a surprise when you see it coming a mile away.
to my fellow IMDb readers: try some low budget cheapy horror flick you've never heard of on the video store shelf instead of this bit of junk.. you'll stand a better chance of being entertained....