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misterplatypus
Reviews
Observe and Report (2009)
An Absolutely Terrible Film
I'm a big fan of Seth Rogen and Ray Liotta, and Anna Faris is one of the few actresses that can be both sexy and funny. That said, they should all be embarrassed to be part of this trash.
I'm almost impossible to offend. Nudity? Never bothered me. Language? Not a problem. Violence? Bring it on. As long, of course, as the end result is a quality film.
This film managed to be both offensive and vapid. There's nothing groundbreaking or clever about this film. It's just disgusting.
The film involves a mall cop's attempts to catch a flasher who's been terrorizing patrons. The flasher figures in to the one genuine laugh in the film (SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!). Rogen's character and the nice girl love interest share a sweet kiss across a food court table, and the flasher appears, penis dangling. It was a clever, surprising moment. Unfortunately, the filmmakers don't seem to understand the power of "less is more". That brief shot is followed by a good 60 seconds of the flasher- fully, frontally nude- being chased through the mall. Not funny. Not clever. Not creative. Just disgusting.
Pineapple Express wasn't a perfect film, but it contained a great mix of Pulp Fiction-style violence with raunchy comedy. This piece of crap aims for the same mix, but misses horribly.
Don't see this movie. Please, do not reward these people with your hard earned dollars.
Rabbit Hash: Center of the Universe (2004)
A Wonderful Little Film About A Wonderful Little Town
Simply put, this is a wonderful little film about a wonderful little town.
Simultaneously confirming and upending every stereotype you hold about small town America, this film highlights the charming character and wit of the residents of tiny Rabbit Hash, Kentucky and surrounding communities.
If you're the type of city-dweller or Northerner who assumes small town Kentucky is populated by rubes and hillbillies, you'll be surprised to witness the intelligence, self-deprecation, and bright good humor of these folks. It is inappropriate to call them "backwards". They're very aware of the big city, and more than comfortable in the 21st century. They just happen to enjoy their life, and enjoy laughing at themselves- and others.
Before watching this film, you might ask yourself why anybody would want to live in a tiny Kentucky river town. After watching this film, you'll find it hard to believe anybody wouldn't want to live like these people.
A wonderful, wonderful film.
An American Carol (2008)
Just A Really, Really Bad Movie
Put your politics aside: this is just a really poorly made film.
The story revolves around "Michael Malone", who represents Michael Moore, and is told in the fashion of A Christmas Carol.
The Malone character is a 2 dimensional caricature of Moore. Other than constantly calling him anti-American, the satire primarily involves jokes about his weight and body odor.
Some very talented people are involved in this film; Leslie Nielsen, Kelsey Grammar, James Woods, etc. David Zucker directed. This movie could have been very good.
The attempt was to make an Airplane style slapstick. In a desperate attempt at being "Politically Incorrect", the film resorts to borderline racist portrayals of Muslims, homophobic depictions of lesbians, and body function jokes.
Instead of a sharp, biting satire on the "Hollywood Left", it's a series of Limbaugh-esquire platitudes and silly generalizations.
Juno (2007)
A Wonderful Breath of Fresh Air
This is an unusual little film. Admittedly, it's a film that tries very hard to be unusual, but for the most part it succeeds.
It's impossible to imagine an actress other than Ellen Page carrying off the role of Juno. She makes Juno witty, bright, cute, and awkward at the same time. Juno frequently displays the smug arrogance of the outsider, and yet Page manages to retain the character's likability.
Much has been made of the unusual dialog and speech patterns of films young people. Yes, they're a bit more multisyllabic than the typical 16 year old, but it works nicely with these characters.
It's a rare film that can weave such depressing themes as teen pregnancy, marital infidelity, divorce, jealousy, and ostracism into a life-affirming, "feel good" resolution, but that's exactly what Reitman has done.
See this film with an open mind. Put aside your political or moral biases, and let yourself connect with the character of Juno.
The Weather Man (2005)
Nicely done
Although this film contains many of the same thematic elements as American Beauty, its handling of hose elements is very, very different.
American Beauty, when all is said and done, actually had a hidden optimism to it. As Lester Burnham said, he was grateful for every moment of his stupid little life. That was a film of redemption, at least from the point of view of the Lester character.
The Weather Man, however, ends one a more fatalistic note. Essentially, Dave's final monologue can be summed up as, "it is what it is, but it could be worse." Which is, in fact, how many people view their lives.
All in all, this is a damn fine film. Cage's performance was calm and remarkably real. I shudder to think what a scene-chewer like, say, Robin Williams might have done with this role.
As to the veracity of the dialog and the plot, anybody who's ever been through a divorce, or experienced a bad marriage, will recognize a lot in the scenes between Cage and Hope Davis. A few posters mentioned that the tartar sauce incident struck them as superficial, and the characters' responses childish. Perhaps. Tartar sauce isn't a big deal, after all. But the scene was very, very accurate in portraying the way failing marriages can explode. The fight wasn't about tartar sauce, it was about every other problem in this couple's marriage.
There's a fairly predictable yet very poignant subplot involving the teenage son and an attempted molestation. I get the impression that an important scene or two related to that subplot were left off the final cut, but it's a minor flaw. That storyline served primarily to underscore the ways in which Cage's character cared about his family, and the beginnings of his attempt to put something of his life back together.
The supporting actors were outstanding, but this film really belongs to Nicolas Cage and Gore Verbinsky. There's a lot going on beside the obvious weather metaphors- not that there's anything wrong with an obvious metaphor- such as the ways in which Cage's obsession with archery actually helps him to focus in his personal life.
This isn't a comedy, and I can understand the negative reactions of those who expected a comedy, although there are some laugh out loud funny moments. If you've ever struggled with your marriage, or if you've ever looked in the mirror and realized you're simply not the person you had always hoped, this film will feel very, very familiar.
Perhaps it's good that so many people didn't connect with the film. Maybe that simply means they haven't experienced those issues. But if one's primary gripe is that the film isn't funny or that the language is rough, then one probably isn't really up to a film of this caliber.
Rent it.
Flirting with Disaster (1996)
Simply Awesome
This is one of the funniest things ever put on film. The story is totally unpredictable, every character is perfect, the cast is incredible, and every one of them completely "went with it", getting down and dirty.
I can's say enough about Ben Stiller- the guy's great. Tea Leoni and Patricia Arquette are the other leads, and they are fabulous too. Will somebody PLEASE give Tea Leoni a major starring role, so she can win her Oscar? The supporting cast is great too- Alan Alda, George Segal, Lily Tomlin, Mary Tyler Moore. Wow.
Rent this! Rent This! Rent This!
The Last American Virgin (1982)
If You Love American Pie...
I saw this movie when it came out. I was 14, and thought it was basically a Porky's rip off, which in a way, I suppose it was.
Face it, there have been juvenile teen age sex comedies since the beginning of film, the only difference is how much "sex" is allowed (don't believe me? Watch some of the old 3 Stooges shorts- the ones where the boys are trying to woo the women. Same concept as Porky's, American Pie, etc., except without the bodily fluids, nudity, and language). So, clearly, even 18 or 19 years ago, The Last American Virgin was nothing new.
I've seen it again, since then, on cable, and I was pleasantly surprised. The storyline is typical, but the film holds up better than a lot of early 80s "adult" comedies. Maybe that's because teenagers are basically the same from generation to generation. Either way, I must admit, if you are of the younger generation and think the late 90s spate of teen comedies was the BEGINNING of this genre, you probably won't be too amused by The Last American Virgin. It's simply not as gross. For example, the pie scene from American Pie would have been way over the line for 1982. Still, if you are in the 29-35 range, and you have fond memories of being a teenager in the first half of the Reagan era, you will enjoy The Last American Virgin. The soundtrack is straight from one of those "Biggest Hits Of The 80s" compilations, and the film seems kind of sweet and innocent by today's standards.
Swordfish (2001)
Rent Hackers Instead
Sweet Mother Of Mercy, is this thing a stinker!
This is clearly one of those "too many cooks spoil the soup" kind of Hollywood productions. It's obvious that this was written as a group effort, with LOTS of notes from the studio. It's got everything- a little coy sex, an evil terrorist conspiracy run by a psychopathic patriot, even a "sweet" father/daughter angle.
The plot is beyond ridiculous, the acting is (mostly) marginal to poor, and don't get me started on the famed "Halle's Breasts" scene.
SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER!!!!!!!
Well, not much of a spoiler, but here goes anyway. If you've heard the hype about Halle Berry going topless, you will laugh your butt off when that scene arrives. There's absolutely NO reason for her to BE topless, nothing happens BECAUSE she's topless, she's just topless. For about 15 seconds. And then the next scene begins. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed seeing her topless- the best part of this God-awful film, actually- but this defines the word "gratuitous".
John Travolta plays a slight variation on his character from "Broken Arrow". Hugh Jackman is good as the hacker, Stan, but the backstory about his daughter, ex-wife, and her new husband is laugh out loud stupid.
Please, Please, Please, don't rent this movie or see it, even at the 2 dollar Bargain theater. It will only encourage them to turn out more such rubbish.
Rent "Hackers" instead.
The Family Man (2000)
Actually Better Than I Expected
A lot of people here and elsewhere have compared The Family Man to a low-grade ripoff of It's A Wonderful Life, and there certainly is an element of that. However...
Maybe it's because I am 33, married with 2 kids, and working in a job that I certainly never envisioned for myself, but I found a lot to like about Nicolas Cage's character and his relationship with his wife (Tea Leoni). Cage is forced to confront his missed opportunities and failed dreams- which is pretty resonant for anybody who's ever wondered "what could have been".
Although Nicolas Cage is a bit miscast in this role (he's best in quirky comedic or quirky dramatic parts), Tea Leoni is dead solid perfect (once you get past the fact that suburban Mom's-Of-Two don't look like her). She takes a fairly basic "patient and loving wife" role, and makes it real. I hope she gets a role- soon- that will let her stretch her skills. Don Cheadle is great in the "Clarence Oddbody" role, and Jeremy Piven is amusing as the friend/bowling partner.
The film is pretty predictable, but that's to be expected, since this is a Hollywood by-the-numbers feel-good kinda thing. Don't let that scare you away- If you're 30 plus, and if you've missed out on a few of your dreams along the way, you will probably find something here that will hit effect you.
Magnolia (1999)
Simply Amazing
Wow.
This is one of those magical films that somehow escaped the hellish slaughterhouse that is Hollywood and found the light of day.
If you saw it in the theater, rent it and watch it again.
If you rented it once, rent it again.
This film has so many layers, so many levels, you will find something new every time you watch it.
Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, Jason Robards, John C. Reilly, Philip Baker Hall, the cast is amazing.
Thank you Paul Thomas Anderson!!!
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
WELL.... AT LEAST NICOLE IS BEAUTIFUL...
Stanley Kubrick has finally answered the question asked in my college Lit-Crit class: If somebody is a genius, are they ALWAYS a genius?
Apparently, NO.
If you don't like gratuitous nudity and lots of it (which, by the way I do!) then this movie has little to offer. I won't rehash the plot here, except to say that the same script, same cast, same director could have played this as a farce, and had a heck of a film on their hands. The "comic" elements of the film aren't very funny, but the "dramatic" parts are so far fetched, that you will laugh out loud. Sidney Pollack, Leelee Sobieski, and the rest of the supporting cast might want to leave this one OFF their resumes...
On the plus side, there is some pretty serious sex going on. Nicole Kidman is so mind-bogglingly gorgeous she defies description, and we get to see every perfect inch of her. If you are a single man, rent this, and watch it alone in a dark room. Otherwise, it's basically a waste of a rental. Like Showgirls, the plentiful nudity and "erotica" are not worth sitting through the awful plot for.
If you're looking for an excellent, artistic look at sex, love, and relationships, rent Henry & June instead.
Throw this one in the trash with Wild Orchid.