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Reviews
Training Day (2001)
Good movie, but Washington not believable
Denzel Washington is a good actor without doubt - I've enjoyed his work ever since St. Elsewhere. But because his characters are always of such stong moral conviction I had a really hard time believing him as a badass. Because he doesn't disappear into the character - as did Al Pacino in Scarface or Morgan Freeman in Street Smart or Harvey Keitel in The Bad Lieutenant - I spent much of the movie trying to believe that Washington was this bad guy, and ultimately couldn't do it. Ethan Hawke was surprisingly good as the rookie, and the plot is good, though the Russian thing seemed underdeveloped and contrived - why exactly did Washington own them the money? I'd recommend the movie, but it won't be remembered as Washington's best work.
Silver Streak (1976)
Wilder and Pryor at their best
This movie is full of kooky characters, all of which are deadly funny. The movie was made just as Pryor was beginning to peak, and he is tremendous. Wilder plays the semi-straight man perfectly, running through a seemingly endless series of mishaps. His bathroom scene with the shoe polish is just about the funniest thing ever filmed. Lucille Benson and Clifton James shine as small-part characters that nearly steal the show. The Wilder/Pryor duo was reunited a few times, but they were never again as funny as they were in Silver Streak.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
A simple, pithy, riveting film.
A refreshing creation in this era of over-produced, under-written movies.The plot is quite simple, yet this simplicity is what makes the characters' experience SO chilling. You essentially know the outcome (that they were never seen again), so the movie teases your anticipation of their demise. When it arrives, the final realization of what happened is as creepy as their journey to that end.
Silver Streak (1976)
Wilder and Pryor at their best
This movie is full of kooky characters, all of which are deadly funny. The movie was made just as Pryor was beginning to peak, and he is tremendous. Wilder plays the semi-straight man perfectly, running through a seemingly endless series of mishaps. His bathroom scene with the shoe polish is just about the funniest thing ever filmed. Lucille Benson and Clifton James shine as small-part characters that nearly steal the show. The Wilder/Pryor duo was reunited a few times, but they were never again as funny as they were in Silver Streak.
The Rose Bowl Story (1952)
Simple, corny, yet enjoyable movie.
A quaint, if corny, image of Americana in the near-postwar era. College football star (who will be playing in the Rose Bowl) is in love with poor girl. Jim Backus as poor girl's dad in a role he'll refine for Rebel W/O A Cause. Typical gags such as worn chair with springs sticking out. While the movie is typical of so many B movies (thin, simple plot), I watched this while staying up all night on New Year's Eve and enjoyed it greatly.