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Reviews
The Tale of Sweeney Todd (1997)
rough stuff
This movie includes at least two exceptional actors in Ben Kingsley and Campbell Scott but together they cannot pull this period horror story beyond the doldrums of an unsurprising 18th century slash/horror flick. It's lame, slow, unsurprising and bland. It takes place in unjolly olde London of course, with Kingsley playing the nefarious Sweeney Todd and Campbell Scott, (son of George C. Scott) hot on his trail. Mr Todd is the famous barber that chops up people into hamburger after slitting their throats and selling said hamburg to a local meat pie shoppe.Some of the sets and street scenes seem solid and true to the period but the whole mess is overall (forgive me) ham-handed.
For Your Consideration (2006)
so-so
The problem with this comedy is that so many writers/directors think that those of us outside of their industry will find the inner workings of a film company or Hollywood fascinating. This film focuses on the appeal to a small film company of its product generating Oscars.It's like trying to make sense of a friend's work anecdotes.
This film has the least developed story or humor of just about all of Chistopher Guest's movies. "Best in Show' was a vastly under-rated comedy while this one barely was worth releasing. It does indeed have several quirky characters and scenario's but ultimately even the great Fred Willard cant save this slow-moving bomb.
Checking Out (2005)
Save Your Money
This movie started out strong. It's based however upon a play and really looks it. There is some terrific dialog and insights here but it all becomes unraveled too soon. Peter Falk has no business playing a man his own age, much less a man twelve years his senior; he's just too robust to pull this off. Further, his character Morris Applebaum has no actual disease or infirmities. Had the character actually had terminal cancer, there would have been more bravery in front of us. He lives very well in a doorman condo sumptuously appointed on the affluent upper West Side. So where's the beef? Why would he choose suicide? He doesn't seem to have any deep religious conviction that assures himself of greener pastures on the other side.
This is all played out as a sit-com for laughs with three too many characters and three too many sets. His family chasing him through a restaurant kitchen? Oh please. The ending, without giving it away, is as vastly disappointing as the whole send-up of this kitschy embarrassment. The actors, especially, Falk and Laura San Giacomo do a terrific acting job with a marred script.Perhaps rent-able but nothing more!