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Reviews
Spaceman (1997)
The funniest 88 minutes in recorded human history.
What would you expect from a film directed by the former editor-in-chief of The Onion? Despite the budget (which might have paid for brunch at most Hollywood shoots) this film features some truly hilarious writing and perfect performances from just about everyone in the cast (even when they're not great actors, they're still perfect). If you are, by some miracle, fortunate enough to come across a copy of this film, by all means, watch. What a cruel, cruel world it is where Adam Sandler's latest piece of trash occupies approximately 1,048,576 times more space on your average video store shelf than this one would, if it appears at all.
Azucena (2000)
Interesting film from the Phillipines
I happened to catch this hidden gem at the Toronto Film Festival, and was quite impressed. Azucena, or "Dog Food", is about a schoolgirl named Lily and the friendship that develops between her and a dog butcher, whose profession comes to an end when dog meat is banned in the town. Lily's home life is far from ideal: her father is an abusive boor of a man who has lost his job as a policeman, and continually takes out his frustrations on Lily and her stepmother, who is of little help to Lily in such matters.
This film could have easily become a straightforward, dull harangue about any one of many social problems (animal cruelty, child abuse, etc.), but thankfully it becomes far more than that. The real subject of the film is the cycle of cruelty it depicts; it is a study of the perpetuation of abuse and violence through a society. "Dog Food" is probably a difficult find, but it's definitely worth seeing.
Chung Hing sam lam (1994)
One of my recent favorites
Is Hong Kong really the city Wong Kar-Wai depicts it to be? Is it as packed with pure stimulation? Someday I hope to find out. In the meantime, my vision of Hong Kong comes courtesy of him - I envision a 24-hour human bazaar, claustrophobic yet exhilarating. The soundtrack captures the mood wonderfully, although it features what may be a few too many renditions of "California Dreamin'" (the movie has a bit of fun with that at one point).
I was particularly impressed by how the film contains two stories which come to no genuinely climactic moment, one blending into the other. In other hands, the plot(s) may have felt disjoint, unresolved; here they work quite well, and seem entirely appropriate.
Werewolf (1995)
Ummmm .... errrrr ...
OK ... so what on earth was the deal with that scene with our "hero" and his love interest in his attic apartment? You know, the one where that ominous music is playing in the background ... and some announcer is talking about strange things that happen during a full moon ... and then the guy just gets up and TURNS THE SOUNDTRACK OFF? Did anyone else nearly wet their pants laughing? What station was he listening to?
And did anyone else notice that Stanley Kubrick employed a similar tactic near the beginning of "Eyes Wide Shut"? Perhaps this was the late master's tribute to this fine piece of cinematic Limburger. But I wouldn't bet my lunch money on it.
(Beyond that, the less said about this movie, the better. Strictly for MST3K fans only.)
Restaurant (1998)
A complete disappointment
"Restaurant" is your basic boy-meets-girl movie, with emphasis on "basic" - it operates on autopilot throughout. It has the basic feel of a made-for-TV schmaltzfest, and it handles racial issues with the same level of intellectual vigor.
The main character of "Restaurant", a playwright who considers his work "beyond great" (what we see of it looks pretty silly and shallow), finds himself unable to finish his most recent production. I can only assume this was semi-autobiographical, since this movie has no clear ending in sight throughout, and the ending it does bring about for us is clumsy and completely incongruous with the rest of the story.
Un chien andalou (1929)
The ants ... the ants ...
1929: Un chien andalou comes out. In the same year, the stock market crashes and economies collapse. Coincidence? Almost certainly. At any rate, this little snippet of celluloid is one of the more interesting experiments in surrealist film.
If you came upon this film, it is probably for you. See it, by all means. Do not even attempt to read a plot into it. At every point when the action seems to point in some plausible direction, Bunuel and Dali are sure to veer off into scenes of no direct consequence. Simply grab on to it with your mind and ride off into a sunset of raspberry-flavored lampposts and zoot suits clothed in fish.
(And if it irritates you ... hell, what else would you have done with those sixteen minutes of your life anyway?)
Romeo Must Die (2000)
Ugh.
What planet were the writers of this movie from? Many an action flick has at least been able to deliver a remotely interesting and quirky script. Here we see Jet Li and Aaliyah in what may be one of the least convincing romances in recent history. (Of course, this is Hollywood in full Interracial Mode, where characters are only permitted a brief embrace at the end, and perhaps a quick peck on the cheek if they're lucky.)
As for the action (which is, of course, what this is really all about), there is a certain point where my disbelief can be suspended no more. Much as I would like to believe that Jet Li is capable of changing direction several times in the air without external assistance, or that he can fly through fire with hardly a scratch, I just can't swallow it. Sorry. It's a disappointing Hollywood debut for the man.
Magnolia (1999)
The "Finnegan's Wake" of movies
It's brilliant, complex, and a bit too much. I still liked it.
All the criticisms of this movie are right on. It's too long, a bit excessive, and not entirely sure what it is trying to do. The several Exodus references were a bit excessive (okay, PT, we get the point). But I was fascinated nonetheless. Visually, it's brilliant and inventive. (Check out Stanley looking up at the coming rain, the back-and-forth movement of Claudia and Jim, or an oddly hilarious recounting of a suicide shown in the style of an NFL chalkboard instant replay.) The plot has a simple core yet extends and folds upon itself in several wonderful ways.
Perhaps I just want to give Anderson more credit than he deserves - he has taken on an absolutely enormous project here, more ambitious than nearly anyone in Hollywood would ever dare to be. "Magnolia" will probably be a commercial failure, and it may teach Anderson to exercise a bit of self-control next time - either that or he'll never work again. (Let's hope for the former; he really is talented.) I'm not sure what to think of this movie, but I know that I want to see it again.
The Deep End of the Ocean (1999)
Dreadful. Clumsy and irritating. (spoiler, sort of)
One of the most superficial tearjerkers I've seen. I couldn't believe how badly this script treated the foster father. Here is a man who raised this child for nine years, and his views on the proper upbringing for this child are just tossed away as meaningless or irrelevant. What does this kid want? I am never convinced that the screenwriter knew. The dialogue is very clumsy - Michelle Pfeiffer's character only comes off as snotty and Treat Williams's character as a moron. I could not bring myself to feel anything for any of these characters; all I could feel was contempt for the movie's attitude and shallowness.
Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)
Ah yes, I remember seeing this film.
It brought back middle school - perfectly. The people who think this isn't how things really are for many a seventh grader live in a dream world, or were just completely oblivious to the world around them. It makes me wish I had seen this film when I was that age; it would have been an affirmation that my life was not an aberration, as every other image I saw of adolescent life indicated it to be.
The film isn't a mere whinefest, either; it shows how persecution spreads like a virus. Dawn is no innocent little angel - she shows streaks of mean-spiritedness herself with her younger friend - and we see how the bullying she is subject to encourages her to find compensatory outlets in those below her.
All in all, a great movie, despite the discomfort it will probably induce. (In my case, that discomfort was recollection.)
The Graduate (1967)
Ah, a movie for young people to love and old people to be embarrassed they loved
I have heard critics speak of how much they loved this film when they first saw it as a young whippersnapper, and now look at it and say "What were we thinking?"
Well, as a young whippersnapper, I must admit I love it. I think the people who criticize it for projecting shallow people don't understand that this is the point. How does one explain the ending, where the camera sits on the allegedly happy, triumphant couple for just a tad too long, forcing us to reconsider this "happy" ending?
I think these critics are embarrassed by this movie because they missed its basic theme the first time around, which is that Ben and Elaine are Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, and the viewers of "The Graduate" are not immune from the same fate. Overall, a tremendously insightful movie, even more so than it gets credit for.
Zelig (1983)
A worthy experiment that fails
... but it's not a bad movie, really. It's watchable and initially fun, but somehow the attempt to pose a conventional comedy as a documentary doesn't work right here. The story, which is vintage Woody, is a great idea which probably would have been better conceived as a straightahead narrative, with some faux documentary footage thrown in, perhaps. Still, a decent film, with the unmistakable Allen touch.
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
I was thoroughly unimpressed. (slight spoiler, maybe?)
Well, actually, it isn't all Tim Burton's fault. The script was dreadful. For starters, it abandons the actual Sleepy Hollow myth - and we're not talking about a few artistic liberties here; it's a completely different, and somewhat inferior, story. The script is weak, confused, and can't even follow its own internal logic (I can't give you an obvious example, unfortunately - it's a spoiler), and one character (let's not say who) comes down with an unfortunate case of James Bond Villain Syndrome. If you see it - although I suggest you don't - you'll see what I mean.
Tim Burton seems to have been so in love with the image of the gloomy forest and galloping horseman that he forgot about the rest of the movie. Get a decent script next time, Tim.
Dogma (1999)
Classic? Nah. Funny? Sure.
OK, so all of Kevin Smith's characters speak as though they were the same persona, but to some extent the same is true of, say, the plays of George Bernard Shaw or Oscar Wilde. I did not attend this film expecting great art or anything other than fun, and I was not let down. The feces monster and the thumbs-up Jesus were very funny, as were Silent Bob's few lines.
Kevin Smith does know his Catholicism, even if he is rather superficial in his treatment of the women/minority issues of the Bible. It certainly is strange, I should say, to see so many religious folks protesting what is at heart a pro-spirituality movie (although perhaps not, given the treatment they gave "Last Temptation of Christ", a movie that treated Christ with the utmost reverence, but not in a way pleasing to his most fervent followers). At the same time, I think somehow Kevin Smith knew this response was coming, and courted it. Folks, this is no work of brilliance - it's a simple comedy with a very religious bent. (Sometimes Smith seems to forget this himself.)
There were distinctly unfunny moments too - Kevin Smith has this problem with his allegedly humorous and insightful banter being way too moralizing and aware of itself sometimes, and coming off as anything but humorous and insightful.
All in all, still not a bad movie - could have been much better, but it passes the test: I laughed. Fair enough.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The Myrick/Sanchez Hype Project.
Yawn. I don't know - although everyone I know loves and worships this film, I was completely unmoved. It consists, for the most part, of two whiny guys and a snotty girl shouting obscenities. It makes me wish I had videotaped my own failed camping trip - perhaps I could've made $100 million off of it too. Definitely a film more interesting to talk about than to actually see (although its only real interest is as a marketing concept.)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
Malkovich Malkovich? Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich.
This movie is probably the closest Hollywood will come to avant-garde filmmaking. It's a fascinating, Kafkaesque little tale (as I imagine every review is probably describing it) about celebrity, personal identity, puppets, and the New Jersey Turnpike. Performances are great all-around - John Cusack as a misunderstood puppeteer, John Malkovich as both himself and John Cusack, Cameron Diaz as a woman less attractive than Cameron Diaz ... definitely worth seeing.
Fight Club (1999)
Sorry, I don't buy it. (spoiler, maybe)
This movie makes the occasional gesture towards Nietszche and being a fight between Reason and the Id - this becomes most apparent closer to the end, when we learn a little something about our main characters. Mostly, however, it is about grown men beating each other into gumbo, because the actual meat of the movie barely touches on that. Essentially, it is a little bit of philosophy wrapped up in a lot of very, very bloody boxing. There's something suspect about the whole matter.
It's a rush, sure, but if they wanted to film a WCW match, why did they feel the need to wrap some half-baked quasi-New Age ideas around it? I fear that a bunch of guys around the country will miss the spirit-vs-flesh angle and decide that this fighting thing is Way Cool, Man, and will set up little Fight Clubs in their basements until they all die from internal hemorrhaging. I guess people will buy anything if you wrap fake spirituality around it.
Bringing Out the Dead (1999)
Even Scorsese's bad days yield good movies
Man, Scorsese has it rough - make a merely very good film instead of a great one and it gets trashed. True, BOTD is not on a par with "Raging Bull", but it still packs a wallop.
The film features all the traditional elements of Scorsese - the pop music (some of which didn't work so well and some of which was perfect - I particularly liked the use of UB40's "Red Red Wine"), themes of guilt and personal redemption, rampant Catholic imagery, even some frozen beef carcasses a la Goodfellas in one scene where Frank (Nicholas Cage) tries to resuscitate a hypothermia victim.
The film features some absolutely gorgeous camerawork, and a good script (albeit not Schrader's best), but hopefully Scorsese's next work will break some new ground. This is his home, and he knows it well, but I'd like to see him tackle something different in the future, like he did with "Kundun".
Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Oh, come on ... it wasn't completely worthless.
Modern adaptations of Shakespeare are all the rage, of course, and they're always a big gamble - in the attempt to communicate the "timelessness" of Shakespeare's plays, one can wind up with something all the more dated and forgettable. This is probably along those lines, but it's not without charm.
I seem to be one of the few not disturbed by the present-day setting. If there was one thing this movie actually did very well, it was to effectively grasp, perhaps by accident, the emotional motif of Romeo & Juliet and place it in the present day. The decadence and schlocky absurdity of all the scenery is actually quite consistent with the feel of the play.
Personally, I'm not sure what to make of it. Perhaps Baz Luhrmann realized that most of the actors under 30 didn't know what they were doing, and decided to distract from it with his camerawork. If you want to see Romeo & Juliet, this is most certainly not the version to see - the acting is generally horrid and the script takes some highly questionable, er, "liberties". But it's still an interesting little effort somehow.
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
I laughed, much to the chagrin of my guilty Catholic conscience
Well, I like the TV series, but this movie .... aaggghhhh! I thought it was impossible to offend me, but _man_, is this movie nasty ... Not that it wasn't funny - I laughed my little gluteus maximus off, but the whole time I was thinking, "Oh my God! I can't believe I'm laughing at this!" If you're a more hardened soul than I, you'll probably love it. "Saddam is from Mars, Satan is from Venus?" Heh heh heh ...
Buffalo '66 (1998)
I love this film, no matter what
Yes, the plot is unrealistic and occasionally the dialogue is weak. But I love this film, and not just because I spent many of my high school days in that particular Denny's.
The movie is not to be taken literally. Many of the people here complain that "no freakin' WAY would that girl ever fall in love with such a nasty guy!" Of course she wouldn't. But this isn't meant to be taken as a literal story. This film is, if anything, a reflection of Billy Brown's own psyche - and perhaps Gallo's. Perhaps you just had to be there - perhaps these characters seem crudely drawn to you, but to him they are entirely real. This is not a careless film, it's a fascinating portrait.
The dialogue, often banal, is incidental to the movie's movement. It's a portrayal of a man whose seems ready to implode at any given moment, whose entire life seems to him to be an elaborate, cruel practical joke.
(And yes, I also love this movie because some of the shooting was done in my neighborhood. Gallo used his childhood home as a location in the film. The movie feels a lot like the city, with its grittiness and obsolescence. If you're ever there, drive down Main St. in the city and you'll understand.)
I find it interesting that the film projects such strong feelings in people. Those who can relate in some way to Billy's inner psyche love it. Everyone else just won't get it. Oh well...
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996)
Oh yeah ... gotta love it.
When I first saw this, I thought, "Why am I paying to see an MST3K episode?" But now that the show is cancelled again, I find myself wishing they'd do another theatrical run. THIS ISLAND EARTH isn't the best choice - it's not nearly as good as, for example, the INCREDIBLY STRANGE CREATURES WHO STOPPED LIVING AND BECAME MIXED-UP ZOMBIES episode of the TV show, or the WEREWOLF episode, but it's still good, solid MSTing fun. Always a good time. Watch it, in memoriam of this great show.
Night on Earth (1991)
Vintage Jarmusch - careful, beautiful, and true
A charming film about five taxicabs in different cities around the world in one night. The movie captures the unique flavor of each city it touches upon, but also shows the close relation between them all - they are all characters of the night, a different breed entirely. This movie was anything but fast-paced, and yet I still left wanting to watch these people for just a bit longer. The ending note was perfect - sad and a little hopeful.
The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies!!? (1964)
Oh, come on now ... let's give it a little credit
Sure, it's a stupid movie, but I found something oddly amusing about it. Some of the surrealistic imagery was actually pretty cool ... I found myself actually _admiring_ the bizarre dream sequence in this silly movie. If, for example, Dali had put that same sequence in a film, it would be declared brilliant. Actually, I found this to be, if nothing else, the most visually appealing movie ever to appear on MST3K. (Of course, this is probably unintentional - Ray Dennis Steckler was no Fellini.) It interested me enough to actually watch it _without_ Mike and the bots, if you could imagine that.
American Beauty (1999)
Good Lord, what a fantastic movie
I'm speechless ... but let me try. Just saw a preview screening at my school, and it was perhaps one of the best things to come out of Hollywood in years and years. This movie is almost unquestionably Oscar-bound - one of the few movies I've seen that treated the American middle class experience with some degree of truth. Kevin Spacey is fantastic, and there was a VERY shocking moment in the film which I will not give away, and can't even think of an appropriate way to hint at ... Just see the film!