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Mesi
Reviews
The Corndog Man (1999)
If you know the Tube Bar and Allied Motors....
What a great film. Corndog Man is loosely based on two series of prank phone calls. The classic Red and the Tube Bar calls from the 1970s and a less well-known series of calls to Allied Motors made (I believe) in the late 80s. Comments about blue britches and snappy dressing are right out of the Allied Motors tapes as is Ace Barker's phone answering technique. Many stories circulated about the ultimate fate of Red from the Tube Bar in Jersey City, this film is a witty southern version of one of those tales.
Guest House Paradiso (1999)
For aficionados only, but even for them the film was a bit weak.
First off, if you don't already love Rik and Ade, then don't bother with this film. It is no missionary piece bringing in converts to their style. Only hardcore fans will enjoy it all. Speaking as one, let me say that GHP was not as good as it could have (or should have) been. The first half was good-dark, mean, grimy, and full of their usual stuff, although spread a little thin. But the second half flops. There seems to be two reasons for this failure. First is that the lads seem to have no idea what to do with the premise they set up for themselves. The Fawlty Towers rip off was a great touch-bold and irreverent considering in what high esteem most people hold the classic show. But Rik and Ade just seem to have choked. The plot was thin, but thin plots are not really a challenge to these guys-in fact thin plots have been a central part of their work. So then why did they just run out of juice half way through GHP and rely on prolonged vomiting to kill time? This question opens the door to the second problem with GHP, a problem made clear during the brief documentary which followed on my copy of the film. Rik and Ade had far too much creative control over the film which was Ade's directorial debut. They lacked outside voices which may have restrained some impulses and pointed out weaknesses in others. Too much control and too much isolation made them blind to weaknesses in the project.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Great film, and funny too.
This was a wonderful film, but not a kneeslap kind of comedy. I especially enjoyed the way Wes Anderson has managed to recreate the feel of older films. Something in his timing, cutting, and use of music evoke 60s and 70s films like The Graduate and The Ruling Class. His avoidance of connecting the story to a specific real city is also a nice change from the endless urban boosterism of pabulum cowpats like Sleepless in SEATTLE et al. All in all Anderson created a unique space for his compelling and interesting story. Unfortunately there was no laugh track or prat falls to clue some of the simpler sort into what made this film funny. That's ok though, there still are reruns of That's My Mama to keep the dimwits giggling on cue.
No Man's Land (2001)
A weak film in a weaker genre
The fact that this rather dull and clichéd phoned-in film is getting such positive response seems to me a reflection of how bad most war films are. Blackhawk Down for example was nearly unwatchable due to its lack of characters and flat droning moment by moment recitation story telling stlye; war without politics-imagine that! But No Man's Land aspires to be more, and largely fails. I suppose it feels good to look at Bosnian Muslims and Serb Nationalists and say (as many characters do in the film) that they are maniacs. While the film tries to stand ironically distant from the portrayed events, the sad result is twofold. First, on the political front, we have a paean to inaction. If all sides are mad then it is madness to become involved at all. What was supposed to come off as a critique of UN cynicism only ends as an endorsement of it due to the film's unwillingness to take sides. Like a teenager hating everything, the film's unfocused 360 degree critique creates no meaningful contrasts leaving the viewer no where to stand. Too bad, because there are real and important human stories to tell about Bosnia and Kosovo that the west particularly needs to hear. On the film front, we have a weak film that relies too heavily on the viewer to fill in the large gaps. All the characters are seen-em-before cutouts spewing out canned shopworn dialogue. Director Tanovic has chosen to rely on our knowledge of much better films like Catch-22 and Paths of Glory to make his film hold together. A lost opportunity, too bad.
Black Hawk Down (2001)
The comedy was funny but the rest stank
Yuch. Plodding, dragging, unfocused, empty. To quote Chris Elliot in a far more intelligent film-Cabin Boy-`dullsville, that's another name for it.' I did however enjoy the remake of Zulu scenes and I especially enjoyed the comedy scenes in the end when the undifferentiated ersatz heroes had to run home pursed by bugs bunny-esque cars hoping in and out of the shot. A little Yaketty Sax sound track (ala Benny Hill) would have made those scenes perfect. Other than that, who cares.
Battlefield Earth (2000)
If you like campiness--you'll love this one.
I know this film has been trashed a bunch-and let's face it for the most part deserved it. But let me offer a different angle and tell y'all why I love this film. It is, bar none, the best piece of trashy campy sci fi made in years! Really, to find something this campy you have go back the great early Star Treks or quest for fire. In time I think folks will see this film as the unintended camp classic that it really is. These days so many film makers want to be hip and "inside" so they embrace the campiness of their genre-the nauseating oeuvre of Quentin Tarrentino for example. But the problem is, if you embrace it, you loose it. The best camp happens when the work is made in all seriousness as this film clearly was. Watched through the right lens and with an eye toward a specific viewing experience this film will not disappoint.
Amazing World of Ghosts (1978)
Thank you Mr. Dixon for this rambling slice of heaven.
Let's not mince words here. Wheeler Winston Dixon is a genius and Amazing World of Ghosts is nothing short of a masterpiece. Blending a rambling, rootless, and inchoate non-narrative narrative read with twisted glee by Sid Paul (of Sid Paul fame) with all the lushness and emotional intensity that only stock footage can offer, Dixon has created the perfect non-documentary documentary document. My only regret is the years I wasted unaware of this film. Is there a more enjoyable and deeply unsettling 93 minutes one can spend? I don't know, perhaps the answer lies in space . . . ?