Change Your Image
thomasgwarrior
Reviews
Trekkies (1997)
no reason to get so upset
Trekkies IS a very funny movie, whether you are a Star Trek fan or not. It shows a wide variety of fans in a variety of situations, and there are no voice-overs to tell you how to feel about the characters presented.
I notice that one prominent review is as horrified by Trekkies as one might be if one found a dead prostitute in their father's closet. The filmmakers may have been laughing at the people on the screen, but they weren't making fun of them. They were merely filming them. If I get in front of a camera and walk blindly into traffic, is it the fault of the person behind the camera if I get run over? No, because I would have been fully aware of my actions. So are the fans presented in Star Trek.
Trekkies won't make a non-fan like ST, nor will it make a rabid fan feel as though they've wasted their lives. This is a slice-of-life documentary. If you feel, like some people who have "tsk-tsked" this movie, that the filmmakers should be ashamed of themselves, I would contend that you protest too much; could it be that you pity the fans on the screen, yet find yourself compelled to laugh at them? Such a conflict may well cause you to feel shame, and you would naturally project that outrage onto the film itself. But documentaries, by definition, can only "tell" you so much. It's up to the viewer to evaluate the material; blaming the filmmakers for a poor interpretation is ridiculous.
These people ARE laughable. But so am I, sometimes. It's okay, because I don't take myself too seriously. And these fans take their hobby very seriously, but many, like the dentists, are aware that ST is a very geeky hobby. And no matter how many times I see James Doohan describe his encounters with the woman who wrote him those fan letters, I break down completely. How is that bad? How have the filmmakers presented him in a bad light?
I can't say for sure, but I believe the filmmakers ARE fans of ST, and I believe that they're aware of the absurd lengths to which some ST fans will go (paying $1500 for a piece of latex, drinking a sick man's water). So what? It's entertainment. And if you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?
(But that smarmy 14-year-old with the mullet still needs to be slapped....)
The Perfect Storm (2000)
Look! This summary DOESN'T have the word "perfect" in it!
Why do people feel compelled to try to be clever with their one-word summaries, i.e., "The Perfect Movie," "The Perfect Bore," etc? Hey, snappy idea; no one else ever thought of doing THAT....
On to the movie. (spoiler) Total downer, particularly when you take the "based on a true story" hype into consideration. Thanks to this mess of a movie, I never believe those 5 words anymore when they appear before a movie, because in THIS story, everyone dies and therefore most of the plot, like the really exciting parts, are pure speculation.
There seem to be a large number of people reviewing TPS who are chest-puffing proud to have actually READ the book (you'll be able to spot them, because they feel that their superior knowledge makes them better reviewers) and these people often seem too willing to cut the movie some slack because the book was so good. A book is one thing; a movie is another. Neither should require exposure to another version of the story in order for the story to be believable. As it stands by itself, this movie fails. If I had never been told that this was "based on a true story" before going in, I might have enjoyed it more. As it was, I just got p***ed when the credits started rolling. Talk about a bait and switch.
Not Another Teen Movie (2001)
think "Airplane!" for teen movies...(semi-spoilers)
After reading a few reviews, I don't think I have a lot to contribute that you haven't already seen, but here's my take on NATN...
The people who argue that this is a movie for teens and therefore not meant to be enjoyed by "adults" (which is what I guess I am) have missed some of the cleverness in NATN. The people who point out references to movies that started this genre (Breakfast Club, Fast Times, etc.) know what I'm talking about. If you were among the generation that actually saw Molly Ringwald flicks IN the theater, you should get some pleasure out of this. If you are among the demographic that paid the salaries of the actors in "Varsity Blues," you should get some enjoyment out of this. If you watch it and agree with the reviewers who complained that the movie was stupid and dealt too much with dick humor and toilet jokes, Congratulations! you can count yourself among the people who didn't get the joke(s).
What I kept thinking throughout NATN was that it was like "Airplane!" (and then guess what movie is referenced near the end...?) No, the humor wasn't as clever as anything the Zucker Bros. have done, but it had the same sensibility. Like Scary Movie(s), there are nods to films of the genre that are being lampooned, but some of the jokes are so quick you won't catch them at first. My favorite? The blackboard reference to Fast Times At Ridgemont High. I also liked the exterior shots of homes that look REALLY familiar, if you've seen Weird Science & Ferris Bueller more than a few times.
Even the soundtrack is a sly poke in the ribs of the teen movie genre. Not only do we have cover versions of well-known songs, but there are tributes to songs that will be forever associated (and not in an ironic way) with early-80's John Hughes movies.
Bottom line: this movie doesn't take itself seriously AT ALL. If anything, it makes *fun* of itself as it glorifies the heyday of a once-fresh genre. If you watch it and don't get it, ADMIT that you don't get it, but don't impose standards upon NATN that it takes pains to avoid in the first place.
7/10
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
...and our standards go ever lower....
As far as how Episode II compares to Episode I, yeah, this IS better, but that ain't saying much.
When you go to see a Star Wars movie/marketing vehicle, you know what you're going to get; lame dialogue, a thin-to-nonexistent plotline, 2-dimensional characters (at best), and....oh yeah; LOTS and LOTS of CGI. I'll be honest; the movie LOOKS great. The city in which Obi-Wan and Anakin chase the bounty hunter looks like a cleaned-up Blade Runner set. The chase through the asteroid field? Very cool. And Yoda? I had to admit, that was the most entertaining part of the whole movie.
But people, don't you think George could spend a little time coming up with a decent script? Everyone in this movie is so solemn and dull. We're definitely supposed to understand that "the peace of the galaxy hangs in the balance" of these people and events. It is rammed down your throat; this stuff that's happening is a very big deal. Fine. Now where's the story? There isn't one. My first reaction is to blame the actors (with the exception of Ewan, who IS growing into a decent Obi-Wan) for their lifeless dialogue, but I quickly remembered that they can only do so much with what they're given. The dialogue is George's fault. There are about 6 times during the movie when the crowd in the theater with me laughed in unison. They were times when a character (doesn't matter which one; they're all zombies) uttered a phrase that had a small amount of personality to it. When Obi-Wan begins to slide down this dome, he becomes slightly worried and says, "Not good." In any other movie, this would be a throwaway line and not worthy of noting, but here it's a thigh-slappin zinger. George wrote bad dialogue in the first Star Wars flick (just ask the actors who had to deliver it; they've SAID the writing was clunky), and he hasn't gotten much better.
A movie should be about a STORY, not an ad for a visual effects company, and that's what this is. The saddest part is that the hardcore fans out there feel obligated to rave about anything George throws up on the screen. These characters are not particularly interesting, they're not funny, they have no depth, and I couldn't give a rat's ass if they all got blown to pieces by the Empire's soon-to-be-completed Ultimate Weapon. And if a movie gives you characters with whom you cannot identify and about whom you cannot bring yourself to care, then the movie has failed. THIS MOVIE FAILS. Not as badly as the last one (or the one before that, which at least had some familiar faces going for it), but it still fails.
I said the saddest part was that the hardcore fans trip over themselves trying to say how great the movie is. (I notice that Episode II is ranked at #121 on the imdb list; pathetic.) I take that back; the saddest thing is how little George Lucas cares for the fans who put him where he is in the first place. He owes them much, much more than this.
Gummo (1997)
napalm (some spoiler-esque material)
Watching this movie with two friends, we frequently exchanged fearful glances and shook our heads in amazement. What seems undeniable in Gummo is that these actors are not really actors. The director lays this film out like a documentary, life in a hick town as seen by a fly on the wall. There are some scenes that are obviously scripted, but there is a feeling throughout Gummo that these are just regular people living their regular lives. Even with the presence of Chloe Sevigny and the man (can't recall actor's name) who pimps out his mentally retarded wife to our 2 white trash "heroes," clearly the cast is mostly made up of just "plain folks."
The scene in the kitchen is the most true-to-life, and looks a lot like an episode of COPS without the faces blotted out. I am embarrassed to say that I have been to parties that were not too different from this one. My viewing companion had been to even more of them, having lived in Florida. In fact, he said that most of the slack-jawed, racist, illiterate hillbillies reminded him a lot of people he knew.
Watch this movie if you feel bad about yourself. If you have low self-esteem, it will skyrocket after seeing Gummo. The "people" that populate this town are NOT fictional. It may very well be that this is a movie starring legitimate actors, but the sad truth is that pathetic filth like the people in this town are alive and well all across America. It's hard to watch a scene in Gummo without wanting to burst into the room with a flame-thrower and torching everyone in sight or entering the "skinhead scene" with a couple of baseball bats and bludgeoning these worthless wastes of skin to death. Your emotions will range from enraged hatred to pity, but not too far beyond that.
Get Over It (2001)
not awful
Like many other video patrons, I picked this up because it had the magnificent Kirsten Dunst in a starring role. And like many other viewers, I wasn't sure I'd be able to sit through the whole thing, but it was a decent way to spend 86 minutes of my time.
The Shakespeare angle reminded me somewhat of "10 Things I Hate About You." And if the only good thing that recent teen movies do is turn a TRL devotee into someone interested in The Bard, how can they be all bad? Martin Short is the comedy standout, which is no surprise, and Kirsten is a screen-brightener, as always. I agree with other comments that question the male lead's desirability, but it's not an insurmountable obstacle. Sisqo surprised me by fitting very well into his role.
Ultimately, while it would be nice to say that this is Not Another Teen Movie, it basically is, but at least it tries a little harder.
Dazed and Confused (1993)
no one dies (spoiler elements)
I've skimmed a few reviews, so I don't know for sure that I'm not repeating someone else. Forgive me if I am.
What stands out the most for me about D&C is that it's so LIGHT; it's like a rice cake. Nothing really SERIOUS happens, no major corners are turned, no major lessons are learned, and no one is scarred for life. If this movie was made in a 90's setting, there are two places where someone would be seriously hurt or killed, and another where a girl would probably be raped. The first time I watched it, I was subconsciously expecting a death or some other traumatic event. Only afterwards did I realize that I didn't see what I'd been conditioned to expect.
The movie stars folks who are mostly unknown. You might recognize Pink as T.S. from Mallrats, and Joey Lauren Adams from her ex, Kevin Smith's movies, and you will see what Ben Affleck looks like with bad 70's hair. Other than that, the only easily recognizable faces are indie queen Parker Posey and Matthew McConaughey in his first movie. I heard that Linklater tapped MM for this movie after overhearing him talking in a bar. The way he talks in this movie is his REAL voice.
Other people have already touched on the "quotability" of D&C and the accuracy with which the time period is presented. I was only 2 when the 70's began, but D&C makes me wish I could have grown up during THIS time, even with the paddling....
Kurt & Courtney (1998)
what a bee-yotch
whether or not you believe that Kurt Cobain was killed by Courtney Love or committed suicide, this flick shows CL to be even more of a vicious, hypocritical golddigger than you probably suspected. And the footage with El Duce kicks ass.
For more on the Kurt/Courtney story, listen to Primus' song, "Coattails Of A Dead Man." It MIGHT not be about CL, but you can see how it would fit pretty well.
It's also interesting to see how ferociously Courtney attacks people who say or write things that she doesn't like, and then is chosen to present an ACLU award for freedom of speech. She's a seriously deranged psycho-bitch. That's really all this movie is good for. The "testimonies" of the interviewees are laughable, and I don't really care whether or not (the highly overrated) Kurt Cobain killed himself or if his wife did it.
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
does anybody remember laughter?
I read one EXTREMELY wordy review of FD2D here already. So I don't think another scene-by-scene run-down is necessary.
I wasn't surprised to see similar comments to the one my friend made as we left the theater; complaining that the movie changed right in the middle. Although I admit that it would have been nice to see the first story, about the fugitives escaping into Mexico, end in the standard way, the abrupt turnaround was a welcome surprise. If you read most of the reviews on this movie, chances are they will mention the turnaround. So now you know. It completely changes gears on you. Got it? Now, if I can ask a silly question, what's so bad about being surprised? Was it REALLY a serious loss to have the movie take the turn that it did? If they had kept on going with the standard Tarantino/Rodriguez storyline, yeah, it would have been okay. But not too memorable. Mostly predictable. Same for the vampire angle. Seen that plenty o' times. What else ya got?
Splicing two completely different plots together like this is, to put it mildly, rare. That's why it deserves a second look, at least. Granted, it would have been disastrous if this had become Hollywood's next big gimmick, a la "reality tv," but it didn't, and I don't believe that's because the movie simply didn't work. I believe it's because it's a chance most filmmakers aren't willing to take. Put the images up on the screen that people will be familiar with, lay out the snappy one-liners, make with the funny and the action and the obligatory romance. Give the consumers what they want. Hey--Screw the consumers! Have some fun with the project! That's what these guys did. This movie is tense and fun. It's different. The fact that so many people didn't like it is what makes me smile the most. It reminds me why different is usually good.
It's also cool to see George Clooney as a bad motor-scooter. It suits him. And every guy I know who has seen this movie wants to get a tattoo like George had, but none of us has got the cojones to do it....
Gummo (1997)
napalm (some spoiler-esque material)
Watching this movie with two friends, we frequently exchanged fearful glances and shook our heads in amazement. What seems undeniable in Gummo is that these actors are not really actors. The director lays this film out like a documentary, life in a hick town as seen by a fly on the wall. There are some scenes that are obviously scripted, but there is a feeling throughout Gummo that these are just regular people living their regular lives. Even with the presence of Chloe Sevigny and the man (can't recall actor's name) who pimps out his mentally retarded wife to our 2 white trash "heroes," clearly the cast is mostly made up of just "plain folks."
The scene in the kitchen is the most true-to-life, and looks a lot like an episode of COPS without the faces blotted out. I am embarrassed to say that I have been to parties that were not too different from this one. My viewing companion had been to even more of them, having lived in Florida. In fact, he said that most of the slack-jawed, racist, illiterate hillbillies reminded him a lot of people he knew.
Watch this movie if you feel bad about yourself. If you have low self-esteem, it will skyrocket after seeing Gummo. The "people" that populate this town are NOT fictional. It may very well be that this is a movie starring legitimate actors, but the sad truth is that pathetic filth like the people in this town are alive and well all across America. It's hard to watch a scene in Gummo without wanting to burst into the room with a flame-thrower and torching everyone in sight or entering the "skinhead scene" with a couple of baseball bats and bludgeoning these worthless wastes of skin to death. Your emotions will range from enraged hatred to pity, but not too far beyond that.