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Reviews
Gates of Heaven (1978)
An all-time favorite. A quirky, poignant, and sometimes hilarious look at man's relationship with his pets.
I first saw this movie in a college theater in its initial release. The movie poster claimed it was "Not quite a movie about pet cemeteries." I didn't know what to expect, but I have always liked the offbeat. This movie, which even Roger Ebert calls one of his all-time favorites, turned out to be offbeat and much, much more.
Without poking fun at his subjects, Morris exposes us to the world of pet cemeteries--both the owners and caretakers of them and the people who've placed the remains of a cherished pet in their care. Sometimes we are moved by empathy; other times we laugh out loud at the preposterousness of it. (Are they for real?) At no time does Morris pass judgment. He leaves that up to us.
Along the way we meet the owner of a rendering service, and learn what happens when the circus comes to town. We learn that "God" is "dog" spelled backwards, and we meet an aspiring musician. Morris captures on film the things that make us human: grief, love, self-importance, and an unabashed silliness. The result is a quirky, poignant, and sometimes hilarious look at man's relationship with his pets.
50 First Dates (2004)
5 minutes away from an all-time classic
As surprising as this sounds--especially to anyone who knows me and the kinds of films I normally like--but for the lack of a little restraint this good movie could have been a great one. Instead, we are left with nothing but a near miss and the promise of what might have been. Imagine a movie like Casablanca with a fart joke thrown in.
I was furious when I left this movie. Except for a handful of ridiculously unnecessary scenes/plot points, this movie would have been near perfect. I can't remember being this mad since I saw ET and was surprised by the now infamous 'p@#$!-breath' comment made by the little boy Elliott, played by Henry Thomas. Note to Hollywood: STOP IT ALREADY! I'm not a prude. I don't mind R-rated movies, nudity, or foul language in the right context. I even been known to laugh at potty-humor. But dammit, this time it did not work.
At various times, 50 First Dates touched me in ways that few movies have. The wonderful poignancy of it. The near flawless performance by Drew Barrymore as Lucy made the devotion of her father and brother all the more believable. Adam Sandler, as Henry, has a goofy "everyman" quality to him that works well here. And he and Drew have a kind of quirky chemistry that works. As wildly implausible as the plot sounds on paper, it works too.
I just wish someone had taken a stand during the production of this movie and fixed the 5 minutes that keeps it from being an all-time classic. (Example: Why was it necessary to have Rob Schneider fondle his coconut falsies?)
As Maxwell Smart used to say, "Missed it by THAT much!"