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bareman
Reviews
Bass Ackwards (2010)
Film was slower than the VW microbus.
Saw Bass Ackwards this weekend at the Waterfront Film Festival, but ended up leaving about 15 minutes before the movie was done due to boredom. I watch a lot of films and this is the first time I've walked out early.
There were way too many scenes of the Vw Microbus getting passed by semi-trucks on the highway. It was funny for the first few times and then just became insulting. I think a three year old would have understood the point that it was a slow and frustrating vehicle well before using the same gag about 10 or 15 times.
There were a couple entertaining moments he had with the service station guy "no speak English" and Linas' Christopher Walken impersonation.
The Descent (2005)
More Horror than Thriller
I went into the film having heard it compared to Alien and thus had my expectations set on a little more suspense-thriller than horror. That was an incorrect expectation as the film tended to try to shock the viewer at least every 4 minutes with a "Boo!"(scary) moment and didn't build them up like they did in Alien (or like you'd find in classic thrillers from Hitchcock). It's mostly a splatter fest in the last half of the film. People looking for a gory splatter fest will not be disappointed.
It's scary though and most of the viewers at the Waterfront Film Festival were frightened. I know my wife was scared.
Saved! (2004)
This film will cheese off the folks that it pokes fun at.
I got [to see] "Saved!" this past weekend at the Waterfront Film Festival [waterfrontfilm.org] in Saugatuck, MI. I thought it was delightfully amusing.
The kind of people who think that they have all the answers and want to impose their moral code on everyone else are going to hate this film. There are a several famous Christian fundamentalists who have condemned it saying it makes a mockery of Christianity. However, though this film is set at a Christian high school I think that message can easily apply to fundamentalists from any belief. Anyone that thought this film was mocking Christianity didn't really understand the movie. Intolerance and self-righteousness can come from people of any brand of faith.
If this film makes you angry, then you probably deserved its taunts. And if it made you laugh, good for you, you may just be a well adjusted individual.
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Spot the Fear Monger!
This film has inspired a new game for my wife and I. It's called spot the fear monger. It's easy to play, just turn on the evening news. Just note the tv anchors name and score how many times they try to frighten you.
I think this film may help us open a dialogue which may help fix some of the problems in the world.
Escanaba in da Moonlight (2001)
Comedy gone x-files.
This movie was weird. I really liked it. It started out like typical Jeff Daniels comedy but got really bizarre like an x-files episode. It was unexpected and unpredictable. Northern Michigan is a strange and beautiful place. This film captures a little bit of that.