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Reviews
Session 9 (2001)
Meh.
I wanted so hard to like the movie and ended up being dreadfully unimpressed, largely due to various reasons that have been already stated here so, I'll try not to repeat.
The picture quality (DV to film) is a little fuzzy and looks cheap where other movies made in the same process haven't, Caruso's performance is as over the top as it usually is and Peter Mullen is - as always - a joy to watch, but kudos to both (plus Paul Guilfoyle) for supporting the film-makers of tomorrow in low-profile projects such as this. It's always nice to see an absence of egos in people that could easily keep up appearaces in more populous-driven stuff.
It's a great idea for a movie but stutters over a script which seemed two rewrites short of being finished combined with laboured and uninspired directing and a general feeling of "a bunch of guys messing around with a camcorder of a weekend" really lets the look and feel of the piece down (although there were a few scenes that showed some raw directoral talent) made for a painfully average 100 or so minutes, but my support of low-buget independent film making prevents me from not congratulating them on a good try at least.
Give it a go if you see it on tv, but don't spend any money on it.
Orphans (1998)
So misunderstood...
I've noticed that what people seem to miss in their reviews of this fine movie is that the characters aren't really supposed to be likeable. This is not a Meg Ryan romantic comedy, it's a tough, gritty ultra-realistic portrayal of the poor sections of Scotland's largest city and the people who inhabit them. I mean really... if you're looking for "Sleepless In Seattle", this movie is not for you. If you're concerned about the language - as some previous reviewers have been - take my advice; avoid this movie and avoid Glasgow. People really talk like that.
Mullen, already an accomplished actor both on stage and film, shows that his talent stretches far beyond performance and delivers both in the script and directorally a solid and enjoyably depressing movie with equal laughs and tears. It puts the viewer on a relentless, unforgiving emotional rollercoaster; up in parts and down the next with little warning and not much time to adjust. This makes for uncomfortable viewing at times, but therein lies the genius behind it.
It amazes me that people waste time on the pointless "Trainspotting" when gems like 'Orphans' (and "My Name Is Joe") are around. It's masterful film-making, taking realistic characters and settings down dark and noirish surrealistic scenarios with spot-on performances by all. If you know Glasgow, you'll see it in all its glory, good and bad, perfectly portrayed on the screen. If you're not from Glasgow but you have an open mind, don't miss it.
And remember... every f**ker loves Connolly. ;)
The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976)
Jump over the bubble with joy at the fun of this dreaful movie!
What a wonderfully God-awful movie. Bears all the hallmarks of a mid 70's tv movie including woeful acting and a dreadful storyline. I'm not sure I've even laughed as much with this movie than I have at comedies.
John Travolta plays a boy born without an immune system back in the days before AIDS - before people said "well, these actors... you have to wonder." Based on a true story? Maybe, but if this were based on *my* true story, I wouldn't spend so long trying to get *out* of the bubble... I'd be trying to find more ways to hide.
The biggest surprise of the movie? The fact that the tv show "Mystery Science Theatre" didn't get their hands on it.
A previous contributor got it right, the DVD release is awful (fitting really, given the quality of the movie itself), bad transfer from a bad video copy. I swear, it looks like someone recorded it off a broken Betamax VCR. They even go so far as to proudly add to the flimsy packaging "This movie DOES NOT feature: scene access, dual dialogue" Still... what do you want for $5?
A great way to spend a Saturday evening with beer and pizza, making fun of the movie. And you can make fun of it over and over again, it never gets tired. Well worth spending $5 on for a lifetime of fun....
Neverwhere (1996)
Wow! The BBC can still make classy SF!
Too much pressure is being heaped onto film makers these days. The filming of "Neverwhere" on video rather than onto film was an incredibly good decision, if one made by budgetry consideration rather than one of style. Video gives one a much more intimate feel on a programme as opposed to the distance and unreality in film. So London Below had a much more realistic atmosphere with its filthy corners and occasional bright patch.
"Neverwhere" is a stunning idea, stylishly filmed, confidently written and (for the most part) perfectly acted. Exquisite performances by Hywell Bennett and the Marquee - dreadful, appalling, hideous acting by Richardrichard Mayhewdick. Bad, bad, baaaaaaaaaad casting decision there. Laura Fraser's alien distance giver her performance a truly detached and often unhuman feel, whilst retaining attraction and (dare I say) cuteness with her huge shimmering eyes. If she ever needs rescuing again, I'd give up *my* credit cards.... =)
Nice ending, not a surprise as such, but a very satisfactory closing to the story.
7/10 (it would've gotten 10/10 if it hadn't been for the lead man's crap acting.......)
Alexei Sayle's Stuff (1988)
Who *is* that fat b*****d...?
Alexei Sayle and his writers somehow managed to make several series of surreal humour and not be compared to Monty Python, even with Cleese-a-like Angus Deyton in the days before he disappeared up his own smug a**e.
Largely unnoticed at the time and widely unrepeated, this was a series that deserved more credit than it was ever given. By the time the BBC had woken up to what they had, the series had turned into something resembling light entertainment instead of the confident and unapologetic oddness in "Stuff".
A few too many song and dance routines though. And more often than not they just weren't funny, as clearly demonstrated in his mid-80s LP "Panic".
Is it fat, bald and jewish in here or is it just me...?
The Vacant Lot (1994)
Hit-and-Miss Comedy From The Makers of Kids In The Hall
It was like Lorne Michaels was trying for a second stab at "Kids In The Hall"s success. This short-lived Canadian series (featuring KITH's Mark McKinney's younger lookalike brother Nick) was perhaps a little *too* much like its predecessor to have solo success. Sketches were very much hit and miss, although some comic gems shone through. Some were too bizarre or too lengthy but high production values and excellent comic performaces made every episode watchable. The original songs featured throughout episodes were especially good.
Where are they now? Well, Paul Greenberg is often spotted in bit parts (most notably "As Good As It Gets" as a waiter), Nick McKinney writes for Michael Moore's series "The Awful Truth", Vito Viscomi is script editor for MTV's "Tom Green Show" and Rob Gfroerer wrote and appeared with Vito Viscomi and Paul Greenberg in the dire "Jenny McCarthy Show" on MTV.
If it ever resurfaces, check it out. It's worth at least half an hour of your time if you are a KITH fan.
Rentaghost (1976)
If your mansion house needs haunting....
"Ooooh Arthur! What are those lunatics The Meekers up to now?"
Aaahhh, *the* tv show of my childhood. Frequently pantomimonic, the antics of Claypole and the cast of (flippin') spooks amused me for a sizeable chunk of my childhood. The early episodes had actual plot and purpose with the profitless Rentaghost business, the later ones were low on quantity with the Spooks living with the Meekers. Christmas cracker joke scripts, a pantomime horse, Christopher Biggins acting more camp than a weekend at Butlins and an unhealthy dose of bluescreen effects with every episode leading to an all-cast chase around the Meekers' living room table as the theme tune played every week.
Harmless fun for the children of the 70s in the days before childrens television had to be educational and lost any creativity it ever had. Gone are the days of sit-coms for kids, but the spirit (ahem) is kept alive in "Rentaghost's" occasional repeats tucked away in the armpit of satellite television.
A classic. No question. Well, you must excuse me, the astral lift is waiting to whisk me away!
"Come away from the window, Rose....."