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jthecamb
Reviews
Stealing Harvard (2002)
Possibly the next Mallrats???
Stealing Harvard made very little money during its brief stay in theaters and is now out on DVD where it could possible thrive just as Mallrats- also starring Jason Lee- did many years ago.
Both films were panned by critics for being worthless, not funny and overly juvenile. Mallrats was loved by fans because it is hilarious and extremely witty. Stealing Harvard may someday achieve the same success.
Jason Lee has the uncanny knack for delivering a quip that leaves you laughing out loud. He achieves this in Stealing Harvard simply with the line "Self respect?" among others. Fans of Jason Lee will enjoy him in this one.
Most of Tom Green's followers ditched him after seeing Freddy Got Fingered. By the time Stealing Harvard came around, he was basically the 2002 version of Paulie Shore. Green is so funny in this one that hopefully it will be one day seen by enough people that he can recover his image just a little bit.
All of the characters in Stealing Harvard seem to grow on you the more you see it, and that is why Stealing Harvard could be the sleeper hit on DVD this year.
Donnie Darko (2001)
A film that makes you think (for a change!)
Donnie Darko has created quite an internet buzz and it deserves every good thing that is said about it, and some of the bad.
This is Richard Kelly's first direction and he really outdid himself because he has a film that has comedy, horror, love, drama and more.
The story follows Donnie around and shows that he's a little crazy, and generally not a great guy. He sleepwalks and sees a bunny rabbit named Frank that tells him the world is going to end in a month. Since he feels that Frank saved his life, he feels obligated to do what Frank wants him to.
The story alone isn't what hooks the viewer. It's the overall visuals, the performances by the actors and the overall mood that is generated. Most of the movie is very dark, but not in a gory way. It just reflects the mood of the characters and the story it is telling.
Some of the additional perks are the incredibly great soundtrack featuring Tears For Fears, Duran Duran and a wonderful cover by Gary Jules. The references to things from the late eighties are also very welcome and incredibly funny.
Some will love the ending, others will hate it. But it really works as a topic of discussion. What else could one ask for? I love this movie!
Mallrats (1995)
My favorite of the Jersey Trilogy...
Mallrats is the biggest failure of Kevin Smith to date, but I think it is quite possibly the funniest of all of his films.
T.S. Quint (Jeremy London) and Brodie Bruce (Jason Lee) are broken up with by their girlfriends. They go to the mall to hang out and eventually decide to try to get back with their respective girlfriends.
The story may be a little simple, but who cares? The dialogue is hilarious and Jason Lee's Brodie is the funniest character in a Smith film.
Good performances by Shannon Doherty, Ethan Suplee, Ben Affleck, and Jason Mewes round out the great cast. Only Jeremy London and Claire Forlanie (but she's hot) giving less than stellar performances.
Jason Lee, in what is basically his debut, carries the flick and could be on the verge of a very promising career in comedy. Mallrats works when he is on the screen, and luckily, that is most of the time.
Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story (1992)
Good Movie
Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story is a moving film about a basketball player that many people today may not know of. It takes you through Hank Gethers' life as a child, then to his stay at USC, and finally Loyola Marymount where he tragically dies during an NCAA tournament game. The acting isn't great and it's cheaply made because it was a made for tv movie, but it is a very sad movie and worth checking out.