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Reviews
South Park (1997)
One of the most brilliant sit-coms made
One of the most surprising things of this show is that, despite foul mouthed 4th graders and racy innuendo, it almost always sneaks in a thoughtful commentary on current events. Also, despite the crude animation, and the fact that only a couple guys are doing the voices, the show has likeable characters, each with separate personalities. It also follows the tradition of such shows as Married with Children, Night Stand, and Get a life, by never showing an episode that isn't funny.
Nurse Betty (2000)
Not a comedy, and not really worth your while
*SPOILERS* I rented this movie actually because of the actors. Zellwiger has a good acting range and I thought it would be neat to see her in a "Funny" show. The hit team of Freeman and Rock also looked promising. Only one problem- the show is not funny in the least. I'm not insulting Rock, as he is only an actor, but he played this role with an unneeded amount of exceptionally deep bitterness, more than any other film he's played in. Also, in this film he plays a true pyschopath, with no humor at all, unless you consider slicing the flesh of a man's head hilarious(which some writers probably did!). The fact that the husband was a jerk, adulterer, and trying to out screw the mob does not take away the horror of this scene. However, it seems that the writers thought it would be okay to "off" a jerk. The rest of the story tries to play like a Romantic Comedy, and to even watch it you have to suspend all belief in reality for a hour or so:
1. Betty saving the kid's life with detailed procedure. Even if she took a couple of classes she couldn't have learned or remembered this.
2. The roommate who never heard of the actor's character before she met Betty all of a sudden gets tickets to see the actor in person.
3. The actor (Kinnear) isn't the least upset about a fan's over-obsession with him, in fact he feeds her obsession.
4. Instead of suing the company for taking advantage of her, she accepts a bit part in the show.
5. Betty is so far away from reality that she believes she's a character, but in a second(on the TV show's set) she comes back to reality. No counseling, or treatment.
The ending is not sad or happy, but just there. Do yourself a favor and don't waste your time with this one.
North by Northwest (1959)
A king of movies
Not only is this the best Hitchcock, this is one of the best films ever made. Don't let the date, 1959, scare you off, this has everything possible for a movie: great, believable acting from all(Grant, Saint, Mason, Landau, and even the minor players); stunning cinematography(decades ahead of its time), fantastic stunts(the air-duster scene, and the Mount Rushmore finale), a brilliant score by Bernard Herrmann, and the perfect mixture of action, humor, and a dash of romance.
One lesson that all modern film makers could learn from this movie is timing. With some rare exceptions, many of today's movies have good story lines, but waste several minutes on meaningless scenes (Lost Souls, or Traffic, to name a couple). Hitchcock proved a movie can be over two hours and still keep you in suspense. Do yourself a favor and rent this, better yet, own it. You'll want to watch it more than once.
Erin Brockovich (2000)
Two words alone can describe this cinematic...
disaster,...Horrible and long! What is the deal with Hollywood playing movies based on real jerks. After all is said and done, that is exactly what Erin (at least Juilia's portrayal of her)is. Is this really supposed to be a heroine for women? I certainly hope not. It also presents men as bumbling buffoons (particularly the guy in charge of the water department files)or the mousy lawyer(that is,Finney's character) who has no self-worth whatsoever, Don't even try to compare it to a 70's tv movie. It isn't even worthy of the time slot of a late night b-movie. There is nothing redeeming about this movie, except that it's not two seconds longer. If this gets any award, we're witnessing a new low.
Men of Honor (2000)
Certainly not the best
First off, I never knew of Brashears, so this film did do some justice by raising my conscious of a true hero. The movie just seems to have taken a wonderful , uplifting story and turn into what I would say is melodramatic fluff. It also does it at the cost of insulting some of the finest men and women our country has produced, those who truly have honor and serve in the US military.
The other problem is how Cuba Gooding Jr. portrays Brashears. I love pictures where a hero overcomes all adversity to rise to the top. This picture is unclear on Brashears motives, however. Early on I believed it was out of respect for his father, but towards the end, it seems as if Brashears wants to succeed only out of a selfish pride. This may be because Cuba Gooding Jr. never really puts any humility into the character. He's a great actor, but it is almost an impossible task to effectively portray a hero of Brashears' magnitude in just 150 minutes. Perhaps when the movie comes out on video and dvd, a director's cut edition could be made to show how all the elements of the story fit together.
Night After Night with Allan Havey (1990)
One of a kind
This late night talk show aired in Comedy Central. One of the most unusual features was the Audience of One. The host would literally have one person watching the show, and this opened itself up for many inside jokes between the host, guest, and audience member. The night of Johnny Carson's final show, this show went off the air, showing only a sign that directed people to watch the Tonight Show instead. Very off-beat humor, like a Conan O'Brien show with no network limits.
In effect, this was one of the first non-conventional late night shows. Nick Backay went on to be the side kick of Dennis Miller's short lived series which itself was something of a precursor to Conan. It would be interesting to see reruns to be able to judge them from a present perspective.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Perhaps even more applicable today than 50's
The movie explains that not through a vast takeover of foreign enemies, but a calm complacency of the nations own people could destroy the nation. This could not be more true today in many concerns over sovereignty and other human rights causes. The movie is probably the best ever made over the struggle to remain human against all odds. Not a sci-fi special effects extravaganza but very hard hitting and to the point. While the mantra, "Don't fall asleep" is repeated and taken literally in the movie, it is in a broader sense telling the audience "Don't fall asleep into complacency and keep your eyes open." In effect it was a fifties version of "The truth is out there!" It would be very interesting to see a movie made today that could as effectively convey the overtones as this movie did. All the remakes and spinoffs focused more on the Science-fiction aspect of the film, but this one remains the best.