brian-nestor-1 Reviews

The Laughing Policeman (1973)

Worth two looks

[7/10 · 14 July 2008]

I just got back from San Francisco and decided to watch this again. To my surprise, I liked it much more the second time.

Make no mistake, this is not a great flick, but it is an interesting one. There are a ton of false leads in the beginning of the movie and we don't even get to the meat of the plot - the killer, for instance - until way into the running time. If you like logical and linear plots, this one will disappoint.

But there a couple of very good points. First, the ensemble cast is great. The range of characters keeps things interesting. Lou Gossett, Jr. gets a very meaty part before disappearing. Joanna Cassidy is also good in a brief role.

The highlight of the film is the relationship between Walter Matthau and Bruce Dern. Dern gets to play an early non-psycho but he is a total jerk. Yet by the end of the film you wind up liking him. Matthau is worse - he never smiles and is totally cut off from his fellow officers and his family. He can't even confront his teenage son. Watching these two make an uneasy truce and develop a relationship is what the movie really is about.

The bad news is that, except for the opening sequence, the action scenes are flat - not terrible, just flat. There are a lot of loose ends floating through the plot and characters disappear at random.

Perhaps most interesting is the parallel between this film's style and the Italian Giallo genre going on a the same time. The black gloved killer, the grim detective, even the plot holes would be right at place in an Argento movie from 1973, not a Hollywood film.

Worth two looks.

Operation: Desert Stormy (2007 Video)

Dumb Sexy Fun

[9 July 2008]

Operation Desert Stormy is dumb sexy fun - simple as that! It is three hours of James Bond parody that is lifted by a superior cast. The sex is not overwhelming - it IS a couple's movie - but it doesn't get in the way of the plot. Stormy did an excellent job on this movie and gave Steven St, Croix enough room to goon about to great effect. Reliable actors such as Randy Spears and Ron Jeremy also do well.

My only complaint would be that it is three hours long. Too much of a good thing. Nice action sequences, though, and a great (by porn standards) parachuting sequence. Explosions and fight scenes vie with the usual orgies and lesbian action.

Stormy is also a terrific light comedian, hugely under-rated, who can get a laugh with just the twitch of an eyebrow or a sideways glance. If you liked Pirates or Space Balls, this is an excellent movie in a similar style.

The Tommy Chong Roast (1986 TV Movie)

Funny and rude roast

[6/10 · 9 May 2008]

This roast is notable for three reasons. The first is the incredible number of drug references. Tommy Chong actually pretends to snort coke on the table while someone is speaking. At least I hope that he is pretending. Totally tasteless.

Second is a very early appearance by Jerry Seinfield. He's not that good and out of his element, but it's nice to see him trying, anyway.

Last, and most important, is a typically insane appearance by Dick Shawn, one of his last. It is the greatest non-stand up stand up I have ever seen. He doesn't tell a single joke and yet he wipes everyone else out. The man was pure genius and his part makes searching this out worth it.