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Reviews
A Dirty Shame (2004)
Eyes Wide STFU
Seriously, A Dirty Shame is to John Waters what Eyes Wide Shut is to Stanley Kubrick. Both directors final films are so definitive of their style that only the experienced viewer can comprehend the majesty of their vision. Where Eyes Wide Shut attempts to vivisect human sexuality and expose it's ugly innards, A Dirty Shame attempts to vivisect human sexual morals and make as many jokes about our prudish nature as possible. All the while exposing what a race of sexual hypocrites we truly are.
And in the process Waters wrenches one uncomfortable gut laugh after another out of the audience. They say that comedy is defining the line of what's acceptable and then crossing it. Well John Waters has always painted one big rainbow colored crosswalk across that line. No sacred cows are spared in a Waters film.
For anyone who doesn't think that A Dirty Shame is funny then I have some bad news. You may find yourself being the butt of the films jokes, it's making fun of people who have "That's not funny!" written all over them. Sorry, but that's the unvarnished truth, John Waters entire career is built upon laughing at the comedically challenged. But hey, I'm just the messenger, not the director.
Call Me Kat (2021)
Not the Cats Pyjamas.
My favorite character in Big Bang Theory, by a mile, was Amy Farrah Fowler. And I was really hoping to like Mayim Bialik in Call Me Kat.
And I do kind of like Bialik but every other character in the show annoys me, especially Leslie Jordan.
But as a cord-cutter I have limited choices so I'll have Call Me Kat playing in the background while I read.
Planet of the Humans (2019)
A Peek Behind the Green Curtain.
Planet of the Humans is a new entry on my favorite comedy list because it's so funny to watch the "issue that cannot be debated" so easily ripped to shreds. It takes the viewer behind the Green Curtain where Soylent Panels are made from everything but actual good intentions. The windmills of my mind are over-revving from enjoying the storm that PotH is causing in the Industrial Green Complex. But don't worry, you're still free to go out and buy new toys like solar panels and electric cars and pretend that you're saving an entire planet.
Bless the Harts (2019)
Please feed this family lots of cholesterol.
A well written comedy, whether live action or animation, can get a laugh with very few lines or a simple sight gag. But the characters in Bless the Harts recite line after line after line in monologues that go absolutely nowhere, they're just descriptions of aspects of everyday life that I suppose the audience is supposed to relate to. But the monologues don't lead to any laughter, they just give the other characters reason to say, "Oh Mom!" or some other banality.
One would think that the writers sit around talking about everything that bugs them and suddenly the day is coming to an end so they scribble down their various pet peeves and call it a day. Some people do thinks it's funny to pick apart the world and have a "life's like that" irony fix but that has nothing to do with comedy and neither does Bless the Harts.
Its curious that my main problem with King of the Hill was that Peggy Hills character was far too real and although hysterical she'd bring back cringeworthy memories of my younger years. But nobody in Bless the Harts seems at all genuine to me, they seem like composite characters created solely so that the audience can look down upon them and go "Ha Ha!" in our best Nelson impression.
I only give Bless the Harts 2 stars because I have seen worse.
First Man (2018)
3...2...1...Loved it!
I just watched First Man on a 60 ft tall IMAX screen with insanely great sound. But I would have loved this film had I watched it on my phone. First Man isn't a hero-worship tribute that relies heavily on rocket ship emphasis, it's quite an understated character study punctuated by moments of edge-of-your-seat tension.
I was possessed by the story for every moment of the film, my mind never wandered, my butt never got sore as happens during so many movies. I was taken inside the protagonists life and given a look at 60s Space Race through his eyes. And not a Hollywood sanitized version, First Man depicts a NASA that's a bit grittier than the publicity photos suggest.
Had I not read so many books about the early NASA missions since I watched Niel Armstrongs first steps in 1969 I may not have appreciated this film as much. But being familiar with the events depicted I was delighted to witness those events recreated. The launch sequences are not done using the usual cliches and with the IMAX sound I felt like I'd just been blasted off the planet.
I can't say enough good things about this film and would highly recommend it to anyone who's a spaceflight history enthusiast or who likes a movie that explores a character with a bit of depth. As other reviewers have said, First Man is no Right Stuff but that's a plus, where the Right Stuff blew me away, First Man moved me and touched something inside me like few films do.
Lost in Space (2018)
Does not compute!
I clearly remember the premier of the original Lost in Space. Even more I remember talking about it with my little friends the next day while we made spaceship models out of cardboard boxes and other found objects.
Now at 60 years old I just watched the first 2 episodes of the 2018 reboot on a Sunday afternoon. Am I going to talk about it with anyone afterwards? No, I'm going to take a hike deep into the backwoods and drink too much beer to try to stop the pain and erase the memories.
And I still have a hangover from mitigating my disappointment over the 1998 motion picture disaster called Lost in Space. What is it about this series that makes it so difficult to do an acceptable reboot? Is this Netflix produced nightmare a sci-fi version of "Springtime for Hitler"?
The one saving grace is that you need a Netflix account to be offended by this snorefest. I don't have one, I watched this on my friends TV while petsitting. I hope the dogs and cats attack me and the chickens peck my eyes out so that I can never, ever make the mistake of watching this bowel movement again.
400 thumbs down!
Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
STD review from a Trekker who remembers September 8, 1966.
Overdecorated. Too tricked out. Too much light fantastic. A bit gaudy.
My favorite part is the inclusion of classic bridge noises which ironically I loathe hearing in this so-called "Star Trek" show.
Who are these imposters? And I'd rather learn Klingon than read all those subtitles.
They did keep the post TOS institution of unmemorable, undramatic incidental music.
I now have a new appreciation for Deep Space 9, Voyager and Ent...well maybe not Enterprise.
I really liked 'The Orville' a lot, I can't wait for the next episode.
Schitt$ Creek (2015)
Canadian Classic
Schitt's Creek is has quickly become my favorite sitcom, even surpassing The Goldberg's. For me the best part of both shows is the excellent actress playing the part of the mom. But Catherine O'Hara outshines even the great Wendy Mclendon- Covey with her restrained yet over-the-top portrayal of Moira Rose.
As someone who followed SCTV from beginning to end I love having Eugene Levy and O'Hara in my home every week. And Levy's son, Dan, who's also a writer on the show, is hysterical.
Add Chris Elliot who starred in a previous favorite of mine, "Get A Life" and CBC has created a show tailor- made to my taste in comedy.
I must warn that Schitt's Creek can be difficult to view at times. The ditzyness of the Rose children, David and Alexis, can be embarrassing to watch. But I think that they're the 2 most original and fleshed-out characters that I've seen in a sitcom for a long time.
The long term plot lines in this show are addictive and the story develops to the point where I can go from laughing hysterically to shedding tears on a single line of dialogue.
I have to admit that besides the great writing, acting and directing my favorite moments on Shitt's Creek are when Catherine O'Hara walks into the scene wearing the most outrageous outfits and wigs. And I admire her as a comedienne for allowing her face to be made-up in such a ghastly manner.
Shitt's Creek can seamlessly range from very subtle deadpan comedy to high camp in an instant yet it never fails to convince you that these are real people. This show is much more sophisticated than your average CBC produced comedy.
But the reason I decided to write this, my very first IMDb review, is a current plot device on the show and the reason for the spoiler alert. It's the Schitt's new car, the giant, black Lincoln Continental. I laugh every time I think about it and can't wait for next week to find out what disasters this car will bring to the Schitt's family. SCTV also knew how to make a big Lincoln funny.