Reviews

What Is It? is a mish-mash of bizarre recurring motifs (snails, Shirley Temple, swastikas, and overtly racist music, among others) unfettered by any sort of narrative or plot or character development. The whole thing struck me as self-consciously "freak show," and I don't mean only the unusual casting decisions. It has the feel of a bad acid trip, far beyond any level of drug use one might attribute to Hunter S. Thompson or William S. Burroughs. The only movie to which I can compare it is Eraserhead (my second-least-favorite film of all time), which was by intent much more depressing, but I still found What Is It? a total waste of my time. It's one thing to give me a peek into the inner workings of someone else's mind -- even someone else's chemically altered consciousness -- but quite another to just throw weird visuals at me purely for the sake of weirdness.

The film contains a disclaimer that it contains fictionalized scenes, but in fact it contains scenes that directly contradict the 9/11 Commission report and that defame numerous officials. Just one example: the scenes with Osama bin Laden in the sights of American forces in Afghanistan are utter fabrication — not only did American forces never have a clear shot at bin Laden, they weren't even in Afghanistan at the time. Some Republican officials are defamed as well as Democrats, but the political slant of the overall portrayal is unmistakable and unforgivable in a film that purports to be an accurate account of events leading up to 9/11.

If you must see this film, pay the extra couple of bucks for the digital 3-D version. It is by far the best 3-D film I've ever seen, at least on the technical level. Unfortunately, the story line leaves almost everything to be desired. Although the film is rated G, several scenes will be intensely frightening to young children. Adults will find the dialogue mostly predictable and the underlying message simplistic and underdeveloped. There are a few good laugh lines, but at least as many offensively stereotypical depictions that are intended as humor but fall flat. Many of the jokes fall into a dead zone, going right over the kids' heads but yet too juvenile for grown-ups. Honestly, I recommend this film only to gear-heads who just have to see the latest technological advances. Don't wait for the video, because this one is not worth watching on the small screen, even as a rental. If the screenplay had half the creativity of the 3-D process, this would be an Oscar® contender, but it looks like the sky really is falling at the House of Mouse.

Filmmaker Jenni Olson muses about her personal relationships and her "butch" identity, wondering whether taking such a masculine-ish identity is anti-feminist or even internally misogynistic. Most of the film is Jenni's voice over scenes of various neighborhoods in San Francisco, some almost static, others full of activity. The film then dives into a seemingly unrelated topic, suicide, most especially suicide from the Golden Gate Bridge, where a close friend jumped ten years ago. The connection is in the title of the film: The Joy of Life. Each of us must find our own joy of life, including comfort in our own gender identity and relationships.

Le Clan (3 Slaves Dancing) is a relentlessly bleak, dreary film, showing us the despair and grayness of the characters' lives without any hint at redemption. The considerable violence in the film (a couple of scenes are definitely not for those squeamish about blood or animal cruelty) underlines the darkness they inhabit, but gives us no insight into how they cope with it, much less how they might hope to emerge from it. The actors turned in fine performances, and the film has moments of visual beauty, but the story lacks an upside. The characters' lives progress from lousy to terrible as they turn away from any form of hope. I liked À Toute Vitesse (Full Speed), also by Gaël Morel, and I look forward to better work from the director and the cast in the future, but I recommend giving this one a miss.

This is a film that operates on so many levels. The framework of the plot is that a group of friends in late 19th century London help Oscar Wilde put on a private performance of his play "Salome," banned in Britain for its controversial political and sexual themes. We get to watch the interactions of the characters in the play, the interactions of the actors in the play (and offstage), and the interactions of the players with the sole member of the audience (the play's author). If you loved "Lilies," you won't go far wrong with "Salome's Last Dance" -- both feature an immersive blurring between the action in the play and the actors portraying it. Don't let anyone tell you much more than that about the film, because there are some delicious surprises.

On the surface, Bubble Boy is a silly comedy with cartoonish characters, sometimes sophomoric jokes, and slapstick gags. Even just on that level, though, it's near the top of its genre.

However, the film also has many deeper levels of meaning and commentary. To what extent is each of us a "boy in a bubble," or a freak of some other description? To what extent do we hold ourselves back from living life to the fullest? To what extent do we allow others to hold us back? Can we not live more fully by embracing our own freakishness?

Watch this movie, watch the bubble boy explore the world, and think about how you can escape your own bubble. You have nothing to lose but 84 minutes and a couple of bucks for the video rental. You won't regret it!

"Its mystery is only exceeded by its power." This movie is exactly

what it sets out to be, a silly comedy with two extraordinarily cute

stars having some wildly improbable adventures. It's very much in

the tradition of "Bill and Ted." The jokes work well, the star dudes

are seriously sweet, and it all comes together in a beautifully

executed piece of cinematic cotton candy.

I won't give away the specifics, but there are dozens of little elements in this film that show an astonishing attention to detail. The dialog, the characterization, the sets, the costumes, the scenes in which as much is said with a single look as with ten pages of script. Also, almost every character in the film finds some way to surprise you for the better, besides making you laugh. Along the way, be prepared to bend or even break a lot of stereotypes, not only of gay people, but also of people in small rural towns.

It's a spoof of the 1950s/60s beach party movies, crossed with a murder mystery, with many demented campy twists.

The whole thing meshes together beautifully. Great performances by the whole cast, and lots of silly subplots.

The actors did a good job, but I really disliked the story and especially the main characters. By the middle of the film, I had no insight into what drove the characters to put themselves into such a predicament, but I also didn't care.

I was expecting the usual fluff, but there were half a dozen times I couldn't hear the dialogue because the audience was laughing so hard. Everyone, from kids still in high school to adults long graduated, enjoyed this film.

The computer animation was technically amazing, and the choreography of the main fight scene was excellent. Every other element of the film was lacking. The story was poorly conceived, appealing to neither adults nor children. There were about four times in the entire film when a small number of people in the audience half-heartedly semi-laughed. The acting was third-rate, even by some first-rate actors. George Lucas clearly has forgotten how to write or direct a movie, and had the complete "artistic freedom" to put out a very poorly made film.

The premiere episode was very funny, witty, sharp. The second episode, though, fell thoroughly flat. The third episode got off to a good start, but fizzled halfway through. Here's hoping the writers hit their stride

I was extremely disappointed in the TV series. The comic strip is my all-time favorite, but the pilot got nothing more than a weak smile, and the second episode not even that, and certainly nothing resembling a laugh. Don't expect to see this one return in the fall, even on UPN.

Ha, ha, that guy's a retard. Ha, ha, toilet. Ha, ha, nudity. Ha, ha, that's really gross. There -- I've saved you the price of a movie ticket

Contemplates the interrelationship between censorship, infant circumcision, copyright law, and the premiership of Pierre Trudeau. Definitely out of the ordinary, but worth seeing.

This film is quite a departure from some of the fluff films that

Brendan Fraser has been in. He turns in a fine performance as the gay brother whose sister and brother-in-law must decide whether or not to abort a child who will most likely be gay. The film examines the temptation to avoid the complications of having a gay child, as well as the repercussions of even considering such a choice

There is considerable substance to the story, but also plenty of

humor and charm, even when the going gets rough for the protagonist.

One of the kids says "What's the big whoop?" about people being gay. It should be no more remarkable than the fact that some people are left-handed. Despite the fear-mongering of the religious right wing, this film demonstrates that talking to kids about gay issues is possible and productive

Truly pointless. A combination of violence and sexual titillation that makes the unsurprising point that it is possible for the audience to be titillated and nauseated at the same time. This film gives no insight into the characters who would perform such senselessly violent acts, nor into the mind of the filmmaker who would tell such a s

This is one of the few films in which one of the characters is simply matter-of-factly deaf. That fact is used to advantage in

the film in some of the subplots, but without any hint of exploitation

Two men live only a few kilometers apart, and yet it is almost as if they are from different worlds -- East Berlin and West Berlin. Their blossoming romance is doomed by the Wall that separates their worlds, so they must savor the few moments they can share.

Bizarre and pointless visual images that leave the viewer with furrowed brow saying, "Huh??" The film makes no sense whatsoever on any level. There was nothing in the film that was

interesting, insightful, creative, or worthwhile in any way. It

exhibits a mind-numbingly nihilist view of life.