Change Your Image
dk2
Reviews
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
Half good, too bad
I actually bought the Dumas novel after seeing the 1975? Hallmark Hall of Fame production starring Richard Chamberlain, so I was prepared to be disappointed by this remake. But it started off well, and through the halfway point I was still into it. Then the story deviated sharply from the book, the Count was merely killing off those who'd done him wrong... not the suave, clever Agent of Karma of the novel or the Hallmark version who set wheels in motion to let the wrongdoers create their own downfall. The only reason I didn't eject this tape thinking it a waste of time was Luis Guzman's performance... how about a new Oscar category for Best Bit Player Who Steals Every Scene? He'd have a dozen for the roles I've seen him in.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Typical Coen fare...
O Brother is about what I've come to expect from those incredible Coen brothers - the completely unexpected. Like their previous The Big Lebowski, this movie is full of surprises, utter foolishness, wry humor, and remarkable performances. Another wonderful soundtrack, carefully mixed and mastered. One viewing is not enough, this video goes into my permanent library for pulling out again and again.
Closed Mondays (1974)
A Feat of Clay
It's been 25 years since Closed Mondays was released, and at least 20 since I've seen it... so my fond memories of this short are a testament to it's lasting impact. I too lament it's unavailability on video. I just saw the Wallace and Gromit series, and would love to see Closed Mondays again to remember all the little details.
Two Hands (1999)
2 Thumbs Up for Two Hands
With a throwaway "free" rental to use up at BBuster, I picked out this unknown film only because I like Bryan Brown. WOW... what a surprise. Unexpected, unpredictable, and very un-Hollywood (which may be why my fellow Americans kind of pan it). Black Humor indeed. Highly recommended - I rated it 9 out of 10 fingers!
Homegrown (1998)
Ugh!
So many films are now in a Genre described as "Comedy/Thriller", as was this one. A fine cast, interesting premise, but what an unpleasant film to watch. Into Hemp films? Then either "Saving Grace" or "Lock, Stock..." are far more enjoyable films. Rating: Just 2 out of 10 Roach Clips
The Hunley (1999)
8 out of 10 TEABAGS
With that "Made for TV" stigma, I had low expectations for this flick. Instead, I thought it was extremely good, and had the feeling of an accurate historical representation. However, the Irishman's reference to the Englishman as "you Tea Bag" is wrong... Thomas Sullivan of N.Y. developed the concept of tea in a bag in 1908. Small matter.
Nighthawks (1981)
New Soundtrack - Too Bad
When I saw this video had been re-released with a "re-mixed" soundtrack, I rented this old friend from long ago. Unfortunately, my favorite memory - that disco scene when deSilva sees Wulfgar for the first time to the pulsing beat of Keith Emerson's "I'm A Man" - has an entirely different piece of music substituted in it's stead. Wahhhh... nowhere near as effective. Now I gotta find an old VCR version to replace the original memory!
The Limey (1999)
A Disappointment
I was really looking forward to this one - an updated 'Get Carter' or 'Point Blank'. Instead, director Steven Soderbergh opted to make this a visually convoluted 'artsy' film rather than a straight ahead action/revenge flick. Juxtaposed time sequences can be mentally challenging, but here they serve only to disrupt the flow and confuse the viewer. Also, his technique of having characters speak while showing their unmoving faces was particularly jarring... looking for the world like a poorly dubbed foreign film. Taking out those 10 minutes of repetitive and unnecessary flashbacks and flash forwards, and substituting more character development of the Limey himself would have greatly improved this movie. Those scenes with Cockney Wilson and Hispanic Ed, and with the Black DEA Agent, were inspired cultural interactions. Also on the plus side, Soderbergh or someone else came up with the brilliant device of using a 1967 Stamp appearance in the film 'Poor Cow', editing in clips of him so effectively to portray his youth that I scoped the credits to find out if his son was cast for those scenes. All in all, a disappointment, though not a waste of time. Personally, I'd rent 'Payback' again before this one.
Plump Fiction (1997)
Either you GET IT, or you don't
When I saw this flick, my expectations were pretty low... good parody is mighty hard to find, and darn near impossible if Leslie Nielsen isn't in the cast. Yet this was good, clever, and entertaining... it actually had me laughing out loud - no easy task! Writer / director Bob Koherr didn't just spoof 'Pulp Fiction' - he had fun with the entire genre of Tarantino-esque bloodbath Violence-A-Thon cinema, and wove aspects of 'Reservoir Dogs', 'Natural Born Killers', and others into his script... even with a rump bump to 'Clerks'. The casting was excellent - everyone played their roles like they were really enjoying the process. Tommy Davidson's 'Julius' was both slapstick Sammy Davis and dead-on Sam L Jackson, 'Jimmy Nova' was too Travolta, and somebody almost out-Christopher Walkened 'CW' himself.
If you didn't like Pulp Fiction, you just won't get it. If you did, try it out.
Bullitt (1968)
When Bullitt says 'bull___!'...
I was a buck-an-hour theater usher when this film hit the big screens in 1968, so I must have seen it a hundred times back then. And yes, I still bought the video last week. I remember, apart from the still cool car chase scenes and that throbbing Cobra exhaust, the actual GASP of the audience when Steve McQueen tells Robert Vaughn 'Bull____!'. Yes, there was a palpable gasp... for such language on the screen was very rare then. I hope they never re-make this movie... it deserves a better fate that what befell Thomas Crown.