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Reviews
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
a different path for kevin smith
A great film, even if it lacks something. Some one who has never tredged the askew universe will find this hilarious, and as a stand alone comedy it's definetly up there with some of the best. Kevin smith fans however will look at this film completely differently, comapring it to his previous offerings and needlessly disecting a pretty good film.
'Strike back' doesn't set out to give the brilliantly written, humorous and insightful dialogue of the past smith films, or provide the same intricate plots, but instead relies on what jay and silent bob do best - fast running, non stop, low brow comedy. And in that respect it can't be faulted, the movie is hilarious. it contains plenty of straight out jokes, inside humour and silly slapstick to make anyone laugh continuously for the full hour and a half.
The plot line is a little thin, and could definetly have been improved to give the movie some more substance, and i would have loved to have seen more of jeff anderson in this movie. His role in clerks secures it as my favorite of the kevin smith films and i was disappointed he and brian o' halloran didn't get a bigger slice of the plot to reproduce their fantastic chemistry on the big screen. That said, many of the familiar faces are back again with some great lines, full marks going to chris rock who made me laugh my head off.
The only other glitch i can give the film is at times it does have a rather "sell out" feel to it, particularly with some of the sound track and the projection of jay and bob. In past films jay loves himself and it was funny, because however much he believes it, he isn't. But in this film jay gets respect from other sensible players and it takes away from the realism of his character, he's still doing the same 'i am gods gift to the earth' routine, but this time the film and the other characters actually treat him like he is. Jay starts rapping - music plays along. jay trys to outsmart the police force - he gets away with it. jay is his usual asshole self - a beautiful woman falls in love with him. we lose all sense that he is god in his own little stoner world and he gets projected as if you really can be that moronic and get ahead in life.
That said, although this is by no means the best smith film ever, it's a fantastic comedy and a nice touch to see something a little different. Kevin smith has managed to produce a saga spanning five films, three comics and even his own action figures all linked with little inside jokes and crossovers but still making everything totally different so your never digesting the same thing again. if you've never heard of kevin smith then you'll love this movie to bits, if you are a smith fan then you should just switch off your expectations and watch it for what it is. The film knows it isn't clerks or chasing amy (it even takes shots at itself throughout) so you shouldn't think of it in the same light. A great film and a brilliant comedy, and to all the smith fans who badmouthed it, you KNOW your gonna buy it as soon as it comes out on video. A nice big 8/10
Beast Wars: Transformers (1996)
Transformers - Maximised!
OK i admit it, when i first heard of beast wars i didn't believe they could possibly follow up the original transformers, but they did and in many ways they totally surpassed it. Beast wars features the story of two space ships at war fighting against each other, one with evil purposes and another with nothing but good on their side. As the story develops we get to see some really intresting plot lines, great situations thatw ere never brought up in the original transformers cartoons and a great series which gives it precedence to exist as it's own show rather than a follow up to the 80's giant. Although if you are a hardcore transfan beast wars is definetly one to watch with some well researched links to the cybertron timeline and other neat little aspects that will excite the part of you that remebers tuning in on staurday mornings all those years ago.
There are many new features for beast wars which make it superior, the 3D CGI animation is amazing and makes everything look fantastic, an intresting path to take but one that definetly pays off. Also beast wars is not just an advert for the toys like the 80's show, and every toy character is not packed into the series. Instead we get time for other character development and we actually get a tv series, it might have cost hasbro some cash n the long run but it only adds to the strength of the program.
The bottom line is this is one to watch if you can, and if you can't get it on video! A more than worthy successor to the transformers legacy, easily 9/10.
Days Like These (1999)
You mean it wasn't a spoof?
Like the previous comments, i thought i had tuned in to a spoof of 'That 70's show', one of the funniest teen sitcoms and a pretty cool show. The over-exaggerated character clones and crummy dialog kept me thinking this was a spoof, and i kept thinking it was a damn long sketch, until the credits rolled and the horror hit me. then i watched the following episode and things only got worse.
The whole show is almost an exact transplant of 'That 70's show' with the same characters, similar sets and the same plot lines for episodes, simply rewritten and reworked to be set in england. Even the opening credits are the same, only so much worse. If you've never seen the original show, you will simply think this is bad. If you have seen the original show, the word 'butchered' comes to mind.
The characters have the same personalities and traits, and even names in some cases (i think the others were changed to be more english), but each one is a bad clone of their american counterparts. The sets could almost be the same ones from the original show (they may even be the same ones) but this is meant to be an english show, so why use sets of wooden houses with basements!?
The only thing that isn't copied across is the script, and this makes the least sense as the new writing is abismal. The jokes are tragic when they come, and that is not very often. Instead the story tends to lean more towards a moral outline than the humour aspect, and with the bad costumes, stupid hair and stiff acting, theres just no way you can take the show seriously.
Overall they've taken a fantastic show, performed a less than half assed cultural conversion, added a makeshift cast who bear a strikingly bad resemblance to the characters, and finally fleshed out borrowed plot lines with some tragic writing. It's surely a travesty when good shows get cancelled and something like 'days like these' can get air time.