Reviews

Many people criticize a film based on how close it relates and carries over from its novel or written form.

However, knowing up front that this film is NOT the book and dares to actually go in different directions than the book, may allow for a

viewer to be a bit more open about the point of the story and not necessarily the story itself.

I adore the novel. When the film came out I was crass about how much was omitted or changed or embellished. But then, several years later, I watched it again. I was amazed at how many of the unknown actors I'd seen before had become huge Hollywood staples (John Lithgow's amazing performance, Glenn Close, Robin Williams, Hume & Jessica, Mary Beth Hurt, the wonderful Swoosie Kurtz, the godess Amanda Plummer,

and even a cameo from John Irving himself!).

This film is alive with brilliant talent. And let's not forget the music as well. From the opening score of the Beatles, WHEN I'M 64 to the closing sounds of the helicopter, this films sountrack alone is worth drawing attention - simple, honest, pure.

There is magic in this film that makes it a timeless, yet period piece.

If the viewer compares it to the novel, there may be disappointment or disapproval. However, allowed to stand alone, this film will surely endear itself to any viewer's heart.

There's a reason this campy cult Disney classic is so hard to find at video stores and even to purchase... because it is almost so goofy, that everybody loves it.

Granted, it is silly, campy, goofy, dull, dumb, and even dim witted, but it is such a fun movie (next to the whole Herbie series), you cannot escape it.

And you will not forget it, either.

Enjoy Kurt Russell just before he broke into the big leagues... he is at his Brittany Spears level here (in Disney comparison, anyway).

peace

fizz

Hey! I thought when we saw this film, "oh God, another chick flick!" But how mistaken was I? This was a delightfully enjoyable and thoroughly watchable film with some big and small names, and tons of talent.

Everybody in this film pulled their weight and made this a sleeping hit.

In fact, the big name that was the draw was Gwyneth Paltrow (whos daddy was the man behind the making of this film), was the weakest player in my opinion.

Her portrayal of an aloof (forgive this word), "retard," (not mentally handicapped, just simply goofy!) was enough to make any viewer roll

their eyes. But, she IS eye candy and DID fill a place in the film that was necessary to the overall story (hey, it could've been real life retard Juliette Lewis for crimminy sake!).

I must say though, that character actor Paul Giamatti exploded with his talent in this film. His portrayal of an awakened corporate clutz is memorable. And Maria Bello (from ER fame) is so dangnabbed hot in this film that it is worth it just to watch her!

All in all, this ain't no Taxi Driver and it ain't no Kane, but if

you're into a silly, happy, boy-meets-girl tragically hip fun flick, then this is a sure win.

I was again, delightfully surprised!

Thanks and peace out!

Fizz

One other reviewer called this a piece of trash.

He was being very kind.

The name alone should tell you to beware. MCOOL'S? Who thought of that name? Imagine the writer sitting there saying, "I need a name that's familiar, like McDonald's, but even 'cooler'... hey, I got it...Mc + Cool!"

good lord save us.

Michael Douglas bearing false teeth and fake hair? He's simply disgusting in this flick. And as for his acting, well, I'm not a big fan anyway, but this was simply awful.

I adore John Goodman and even he is the most pathetic I have ever seen him since the whiny final episodes of Roseanne. This film makes him look like an amateur.

Paul Reiser - Loved him in Alien2. Enough said. Mad about his role in this. ugh. Paul WHINER!

Matt Dillan. As the enviable punk from Little Darlings, I grew up knowing him as the toughest guy in films. He was my James Dean. Even Something About Mary gave him a comedic role he could run with. This movie makes him look worse than his brother. He looks not only uncomfortable in the role (like wearing sneakers a size too small), but they groomed his CHEST HAIR for the role!

good lord PLEASE save us!

Andrew Dice Clay. If I had to choose to never see Dice Clay again versus Dice Clay hidden behind fake hair, a beard, and a diluted version of the once base-but-brilliant humor that caused his downfall... I'll take never seeing him again. He was almost embarrassing to watch. I kept waiting for him to break into his "Jack and Jill" routine, but no... the best we get is the F word.

ugh.

And finally Liv "Tongue-Tied" Tyler. With the face of a retarded sixth grader and the body of a blow-up doll, she was a visual curiosity. However, because she cannot act for SQUAT, I can only assume somebody intended this film to be her "Something About Mary" film. How sad. She should stick to soapy love stories or perhaps action adventure. She'd be a great Angel if they ever did a sequel to Charlie's Angels.

All in all, it comes down to two simple words about this awful, awful film:

STAY AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE.

Thanks for letting me rant.

Peace,

Fizz

I won't get into the story. It's been told. What I will say is that Carrie resides as one of the best high school bully pictures of all time.

Before Jamie Leigh Curtis was dubbed scream-queen, this flick made everybody jump, cringe, and shun away - not from terror, but from the story itself.

Perhaps one of Stephen King's most poignant novels about the "terror" of growing up and being different. Castout. Weird.

The shower scene alone makes the viewer shrink.

This film makes you feel like the fox AND the hound.

Brian DiPalma did this story a great justice.

peace out!

fizz

So, you don't know what to rent? You saw this one years ago and thought it was 'okay?' You never saw this one? You enjoy suspense? How about murder? Intrigue? Sex? Nudity? Madness? Religion? Hedonism? Traditional music? Airplanes? Weird films? Great writing, filming, or Acting?

There's nothing I can write here that can do justice to the pure, deep magic within this film. Since it's inception, it was doomed to be a classic. The film faced harsh corporate criticism, fierce editing and control issues, and eventually was considered a lost casualty of beaurocratic bullcarkey.

It eventually resurfaced in multiple formats (which have been brilliantly restored on DVD), and has become a legend among cult film fans.

And not due to camp nature or schtick, but because it is simply one of the most watchable, well formed stories/films made.

It has been called the Citizen Kane of horror. It has been called Sci-Fi. It is neither.

It is simply the story of a righteous man who is put to the test of his own faith. OR It is simply the story of a chorus of followers trying to preserve their beliefs.

That is for you to decide.

If you've never seen this film, you shall be entranced.

It is crude and often awkward. But most fittingly, it will satisfy, repel, and maybe even scare you.

However, know that it is all based upon a real culture. A true culture. A true film. A gem.

Peace

Fizz

The beginning of this film caught my interest. Especially with the little Fellini tribute in the car beneath the overpass (Fellini's 8 1/2). Very interesting. However, with most Schumacher films, the ambition to create a social commentary falls down as the film gets caught in the inevitable web of Hollywood schtick.

The social points are clear: Overcharging for a Coca Cola in a convenience store is outrageous; Militant xenophobes live on every corner in the United States - true; but the movie gets carried away. Scenes like when the 11 year old shows him the "correct way" to fire a rocket launcher is simply silly and made me wake up to the fact that I was "watching" a Hollywood picture.

The acting is not in question: Duvall is excellent, Douglas is great, and even Tuesday Weld is charming in her role as the annoying and fearful shut-in. However, Frederic Forest (Army store owner) is just way too over the top. He sounds like an exaggerated conduit for Shumacher himself.

It's not a "bad movie" by any means. Very well crafted. The editing is good, the locations are great, but the comment here is that the story and the plot and even the point of the film are way too exaggerated and stretched. If you've read this far then you should probably see it for yourself. I just had a tough time with the suspension of my disbelief.

peace,

fizz

You may not know who Stacy Keach, Scott Wilson, Jason Miller, Ed Flanders, Neville Brand, George DiCenzo, Moses Gunn, Robert Loggia, Joe Spinell, Tom Atkins, or Richard Lynch are, but you have probably seen them acting in dozens, if not hundreds of roles.

They are the finest collection of great "unknowns."

Because these fine craftsmen blend so well into their roles, they are often left within the films architecture, forever the character they portrayed, unlike Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt who carry their names into every role they play.

This film, The Ninth Configuration, is perhaps one of the finest films I've ever seen. In dealing with madness, rage, heartbreak, drugs, violence, pride, loyalty, honor, and lastly hope, this film is perhaps too much for any "regular" movie goer. The humor is as sharp as guillotine, and the seriousness is as tight as piano string.

William Peter Blatty has been hailed for The Exorcist, and justly so (despite Stephen King's dismissal of him).

However, if you pull the shadow of the Exorcist away, you will find this true non-Hollywood gem resting in the corners of a dank castle in the northwest.

Brilliant writing, brilliant character interplay, and beautiful image and cinematographic work radiate through this film.

The best treat of all, is the Blatty actually appears in the film with his family members, Linda and Billy.

A great, great film that may not be for the weak-knee'd, but will satisfy anybody who has ever asked for "proof of the existence of God."

I call this film, the anti-Exorcist.

Peace,

Fizz

One cannot categorize this film simply as horror. It is to horror what the Wicker Man is to Sci-Fi.

It is, like many of its genre, a love story. Perhaps a perverse take on the style, it is nonetheless.

The first time I saw this film was also my first exposure to Peter Lorre. I have been a fan since.

For film fans, this one is just "good."

For devout Lorre or cultish weirdo sex fiend fans, this film is a must see.

peace and happy days to you.