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Superheroes (2011)
9/10
At turns disturbing, hilarious, and heartwarming
21 August 2011
This fascinating HBO documentary follows several real life people as they dress up in superhero costumes and patrol their neighborhoods. Despite sharing this peculiar hobby, all of the people featured seemed to have different reasons for doing it. Some are misfits while some are clearly attention seekers. Others are out for vigilante justice. Some want to raise crime-prevention awareness in their communities. And some are tough to categorize, like the lovable Master Legend, who at first glance appears to be a troubled alcoholic but eventually reveals himself to be a compassionate do-gooder who passes out food and water to the homeless. He also provides much of the unintentional comedy of the movie.

And this is a funny film. Some of the lines are so perfectly ridiculous or well-timed that it has led some viewers to suspect it's a scripted performance, but assuredly these are real people. And while they may dress oddly, the filmmakers never stoop to mockery for cheap laughs. The entertainment lies in just letting these superheroes be themselves. If you are a fan of the documentary "American Movie" then you are sure to enjoy the same type of genuine human comedy in this film.

The one thing that these superheroes do share in common, though, is that most of them are struggling to overcome hard circumstances. Many had heartbreaking stories of childhood abuse. Zany as their costumes may appear, ultimately these people are victims looking to make sense of a world that hurt them and trying to make it a better place.

This is an excellent and thought-provoking documentary. I highly recommend it.

Master Legend rocks!
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Going Berserk (1983)
9/10
Forgotten gem
5 January 2006
"Going Berserk" is actually one of the funniest Candy films I have ever seen, period. Sure, it's kinda low budget, but it's a non-stop comedic tour de force. There are tons of memorable quotes. For instance, when his soon-to-be father-in-law asks him how much he earns, Candy says "Oh, I pull down anywhere between thirty and...eleven thousand dollars a year, sir." Oh course, it is Candy's delivery that sells it. Just classic stuff. Eugene Levy also turns in a hilarious performance as a sleazy filmmaker. A clip of his horrible low budget movie "Kung Fu U" will have you rolling.

So if you are a Candy fan and want to rediscover a forgotten gem, I can't recommend this movie enough.
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Architect not Surprised? (Discusses spoilers)
19 May 2003
Warning: Spoilers
He's my lingering question: if Neo was "supposed" to re-enter the source and reboot the Matrix, as all the previous "ones" had, why did the Architect seem unsurprised by Neo's choice? He says, "Hope - At once humanity's greatest strength and greatest weakness." (paraphrased) So how come the Architect didn't freak and instead say "No. You'll kill us all, stop, Noooooo...." See what I mean? It seems Neo's choice was predicated, relied on in fact, by the machines accounting for human "weakness" - i.e. emotions.
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