sifujon's Reviews

Evan Almighty (2007)

5/10

3 November 2007

I just finished watching this movie on a stormy Saturday morning and it was a good choice. Not the funniest movie ever, but far from being the worst. In fact, I think it would be a good choice to watch with your kids because of the animals and general lack of offensiveness. In addition, there is a simplistic but not overly complicated moral message in the film; We all are given the chance to be who we want to be, but we also have the choice to let it slip away.

Steve Carell is just a funny actor, Morgan Freeman is OK, Wanda Sykes is her usual sharp-tongued character, and Lauren Graham doesn't do much except supply a pretty face. All in all nothing outstanding, but nothing worthy of a Razzy either.

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Dan in Real Life (I) (2007)

7/10

Sweet and funny and yet...

21 October 2007

My wife and I saw this last night in a sneak preview. Judging from audience laughter, it was well enjoyed.I give this film a 7 out of 10 solely based on the fine performance of Steve Carell as Dan, and to a lesser extent Juliette Binoche as Marie. Carell the interplay between them at times is hilarious, but only because we, the audience, know the reality of the situation.

The rest of the characters are on the whole unlikable. Two of Dan's three daughters are self-centered manipulators. The middle daughter especially is in need of serious counseling. Dan's brother is a manipulative liar, but that is never addressed. Superficially the family seems warm and supportive, but with a little deeper look you see they are really cruel and judgmental. They are like a 50's sitcom family filtered through John Waters. This comes through clearly in the scene prior to Dan's date.

Some here have compared this to Little Miss Sunshine, another superficial family film about a hideously dysfunctional, unlikable family. This was not nearly as depressing.

Even after reading my own review, I still give it a 7, but want to emphasize that this film is carried by the two leads.

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Jungle Jim (1955–1956)

6/10

Ngowa...excitement galore

12 May 2006

Animals, natives, guns, quicksand, and the inevitable damsel in distress...what else could you want? When I was a kid in the 1960s I thought this show was as exciting as it got. I remember watching it every week, although I was a bit confused about when Tarzan turned into Jungle Jim. (And where were Jane and boy?) Johnny Weissmuller was unshakably cool, whether threatened by poachers, hungry natives or wild animals. Plus, he had a great safari suit and hat. A 70s fashion plate 20 years early.

I remember when the series Daktari premiered I got all excited thinking it would be like Jungle Jim, and was really disappointed at how bland the scripts were by comparison.

I guess today this series would be viewed as a monument of inaccuracies and racial stereotypes, but I will always remember it as an exciting and exotic escape into wonder for a small boy from Brooklyn.

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The Return of Chandu (1934)

6/10

Great campy fun

17 April 2006

I enjoyed this serial. I got it in a set with two other chapter serials from the same era, Flash Gordon and Radar Men. Cheap sets, cheesy dialog and Bela's overacting surprisingly add up to an engrossing combination. It was strange to see him in the uncharacteristic role of good guy/hero, but he pulled it off with his usual exotic charm. While I watched I could imagine what it must have been like to see these one episode per week in the theater. The exotic natives must have really scared the pants off kids in the 30s, a time when there was much less sophistication and knowledge of the world. These episodes hold up much better than the Flash Gordon series from that time period.

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Farmingville (2004)

6/10

What passes for a documentary in today's film industry.

15 April 2006

Warning: Spoilers

This film is a prime example of what passes as a documentary film. In the tradition of Michael Moore, the film makers draw a conclusion and then build a film to support it, while appearing to air both sides of the issue. I must admit, they do a good job.

The trouble with films like these is that while they DO show both sides of the issue, they don't do it in a balanced way. All the Sachem Quality of Life (SQL) members are shown at their worst, and the illegal - or if you prefer undocumented - workers are portrayed as just short of sainthood. Hard working, civic minded, polite.

The truth is some are good and some are bad. But you would not get this from this film. The spend little time addressing the SQL concerns of neighborhood deterioration. Overcrowded poorly maintained houses, public drinking and urination, and lewd comments are not figments of their imaginations. Most of these workers will be hired early in the A.M. If they are not picked then, there is little chance of working that day. So many of them get some beer and hang out for the day. That is when you see the bad behavior. But the film ignores this facet of life.

As for the hiring halls, the objection is more the use of public funds to promote illegal activity. Would anyone support municipal crack houses to get addicts and dealers off the streets? After all, they contribute to the economy also.

Illegal immigration is a complex issue, but films like these only polarize the issue. Anyone who argues against it is almost racist by definition. So the film ultimately hinders any free exchange of ideas. Subtle propaganda like this is much more dangerous than the overt kind.

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Daredevil (2003)

Skip the movie and watch the special features on the DVD

8 October 2003

The DVD special features were interesting. As far as the film. I liked Jennifer Garner. That is the only positive thing I can say about this movie. Even the cinematography gave me a headache; the whole film looked like a bootleg copy from a theater. At least we won't have to see a sequel.

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The Zodiac Killer (1971)

Has some memorable lines.

8 October 2003

First saw this one in the 80s and recommended it to some of my friends. Everyone has enjoyed it so far. The casting, acting, dialogue and sets combine for many hilarious moments. I had to get my own copy of this one.

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Robot Monster (1953)

Bad cinema and nothing else

8 October 2003

I rented this one on DVD just because I have seen the gorilla with the space helmet for years, but never knew where it came from. I am sorry I found out. The cover picture is better than the film. I don't know how people can insult Plan 9 by calling it the worst movie of all time when this movie exists. It has none of the unintentional humor that makes Ed Wood's films so charming. The plot would need some work to come up to the standards of a 50s era comic book.

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Back to the Beach (1987)

7/10

Great only if you have seen the old beach movies

1 September 2003

I just watched this movie again, and it is a hilarious satire if you watched the beach movies in the 60s. My wife didn't, and just doesn't appreciate it. Anette and Frankie are terrific parodies of themselves. Sadly, if you watch closely you can see how unsteady she is in several scenes. I don't think Pee Wee adds anything to the movie; his cover of Surfin Bird is awful. OTOH, the Jamaica Ska scene with Fishbone and Anette and the Warm California Sun with Frankie, Connie Stevens and Dickie Dale are terrific. Good movie for a rainy Labor Day Monday.

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Alice in Wonderland: An X-Rated Musical Fantasy (1976)

6/10

Fun to watch, tame by today's standards.

1 September 2003

Years ago I saw the box for Alice In Wonderland in a local video shop. I remembered those blue eyes on the cover. After I saw the Big Brawl, I went back to rent the movie, but it was gone. It took me 18 years to get an X-rated cut, and it was worth the wait. The actors look very 1970s...a bit scrawny/decrepit with a lot of hair, but the story is actually entertaining. Nothing like musical numbers in the middle of a porn movie. And there was something special about Kristine DeBell. She is able to project a sort of wholesomeness in the middle of a sex scene. I thought she was great in her appearance on Night Court also. It is a shame that her career never really blossomed.

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One, Two, Three (1961)

Zany, madcap comedy.

1 September 2003

Saw this for the first time, and it had me laughing out loud. Wild action, double-entendres, even some slapstick. Good Cagney performance. Faster paced than either Some Like It Hot or The Apartment, two other very good Billy Wilder comedies. Lots of funny cold war one-liners.

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Orgy of the Dead (1965)

What's it all about?

1 September 2003

I am an Ed Wood fan, and rented this movie on a visit to a friend who is also a fan. Until I read some of these reviews, I wasn't even sure if there was any attempt at a plot. Most of his films are entertainingly bad, this was just plain bad. We watched the whole thing waiting for it to get better, but the end came first.

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Freaky Friday (2003)

8/10

Funny movie with solid performances.

16 August 2003

I saw a behind the scenes piece about this movie on one of the premium movie channels and it looked pretty good. I saw it last night with my wife, who is not a great fan of Jamie Lee Curtis, and we both enjoyed it. Jamie Lee does a great job playing a teen; she has the body language and facial expressions down pat. I did think Harold Gould was wasted in his part. All in all a very funny movie.

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Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

8/10

More than girls playing soccer, a cultural comedy also.

16 August 2003

After months of TV hype I finally got to see this one, and I wasn't disappointed. Lots of funny lines, although I am sure there will be some who will be concerned with the "stereotyping" of the characters.You will walk out feeling good about the world.

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