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Jambie67
Reviews
Venice the Series (2009)
Don't waste your time
Crap of the highest order. This "series" has no discernible plot. It's just a bunch of characters in scenes - mostly taking advantage of the fact that one can say "fuck" on the Internet. The acting is weak, the music is clawing, and the script is just dreadful. Also? the sex scenes are about as UNsexy as possible. Decent camera work does not save this unholy mess. It DOES carry some value in the way of comedy. One of the characters has just returned from a missionary job where she administered the AIDS vaccine in Africa. Holy moly - they created an AIDS vaccine and forgot to tell us! Who's watching this junk and enjoying it?
The Big Gay Sketch Show (2006)
A big, gay mess
This show plays to the lowest common denominator. Pretty much every punchline is a predictable stereotype about gays and lesbians. I'm not sure who told Amenda Bearse that a mullet, in and of itself, is high comedy. Or that a really queenie guy fawning over Madonna constitutes a comedy sketch, but the woman needs a reality check. THis is junk, pure and simple. Believe it or not, gay people like me find all sorts of things funny and interesting and witty...it doesn't always have to be about homosexuality or, well, *sexuality*, at all. How about a show with talented, funny, smart performers? Just being gay is not enough to make someone entertaining.
The Bridge (2006)
Brilliant film that deals with people, not statistics
This is the best doco I've seen in years. I know there was controversy surrounding it when it was released, but I don't understand why. The film-maker has managed to paint a 3-dimensional portrait of each and every jumper whose last moments he captured. Interviews with friends and relatives send home the message that no one exists in a vacuum: suicide is not just something a person can do, because it touches on the lives of everyone around them. No one is just a guy who's chosen to jump off abridge: he's a brother, a friend, a son, a lover, a neighbor, etc. It is interesting, too, to hear family and friends of those who chose to jump talking about how they knew something bad would happen, or that suicide had been talked about for a long time. Itsends home the message that, at the end of the day, none of us has the power to stop someone from dying, if dyingis what they set out to do.We may be able to delay it, but we can't stop it.
Wild Tigers I Have Known (2006)
Incredible! Incredibly BAD!
Wow, I hated this movie. The subject matter should have resulted in a really fine film, and the lead actor was definitely sensitive and talented enough to handle the topic, but the script - if there even *was* a script - is a mess. This is less a movie than a random slide show that goes nowhere. I'd say it goes nowhere fast, except that it's actually the longest 81 minutes you'll ever sit through. As I've mentioned, the lead actor is good. So is Faruza Baulk (SP?), as his sometimes-harsh-but-ultimately-loving-and-accepting mother. The film makers have a lot to answer for here, because this is a mess. A real shame,because I really wanted to like this movie, but it's basically out-takes from a movie that never got made. Skip this one - it wasn't even worth the $6 I shelled out for pay-per-view.
Hart to Hart (1979)
Guilty Pleasure, 80s style
Man, I love this show, and wish they would show reruns on cable now, instead of some of the crappy shows in syndication. Hart to Hart wasn't deep or important or even remotely realistic, but it was great fun, and full of eye candy. Stephanie (who was and is just gorgeous) and Robert had great chemistry and brought a real sense of glamor to this show. The formula was simple and effective: every episode was either about a Hart family friend or colleague getting murdered or murdering someone else, followed by the Harts donning costumes, playing sleuth, and using their vast financial resources to solve the crime. There was always at least one "action" scene or chase, and the show always closed with some silly, sexual banter between J&J...usually shot in the bedroom set. Along the way there was always a bit of comic relief provided by the late, great Lionel Stander (AKA Max.) TV these days is either incredibly shoddy or sooooo self-important and haughty that it's unwatchable (Hello, Mr. Sorkin!!!)A show like Hart to Hart would be a welcome change of pace these days.
Available Men (2006)
What all short films should be
Unlike so many short films which go nowhere and seem more like badly executed skits, this one tells us the story of four characters in a short time, and really comes across as a complete movie. And a really good movie, at that. The dialogue is clever and witty. The acting is strong. The entire film has a very slick look. Even the sound, lighting and other production values are a cut above those of most short films I've seen. The "twist" is completely fresh and new, and manages to avoid clichés. The writer could easily have resorted to bad clichés and "Three's Company" type gags and misunderstandings, but her did. I should also add that I find it refreshing to see a so-called "gay" film that doesn't take itself too seriously, but doesn't poke fun at homosexuals, either. This little gem worked for me on every level.
It's often difficult to find short films, so I was especially glad to stumble onto this one. Available Men runs on the Logo channel's CLick List - if you get a chance to see it, do so. This is probably a filmmaker we should be watching out for.
Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006)
An American Tragedy
This story is so much more complex than news reports of the Guyana tragedy would have us believe. The members of The People's Temple had such altruistic intentions: they had a vision of a Utopian society where racial harmony and true brotherhood was the order of the day. They wanted to guarantee care for the poor, the elderly, children....and they wanted to create real community. This doco manages to tell the whole story, while honoring the pure intentions of the Temple members, and even shedding light on the paradoxical cult leader, Jim Jones - a man who was impressively liberal and progressive, politically, but frighteningly meglomaniacal and abusive, when it came to leading his "flock." The strength of this film lies in the fact that it isn't just a play-by-play from afar, but a collection of first-hand interviews with people who were actually there, and who knew the key players. A must-see for anyone who was alive and aware went these events took place.
King Kong (2005)
Why did they bother?
This is a remake that never, ever should have been made. When the original source is so damned good, why tamper with it? The best moments of this film are those directed lifted from the original. True, the capacity for producing amazing special effects is 1000 times more advanced than it was when the original was made but, know what? It doesn't matter. This movie is still pure crap. It's way too long, and the actors are annoying - especially Brody and Black. Even the usually sublime Watts is. Think of this as Peter Jackson's vanity project. Oliver Stone had The Doors, and Jackson has King Kong. Best forgotten, IMO. Save yourself the bother - rent the original.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
A Royal Mess
What a waste! I usually like anything Gene Hackman is in, but this is a huge piece of crap, and an over-rated one, at that. Who would have thought a movie with Hackman, Anjelica Houston, and Ben Stiller would turn out to be such a stinker? I guess even the best and funniest actors can't salvage a script that has no substance, and that goes nowhere. Going nowhere fast would have been one thing, but this one goes nowhere all too slowly. It seems to never end, and the only payoff is that the whole, jumbled mess is finally over. Gwyneth Paltrow is especially annoying in this movie, as is Stiller. Hackman is as likable as he ever is, but a bad movie is a bad movie is a bad movie - even when it's got a great movie star at it's center. Skip this one.