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deadpanwalking
Reviews
Elf (2003)
Astonishingly Good. An Honest-to-Goodness Holiday Classic.
I've thought a lot about this movie before writing this review. At first, I didn't think much of Elf, based on what I'd read about it and my not being a huge fan of either Will Ferrel or Jon Favreau.
However, I kept hearing my friends who had seen it rave about it; friends whose taste I respected. So, I caught it one day on USA. I'm a big fan of holiday movies. I'm a sucker like that. I really like the 1934 version of A Christmas Carol, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (animated version,) White Christmas, The Charlie Brown Christmas Special, all the real classics.
After multiple viewings of Elf, I have to say that based on at least three reasons it is a bona-fide holiday classic, whose destiny is to sit on the same shelf as all the heavyweights.
1. The brilliant casting (James Caan is incredible and Bob Newhart as narrator was a stroke of genius.)
2. The absolutely superb acting, including a career-making performance by Will Ferrel (can you imagine anyone else in that role? Okay, Martin Short aside,)
3. The fantastic direction by John Favreau (look no further than the scene with the jack-in-the-box, it was poignant and hilarious, always an incredibly tough combination.)
The soundtrack is also incredible and chosen with a extreme care. Look, I could go on and on about this movie, but suffice it to say, it's a movie everyone should own, and pass along to their family.
How High (2001)
Surprisingly good
I went into this with low expectations. The 5.3 rating (seems low in retrospect) made me think that this would be a tough-to-watch buddy comedy misfire in the vein of White Chicks or any of the American Pie sequels (movies which I despised.) Instead, what I got was consistently funny and oddly poignant comedy on the level of Half Baked and the first Harold and Kumar movie (which I thought were quite funny.) It's definitely formulaic, but I think it does well within these constraints. The leads are amusing as are their foils. Overall, it was excellent. I find it interesting the number of reviews that reference the unlikeliness of weed enthusiasts at Harvard. Ha, you'd be surprised. Also references to people who smoke weed being stupid carry little weight when one considers that world-beaters like Carl Sagan and Robert Altman spent quite a bit of time ... on weed.
A Haunting in Connecticut (2002)
surprisingly scary
I started watching this for no particular reason and couldn't stop. It's basically documentary format telling of a supposedly true story involving a haunted house. It was very well acted, directed, and produced. Although it totally had a made-for-TV vibe, in this case the people involved in the creative process really nailed the genre. My girlfriend was scared to death and begged me to change the channel to "Pet Star" or "Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction" or maybe even "Animal Face-Off" (three of our standby favorites) but I refused, wresting the remote from her hand as I threw back my head and cackled maniacally. Anyway, I couldn't stop watching, I had to know what happened next. I think this movie is going to catch on as one that I'll watch every All Hallow's Eve and get my friends (who are legion, I assure you) to watch as well. We started out laughing about the bearded demon guy when he first appeared but by the time it was over and I was in bed I was terribly frightened that he was at any moment going to show up in my room and make with the spooky. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes horror. It may not be a remake or cop any Japanese trends, but it's something special. All who were involved should be very proud.