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Reviews
Special Correspondents (2016)
Avoid
Unfortunately this is a really poor effort and there is very little that I can point to as a recommendation for a reason to watch it.
The plotting is all off, scenes either go on way too long or key plot points are resolved in a kind of 'oh, so that happened then' way. Consequently it lacks any energy. Gervais isn't really up to the job of acting his part and this makes it difficult to buy into it at all. Key moments ripe for comedy are repeatedly squandered, not because the film doesn't attempt to be funny, but because so many of the jokes are very weak. The script is functional but very obvious and lacks finesse. I guess the best I can say is that there's a couple of passable turns from actors but they are not really given anything to work with. That woman from Trainspotting must be wondering what she was even doing there.
It sets out to be a kind of slightly sentimental comedy with a bit of action but really fails to be touching, exciting or funny. There's literally hundreds of forgettable films from the 1980s that are far more passable than this. Seems like Ricky Gervais has just taken on more than his skillset can handle here.
American Job (1996)
love it
This is a great little movie and the sort film you don't forget. I have no problem with films like this that want to take you on a bit of a journey, despite the journey being one that nobody in their right mind would choose to go on. The film itself was far more engaging than most of the sludge Hollywood pumps out, so if you like these kind of low-fi documentaries and features about the young and poor, life's oddballs, obsessives, down and outs etc such as American Movie, Slacker, Clerks etc then you'll probably enjoy this.
My review doesn't contain enough lines yet so here another one. Hamburger, step-ladder, cardboard box. The End.
The Parking Lot Movie (2010)
smug twerps get treated like sh*t
Yeah this movie was quite good fun. If you work in any service industry where people take you for granted and expect you are only there to serve them and put up with their attitude then you should watch this. It's good fun leering at a bunch of people slowly unwinding until some of them are nearly cracked up. After doing however many hours of sitting in the sun and taking sh*t off drivers all the time they basically can't let anything go. You have to admire their spirit but it's clearly doing their head in. Apart from that it likes to go on a lot about how clever they all are and what a brilliant wacky time they have. Hate to say it but the funniest bit for me was every time someone broke their barrier and you just heard that SNAP from round the corner and off they went racing to get their $35 off whatever drunk jock was trying to shag it or whatever.
All a bit pleased with themselves really. Very entertaining. SNAP!
The Dust Bowl (2012)
not bad
This is a decent documentary and if you don't know much about the dust bowl then it will give you a good overview. I was a bit disappointed to find that part 1 was very similar to a television documentary called: 'The American Experience - Surviving the Dust Bowl' and featured much of the same footage and photographs and talking heads. I guess this mini series is four times longer overall so it's a better option if you want a more in depth look at this very sad time in recent north American history. I have to say that I find the music in the background is a bit distracting and often had to rewind bits that I didn't catch because my mind had wandered with the music.
Word Wars (2004)
these people are nuts
I really love these documentaries about people with weird obsessive hobbies or bizarre jobs - especially the ones about people that maybe never quite make it but just keep trying. This one's an absolute cracker because the half of the people featured in this film are just total A* fruit cakes. The scrabble itself it fairly interesting but it's much more entertaining watching these freaks battle their rampaging neurotic disorders.
Yes dude, you just got SLAYED at the international championships because you didn't get acupuncture first to balance your chi. Nothing to do with it being a game of chance or anything. Seriously, who dedicates their life to a game that's half logic and half chance.
Gotta love these lunatics. Great film
La leggenda di Kaspar Hauser (2012)
whatever the intention of this version, it suffers from being BORING
Half decent soundtrack with a couple of beautiful tracks hiding among several less exciting numbers. To be honest though, the music probably benefited from TLOKH being so outrageously boring. Every time a tune kicked in it was a welcome relief.
It took every ounce of diet pepsi and will power to stay awake and present.
There's nothing entertaining or imaginative here in the script and acting to keep you engaged. Scenes are too long and sparse and repetitive dialogue serves to be little more than tiresome and frustrating. This Kasper probably ought to have been put down immediately for everyone's good. The film would have been far more entertaining and surreal had it been 10 minutes long.