Reviews

It starts off a little all over the place, but in the end it's to the director's credit that he tries to fit in so many devices--political speeches, a conversation in a cab, traditional doc interviews, some weird guy singing Andalus style and a series of skits. The skits acknowledge that they're obvious metaphors--which is good--but they still rarely bring home the points they're making better than the talking heads, and the choice to use non-actors hurts more than it helps. Overall, the film is consistently engaging and does a nice job pairing beautiful shots of Catalan countryside with the post-modern interview space.

Substantively, though, L'Endema leaves a lot to be desired. Its title implies a serious discussion of what "the day after" independence would be like, but there is no discussion here, just a parade of interviewees promising us everything will be great. Not even one anti-independence expert is interviewed, giving the impression that the talking heads are only tearing down strawmen and not engaging with the other side's serious arguments. And that's probably the case, as the filmmakers gloss over recognition, disposition of Spanish state property, the potential flight of non- Catalan residents of Catalonia and other thorny issues. It's not that a doc can't argue a point, but when you complete neglect any counterargument, your limit your audience to the already converted.

Look, I'm a 22-year-old male, not exactly this show's target audience. I only caught it because I was watching the hilarious train wreck that is The Secret Life of the American Teenager (god what an awful show).

I was expecting more of the same from Bunheads (I have to echo everyone else's sentiments here: that title is terrible). Instead, I found myself totally engrossed. Sutton Foster is an incredible find -- bundles of charisma, great comedic timing and the ability to pull off the dramatic stuff without being cheesy. The conflict between her and Fanny is well pitched and comedic and should carry the show far. The teens are all great actors considering their age and the fact that this is ABC Family, and have a cute camaraderie that will be fertile ground for drama later on (you can see the writers already laying the foundation for this).

The best part, though, is the show's humor. Michelle name drops Kirsten Wiig and it's a good comparison -- manic, physical but always with intelligence and heart. The writing obviously never reaches the heights (or the grossness) of Bridesmaids, but Bunheads is honestly funnier than any network comedy not airing on NBC.

If you liked Gilmore Girls, or want a family comedy-drama, or are just bored on a Monday night, I highly recommend checking out Bunheads. Even if you're a twenty-something guy...

There is no doubt that Arabs, like almost any non-White group, have been stereotyped and demeaned in countless films. But Dr. Shaheen's argument - that any portrayal of Arabs as terrorists is inherently racist - is a flawed one. The fact is that there are Arab terrorists out there, just as there are Irish, Basque, Japanese, and home-grown White American terrorists in the world, and as long they continue to commit atrocities they are fair game to be movie villains. What is needed, however, is more "normal" roles for Arab actors (i.e. characters that White actors could play with no change to the script). When, in Sin City, Irish mercenaries planted explosives in an attempt to kill the protagonist there was no out-cry from public, no protestations that the movie attempted to stereotype all Irish Catholics as IRA members and terrorists. This is because everyday we see in television shows and movies perfectly normal Irish Catholic characters. Shaheen is right that ubiquitous images of Arab terrorists, especially since they already play into our existing stereotypes, do nothing for our national discourse nor our sense of tolerance. But I wish he had stayed away from proclaiming ALL such representations off-limits. It's hard enough to keep up with existing PC taboos...

Note: While I have devoted this review to an evaluation of the documentary's argument, my score of 4/10 comes also from the poor technical aspects of the "film." It is really just an extended interview with a talking head. Expect to see it in college classrooms but rarely elsewhere.

Poor poor Plan 9: So bad people just watch it to laugh about how bad it is, yet this fundamental flaw pushes it above bad movies, and so it's stuck in between the bottom 100, and well, no where near the top 250...

Anyway, back to the movie. It is as bad as you've no doubt heard. The scene changes from night to day to night, the spaceship is a hubcap (you can see the string it hangs from catch on fire at one point), I could do a better job acting, etc. ad nauseum. But it takes a hell of a lot to be almost universally considered the worst movie of all time, and here is Plan 9's true strength. There are many horrible of movies, but most of them are so bad because they are too bad to be truly bad, and therefore sink into mediocrity. Plan 9, however, has no redeeming quality's, and so it stands out. Few will recognise a movie such as "The Medallion," but every movie-goer knows Plan 9.

As I said before, it takes a hell of a lot to be the worst. Because of this, Plan 9 is some of the most fun you'll EVER have watching a movie. Almost every scene is so bad I broke out laughing. Few other movies achieve that kind of humor, whether intentional or not. For that I give it a very intentional 10/10.

This movie holds the record of being the only movie that I have EVER bothered to walk out of. Normally I stay till the end to get my $9 worth. But this I didn't. I can't remember the plot, not because it has been so long but because it was so generic it's blended in with every other badly-acted no-plot blockbuster I've ever seen. It's formulaic, with bad special effects and the flattest jokes I have ever seen. Not even Jackie Chan's amazing feats could save it from utter disaster. Unfortunately for the makers of this catastrophe, it is not even bad enough to be worth seeing (as, say, Plan 9 from Outer Space). Avoid at all costs...

1/10