wbhickok Reviews

Icky Flix (the Residents) (2001 Video)

Hail the greatest band of all time!!

[9/10 · 4 April 2003]

They were alternative before there was alternative, The Residents are a band like no other, and I love them for it. This has all their classics, from 'Hello Skinny', 'Third Reich and Roll' to their homage to the great James Brown with a take on 'This is a Man's Man's Man's World'. But that is just the beginning. As a bonus it even has Renaldo & the Loafs hauntingly beautiful 'Songs for Swinging Larvae' and even features The Residents cover of it. Needless to say, I highly recommend the purchase of this DVD, I would also recommend buying their latest album 'Demons Dance Alone', it is fantastic.

Uncle Willie Eyeball Buddy #502

Pieces (1982)

I thought Bluto did it....

[6/10 · 30 December 2002]

For a low-budget, gratuitous, gorefest, this movie aint half bad. Of course, you have to be in the mood for a poorly-acted, dimly lit, movie with atrocious editing. A movie that will definitely please any bad movie fan. Would be a good double feature with 'Gates of Hell' also with Christopher George.

Texas Justice (2001–2005)

Hilarious

[8 August 2002]

When I first stumbled upon this, I thought it was a parody of all the other "real life" court room shows. And i'm still not convinced it isn't. Take one country-fried rube spouting shmaltzy good ol' fashioned home spun wisdom cliches, and a various assortment of trailer-trash, toothless peckerwoods and other pathetic losers harping about their petty problems, and you have the making for one of the funniest half-hours on TV (which isn't difficult nowadays)

Tree for Two (1952)

One of Sylvesters best

[8/10 · 25 February 2002]

The story line for this classic short was actually used twice, here, and two years later in "Dr. Jerkyl's Hide." This is the version I like better. We've all seen it a dozen times, we all know the plot, so no reason to delve into it. Sylvester singing "Charleston" still makes me crack up every time. The aforementioned "DJH" is quite funny also, but this is the superior one.

Stick (1985)

Stick Stinks

[3/10 · 11 February 2002]

Poor Burt, he tried so hard. The late 80s weren't kind to Mr. Reynolds, and Mr. Reynolds wasn't kind to the late 80s. He churned out one bad movie after the next, but "Stick" may be the worst of the lot. {At least you can laugh at "Malone.") This film is just dull with post-production problems very evident by the sloppy editing. Dig the opening scene, where after Burt has been just released from jail, when he goes to a bar, and beats up the guy next him, because he made a pass at the waitress! A bad Burt Reynolds movie that began a trend that sent his career spiraling. Dar Robinsons stunt at the end of the movie, is very well done though. Avoid.

Cop (1988)

A terrible movie

[5/10 · 16 January 2002]

James Woods did his usual good acting job, BUT, this movie is supposedly based on the James Elroy book 'Blood on the Moon', and I can see no similarities between the two. Just like LA Confidential, (which also sucked) writers took a really good book and turned it into a really crappy movie. None of the characters are even remotely the same, a really taut, gripping book was turned into a formulaic, pathetic mess. And after a while, James Woods acting stops helping. James Elroy is one of the best writers in America, and it's about time a film was made of one his books that will do him justice.

Detroit 9000 (1973)

Very good, but not great action flick. **Minor Spoilers**

[7/10 · 16 December 2001]

This film comes very close to being one of the great action flicks of the Seventies, but just falls a little short. The opening scene of the heist is very well done, and the shoot-out at the end was great, but a plodding middle section hurt the overall film. A Great soundtrack helps through the occasional lulls. Fans of the black films of that era will not be disappointed.

All This and Rabbit Stew (1941)

The funniest Bugs Bunny you'll never see.

[8/10 · 16 December 2001]

Unless you can find this in a video store that deals in obscure or underground films (which is how I found it) chances are you will never see this short. Too bad, it's damn funny. In place of Elmer Fudd, we have a little black sambo stereotype as Bugs' foil. The kid is, of course put through the same rigors that anybody foolish enough to hunt Bugs, gets put through. It is capped off by Bugs hypnotizing the kid by rattling a pair of dice, and taking all of his possessions in a crap game. Is it wrong to laugh at, I don't think so, if that were then the case, it would be wrong to laugh at Redd Foxx or Richard Pryor, or when they rip on Whitey. (And are hilarious when they do) I doubt Warner Brothers will ever release this, or many other of their cartoons that are on this same level, on DVD. Which in a way, is kind of sad...

One Body Too Many (1944)

No laughs here

[3/10 · 27 November 2001]

I must admit, the only reason I watched this movie was for the casting of Jack Haley and Bela Lugosi together in a movie, boy was I disappointed. Lugosi, who receives top billing on the cover of the tape is on screen less than five minutes, and isn't given any material to work with. Jack Haley is okay as the nervous salesman mistaken for a private eye in a spooky mansion, but I think it would have been funnier if Bert Lahr had been cast for the role.

From Hell (2001)

Why Ian why?...

[3/10 · 21 November 2001]

First off, let me state that the person behind this script knows very little about the Jack The Ripper killings. I have bad news for people out there, Sir William Gull was NOT Jack The Ripper. I am not saying I know who is, many theories abound, but the 'Queen Victoria sending her personal physician out to kill the prostitutes that gave her son VD' is one of the more laughable.

Secondly, Johnny Depp simply could not emit a convincing British accent. Don't get me wrong, he is a damn good actor, but he was in way over his head with this one.

If you need to see a good Jack The Ripper movie, I would recommend Hitchcocks' "The Lodger"

The Frighteners (1996)

Not Peter Jacksons best

[6/10 · 20 September 2001]

The main reasons I rented this movie were the facts that it was directed by Peter Jackson, and that Jeffery Combs and R. Lee Ermey were in it. And, while they were both great, the rest of the film is kind of a let down. The over use of computer enhanced special effects was annoying, and MJF seemed to be uncomfortable in the lead, even though it was interesting to see him in such a different role than he usually plays. But still, rather tame for a Peter Jackson flick.

Blackadder Goes Forth (1989)

Wickedly funny

[31 July 2001]

The scathing wit by Rowan Atkinson is at it's peak, in this, the forth Blackadder series. Everyone in this series is top drawer, Hugh Laurie as the dimwitted George. Stephen Fry as the insane Melchert and Tony Robinson as the repulsive, but loveable Baldrick. The episode where George is Blackadders lawyer is a riot. No show has ever pointed out the pointless lunacy of war better than this, with a series finale that is remarkably somber and very stirring. A very well done show all around.

The Secret Squirrel Show (1965–2003)

A Hanna-Barbera Classic

[27 July 2001]

This Hanna-Barbera cartoon from the mid-sixties is still one of my favorites, the rare combination of the legendary Paul Frees and Mel Blanc working together is an extra treat. Also, the villain who was a spoof of Caspar Gutman in 'The Maltese Falcon' is hilarious. A great memory from childhood.

The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)

Total Nonsense

[7/10 · 26 July 2001]

If Tex Avery ever would have directed a live action movie, I imagine it would have been something like this. A great early effort by John Landis, with non-stop jokes that are painfully hilarious. The one that always kills me is 'Danger Seekers', one of THE most politically incorrect skits I have ever seen, and one of the funniest.

The Kingdom (1994– )

Visually impressive and very stylish

[7/10 · 25 July 2001]

It would be an understatement to say that this film will not be for all tastes. The storyline has been delved into enough so I really can't add any more to it. I will say though that the woman who plays Mrs. Drusse does an excellent job, the actor who plays Stig the pompous Swede is a real horses ass, whom you hate, but laugh at at the same time, and the telepathic dishwashers (who apparently have downs syndrome or an other similar condition) are effectively chilling. I agree with the reviewer who asked why American television can't be like this. A well done work.

Motel Hell (1980)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets The Beverly Hillbillies.

[7/10 · 25 July 2001]

How can anybody not love the campy awfulness of this movie. It's fantastic! I remember seeing this when I was roughly eleven or so and being freaked out by the guy wearing the pigface brandishing a chainsaw, now I just laugh as I realize how funny it all was supposed to be. A camp classic all the way!

Bad Luck Blackie (1949)

I wish I had one of those whistles

[10/10 · 25 July 2001]

This wonderful Tex Avery short has all the ingredients for a successful cartoon, protagonistic cats, antagonistic dogs, and falling anvils. As in most Avery vehicles, the jokes come rapid fire, all which will leave you in stitches. One of the masters best works.

The Score (2001)

Well done, but nothing new.

[7/10 · 24 July 2001]

It is rather hard to not like this film, even though I new exactly how it was going to end before the film was half way over. De Niro and Norton both give performances that were incredible. Brando though was wasted, giving a rather anemic and lifeless performance, but it is good chance to see him and Bobby D sharing screen time. If you want to see a well acted and well done film, than this may be of interest to you, but if you are look for films that have twists and turns with surprise endings, than you may want to look elsewhere.

The Unknown (1927)

Another Browning Masterpiece

[9/10 · 22 July 2001]

This is a truly spellbinding movie, one of the more bizarre you are likely to see. With Lon Chaney hiding from the law pretending to be an armless circus performer. Joan Crawford is stunningly beautiful as Nanon, the girl he loves. A well done serpentine story that tells more in under an hour than most films made today can tell in two hours. Chaney is the best film actor of all time, he really was the man of a thousand faces. It is a shame that some Browning/Chaney films have been lost forever, but this is one that should be watched by all, it is fantastic.

Magical Maestro (1952)

Quintessential Avery

[10/10 · 21 July 2001]

Tex Avery did for writing cartoons what Mel Blanc did for voicing them. Magical Maestro is yet another of his brilliant concepts. As in almost all of his cartoons, the jokes are non-stop and damn funny, the re-occuring theme of one person making anothers miserable is in full bloom here. Lets hope that an Avery collection is released soon on DVD.

Scrambled Brains (1951)

Best Shemp Short

[8/10 · 11 July 2001]

It really is to bad that Shemp gets such harsh criticisms, it isn't fair to always compare him to Curly. He had the impossible job of trying to fill Curly's shoes, but he was a master of broad slapstick, besides he, not Curly was in the original line-up. Not many people know that. This short finds Larry and Moe taking Shemp home from the sanitarium. The problem is that he still has hallucinations, including imagining that the shapley blonde nurse he is engaged to is really fat and ugly. To complicate matters, Larry and Moe have a run in with a man in a phone booth who turns out to be her father. Once at the wedding, Larry and Moe realize who the man is, get beat up, while Shemp gets married and live happily ever after.

Blackadder II (1986)

Hilarious

[7 July 2001]

I really wish that American situation comedies had the guts to be more like this show, instead we have to contend with the likes of insipid garbage like 'Friends' and 'Steinfeld'. Out of the four series, I think this one may be my favorite, with 'Beer' being the funniest of the lot.

Con Air (1997)

La Creme De La Crap

[1/10 · 6 July 2001]

This movie may very well be the epitome of the brainless, contrived action flick. Nicolas Cage (convicted of a crime he didn't commit, naturally) looks like Fabio's anemic half-brother, posing for GQ and spouting Schwarzeneggeresque lines that will leave you dumbfounded, while John Malkovich has apparantly learned to act in his sleep. Stupid, does not begin to explain this movie, but stupid is how felt because I actually watched the whole damn thing.

Ventriloquist Cat (1950)

Tex Avery rules!!

[10/10 · 3 July 2001]

Tex Avery made many classic cartoons, but this may very well be his very best, as the title implies, it concerns a ventriloquist cat with nothing better to do than make a dogs life miserable. Non-stop laughs from beginning to end.

The Critic (1994–2001)

Mediocre at best

[28 June 2001]

This is a show that could of had great potential, but they screwed it up badly. The only characters that were funny were Duke Phillips and Jay Shermans father. I kept seeing jokes that would have been much funnier if they would have been used in The Simpsons. It is amazing that this show lasted all of 23 episodes. To quote Mr. Sherman himself in regards to this show: IT STINKS!