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chowbok
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Threads (1984)
Ironically, it's *too* grim.
Definitely worth watching, and I assume that the portrait of life immediately after a nuclear war is reasonably accurate. The depiction of the local bureaucracy, holed up in a fallout shelter attempting to follow their procedures which are now completely pointless especially rang true.
The problems, though, are in the later scenes with the depictions of the post-bomb generation. I can understand that the adults, with all the horror they've experienced, would be largely reduced to zombies, but why are their kids like that? They've known no other world. I realize life is hard, but kids will always laugh and play. A scene in a sort-of classroom has the children all sitting staring at the TV, not making noise or jostling each other, which is harder to swallow than any of the depictions of death and destruction. These kids never smile.
And why can't they talk? Did they all get the exact same kind of brain damage? The filmmakers seem to think that children without education won't learn how to talk, but this is nonsense. They wouldn't be able to *read*, it's true, but speech is innate. There are plenty of pre-literate cultures, but nobody has ever run across a pre-*verbal* culture. In making the depiction as hellish as possible, they have lost all common sense.
Eddie and the Cruisers (1983)
Wasted Potential
It's a shame that such an intriguing idea for a film was squandered like this. The direction and acting is weak, but what truly destroys the film is the music; the Cruisers' early music is annoying AOR-type filler posing as 1950's bubblegum, and the "Season in Hell" music, which should be strange and hypnotic, is just dull. We're also robbed of the fun of seeing songs created through rehearsals; it's pretty clear the director has never been to a band rehearsal, as the songs sound as polished and final the first time they play them as in the final recordings.
I'd love to see this movie remade by some competent people. In the right hands, it could be the best rock-and-roll movie ever.
One last aside: everyone mentions Eddie's resemblance to Jim Morrison, which is clearly there, but it seems obvious that the Season in Hell stuff is also based on Brian Wilson's difficulties which the never-released Beach Boys' "Smile" album. Eddie is even named "Wilson".
Tully (2000)
It's okay to not like independent films sometimes. Really.
Sigh... everyone is trying really hard in this cute little indie flick, but the clunky dialogue, ancient plot cliches, and utter humorlessness crush you down until one is asphixiated with boredom. I understand people are anxious to have an alternative to Hollywood blockbusters, but you can't set out and make a movie that is the opposite of every Hollywood quality if one of those qualities is "interesting". If you thought "American Beauty" had Deep Insights into American suburban life, then you'll probably also be suckered by this "thoughtful" depiction of farm life... but those who are thoughtful about movies will recognize that not every Sundance Channel feature is good, no matter how low the budget and how earnest the high school sophomore that wrote the script. This movie has pretty scenery and pretty stars, but hell, so did "Attack of the Clones". There's only so long that can keep you entertained.
Snow-White (1933)
Stunning
Most of this cartoon is top-notch Fleischer fare and definitely worth watching, but there's one part that makes it absolutely stand out: the darkly hypnotic scene where Koko the Clown sings an elegy in Cab Calloway's voice in the underworld while Betty Boop is marched down in her glass coffin by pallbearers. The first time I saw it, it was literally breathtaking; all conversation in the room stopped as soon as Calloway started singing, and we watched, hypnotized, as Koko turns into a skeleton and dances with Calloway's moves in Hell while skeleton fish fly through the air and skeleton humans play poker deep in the background. As good as cartoons get.
The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
Hilariously Bad
The hardcore Star Wars nerds will tell you not to see this because it's so bad, but for those of us who "Star Wars" was just an enjoyable movie from our childhoods will find this terribly amusing. There's something surreal about seeing the actual Star Wars cast show up in a typically cheesy 70's Christmas special, complete with guest stars and hokey musical numbers.
If you're the type who can appreciate wrongheaded turkeys like on Mystery Science Theatre, then by no means miss it. If you view the Star Wars series with religious reverence, then yeah, follow the advice of the other posters here. Although I don't agree with them in this case, I understand where they're coming from--I feel the same way about Godfather 3.