billcody Reviews

The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)

Simply perfect!

[23 October 2004]

What can you say about Walter Salles? This movie was wonderful. Perfect from a filmaking standpoint, perfect from a travelogue perspective.

I'm sure some people will dog it from some sort of biased political reasons. Forget them. Go. Enjoy. Learn. Then find out what Guevera did with the rest of his life. Maybe, you'll agree with him, maybe you won't. But you'll be better for having educated yourself.

They are making me write more lines. What a ridiculous thing to do. I think we overthink everything in this society and here they are at IMDb making me do just that. If the posters on this board want to fight fascism they should really start here at IMDb. Why should I have to write a bunch of extra lines? Seriously, it's really silly. But those are the rules.

Enough said.

Maria Full of Grace (2004)

What was up with the music?!?

[9 August 2004]

This film was okay - but so obviously written by a gringo after reading an article in the NY Times. The translation was not great, the story - thin and almost nonexistant. The photography was good and the camera was in love with the leading lady.

But the music!!!! Aaaargggh! The film is set in Columbia - home to one of the most popular and dynamic music scenes in the world and the music in the flick was (as a friend put it after the film) second rate Buena Vista Social Club.

Look - if you don't know anything about the country you're making a film about at least hire some one who does. The music made the first half of the film almost unbearable. Had I not been with friends I probably would have walked out.

It's okay though - I'm sure Joshua already has a three picture deal after "wowing" the easy to please Sundance audiences.

Office Space (1999)

Every company exec and business school grad should be...

[9/10 · 5 June 2004]

forced to see this film! It is a must see.

One of the most insightful, witty and truthful films ever made. Every cubicle worker in America knows this film inside and out. I've never understood why some network exec hasn't grabbed this up as a series. Oh, I know why - they all went to Ivy league schools and they're not very bright!

This film talked about downsizing and outsourcing long before such "prestigous" publications as the New York Times and The Washington Post. With lines like "I believe you'd get your ass kicked saying something like that." and "I think on any given week I do about 15 minutes of work." Brilliant! Brilliant!

Damn it feels good to be a gangster!

Doctor Snuggles (1979– )

Amazing!

[25 April 2004]

I looked this up the other day when I heard the great Peter Ustinov passed away.

I used to get up early to catch Dr. Snuggles when it used to run on Sunday morning. The most tripped out, bizarre cartoon I've ever watched. The animation was crude, the stories borderline ridiculous and the voices magnificent. Imagine if W.C. Fields did his script for Never Give A Sucker An Even Break every week - and you might have an idea of the kind of adventures that Snuggles had each week.

My favorite was when he and Badger had to fly to the other side of the moon to save the local cat hospital.

Bad Santa (2003)

Wonderful!

[27 November 2003]

The funniest movie I have seen this year. I will be seeing this again just to get some of the lines down so I can repeat them with friends. Ironically, I had just seen one of the "hit" holiday films the day before with a theater full of kids. It was pleasant enough, but there was no laughter in the theater because the film just wasn't funny. Smile worthy maybe - but not funny in the least. Then I saw Bad Santa with a half full theater full of adults and laughter filled the room. I'm guessing if they had let kids in they would have been laughing, too!

Billy Bob was wonderful, Lauren Graham was incredibly sexy, Bernie Mac was - well, Bernie Mac and that's enough for me. But this film had a lot more going for it. Unlike modern studio fare - this film was well written, told a story, had character arcs, believable plot twists - and Look, Ma - no plot holes! In other words - it made sense!

Bravo to everyone involved. And God Bless John Ritter!

Sisters (2001)

Moody arresting cinema.

[7/10 · 30 May 2003]

I really enjoyed this film. The story of two half sisters on the run from a crew of gangster kidnappers who must survive, bond and finally live one day at a time. I only wish American films were this meditative and watchable.

Brat 2 (2000)

Sergei Bodrov Jr. was a real movie star.

[8/10 · 23 May 2003]

I just watched Brat 2 after ordering a copy from a Russian video store in New York and I was not disappointed.

I saw Brat on the International Channel a couple of months ago and was blown away. Ever since I've had been trying to hunt down a copy of Brat 2. While these films are not technically perfect they have a rough hewn charm that no longer exists in most American films. (The lone exception from last year being Spike Jones' Adapation.) Then there's Sergei Bodrov Jr. it is a damn shame that he died last year (along with his film crew in an avalanche) because he was a major talent. He is so damn watchable and the unrelenting honesty of the Danila character makes for a compelling anti-hero in the brother movies that reminds this viewer of the great days of early Brando and Paul Newman.

Once again I will remind people to look at the actual vote rating for this film and ignore the silly IMDB weighted total. (The weighted average seems to be based on the strength of the Top 1000 voters whoever they are - it is not however a true weighted average in a classic math sense.) This film may not be perfect but it is one hell of a ride.

The State of Things (1982)

Classic Wenders!

[10/10 · 14 May 2003]

Not only is this film a classic - the short ends became Stranger Than Paradise making this film a true two-fer.

A very anti-Hollywood film structured first as a kind of meditation and then turning into a great faux whodunit indictment of Hollywood itself. This won't make a lot of sense until you actually see the film - but see it you must if you are a true film afficianado. Ignore the ridiculous film geek influenced 7.3 rating - the actual rating of 7.7 is much more accurate. One of the films that made Wim Wenders great.

X2 (2003)

Boring!

[3/10 · 3 May 2003]

Watched this film with a friend who lives for comic books and superhero movies. When the lights came up he turned and asked me how it grabbed me - "It didn't" - I replied to which he said - "Me, neither."

Seriously. Is it too much to ask for a story that makes sense, characters that we care about and action scenes that are choreographed and lit well? Halfway through I wanted to get up and leave. The only enjoyment all night was the Matrix trailer that was at least 10 times more exciting than anything in this snooze-a-thon.

Charlie's Angels (2000)

Yikes!

[2/10 · 28 April 2003]

What an abysmal piece of crap! From the juvenile opening to the ridiculous ending this flick rally stinks.

First of all, McG or whatever his name is shows the same flatfooted pedestrian direction as his Fastlane TV show - kind of a mix of Baywatch and OB One tampon ads - the acting is horrible from the usually dependable drew Barrymore straight through to the obviously mailing this one in Bill Murray. Then there's the script, and I use the word loosely. A mishmosh of boyhood fantasies of what the original show was mixed with the worst of pop culture references and bad imitations of the Matrix. (Why is it that Hollywood never understood that The Matrix is much more than some martial arts moves and slow motion bullets?)

I only hope that the next one is either a quantum leap from this horrible drek - or that everyone boycotts this franchise the way they did The Real Cancun.

One more thing - bad music from the 80's is not kitsch - it's just bad music!

Blow-Up (1966)

Simply one of the greatest films ever.

[10/10 · 20 April 2003]

I must admit that IMDB with all of its flaws (and its inane rating system has to be the worst) is one of my favorite sites. But, when I see a rating like this for a real film when so many other BS geek love films from the last few years are included in the IMDB top 250 - well, it makes my blood boil.

Hip, timely, sexy and much, much more - Blowup was one of the first films I saw when I was a teenager that made me fall in love with film as an art form. And sadly enough - the kind of film that few people know how to make these days.

Back in the old days, film was a visual medium and stories where told visually. I'm not talking special effects and explosions - I'm talking about story telling. There is a key sequence in Blowup that moves the story along without dialogue that goes on for over 12 minutes. No expository explanations - no backstory - none of the nonsense that passes for storytelling in Hollywood today. Twelve minutes without dialogue that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Then there is the nightclub scene featuring the Yardbirds playing their classic "The Train Kept A Rolling" which is not only mindblowing but also quite possibly the best documentation of the Swinging 60's ever put down on celluloid. This when both Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page were in the band.

This was probably Antonioni's (I may have spelled his name wrong - so sue me) last great film (The Passenger was an interesting piece and Zabriske Point is a weird guilty pleasure for me and many others because it is such a complete and utter misfire.) and it comes on the heels of one of the greatest ten year runs of any director in the history of film. A truly seminal film.

Better Luck Tomorrow (2002)

well....

[12 April 2003]

Attention - minor spoilers.

This is an example of filmakers who know how to make a splash before they know how to make a movie.

I agree that it important to have more Asian American faces in film and television (I mean seriously - American films have so little to do with how America looks it is ridiculous) and I salute the filmakers efforts to get community support for their film. But, it would have been nice if they had spent half as much time on developing a coherent screenplay as they have on networking and publicity. Then they might have really had something.

You can see the influences for the film a mile away - a dab of Goodfellas, more than a smattering of Swingers along with a dash of River's Edge. Unfortunately, we don't don't care about these people the way you care about people in those other films. The problem as stated by one of the other posters is that the film has almost no dramatic tension whatsoever. This is a pretty good trick considering that the film involves a murder, love and sex, high school rivalries and teen angst. But there is no consistent story line and no reason to really care about any of these people. Which is why most people who are not part of this subculture and some who are - will be squirming in their seats before it is half over.

Worst of all, there are some very realistic scenes that are undercut when a character or characters act irrationally just to push the story along. There are ways to move a story along without having a character behave in a way that totally unbelievable. These are mistakes that should have been corrected in a rewrite long before filming started or certainly after a rehearsal or a read through.

It is admirable to focus on and reveal a subculture that we don't normally see but that quality alone does not make a film good. That said, it could be a groundbreaking movie none the less. And I hope it is.

Phone Booth (2002)

Not bad!

[7/10 · 7 April 2003]

A friend of mine got me to break one of my cardinal rules and actually go see another Joel Schumacher film. And you know what? It wasn't half bad. In fact it was pretty good.

A variation on one of the most difficult films to pull off - i.e. a movie where all the action takes place in one location (one of the reasons so many stage plays fail as effective cinema) - Phone Booth is a tour de force for Colin Farrell and whatever the merits of his over inflated price tag he's up to the task with some considerable help from Forrest Whitacker and Kiefer Sutherland. A fun movie that at 80 minutes long does not overstay it's welcome. Why can't more flicks end when they are obviously supposed to - instead of tacking on 20 to 30 minutes of garbage that was so obviously inspired by the inane notes from a bunch of agents and studio suits? Those unbelievable "twists" that most studio movies end with only inspire the audience to leave the theater muttering in disgust and annoyance.

One more quick note to any studio hacks that might be reading this (and I know that's a bit of a stretch - movie hacks reading fan posts rather than gumming up the message boards with fake comments) - this film was successful at the box office (the first week anyway) and it was written by a man who is over 60 years old. It played young and hip - and was written by a man over 60 years old! It played believable and it was written by a man over 60 years old!!!

Highway (I) (2002)

What a stinker!

[2/10 · 30 March 2003]

I heard about this film years ago, both when Scott Rosenberg was trying to make it or sold it or whatever and then again when they annoyed Seattlites by staging a fake Kurt Cobain vigil.

How Scott Rosenberg became a big deal in Hollywood is always gonna be a big mystery to me. Things To Do In Denver - Beautiful Girls - Con Air and this. Those are the kind of movies that should either force you into working at MacDonald's or back at Daddy's place begging for a corner cubicle. But in today's Hollywood where B-movies are king and being good in the room is more important than actual talent these flicks have made Scott a very wealthy man.

Then there's the actors. Jared Leto is awful in this film, hopefully Selma Blair has as much oral expertise as Nancy Davis had back in the day because she can't act a lick and Jake Gyllenhall - well, his sister is Maggie.

The horror - the horror!

Let There Be Peace (2001)

Another movie about something -and it's not from Hollywood.

[7/10 · 23 February 2003]

I am in love with world cinema! This African movie has it's flaws, but it's beautifully shot and it gave this viewer a much needed perspective from the African point of view. With a world that is rapidly becoming split between the US and everyone else - I need this perspective. And so does everyone else in this good ole US of A.

Old School (2003)

Enough with the studio plants!!!!

[20 February 2003]

Almost every positive comment for this film is from an obvious studio plant.

This flick is what it is. A mildly amusing Animal House rip-off just like Todd Phillips first film Road Trip. The big difference is that it's not nearly as funny as Animal House and it stars Luke Wilson instead of Peter Riegert, Vince Vaughn instead of Tim Matheson and Will Ferrell trying to fill in for John Belushi. The big twist - they're all in their mid-thirties. (I think Ferrell is in his mid-forties - I mean he's only been on Saturday Night Live for hundred years or so.) Oh, and you won't ever embarrass yourself by laughing at something that no one else does because all the jokes are as old as the hills. Plus they're telegraphed a mile away so even if it's new to you you'll still know when to laugh along with everyone else in the theater. That way you won't feel like a weirdo or some kind of individualistic comic maverick.

If you have time to kill this weekend and want to forget about the upcoming war and our dismal economy then by all means go to see it. But, if you have anything else to do - like maybe clipping your toenails - then I would suggest waiting for video. If your looking to get laid with a new girl you might want to ask her what she wants to see. If she says 10 Days To Lose Your Mind or whatever that date movie is - by all means go see that - because your chances will be a lot better to score. But, if you're having a night out with the boys this sure beats the heck out of Daredevil.

This movie is not "Spectacular" nor "The Funniest Movie in Years!!!!" I wish these studio plants would spend more time finding a really funny script or casting some people who are funny instead of the same old hacks that their agency buddies keep shoving down our throats? In case you guys haven't figured it out - Luke is the unfunny Wilson brother while Owen is the one that doesn't play in middle America - Vince Vaughn is the drunk wiseacre that's been a proven dud in at least 10 films and Will Ferrell - well if he ever gets a decent script - then you might have something. Larry David can find amazing comic talent in Hollywood for Curb Your Enthusiasm so why can't the studios?

This film will open big - not blockbuster big - but big - probably #1 - and then drop off the face of the earth. It will do well in rentals and then be forgotten. Todd Phillips will buy a new house in the hills as he and his friend crank out their next great opus - Food Fight - starring Steve Zahn - who was once a promising young actor - with cameos by John Goodman and Jim Belushi.

The End.

Rock Star (2001)

what a waste

[2 February 2003]

From reading some of the other posts it is pretty obvious how badly this film failed on almost every level.

Most people think the movie takes place in the eighties - I guess that is because of the numerous hair band cliches and some of the music. But if that was true - how could Mark Walhberg's character end up in post grunge Seattle after one short tour? The true story that this cliche ridden film was based on was - as one poster already pointed out - was legendary metal band Judas Priest replacing their long time lead singer with a singer from a Judas Priest tribute band. What was really interesting about the story to most people was that at the time Judas Priest was often playing to smaller crowds than Rippers Owens' tribute band did back in Pittsburg - and how Owens and crew eventually won over long time fans. But why bother telling a little told story of a band overcoming the reluctance of their old fans when you can fall back on the old as dirt - Star Is Born based rise to stardom - and inevitable fall - brought down by sex drugs and rock and roll - nonsense that permeates this film. I mean that would take a little work and skill wouldn't it.

But back to the main question - just when is this flick supposed to take place? The 70's, the 80's the 90's? They have a Ted Nugent song being played in a disco right next to Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Seriously! The filmakers seem so out of touch with any time period it is hard to imagine they have even been to a rock concert in the last twenty years. The look of the film seems to be based almost completely on repeated viewings of Behind The Music.

But, hey that seems to be John Stockwell's specialty. Taking a subculture and writing such an unbelievable piece of tripe that any chance of making a good film about that scene will be instantly destroyed when his unsuccessful film bombs at the box office. (See last summer's Blue Crush.) Which begs the question - who's blank is he blanking anyway?

Having said that - Mark Wahlberg is actually quite good and it's a shame his performance was wasted in this drek. He sings the songs and actually has a great set of pipes.

Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000–2024)

forget my other comment - i am officially addicted

[1 February 2003]

at first i found curb your enthusiasm rather pointless and boring - but for some reason i kept watching anyway - well - now i'm hooked - i think david took awhile to find a rhythm (or maybe it takes the viewer a little while to find the groove - who knows) but i now believe that curb your enthusiasm is the natural descendant of green acres - and that my friends is high praise -

this last season was the best yet - with the christmas episode probably the high point - followed closely by the ted danson pinata episode and the crazy eyes killer - or is that killah - episode closely following right behind -

if i have any complaints about the show it is that it needs more ted danson - he's amazing in this show!!!

Kangaroo Jack (2003)

Estella gave up a chance at a Gold medal for this?

[3/10 · 1 February 2003]

Not completely unwatchable but pretty darn close.

My friend and I went to this movie as a lark and I gotta say - the funniest line I heard the whole time was when he turned to me at about the halfway point and said - "I just keep thinking that the same guy who wrote this was boinking Elizabeth Hurley".

Jerry O'Connell simply can't act, the dialogue is atrocious and the computer animated Roo looks like Scooby Do with bigger ears. Besides that there's the completely weird out of place adult humor - or should I say puerile sophomoric Man Show jokes - that are stuck in every now and then. But, hey is was Number 1 at the box office so there isn't much anyone can say.

Looking forward to that next Steve Bing project called Why Men Shouldn't Marry with Woody Allen and Sean Penn. Now that sounds hilarious.

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

This is not a good movie.

[3/10 · 10 October 2002]

Film geeks will applaud this movie. They will marvel at all the goofy little things like the casting of actual sisters and cousins as the sisters (ignoring the fact that while they all look alike - they don't look anything like Mary Lynne Ruskub - who is the only sister with any lines really) and ignore the fact that the couple of scenes they are in are minor and that the story behind the casting is far more interesting than anything actually on screen!

BUT - when it plays the multi-plexes the average Joe will be P.O.'ed that they plunked down six bucks for such a pretentious self masterbatory piece of crap. And they will right! The film geeks will want to believe that they are deeper than the average Joe and that they are somehow superior - but in fact they are "the suckers" that are born every minute.

The biggest problem with this film is that the press notes are far more detailed and informative than the movie - the talk about Barry's relationship with his seven sisters - the explanation about his neurosis - none of this is really central to the movie itself. There is one scene where he gets a few phone calls from several of his sisters, and a scene where he talks to his brother-in-law about his "feelings" - but all of this is quickly dropped and/or ignored. As far as the repeated notion that this is a romantic comedy - well, only if you consider a movie devoid of humor and romance a "romantic comedy". I'm sure some people will claim that Thomas is deconstructing the standard romantic comedy but I've always believed that you can't deconstruct something unless you know how to construct it in the first place. Nothing in this flick is explored in any depth and after viewing the film I was left with that Peggy Lee "is that all there is" feeling. There was no there there as they say.

I don't know. I used to think Anderson was our great hope for developing an important film maker here in the US but I'm losing faith. Magnolia was an overstuffed messy film, and this is just a w**k-off session. Maybe what we've got here is the first confirmed student film maker to get studio backing.

Bottom line - if you're a film student and want to see some interesting scenes this movie might be worth seeing - but if you are the average filmgoer looking for an enjoyable time at the movies you might want to check out something else.

The Tuxedo (2002)

This flat out stinks!!!! STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!!

[1/10 · 6 October 2002]

I love Jackie Chan. But if this is the kind of movie he plans to make from here on out, then count me out.

Rush Hour was fine, and I was glad to see Jackie finally get some recognition here in the States but everything from that point on has been darn near unwatchable. Finally, with The Tuxedo Jackie hits rock bottom. Hollywood has finally dragged Jackie down to their level.

I see that a lot of screenwriting hacks got fat paychecks on this unwatchable garbage. And some "director" by the name of Kevin Donahue (I think that's what it said) helmed this mess. I checked out his pic - the usual I've got long hair at 40, probably very good in the room - white male that gets to make money in Hollywood. I'm sure his Dad or best friend got him the job. Because it certainly wasn't his talent. He has none!!!!

This was the worst movie I have seen in a long, long time. And I don't have high expectations any more. Using my usual yardstick of Dude, Where's My Car as a 5 (I only looked at my watch once when I saw it in the theater) The Tuxedo gets a 1. My friend who paid for us to see this movie apologized afterwards for dragging me to see it. (One of her friends was in it.) I think that's all you really need to know - the person who paid for the tickets apologized after the film!

Don't pass go, don't see this flick, don't rent this flick, and tell others to STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!

Barbershop (2002)

Good heart, good acting, funny stuff.

[7/10 · 16 September 2002]

Why is it that Ice Cube - a rapper for cryin' out loud - knows more about entertaining people than the numerous whitebread Hollywood producers in and out of the studios?

It was so much fun to go to a film where the audience laughed out loud throughout the movie. Big group belly laughs. The story line was a little onthe predictable side, but not the jokes. The irreverent, stream of consience takes from Cedric The Entertainer were sooooo refreshing - a discussion of the history of racial politics that wasn't Larry Elder BS self hate nor the usual safe liberal claptrap - great, just great. makes you wonder why Sundance films play things so safe - and they do!!!!

One more thing. The trailers I saw for the the newest slate of studio films elicited the usual bored silence and unintended laughter - with one exception - the next Friday movie which looked great - you go Ice Cube!!!!

Hysterical Blindness (2002 TV Movie)

Where's the Bon Jovi?

[9 September 2002]

What exactly was the point of this HBO film anyway? Well filmed, well acted, but ultimately pointless - and who did the soundtrack?!!?!?

The film supposedly takes place in mid to late eighties in New Jersey. They have one boring ass Bruce song from his boring post Born In The USA period, and no, I repeat no Bon Jovi. I'm not even from Jersey and I know that's BS. C'mon - here's a band that has sold more records than any group except the Beatles. They ruled the second half of the eighties and they owned New Jersey. I'm supposed to believe there's a bar in Jersey that isn't playing Jon and the boys 24/7. Jersey girls in Trans Ams without Bon Jovi blaring on the tape deck? And I have to believe that aspiring actor Jon would have cut a deal to have at least a couple of songs in a Mira Nair, Uma Thurman production on HBO - unless he read this script and said whoa - this is too boring.

Then there's the guys. No Jersey haircuts on the guys - what's up with that? Does every young actor these days have to have that same short post Jason Patric haircut these days? Slap a wig on those wus boy actor types. All this meticulous detail with the girls and a bunch of guys that looked like they came straight from an 2002 casting session?

Next time you want to make a flick about Jersey girls, call it Living On A Prayer - jam it full of Bon Jovi tunes and let the girls really have fun. Instead of this painful to watch vanity project that was probably made with an Emmy in mind.

The Godfather Part III (1990)

Like watching paint dry.

[3/10 · 2 September 2002]

Whoa. It took me years to watch this film because so many people told me to avoid it. I should have taken their advice.

Pacino should have been forced to watch the original Godfather films 100 times each to remind him what he was like when he was a real actor. The original Michael Corleone was scary because he was so controlled and introverted. His rage boiled inside. In Part III, Michael is a mugging scenary chewer who wears his emotions on his sleeves and screams at the drop of a hat.

And the Francis Ford Coppola directing Part III isn't the visionary of the 70's, but instead the bored hack of the 80's and 90's. The script is a lazy B-movie script with large chunks of unnecessary expository dialogue. The actors seem to be left to their own devices, especially Sofia who seems to be either reading off cue cards or merely reciting her lines. She's so bad. I honestly think her performance her might be the worst acting I've ever seen, and I'm including school plays and community theater I've seen over the years. Diane Keaton looks like she just dropped in from her real daughter's PTA meeting (which isn't so terrible considering the role she has in the film) and Talia Shire shows the rust of a woman who really hasn't acted much outside her thankless turns in the later Rocky flicks.

This film could have used a fresh idea or two, another couple of passes at the screenplay and whole lot less of the Coppola family. (Hell, even Nicholas Coppola er Cage got a friggen Exec Producer credit - what's up with that?)

The Godfather (1972)

Very good, but not #1.

[9/10 · 2 September 2002]

Like Citizen Kane, the Godfather is extremely influential, but more than a bit overrated. Coppola has essentially one trick - intercuttung violence with religious ceremonies. In the first two Godfather films this is an extremely effective device. Unfortunately, some of the other parts of this film are not quite as well thought out. The scenes of Michael in Italy are too long and underdeveloped. Appolonia falls for Michael in a way that only happens in the movies so the audience has very little emotional investment in her or her death. Most people would say I'm nitpicking, but to be honest there are more than a few films that I have enjoyed more than the Godfather.

Having said that, this cast (Fred Roos is the greatest casting director ever) and crew might be the best group of talent ever assembled for one film. They went on to make some of the greatest films of their generation both in front of, and behind the camera. If you don't believe me, just check their individual credits.