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bigwickster
Reviews
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Wes's best
This may be a controversial call, but I definitely think that Royal Tenenbaums is Wes Anderson's greatest picture. Bottle Rocket is both excellent and funny. Rushmore is hilarious, mature and complex. Tenenbaums is not only funny, mature and complex as well, but it stresses pure human emotion.
The characters that are well rounded and seem to be acted genuinely (i.e.- Royal, Etheline, Chas, Henry) are done so well that you care about them even if they seem dispicable. The characters that seem deadpan are given a certain element, be it an entire scene, a certain look, or just having the benefit of others talking about them to make you feel what they feel, much like the people you know who do not seem to ever show emotion, but every now and then, they let on and you get a glimpse of how they really feel.
It is a comedy that is stylistically clever and very touching.
Freddy Got Fingered (2001)
The most innovative and genius comedy of the year.
Yes, I know, I know. Its gross. Its disturbing. Its childish.
Its supposed to be. What it appears most people do not understand is that it is trying to be the worst movie you have ever seen. Apparently it has succeeded.
Freddy Got Fingered capitalizes off of the humor that makes you laugh the exact moment it happens, and then you make yourself stop because you don't want anybody to know that you are laughing at it. Either it is so elementary that you think you are much too educated to even try to laugh at it, or you feel guilty for laughing at a kid who falls and breaks his face on the side of a car. Children watching _Texas Chainsaw Massacre_
Let yourself go for crying out loud!
The philosophy behind this film is wonderful. Much like Gordy immediately wastes the $1 million dollars he gets for his animations, Tom Green went to great lengths to create the most absurdly expensive (budget permitting) film he could. You are left in awe wondering how he could come up with something like moving part of his house to Pakistan and why he would even bother to do that. Where did he get an elephant and why would he even bother to put it in the movie? And when you ask that, Tom Green can put one more notch on his success belt.
Think of the Sex Pistols' EMI fiasco.
Precisely.
It is a comedy. But not for the larger audience. It is a comedy for Tom Green and anyone who will let themselves go enough to laugh at the film and at the people they watch the film with. And you know what? It works.
Oh, and for the record, I hated the Tom Green show.
Petey Wheatstraw (1977)
I tried...
Okay, I respect Rudy Ray. _Dolemite_ was an absolute classic blaxploitation film. When I saw Dolemite, I noticed something fresh, something raw, and something that is deserving of its place in film history.
_Petey Wheatstraw the Devil's Son In Law_ was by far the worst movie I have ever seen. And believe me, I gave it a chance. It was recommended by a friend who knows what I want to see, and suggests both the best and the worst movies ever for me to see. He had already seen it once, and when we watched it, neither of us could finish it. I ALWAYS finish movies. I hate leaving, even to go to the bathroom, from even bad movies. This one just couldn't do it for me. The low budget nature is negligible. The poor acting is expected. But the acting is not just poor, it is terribly excessive overacting at points, and at other points cardboard-cutout-esque.
I had a hard time getting my mind around the stereotypes displayed.
The worst part of all is, it is not a bad movie you can make fun of. I mean, a scary movie, a drama, an action film... if done poorly, you can make these a laugh riot, either with a bunch of your pals or by yourself. But when a no budget comedy is horrible, you can't laugh at it. It is impossible.
Alan Alda's character in _Crimes and Misdemeanors_ says "If it bends, its funny. If it breaks, its not funny." This broke before the movie started and consistently waves the broken pieces in your face.
Look at it like this: A friend tells you a bad joke. It is uncomfortable to listen to, but the reward comes when you pretend to laugh and then they feel good about themselves. These jokes are even worse, so they are more uncomfortable to listen to, and then, since it cannot receive your reaction, assumes you are laughing hysterically, and kicks the horribleness up a notch, trying to top the last joke. And since the filmmakers are ignorant to your response it is not endearing, but annoying. You feel no reward for attempting to laugh. Its even hard to make your own jokes about it, because this film goes to such great lengths to try to make you laugh anyway but fails at every turn. And I do mean EVERY TURN.
Maybe I missed something, so you can try to watch it. After all, I do advocate trying new things. At least you will be able to appreciate good comedy.
Forgive me, Rudy Ray.