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Dead Silence (2007)
Good for a Giggle, Not Much Else
This movie was one of the most unintentionally funny pieces of cheese I've seen in years. I had a good time at the cinema, but not quite in the way the filmmakers intended. I knew what I was in for when the hero uttered the line "In the town where I grew up, we consider ventriloquist dummies a bad omen." The whole theater erupted in laughter. Every cliché in the book every cliché in every book, for that matter is ham-fistedly crammed into this bit of silliness. MST3K fans will enjoy "Dead Silence" because it's so reminiscent of "Devil Doll." The town cemetery is as full of gaping plot holes as it is unquiet graves, and for some odd reason the director thought that a homicide detective who walks around constantly shaving his five-o-clock shadow was more quirky than ridiculous. By the 30-minute mark, you'll be itching to reach through the screen and spray some WD-40 on the evil doll's squeaky eyeballs. And don't spend too much time wondering why the grieving husband props the doll up in the back seat of his car instead of carrying it in the trunk. Or why the scriptwriter didn't name the villainess "Hall" or "McCall" instead of "Shaw" if he was going to write a poem where her name had to rhyme with "dolls." Bottom line see "Dead Silence" for a good laugh. Don't go in expecting to be scared, intellectually stimulated, or visually excited. You'll never look at an electric razor without giggling again.
Libel (1959)
Great retelling of an old story
This film seems to be based on the true story of Martin Guerre, the sixteenth century Frenchman who went off to war and came back a changed man. Some of these changes turned out to be so great that his neighbors suspected it wasn't really Martin. It turned out they were right; it was an impostor, Arnaud du Tilh, so clever he even fooled Martin's wife. The real Martin eventually showed up and Arnaud confessed his crime. IN 192 the story was made into a film starring Gerard Depardieu as Arnaud. American audiences will be more familiar with Sommersby (1993), an adaptation of the same story starring Jodie Foster and Richard Gere, set after the American Civil War.
Lottery! (1983)
"The Millionaire" meets "The Odd Couple" meets "Fantasy Island"
I'm not sure why my childhood memories of this show are so vivid; something about it must have made an impression on me. Ben Murphy (of "Alias Smith and Jones" fame - "Mystery Science Theater 3000" fans will recognize him from the "Riding With Death" episode) played Patrick Flaherty, a representative of the Intersweep Bank Lottery. He was the guy they sent out to tell people they'd won and deliver the checks. The IRS assigned one of their agents, Eric Rush, to travel with him and advise people about tax arrangements for their winnings (all he ever seemed to actually DO was hand out business cards.) Every week there was a new winner, and the show would go into how their newfound wealth changed their lives. Usually Flaherty and Rush got caught up in the winners' adventures. I guess it was like an updated version of the older show, "The Millionaire." There was a lot of "Odd Couple" style personality clash between the button-down IRS agent and the freewheeling lottery employee. I remember thinking at the time that they were both handsome guys, and I enjoyed the show a lot.
Covington Cross (1992)
Profoundly Silly
I watched this show with great anticipation, and was disappointed every week. I certainly expected better from such a good cast and premise. The dialog was cheesy, and the situations and stories were nothing like a medieval family would have ever found themselves in. I always got the impression that someone had just written a regular modern nighttime soap opera a la Dynasty and just dressed it up in 12th-century clothes. It was like one of those bad historical romance novels, where the author hasn't done any research, come to life. The production values were good, with beautiful costumes and sets. They must have had a pretty big budget.
Funny Face (1957)
Would Have Been Better with Different Female Lead
Apologies to the Hepburn fans, but the only thing marring this film was the awful miscasting of Audrey Hepburn in the lead role. She just didn't have enough personality to pull off the May/December thing with Astaire (it worked with Garland in Easter Parade) and since the crux of the movie was the musical numbers, it was a mistake to cast a non-singer. Audrey Hepburn was the Julia Roberts of her time: Pretty, but boring and over-hyped, with no real acting talent or skill. She was exactly the same in every role she played. Her best scenes in Funny Face are the ones where she just stands there in pretty clothes. I kept wishing Dick would realize how insipid Jo was, and realize what a great couple he and Maggie would make!
Bugsy Malone (1976)
So...what's the deal?
I first saw the film as a child in the early 80's. I was confused. I remember turning to my sister at the end and saying, "What was that all ABOUT?" I saw it again as an adult, and I still just don't get it. What's the deal? What's the appeal? It's all a big "WHY?" It's so surreal, and I think surrealism works best when it has some kind of social or psychological relevance. This is just surreal silliness for its own sake.
Who was the target audience for this movie? And were they taking the same hallucinogens as the people making it?
The best question I can think to ask about this movie is, "Huh?"
Team America: World Police (2004)
What a variety of reviews!
Reading the user comments, it's incredible how much each reviewer brings his own perspective, and gets out of the movie what he brings to it. Some people think the movie is bashing the left wing, some think it's bashing the right, some think it's a simple parody of action movies. Every reviewer think he knows what the movie is about, and they all disagree!
I think it's pretty balanced. Sure, the F.A.G. comes off as heavy-handed, but so does the military. And having Kim-Jong Il controlled by an alien was a brilliant move; that way, they can technically say that they're not criticizing the real guy!
Shame on anyone who didn't stay through the credits to hear his final song.
Sharpe: Sharpe's Rifles (1993)
Fun! Now Go Read the Book!
What red-blooded girl could argue with 102 minutes of a mud-smeared Sean Bean swashbuckling in tight breeches? (Excuse me while I have an attack of the vapors...) It's a fun movie with a lot of action and great costumes, acting, and production values. BUT. . . I think the strong point of this series of movies is that it's likely to make you want to read the series of novels by Bernard Cornwell. Even for people who don't normally like to read historical/military fiction, they're a rollicking great read and packed with fascinating detail and character development. The movie is a tasty appetizer; the book is a satisfying meal. In this case, watching the movie won't ruin the book for you, and vice versa. Differences aside, they're done in the same spirit.