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Reviews
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)
Better the second time.
I enjoyed this movie the first time I saw it. But the second time I saw it, it was a masterpiece. They must have changed something. Whatever they did, it's one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, and it's message is important and thought-provoking, although I don't know what it is.
George Clooney is subtle and self-effacing as always. Ewan McGregor is as good as--no, better than--I have ever seen him, and the meta-humor is particularly sharp when Clooney talks about how he can become a "Jedi Knight". Jeff Bridges was excellent, too, and again the casting was meta-humorous. And Kevin Spacey just makes such a terrific villain.
And, finally, let's not forget the goats. This is one of the best performances by a goat--nay, by a herd of goats--that I have ever seen.
Surf Ninjas (1993)
Great movie! Could have been better.
I worked on this movie from start to finish. I was the accountant, so feel free dismiss the following comments as you like.
The original script by DanGordon was the funniest script I had ever read, and I was very excited to be able to work on the film. I then watched in dismay as each rewrite became less and less funny, removing many great bits and gags from the script. It was then shot in a way that was less funny than the shooting script which was not nearly as funny as the original script.
And yet, it's still a funny and silly and damn enjoyable movie. All my children have enjoyed watching it and each of them has told me that it is their favorite movie (well, until they were 4 or 5 years old, after which they were too mature for it). Unusually, for a silly movie, there are many gags that grow on you over time and a film that you would THINK is only worth one viewing, actually gets more enjoyable every time you watch it.
It was a great experience making the film in Thailand, and we got a lot of value there for a movie with quite a low budget. It was great working with the older Reyes and younger Reyes alike. The second unit director, Ernie Orsatti, was amazingly creative and contributed much to the movie. Rob Schneider, too, added a lot, both in the script development and on set.