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billielove
Reviews
Hardcore Henry (2015)
LSD TRIP
This is a movie that will keep your mouth open, in awe! Its an LSD trip without the LSD!
Acting? None to speak of actually, Action? None stop from its beginning to its end! Special Effects? Also none stop. Basically, what you see on the screen cannot be turned off, and you cannot divert your eyes, mind, and ears! Forget the PAUSE button, you'll never use it.
There are four main characters ... "Nut Job, Jimmy" ... "the Star Cyborg" ... The Wannabe Andy Warhol Nemesis" ... and The High Tech Gorgeous Girl Friend."
The main confusion is how is it that Jimmy keeps getting killed, and coming back? And what is the reason for creating this Highly Technical Tripper?"
The movie is sort of like "Rocky Horror Show" yet it knocks that film out of the park, and off this planet! is this a great film? No! Because there is no such category to place it in.
Watching this movie will change your life, for a week or two! By the way ... the rating should be CS-X ... Come Stoned Rated X! Or should that be Rated X Come Stoned?
Damn Yankees (1958)
Cheap Flick
Frankly, I do not get why they made this one ... other than they owed a film to Tab Hunter! Tab was better than usual, he actually looked like he was enjoying himself. The one person that stole the film away from everyone else ... Jean Stapleton! There is one scene where she discovers whom is renting the room from her best friend ... and the job she did during that scene is pure gold, 24k, especially if you liked her in "All In The Family!" Miss Stapleton was one heck of an actress ... such a pity that her ego was such a problem. But who cares ... she was absolutely wonderful in this film. Shannon Bolin did a good job as well ... very natural.
Actually, everyone in the film does a pretty good job, excepting Gwen Verdon, and, everyone's favorite martian, Ray Walston. Frankly, the only thing I ever Walston in, where I appreciated his acting, was South Pacific! Well, he was pretty good as a martian too. What I did not like, at all, was his imitation of Al Jolson in one of the worse songs in the history of the musical comedy genre! If you're going to imitate a great star ... join a drag show, not a movie crew!
As for Gwen Verdon ... I don't get why she ever got this role in the movie, let alone on Broadway. The only thing she does in this film that I liked was her dance number with Bob Fosse ... now that was one great number, for sure, that suited both of them. Also, as Bob Fosse wasn't credited with this movie ... Tab's character calls him "Fosse" right after the number he did with Gwen. That was a great thing he did for Fosse, for sure! He kept up with Gwen Verdon, and that isn't an easy thing to do! Hmmm ... just realize who would have been better in that part ... Shirley MacLaine, would have been perfect, or even Jane Russell. Considering that Gwen Vernon never saw herself as attractive, she always thought she looked like a mouse (Reba MacEntyre has that problem too, but she looks more like an elf), one wonders why Gwen took a role as a fem-fatale, which she is NOT! On second thought ... Jane Russell could never have matched Gwen's ability to dance, but Shirley could have! Unfortunately, the powers that be decided they wanted the original Broadway Cast, excepting for using Tab in the lead role. Of course, they saved a lot of rehearsal dollars by using the original cast!
Actually, when it came to Tab Hunter, the director hated using Tab ... he complained that Tab was too "faggy" ... the studio set the director straight ... no Tab, no movie! Tab wasn't replacable ... but the director was! One wonders if Tab had turned down the director ... sexually? Never heard anyone complain about Rock Hudson of being "too faggy! Besides, Tab had lots of female fans, tons of them ... and "Mr. Director" ... the gays buy theater tickets too! Lots of them!
One of the things I found totally irritating about this film ... Gwen used every trick in the book to have her voice all over this film, as though she was being paid for each word that came out of her mouth! Now, I do know there are those that will raise the roof if anyone has more dialog that the "STAR!" ... however, Gwen was a star of the stage, not a Movie Star ... like MITZI GAYNOR! Actually, Mitzi could have done this movie 100 times better than Gwen, Jane, and Shirley, all put together! Here's a suggestion ... go to YouTube and watch "Mitzy Gaynor Stops The Oscars! That was the night that the Hollywood Elite were so in awe of her performance of "Georgie Girl" that they gave her a standing ovation that actually did bring the Oscars to an abrupt hault! People still talk about that performance! And ... if Mitzi had done the movie ... her performance would have changed it from a "B Movie" to a worldwide hit! Now, tell me I'm wrong!
As for Gwen ... her timing was off in many places in this film, as well as was her singing ... and that is unprofessional. If you watch the film ... notice how she points to herself before she gives the dialog requiring her to point to herself. A total mess. I can't help but wonder if she screwed up intentionally as a protest for using Tab, and not the actor she was use to working with?
In the "Two Lost Souls" number ... while dancing, she bends over with her butt pointed right at the camera! And not just once! This has always been a huge "no-no" in making films, or even doing doing it in a play. It is disrespectful to the audience. The only woman that ever got away with showing her backside to camera was Marilyn Monroe in "Niagara!" The longest film time ever filmed of a female star walking away from the camera ... sorry, but Gwen Vernon was no Marilyn Monroe! I repeat ... Gwen Verdon had no business playing a fem-fatale! Oh, yes ... I hated the "Lola" number, her face really looked ugly in that number ... but I did like her costume, once she got rid of all that other crap covering it up. Her black lace look was superb, still not a Marilyn Monroe.
The two high lights were Jean Stapleton, and that tango number by Fosse and Verdon, Fosse was superb, as was Gwen. Well, some of the "Lost Souls" number was pretty well directed ... but Tab looked so out of place in that one.
Glee (2009)
such a waste of such great talent
I do intend to watch the DVDs for many years to come ... due mostly to the songs and dancing. However, this show had severe problems from the first season to the last, mainly ... extremely poor scripting/plots, as well as there being no real respect for the cast or the roles. If one of them turned into a mass murderer, at any second, it really wouldn't have surprised anyone! Actually, turning Brad Ellis, the piano player, into a psycho would have up'd the ratings! Lima is no Los Angeles, or New York ... where there can easily be found numerous DIVAs ... and yet we have plenty of Divas in this show ... far more than would actually exist in any real Glee Club, including a major entertainment city!
Season 5 brought to light the biggest talent in the show, that of Santana, played by Naya Rivera ... when she marched down the theater aisle singing "Don't Rain On My Parade" ... she blew Lea Michele out of the place ... unfortunately, Fanny Brice was not Latino! Chris Colfer's, Kurt Hummel role got smaller ... considering that he and Lea started out as the two leads, at least when it came to the public. Sorry, but Cory Monteith, at least his role, never really surpassed Chris's Kurt Hummel. Actually, one of the shows biggest pitfalls was the fact that none of the characters stayed in character ... they were all over the place with no solid foundations, except, possibly, Cory Monteith's character.
The best dancers were Heather Morris and Harry Shum Jr.. The most talented, overall, Naya Rivera, Heather Morris, and Matthew Morrison. The gayest were Chris Colfer, Matthew Morrison, and (surprise) Jacob Artist. I wouldn't consider the latter to be that good of a dancer, but a really cool gymnast! The part of Unique was brilliantly played by Newell. Would love to see more of this character in other projects. And now we come to Lauren Potter ... absolutely adorable!
A whole cast of unbelievable talent could not save this poorly scripted/rather psychotic show.
Madea's Neighbors from Hell (2014)
Too Much Religion
Tyler Perry is a genius ... so, what else is new? I laughed robustly in a few spots. Tyler added what made The Carol Burnett Show so extremely popular ... cast members cracking up over ad-libs ... from day one! Unfortunately, one gets very tired of him cramming the Baptist Church down our throats. I believe that majority of Americans deal with church the same way Madea does ..... been there, done that, and no thank you very much! One thing that Madea isn't is a hypocrite! One of the reasons I like Tyler Perry is that he brings us face to face with problems like the problems that exist in foster care families ... which occurs in far too many real families these days.
The acting is top rate ... the ad-libs are hilarious ... and Tyler Perry is in top form as a hell raising Madea: hero to every abused child in the world! The high point of the play is when Madea gets into the face of the foster mother and Madea's body bounces everywhere ... absolutely hilarious! Some of the singing is top rate, some leave a lot to be desired ... but, the play still leaves you wanting to watch it over again ... fast forwarding passed the religious songs, of course.
A word about Wess Morgan ... the man came across as a revivalist preacher throughout the play. Enough so that I constantly wondered if that was his day job. No, this is not meant as a complement, as he was suppose to be a child protection services supervisor ... and I don't believe there is such a person, like him, in that job. One of the biggest problems in child protection services is that none of them really gives a darn about the child ... its just a job! Wess playing one that actually did care, that was pretty great ... but he took it over the top with coming across as a television evangelist!
A Merry Friggin' Christmas (2014)
Shocking, to say the least
Having watched this film and prefer not to watch it again ... I can truthfully say that this project had much to do with Robin's suicide ... a film that he never would have made if he didn't need the money so badly. His character, in this movie, is the extremely opposite of who Robin was ... and I can't imagine any fan that would actually watch this film more than once. I am contemplating throwing it out ... just like I did with Pee Wee Herman's Christmas Video. To be fair ... Pee Wee Herman always gave me the creeps ... making him the total opposite of Robin Williams. Actually, the special features are a million times better than the movie.
Candice Bergan ... I had a slight problem accepting this person as being Candice Bergen! Poor casting! There is no way Candice could be like the person she played in the movie. Candice is an out there person that speaks her mind.
I guess I'll keep the DVD ... for the extras!