Reviews
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
A great laugh!
I'm not usually a fan of slapstick... but sometimes, the puerile side just has to be released! The premise sounds pretty lame... BUT!
This movie works on several levels: First, the guilty pleasure that you just have to take in the perfect timing of all the movie's physical comedy. It's like watching old chuck-jones cartoons (an idea that I think Smith toyed with in Mallrats, with Jay's 'Wile E. Coyote' style blueprints, and outrageous plans to destroy a stage)... Not just because of the perfect timing in every gag... but also, because of the inspired acting by Mewes and (particularly) smith.
Secondly, the endless cameos by stars of the other view-askew movies, and other famous friends... Trying to spot them all was pretty good fun in itself... Admittedly more for fans than laymen, as the references to Smith's previous work came thick and fast, at worst, raising a smile, at best a smug giggle. The references to other cult movies and directors, and indeed more mainstream pop-culture institutions were also pretty good fun!
Thirdly, it had a monkey. Audiences love monkeys (or rather, apes... a fact made clear by "any which way but loose"!) Oh, and plenty of gratuitous ass, and indeed profanity.
All in all a formula which has delighted the viewing public on so many previous occasions (south park being a perfect example), that with smith behind the wheel, it couldn't have gone wrong! Go and see it... but don't expect any intelligent observations on the state of the nation. This is just a laugh... and doesn't pretend to be anything else.
The Cell (2000)
An... 'experience'
The plot was somewhat unoriginal. Without the basic format of "Job A must be achieved within time limit B. To achieve Job A within time limit B, hero C must enter an artificial reality, so convincing, that if persuaded that they have been killed within the fictional world, hero C dies in reality." scores of Star Trek spin-off episodes would never have existed. True, there have been some interesting twists to the basic format in this movie, but the Matrix puts them to shame. BUT! Don't get me wrong, i was not once bored by this film. The plot may have been less than amazing, but the cinematography and the convincing performances more than made up for that. This has to be one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen. The desert scenes were amazing, and some of the imagery within the psycho's was perfectly conveyed. Is this a case of style over content? Probably. But, look at Luc Beson's 80s work: This is not necessarily a bad thing.
Cube (1997)
Pretentious tedium
I read that this was one of the most intelligent and original films of the decade. It bored me.
I have a feeling that some will say that I can't have understood it. If I didn't, then I would like to know how it is that not one single event in the movie surprised me. It was the most predictable, yawn-making pile of verbose nonsense I've seen in quite a while. The characters were not very realistic, and smacked of contrivance. The visuals were dull, and if this was intentional, to give a sense of uniformity and regularity to the cuboid maze, could there not have been some slighlty more interesting camerawork? Even the booby traps were cliched!
Don't bother watching this unless you are truly bored as it is.
Dark Star (1974)
Gloriously ironic
I love all those late 60s/70s sci-fi movies...and the movies made in their image. I mean Alien, Silent Running, 2001, Outland, Star Wars, even! They all had a very similar feel to them. Many had huge budgets, but a low-budget feel, because of the percentage that got poured into model shots, and SFX. 2001 had something like only 40 minutes of dialogue...and was 139 minutes long! Some found them slow, plodding, and just too strange... But I loved them! So... It's not surprising that I found Dark Star incredibly funny! Not in a pant-wettingly hilarious way. I rarely laughed out loud, but there was an immense charm to the subtle, witty, irony that oozed from its every frame. It's a spoof, so subtle, that without being intimately familiar with, and fond of, its 'victims'... You'd not be entirely sure! It's great, if you can take long pauses between dialogues... I gave it an 8/10
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
A true masterpiece
This has to be one of my all time favourite movies. On a superficial level, it is a genius work of cinematography, transparent use of SFX, amazing acting, and inspired art direction. A typical Gilliam piece, then! But beyond all this, it is a superb transfer from book to screen of a truly great work...making only a few, and not too many, sacrifices for the sake of easy-watching. People say that it is incoherent and insane...what did they expect from a portrayal of a drug-crazed reporter on the rampage in the world's wierdest city? All the same... I think that Gilliam did an amazing job to make the film quite as wierd, and 'Thompson-esque' as he did. It would have been so easy to make it...well...normal. I think that sacrificing some of the audience (the biggoted, easily offended, and morally blind section) to maintain the integrity of what is a very convoluted, but amazingly astute comment on 'the american dream'...was a very admirable decision!
See it!
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
Cool
An excellent movie!!! If you can stomach plenty of harsh language, take a look... I happen to think that being able to swear repeatedly in a sentence, and create truly offensive insults is a fine art...masters of it would include Trey Parker/Matt Stone, and Quentin Tarantino. This film is a triumph of the masterfully crafted cuss. Worth a look for that alone! ;o) Anyway...as for the plot...America declares war on Canada for corrupting their youth ('horrific, deplorable violence is ok as long as nobody says dirty words!') and much chaos ensues...including the coming of Satan....with Sadam Hussein... Well...look...you have to see, it's too wierd to explain briefly. The fact is that it's hilarious...vulgar...and gloriously childish. I loved it, so I gave it an 8. Remember to look out for the Star-Wars references! "yousa sayin' people gonna die?"...and Cartman throwing lightning from his hands... not to mention a dictator getting chucked down a big hole!
Mallrats (1995)
Better than bad, its good!
My GOD! What a cool movie. I guess the best way i can describe it would be, almost on a par with Wayne's World...funnier than Wayne's World 2. BUT! The movies have only the slightest similarities... The story in Mallrats is a little less inane, and the characters really are characters. Technically, it's a better movie... but as a result it sacrifices some of that gloriously inane humour that it could easily have had. Still, i gave it a 9. It made me laugh, cry, and hurl (i'll never shake hands with anyone ever again!) And that's about all you could ever ask for! Oh... thought i should just mention the dialogue! DAMN it was good. Laconic, hilarious, right on the frickin' mark my friend!
See it...and also see 'Clerks', 'Chasing Amy' and 'Dogma'!
Wayne's World (1992)
Kewl! :o)
Wayne's World is a classic! It went straight over my head the first time i saw it, because i wasn't really paying attention. Oh sure, i laughed at the time...it was still funny...but i didn't appreciate its true glory! The more i see this film, the more subtle jokes, delightful obscurity, and wonderfully inane references to popular culture seem to spring out at me. And much to its credit, not only does it feed on the 'pop-culture' of the social drop-out (60s sci-fi, heavy metal, and obscure british comedy), but it has managed, in return, to insinuate itself into popular culture throughout the world. I love it!!! Just take that scene in the music store... 'i like to play'....how can 4 words be so hilarious....and why did i suddenly think of that scene when i saw lars ulrich step out from behind his drumkit at a metallica concert, wearing geeky shorts and a T-shirt...to say 'i guess that's about that' Damn...its so difficult to explain why this film rocks....but it does. i guess you'd best just go watch it!!! You won't feel robbed.
Dune (1984)
Sooo Disappointing
If I ever got the chance to remake any one movie...it would be Dune, because i felt that the film was such a pathetic waste of the rights to Frank Herbert's classic book. That book was perhaps the greatest piece of writing this century, and a wonderful example of subtle political commentary, interwoven with an epic, yet minutely detailed plot. It was beautiful. David Lynch's hairy film, on the other hand, was a childish misinterpretation of the whole POINT of the book (in that the hero is made, not herbert's man playing God, but some kind of miracle-worker). It displayed all the hallmarks of a de laurentiis production: miscast actors (who are all in themselves good)directed in such a way as to appear terribly wooden, made to speak awful lines, against a background of terrible effects, purely so that the location filming can be done in some impressive landscape. (anyone remember Conan The Barbarian?). If only they had chosen something less intelligent to make this movie about, it would be fairly fun, in a cheap & cheerful way. Unfortunately, it will always be to me, a terrible waste of celluloid.
The Faculty (1998)
Watchable...but still pants
I had high hopes...by the team that made Scream, they said. I liked Robert Patrick's performance...but otherwise, i was disappointed. Scream was clever, funny, and stylish. This was shamelessly derivative, and didn't even make a very good joke about that (though they tried very hard to do so). I won't mention the plot...it's too predictable to bother. So, let's talk about where they nicked stuff from. The creatures in it have a tendency to do a lot of things which 'The Thing' did...like shoot out weird red tendrils etc...in fact, there is a bit where a head crawls about on little legs....hmmm, where did that come from?!?!. Oh, and also, they reproduce in water....and the ending was in a swimming pool! 'Gremlins' anybody?
Well, I gave it a 5/10. It was distinctly average. If you must watch (to pass the time, or whatever) wait for the video!
Screamers (1995)
A good, fun video to rent
I'm a big fan of Philip K. Dick, and so I already knew the basic story behind Screamers. (it was based on a short story of his). On seeing the film, I was satisfied with the way that they managed to work around the original's cold war trappings. Also, despite the low budget, the effects were sufficiently good to suspend disbelief. In fact, the attention to detail (surroundings, back-ground, odd gadgets etc.) was excellent, as is important in all sci-fi films...by creating a coherent world, the movie becomes that much more convincing. The performances were excellent, for such a low budget, and some of the lines were very quotable (up there with the script of 'Aliens' if you ask me). This is always an advantage. However, right at the end, I felt a little let down by the love-scene. It kind of destroyed Philip k. Dick's 'message'. Nevertheless, I managed to overlook that, considering how much fun it was.
This film is no classic, but it's well worth a look. It's really quite good!