Groucho734 Reviews

Face/Off (1997)

No, sorry...

[1/10 · 8 August 2002]

...not actually the greatest Action movie ever, but everything that is wrong with the unholy alliance of John Woo and American Studio money. Over the top? And back and around and over again, skippy! Bad script? Arrrg...script bad, bread good. Implausible premise used as an excuse for one bad actor to impersonate another? Oh, my, yes. John Woo needs a lackey to say: "mmmm, maybe NOT, John?" instead of: "more 'splosions with that?"

And, IMDb readers, as a rule, you MUST ignore any review of a film where the reviewer's handle is the name of a character IN THAT FILM. No rational objectivity, you see. Mind you, I said CHARACTER, not ACTOR ;)

Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974)

Get the DVDs! See what you've been missing!

[6 December 2000]

If, like me, you grew up watching Python on PBS in the 70s or 80s, you must get these DVDs to see EVERYTHING YOU MISSED! Many of the episodes run over 30 minutes, and PBS apparently trimmed here and there to make them fit!

Most of the cuts are a few seconds here and there within sketches. But in some episodes, #2 for example, which runs 32:45, there is AN ENTIRE BIT involving a home movie of Queen Victoria YOU'VE PROBABLY NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

My initial hesitation in buying the boxed set was wiped away after I saw these lost gems! Now, let's get that Fawlty Towers set going!!!

SCTV (1976–1981)

True satire at its best

[21 August 2000]

Probably the best TV version of the many SCTV formats, even without Martin Short's Ed Grimley or Jackie Rogers Jr. A sharply focused parody of (mostly) television AND smalltown mid-western culture, both American and Canadian at the same time! A true world unto itself, filled with enough in-jokes and running gags to make your head spin.

Duck! Rabbit, Duck! (1953)

The Hunting Trilogy

[10/10 · 21 August 2000]

The "Hunting Trilogy" of Rabbit Fire (1951), Rabbit Seasoning (1952), and Duck! Rabbit! Duck! (1953) should be considered the comedic high water mark of the Chuck Jones-Michael Maltese collaboration. While they are seldom mentioned in lists of the "greatest" or "most important" cartoons in the history of animation, they are certainly THE FUNNIEST cartoons I've ever seen. Michael Maltese never got the credit that directors like Jones, Freleng or Avery got, but it's his dialogue and situations that make Warner Bros. cartoons, and these three in particular, some of the FUNNIEST ever made.

Rabbit Seasoning (1952)

The Hunting Trilogy

[10/10 · 21 August 2000]

The "Hunting Trilogy" of Rabbit Fire (1951), Rabbit Seasoning (1952), and Duck! Rabbit! Duck! (1953) should be considered the comedic high water mark of the Chuck Jones-Michael Maltese collaboration. While they are seldom mentioned in lists of the "greatest" or "most important" cartoons in the history of animation, they are certainly THE FUNNIEST cartoons I've ever seen. Michael Maltese never got the credit that directors like Jones, Freleng or Avery got, but it's his dialogue and situations that make Warner Bros. cartoons, and these three in particular, some of the FUNNIEST ever made.

Rabbit Fire (1951)

The Hunting Trilogy

[10/10 · 21 August 2000]

The "Hunting Trilogy" of Rabbit Fire (1951), Rabbit Seasoning (1952), and Duck! Rabbit! Duck! (1953) should be considered the comedic high water mark of the Chuck Jones-Michael Maltese collaboration. While they are seldom mentioned in lists of the "greatest" or "most important" cartoons in the history of animation, they are certainly THE FUNNIEST cartoons I've ever seen. Michael Maltese never got the credit that directors like Jones, Freleng or Avery got, but it's his dialogue and situations that make Warner Bros. cartoons, and these three in particular, some of the FUNNIEST ever made.

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

The sad fall of a once-great character

[11 February 2000]

The James Bond series has degenerated into typical American action fare. The wit, sophistication, and, CLASS have all been stripped away. Cliches, gimmicks and unwarranted brutality are now standard issue. Didn't anyone else have a problem with Bond mowing down innocent Russian soldiers during his escape in Goldeneye? Isn't Bond supposed to be more clever than that? Certainly the screenwriters should have been. Check out the most underrated Bond film, "The Living Daylights," for what could have been. I don't blame Brosnan, as he is doing the best he can with inferior material.