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holterbarbour
Reviews
Susan's Plan (1998)
Dreadful.
I could have very well spent 90-some minutes staring at a blank sheet of paper, and my trains of thought would have been much more entertaining. Actually trains, of thought involving two of the actresses (Lisa Edelstein and Cristina Venuti) took me on very plesant journeys indeed. However, this movie is so PAINFULLY slow, and the dialogue so forced, that is impossible for this movie to do anything but make you stare at your watch. The cast is great, but no one seems to fit. Billy Zane finally has a role where he portrays a Human Being, but Micheal Biehn is woefully miscast as a ne'er-do-well. It just amazes me that John Landis- genius behind Animal House, Blues Brothers, American Werewolf in London, Coming to America and Spies like Us, was responsible for this waste of time. So very sad. C'mon, John, we know you have it in ya!
Highball (1997)
The Real star of this film is the writing
It's a nice surprise to see so many famous names get together for a (very) low budget film like this (the end credits celebrate its being filmed in just six days). Even nicer than that is the incredibly witty dialogue and situations that are so perfectly satirized at a party. This film follows a group of couples (and the permutations therein) and their friends at three parties- a housewarming, Hallowe'en, and New Years. You've been to one of these parties. You know these people. There's the insufferable prick that keeps getting invited, theres the Grudge between two guys, there's the ex-girlfriend dating someone else now... etc. It's a BRILLIANTLY funny movie, and there it gets funnier each time you watch it- too many of them go over your head the first time round.
Flirting with Disaster (1996)
Brilliantly funny
One of the most consistently hilarious movies I've ever seen. Each joke is fresh, each character is unique and original, and the performaces of some famous faces are great- Alan Alda and Mary Tyler Moore like you've never imagined. It's a fine screwball comedy, and WELL worth renting. This is done by the guy who did THREE KINGS and SPANKING THE MONKEY, so you know there's great stuff to be seen.
With Honors (1994)
Perhaps the most hackneyed film ever
Awful. Although Moira Kelly, Brendan Fraser and Joe Pesci are charming and talented, this movie flat out sucked. Every line and situation was as contrived and predictable as it can get. Joe Pesci's scrappy hard-luck case is so "sublime" it's ridiculous.And his accent is simply irritating. Brendan Fraser plays "Stuck Up But Finds Out What Really Matters In Life", which I have seen a bajillion times before. You know what's going to happen from the second your eye catches the box in the video store. That's how predictable it is. I am always amazed at how many people rave over this film. This and Titanic are probably the worst examples of creating one-dimensional characters. Avoid at all costs.