Hammeranvil Reviews

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (2009)

I May Be Wrong But...

[28 January 2010]

The positive reviews for this film seem fake.

No one who saw this movie could possibly claim that it's good. I daresay one would be hard pressed to even mouth the words "its okay".

This film was bad. Very bad. Even if I ignored the horrible production values, the characters were totally unlikeable and the jokes were either out-of-date, fell flat or were just crude shock talk someone tried to pass off as envelope-pushing edginess.

I loved the book, and I really wasn't expecting this film to be even half has good. BUT I EXPECTED FAR BETTER THAN THIS.

I'm more than disappointed. I'm disgusted.

American History X (1998)

The Music During the Basketball Scene

[18 November 2006]

Did anyone notice that it was like a symphony? I believe the director was trying to convey how triumphant the skinheads feel for besting blacks at basketball. At first I thought it was silly and unrealistic. But then I came to realize that some (perhaps MOST) racists WOULD feel triumphant about winning the basketball courts from blacks because of deep-seated racist fears and insecurities about athleticism, physical prowess and so on. Still it does seem a bit silly and cheapens the film. I mean "win this game and you leave the courts forever ... deal?"

Come on!

A good film. Sure there were parts that were just to ridiculous to buy. But it did a good job of making the unrealistic SEEM sort of realistic, and for that it deserves some praise.

Take the Lead (2006)

Will Be An Even Bigger Failure Than Imagined

[5 April 2006]

A poster's take on "Take the Lead"

"Their children reflect this environment. They hide their low self esteem with bravura, petty crimes, slang, rudeness, indifference AND, ABOVE ALL, THEIR LOVE OF HIP HOP MUSIC."

As if Hip-Hop is in the same league with pretty crime and low self esteem

"His competition is hip-hop music and hip-hop dancing and the GHETTO, CHIP-ON-THE-SHOULDER attitudes."

Oh can't get enough of these type of movies where the great savior comes in and has to contend with those no-good-ghetto kids and the chips on their shoulders.

"Over time and with difficulty, he starts to bring the troubled teens UP TO HIS LEVEL. He never goes DOWN TO THEIR LEVEL."

Isn't that special? He raises them UP to his level and never goes DOWN to theirs.

Yup, judging from this fellow's synopsis on "Take the Lead" I can see why it's going to be even more of a miserable box office failure than everyone already imagines it will be.

Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic (2005)

Sarah's Only Okay

[11 November 2005]

I think the only people who would really find her work refreshing are people who are too used to lying and believing lies about social conditions and beliefs.

Too many of the people she pokes fun at (minorities, rights organizations etc.) are well aware that most people are bigoted and racist and are firmly committed to hiding this fact by confining their personal hatreds to what they think are subtle, undetectable acts of prejudice. Her comedy loses it's punch on people who have no illusions about what people think and what they say in their hearts or behind closed doors.

In other words, if you're well aware that most of the people smiling in your face are racist, bigoted bastards ... someone informing you of this fact isn't going to wow you all that much.