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Reviews
Sin City (2005)
Stunning,
Sin City is a visual masterpiece. Rodriguez has finally created his coup de grace. I can't say I'm the biggest fan of Rodriguez, however, Sin City succeeds on many different levels. While Rodriguez has established own style with such pieces as "El Mariachi" and "From Dusk Till Dawn", Sin City stands out in a visual league of it's own. From the beginning to end, it challenges even the most intellectual viewer.
Violence is the centerpiece of the three stories. Love and loss are ancillary when considering the primary focus of Rodriguez's talented vision of Miller's work. View this picture as more than just a story -but as a painting in violence. Bullets and blood are stylized in a cartooneque ballad of the operatic worthy of Miller's namesake - "Sin City". Visit the comics and relive them through Rodriguez's recreation. Miller's contribution is apparent throughout in the special effects, if that's what it's called these days.
The violence is stomach turning. The audience in the theater gasped screamed and exclaimed "DAMN!" many times through the movie.
The individual performances by Willis, Rourke et al. were dazzling. When considering that the actors played their parts in front of a completely CGI backdrop, it becomes apparent that they are clearly incredible. Score this with Rodriguez's compositions, and one observes a final masterpiece.
Enjoy.
Le fils (2002)
Gourmet is a genius.
Olivier Gourmet cultivates a spectacular character as the carpenter who's lost everything in life except a desire to feel "useful". When he's confronted with a boy from his past, Gourmet's ability to convey the character's feelings with mostly body language and very concise dialog achieves what very few actors can. I would put him on par with DeNiro, Del Torro or Depp.
"Le Fils" is a very intense film shot entirely with hand cam and without a musical score. The characters are so real that it seems almost like a sort of documentary without a narrative, although the narrative voice of the story is extremely strong and tightly adhered to. Although the dreary Belgian winter makes the movie feels "icky", this movie succeeds on many levels and is a rush to watch - the conflicts abound and there are several unexpected twists that will thrill you.
Definitely a great movie.
The Ladies Man (2000)
Masterfull
Tim Meadows has to be the most underrated of SNL's recent cast members. What initially was a low-brow look at a sleazy gigilo develops into a thoroughly entertaining 90 minute run, albeit, still low-brow. Don't pop this one in expecting beautiful cinematography or Oscar-worthy performances. Walk into it expecting brilliant silliness with Tim Meadows and Will Ferrell doing what they do best - making the audience laugh.
Leon "The Ladies' Man" Phelps is a naive, likable radio sex show host who knows very little about anything except the ways of the wang. As a gifted Ladies Man, he lays waste to the wives of countless saps who've banded together in order to hunt him down. The director does an inspired job of guiding the actors on a comedic tryst which makes up completely for the lack of plot development. How much plot would one expect from an SNL skit? While some scenes are a little off the mark, for the most part, Meadows' one liners and absurd sexual comments hit the funny bone squarely. For instance, in one scene, Meadows compares himself to Mother Theresa, but for bonin'. Sure it's crass, but don't we all in the privacy of our homes get a chuckle out of his advice to an entire city for "doin' it in the butt"? In another scene, immediately after a heartfelt kiss with the female lead, he suddenly remembers the name of his would be benefactor, a woman he slept with years ago. He stands up in front of the woman who's obviously fallen for him and proclaims that "The Ladies' Man is back," to her obvious chagrin.
Billy Dee Williams hits the ball out of the park as the bartender/narrator. Will Ferrell, the repressed homosexual, rounds out solid performances.
See this movie if you're into adult humor. If not, stay away with extreme prejudice.
Oligarkh (2002)
Hit Stop Midway
To say this movie is bad is lending it too much credit. The writing and cinematography were atrocious, not to mention the amateurish acting that at times was so painful to watch that I walked away to answer a phone call and go to the bathroom - both more enjoyable.
Do not watch this movie unless you're in need of a cure for insomnia. The ten line IMDb requirement is bad policy for bad movies since there's really not much to say about this travesty.
There's a theory that a thousand chimpanzees sitting in a room full of typewriters could have come up with Shakespeare's masterpieces. I'll offer another theory: two chimps and a typewriter would stumble upon this story first with little effort and no editorial service.
I hope something better comes out of Russia soon, or they'll be blacklisted from my DVD player.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
Dumb Movie, Brilliant Commentary
This movie was bad, but had its moments of low-brow humor that elicited some chuckles. At the end of the movie, I felt as if there were something missing from the overall experience. Curious as to what the co-writers were thinking as they wrote the film, I decided to watch the commentary voice-over feature on the DVD. I almost never watch the commentary, so this was purely a fortuitous happenstance.
When they collaborate, Will Ferrell and Adam McKay are comedic geniuses. The commentary offers a glimpse into what these guys do when they get together. The commentary is basically a brainstorming, free-for-all that stands apart from the movie, as they actually comment on the movie only a fraction of the time. The rest of the time is spent staging humiliating, awkward moments with other cast-members, un-cast actors like Andy Richter and even entertaining a surprise visit by Lou Rawls. Poor Lou had no idea what was going on. Adam McKay asked Rawls if he thought Ferrell should agree to make a movie called "Dwarf," a movie about a naive dwarf transplanted to New York City from the North Pole. Ferrell is adamantly against the idea and Rawls tries to act as go-between. Its almost like an Ali G interview - very awkward to hear. The introduction to the commentary had me laughing to tears, it was crass, but really, very funny.