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TajMahal2000
Reviews
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007)
This film will clean up at the Oscars
When I first heard this comedy was on its way, I had high expectations of something genuinely funny. I am disappointed to say that I found it rather patchy. It constantly switches from being sympathetic to gay people to being childish and homophobic. The soap in the shower scene - the film's lowest point - is an example of the imbecilic cringe-making humour that looks so dated these days. Having said that I think this movie will clean up at the Oscars and could even win the Best Film category. After all it is the kind of gay oriented movie that the Academy might appreciate for once: A lightweight, easy to follow subject with ample lashings of homophobia. Let's face it: they gave 'Crash', 'Chicago' and 'Terms of Endearment' the Best Picture accolade, so they have already demonstrated they are capable of plunging to any depths of bad taste. Roll out that red carpet!
Some Like It Hot (1959)
An all time classic
Most dedicated film fans will know the storyline of this classic comedy. Two guys dress up as women to escape the mafia after witnessing the St Valentine Day massacre. Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis give stealing performances. Marilyn Monroe is also great as the innocent and naive starlet. Jack Lemmon's performance to me is probably the funniest comedy movie performance of all time. He is an absolute riot! What a great actor! However I gave this classic less than 10 stars as I dislike mafia and gangsters. These days I usually skip the first 30 minutes (i.e. the worst part of the film): The antics of Spats Colombo and the other cretinous lowlife gangs leave me cold. Also the film would have had a much better ending if ALL the mafia gangsters came to a grisly end.
Hot Fuzz (2007)
Great film but spare us the bloody scenes
Simon Pegg plays a London cop who is dispatched to a Gloucestershire village because his great talent and high arrest record puts his fellow officers to shame. He immediately clashes with the residents of this 'sleepy' village who take exception to his style, meddling and eagerness to prove that the growing body count is the job of a serial killer and not just an accident. Pegg is both charismatic and fun to watch as the tense cop who takes his work very seriously, unlike his dim side kick played by Edgar Wright, who is also one of the funniest characters in the film. This is an enjoyable story, particularly the last 40 minutes or so when the tide turns against the village cult and the real gunfight action kicks in. The only thing I didn't like about this film was the gory & bloody scenes that came with each murder. Seeing someone's head being crashed like a watermelon by falling church masonry is not in the least bit amusing to me. I am normally against film censorship but in this case I would happily opt for a 'cleaned up' DVD version.
Police Academy (1984)
Slapstick comedy gold
This is one of my all time favourite slapstick comedies. The town's new mayor drops all restrictions for entry into the police force. As a result all kinds of misfits apply to enter with hilarious results. Captain Harris played by G.W Bailey is wickedly funny and the scene where Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg) sticks his head out of the podium to Captain Lassard's astonishment, made me laugh so hard I fell off my seat in the cinema. It still gives me a chuckle even now! It may all be vulgar and politically incorrect at times but what is wrong with that? If every film made was thought provoking and sophisticated, life would be very boring. I would also advise all the critics who kept slating this film over the years to lighten up and don't take themselves so seriously! I do agree though that the sequels got progressively worse but Police Acedemy 2 and 3 are still watchable and funny - just!
The Supergrass (1985)
Great film but what about the picture ratio
Great 1980s Comic Strip comedy set in the South West of England. It is a tale of sex, drugs, cream teas and murder by the seaside. Adrian Edmondson, French and Saunders, Nigel Planer (hilarious in drag) and Robbie Coltrane play a part. Dennis (Edmondson) tries to impress girlfriend by boasting he is involved in a multi-million pounds drug deal. This leads to complications with hilarious results. I am trying to find out the original picture ratio for this film but it does not appear under 'Technical Aspects' of the IMDb site. I spotted the DVD in the shop and it appears to be in 1.33:1 (full screen) format. Was the film shot in this ratio or was it originally a widescreen film with a pan and scan DVD? It would be useful to know as I hate pan and scan films. So come on IMDb. Could you find out for us?
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
A Classic Masterpiece
I have now seen this film three times and each time I discover something new that moves me or emotionally devastates me. To be dubbed as 'the gay cowboy film' does this masterpiece little justice. It is a beautiful love story and by way of a refreshing change it is between two people of the same sex. Heath Ledger's performance as the repressed Ennis Del Mar is simply breathtaking. His pain and sadness, expressed with few and often inaudible words is truly moving, raw and very very real. You just want to reach out and hug him. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Williams give equally moving performances. Well done to Ang Lee, Annie Proulx and the rest of the crew who helped bring this masterpiece to the cinema. Which brings me to this: What were the Academy thinking of awarding 'Crash' the Best Picture over 'Brokeback Mountain'? This reminds me of another well known and equally criminal travesty from years ago - this time courtesy of the British pop charts - when the classic single 'Vienna' by Ultravox was kept out of No.1 by the appalling Joe Dolce single 'Shaddap You Face'. The only difference being that Joe Dolce has more credibility than Crash! (Ouch!)