Reviews
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Dumb.
Dumb. Just dumb. Yoda wielding a light saber and hopping
around like a super ball? D-U-M-B. Just as with EPISODE I, all the STAR WARS freaks will defend it to
the bitter end and at any cost. But each and every one of them
secretly knows, deep down in their denial-filled hearts, that George
Lucas is shamelessly exploiting them. Face the facts. The man is
remarkably talentless. And it's boring, too. Mind-numbingly boring.
Fiend Without a Face (1958)
A Classic (of sorts)
Okay, so the first hour of this 74-minute non-epic is padded to
the gills with seemingly silly dialogue, off-kilter acting, and
budgetless set design. I would argue that there is more than
meets the eye in the film's script, though, to the degree that it is a
surprisingly intelligent, supernatural take the atomic age. A highly
enjoyable hour which provides more than mere camp appeal. But - wow - that last 15 minutes! You can see everything from
THE TINGLER, to NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, to ERASERHEAD,
to EVIL DEAD being born in the film's glorious finale! After being
blown away by the film's (beautifully animated and frankly
disturbing) ending, I watched the film again, and admired how the
the seemingly thin first hour actually builds quite ingeniously to the
climax. I was also impressed with the tasteful application of gore
at the end (which could be generically attributed to the film's British
sensibility), giving it both a shocking and alluring quality. The more I think about this supposed schlocky B-film, the more
I appreciate it. Sometimes mainstream critics such as Mr. Maltin
miss the boat, and this is precisely one of those times.
The Mummy Returns (2001)
Viva Cookie Cutter!
Yet another cookie cutter blockbuster from greedy people who
could care less about "the great unwashed" once their ten-spot is
consumed by that great vacuum, the multiplex. I was exhausted before the commercials (no, not the trailers, the
commercials BEFORE the trailers) were over. Your average video game provides more thrills and potential for
free thought. I just hope the film gods can one day forgive us. In the meantime,
rent the original Universal MUMMY, instead.
Passions (1999)
Erasing the fine line between clever and stupid
I've been watching PASSIONS for over a month now, and am
forever hooked. When I first happened upon it, there was a
thoroughly bizarre parody of GHOSTBUSTERS being cross-cut
with a shameless and engrossing parody of PSYCHO. From this
initial impression onward, I've been amusingly impressed with the
show's ability and willingness to satirize itself (which it does
endlessly and, at times, quite intelligently), the soap opera
construct, and popular culture at large. The show is a constantly revolving amalgam of soap operatic
self-seriousness, satire, and supernatural camp. While others of
the genre wallow in redundancy, PASSIONS embraces its responsibility to its audience to titillate, amuse, and (dare I say it)
even intellectually stimulate. Its pacing is much sharper, its wit
more knowing and campy, its stable of stars more unique and
befitting of their respective roles (what other show is going to team
a witch with a doll portrayed by a martini-swigging dwarf?). While I was entirely unfamiliar with the show previous to
February 2001, I must say that PASSIONS, as it is currently, takes
the soap opera to a whole other level of engrossing entertainment.
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957)
The Best of the Best
Frank Tashlin's brilliantly sardonic romantic satire remains his best film, one of many forgotten Tashlin masterpieces of the 1950s. Jayne Mansfield shines as the larger-than-life comic relief, Tony Randall is Tashlin's troubled alter ego, torn between corporate "success" and personal satisfaction, Henry Jones is his tragic, pill-popping, excessively phlegmatic executive co-worker , Joan Blondell a washed-up, lovelorn, milk-obsessed (!) variation on the Mansfield-type. The color, the Cinemascope, the set design all produces a cartoon-like visual magic which makes the deeply serious subject matter not only palatable but highly entertaining. Never mind Tashlin's mastery of Brechtian distanciation...
Delírios de um Anormal (1978)
An Exhaustive Summation of A Cutting Edge Career
Marins' HALLUCINATIONS is a brilliant collage consisting of many disturbing, bizarre, and imaginatively perverse scenes which were censored from his earlier films. A man, Dr. Hamilton, is having nightmares in which Coffin Joe, Marins' demonic alter-ego, repeatedly kidnaps his wife for the purpose of superhuman procreation (a theme which runs through the Coffin Joe films). Fellow psychiatrists seek the help of Marins the filmmaker, in an attempt to force Hamilton back into reality. Of course, Marins mastery of cinematic metaphysics throws all matter of logic and rationality to the dogs, so that what you get instead is a wild journey into the dark realms of the unconscious. The film is as much about Marins and his controversial career as it is an underground "head " film, and to get anything out of it, it's helpful to understand who and what Coffin Joe is. Once you can appreciate Marins' mastery of "the aesthetics of garbage," you'll realise how brilliant and undervalued he is in international cinema.
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
Hilarious but nowhere near the original
What is obvious about the sequel is that Myers spent most of his time developing the Dr. Evil character, while pretty much ignoring Austin Powers altogether. Dr. Evil is so fully defined now, that nearly all of his scenes come off beautifully. His two henchmen, Mini Me and Fat Bastard are inspired creations. As for Austin Powers, what were they thinking? The character is unforgivably short-changed, being forced to drink liquid feces in one of the film's several low points. While Dr. Evil has two great partners, Powers is stuck with obnoxious Heather Graham, a far cry from the oh-so-talented and beautiful Elizabeth Hurley (who is tastelessly disposed of within the film's first few minutes). In addition, he's forced to repeat nearly every previously funny joke from the first film. The naive, clumsy, endearing charm of the original is largely replaced with sick, mean humor, along the lines of the cut-and-paste humor of the Farrelly Brothers or Adam Sandler. While the film is at times extremely funny, it doesn't warrent repeat viewings, as did the first. Besides, Mr. Bigglesworth only has ONE SCENE!!!