zazoo-2 Reviews

Happy, Texas (1999)

"A Fish out of Water" Situation

[8/10 · 5 January 2002]

I rented the video because I'm a Ron Perlman fan and I read that he had a small part in the movie. I took to watching it with no expectations, and found it to be light-hearted, zany, off-beat and, at times, hilarious.

If you are looking for a movie that is trying to make a statement about gay rights, look somewhere else. I found the "at the dance" scene funny, not because it was two (gay)men dancing, but the humor in seeing someone who is completely out of their element and trying to deal with the situation as best he could. A lot of humor is based on such "fish out of water" situations and this was no different.

Steve Zahn did indeed steal the show. My favorite scene is the one where he (one of the escaped cons)is sitting at the sewing machine and is telling his partner that he can't decide whether to baste or slip stitch the costumes for the girls. I thought I'd die laughing. Another "fish out of water" situation.

Sure it is at times silly and contrived and maybe even predictable. However, it was also sweet, thoughtfully written with regards to gay feelings, well acted for the most part and very entertaining IF you can suspend your disbelief for a short time and appreciate the "fish out of water" comic situations. I think that the people who don't like this movie, are either homophobic, took it too seriously or looked for things that weren't meant to be there.

I think it is one of the most endearing films I've seen in a long time.

Analyze This (1999)

If you've seen the previews....

[1/10 · 5 January 2002]

If you've seen the previews you've seen the movie.

Nothing in the film made me care about any of these characters. I didn't find them likable in the least. I kept trying to figure out whether this was suppose to be a comedy or a drama. It missed the mark as a comedy, and it was too lacking in substance to take seriously. I'm still scratching my head as to WHAT the point of the movie was. Skip this one. Robert De Niro has made so many other good films.

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)

Is There a 0 Rating?

[1/10 · 5 January 2002]

Personally, I couldn't bring myself to watch the whole thing. I kept fast forwarding to see if there was anything of redeeming value coming up later....no such luck. The time I spent on this movie,....well I could have cleaned my toilets and got as many laughs, and in the end, at least I'd have clean toilets instead of wasted time!!

If there were a zero (0) rating, that's what I would give this movie. The people who think this is funny must be under age 25. It would be interesting to know if they feel the same way in 30 years.

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

I can't believe I watched the whole thing....

[7/10 · 25 April 2000]

I can't believe that Tom Cruise and Nichole Kidman could have lowered themselves to do such a horrid movie. If you can stay awake through all the street walking and driving around in the car scenes you are rewarded by conversations between characters you don't even care about, Tom Cruise's blank stares and Nichole Kidman's whinny, crying, stupid dreams were just too much. If Stanley Kubrick set out to make another really bizzare film he missed the mark on this one. It could have been a whole lot better. The whole movie was a let down. As far as this supposedly being a thriller, I wasn't thrilled. Thrill is created when something dangerous is possibly going to happen to a character that as been developed in such a way that you CAN care about them. As I said, I couldn't have cared less about these people. If there was suppose to be some kind of psychological lesson to learn it was all to vague and scattered to grasp with any clear cut definition.

I can only figure that it's the nudity, unbridled sex and sexual fantasy that getting the "10" ratings from the men. If the sex and female nudity were not such a big part of this film I doubt that many men could have stayed awake through it! If you want to watch a film with real psycological questions, rent "What Dreams May Come", a film about real love, with top notch cinematography and characters you can care about.

There Goes My Baby (1994)

An astute period piece....

[8/10 · 23 April 2000]

It certainly would help if you, (as I was) a teenager during the mid to late 60's to enjoy this movie. The writer and director skillfully encapsulated all the issues of the time into a two hour movie that chronicled one graduation day/eve in 1965. All the emotions, political troubles, moral issues, family belief structures and youthful life styles and were portrayed through the friendship of these few individuals. This movie was one of the most nostalgic films I have ever watched.

Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)

Change your perception....

[10/10 · 23 April 2000]

I was brought up Catholic and was taught that Jesus was first and foremost..... "GOD". Little was ever mentioned about his human nature. He was a God so far above me that as a child, I only knew to fear him, the omnipotent One. This movie's greatest accomplishment is to show the "human" side of Christ. It creates an atmosphere that allows you, if you try, to suspend what you think you know to be true now, and imagine yourself living with Christ "the man" BEFORE he became known as God's "only begotten Son".

Jesus was a man. He had friends/followers, he had women companions, he got tired feet, got hungry and had to go to sleep at night, he was angered and he was doubtful, If you deny any of this you are denying the true human nature of Jesus. Understanding this is not sacrilegious.

The questions that are asked in the film such as "Jesus did you expect it to go this far?" "Jesus, do you believe you are who they say you are?" are questions that seem foolish to believers today, but for the people who knew him personally he WAS "just a man". He never claimed to be GOD. It was only after his death that the gospel writers deified him.

The garden of Gethsemane scene is one of the most powerful scenes ever put to film. It is here that we see the true "humanness" of Jesus. His words of doubt (an idea taken from the Gospel of John) clearly substantiate Christ's humanness and his doubts about what was to befall him. In the movie Jesus asks God to tell him "Why?" he must die. It is very moving when seen through the eyes of Jesus the man. For me that was a life changing moment and it brought me to greater understanding of the historical Jesus. I was able to conceive of, for the first time, Jesus the man. I also realized for the first time that Jesus DID know what it is like to be human. I felt closer to him at that moment than ever before. The lyrics also raise some interesting questions.like "Do we get too wrapped up in the man and not the message?" This would seem true about all the founders of the world's great religions. (They can't all be right) "Will there always be poor and suffering people?" "How DO we love such a man?"

I think all of the performances were outstanding. I think it has the most powerful musical lyrics ever written and a musical score that fits the drama to a tee. For those people who criticize the performances, remember this was never meant to be a movie in the "MOVIE" sense of the word. It was a rock opera stage production, put on film with expanded scenery (and what a perfect setting it was) in order to bring the historical perception of Jesus into even clearer view. Some people think that calling Jesus Christ a Superstar is sacrilegious. Well, I can't think of anyone who is more of a superstar in the role of a religious leader than Jesus. The people who think it is sacrilegious to put the bible to rock music, well, it was the music for the time. Any method that awakens an interest in Jesus Christ, as a historical person or as God, cannot be bad.

Jesus Christ Superstar reclaimed the love for Jesus from many teens that were my age at the time, and had fallen away from religion. I think the movie still carries that power if watched from the correct perspective. Anyone who thinks this movie is campy.....Just isn't getting it!

Shirley Valentine (1989)

A wake up call to follow your heart....

[10/10 · 10 April 2000]

The most profound moment for me was when Shirley is riding home on the bus, at night in the rain, talking to herself (us) in the reflection of the window. She asked the question that so many middle aged people find themselves asking as they look into the mirror and see themselves getting "old". She asked "What ever happened to "Shirley Valentine"? ". As if she had lost herself in her role as parent and wife. She does not mean that she is regretful or spiteful, and no way suggests that she wasn't happy to do it.

Shirley's quest to get reacquainted with herself is a wake up call to so many people who have given themselves up to their own role of parent and/or spouse. Call it mid-life crisis if you want, but Shirley's journey is full of honesty, warmth, daring and humor. It is a joyful journey that calls to each of us to get off the couch and live the dream life we put aside years ago. Whether her husband wakes up to the call is a detail I'll leave for you to discover when you watch this wonderful movie!