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Reviews
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Opie's a Hack
I hate to say it, but Ron Howard is nothing more than a glorified hack. The man we remember fondly as "Opie Taylor" and "Richie Cunningham" has become the new King of Hollywood, churning out one populist hit after another. But to take the harrowing story of John Nash and turn it into "Good Will Hunting"/"Dead Poets Society" mush is going too far. Not only does Howard fool around with the facts to satisfy his crowd-pleasing neurosis, he saturates his film with a cliche-ridden musical score. Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly are solid, but their efforts aren't enough to give the film more bite. This is a story about a very serious mental disorder, one that nearly ruined this man's life. One wonders what a director such as David Lynch or Peter Jackson would've done with this material (think "The Elephant Man"). Nash deserves a darker, more complex take on his condition, not syrupy strings and cute little one-liners the audience can see coming a mile away.
** out of ****
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Brilliant Fantasy
Having just walked out of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", this reviewer is still reeling from the experience. Who would have thought Chris Columbus had another masterpiece left in him after "Adventures in Babysitting"? Columbus proves that his breakthrough was no fluke, and that he can indeed helm such a highly anticipated fantasy film without fail. Despite terrific performance from the fat guy in "Naked Gun 2" and Peter O'Toole's drunken sidekick, however, "Potter" feels somewhat incomplete. What it needed was a cameo from Michael Gross of "Family Ties". Gross was born to play the janitor of the Hogwarts institute, but the lack of originality on Columbus's part prevented this from happening. Instead, he relies on the talents of John Lennon in the title role (the bespeckled one hasn't acted in over thirty years, so Columbus's choice here is rather puzzling). Nonetheless, a great effort by all involved.
Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
American Masterpiece
"Diff'rent Strokes" ranks among a handful of masterpieces that have made their debuts on American television. So powerful and three-dimensional are its characters that it puts lesser works such as the over-bloated mini-series "Roots" to shame. "Strokes" hit the airwaves like a bombshell back in 1978; most of its viewers had yet to see the harsh realities of the ghetto depicted on the small screen. Before their eyes, they noticed two hard-edged African-American street urchins in a highly competitive game of basketball (these scenes were no doubt a key influence on the works of future African-American filmmakers Spike Lee and the Hughes Brothers). This no doubt awoke white America to the grittier, more nihilistic aspects of the urban community. If that wasn't reality enough, the children are taken aback by the presence of wealthy WASP Mr. Drummond(who despite such class and ethnic differences is miraculously able to relate to the youngsters without resorting to urban slang). In an act of great compassion, he hugs them and decides to save them from depravity in a modern-day Dante's Inferno. The threesome soon rejoice as they enter Drummond's slick limo and take off. Because of his frail demeanor, Mr. D is barely able to wave his driver off yet does so out of desperation. This is a terrific character quirk that genius actor Conrad Bain brings to such a complex role.
Had "Strokes" simply stayed on this route, it would've remained a TV classic. However, nothing prepared audiences for the ground-breaking episode in which pedophilia, of all topics, was presented in such harsh detail. Actor Gordon Jump blew away all his previous achievements ("WKRP", Maytag commercials) with his remarkable performance as a seemingly benign old man with a dark, dark secret. I won't spoil it for you here, but the reaction of the child's father is one of the most heartwrenching and subtle displays of Method acting in recent memory. A great episode, and one indicative of this landmark series' finest moments.
Glitter (2001)
A Cinematic Triumph
Vondie Curtis-Hall. You may not know the name yet, but you eventually will. He boasts the screen's finest visual sensibility since Stanley Kubrick, which is on splendid display throughout his debut film "Glitter". Of course, if all Curtis-Hall had to offer was eye candy and visual dazzle, no one would pay attention. However, he scathingly critiques the 80s pop music scene with such savagery that audiences will certainly be moved in ways not seen since "Last Tango in Paris". This is not some film warped in sentimental sap (i.e. "Casablanca", "Vertigo") but a cinematic triumph with deep, complex emotional reverberations. A film that actually SAYS something. And in the days of such banal Hollywood tripe as "You Can Count On Me" and "Memento", that's certainly welcome.
Kudos should go out to its unknown lead, Mariah Carey, for delivering what is ultimately the finest screen portrayal of a pop star in ages. Carey sings with so much feeling and power that she could possibly have a second career as a pop star herself. However, with the acting chops she shows in full force here, she shouldn't need worry about a second career. It may be the most startling female performance since Meryl Streep in "Sophie's Choice".
Hopefully audiences will pick up on this small little art-house gem before it fades from theaters.
Save the Tiger (1973)
Awesome!!
"Save the Tiger" is friggin' awesome!!! The best movie I seen since "The Fast and the Furious". Jack Lemmon's sweet in this movie. He plays a business dude who sets his buds up with hookers. I guess that's makes him a pimp! He rocks!! But he also hooks up with some twenty-year-old chick, and he's like forty. Sick! And where are the tigers?!!
Lemmon's the man, thou! He's friends with this other guy who doesn't like his pimpin' ways! I think it's Walter Matthau, but I'm not sure. All those old guys look the same, anyways. There's an old Italian guy in it too. Rent this now!!!
The Waterboy (1998)
Dumb in the Worst Way
It's amazing how many people justify the poor quality of this film by pointing out it isn't Woody Allen or Billy Wilder. Well, neither were "Animal House" and "Caddyshack"! What's the difference? Those two comedies were smart and clever, and didn't rely on obvious sight gags and an wince-inducing "funny" voice for laughs. At least, if they did, it was funny then and apparently not funny now.
Adam Sandler may be an all-around nice guy. He seems down-to-earth for someone with his fame and fortune, and I admire his loyalty towards old friends and colleges. But the man is simply not funny. Most of his movies, especially this one, focus on humor so obvious it seems the "laughter" sign lights up after every fart gag and pratfall.
For example, Sandler's Cajun moron brings his soon-to-be coach (Henry Winkler) home for dinner with his highly protective mama (Kathy Bates). The joke here is that Sandler is an obviously grown man still living with his mother. Why? Because he's an idiot. Ha ha ha. During dinner (a plate featuring a lot of lame cajun food jokes), the mama flat-out refuses the coach's offer to allow Sandler to play football (or "fuzz" ball, as Mama humorously calls it 'cause she's ignorant) for no reason except the writers were too lazy to think up a genuine antagonist. Once she leaves, Winkler shows Sandler how to stand up to one's mother by dropping his pants to reveal a Roy Orbison tatoo on one of his butt cheeks. "Laughter" sign lites up.
Want more? There's several jokes falling along the same lines here. This is the sort of movie they play ad infinitum on "USA" and "HBO" during the afternoon, but somehow "The Waterboy" managed to bring in quite a bit of dough back in 1998. Who cares? The Macarena was a number one hit, too!
* out of ****
Family Matters (1989)
"Family Matters"
"Family Matters" has got to be the worst long-running sitcom in history. It may be the worst sitcom period, but I haven't seen every half-baked idea that has ever aired. Who actually finds any of this funny? The core audience here would be blown away by "Perfect Strangers", much less "Seinfeld". Here we have a middle-class African-American family, in the suburbs of Chicago no less, that makes the Bradys seem urbanized. The parents actually enjoy square dancing, the kids hang out in a 50s-styled diner, and the nerd next-door plays in a polka band. I guess this SOUNDS funny, but in fact these aspects of the show are played straight. The "humor" comes out of a string of insipid dialogue and stupid pratfalls, usually centering around dufus Urkle and daddy Carl Winslow.
The acting is downright unwatchable. I've never seen so much mugging in my life, and this is during the "serious" moments. This is one of the few shows that will make you wince while watching, excluding "Saved by the Bell" (at least THAT show wasn't aired in primetime). Surprisingly, it was one of ABC's most popular shows during its long-run. Stay away!
Cheers (1982)
"Cheers"
"Cheers" was the best sitcom of the 80s, and remains one of the greatest shows of all time. Like all great television, it boasted a terrific ensemble and razor-sharp writing. "Cheers" never went for cheap laughs; it instead developed readily-familiar characters with very distinct, quirky personalities. A good punchline is made even funnier when you are aware of the history between characters, such as the exchanges between Sam and Diane.
"Cheers" also honed a soap-opera approach to its plotlines, which at the time was a rarity in sitcoms. Sometimes this worked to the show's advantage, as it did with Sam and Diane's on-again, off-again romance. Other times, it became tedious (the subplot involving Rebecca and Robin Concord was very contrived).
What's most impressive about "Cheers", though, is its sheer consistency; no other sitcom outside of "M*A*S*H" survived so many cast changes and yet remained on top for such a long time. Eleven seasons is more than a lifetime for a situational comedy, and "Cheers" delivered nine times out of ten each week. It helped, of course, that the writing remained as sharp as ever and that most of the new characters (Woody, Frasier) were as consistently funny and likeable as the old horses (Coach, Norm and Cliff). Even the finale was also unusually strong for a sitcom, practically salvaging a relatively weak season with its reflective tone and graceful bow. It may not have been as popular as "The Cosby Show" or as groundbreaking as "All in the Family", but "Cheers" holds a place in sitcom history because it was very, very funny.
NOTE: Unlike the majority of reviewers here, I prefer the Diane years to the Rebecca era. Ted Danson and Shelley Long had great chemistry, giving the show a distinct energy that was missing after Long's departure. Kirsty Alley, however, never managed to develop such a spark with Danson, and her constant whining became very annoying.
Happy Days (1974)
"Happy Days"
One of the previous reviewers on this page put it best: "Happy Days" started out as a pretty good show, then fell flat on its face once Fonzie became the primary focus. During its first two years, "Happy Days" played as a lighter version of "The Wonder Years" or, more appropriately", TV's own "American Graffiti". A nice bunch of teens hangin' out and cruisin' for chicks in a romanticized 1950s Milwaukee made for a solid half-hour of television. Richie Cunningham was TV's everykid, and his relationship with genial father Howard provided the backbone for most of the show's best episodes.
Then came the Fonz. At first, Fonzie was an intriguing character. While he was a slightly older kid with a greaser attitude, he possessed a depth that made him a good counterpoint to Richie's clean-cut image. But after Fonzie obtained a great deal of popularily, the show's focus shifted his way and became unbelieveably moronic. A typical episode: some one-dimensional "jerk" either bullies Richie's gang or steals the Fonz's girl, prompting the Fonz to shout "Ayyyyyyyyeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!" and snap his fingers. This caused the "jerk" to run away, and the gang celebrates in sheer idolatry for the Fonz at "Arnold's". In between, there are loads of horrible puns and catchphrases. Not surprisingly, the show's ratings went up after the sharp decline in quality (Remember, "Three's Company" was the top ratings-getter at the time). Such is life.
Entropy (1999)
Brilliant Look at Problematic Relationships in the 90s
"Entropy" is a brilliant, beautiful film that successfully examines the complications that arise between pretentious film-makers and the models they love.
The movie is filled with such pin-pointed, ironic observations about nothing we care about that one wonders how many layers of wit exist in the mind of writer-director Phil Janou. Having the main character, played with marvelous shallowness by Stephen Dorff, address the audience in cooler-than-us fashion is so original and appealing that it recalls the innovation of a Woody Allen comedy. A lot of the credit goes to Dorff. While watching his performance, some will invariably compare it to that of Brando in "A Streetcar Named Desire" or "Last Tango in Paris". That would be presumptuous, since Brando has never attempted a role with so many emotional nuances. Worrying about whether or not a beautiful blonde wants to make sweet love to you is a much more earth-shattering concern than your mental breakdown in the midst of the jungles of Vietnam (as Brando did in "Apocalypse Now").
That this is the brainchild of the man who gave us the fantastic concert film "Rattle and Hum" comes as no surprise, since both movies are wise enough to employ the services of rock star Bono. As the guru of our famed hero, Bono displays flourishes of wit that has never been seen before since the invention of the moving picture. Some may find him smug and self-indulgent, and maybe not funny in any intentional way, but then they just don't "get" it. Who needs a musician of genuine wit such as Randy Newman when you can have Bono, who's cool? Move over, Tony Roberts: the off-beat romantic comedy has found its new token sidekick.
***** out of *****