Change Your Image
linusmoke dot com
Reviews
Trekkies (1997)
very entertaining and sad but true
_trekkies_ is a very good indie documentary. very funny. AND interesting if you actually like _star trek_. if you are interested in filmmaking, i think this is a good exercise in student editing.
also, i think the user comments on this one are very interesting, perhaps revealing a slightly controversial aspect to this film.
405 (2000)
amazing effects movie for a basement production
if you are interested in indie digital and computer-based filmmaking, i would highly suggest you check out the short film "405." this is an incredible example of what can be done with a digital camera and some home computers. you'll be amazed. two guys did this film over a few months with nothing but simple equipment.
Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm (1999)
the best (most painful to watch) show on tv
this show, starring Seinfeld creator Larry David, has got to be the funniest and most interesting new show on tv. i highly recommend you check it out, sunday night 10pm eastern on HBO. i would describe it as the next step after seinfeld: another show about nothing, but pushing the envelope of acceptable comedy even farther.
ok first of all i think larry david is really funny. i can really relate to him a lot. i warn myself that i could be exactly like that guy in about 25 years. ::teeth::
and the other thing i like about the show is that its SOOO real. its not like a sitcom in that way. it feels very reality-based to me. sometimes the show is so real that its uncomfortable to watch. this guy really gets a lot of $#;+, but really thats what makes the show so funny. larry david is really willing to make fun of himself and be honest about who he really is as a person.
in this way, i would call this show "the sequel to seinfeld."
The Darwin Conspiracy (1999)
it IS a stinker, but you gotta love kevin tighe
pretty simple: this made-for-tv movie is a real dog. i wouldnt get very excited about it, but the flick is worth watching if you can look at it from a tongue-in-cheek POV. first off, i think you gotta expect that anything coming from glen larson is going to be cheesy. i mean, come on; this is the guy who brought us Manimal, Automan, Knight Rider, Buck Rogers, and Battlestar Galactica. (hey, i love this stuff; just dont take it too seriously!) i might suggest doing something around the house while you have this movie on, as i'm not sure this rather slow and rambling film in itself is really enough to hold your attention.
the real treat in this movie is the appearance of kevin tighe of Emergency! fame. he plays the bad guy, and i had to chuckle nearly every time he was on camera. love the mustache, kevin!
i do think there are some intriguing conceptual elements in this film, however, and i'm not talking about the reconstitution of DNA, which we've already had a thorough explanation of in Jurassic Park. rather, the idea that there may possibly have been human civilizations previous to our own that could perhaps have been more technologically advanced than we are. that is interesting. AND, what of the notion that we modern humans only utilize 10% of our brain capacity? can we really use more than that, and did early humans use more than that? i think these are interesting ideas, that when reflected upon, say a lot about our current human condition and the civilization in which we live.
Charlie's Angels (2000)
drew b. as a fly-thru-the-air kung-foostress? i dunno.
fun movie that doesnt seem to take itself too seriously. most of the stunts are way cool, although it does get a bit hokey at times. the chicks were all great in it, and i think bill murray's comedic stylings are holding up suprisingly well, unlike some of his contemporaries, eg: chevy chase. i was surprised and pleased to see crispin glover as "the thin man." i hope to see more of him.
its interesting to me how successful movies influence future films. there were obvious influences in charlie's angels from both The Matrix and MI2. after the 10th slow-mo sexy-girl hair flip, i was like, "ok did john woo direct this or what?"
pretty decent dvd too with a lot of good extra content on it, including music videos and outtakes.
but yunno the more i watched the movie and the making-of stuff, the more cynical and annoyed i found myself feeling about it. the flying through the air stuff was a lot more believable in The Matrix because it actually made sense, so to see these ladies (esp drew b.) all kung-fooed out -- i dunno; i guess it struck me as kind of ridiculous.
i understand that people like to see chicks kickin ass, but i like it when its more believable, eg: Trinity in the matrix.
Instinct (1999)
interesting philosophy, but lousy DVD
if you are interested in rethinking your western-thought programming and taking a look at the world from a fresh and emerging point of view, see the movie Instinct.
its not a bad story at all and the production values on the film are good, but its the WORLD VIEW in the film as expressed by the anthony hopkins character, dr. ethan powell, that i found particularly intriguing. its good to see these kinds of (radical?) ideas popping into films, even if this movie was perhaps a little too differently thought out to make it big at the box office.
i'll tell you something, tho. this is one of the worst dvd presentations i have seen. there is virtually no bonus content, and the dvd interface itself sucks.
i would think this was a prime chance for the producers of this film to put together a dvd presentation that would help enhance the message of the movie. audio commentary would be the best thing, but anything else about the writer, or director, or original novel the movie was modeled after would have done nicely.
Waiting for Guffman (1996)
very very funny -- a must-see
ok i have to say that this movie is one of the funniest films i've seen in a LONG time, and i'd never even heard of it until a couple of days ago.
its in the same vane as Drop Dead Gorgeous or This is Spinal Tap, a "mockumentary."
christopher guest (the six-fingered man from Princess Bride) is amazingly talented as an actor and a writer. and the prolific fred willard is so funny in anything he's in.
i think this one is a must-see.
Short Cuts (1993)
short cuts is a great (but strange) movie
ok i saw Short Cuts a couple of nights ago, and i have to say, That is one seriously interesting movie. bizarre, quirky, but very entertaining, i thought. there is so much going on that i was a bit confused at first, and i feel like i really need to see it a few more times to understand everything that was going on. but i loved the honest portrayal of the characters. and altman's directing is very interesting. at times, it reminded me very much of his The Player. also, the cast is really impressive.
so am i recommending it? yes and no. yes if you are into creative artistic flicks, and no if you dont think you can handle frank, sensitive, and even outrageous material.