colberino Reviews

For Your Consideration (2006)

Heart-wrenchingly disappointing

[6/10 · 22 November 2006]

I'm a gigantic "Waiting for Guffman" fan. I also really liked "Best In Show." I thought "A Mighty Wind," while not great, was creative and tender. I saw "For Your Consideration" today and while there were funny moments peppered throughout, the film comes off as half-baked. I sat there until the last credit rolled trying to like this film, and couldn't.

I appreciate that so many actors have joined up with Guest to be in his movies, but there are now so many Guest "regulars" that there is barely any character development. "A Mighty Wind" tried to remedy this by giving each character one big quirk. "Consideration" seems to use this tactic sparingly... both a blessing and a curse. What I miss is the intimacy of "Guffman," where we got to know 5-6 characters very well. "Consideration" comes off less as an ensemble cast, and more as a long string of cameos.

Catherine O'Hara gives a brilliant, nuanced performance~ I wish we had gotten to know more about her character.

*Definitely spoilers here!* As other reviewers have pointed out, "Consideration" has a very similar ending to "Guffman." But whereas the ending of "Guffman" is somewhat bemusing (Corky talking about his shop), I thought the ending of "Consideration" was cruel, predictable, and saddening.

The Cockettes (2002)

As shimmery and funny as it is informative!

[10/10 · 25 April 2006]

I saw the film The Cockettes after a long, seemingly endless stream of disappointing documentaries. It was such a great pleasure to finally see these filmmakers take a veritable goldmine of fascinating material and do it justice. While including enough supplemental material to keep the interest moving, this film really sticks to its guns and offers a satisfying glimpse at the rise and fall of The Cockettes.

I was also really impressed with the quality of archive footage that appears in the film. At first, I had to lean into my screen and ask myself if these were re-enactments. Really, truly stunning.

I think the best measure of this film is the sense of loss one feels when the credits roll~ a mourning that one wasn't there to experience the subject firsthand and be in on the party. But what a wonderful hour and 40 minutes!

What the Bleep!?: Down the Rabbit Hole (2006)

How far down would you like to go?

[6/10 · 19 February 2006]

"What the Bleep!?: Down the Rabbit Hole" is not quite a sequel, and not quite a director's cut of the original "What the Bleep Do We Know!?". "Down the Rabbit Hole" features new commentary and narration from its panel of interviewees, and new animations featuring Dr. Quantum (who was briefly mentioned in the first movie). However, it is hard to call this a sequel, since an only slightly abbreviated version of the Marlee Matlin storyline from the first version is shown again here. This film would have been fantastic had it introduced new narrative footage and left the old footage in the first film. (Thus a 6 out of 10, and not 8 or 9.)

"Down the Rabbit Hole" elaborates on a few of the quantum theories mentioned in the first film, namely the role of the observer in reality, our limits of perception, the influence of intention, and the connectivity of matter. If the ideas from the first film piqued your interest, "Down the Rabbit Hole" will make a wonderful addendum.

I would recommend seeing "What the Bleep Do We Know!?", and then watching "Down the Rabbit Hole" a few weeks later. The commentary is engaging throughout the movie (no small task at 2.5 hours long), but sitting through the scenes carried over from the first film gets tedious. I think one would easily be lost without seeing the first version, though. The commentary in "Down the Rabbit Hole" is 90% new, and hits the ground running.

Overall, both "Bleep" movies are wonderful and thought provoking, and I enjoyed the ideas presented in the commentary.