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365,648 | 4,888,011 | 28,399 | 6 | destiny turns off the radio . . . but merrily we roll along | Friz Freleng's " Toy Town Hall " has the feel of one of the really early cartoons from Warner Bros . , before they figured out the really zany path that they wanted to take ( I believe that that started with Daffy Duck's debut ) . In this short , a boy wants to listen to the radio but has to go to bed . But in his bedroom , the toys put on their own radio show , often featuring celebrity caricatures . Toys just know no limits , do they ? For me , at least , one of the most eye-opening moments was when one of the characters - I think that he might have been an Eddie Cantor caricature - sings " Merrily We Roll Along " . For the uninitiated , that's the song played during the openings of Merrie Melodies cartoons while the Warner Bros . shield approaches ( Looney Tunes cartoons play " Merry-Go-Round Broke Down " ) . So in that respect , this cartoon was sort of a sign of things to come , if unwittingly . Anyway , it's an OK cartoon , a common representation of their pre-Bugs Bunny days . |
365,876 | 4,888,011 | 120,782 | 6 | good story , although the movie could have been better | Volker Schlondorff's " Palmetto " has a very interesting plot , although I think that the movie could be better . Woody Harrelson plays an ex-con who gets drawn into a supposedly fake kidnapping in Florida . The movie contains a series of plot twists ( I won't name them , lest I spoil the whole thing ) , but nothing gratuitous . You have to realize that this is not a bad movie ; it's just that Schlondorff could have done a better job with it ( especially towards the end ) . Overall , I do recommend it . You'll probably like it . Also starring Elisabeth Shue , Gina Gershon , Michael Rapaport , Chloe Sevigny and Tom Wright . Schlondorff also directed " The Tin Drum " and " Strajk - Die Heldin von Danzig " . |
363,193 | 4,888,011 | 89,670 | 6 | If it's Tuesday , this must be any Chevy Chase movie . | It's Chevy Chase up to his usual high jinx as the Griswolds travel across the Old Continent . In the process , they mangle Eric Idle , destroy Stonehenge , invade a German couple's apartment , upset a festival , and tie Rome in knots . You'll never forget Ellen's ( Beverly D'Angelo ) bizarre dance early in the movie - or what happens because of it later . I sort of wonder how many " embarrassing trip to Europe " movies there can be ; there was this , " If It's Tuesday , This Must Be Belgium " , and some unmemorable movie a few years ago . As for the " National Lampoon's Vacation " movies , they should have stopped after " Christmas Vacation " . But either way , this one is still good for a few laughs . |
364,509 | 4,888,011 | 120,788 | 6 | drug addiction | There have been many drug addiction movies : " A Panic in Needle Park " , " Scarface " , " Drugstore Cowboy " , " Naked Lunch " , " The Basketball Diaries " , " Trainspotting " , " Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas " and now " Permanent Midnight " . This last one features Ben Stiller as writer Jerry Stahl , who is battling heroin addiction . Throughout the movie , we follow Jerry around and see how the addiction is affecting his life and relationships . It was certainly worth seeing , but it didn't really show anything that we haven't seen before ( granted , it wasn't weird like " Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas " ) . It's sort of weird to think that Ben Stiller in the same year went from a totally silly role in " There's Something About Mary " to this grim role . Oh well . . . |
364,131 | 4,888,011 | 120,710 | 6 | nightmare on Bening street | I've liked pretty much all of Annette Bening's movies , although I did think that Neil Jordan's " In Dreams " should have come out as a little bit more given what all seems to have gone into it . As it is , I've seen lots of movies that portray people's dreams being more than just dreams and possibly showing something evil . This one isn't terrible , but I've seen this sort of thing so many times that there's nothing really new here . The movie's main strength is it's dreary , nearly Gothic setting . So , it's worth seeing maybe once . The movie just might give you a different impression of Annette Bening , plus co-stars Aidan Quinn and Robert Downey Jr . So just remember what Roy Orbison sang . . . |
362,809 | 4,888,011 | 189,071 | 6 | Harmless , if nothing else | The whole thing's pretty simple : Scooby-Doo , Scrappy and Shaggy go to be gym instructors in a girl's school . What they don't know is that in this particular school , the students are all monsters ( don't worry - they're good monsters ) . There's a werewolf , a vampire , a ghost , a Frankenstein and a mummy . To crown everything , the headmistress ( who's also the mummy's mother ) has a pet dragon who prefers to breathe fire at Scooby-Doo . Then , while they're all out on an excursion to a swamp , an evil witch kidnaps the girls , and Scooby , Scrappy , Shaggy and the pet dragon have to go save them . . . if they can . I don't think that I've seen most of the Scooby-Doo cartoons - and I deliberately avoided the 2002 movie - but " Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School " wasn't bad . It's really something now that I realize that " Mary Poppins " matriarch Glynis Johns did the voice of headmistress Ms . Grimwood . |
362,894 | 4,888,011 | 59,125 | 6 | So that's Donald Sutherland . . . | Hammer Films just kept ' em coming in the ' 50s and ' 60s . If Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing were involved , then you could safely assume that they had something neat in store . In " Dr . Terror's House of Horrors " , enigmatic Dr . Sandor Schreck ( Peter Cushing ) is in a train with five other men . He proceeds to tell them their fortunes . There's nothing particularly scary here , but it's never pretentious either . This movie is what most of these movies were : nice , silly fun . A standout in the movie is a very young Donald Sutherland as one of the men ; I guess that it's sort of a before-they-were-famous situation for him . And finally , there's a delicious surprise at the end . |
365,114 | 4,888,011 | 120,756 | 6 | And ? | So Gregory Peck's final appearance was in a movie based on the same story as one of his best movies . However , this version of " Moby Dick " is a little hard to take seriously . You see , Ahab is played by Capt . Picard , and Ishmael is played by ET's friend . A previous reviewer noted that they took so much out of the story that no character seems to have any motivation . But still , it's a pretty fun romp seeing the men sailing around the world on the Pequod , looking for the whale who bit off Ahab's leg . Maybe there might be a better version of it one day . On second thought , just stick with the 1956 version . |
364,102 | 4,888,011 | 32,909 | 6 | even less-than-masterpiece cartoons focus on certain topics better than most movies do | From the time of Porky Pig's debut until about the time that we entered WWII , Warner Bros . mostly cast him roles that they figured represented every aspect of life . One of these was the captain of the Mayflower . Bob Clampett's " Pilgrim Porky " is basically a series of spot gags , the sort of stuff that one would expect in a Tex Avery cartoon ( except that Avery's stuff was cleverer ) . Also , there are some racial stereotypes . To this cartoon's credit , I like it's portrayal of the Mayflower and everything relating thereto better than the story that we've usually been taught . I find it cool to see a mangling of our national myth . Both " The Addams Family Values " and " The Ice Storm " talked about the true significance of the first Thanksgiving . Overall , this one's OK for some brief entertainment . I should admit that some of the gags made me laugh . Clampett directed better stuff over the next few years . |
363,406 | 4,888,011 | 58,886 | 6 | she wouldn't have noticed if he'd smelled bad | It's no surprise that for the role of one of history's most famous painters they cast the guy who played Moses and Ben-Hur ( who ever would have guessed that he would later be the NRA's president ? ) . Of course , Carol Reed's " The Agony and the Ecstasy " is basically a dramatization of Pope Julius II ( Rex Harrison ) hiring Michelangelo ( Charlton Heston , who turns 83 today ) to paint the Sistine Chapel , and does get just a overdone at times . Granted , I like focuses on historical events , and the movie does a good job with its subject . We see Michelangelo's inner conflicts while Julius keeps trying to get him to finish quicker . So , I recommend it as a look at this one part of history . Just understand that there is a slight soap opera feeling . And for the record , I don't think that Contessa de Medici ( Diane Cilento , who was Sean Connery's wife at the time ) would have noticed if Michelangelo had stunk , as most people in Europe didn't usually bathe back then . |
365,880 | 4,888,011 | 97,428 | 6 | I'm still ready to call them . | I guess that usually , we have to wonder why they make sequels . If nothing else , as long as the sequels aren't boring , obnoxious , pathetic , embarrassing , insulting , or otherwise bad , then they're acceptable . " Ghostbusters II " passes . Bill Murray , Dan Aykroyd , Harold Ramis , Ernie Hudson , Sigourney Weaver , Annie Potts and Rick Moranis reprise their roles from the original . This one has the title characters battling a river of hostility-based slime that's possessing a painting . Peter MacNicol plays the man who brought the painting to New York , and subsequently gets possessed by it . " Ghostbusters II " is pretty ridiculous , often gross , but never unpleasant . So who you gonna call ? |
364,346 | 4,888,011 | 243,133 | 6 | I know that the Coen brothers are supposed to be far out , but still . . . | I usually really like the Coen brothers ' work . Quirky without being incomprehensible , grotesque without being disgusting , they have some neat ideas . However , I had a hard time following " The Man Who Wasn't There " . This film noir about a barber ( Billy Bob Thornton ) in post-WWII Santa Rosa trying to get into another line of work with unpleasant consequences is a little too far out to figure out . Thornton , Frances McDormand , Michael Badalucco and James Gandolfini all turn in some interesting performances , but the movie is reminiscent of the Coens ' debut " Blood Simple " , in that it's a little hard to tell who is doing what to whom . That all said , I still think that it's worth seeing . I agree with a previous reviewer that Thornton has the perfect face for a film noir . The black-and-white setting naturally heightens the mood . What really catches our eyes nowadays is the presence of Scarlett Johansson ; her role here seems to foreshadow her roles in " Lost in Translation " and " Match Point " . So , I recommend it , but remember that you're likely to get confused . Also starring Jon Polito , Richard Jenkins ( Nate Sr . on " Six Feet Under " ) and Tony Shalhoub . PS : Santa Rosa was also the setting for " Shadow of a Doubt " and " Scream " , and Charles Schulz lived there . What a combo ! |
362,855 | 4,888,011 | 89,841 | 6 | sometimes honorable , sometimes not | John Huston's last movie , " Prizzi's Honor " , has usually been well regarded , but it actually seems sort of slow at times . Starring Jack Nicholson as Mafia hit-man Charley Partanna in love with one Irene Walker ( Kathleen Turner ) who turns out to also be an assassin , the movie strives to be a zany comedy but never totally achieves it . Still , there are some good parts throughout the movie . It just seems that they should have come out with more , given the talent involved . And I certainly wouldn't compare this movie to " The Godfather " . Also starring Anjelica Huston ( who won Best Supporting Actress ) , Robert Loggia and William Hickey . |
365,443 | 4,888,011 | 305,669 | 6 | Really something , Boo . | OK , so the white - yuppie - and - black - ghetto - person - joining - up idea has been used a number of times in movies , but the dialog between Steve Martin and Queen Latifah makes this one worthwhile . Probably the best scenes are Betty White's nasty comments , Queen Latifah teaching Missi Pyle a lesson , Steve Martin dressed - and attempting to talk - like a rapper ( especially because of what Joan Plowright ends up doing in that scene ) , and of course , Eugene Levy's statements ending with " Boo " . " Bringing Down the House " really does bring down the house . Completely silly , but fun nevertheless . Who ever would have imagined Joan Plowright ( aka Laurence Olivier's widow ) doing what she did and saying what she said in the rapper scene ? |
364,299 | 4,888,011 | 140,812 | 7 | It did in fact apply during WWII | With the horrors of the Vietnam War and the disaster that is the Iraq War , it may be surprising that cartoons proudly promoted war . But " Any Bonds Today ? " does just that , as Bugs Bunny , Porky Pig and a portly Elmer Fudd ( strangely , no Daffy Duck ) sing a song encouraging the American people to buy war bonds to support US participation in World War II . I will say that although I would never want to join the army , it is fairly interesting to see Bugs , Porky and Elmer ( why no Daffy ? ) singing about WWII , even if it is propaganda . Of course , if you're expecting them to do their usual Looney Tunes stuff , you'll get mighty disappointed . This cartoon is strictly about the war effort ( other cartoons had them do crazy things to the Axis leaders ) . And knowing that at least some good things resulted from WWII , I guess that justifies this cartoon . So if nothing else , it's worth seeing as a historical reference . |
363,464 | 4,888,011 | 44,001 | 7 | this place is a zoo | Once again , Pepe Le Pew tries to get slinky with the female cat , but his offensive odor prevents it . In this case , he lives in Paris zoo - where everything begins with " le " - and she paints herself like a skunk to get something to eat . In some senses , it seems like if you've seen one Pepe Le Pew cartoon , you've seen ( and possibly smelled ) them all . But " Scent-imental Romeo " is still really fun . I've long viewed Pepe as the sort of misunderstood person who can't help that he's offensive , because he doesn't know it ( and isn't it our stereotype that the French lack hygiene skills ? ) . But anyway , this cartoon is still a treat . Watching it , you may feel like getting romantic with someone . |
365,873 | 4,888,011 | 105,103 | 7 | dying to explain | Passed Away is the sort of movie that you could easily walk by in the video / DVD store and not notice . But you should notice it , and then watch it . This is actually a very clever movie . It looks at how this family has to deal with their problems following the father's death . Although Bob Hoskins is listed as the star , no single character really dominates the movie . We get to see the issues faced by everyone , and the movie leaves it up to the viewer to decide what to think of the various characters . So this is one that I recommend . You won't be disappointed if you take the time to check it out . Also starring Peter Riegert ( Boone in " Animal House " ) and Tim Curry . |
362,727 | 4,888,011 | 372,784 | 7 | We fall so we can learn to pick ourselves up . | First of all , I should say that after " Batman & Robin " it would be impossible to drag the franchise down any lower . Therefore , we would have to figure that even if " Batman Begins " was atrocious , it couldn't be any worse than " B & R " . Well , we needn't worry : this one is very well done . Maybe not a " Citizen Kane " - style masterpiece , but definitely worth seeing . I'm not surprised at all , given that it's in the hands of " Memento " director Christopher Nolan . As the title identifies , this movie tells the story of how wealthy Gotham City heir Bruce Wayne ( Christian Bale ) became the Caped Crusader ( is it unacceptable to use that name , considering the dark nature of this movie ? ) . Specifically , we get to see how various and sundry incidents forced him to face his fears directly , no matter how unpleasant the situation could be . And there are plenty of unpleasant situations to experience in a Chinese prison . Ah , but a Tibetan training camp can teach a person the most unimaginable skills . And that's just what they do with Bruce . Back in Gotham City , Bruce moves back into Wayne Manor , where butler Alfred Pennyworth ( Michael Caine ) has lived alone for seven years . In that time , gangster Carmine Falcone ( Tom Wilkinson ) has risen to prominence , bought out all the politicians , and completely turned the city into his playground . Only reporter Rachel Dawes ( Katie Holmes ) has the courage to investigate him . Now that Bruce Wayne is donning a bat costume , there may actually be law enforcement . But wait until you find out what the crime syndicate is actually planning . Far from the idiocy in the previous Batman movie , the plot here is very cleverly constructed . The aforementioned cast members all do very well in their roles . Also starring are Liam Neeson as Henri Ducard , who helps Bruce pick himself back up ; Gary Oldman as honest cop Jim Gordon , assisting Batman ; Cillian Murphy as Dr . Jonathan Crane , who has a lot in store ; Ken Watanabe as Ra's Al Ghul , who trains Bruce ; Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox , providing Bruce with all the devices necessary ; plus Rutger Hauer and Linus Roache . All in all , a very well done movie . True , some of the action sequences are a little silly , but never stupid . And certainly , this movie has some of the best advice that I've ever heard in an action movie . |
363,226 | 4,888,011 | 112,883 | 7 | Johnny , Marlon , and Faye have all still got it . | Practically everyone agrees that Johnny Depp is one of the most impressive actors of his generation - maybe THE most - but anyone who doubts that Marlon Brando and Faye Dunaway can still do their stuff need only watch " Don Juan DeMarco " . It casts Depp as the title character , who one day appears and claims that he is literally the world's greatest lover , having loved 1 , 502 women . Marlon Brando plays Dr . Jack Mickler , trying to cure Don Juan , and Faye Dunaway plays Jack's wife Marilyn , wondering how these sessions might affect their lives . What I thought was really neat in the movie was at the end , when it portrays Jack sort of taking on the Don Juan persona , applying it to himself as a psychiatrist . Maybe this is the sort of movie that they just made for fun , but it sure is interesting . You can do a lot with a combination of Ed Wood , Don Corleone , and Bonnie Parker . And Faye Dunaway is still really hot . Obviously , Marlon Brando is no longer with us , but he still had it up to his death . |
363,238 | 4,888,011 | 52,569 | 7 | I also dream of a genie , but my Jeannie has blonde hair . | OK , it's true : " Apes of Wrath " is basically a combination of two previous cartoons . There was " Gorilla My Dreams " , in which Bugs Bunny gets adopted by a gorilla family ( and the father wants to rip him to shreds ) , and " A Mouse Divided " , in which the inebriated stork delivers some parents - in that case Mr . and Mrs . Sylvester - the wrong kind of baby ( in that case a mouse ) and the father wants to eat him . But it's still a really funny cartoon , just because of what happens to the father . I originally saw this cartoon in the compilation film " Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie : 1001 Rabbit Tales " , and I simply laughed at the events portrayed . Now that I'm old enough to analyze it , here's what I notice : the father is named Elvis . For me at least , that's weird to think about . I remember in " 8 Mile " , one of the rapper wannabes calls Eminem's character " Elvis " as an insult ; after all , Elvis Presley sang the sort of music originally created by African-Americans . So now , we see a gorilla named Elvis in Africa , the land identified by Muhammad Ali as the home of the black man . Go figure ! I know , it makes no sense to mention Elvis Presley , Eminem and Muhammad Ali in a review of a Bugs Bunny cartoon . But no matter . It isn't the best cartoon , but still worth seeing . And yes , I dream - or , more specifically , fantasize - about Jeannie from " I Dream of Jeannie " . You gotta admit , she is REALLY HOT ! |
363,599 | 4,888,011 | 52,572 | 7 | there's more to Indian cinema than musicals | When Americans hear the name " Apu " , they're likely to think of the Kwik-E-Mart owner on " The Simpsons " . Well , here's a different one . " Apur Sansar " ( called " The World of Apu " in English ) tells the story of a Calcutta man and how he has to deal with his various experiences . I should identify that this is not a movie for people with short attention spans . We may think of Indian movies as over-the-top musicals , but those are specifically Hindi movies ; this is a Bengali movie . Apparently , it's part of a trilogy . I have to admit that this is the only installment that I've ever seen . But if this is any example , the other two should be interesting . Definitely worth seeing . |
363,280 | 4,888,011 | 43,979 | 7 | nature's revenge | What's most funny about " Room and Bird " is the fact that Sylvester and Tweety are in neighboring rooms in a hotel where no pets are allowed , and the manager keeps suspecting that something's up . . . all leading up to what happens at the end ! Truth be told , the hotel manager reminded me just a little bit of Mr . Hand in " Fast Times at Ridgemont High " , how he suspected everyone of breaking the rules . But that's just me . All in all , it's not a great cartoon by any stretch , but I just like the sight of seemingly lowly characters rattling authority figures ( think " Animal House " , and not just because of the animals here ) . All in all , an OK cartoon . Worth seeing . |
364,989 | 4,888,011 | 78,163 | 7 | goodbye Peter , goodbye | Once again , Peter Sellers makes a mess of everything as Insp . Jacques Clouseau . This time , a gangster sets up a trap to assassinate him , but kills the wrong person . This sets in motion a few things : Charles Dreyfus ( Herbert Lom ) is elated at the news of Clouseau's death and leaves the mental institution , and the real Clouseau decides to find out who tried to kill him . Naturally , we have to wonder what's going to happen once the two men meet . Burt Kwouk returns as Cato , and the female lead here is Dyan Cannon . As is the case with every movie in the series , the whole thing is really an excuse for Clouseau to be a doofus . Also , " Revenge of the Pink Panther " was the last Pink Panther movie released during Peter Sellers ' lifetime . It remains to be seen how Steve Martin will stack up . |
363,921 | 4,888,011 | 95,647 | 7 | it didn't really happen like this | The recent belated conviction of Edgar Ray Killen ( wouldn't you say that it's appropriate that he has " kill " in his last name ? ) brings to mind the story that inspired " Mississippi Burning " . It's the story of how a group of Ku Klux Klan members murdered civil rights activists James Chaney , Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman in Philadelphia , Mississippi , in the summer of 1964 . The movie portrays the murders , but FBI agents Rupert Anderson ( Gene Hackman ) and Alan Ward ( Willem Dafoe ) are made up . It turns out that the FBI bribed one of the murderers to rat on the other two , and all the while the FBI was tapping Schwerner's father's phone to see if he was a Communist . So , they played with the facts . Hollywood often does that . Either way , " Mississippi Burning " still is a good movie , reminding us of a time in our country's history when we were about to explode . |
364,566 | 4,888,011 | 382,628 | 7 | Here's what happened when I went to see the movie . . . | Usually , when we hear that the United States has remade a foreign movie , it's time to start groaning in despair . Not so with " Dark Water " . An ingenious thriller helmed by " The Motorcycle Diaries " director Walter Salles , the movie succeeds where too many movies have failed . Dahlia ( Jennifer Connelly ) has just gone through a nasty divorce . So , she and her daughter Cecilia ( Ariel Gade ) move into an apartment on Roosevelt Island . Looking at the apartment complex , almost anyone might get turned off : not only does it look like something put up by the old Soviet bureaucracy , but the whole place is pretty dreary . But , she and Ceci like it enough , to move in . But then , strange things start happening . A leak from the next floor won't stop , and a lot of the water from the sinks and washer is much darker than it should be . What is causing this ? The answer lies in some unpleasant events of the building's past . Part of what was so good about this movie was the use of shadows : very few scenes are without shadows , rain , or something else to give a sense of fear . Pete Postlethwaite , as security guard Veeck , is the sort of character whom you aren't sure whether or not to suspect of something . Even if " Dark Water " doesn't leave you with a sense of mortal fear , you will most likely feel that you want to think twice before trying to move into any place . Here's just a little aside . When I went to see the movie , it was out of focus , and they kept stopping it and restarting it . Finally , they decided that they couldn't fix it , so they just gave us passes to see a later showing . But that's just a side note . It's a pretty good movie . |
363,444 | 4,888,011 | 78,168 | 7 | there also seems to be a connection to " The Shining " | We've all heard about how the title character fell into a twenty-year sleep , and found the world totally different when he awoke . I wish to assert that there seems to be a connection to " The Shining " , as both have the theme that things return , but not necessarily in the same form ( needless to say , it was more subtle and more horrific in the latter ) . But even ignoring that , this version of " Rip Van Winkle " is very well done , as can be expected from Will Vinton . I will say that the scene in the forest might be a little bit intense for young children , but otherwise , the whole thing works very well . Definitely worth seeing . Because here we all are . |
364,373 | 4,888,011 | 43,943 | 7 | snow excuse for such rivalry | I wonder why Sylvester doesn't just give up on trying to get Tweety . Clearly that bird has a bad-ass streak . But Sylvester keeps going after him , and in " Putty Tat Trouble " has to vie with an unidentified orange tabby around Christmas . Needless to say , their attempts have rather detrimental results ( to them , that is ) . I agree with a previous reviewer that Sylvester and the other cat could have just made a deal to divide up Tweety equally . But it appears that they're both really greedy ( these toons have a real problem with that , don't they ? ) . And anyway , their misfortunes are their own fault for trying to harm someone else . So , it's not the best Sylvester-Tweety cartoon , but still worth seeing . |
365,024 | 4,888,011 | 140,864 | 7 | yet again , the human male lets his sex drive get the better of him | OK , so " Booby Traps " is chock full of non-PC material , quite offensive in the 21st century . As long as we understand that , it's one of the funniest things imaginable , made as a warning to American soldiers about rigged objects . Dim-witted soldier Pvt . Snafu - complete with his Bugs Bunny-like voice - is trudging through the north African desert , when he comes across a building full of scantily clad babes ( I don't think that they would really allow that in a Muslim country ) . As expected , Snafu not only gets as horny as possible , but the whole building is rigged . By which I mean that when they say " booby " traps , they really mean it ! So , it's a true guilty pleasure . Seeing some of those women , I might have easily fallen into the trap ! Pretty fun . |
362,602 | 4,888,011 | 112,817 | 7 | stupid white men | Dead Man is not like any western that you've seen before . It's not a glorification of pioneers traveling out west , and it's not a direct indictment of our treatment of the Indians . Granted , it portrays the Old West as a pretty ugly place , but the movie almost seems to treat it as a parallel universe . Johnny Depp plays William Blake , who gets hired to be an accountant for a metal company in a town called Machine in 1876 . When he arrives in town - after using up all his money - he learns from the corporate CEO ( Robert Mitchum ) that they've hired someone else . With nowhere to go , Blake hooks up with a woman , only to have her hubby walk in on them and kill her and wound him . Blake kills the guy and has to flee , since it turns out that this guy is the corporate CEO's son ( and the CEO is more concerned that Blake stole a horse than that his son got murdered ) . Out in the open , Blake meets up with an Indian named Nobody ( Gary Farmer ) , who calls him " stupid white man " . That's when the movie really starts to seem metaphysical . I thought that this movie was OK , although it's definitely not for everyone . It almost seems to have as its main strength a giant cast : Crispin Glover , John Hurt , Gabriel Byrne , Lance Henriksen , Michael Wincott , Billy Bob Thornton , and a whole bunch of other people . You might want to check it out , although mind you , you may find it very strange . |
365,803 | 4,888,011 | 295,178 | 7 | How far can they go ? | This time , Mike Myers plays Austin Powers , Dr . Evil and Fat Bastard , plus one new character : a Dutch guy named Goldmember who wants to help Dr . Evil take over the world . That's the main plot , but the movie is really an excuse for a bunch of silly gags ( namely the subtitles ) . The female interest this time is Foxxy Cleopatra ( Beyonce Knowles ) , whose cool never ebbs . The other addition is Austin's father Nigel ( Michael Caine ) . Anyway , " Austin Powers in Goldmember " is raucous fun from beginning to end . You just have to remember not to take anything seriously - and believe me , you can't . Reprising their roles from the earlier movies are Seth Green , Michael York , Robert Wagner , Mindy Sterling and Verne Troyer , while the guest appearances this time are Fred Savage , Steven Spielberg , Tom Cruise , Gwyneth Paltrow , Kevin Spacey , Danny DeVito and Britney Spears . And that's life , baby ! |
364,146 | 4,888,011 | 95,737 | 7 | The end of Mel Blanc . | So , Mel Blanc lent his voice to a cartoon short for the last time . It was an OK effort . Maybe not quite like their work from the ' 40s and ' 50s , but a colorful jab at classic horror flicks , as Daffy Duck dreams that he's performing for an audience of monsters . . . until he antagonizes Godzilla . And with another Mel ( Torme , that is ) doing the singing , how can you go wrong ? All in all , " The Night of the Living Duck " was a worthy end for The Man of 1 , 000 Voices . And he left this life the very next year ( he was actually the first famous person whose death I was aware of ; I was only five years old , but I knew the names of Bugs Bunny's creators ) . You can luxuriate in Mel Blanc's voices and Carl Stalling's music ( happy birthday , Carl ! ) . |
365,560 | 4,888,011 | 95,687 | 7 | Not bad at all ( if you can accept something totally silly ) . | During the period when Richard Benjamin wasn't acting in any movies , he turned to directing , and " My Stepmother Is an Alien " was one of the results . It features nerdy astronomer Steven Mills ( Dan Aykroyd ) accidentally doing something that causes alien Celeste Martin ( Kim Basinger ) to get sent to earth . Naturally , she has to learn about everything step by step , causing some really wacky situations . This movie's nothing special , but good for a laugh . You probably really like the scene where Celeste asks her purse " What is sex ? " . Also starring Alyson Hannigan , Jon Lovitz , and Seth Green . Oh , and most of us probably know that Aykroyd had already played Mr . Conehead on " SNL " . |
363,347 | 4,888,011 | 78,087 | 7 | truly identified where Joe Dante was going | Before Joe Dante ( " Gremlins " ) got really famous , he directed this " Jaws " send-up , in which man-eating fishes accidentally get released into a river and swim downstream , looking for people who dared to stick their feet in the water . What makes " Piranha " so neat is how it knows that it's a pretty corny movie , so it just lets the cast be as calm as they want . It elicits some true fun . And the most surprising part is : John Sayles wrote it ! But the point is , you gotta love this movie . If Roger Corman executive produces , then you know that it's good . Among the cast are Dante regulars Kevin McCarthy ( happy birthday , Kevin ! ) and Dick Miller , and also Barbara Steele and Bradford Dillman . |
362,564 | 4,888,011 | 70,511 | 7 | cinematic butterfly | Steve McQueen starred in what may have been his last really great movie here . As Devil's Island inmate Henri Charriere , he gets down and dirty throughout the whole movie , and we really see how nasty the prison is . Equally good in the movie is Dustin Hoffman as Charriere's friend Louis Dega , looking about like he did in " Midnight Cowboy " and " Marathon Man " . The alligator scene is quite shocking , but what the movie portrays overall is supposed to be shocking , what with the hellish prison life . As for the issue of the movie's accuracy , that's always up to debate . The point is to understand how Henri and Louis had to cope with everything . All in all , this isn't the greatest movie ever , but worth seeing . An interesting change of pace from the director of movies as dissimilar as " Planet of the Apes " and " The Boys from Brazil " . |
365,527 | 4,888,011 | 252,503 | 7 | OK , but weakened just a little because there was also " The Score " that year | There have just been so many heist movies , that " Heist " seems like it would be hard to register , especially since 2001 also saw the release of " The Score " - also focusing on a heist - which I found more interesting . I will say that this one is worth seeing , if nothing else for some of the tricks that they play . But David Mamet's best movie was really " House of Games " , with more tricks than anyone could imagine . This one just doesn't seem to be adding anything significant to the cinematic landscape . Probably worth seeing once . Starring Gene Hackman , Danny DeVito , Delroy Lindo , Ricky Jay and Sam Rockwell . Did the chicken cross the road , or did the road move beneath the chicken ? |
365,658 | 4,888,011 | 252,501 | 7 | Stephen King and the 1960s | I haven't as yet read Stephen King's novel " Hearts in Atlantis " ( which , as I understand it , was a compilation of a few stories ) . But I remember reading King's intro at the beginning , in which he talked about having come of age in the ' 60s , and how this has influenced his work . Well , I would say that the movie " Hearts in Atlantis " - based on one of the short stories from the book - gives the that impression . Like " Stand by Me " and " It " , the movie portrays working-class children around 1960 whose only escape from the world's unpleasantness is each other . In this case , young Bobby Garfield ( Anton Yelchin ) lives with his widowed mother ( Hope Davis ) . Unfortunately , she considers him a nuisance at best : she practically ignores him and spends all her money on fancy clothes for herself . But one day , stranger Ted Brautigan ( Anthony Hopkins ) rents the room upstairs . Bobby suspects that there's something unusual , almost magical , about Ted . But who else might know about this ? As is the case with King's other looks back at childhood , this one gets told as a flashback , with Bobby's older self ( David Morse ) thinking about the repercussions of everything that happened . Maybe it's just me , but I think that there was something to that , given that the movie got released a few weeks after September 11 . One of the things that we as a country could have considered was how past deeds could have led to , and how we could have changed certain policies . But maybe that's just me . Overall , I thought that this was a very well done movie . I really got a sense of how Bobby must have been feeling about everything going on in his life , and of his newfound strength . I recommend it . |
362,777 | 4,888,011 | 95,532 | 7 | pleasure still with us | On one level , " Little Nikita " is just another silly action movie . But strong performances and some interesting turns keep this one afloat . FBI agent Roy Parmenter ( Sidney Poitier ) interviews teenager Jeff Grant ( River Phoenix ) , who is trying to get into the Air Force Academy . But while reviewing Jeff , Roy discovers the most surprising thing of all : Jeff's parents are Soviet " sleeper " spies who fled to the United States and never told him about their history . Moreover , there's renegade Soviet agent Scuba - who murdered Roy's partner many years earlier - looking for Jeff , while the USSR has sent someone to capture Scuba ! Yeah , it's beyond convoluted , and - quite frankly - improbable . But director Richard Benjamin knows how to to do it . There isn't a dull moment anywhere in the movie . Pretty interesting . And playing Jeff's dad is Richard Jenkins , aka Nate Sr on " Six Feet Under " . |
364,582 | 4,888,011 | 112,744 | 7 | When will we get over things ? | When " The Crossing Guard " came out , it seemed like we'd heard for years that Sean Penn was worthless and just got in a bunch of fights . We turned out to be wrong . He's as great a director as an actor . The movie casts Jack Nicholson as Freddy Gale , out to get drunk driver John Booth ( David Morse ) , who accidentally killed his daughter . Over the course of the movie , we see how Freddy's life is damaged not only by his daughter's death , but how he has never talked to anyone about this . Moreover , Freddy has never gone to his daughter's grave , but John has . Everything comes to a head at the end . Maybe I wouldn't call this the ultimate masterpiece , but it is worth seeing . Also starring Anjelica Huston , Robin Wright Penn and Piper Laurie . |
365,722 | 4,888,011 | 78,326 | 7 | crime just might have to pay sometimes | Dustin Hoffman gives as intense a performance as we can expect from him as ex-con Max Dembo , who might have a harder than expected time ditching his past . " Straight Time " hits you like a kick in the gut , and they pull no punches . Maybe it's not the greatest movie ever , but it's definitely worth seeing . I would certainly say that whenever Ulu Grosbard directed Dustin Hoffman , there was always a good result ( the previous time was " Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying All Those Terrible Things About Me ? " ) . So , this is one that you should see . Also starring Theresa Russell , Gary Busey , Harry Dean Stanton , M . Emmett Walsh and Kathy Bates . |
364,841 | 4,888,011 | 95,497 | 7 | Who's a Christian now ? | As an atheist , I'm not a person who really goes in for any portrayal of Jesus . Still , " The Last Temptation of Christ " does an interesting job looking at him . We see Jesus ( Willem Dafoe ) as an imperfect human being with his own personal problems . Many Bible-thumping ideologues objected to this movie , due to its portrayal of Jesus ' sexual life ; all that I can say is " If the guy didn't have sex , what would he have done ? " Now , the movie's weird aspect . Aside from the fact that " Spiderman " ' s Norman Osborne is playing Christ , Verna Bloom - aka Marion Wormer in " Animal House " - plays Mary , and Harvey Keitel plays Judas . All the Jews in the movie have American accents , while the Romans sound like Brits . But don't get me wrong ; this is still a good movie . Maybe Martin Scorsese is an odd choice to direct a biblical epic , but whom do we want to do it ? The biblical epics made in the ' 50s and ' 60s were boring as hell , and I heard that " The Passion of the Christ " was basically an anti-Semitic screed . My favorite biblical epic is " Life of Brian " . Here's what I think that they should do . A movie version of the Bible hosted by Jon Stewart . The cast members are all Jewish-American entertainers . For example , Goldie Hawn and Woody Allen play Eve and Adam ( for PC purposes , Eve comes first ) ; they behave like a pair of tensed-up artistic people . Dustin Hoffman is Joseph ( with the coat of many colors ) ; when the Pharaoh's wife comes on to him , he says " Mrs . Pharaoh , you're trying to seduce me , aren't you ? " . Harrison Ford plays Moses ; he splits the Red Sea with a light saber , and when he gets the Ten Commandments , it's done like the opening sequence in " Raiders of the Lost Ark " . Other cast members would include Carl and Rob Reiner , Mel Brooks , Gene Wilder , Elliott Gould , Barbra Streisand , Bette Midler , Billy Crystal , Kevin Kline , Richard Dreyfuss , " Weird Al " Yankovic , and others . At the end , Jon Stewart would say that the Bible was made into a movie . . . called " Saturday Night Fever " . He would then walk down the street a la John Travolta while " Stayin ' Alive " gets played , and go to a discotheque . Yes , the Bible would end in a discotheque . Call me crazy , but that would be my ideal Bible . |
364,407 | 4,888,011 | 217,869 | 7 | M . Night Shyamalan's last really interesting movie so far . | M . Night Shyamalan followed up " The Sixth Sense " with the not-quite-as-great , but no less fascinating , " Unbreakable " . Bruce Willis plays Philadelphia security guard David Dunn , who survives a train wreck that kills everyone else . After this , he meets Elijah Price ( Samuel L . Jackson ) , who suffers from Osteogenesis Imperfecta , which causes his bones to break very easily . Elijah is convinced that David is as strong as the superheros in comic books . But what is there about either of these men that remains to be discovered ? As in his previous movie , Shyamalan creates a bleak setting that may be about to undergo a mind-shattering change . This one isn't as good as " The Sixth Sense " , but you will be shocked at the end just the same . Watch for Shyamalan as the man whom David investigates at the stadium . |
365,172 | 4,888,011 | 95,489 | 7 | Call me on the " land " line . | Maybe " The Land Before Time " is the sort of movie that appealed more to us when we were little children . Still , as a young adult , I remember that it was an interesting idea , with dinosaur children having to rely on each other . However , I do wish to assert that some of the T-Rex scenes may have been a little too intense for really young children . I mean , some of them get really ugly . Overall , it's a pretty interesting movie . I guess that " Jurassic Park " has made us expect a different portrayal of dinosaurs on the silver screen , but this one still passes . You probably won't have a religious experience or anything , but it's an OK way to pass time . |
365,645 | 4,888,011 | 26,116 | 7 | inanimate objects come to life , and even look at world events | Billboard Frolics was one of the many Warner Bros . cartoons in which inanimate objects come to life ; others included " Have You Got Any Castles ? " , " You're an Education " and " Book Revue " . The title identifies what comes to life here . There's Eddie Camphor and his why-oh-lean ( violin ) player Rub-Him-Off playing " Merrily We Roll Along " , which of course became the theme song for the Merrie Melodies cartoons . Another poster advertises Cuba ( I wonder whether or not they were allowed to show this cartoon after the Cuban Revolution ) . Yet another poster shows Russian rye dancing to a different version of " MWRA " , while also mentioning the Five Year Plan . If you've never studied Soviet history , you probably won't catch that reference . The Five Year Plan was Joseph Stalin's goal of turning the USSR's economy into one of the world powerhouses ; not surprisingly , it didn't work out quite like he proposed . But I digress . There are some pretty neat tricks in this cartoon . The last section has a bird chasing a worm , then a cat chases the bird , then a dog chases the cat . There's even an appearance by Ham & Armor baking soda . Pretty cool . |
365,673 | 4,888,011 | 210,358 | 7 | Happy 60th , Glenn ! | Since today is Glenn Close's 60th birthday , I wanted to talk about one of her lesser known movies . Directed by Gabriel Garcia Marquez's son Rodrigo , " Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her " interweaves the stories of several women . Close plays a doctor having to care for her mother . Kathy Baker , Cameron Diaz , Calista Flockhart , Valeria Golino , Holly Hunter and Elpidia Carrillo play some of the other women . At times , the movie gets confusing , what with the various plots crossing paths , but I still found it worthy . Some people might compare " TYCTJBLAH " to " Short Cuts " and " The Hours " , but I beg to differ . This one never gets cynical like " Short Cuts " ( although the latter was still worth seeing ) and isn't a downer like " The Hours " ( although the latter was still worth seeing ) . Despite having a bunch of stars , this movie never feels like the sort of movie that collects a bunch of stars to show them off ; the looks at the women's relationships ensure that the film has a more realistic feeling . Anyway , I recommend it , but don't expect a religious experience . |
364,676 | 4,888,011 | 427,392 | 7 | Remember : you're next ! | Normally , I wouldn't support the idea of remaking " The Invasion of the Body Snatchers " ( although it's apparently been done a few times ) ; I consider the original one with Kevin McCarthy almost sacrosanct . But this new version - despite being mostly predictable - brings up an interesting point : what if a virus turning the human race into cold , insensitive beings ended up solving so many of the problems that we see ? What results from the infection's overtaking of humanity looks like ultra-idealism , what with ending all wars and stuff . But would we want to lose what makes us human ? Then again , I can't guarantee that the people behind the movie intended for that sort of interpretation . After all , many people interpreted the original version as either an anti-communist screed or an anti-McCarthyism screed , while the director apparently intended it as a plain old alien invasion story . Overall , this one's worth seeing , if only once . Starring Nicole Kidman ( looking very much like Grace Kelly ) , Daniel Craig , Jeffrey Wright ( the CIA agent in " Syriana " ) , Josef Sommer ( Harrison Ford's boss in " Witness " ) and Veronica Cartwright . |
365,901 | 4,888,011 | 365,289 | 7 | grimmer and grimmer | In a loose adaptation of " Hansel and Gretel " , Dutch siblings Jacob and Marie are abandoned by their parents and eventually make their way to Spain . In Spain , Marie marries surgeon Diego . Everything looks normal at first , but it becomes apparent that Diego might not be quite what he seems , especially after Jacob tries to drag Marie away from him . What's really neat about " Grimm " is how it plays with the audience . After they leave the Netherlands , you think that the movie's important part has already happened , but you're wrong . Dead wrong . That door in Diego's house gives me the feeling that along with " Hansel and Gretel " , there's also a tinge of " Bluebeard " here . And I wonder if that town at the end is the one where they filmed the spaghetti westerns . All in all , this is black comedy at its neatest . |
365,405 | 4,888,011 | 765,429 | 7 | corruption is life | When I started watching " American Gangster " , I had no idea what it was about . By the end , I was surprised that I had never heard the story before . The first character whom we meet is Frank Lucas ( Denzel Washington ) , confidante of Harlem gangster extraordinaire Ellsworth " Bumpy " Johnson ( Clarence Williams III ) . Lucas's first scene makes him look like a heartless killer , but we soon see that he does have friends and can be a nice guy . When Johnson dies in 1968 , Lucas becomes head honcho in Harlem . But simply being the big cheese isn't enough for this guy . So he starts another business venture : drug trafficking . The ongoing Vietnam War enables Lucas to import heroin from Indochina , and before long he practically runs Harlem . Part of his aim is to stamp out corruption in his inner circle . Meanwhile Det . Richie Roberts ( Russell Crowe ) has his own stuff going . While going through a divorce , he seeks to bring down Lucas's drug empire , and at the same time dealing with corruption in his own ranks . So here we have these two men mired in slimy settings , both trying to make good . Well , as good as is possible in this sordid world that they inhabit . For me , the movie's main strength was focusing on this topic . Since I had never known about any of this stuff , any concentration on it will be good . Beyond that , the movie does a pretty good job with its various topics . Granted , the breadth of the focus makes it hard for the movie to delve too deeply into any particular topic , but I felt fulfilled just learning about what happened . No , it's not the greatest movie ever ( I consider " Blade Runner " Ridley Scott's best ever ) . But I would still recommend it . Also starring Ruby Dee . |
362,928 | 4,888,011 | 295,297 | 7 | Maybe it's just a place holder , but it remains an essential part of the series . | With boy wizard Harry Potter ( Daniel Radcliffe ) going into his second year at Hogwarts , he gets visited by a " house elf " named Dobby , who warns him not to go . Naturally , Harry doesn't listen to this . But when he does arrive at the school , he finds that there's a number of things not right . And the answer is closer than he thinks . Obviously , the filmmakers couldn't go straight from " Philosopher's Stone " to " Prisoner of Azkaban " , so they had to include " Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets " . This is probably the HP movie which I recommend the least ( but make no mistake , I do recommend it ) . Sometimes , it just seems like a big Hollywood production , but I consider it a good movie nonetheless . The Oregonian's review correctly stated that it maintained the first movie's strength and flaws . Radcliffe plays Potter to perfection , while Rupert Grint and Emma Watson also return as Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger , respectively . Aside from the other cast members from the original ( Richard Harris , Maggie Smith , Alan Rickman , Robbie Coltrane , Richard Griffiths ) , there are two new ones : Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart ( the overstuffed Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher ) and Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy ( Draco's father ) . Overall , worth seeing , but I liked " Prisoner of Azkaban " better ( I still haven't seen part 4 ) . |
364,922 | 4,888,011 | 61,391 | 7 | devil went down to England | The usually less-than-dependable Dudley Moore does a good job here as Stanley Moon , a short order cook leading a go-nowhere life but always eyeing waitress Margaret Spencer ( Eleanor Bron , whom you may recognize from " Help ! " ) . Enter the Devil ( Peter Cook ) , going by the alias George Spiggott . Satan gives Stanley seven wishes , so as to help the poor bloke win Margaret's heart . Stanley makes his wishes , but there's always a loophole leading to a rather embarrassing situation . Maybe " Bedazzled " was sort of a period piece . A particularly dated scene is when a policeman is showing someone a rape victim and says " She brought it on herself . " But overall , it's pretty funny , and Raquel Welch is really something playing Lillian Lust ( one of the seven deadly sins ) . |
363,205 | 4,888,011 | 52,651 | 7 | Nice kid , but he doesn't listen to a word you say ( he just sees through it ) . | Poor Foghorn Leghorn . That blustery yokel of a rooster always tries to be the most important character on the farm , but someone always outsmarts him . Usually , Henery Hawk and Barnyard Dog enjoy this luxury , but " A Broken Leghorn " features neither of them . Instead , there's a newborn rooster who Foghorn thinks is going to replace him . Sure enough , every attempt to eliminate the little guy results in Foghorn getting maimed somehow . OK , so we can probably predict what sorts of things are going to happen to FL , but it's neat seeing how for some reason he always finds a reason to keep going ( sort of like Wile E . Coyote ) . A pretty funny cartoon . Roostery . Foghorn makes up neater words than Stephen Colbert does . |
363,979 | 4,888,011 | 26,182 | 7 | Beans Amuck | Sort of a forerunner to Chuck Jones's more famous " Duck Amuck " , " A Cartoonist's Nightmare " portrays an animator working on a Beans cartoon . He falls asleep and ends up in the cartoon , where the monster threatening Beans proceeds to menace the cartoonist . It's up to Beans to save the day ! This short , directed by Jack King ( previously a Disney animator , he soon returned to Disney , after which Frank Tashlin took over his unit ) , came out right after Friz Freleng's " I Haven't Got a Hat " , which debuted not only Beans but also Porky . If I remember right , Porky and Beans were officially a team ( pork and beans , get it ? ) . Needless to say , Beans quickly dropped off the radar , while Porky gained fame as WB's first bona fide cartoon superstar , although he soon got overtaken by a certain stuttering duck , and later by a wise-guy rabbit . Anyway , this one's OK as a historical reference . |
365,462 | 4,888,011 | 112,642 | 7 | Maybe there will always be the issue of life and death . | On one level , maybe " Casper " is just a kids ' movie . But it does bring up the question of how we deal with our own mortality . The plot involves unctuous Carrigan Crittenden ( Cathy Moriarty ) and her crony Dibbs ( Eric Idle ) inheriting an abandoned mansion in Maine , only to find out that it's inhabited by people-hating ghosts . After a few failed attempts to get rid of these spirits , they hire Dr . James Harvey ( Bill Pullman ) , who claims that he can communicate with the dead . When he and his daughter Kat ( Christina Ricci ) move in , they have a few unpleasant encounters with the ghosts , but settle down . Thus arises the issue of how to cohabit with specters and also please Crittenden . Overall , maybe there's nothing totally special about this movie ; at face value , it seems to be all about quantity and not quality . But it does have some neat lines , and prompts us to consider what will become of ourselves post mortem . |
363,024 | 4,888,011 | 122,529 | 7 | 3 types of there | Indie director Hal Hartley accomplished the quirky but definitely worth seeing " Henry Fool " , in which a trashy writer helps a socially awkward garbage man discover his real talent . Since the title character describes three kinds of " there " , I will use them to describe the movie . There is much in this movie that will give you a new view of your own life . Their talents come across very clearly in this movie . They're the people showing us that movies work best when not showing things exploding for no reason except to show off some star . Anyway , this is certainly a movie that I recommend . If it stars Parker Posey , you know that it's got to be interesting ( see also " The House of Yes " ) . |
363,139 | 4,888,011 | 780,571 | 7 | Don't try to fool a Portlander . | I didn't know anything about " Mr . Brooks " when I turned it on , and I got a surprise when I saw that the movie takes place here in Portland ! Unfortunately , it was clear that large portions got filmed elsewhere ; we Portlanders know when movies don't get our geography right ( not that I would expect Hollywood to get it right ) . In fact , I had never even heard of the movie getting filmed here at all ! WTF ? ! Was it just that the last movie that Kevin Costner filmed in Oregon was " The Postman " ? Oh well . I still found it a pretty interesting movie , with Costner as a man with a murderous side . Granted , it's not a masterpiece by any stretch , but OK . Also starring Demi Moore , Marg Helgenberger and William Hurt . |
363,783 | 4,888,011 | 70,640 | 7 | the " ideal " life | During the ' 50s and early ' 60s , the image of the " ideal " life ( where everyone lived pretty no matter what ) reigned supreme . " Save the Tiger " is like a barrel of salt in that image's wound . Middle-aged Harry Stoner ( Jack Lemmon ) has a top job , but he's clearly not happy ; quite the contrary , he always seems like his blood pressure is through the roof , and like his composure is hanging by a thread . I saw this right before I graduated from high school , and . . . well , it was pretty disturbing to think that what " Save the Tiger " portrays is my prospect for the future . But , that's life . Harry Stoner apparently knows this all too well . About his surname , was that a reference to something ? Harry clearly was not getting stoned or anything , although he did hang out with a hippie girl . |
363,490 | 4,888,011 | 70,643 | 7 | interesting , but both men have done better | There have been many drifter stories , but " Scarecrow " stands all on its own . Portraying tough Max ( Gene Hackman ) and loopy Lionel ( Al Pacino ) befriending each other while wondering through the world , the movie is admittedly a downer . I will say that the movie doesn't seem to accomplish everything that it was probably trying to do . For example , the scene where Lionel does the act for the kids comes across as silly , maybe even pointless . But overall , the movie is an enjoyable - if gritty - look at searching for one's goal in life ( if that's what it was trying to do ) . So scarecrows entertain birds . . . |
364,649 | 4,888,011 | 43,760 | 7 | So Rube Goldberg met Barnyard Dog , eh ? | Lovelorn Leghorn probably wasn't the best Looney Tunes cartoon ever , but it certainly has its moments . It features Prissy looking for a husband , so Foghorn Leghorn tells her that Barnyard Dog is a rooster in disguise . After a football sequence , Barnyard clarifies everything and helps Prissy build the most whacked-out " rooster trap " ever , the sort of thing that looks like it was dreamed up by Rube Goldberg . It was always neat how Foggy had his hillbilly phrases , and how he and Barnyard liked to razz each other . This cartoon makes OK use of everything , so I have to say about it - to quote Prissy : " Ye-e-e-e-e-es . " Pretty good . |
363,815 | 4,888,011 | 780,536 | 7 | ringing the Belgium | Prior to seeing Martin McDonagh's " In Bruges " , I had heard that it was a straightforward comedy . It turned out that while the movie starts out comedic , it gets more serious as it progresses . Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson play hit men Ray and Ken , respectively . After Ray accidentally kills a boy , head honcho Harry ( Ralph Fiennes ) sends Ray and Ken to Bruges , Belgium . This is the sort of city that by rights should attract just about every tourist ; certainly Ken spends as much time as possible sightseeing . Ray , however , can't get over his previous actions , and his short temper gets him into trouble everywhere . Two wrenches get thrown into the works when Ray strikes up a relationship with local drug dealer Chloe ( Clemence Poesy ) and Harry orders Ken to kill Ray . The events resulting from the second part really set the movie on its more serious course . I guess that the movie disappointed me a little in that it turned out not to be the comedy that I expected . But for the most part I liked how it posed the question of what is right in such a convoluted situation and lets the audience decide for themselves ( sort of like what " No Country for Old Men " does ) . Worth seeing , if not the best movie . And if I may say so , Jimmy's ( Jordan Prentice ) description of the race war sounded like what Charles Manson envisioned . Also starring Elizabeth Berrington , Anna Madeley , Thekla Reuten , Ciaran Hinds , Rudy Blomme , Mark Donovan , Ann Elsley and Jean-Marc Favorin . |
363,321 | 4,888,011 | 122,690 | 7 | action-packed . . . and doing a good job with it | I'll admit that " Ronin " has a somewhat vague plot , but they do a good job with it . It has ex CIA agent Sam ( Robert DeNiro ) accompanying tough guy Vincent ( Jean Reno ) around France to find a suitcase wanted by various factions . Mostly , the movie is a bunch of car chases and such things , but good performances keep it strong . And I think that we have to agree that this was infinitely better than Jean Reno's other starring role in 1998 ( " Godzilla " ) . An interesting aspect is that we never find out what's in the suitcase , but maybe that's not totally important . Among other things , there aren't really any good guys in this movie ; we identify with Sam and his cohorts , but you can't totally classify them as " good guys " . All in all , another interesting flick from John Frankenheimer . Also starring Natasha McElhone , Stellan Skarsgard , Sean Bean and Jonathan Pryce . |
362,607 | 4,888,011 | 87,747 | 7 | Looks even better now that the Cold War has ended | I'm guessing that when " Moscow on the Hudson " first came out , it looked kind of silly and unrealistic . But now that the Cold War has long since ended , it looks better ( and watching the movie , you can see why the Soviet Union was imploding ) . Robin Williams , in one of his more easygoing roles , plays Russian saxophonist Vladimir Ivanoff , who defects while his group is performing in New York . The rest of the movie shows him trying to adjust to life in America , with varying degrees of success . Among his new acquaintances are Lucia Lombardo ( Maria Conchita Alonso ) , Lionel Witherspoon ( Cleavant Derricks ) and Orlando Ramirez ( Alejandro Rey , whom you may recall as Carlos on " The Flying Nun " ) . All in all , this isn't really anything special , but it does almost seem to be a premonition of the Eastern Bloc collapsing . Worth seeing . |
362,899 | 4,888,011 | 26,532 | 7 | Porky's voice comes from a dog | While the early Warner Bros . cartoon " Into Your Dance " ( directed by Friz Freleng ) does feature a scene of black-face characters , the rest is pretty entertaining . It portrays a sort of talent show aboard a stern-wheeler , but every performer screws up somehow . Is that doomed to happen every time ? ! One thing that I noticed is that the conductor is a pig looking very much like Porky , but I didn't detect that he says anything . Towards the end , a dog has Porky's stutter . What gives ? Then again , maybe I too easily get hung up on the wrong sorts of things . This cartoon is a worthy look into the beginning of the group that would soon create Bugs , Daffy , etc . |
365,076 | 4,888,011 | 52,298 | 7 | Carl Stalling departs | To Itch His Own is not like anything that I've ever seen . For the first few minutes , it's sort of unclear what's happening , as Angelo the world's strongest flea decides to take a vacation from the circus ( I guess that he " fleas " the circus ) . But once he settles in on a certain dog and another dog invades the scene , it all takes off . Was this cartoon a masterpiece ? I wouldn't go so far as to say that . But pretty much anything that Chuck Jones created was quite fascinating . This cartoon contains no dialog , unless of course you count yelps of pain . Worth seeing , and a worthy final effort for composer Carl Stalling , who retired after this one . I wonder why strongmen always have to have names ending in O . |
364,244 | 4,888,011 | 43,732 | 7 | one feather washes the other | I would call " Leghorn Swoggled " one of the more mind-boggling ( but no less funny ) Foghorn Leghorn cartoons , as Henery Hawk wants to catch a chicken , but has to do a favor for Barnyard Dog , a cat , and a mouse . Foggy tries to give him advice every step of the way , but guess what ends up happening ! Even if the process leading up to the real action gets a little whacked out , it's all worth it just for the final gag . Why does FL have to suffer so much ? Who knows . Maybe his blustery , impetuous attitude gets the better of him like Daffy Duck's does him . Really hilarious . As this cartoon is not yet available on DVD ( that I know of ) , you can watch it on YouTube . |
362,860 | 4,888,011 | 34,977 | 7 | chairman of the billboard | Sort of an updated version of " Billboard Frolics " , Friz Freleng's eye-popping " Lights Fantastic " depicts a bunch of billboards - apparently around Times Square - putting on various skits . This cartoon really shows off Freleng's penchant for synchronizing music and action ( especially with the conga beat ) . Freleng also made ample use of this in " Pigs in a Polka " and " Show Biz Bugs " . Mostly this was a place holder in 1942 . By that point , Bugs Bunny was the undisputed Warner Bros . cartoon star , Chuck Jones had totally eschewed cuteness in favor of slapstick , and the United States ' entry into WWII prompted a series of cartoons portraying the characters battling Nazis . But this was certainly a good place holder . Very similar to " Billboard Frolics " , true , but I recommend it . |
365,264 | 4,888,011 | 87,781 | 7 | Darren McGavin , RIP | Darren McGavin's death yesterday brings to mind his career , including all his movies . He only had a small role in " The Natural " , but the movie itself was something else . Starring Robert Redford as a 1930's baseball player with a seemingly superhuman talent ( possibly due to his bat ) , it's one of those movies up to interpretation - although IMDb . com noted that there's a slight allusion to Greek mythology . Maybe some parts were a little predictable , but it was overall a pretty neat movie , even for someone like me who takes no interest in sports . With a supporting cast of Robert Duvall , Glenn Close , Kim Basinger , Wilford Brimley , Robert Prosky , Joe Don Baker , and Richard Farnsworth , it's another impressive feature from Barry Levinson . |
365,015 | 4,888,011 | 113,101 | 7 | rooms with many views | I seem to recall that when " Four Rooms " came out , it was critically and commercially derided . When I saw it a few months later , I actually thought that it was pretty well done . I knew that Quentin Tarantino was involved in the making , so I could safely assume that there was an element of sleaze in the movie . Well , the movie is likely to blow anyone away , just in terms of how far they go . Portraying bellhop Ted ( Tim Roth ) and his loony experiences on New Year's Eve while waiting on several people in a hotel , they blow everything out of the water . The first two segments are pretty lowbrow : the first one portrays a witches ' coven and the second one portrays a psychopath who thinks that Ted had sex with his wife . But when we get to the third segment , that's where the movie really takes off . Ted has to watch the children of a slick Mexican guy named Man ( Antonio Banderas ) . After a few incidents , Man comes back and finds the room in the most mind-blowing scene imaginable . And , the last segment . Ted , in a totally frenetic state , goes to a room where several Hollywood guys are having a discussion ( with as many curse words as possible ) . What happens at the end of that segment . . . well , let me just tell you that no one sees that coming ! All in all , people who think that the movie didn't go anywhere obviously missed the point . I don't know for certain whether this movie was just an excuse to be crazy , but it sure seemed like that . You're sure to have fun watching it . Also starring Madonna , Valeria Golino , Jennifer Beals , Salma Hayek , and even Quentin Tarantino in the final segment playing a Hollywood type . |
365,171 | 4,888,011 | 26,510 | 7 | tip your hat to Porky Pig's 1st appearance | Although " I Haven't Got a Hat " just looks like a cute cartoon , it really seems to be focusing on the various kinds of things that can happen during a school recital , namely stage fright and resentment . Probably most famous as Porky Pig's debut ( he sings about Paul Revere's ride ) , the cartoon culminates when an owl tries to play the piano but a cat messes with the piano . So , this is a formidable part of cartoon history . The crowd behind the Looney Tunes cartoons would further develop the cartoons in later years , but this is a good reference point . Worth seeing . The lamb's fleece was as white as corn flakes . Ha ! |
364,516 | 4,888,011 | 105,435 | 7 | one of those movies that you never expect | In 1992 , when " Sneakers " came out , the Internet was just getting off the ground . What they portray in this movie seems more like what one would expect to find in a 21st century movie . Robert Redford and Sidney Poitier play hackers , with an entire syndicate made up of Dan Aykroyd , David Strathairn and River Phoenix . Following a few strange incidents , the whole group finds itself involved in a vast , bizarre scheme . The movie isn't totally easy to follow , but the occasional comedic bits make up for that ( namely the Scrabble scene , the voice recording , and the end ) . Not any kind of masterpiece , but worth watching nonetheless , what with its mixture of suspense and goofiness . |
365,023 | 4,888,011 | 147,953 | 7 | Why can't Snafu ever do anything right ? | In one of the many Pvt . Snafu training films , Snafu tries to camouflage himself , but the Nazis are always one step ahead of him . I guess that these shorts had as their purpose to show American soldiers what not to do in wartime . As we can expect , the cartoon portrays an Americanized version of the German language ( " Mein Herr , haben Sie einen light ? " ) . I guess that as long as we understand what the cartoon portrays , it's easy to enjoy ( as were pretty much all the Pvt . Snafu cartoons ) . And for the record , with those sorts of mermaids , I would have been only to happy to jump into the scenery ! I know , that last part made me sound like a sexist pig . No need to rub it in . |
365,640 | 4,888,011 | 26,598 | 7 | La Cucaracha dances | True , Friz Freleng's early cartoon " The Lady in Red " stereotypes Mexico a little bit , but it's got some cool scenes , as a bevy of cockroaches party in a café after hours . The title woman performs a sultry dance . But then a parrot sees the action and gets hungry . That's instinct , I guess . As this came out in the early days of Warner Bros . animation , there's none of the full scale wackiness that became their cornerstone throughout the ' 40s and ' 50s . As it was , I notice that a lot of their cartoons in 1935 and 1936 took their titles from songs : " I Haven't Got a Hat " ( mostly famous as Porky Pig's debut ) , " I Love to Singa " and " Let It Be Me " . Anyway , an OK cartoon . Available on YouTube . |
365,548 | 4,888,011 | 113,041 | 7 | As I understand it , there were accusations of anti-Arab stereotyping ? | Father of the Bride II may seem to some people like a lesser Steve Martin movie , with him as the patriarch from the previous movie now having to deal with his daughter's and wife's pregnancies . Unpretentiously silly . But one interesting thing is that apparently , some Arab groups claimed that the movie was making anti-Arab stereotypes , as a Middle Eastern man buys their house with plans to demolish it . I wouldn't have interpreted that as anti-Arab ; I mean , it's not like they're portraying him as a terrorist . Oh well , life goes on . The movie's a nice , goofy way to pass time . I really liked the scene where they bring Steve Martin into the hospital ( that would've sure been an embarrassment ! ) . Also starring Diane Keaton , Martin Short , Kimberly Williams , B . D . Wong and Eugene Levy . |
362,891 | 4,888,011 | 156,602 | 7 | Finally , an educational film worth watching ! | So many educational films are nothing more than mind-numbing drudgery , saved only by the fact that " MST3K " mocks them ( " Why Study Industrial Arts ? " comes to mind ) . " Hemo the Magnificent " is actually quite well done . It's all about blood , the heart , and the circulatory system . I admit that I don't remember everything from it , but it does a good job explaining everything , keeping it serious but entertaining . I guess that you can always count on June Foray ( most famously the voice of Rocky the Squirrel , she plays a deer here ) . Since " Hemo the Magnificent " itself may be hard to find , probably the best place to see it is in " Gremlins " : a class is watching it while a gremlin is forming . |
365,200 | 4,888,011 | 481,797 | 7 | Jonathan Harker and Dracula's director reunite in Romania | Usually in movies , Romania is the land of Count Dracula . " Youth Without Youth " takes a new approach to Romania , even though it stars in a supporting role Bruno Ganz ( who played Jonathan Harker in Werner Herzog's " Nosferatu " ) and is directed by Francis Ford Coppola ( who directed " Bram Stoker's Dracula " ) . At the beginning , we meet Dominic Matei ( Tim Roth ) , a septuagenarian Romanian polyglot in 1938 . Suddenly , a flash of lightning hits Dominic . As the movie progresses , he gets younger and younger . The Nazi takeover of his native country prompts him to flee . But when he finds love in young Veronica ( Alexandra Maria Lara ) , his unusual trait has an unexpected result , forcing Dominic to decide what he'll now have to do . At the very least , this is a Dorian Gray-style movie , as Dominic stays much younger than he should be . But what I personally found really impressive was the range of languages spoken throughout the film , including Sanskrit . Apparently , " YWY " author Mircea Eliade as a young man went to Calcutta to study Sanskrit and and Eastern philosophy , so it wouldn't surprise me if the events in the story mirror his own experiences . From what I read about this film , it sounds as though this was an ambitious project in the vein of some of Coppola's more famous work . Not only did filming start more than two years before the release , but they shot over 170 hours of footage over a period of 85 days ; that's an average of more than 2 hours of footage per day ! But it came out very good , I must say . This is certainly a movie for which I have to commend everyone involved in the production . Definitely one that I recommend . And among other things , I hope that more movies will portray Romania as something other than the land of Count Dracula ( and possibly Nicolae Ceaucescu ) . Similarly , Coppola started filming " Apocalypse Now " over three years before its release . |
364,742 | 4,888,011 | 264,616 | 7 | Don't worry : it won't leave you feeling frail . | A story about a single father trying to convince his two sons that there's demons everywhere seems like the sort of thing that would come out completely idiotic . But they pull it off here rather neatly . It's the story of how Dad Meiks ( Bill Paxton , in his directorial debut ) got his sons to help him kill people whom he claimed were demons in 1970s Texas . Does he sound crazy ? Maybe , but after you see the movie , you may have doubts about everything . Because believe you me , contrary to what you may expect , Matthew McConaughey can actually play a creepy role ; and that's just what he does here . Texas sure has turned out some interesting directors : first Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson , and now Bill Paxton . |
365,831 | 4,888,011 | 841,046 | 7 | appropriately silly with some surprises along the way | Following his supporting role in " Talladega Nights " , John C . Reilly gets his own lead role in the musical biopic spoof " Walk Hard : The Dewey Cox Story " . Mostly poking fun at the Johnny Cash biopic " Walk the Line " - with elements of Ray Charles , Bob Dylan , Brian Wilson , Stevie Wonder , and even appearances by the Beatles and the Temptations - the movie isn't a yuk-fest in the vein of " Airplane ! " . Most of the humor is much more subtle , but when they throw it at you , it comes head on ! So , it's mostly a nice , short way to get a few laughs . Chockablock with inconsistencies about his age , yes , but there's no need to take anything seriously about this flick . Basically an excuse to be silly , with some neat surprises along the way . Judd Apatow is certainly making a good name for himself . |
363,546 | 4,888,011 | 34,845 | 7 | nothing totally new , but interesting | I can't claim to be a connoisseur of Bob Clampett's work , but I've liked most of the classic Looney Tunes cartoons . A previous reviewer said that " The Hep Cat " falls short of Clampett's usual quality . I , on the other hand , think that this cartoon is actually quite neat , as a cool feline tries to woo a woman , but a dog keeps interfering . I assume that the title referred to the sort of person who would soon be a beatnik . Even if it doesn't , I still have often noticed that the Looney Tunes cartoons had a way with jazz ( the ultimate kind of beatnik music ) . All in all , not a masterpiece , but worth seeing . |
363,894 | 4,888,011 | 105,236 | 7 | You wanna squirm ? | Pulp Fiction had the shot in the car , and the " Kill Bill " movies had , well , various death scenes . But " Reservoir Dogs " . . . ah , now this one will make your skin crawl . It focuses on a heist gone wrong . That's the most minimal description of the plot . Most of the movie has the various characters trying to figure out who did what . And then , there's the . . . well , let's just call it the ear scene . You will very likely squirm during that scene . If nothing else , we can say that Quentin Tarantino gave us a preview of his later films . Maybe his later films don't make your skin crawl , but but they all deal with lowlife culture . And you'd better believe that the characters in this movie are lowlifes . If absolutely nothing else , " Reservoir Dogs " shows us that violent , gross movies can be masterpieces . |
364,064 | 4,888,011 | 26,422 | 7 | genetic mutations get so weird that a pig fathers a cat | Porky Pig's second appearance ( and Tex Avery's directorial debut ) does feature a few racial stereotypes , but overall , " Gold Diggers of ' 49 " made me laugh . Set at the time of the 1849 California gold rush , Porky and Beans are prospectors , and Beans wants to marry Porky's daughter Kitty ( the three characters got introduced in " I Haven't Got a Hat " earlier in 1935 , and Porky looks as if he needs triple bypass surgery ) . Part of this involves Beans guarding a little something of Porky's . If you've seen any of Tex Avery's cartoons , then you should know what sorts of things to expect here . The gags aren't quite as zany as I might have hoped for , but I try to imagine how hilarious they must have looked the first time that moviegoers ever saw them . If absolutely nothing else , this should be of interest to cartoon fans as a look into the Termite Terrace crowd's early days . Worth seeing . As for the question of how a pig fathered a cat . . . well , in cartoons things don't have to make sense . |
365,452 | 4,888,011 | 405,336 | 7 | seemingly couldn't be , but is | Having seen Richard Kelly's work so far ( " Donnie Darko " and " Southland Tales " ) , I'm very eager to see what his third salvo will be . If you just hear a little bit about this movie , it would probably sound like something that either couldn't exist as a movie , or would have to be something starring Leslie Nielsen . It would likely be hard to envision The Rock ( billed with his real name Dwayne Johnson ) , Sarah Michelle Gellar and Seann William Scott co-starring in a movie set in a future in which the War on Terrorism has officially become World War III , and every part of everyone's lives in monitored in a way that puts Orwell to shame . But yes , this movie is just that , and even more . There are a couple of things to interpret ( at least as I interpreted them ) . Boxer Santaros ( Johnson ) is a movie star who married into a politician's family ( possibly a reference to Arnold Schwarzenegger ? ) . Krysta Now ( Gellar ) is a former porn star who has her own reality show , on which she pontificates about current issues ; ah yes , wouldn't every news show just love to have movie stars on as commentators , whether or not they know a damn thing about the topic ? Anyway , the setting is that there was a nuclear attack on the United States on Independence Day 2005 , and so the government used that as an excuse to turn the country into an ultra-police state ( while invading every " enemy country " except Cuba ) . Ronald Taverner ( Scott ) is an agent of UPU , the secret police ; he also has a twin brother Roland , who is a member of a neo-Marxist group . Meanwhile , German company Treer has invented a device to use the ocean currents as energy . . . with unexpected results . As the third anniversary of the attack approaches , Los Angeles gears up for the release of a zeppelin into the sky while the authorities battle the neo-Marxist group . But all is not what it seems . . . At times , there's so much going on that the movie is a little hard to follow , especially in the scenes with the multiple TV screens . But in the grand scheme of things , I recommend this movie . As I said earlier , I would have never imagined The Rock , Sarah Michelle Gellar and Seann William Scott co-starring in a movie dealing with things like the PATRIOT Act , but they all did a good job . I wouldn't be surprised if some of the events depicted here come true . And like I said , I'm eager to see Richard Kelly's next movie . Also starring Justin Timberlake , Wallace Shawn , Beth Grant , Miranda Richardson , Mandy Moore , Kevin Smith , John Larroquette , Jon Lovitz , Rebekah Del Rio , Nora Dunn , Bai Ling , Cheri Oteri , Amy Poehler , Lou Taylor Pucci , Janeane Garofalo , Christopher Lambert , Zelda Rubinstein and Will Sasso . |
365,519 | 4,888,011 | 43,620 | 7 | promoting the Columbus myth , but still hilarious | Obviously , " Hare We Go " is promoting the myth of Christopher Columbus's life . In reality , it's unclear whether or not Columbus was really Italian ( he may have been a Spanish Jew who converted to Christianity during the Inquisition ) ; by the time that he set sail , most people on both sides of the Atlantic had already figured out that the Earth is round ( Washington Irving made up the story about him proving it round ) ; the story about the crew trying to mutiny mostly seems to be making those at the top look good - an attack on the working class , if you will ; and Columbus couldn't have discovered America if there were already people there ( never mind that he initiated 500 years of genocide against the Indians ) . " Lies My Teacher Told Me : Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong " tells the whole story . Oh well , other than that , it's great to see Bugs Bunny's gags , as he accompanies Columbus as mascot on the trip across the ocean , and then discovers America . Another classic cartoon . |
364,130 | 4,888,011 | 26,370 | 7 | contrary to what Phil Ochs sang . . . | In one of Friz Freleng's early cartoons , a bunch of flowers have a big parade , complete with floats . I of course was half expecting there to be an " Animal House " - style finale , but something uglier happened . As this was in the early days of Warner Bros . animation , we needn't expect any of the full-scale wackiness that characterized their work in the ' 40s and ' 50s . But either way , it's a worthy look into the beginning of what would soon be one of the most popular cartoon series of all time . It's available on YouTube , but has probably been altered a little : the YouTube version starts with the zooming WB shield , whereas the 1935 cartoons began with the credits against a plain background ( and ended with a court jester saying " That's all , folks ! " ) . |
365,639 | 4,888,011 | 26,481 | 7 | nobody rips at Hollywood more than Hollywood itself | Jack King's " Hollywood Capers " came out during the first year in which Warner Bros . animation really had the recognition that it has had ever since . Featuring many of the characters from " I Haven't Got a Hat " , it portrays simple-minded feline Beans getting to Warmer ( yes , in this case it's Warmer , not Warner ) Bros . studios , only to cause a series of problems , culminating in Frankenstein's monster coming to life . The cartoon has a very simple story - as did most of their cartoons during the animation department's early years - but comes up with some really crazy sight gags , namely Frankie's meal ; no live action film , no matter how silly , could ever show that ! So , it's far from a great cartoon , but an eye-opening look into the early days of what would soon be the domain of Bugs , Daffy , etc . And it's a neat jab at Hollywood . Speaking of which , why does no one rip at Hollywood more than Hollywood itself ? |
365,002 | 4,888,011 | 34,888 | 7 | Chloe , the swamp song | In what must have been one of Daffy Duck's last black and white cartoons , he's looking for someone named Chloe , but gets the hiccups and goes to Dr . Jerkyl for a cure . Sure enough , Dr . Jerkyl transforms himself . . . into a big doofus named Chloe . Go figure ! Apparently , the opening scene of Daffy calling for Chloe in a swamp , that's something that audiences in 1942 probably would have understood perfectly but has since lost all meaning . As I understand it , there was a song called something like " Chloe , the Swamp Song " . But even ignoring that , this is a fairly humorous cartoon . Granted , I like it better when Daffy gets paired with the other famous Looney Tunes , but he does OK here . I guess that no one knows anyone else very well . |
365,767 | 4,888,011 | 264,464 | 7 | Catch this film if you can . | I'd never heard of Frank Abagnale Jr before " Catch Me If You Can " came out , but what a guy ! Watching the movie , one really grows to admire him , partly because of Leonardo DiCaprio's cool portrayal . Abagnale forged checks and assumed a number of false identities during the ' 60s . Tom Hanks is equally cool as FBI agent Carl Hanratty , doggedly searching the world for Abagnale . This isn't Steven Spielberg's best movie by any stretch , but it's sure a neat one . There is one scene that's probably there for comic relief ( hint : it involves shirts ) . Also starring are Christopher Walken , Nathalie Baye , Martin Sheen , Amy Adams , and James Brolin . Cool . |
364,308 | 4,888,011 | 34,881 | 7 | let's all be witches | Anyone watching " I Married a Witch " would probably want to start engaging in a little witchcraft . Veronica Lake is great as witch Jennifer , who with her father ( Cecil Kellaway ) was burned alive 270 years ago . But now they've both been freed - by lightning striking the tree that imprisoned them - and want to get revenge on the descendant of their executioner . It turns out , this descendant ( Frederic March ) is running for governor . As we movie watchers should all know , political campaigns make for some great humor on the silver screen . As an example of how great the humor here is likely to end up , this guy is about to get married ! Everything ends up in a zany whirlwind . This movie deserves more recognition that it has gotten . I would say that it has done almost as much to advance the cause of witchcraft as " Bewitched " ( which also featured a really hot witch ) and the Looney Tunes cartoons starring Witch Hazel . In short , this movie definitely has me in its spell . |
362,934 | 4,888,011 | 365,478 | 7 | Well , you know Bruce Campbell . . . | Or if you've seen the " Evil Dead " trilogy and / or " Bubba Ho-Tep " , then you should know that his movies are total farces . With " Man with the Screaming Brain " , he goes all out again . In this case , he plays smarmy American businessman William Cole visiting Bulgaria - when do we ever get to see that country ? - when a woman kills him . So , strange scientist Ivan Ivanov ( Stacy Keach ) replaces half of Cole's brain with the brain of a former KGB agent , leaving him acting sort of like Steve Martin in " All of Me " . Yes , the whole movie is pretty much an excuse for pure nonsense . Much of the real humor comes from " Evil Dead " director Sam Raimi's brother Ted as Ivanov's nearly brain-dead assistant Pavel . The two men have a relationship more like Laurel and Hardy or Gilligan and the Skipper . So just understand that this is a totally silly movie , and you won't be a bit disappointed . I liked it , anyway . |
365,683 | 4,888,011 | 35,750 | 7 | Porky in a milder role | In one of the many WWII-themed Warner Bros . cartoons , Porky Pig is a cop working for Ye Towne Cooler ( where the Long Arm of the Law is just that , and the " Wanted " photos include a pin-up girl ) . On this particular day , Porky and his dog have to look for a lynx - named Missing Lynx - spying for Germany and ready to plant a bomb ( titled " Hallelujah , I'm a Bomb " ) . Like in many of their cartoons from this era , much of the action in " Confusions of a Nutzy Spy " centers on sight gags . But when Porky realizes that the spy has planted the bomb is when the action really takes off . Actually , the dog does more than Porky , but the stuttering swine has his share . All in all , not a great cartoon , but worth seeing . Available on YouTube . |
365,577 | 4,888,011 | 43,456 | 7 | So that was " The Andy Griffith Show " ' s Aunt Bee playing Mrs . Barley ? | Robert Wise's recent death brings " The Day the Earth Stood Still " to mind . Some of the things in the movie are clearly a product of the ' 50s , namely the public's blind trust of the government ( made evident early in the movie when the people crowd around the spacecraft without any protection ; for all that anyone knew , that spacecraft could have been radioactive ) . But still , this story of alien Klaatu ( Michael Rennie ) coming to Earth to warn humanity about the dangers of war seems especially relevant given the current state of the world . Patricia Neal is particularly good as Helen Benson , an every-woman who takes Klaatu into her apartment ( without knowing who he is ) . And Klaatu's wordless cohort Gort is really something , as is the now famous line " Klaatu barada nikto . " All in all , " TDTESS " isn't your average sci-fi movie . There are no scenes of scared crowds running away from something , or rays blowing up buildings . In fact , it might not suffice to call this a sci-fi movie . I don't want to use the phrase " social commentary " , but it's something like that . We could all learn something from Klaatu . |
364,250 | 4,888,011 | 53,064 | 7 | Oh , when will the cats ever learn ? | Once again , some less-than-intelligent cats go after Speedy Gonzales , only to have him foil every one of their schemes . OK , so not only do pretty much all of Speedy's cartoons have basically the same plot , but they totally stereotype Mexico . Well , as I understand it , many Hispanics like that these cartoons portray our southern neighbor positively . So , Speedy does his usual stuff in " Mexicali Shmoes " , always showing himself to be one cool dude ; no wonder all the female mice love him . As for his cousin Slowpoke Rodriguez ( the slowest mouse in Mexico ) . . . well , clearly he has a reason for existence . Anyway , this one's worth seeing . |
363,810 | 4,888,011 | 43,517 | 7 | elaborated , this could be a ' 50s , ' 60s or ' 70s B-movie | Obviously , " The Fair Haired Hare " is one of the many instances in which Yosemite Sam provokes Bugs Bunny and then Bugs gets revenge ( one of the rules about the Bugs Bunny cartoons is that Bugs never provokes the unpleasant situation ) . But watching the cartoon , I thought that it loosely resembled those B-movies in which animals take revenge on humans . It wouldn't even have to be a case of an atomic test's causing the animal ( s ) to turn giant , as was the case in " Them ! " . When you look at how Sam builds his house over Bugs's rabbit hole , it makes sense that Bugs does what he does . Of course , people for centuries have been building their houses on animals ' homes ; therefore , if all animals could do what Bugs does , then we humans would be in big trouble ! Although I have to admit that I would consider it an honor to have Bugs trash my life . Whatever the case , this is a pretty funny cartoon . Friz Freleng certainly created a formidable opponent for Bugs Bunny in the roughest , toughest , he-man stuffest hombre as ever crossed the Rio Grande ( and he ain't no namby-pamby ) , even if Yosemite Sam was no more competent than Elmer Fudd . Worth seeing . |
365,851 | 4,888,011 | 53,083 | 7 | time may not treat these old-school entertainers nicely , but I still recommend the cartoon | I learned about Jack Benny through his bit part in " It's a Mad , Mad , Mad , Mad World " . Later on , I learned about his overall career . And now , here's another addition to his career : " The Mouse That Jack Built " is a cartoon version of Benny's TV show ( which I've never seen ) . In this case , Jack Benny , Mary Livingstone , Eddie " Rochester " Anderson ( also an " IAMMMMW " cast member ) and Don Wilson provide the voices of mice with their respective names and personalities ; Mel Blanc voices vault watcher Maxwell . . . and he's been watching the vault for a VERY long time ! Anyway , after Jack has played the violin - though not equaling Isaac Stern - he makes Rochester return a white vest , as he's about to take Mary out for her birthday . The only thing is , the Kit Kat Klub is in fact a real cat ! I've always liked how the Termite Terrace crowd kept finding new things to do in cartoons . The obvious problem with a cartoon like this one is that people in the 21st century might not know who Jack Benny was and the whole premise will go over everyone's heads . But if we just watch what happens , we can surely get a kick out of the cartoon . I certainly recommend it . |
365,255 | 4,888,011 | 236,784 | 7 | The spy who came in from the heat . | I wasn't totally familiar with John Le Carre's work when I saw " The Tailor of Panama " . But whether or not you're familiar with his work , you're still likely to get impressed by the movie . If it looks strange that Pierce Brosnan plays a non-James Bond spy , don't let that turn you off ; as it is , I like this spy better than his role as James Bond . The plot has British agent Andrew Osnard ( Brosnan ) getting involved with impeccably dressed tailor Harry Pendel ( Geoffrey Rush ) in Panama City . Both men have self-serving sides , but Osnard clearly has some unctuous plans up his sleeve , and will likely stop at nothing to get the job done . The potentially explosive political climate surrounding them serves to heighten the tension . I certainly thought that Brosnan and Rush both did a really good job with their roles . Jamie Lee Curtis is actually , in my opinion , a strange person to cast in a spy movie - I've always found it a little bit hard to view her in a tense role - though I do feel that she did a good job with the role . And playing the son is none other than Harry Potter himself , Daniel Radcliffe . So , while it may not be the most eye-opening spy movie ever , it creates a fairly unnerving feeling . After watching it , you may be tempted to go to Panama . . . just to see whether or not this sort of thing actually happens ( although you probably wouldn't want to experience it ) . Worth seeing . |
365,297 | 4,888,011 | 78,718 | 7 | Barry Levinson's early look at Baltimore | Before Barry Levinson turned to directing , he co-wrote Norman Jewison's " . . . And Justice for All " , a comedy-drama that makes you feel like your head just exploded . Al Pacino plays Baltimore lawyer Arthur Kirkland , whose frustration with America's legal system - coupled with having to defend a judge whom he hates under threat of getting disbarred - leads him to do something that in reality probably no lawyer would ever do . Even if the movie has a rather unrealistic ending , you have to agree with what Arthur does . And one does get the feeling that America's legal system has been degenerating for years . Can we ever restore the ideals that the Founding Fathers envisioned ? ! Whether or not we can , I recommend " . . . AJFA " . It's a hilarious indictment of the failed state of the criminal justice system in this country . You can pledge allegiance to it ( figuratively speaking ) . Also starring Jack Warden , John Forsythe ( happy birthday , John ! ) , Lee Strasberg , Jeffrey Tambor , Christine Lahti , Sam Levene ( in his final role ) and Craig T . Nelson . |
365,371 | 4,888,011 | 104,694 | 7 | a " league " of all nations | No doubt everyone's heard about Rosie the Riveter , but the women's baseball team seems to not be as well remembered . " A League of Their Own " is the story of this team . Various women from all over come to participate , although the movie mostly focuses on Dottie Hinson ( Geena Davis ) , Mae Mordabito ( Madonna ) , and the manager Jimmy Dugan ( Tom Hanks ) . I've never really been a baseball fan , so maybe I'm not the right person to be reviewing this movie , but I thought that it was pretty well done . There was one particular line that seems to have been thrown in for comic relief ( I mean what Jimmy says after getting chewed out by the umpire ) . But overall , Penny Marshall has shown herself to be very adept as a director , with this and " Awakenings " . Worth seeing . Also starring Lori Petty , Jon Lovitz , David Strathairn , Bill Pullman , Garry Marshall ( the director's brother ) and Rosie O'Donnell . |
363,813 | 4,888,011 | 443,274 | 7 | I can't exactly tell which side it takes | Vantage Point portrays an assassination attempt on the US president ( William Hurt ) during a trip to Salamanca , Spain . The first half of the movie consists of the viewpoints of several people present at the event : a bodyguard ( Dennis Quaid ) , a tourist ( Forest Whitaker ) , a newswoman ( Sigourney Weaver ) , and a Spaniard ( Eduardo Noriega ) fearing for his life . The combination of these viewpoints eventually lay everything out . This was certainly an interesting idea for a movie . What I'm not sure about is the movie's specific position . It portrays the president going to Spain to praise the prime minister's participation in the so-called War on Terrorism . Needless to say , driving through the city , the president passes hoards of protesters calling him the world's # 1 terrorist and things like that . Therefore , I can't tell whether the movie promotes the War on Terrorism or opposes it . If the movie opposes it , wouldn't it be better to focus on what the Middle East has become due to the war ? If the movie supports it , then . . . well , does any movie really want to support it ? Whatever the position , it's still an interesting idea for a movie . Worth seeing . |
365,337 | 4,888,011 | 810,988 | 7 | playing nine pins | I'd never heard of " The Nines " when I started watching it . Now , I'm not sure what to think of it . Portraying three interconnected stories set in Los Angeles - and all starring the same people - it seems to be saying something about happenstance . . . but I don't know for certain . I can't say what the overall gist is supposed to be . But I do think that the movie is worth checking out . Seeing what happens in the middle segment , one gets a sense of just how cutthroat the entertainment world must be ( is it just me , or does nobody focus on that more than the entertainment world ? ) . Anyway , worth seeing , but don't be surprised if it totally blows your mind . Starring Ryan Reynolds , Melissa McCarthy , Hope Davis and Elle Fanning . |
364,573 | 4,888,011 | 113,321 | 7 | yes , we will wonder why | We all know that family gatherings are likely to be awkward , to say the least . So , " Home for the Holidays " strings it all together , with out-of-work Claudia Larson ( Holly Hunter ) going to her parents ' home for Thanksgiving . Sure enough , more relatives are coming , all with more than a few eccentricities . What to do ? It's hard to tell what most to notice while watching this movie . Each character has his / her quirks , but I couldn't really tell whether Claudia's personal life was supposed to be more important . But either way , it's a pretty funny movie . The whole scene with the turkey makes me feel safe to be a vegetarian . Anyway , Jodie Foster has shown herself to be a really capable director , with this one and " Little Man Tate " . I think that we need to pay this movie a little bit more attention in the future . Also starring Robert Downey Jr . , Anne Bancroft , Charles Durning , Dylan McDermott , Geraldine Chaplin , Steve Guttenberg , Claire Danes , Austin Pendleton and David Strathairn . So just remember what Janis Joplin said . . . |
365,191 | 4,888,011 | 140,379 | 7 | If I've offended . . . | I remember that when " A Midsummer Night's Dream " came out , many critics considered it a weird version of Shakespeare's play . I didn't see anything particularly wrong with it . Granted , they did change some things ( namely moving the setting about 300 years ahead of the original play's setting ) , but there's nothing bad about that . I probably should admit that one thing which I've never quite understood about the play is whether or not one of the stories portrayed is supposed to eclipse the others . The one that most sticks in my mind is Nick Bottom getting turned into a donkey ( especially thanks to Kevin Kline's neat interpretation of the role ) . So , while I wouldn't consider this movie the ultimate masterpiece ( particularly in a year that saw " The Sixth Sense " , " American Beauty " and " Being John Malkovich " ) , it's a fairly edifying experience . It's a little strange to see Calista Flockhart as Helena , given that she's best known as Ally McBeal , but she still does OK with the role ) . So overall , I do recommend the movie . Also starring Michelle Pfeiffer , Stanley Tucci , Rupert Everett , Christian Bale and David Strathairn . To paraphrase the cast : the " Fish Called Wanda " thief , Ally McBeal , Catwoman , Walter Winchell , a certain character actor , Batman and Edward R . Murrow . To think . After Bottom gets turned into a donkey and has a fling with Titania , she says that she was enamored an ass . No matter how you look at it , he always sounds like a posterior . |
363,666 | 4,888,011 | 43,341 | 7 | Nobody give Slovakia bad reputation ! | Sorry if I find it a little hokey when they make Eastern Europeans the antagonists in movies ; they do that in " Big Top Bunny " , as Bugs Bunny ends up in the circus and gets paired with a jealous Slovak bear . Bugs plays some funny tricks on the big guy - hell , with this big doofus , it's a cinch - but I would like to see a movie or cartoon in which Eastern Europeans are not the antagonists . I know that this cartoon was produced only a few years into the Cold War , when we were supposed to view the Soviet bloc as the evilest place of all time , but it just seems dated ( particularly to someone like me , a student of Russian ) . Otherwise , it's a pretty funny cartoon , especially the diving scene . |
365,743 | 4,888,011 | 290,002 | 7 | ah , family gatherings . . . | By now , we should know that in movies , when WASPs meet ethnic people , there are some wacko situations , as " My Big Fat Greek Wedding " showed . But when the ethnic people are Jews , then it really gets crazy . " Meet the Fockers " makes use of this . Having been accepted by the Byrneses , Greg Focker ( Ben Stiller ) decides to introduce them to his parents in Florida . His parents are Bernie ( Dustin Hoffman ) , who distrusts the government , and Roz ( Barbra Streisand ) , a sex therapist . The Byrneses are very laid back , to say the least , and after a little while with the very open Fockers , Jack ( Robert DeNiro ) once again starts considering Greg unfit for his daughter Pam ( Teri Polo ) , especially since he and Dina ( Blythe Danner ) are trying to raise their grandson to be tough , while Bernie and Roz want to dote on him as they did Greg . Watching this movie , I had to wonder what kind of parents Bernie and Roz were to name their son like they did . Of course , all the Focker relatives had embarrassing names . What a family ! The movie is mostly an excuse to be silly , and silly it was . But the good kind of silly . I just wonder how it would be to experience the Byrnes-Focker reunion . Either way , " Meet the Fockers " is hilarious . |
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