Reviews

Think about The Maltese Falcon -- an amazing noir film, but when you look closer there is surprisingly very little action -- it's mostly a series of interesting, tense conversations between complicated characters in small rooms. (Bogart, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Elisha Cook Jr. ...)

And so it is with Brick -- perhaps a bit more action, but the centerpiece here is the dialogue and the intricate plot. Beautiful, sometimes confusing, occasionally hard to follow, and worth it. If you miss a beat don't worry -- let it wash over you and enjoy. Maybe my only regret is that it's not in black and white.

I was always impressed with the previous Minions movies by the depth and intelligence of some of the references and jokes.

This one just doesn't seem that clever -- the Minions are adorable as always, but many of the same old gags are recycled -- they slap each other. They laugh at farts. They get covered in muck. Got it.

One challenge is that Gru is portrayed throughout as a kid -- in previous movies I think Gru's weariness at the adult world and its challenges added a layer that is missing here.

I was amused to re-read the credits -- some pretty heavy-duty voice actors here, many of whom get one line. (Will Arnett? Steve Coogan? Russell Brand is promoted prominently and has maybe five lines in the whole film).

The kids will love it, and there are worse ways to spend an afternoon, but it just didn't ring for me.

PS -- I am intrigued in the worst possible way by some of the reviews here -- at least a dozen proclaiming it the best film of all time, a life-changer, it saved my marriage... stupid internet troll joke or the PR department at the studio trying to boost the average review score? Hmm...

When my daughter wanted to watch this I said, "You mean Four Weddings and a Funeral? That's a great film!"

But alas....

I must confess that I may be the wrong audience for this movie. (I'm an older Dad).

If you have sisters or you're a mom with daughters this might be right for you: "Look! She's just like our Susan! I had that same fight once with MY sister!"

Otherwise the sisters complete hackneyed stereotypes: the overachiever, the underachiever, the stay-at-home "old maid" (kinda young and a bit offensive to be labeled an old maid, but that's how they play it...). Add in the gauche prospective in-laws, and the plot lines write themselves: this one will make up with that one; these two will eventually fall in love.... Oh yeah... and a prospective stepdaughter so annoying that even my 11-year-old daughter wanted to drown her.

In the end (no spoilers!) there is one giant scene were everyone reconciles with everyone --- a scene that possibly has no end to it. (I could have gone out for a pizza and come back and it would still be going on...) The credits claim that the film has an editor, but you couldn't prove it by me:

"I love you!"

"No; I'm the one who loves YOU!"

"I never realized!"

"And we all love Mom!"

Not funny enough to be a comedy; not dramatic enough to be a drama, not romantic enough to be a rom-com.

Hey, if you dig this who am I to complain? But next time I'll hold out for Hugh Grand and Andie MacDowell.

An amazing cast puts together a flat, dull picture. Gives you added appreciation for Pixar. The only good news is that with this much talent, the after-parties must have been great.

(Or put another way, I always knew that Adam Sandler wasn't funny in movies; now I know he's not funny animated either... Ugh).

Your view of this show will probably track with your opinion of sitcoms such as Who's the Boss or Happy Days.

If you think those shows are awesome, you might like this one too.

Me? I have a six-year old who is just starting to watch this sort of thing, and it represents the very worst that TV has to offer:

o Laugh track

o Predictable. Set up/punch line. Set up/punch line. You know how every joke ends before they're half-way into it.

o A multi-racial cast apparently drafted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. I'm all in favor of a diverse cast, but this represents the worst of the worst -- a boy from India who makes jokes about curry and karma; an adorable African-American girl who is "sassy",and, worst of all, a young boy who is age-inappropriately horny for the teen-age Jessie...

Don't get me wrong -- there are plenty of shows out there for kids that are great - - Odd Squad, Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street...

Fer gawds sake, whatever happened to the eminently smart and witty original Rocky and Bullwinkle, or the Warner Brothers cartoons from the '50s? Violent, rude, intelligent, and hilarious I can only hope that someday Bugs Bunny will show up and kick Jessie's ass.

Ugh.

The only good thing I can say about Jessie is that I used to think that Liv and Maddie was the worst show ever... I didn't know how good I had it.

I'm always amused when people rate this sort of film poorly -- what were they expecting? This film features performances filmed in 1970 at The Family Dog by Santana, the Grateful Dead, and the Jefferson Airplane. Each band does two songs, and there is a brief jam at the end featuring musicians from all of the bands.

And that's it.

No commentary, no interviews, no brilliant editing... if you like these bands (circa 1970) you'll like this film. If you don't like these bands, you'll hate this film.

The photography is surprisingly clear for the era, but this is hardly "film making" -- someone set up some cameras well and turned them on and that's it.

My only complaint is that it's too short! Some of the performances are terrific, which makes me wonder what the rest of the show sounded like.

I'm a little baffled by some of the comments here regarding the film making style or skill in this film. I watched the film to see Janis and the Grateful Dead and The Band -- happy, young, and exuberant, and that's exactly what I got. I even liked the footage of the promoter talking about the festival and the issues with the crowds.

ANYWAY... I recommend the DVD over the theatrical release, since everyone here seems to mention that they want to see more musical performances, and the DVD delivers. There are two DVD disks -- the movie disk and the extras disk. On the MOVIE disk, go to the menu and select "extras" and there are a dozen additional music performances from Janis, the Grateful Dead, Flying Burrito Brothers, and others. (I hear that the extras disk contains interviews with the director, but I haven't seen it). Enjoy!

This is a terrific documentary about life as a bike messenger in New York City. We meet several messengers by day, when they wrassle with NYC taxis, bad weather, crowds, traffic, and indifferent customers while delivering packages and documents all over town at high speed.

By night and on the weekends the messengers participate in alleycat racing -- illegal races through the city. The racers must each stop at several checkpoints, but they can hit them in any order. The racing section of the film focuses on the scariest race of the year -- at night, on Halloween, in Manhattan, during rush hour. Fun to watch, but not for the faint of heart to ride.

Definitely worth watching.

Ten different directors each present a segment based on their favorite opera aria. You don't need to be an opera lover to watch this film. (Although, of course, if you hate opera, you're really going to have a bad time with this!)

Not surprisingly the segments range from brilliant to only fair. Most of the fuss seems to be over Godard's contribution -- whether you think he's brilliant or pretentious, his segment won't change your mind.

Some of the pieces have a clear narrative; others are more a montage of connected images.

None of the pieces is more than 10 minutes or so; if you're not happy with what's on the screen, wait for the next segment, and think about how much culture you're soaking up.

Keep your eyes open for performances by Buck Henry, Beverly D'Angelo, Elizabeth Hurley, Briget Fonda, Tilda Swinton, and John Hurt. (The Buck Henry segment alone is worth the price of admission).

A brilliant and painful film. Two men who have had set-backs in their love lives set out to intentionally ruin the life of of a young woman by simultaneously romancing her, and then simultaneously dumping her. (Not giving away any secrets here -- this plot is clearly stated at the beginning of the film.)

A harsh look at how men interact with each other in the workplace, and their misguided feelings about romance. Often insightful and on target; beware the man who swears that this movie is unrealistic. (I'm not suggesting that ALL men are like the ones in the film, but SOME certainly are -- look for some of these characters in your office!)

A fine movie, but possibly one of the world's worst "date movies" unless you are VERY secure in your relationship.

This is a truly wonderful film, but my friends and I found the first 15 minutes to be gawdawful... Stick with it -- once you get past the slightly confusing beginning, this is a fantastic movie -- worth seeking out.