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pmcaleaney
Reviews
Shaft (2000)
Surprisingly Good!
I was pleasantly surprised by this film. It deftly managed to avoid the pitfalls of other films in a similar genre such as Charlie's Angels and Starsky and Hutch, in that it stuck to being a piece of tongue in cheek kitsch rather than becoming an out and out spoof of it's subject matter. It really made me laugh out loud in parts, probably because unlike the other films mentioned the jokes weren't spelled out to the audience but rather were played as completely straight scenes. Samuel L. Jackson's cheesy pick-up lines were a particular high point in this regard. I can see where some of the other user comments are coming from in that this isn't a great action film, and it could be viewed as containing some fairly questionable messages about the acceptability of police brutality. However, I really don't think that providing a thrilling action movie or well observed social commentary was the director's intent. Think of this film as a tongue and cheek love letter to the seventies and not as an attempt to do a serious remake of the original films, and you'll get a lot of enjoyment from it. Great stuff.
Donnie Darko (2001)
Sorry, not my cup of tea
This film was absolute drivel - only watch it if you thought Twin Peaks had closure, and the kid in American Beauty's cinefilm of a plastic bag blowing in the wind was deeply profound. I found it pretentious and unsatisfying on almost every level. There are no explanations for many of the subplots (Patrick Swayze's character in particular could easily have been left on the cutting room floor for all the difference he made to the narrative). Some will argue the film has artistic merit, but I'm willing to gamble there will be no artists amongst them.
Overall rating: 0/10
Nothing Is What It Seems: The Making of 'The Usual Suspects' (1998)
Ruins the film
This documentary was shown immediately before a screening of the film in 1998 on Channel 4 in the UK. Although it doesn't spoil the film outright, it does reveal significant parts of the plot. For someone who's never seen the film before, the best advice is to give it a miss. For everyone else, it gives a valuable insight into how TUS was funded, written and produced; from it's incept as an idea discussed between Brian Singer (Director) and Christopher McQuarrie (writer) at the Sundance Film Festival, through it's arduous production process (where it was turned down by more than 130 different production companies), and on to it's eventual success as the best film of the nineties.
Laugh??? I Nearly Paid My Licence Fee (1984)
Funny - oh yes.
Robbie "Hagrid from Harry Potter" Coltrane's spoof of a Scottish "orange walk" character entitled 'Mason Boyne' still brings a smile nearly 20 years after first seeing this series. Robbie's later fine work as a straight actor was mirrored by his talent as a first rate alternative comedian during the early 1980's, particularly during this series. Brilliant stuff - I'd recommend seeing it if you can.