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ThomasJ101
Reviews
Shanks (1974)
odd, intriguing, grotesque, and sometimes tedious (SPOILERS!!!)
I had never seen (or heard of) this flick before last night, when it aired on TCM. This movie is like a strange, experimental post-hippie-era bad dream. I'm not sure what to make of it, actually. 5 minutes into it, I knew it was going to be bad (or "bad") in a good way, and was resentful that I was gonna have to sit through the entire thing to let the Gnosis sink in. But by the end, I was glad I had. This flick is truly creepy, without (I think?) intending to be creepy (or as creepy as it actually wound up being, since the movie DID bill itself as a "grim fairy tale"). Some very surreal elements (perhaps "unlikely" or "poorly scripted" masquerading as "surreal"): ex.: the bikers carrying their dead companion, funeral-procession-like, into a house they've never been in. Other creepy elements: corpses being made to blow out birthday cake candles for a young girl (as if anyone would want a cake with corpse-breath all over it) and, shortly thereafter, the same corpse inadvertently cutting off its own finger while slicing the cake. Some of the "reanimation" scenes are truly amazing and freaky: bodies rising from the ground at the oddest angles, seemingly defying the law of gravity (part of the mime's craft in the film: kudos) with arms and legs askew- quite amazing to watch. I'll cut this short, but I was very glad I was able to accidentally catch this movie last night, and I would definitely recommend it to fans of oddball cinema, mimes, zombies, puppets, or William Castle. PS- the peculiar ending of the movie (suggested by the beginning) made me like it even more. And I would normally have given this movie an 8 on its own merits, but for being so absurdly original, I gave it an extra point. Ta.
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000)
a great, fun little movie
In reading a few of the negative reviews of this movie, I'm wondering if certain detractors actually even watched it. It's too easy for some people just to dis a flick because it is a sequel, or because it went straight to video, or because it's expected to be bad, or whatever. Don't let that happen with "Viva Rock Vegas": it is a fine little movie: fun, funny and visually rich in cartoony colors, costumes and sets. The acting (and voices) are top notch: Stephen Baldwin's "Barney" and Mark Addy's "Fred" are just fantastic; voices, mannerisms, etc. Jane Krackowski is spot on as Betty, (ditzy-ness and giggle-wise). Alan Cumming as "The Great Gazoo" is perfectly sarcastic and wise-ass. The CGI is very good, considering, as are the sets and costumes. The storyline makes sense, is plausible, and even engrossing (again, considering). For what it is, this is a great little movie, and compared to the first one (sheesh) it TOTALLY rocks ("rocks". get it?). I defy anyone who can actually tell a good movie from a bad one to watch this movie IN FULL, ALL THE WAY and TO THE END, and tell me that they weren't entertained by it.