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mrfabulous1025
Reviews
Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
Don't bother with this wretched piece of crap
When a man and his wife decide to have a second honeymoon instead of an overblown expensive Christmas because they think they will be without their twenty something daughter, the plot of this hideousness exposes itself. They are made to feel guilty and harassed like they were child molesters by an assortment of evil and obnoxious neighbors and coworkers. Who are these jerks who think they are better than the Kranks. The Kranks would have an excuse "if they were Jewish" although the mention of the real reason for Christmas seems to elude the writers of this slapstick drivel. My birthday is on Christmas, I happen to believe in the holiday and I work retail. I find the horribleness of the totally commercialized Christmas ruining every frame of this disaster. It shows the worst parts of a "Christmas" celebration with some token tries at the end that are supposed to redeem its vile and selfish characters. This is easily in competition for one of the worst Christmas movies ever. Putrid and creepy this one should make Tim Allen ashamed. If you really want see a good movie about Christmas try The Family Stone with Sarah Jessica Parker and Diane Keaton. Its not slapstick stupid but it is a much richer holiday experience,
Mr. Right (2009)
Its actually quite good.
I like this film. I've watched it a number of times and it never disappoints. All the characters are very well played and cast. Chemistry is nice and the actors are very appealing. Every thing fits in a natural manner. Nothing is forced or contrived. The one thing it is not is "precious". While a horrible and pretentious movie like The Men Next Door tries to be a film about Gay people this one actually is. The fag hag gets her just desserts and a new guy discovers he likes boys better. There is no silly bar banter where a script writer forces his real life club talk into scenes. Will and Grace it is not. It gives a realistic portrayal of life in England and the backdrops make you want to go there. Give me more of movies of this quality and I will be very happy.
G.B.F. (2013)
Finally a Teen Comedy for Gay Kids
I was totally delighted with this film. So far, its the Gay equivalent of Sixteen Candles or Clueless. Finally a well made Gay high comedy has arrived. This and The Geography Club prove that such films can be cute and sweet without being lame, dreary and crude like the second Another Gay Movie. Art Direction, Costume, Sets and the whole look of the film are just right for its subject. Casting is as close to perfect as you can get for this type of farce. Michael J. Willett is adorable and charming as the lead, never once slipping into stereotype. Paul Iacono is wonderful as Brent and he plays all his pretentious goofiness perfectly, but comparing him to Jack in that awful Will and Grace is not right. The Jack character in real life would be an unbearable completely tedious leech. Brent in real life would be a silly young gay man who actually has a giving heart. Well played, the Sophie character is the moral compass and Derek is the metro hetero male nerd in Brent's group. The girls fit perfectly as does the horny Topher character. The older character actors are used to great effect especially Natasha Lyonne. Direction, music, language and the use of color make this film a wonderful piece of fluff. There are a number of major truths about being who you are in this teen comedy that make it more real and worthwhile than just a cheap stupid parody. Now, how about the Gay equivalent of The Perks of Being a Wallflower (yes I know there is a Gay character in Perks, but it is not really a gay film). I want to see more.
Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild! (2008)
Don't even think about it
This movie at best is unnecessary. I was hoping this would be similar to the first of this duo. The casting is unfortunate, the plot mindless and the art direction overdone and cheesy. Where the first comedy had some physical chemistry and a few funny jokes, this one has gimmicks (and tired and tragic ones they are). Nothing is original and everything is contrived. I thought The Men Next Door was a horrible movie but this is much worse. There are a number of Gay sacred cows in this movie like Lady Bunny, Colton Ford, Perez Hilton, and that twerp from the Eating Out movies. If this is all these cows are capable of beyond their other specialties, its time to let them start grazing in pastures far away from the mainstream. To say I was disappointed is a huge understatement. Every joke in this piece of crap misfired because of poor execution and being poorly written. I really don't know why Gay people put up with garbage like this just because it is a "Gay Film". Burning the negative and all prints of this film would help preserve the reputation of the first movie. Please don't let there be another one.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
A mess
I guess by some of the reviews here that I am not the only person who thinks Wes Anderson is a lousy director. This thing is tediously miscast, poorly constructed, and unbelievably pretentious. The hype this movie got shows the incompetence of a number of our "best" critics who can't seem to see the total inadequacies of this misdirected garbage. This disaster shows that even with a large talent pool and gifted artists you can completely ruin a roll of film. Disappointment as word doesn't even hint at how poorly this piece of fiction has been handled. I see the characters and wonder how they would come off with actors who fit the parts and had a family resemblance. It would have also been nice if the period feel of the piece had been fully realized. The ethnic background of the main figures seems to be avoided and the behavior is highly irregular in some instances, not even close to real human emotion. It would great to see this story remade by someone who knew what he was doing. This is like a bad high school play version of good literature. I can easily compare its wrongness to the casting of Carrie Underwood in Sound of Music. This stuff stinks. It like all other Wes Anderson films is also boring.
South Pacific (1958)
See this on Bluray
I first saw this movie in 1968 in a TODD-AO 70 mm print on an 84 Ft. D-150 screen with full six channel surround. (The screen was almost as big as the first IMAX I saw and the film grain wasn't as bad as the IMAX film.) I was seventeen. I was blown away. It was gorgeous aurally and visually. It is a very good film, somewhat misunderstood by the new crap of critics (did I accidentally say crap instead of crop?). Most modern audiences don't understand classic film because of the effects laden and violent garbage they are being fed at the multiplex. Real movies sometimes take their time and use beautiful music and color. The casting is fairly perfect. The visuals are stunning and the camera work is wonderfully scenic. As for the color filters, they are only thing that could be held against this beautiful film, although newer films like Gladiator seem ten times worse to my eye and have an obnoxious blue fog or golden glare (The Lord of the Rings movies appear to be bleached at times.) Give this movie a chance and see it in Bluray with a proper home theater sound system (no sound bars please). You might be surprised how wonderful this film and other classic movies come across when viewed this way.
Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)
Pure Mood
This is one of the most intoxicating films I have ever seen. The way it visually captures parts of England is elegant, spare and beautiful. The characters are well rendered by its cast and the plot is very interesting. What makes me watch it however, which is at least once a year since I first saw it on television 40 or so years ago, is its visual moodiness and atmosphere. As a younger person, watching it taught me how to appreciate later films like The Scent of Green Papaya, Marco Berger's Plan B, The House of the Flying Daggers and Indochine. It moves slow but that is the point. It is a better film than most of today's product and it cries out for a Bluray restoration. The DVD is Okay but when a film as purely cinematic and romantic as this one, it deserves the highest level of resolution that electronic media can give it.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
A sweet wonderful tearjerker.
Whether a person likes this movie or not says more about the reviewer than the movie itself. I haven't seen too many movies lately that have gotten me this emotionally involved and I enjoyed that very much. Like early reviews of the classic movie Blade Runner by Siskel and Ebert, the negative reviewers are as clueless as a fundamentalist minister reviewing Torch Song Trilogy. This movie with its accurate, sensitive and perfectly pitched performances is one of those gems that doesn't seem to come along often enough. I am an old person who has seen an enormous amount of film, who might know something about the art form and I can recommend this one highly. It reminds me of a lot of situations in life I have observed personally. The emotions and romance in the film have true resonance. It was also nice to see the Christian parents not portrayed as foolish Bible thumping maniacs. The ambiguities of each character's subjective morality was handled nicely. The only real complaint I have is the film may be a little too muted in color and a little too grainy in certain scenes. If you need a good cry or want to see something a bit more real and inspiring than Ironman 2, here is a beautiful little movie for you.
Cleopatra (1963)
The Bluray reveals Nuance not seen in Years
This is one of those older films that require the High Definition focus of a Bluray restoration. On the Bluray the visuals are stunning. The high level of its great scenic artistry is revealed in its full glory.The amount of detail is gorgeous. This movie was THE fashion film of the sixties. The clothes, hair and sets had profound effects on the designers of fashion and interior design for the entire decade. It may not be a perfect film, but it should be a prerequisite for film school students just for the pure beauty of its production values and its extravagance. Actually, with the level of clarity of the Bluray, performances have a new intensity. Small nuances like the raise of an eyebrow or a sneer can be appreciated more easily. Tears and sweat show vividly in scenes that appeared on the DVD to be just shine. The music score by Alex North is heard more precisely and shows why it was nominated for an Oscar. Movie scores don't get much better than this. In some ways this movie is about style over substance. It may have bankrupted Fox, but fifty years later it is still very much worth viewing. The same can not be said about Waterworld or Ishtar. As a thirteen year old artsy Egyptology loving kid, this movie blew me away when I first saw it in 1964. I still consider it close to the top of the list of my thousand or so favorite films.
The Men Next Door (2012)
Why do American Gay Comedies have to be so "precious"
I was hoping maybe this movie was going to be watchable, but noooooooh. The insipid dialog was written with no inkling of what truly funny repartee is. This pretentious bar babble made me cringe. Within the first ten minutes I started fast forwarding through most of it. I stopped only to find the later scenes did not improve. The actors were almost passable in the looks department, but the absence of physical chemistry and credibility strained the imagination. Stereotypes were too present, or maybe it was the sight of gay actors playing gay so poorly that upset me. These kind of "cute" comedies have always aggravated me. I hated Will and Grace and I hate this pathetic attempt at a Gay Romantic Comedy. Lets hope someone can eventually make a gay romantic comedy with the quality of a You've Got Mail or a classic like Charade. Is it asking too much? Films like Plan B, Patrik 1.5 or the fantasy Bad Boy Street seem to point the way.
What a Way to Go! (1964)
A Fun Sixties piece of Fluffy Wardrobe
This is Edith Head's masterwork. The clothes in this movie are nothing short of wonderful. It is one of The fashion movies, as are films like Cleopatra, Breakfast at Tiffany's and Blade Runner. I am one of a few people who watch movies for the clothes and the sets. I have loved this one since seeing it in its first run. Edith was her most original in this movie and its nice to see her get a Fox Budget to do her some of her best work. She always managed to make women more glamorous than they were in real life. Even if she wasn't the best of all Hollywood designers (Orry Kelly, Travis Banton, Irene Sharaff, and Adrian come to mind) she is the most famous. Her clothes were always flattering and wearable. Hollywood could sure use her now.