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poochenstein
Reviews
Complete Savages (2004)
Brilliant and funny, what more could you want?
This show is soo funny! I have to be honest I started watching it because from the ads it looked like there were four or five really hot blonde guys in it! But, I keep watching it because it's so frickin' hilarious! Erik Von Detton is a comic genius, his timing is perfect. And Andrew Eiden is amazing as the "nerdy, smart one", his freak-outs are fantastically funny! The rest of the cast are great too, each portraying their individual characters so well. Also, the long pauses and close up shots of reactions are inspired, I end up cracking up simply on the look of someone's face, never mind the well-written dialog that keeps me laughing for the entire half hour! I cannot put into words just how funny this show is, just to say by the end of each show, I am rolling around on the floor in hysterics! Brilliant!
The Dukes of Hazzard (2005)
It's supposed to be fun. It is fun.
I am getting so bored of seeing and hearing people talk about how Hollywood is ruining "great family TV Show legacies". Shut up already, nobody is listening.
There are two types of Hollywood remakes. Firstly there's the classy pieces, that go back to an old story, to tell more about the story. Something like the upcoming Firefly movie "Serenity" should be. Or perhaps, going back a long way, the old Walton's movies. These films exist to take the characters of the original and keep their story alive. Then, there's the other type. The "Dumb and Dumberer"s and "Dukes of Hazzard"s of this world. These films are not supposed to bring back fond memories of old favorites. These movies never have the intention of reuniting you with the characters you used to love. These kinds of films are simply there so that you can sit back, stop thinking for a while and enjoy.
Hollywood is a business. It's there to make money. And then, maybe, it's there to give you an escape. A place to go where you don't have to remember that you have problems to deal with as soon as you get home. A place to go and just...enjoy something.
So when I read all the reviews about how Hollywood has destroyed the memory of Dukes, how they've made another movie filled with T&A, another movie packed to the brim with "crude, unintelligent humor", another movie that is bursting with action, car chases and explosions...I say hurray! Bring 'em on! This movie is one of those films that you can just watch and get a kick out of. There is no greater thing in this world than the feeling of just being able to relax, laugh and have fun. "Dukes" offers a lot: two very good-looking guys, different enough so that every girl in the audience will find something to drool over, a really cool car AND a hot girl that, okay, can't act, but seriously, who wants to see Jessica Simpson act anyway? Then there's the exhilarating car chases. But wait, there's more: the timeless comedy array of injury, explosions, racial misunderstandings, getting-shot-at-by-your-girlfriend's-father and...oh yeah, the most hilarious bar fight I have ever seen. Who doesn't want to see all that? Hollywood knows at least half of us do, and so, fortunately, they don't listen to all the complainers, and keep making great movies like this.
Of course, I have to admit I was disappointed by Seann William Scott. I think he is very talented and could make a really great actor, if he would just stop playing the same characters. I really believe he can be more than Stifler...just not in this movie I guess. But we do get some nice "from the back" shots, and Bo and Luke do like them tight jeans, so...y'know.
Just as there are two types of remake movie, I'm beginning to understand that there are two types of movie-goers. There's the first group, the "Thinkers". They like movies that are long, drawn out, with little action and even less comedy, unless, of course, it's really really dark or "highbrow". These are the people that own "Shawshank Redemption", "Million Dollar Baby" or "Donnie Darko" on DVD. Now me, I belong to the other group, the Enjoyers, if you will (I tried really hard to come up with a better name but i got nothing!). We own "Shallow Hal", "Dumb and Dumberer" and "Not Another Teen Movie". We don't take everything so seriously. We don't make a melodrama out of a simply satisfying movie.
Dukes never tries to be something it's not. It was never trying to be a great nostalgic remake. It was never trying to be something life-affirming. It doesn't even try to be smart. It's just supposed to be fun. It is fun.
So don't get so worked up about it. It's just a movie. :-)
Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003)
Funny and Funnierer (ok, bad joke)
When I saw the first trailer for this movie I thought to myself, "No way, if Jim Carrey ain't in it, what's the point? It's just some crappy movie the studios are trying to get money for. It'll suck." And I'm sure most people will tell me I was right. And okay, it was some crappy movie the studios were trying to cash in on BUT, it most definitely did NOT suck. In fact, it rocked!
If you want to see this movie because you loved the first one, you probably will hate it. You'll probably say it lost all the appealing features of the first one and just kept the dirty "potty humour". And I won't argue with you. But, if like me, you can look at this film, not as a prequel to a great movie, but as just a movie, you should find it has a certain charm.
Eric Christian Olsen made a complete transformation for this movie (its hard to believe, but he's the "cocky blonde guy" from Not Another Teen Movie"). He did as good a job, if not better, than Jim Carrey could have done himself. It's a worthwhile movie, just to see ECO play this character so well.
And then there's Bob Saget. Everyone knows him as the dad in almost every cute kids TV show, so to hear him swear like that...well that's worth the price of rental at least!
Anyway, this movie isn't going to make you think, or do anything more than make you glad you have a better IQ that Harry and Lloyd, but it is one of those movies that is so funny and simple that I, at least, want to watch it over and over again. Give it a chance, keep an open mind, forget about the original. It might not be a good "prequel", but it is a great movie. In my humble opinion, at least. :-)
Son of the Mask (2005)
No one's gonna give this movie credit...but it rocks!!
Okay..I know loads of people are going to disagree with me..or think I'm crazy..but I really enjoyed this film! I remember loving the first one but that was so long ago I couldn't really remember the actual storyline when I was watching this so I wasn't comparing it to the original, just enjoying it as one of those fun, slightly mental movies that is just a laugh. I used to watch Jamie Kennedy's show JKX (an earlier version of "punk'd" but without the celebrities and much madder set-ups!) and I was a big fan. He's absolutely hilarious! Although...he does end up being out-shined by the insane special effects and the even more special baby. Just watch this movie with a big bunch of friends and enjoy it for what it is: a mad-cap adventure with a weak storyline that somehow has a sweet ending, that really will have you in stitches. Oh, and if you just happen to enjoy it, check out Malibu's Most Wanted, another Jamie Kennedy great, based on one of the most popular skits from JKX. Jamie Kennedy ROCKS!!