FOOL’S GOLD takes a radical approach to its genre. It is an adventure without thrills, a comedy without laughs, romance without heat, and a family drama without heart. A sublimely ironic deconstruction of cinematic conventions? If only. What we have here is filmmaking that is forced, flimsy and flaky. At best. Matthew McConaughey and Kate… Read More »
THE CROCODILE HUNTER: COLLISION COURSE
I am never going to have an aesthetic appreciation of the bird-eating spider. It’s about the size of a Bosc pear, hairy, and packing fangs that spout venom. Steve Irwin, cable television’s Crocodile Hunter, on the other hand, has a starry-eyed, ebullient adoration for it that makes the creature seem a little less loathsome. And… Read More »
SEMI-PRO
SEMI-PRO is a title that is more than apt for the film to which it is attached. It is a work made up of random bits and pieces in which Will Ferrell has been wedged into an insipid sports story. There is no discernible attempt to make the two disparate elements, Ferrell’s absurdity and the… Read More »
DRILLBIT TAYLOR
DRILLBIT TAYLOR is a labored and disjointed effort with identity issues. Part psycho thriller (not ineffective), part examination of the plight of the homeless vet (lunging out of left field), part screwball comedy (stereotypically obvious), and all punctuated with punch lines that can most charitably described as hit and miss. Emphasis on the latter. The… Read More »
RUN FATBOY RUN
Dennis Doyle (Simon Pegg), the oddball hero of the sweet-and sour-romantic comedy, RUN FATBOY RUN is a man who has lived for five years with the fallout of one bad, impulsive decision. That would be running out, literally, on his fiancée, Libby (Thandie Newton). His >pregnant< fiancée, Libby, and doing it as the guests were… Read More »
LEATHERHEADS
There are some films that set you to pondering. What is the meaning of life? What is my role in the human comedy? The question that LEATHERHEADS inspires is much less esoteric. During the bumpy homage to IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, HIS GIRL FRIDAY, and MEET JOHN DOE, among others, I found myself wondering what… Read More »
ZOMBIE STRIPPERS!
ZOMBIE STRIPPERS! Well, the classic exploitation-style title pretty much sums it up. All the film itself that follows that opening title has to do is maintain the momentum of the premise for the running time, delighting, baffling, and generally spoofing a genre that is itself a parody of sorts. This opus by Jay Lee starts… Read More »
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL
It’s a brave and bold move to make the most self-absorbed, narcissist in a film the one who is also the only one living an authentic life, but that’s part of the charm of FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. It’s also smart because of the piquant contrast while all the other characters are scurrying around trying to… Read More »
MADE OF HONOR
Yes, MADE OF HONOR is a variation on MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING, with gender reversal and no gay best pal. Alas, it’s not as sharp, not as dark, and just not as much fun, starting well, but going south with alarming haste. The likable stars, Patrick Dempsey and Michelle Monaghan, generate real chemistry and have the… Read More »
BABY MAMA
There were many ways to go with the premise of BABY MAMA. Writer/director Michael McCullers chose the toughest route of all: gentle yet smart. The result is a pithy deconstruction of both the trendy and the traditional, with well-aimed swipes at everything from designer parenthood to the redneck in the blue collar. The problem starts… Read More »
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