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Reviews
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
One of the best...
...comedies of all time. Someone asked me yesterday what the
funniest movie was that I have ever seen and this movie
immediately popped into my head. I saw it on the giant Cinerama
(wow!) screen back in '63 when only a few theaters even had
Cinerama. I still pull this movie out every once in a while and laugh
almost 'til it aches.
Maybe you have to be of a certain age to appreciate this movie.
Maybe it's not edgy or crass enough for the under-25 crowd. Maybe
it's too long for some people and maybe some of the bits don't
hold up well in the passage of time or don't make sense to
someone who is younger than I am.
BUT...
there will never be another movie with this assemblage of
comedic talent. Tracy's Culpepper is perfect, Dick Shawn (what
ever happened to him?) is brilliant and Jonathan Winters is, well,
Jonathan Winters. The basic premise of the movie-the pursuit of
money and what people will do to get it-is one that translates well
from one generation to the next.
So I will continue to watch this movie every few years and love
every minute of it...
Soul Food (1997)
Yum...
I love this movie.
I just saw it for the first time and could kick myself for waiting so
long. Brandon Hammond is a hoot and Viveca A. Fox was wonderful. It is
so nice to see a movie centered around an African-American family that
wasn't about hoods or hip-hop. Every family, black or white or
whatever, can identify with the kinds of problems this family had.
There is a poignant, endearing quality to this movie that just appealed
to me and I would recommend it to anyone who needs a "feel-good" fix
without the sweet-as-saccharine quality so many movies have.
The Jackal (1997)
Jack Black rules!
The best part of this movie is Jack Black's performance. He is, without a doubt, one of the best young actors around and I hope he continues to pick and choose his roles to match his talent. ("The Cable Guy" doesn't count.) It's too bad that so much talent, and bad accents, was wasted on this movie, although I would watch it again just to hear Sidney Poitier speak. This movie could have been so good. What a shame. Rent the original.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Almost perfect...
...movie and like another of my favorites, "Fried Green Tomatoes," one that I could see over and over again and still find something new to appreciate. This is a jewel of a movie and one that I'm sorry didn't receive the recognition it so richly deserved. James Whitmore should at least have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor; that he didn't is a disgrace. Morgan Freeman gives his usual awesome performance. Rent this movie! Then a few months later, rent it again. This movie is so poignant and says so much about friendship and hope that I defy anyone not to be moved by it.
Sneakers (1992)
One of a kind movie...
"Sneakers" is a jewel of a motion picture. I ditched work recently to see it on television since it is one of my all-time, top-ten favorites. I am never disappointed when I see Sneakers and I never get tired of seeing it. Every time I see "Mission Impossible" I want to cringe. This is the movie it WANTED to be but couldn't, despite a budget that was probably twice that of "Sneakers." Everything about "Sneakers" is well-crafted, from the casting to the dialogue to the sets to the music. The soundtrack is fabulous and I could listen to "Corcovado" and "Flamenco Sketches" every day and never get tired of it. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who wants to while away a couple of hours watching an intelligent, entertaining movie that keeps you guessing but doesn't try to make you swallow an unbelievable, convoluted storyline. RENT THIS MOVIE...you'll be glad you did.
A League of Their Own (1992)
Always entertaining
Every time I see this movie (and I have seen it at least 50+ times) I enjoy it as if I had seen it for the first time. I laugh, I cry, and I never get tired of it. In my humble opinion, even those folks who don't like baseball will like this movie. Everyone in the cast is excellent; my only regret is that Jon Lovitz' part wasn't bigger. The one thing I gained the most from this movie was a deeper respect and a little more insight into what American women went through during World War II and after it ended. My (baseball) cap is off to Penny Marshall and the entire cast for a thoroughly enjoyable film that I will continue to see over and over.
The Usual Suspects (1995)
If at first...
This movie just gets better every time I see it. I was totally lost after I saw it the first time even though I was blown away by the characters and the actors portraying them. When I saw the movie again a week later, the plot and all its layers began to make sense and now, every time I see it, I find some new thing, some nuance I didn't see before that just adds to the pleasure of watching a really well-made, intelligent film. If you haven't seen this film yet, please do so.