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Pardon the Interruption (2001)
Brilliant. Sports reporting the way it should be
*No spoilers included, since there is no plot to give away. It's a sports show :)*
Yes! Finally, a sports commentary show that doesn't have to use scantily clad women and crude humor (Best Damn Sports Show Period) or childish, insults to get viewer attention by using "shock value" (anything with Jim Rome). Tony and Michael have amazing chemistry. They play so well off each other and play to each other's strengths, which only strengthen the show itself.
The format of PTI is easy to understand and fast-paced, which is good. Too often, sports shows drag a particular subject on and on for eternity and beat the dead horse even further. PTI usually allows 2:00 for each subject and then moves on, no matter where Kornheiser and Wilbon are in discussing it. The two tackle the big headlines in sports and even shift to other areas (like Paris Hilton, Saddam's capture, etc.), but mix it perfectly with their meal ticket of sports.
The hosts have a perfect mix of argument, agreement, criticism, and praise. The rapid-fire delivery and organization make PTI the best sports show on TV today. While the hosts fire at each other, Stat Boy delves into the numerical arguments that are being heaved and deciphers which are accurate and which need correction. I love that feature. Rather than banter on about a subject and invent numbers to support a position, PTI corrects itself every show.
Bottom line is- if you are a sports fan, WATCH THIS SHOW. You will not be disappointed.
Rating- 9/10
Bully (2001)
Well Acted- Yes, Flawed- Yes, Not Clark's Best Work But Watchable
*SPOILERS HEREIN*
Watching the kind of world the kids from Larry Clark's drama 'Bully lived in, you wonder what happened to them. It appears that no outside forces subjected them to their lifestyles; rather it was a personal choice. From Mustang driving, suburban teen sexstress Ali to whacked out acid-freak Donny, these kids have no apparent purpose other than to exist.
No, these kids have sex early and often with multiple partners, do most every kind of illicit drug, and participate in mindless entertainment such as 'Fatality' video games. The adults in this story aren't the problem because of what they do; it's what they don't do. None of them seem to truly care where their children are or what they are doing, and obviously neither do the kids.
The teens curse at will in front of their parents (an automatic backhand in my house growing up) and stay out until, well...whenever. Adults in this film have few lines because they do and are nothing, both to their children and in their eyes. Clark succeeds mightily here, as he makes every attempt to shift the blame to where it truly belongs- the children. There is no visual evidence that any of them go to school, work, or have any kind of ambition in life.
The characters make the most of their screenplay. Brad Renfro fabulously plays the tormented, picked-on best friend Bobby. While he excels, Clark could have casted this part much better. Renfro is too adult and distinguished looking to play the senseless teen character of Marty Puccio. He looks so out of place sunk into a couch shirtless, rapping alongside Eminem, shouting "I hate it when the cut the (bleep)in' swear words!"
Stahl shines as Kent, playing the homoerotic violent dominating personality. The real show-stealer is Mike Pitt, who plays druggie Donny. The scene in which Kent is driving to his own murder talking with Ali, Heather, and Donny is amazing. Pitt's facial expressions and line of `No dude, it's Donny.definitely Donny' is funny, subversive, and scary as hell all in one. The best scene in this film. Leo Fitzpatrick, while out of place as the Mafia Hitman, is excellent as well, as is Derek. While most every actor/ess Clark casted performs well enough, the blame falls on him for casting them out of place and his screenplay.
Bully builds up the murder of Kent for most of the film, and gives lots of reasons for why it happened. The only character you gather even the slightest twinge of sympathy for is Marty. He's been picked on, and beat up by Kent his entire life. One thing I didn't understand is when he fights back after arguing with Kent after accidentally damaging his Camaro and Kent coldcocks him twice. Kent then puts his arm around Kent and apologizes for his indiscretions. Did this happen with the real life Kent/Puccio? If so, why didn't Puccio fight back more?
It appears that the excess teen sex depicted was supposed to 'bother' or 'disturb' the audience. The kids screw each other like rabbits. After a while, it seems that Clark is showing the nudity just to push buttons. Renfro and Rachel Miner (who plays Lisa) have sex in quite a few scenes. The point is proven early in the film that the two have an odious boy/girlfriend relationship, and have sex often. Clark made a large mistake by inserting clips of the two of them, fully nude, engaging in sex acts at pointless moments.
The teen nude tip doesn't stop there. Connelley apparently likes to have phone conversations topless, and while Ali is having a phone chat, the camera drops down to her crotch, partially exposing her vagina. And while Connelley is checking for pregnancy, Clark sees fit to show her walking to, using, and walking from the toilet fully nude. The only legitimate explanation is that Clark wants to overshock people with this drivel. It takes a lot away from Bully.
While the murder build up is intense, the fallout is not. It appears Clark has little interest in what happened following Kent's murder. Nothing is mentioned regarding the police investigation and little has to do with the trial. I found that most disappointing. All that is implied is that one of the kids is a snitch and caused them to get caught. The irony here is the hit on Kent was so haphazardly and sloppily planned by brainless drug addicts, these kids were doomed from the moment Connelley told Puccio "Let's kill him."
In the end, Bully is disturbing, but not in the way Clark envisioned it. It's sad because this film could have been so much more. It ends up looking like a way for Larry to show more teen nudity/sex, drug use, and otherwise moronic behavior. The actors get an "A" for effort, but not even the mightiest performances can save it from mediocrity. GRADE- 6/10.
P.S.- For those who have seen the trailer, did you catch the ad ploy? When the movie's tagline is displayed, "It's 4AM, Do You Know Where Your Kids Are?" 'Kids' is italicized. Touché Mr. Clark.touché.
Biggie and Tupac (2002)
Intriguing and attention grabbing summary of Rap's most sordid tale
*Semi-spoilers herein*
I didn't know what to expect when watching this film. Nick Broomfield gave quite a performance. Moving through ghettos, neighborhoods, and prisons, he provides us the audience with the most complete summary of the murder of Rap's two biggest stars, along with the course of events that brought them to be enemies.
At the film's onset, Nick looks quite out of place with his haggard dress (usually jeans/t-shirt combo) and thick English accent. Expect Shakur's first name to be pronounced 'Tew-Pack'. He looks blatantly out of place interviewing mostly African-American people for information regarding both murders. You have to admire his courage to look in places most people wouldn't dare. It genuinely seems like he wants to find and expose the truth about both killings.
Broomfield beats the bushes, trying to get a hold of everybody, and I mean everybody he can that knows something about the two cases. What he finds is frightening. Expected, but frightening. Nearly every informant and interviewee corroborates each other's story, including retired LAPD Det. Russell Poole. The flaw with Poole was Broomfield's boasts that it was quite a monumental achievement to get Poole to talk about the case. Poole has given many interviews, recently to VH1's Behind the Music regarding the case. It seems like he really wants to find the true killer of Notorious BIG and could care less about his impending lawsuit against the LAPD.
The film drags in spots. As several reviewers have pointed out and I must concur to, there is an utterly pointless scene with a former girlfriend of two LAPD Officers (David Mack & Rafo Perez) who are supposedly connected to BIG's murder. However, the interview focuses on her sexual escapades with the Officers, not what they knew about the BIG hit. Another scene is when Broomfield lets Suge Knight ramble on for nearly 7 minutes about 'positivity for the kids' or something like that during a prison interview. Not that I'd interrupt Suge either, but to include much of it in the film wastes valuable time. Broomfield also never explains why he chose to/did interview Knight and not his nemesis from that time period, Bad Boy Records CEO Sean "P-Diddy/Puffy" Combs (pronounced 'Paffy Coombz' by Broomfield), despite a witness to the BIG murder saying he talked with Puffy about a suspect the following day.
Biggie and Tupac is an overall likeable documentary with lots of information regarding the two men's killings. Broomfield courageously gathers his information and sources, often throwing caution to the wind. If you are a fan of either rapper or the story surrounding their deaths, this film is for you. A solid 7.5/10.
Deep Impact (1998)
Vastly underrated film *spoilers within*
Forget the unbelievable, undramatic fluff of Armageddon, this movie puts it to complete shame. This was not one of your 'everything's going to be OK in the end' movies. When I first watched it, I was actually surprised when Biederman struck Earth. I was thinking it would be one of those down to the last minute but in the end all is well type things. The striking scene and the ones that followed of the devastation were breathtaking. Rather than disregard scientific laws and reasoning, Deep Impact embraces it and includes it in the film.
What I liked most about this movie was that it provided what could have been a real picture into what would happen should a comet be on course for Earth. The panic, widespread fear, and the tough decision to move only so many people into 'The Arc' made this a surprisingly moving film.
The acting is mostly superb as well. Morgan Freeman puts out an amazing performance as the President, and Robert Duvall is first class, as is Maximilliam Schell. The only performance that brought this movie down was that of Tea Leoni. I like Tea as an actress, just not in this role. She was the only one who seemed out of place in an otherwise well-casted movie. Her dark, pessimistic broodings did not go over well. She was just too stiff and rigid to play a character like Jenny Lerner.
Deep Impact works on many levels because of the humanistic underlying tones. Humanity has never faced such a crisis before, and God forbid we never have to, however if it were to come to pass, I believe that this movie provides the best window into a catastrophic future. By far the most complete, through, moving disaster movie made. Well worth watching, especially the comet striking sequence. You'll be moved, I guarantee it.