boardmandj Reviews

The Boondocks (2005–2014)

Way over the top!

[14 November 2005]

This show reminds me of those old 8-track tapes my uncle had from truck stops, featuring XXX rated comedians. It's not that the material isn't funny, it's that there's so much crammed into one episode it gives you a headache.

I wouldn't let my kid watch this show, but as an adult, I can get a chuckle or two. Might be why it works as a comic strip, instead of show. Comic strip only needs one punchline. In and out. Even with a comic book you can read as long as you want, then put it down and come back.

This show isn't for everyone. It's a very specific style of humor, and some people have trouble seeing the humor in this style of presentation.

The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

It's *based* on the musical

[7/10 · 10 January 2005]

Very Very important thing to remember here. The film adaptation of musicals (which has been done before with this very same film) are rarely as 'good' as the musical.

Go enjoy the movie though. If you can stop thinking about the critics long term hate for Weber and musicals, and the fact that this is a screen adaptation, then you're in for a treat. Pretend the movie is called something else :) Is it perfect, no. In some ways the soundtrack is more enjoyable away from the movie. Kind of hard to explain. I think the visuals may have distracted me from the music while watching. I have a feeling this is going to be a love/hate movie, and the Phantom community will have many a good chat about it with one another.

National Treasure (2004)

Propaganda? Rip off of Indiana Jones? Naw...just a movie.

[7/10 · 10 January 2005]

There was a point in this film where I laughed and said, "Oh yea, this is just a movie". It's really easy to get caught up in a few things if you aren't' careful. I don't think there was underground funding from the New world order, nor did the writers have Indiana Jones in the back of their heads when writing this. Interesting comments from my friends regarding this movie.

It might be helpful to take a history class as well. I was actually impressed with the ability to weave in some history and pop culture into a nice piece of entertainment I could take my family to. It wasn't until after I saw the show that I realized this thing was only a PG. Wow. Way to go!

I'm curious to know who went and got a $100 bill, only to realize one of the 'facts' of the movie was wrong. See, it's stuff like that I expect. It can help separate fantasy from reality. (I wonder how many people are digging up church basements right now!) So, if you realize things like "The security is actually much more concentrated and heavier in the basement, but some of the concepts used in the film are actually part of the system used to keep the bad guys away", then you'll have a nice two hour adventure.

Airspeed (1999)

Aside from one minor piece of reality...

[21 August 2004]

I work nights, so my nights off are filled with bad movies and infomercials at 3am. Airspeed was actually kind of fun in a "Mystery Science Theater 3000" sort of way. I never expect depth and find new ways to amuse myself at the absurdity. This movie is a stereotype, as mentioned in the other reviews. I won't rehash. That being said, most movies expect you to suspend disbelief for a little bit in order to enjoy the flick. I couldn't get past the fact that at 20-30,000 feet above the earth, the temperature of the air is beyond normal "cold" and a big hole in the plane would depressurise the cabin, sucking everything out into the big blue yonder. At skydiving height, yes, you can do neat heroic things like run a guy wire from one plane to the other and save lives. You can peek outside the back of a low flying aircraft like in the old war movies. Not on a jet. Sorry folks, it's not going to happen. Everybody would turn blue and die. Even the cute little girl who almost fell through the hole, lost a shoe to the great beyond, but managed to push herself away so she could get up and move about the aircraft. If it COULD be done, I do believe there are people insanely heroic enough to jump across on a tether and save the day...but not on this planet. Aside from that...one of the better flicks I've seen. I'd rate it up there with the USA Network movie called "Class Warfare". I was half asleep and missed seeing the contrived ending to that movie 10 minutes into it. I like it when movies can trip me up like that.

Frosty (1965)

Perhaps the most misunderstood movie ever...

[25 December 2003]

I can't believe so many people are down on this flick. Yes, it's a bit corny, but that's what makes it charming. This movie was translated into English. Dubbed. The original acting is probably lost on a bunch of people in a studio reciting lines. That's probably why so many in the US think this movie is so bad. With movies like these, it helps to know a little about other cultures. I quite honestly don't know where I absorbed it, so it's hard to explain, but I used to read lots of fairy tales and fantasies from all over the world. So, when I saw the guys on MST3K bantering over this film, I thought it was awsome. A movie vivid in culture that looks a bit hideous after being entranced by Hollywood. You simply can't compare this to a Hollywood presentation. It's like apples and oranges. This is a story, stripped of all effects. It comes from the mind and heart. You simply can't translate that to film. So, when watching this amusing bit of heavily edited tale, you have to shut off your brain, go back to 3rd grade and see the world through the eyes of a child who doesn't understand the illusion of the 'real' world we all know. I have no clue how to rate this movie, because while being really bad, it's really good. I even tracked down a copy to watch without the MST3K gang riffing it. It's nice to watch every once in awhile. If you look, you'll find a number of universal themes in it, synonymous with other Fairy Tales. I would love to see the unobliterated version, but I doubt it's available in English. Give this movie a chance if you see it and have fun with it.