Devotchka Reviews

Year of the Dog (I) (2007)

Not perfect, but not terrible either.

[8/10 · 17 April 2007]

This is not a comedy. It's actually a rather complicated movie. If you're interested in seeing Molly Shannon make goofy faces, you probably should skip it. As it is, she does a rather admirable job of portraying someone who is finally finding herself.

Molly Shannon, as Peggy, finds out about the way animals are treated in the food industry and decides to go vegan. Like many new converts, however, she is overzealous and confused. Frankly, she does some really horrible things in her quest to find peace with her new beliefs. This made me rather uncomfortable. As a vegan, I was concerned: Director Mike White is known for making characters who are less-than-perfect, but what if viewers don't realize that? What if they think we're supposed to admire this woman? We aren't, obviously. The director is mostly vegan himself, and it's clear that he is aware of a lot of the struggles one goes through as a whole new world opens up. Peggy, who I ASSUME we're supposed to realize is already a little off-balance, responds by going a little psychotic.

But by the end of the film, she is finally finding peace with herself. It's a pleasant and inspiring ending and somewhat redeems the awful things she's done...not quite enough, in my opinion, if only for a viewing public who may already be confused about what it means to be vegan.

Would I recommend this movie? Yes, if you think you can go in and appreciate it on its merits without being biased as to whether veganism is right or wrong. That isn't the point of the thing--it's a coming-of-age movie about a middle-aged woman. Like I said earlier, it's basically a movie about finding oneself.

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Um, different.

[7/10 · 26 May 2006]

I really did enjoy this movie, but anybody who says that it's way different from the first two isn't kidding. First off, it's much, much darker--too dark for my taste. There aren't any genuine spoilers in my review here, but I do allude to a few things...so the warning's there.

Many people seemed way too out of character--not just as compared to the comic books, but as compared to the first two films. Since when was Magneto such a total jerk? (Anyone who's seen the movie already knows exactly what I'm talking about. Poor Mystique.) Sure, he's the villain, but he's not supposed to be evil. He of all people would know that you shouldn't automatically hate someone for his/her religious beliefs or race or even whether or not he/she's a mutant. He took the mutant superiority thing way too far in this film in several ways, and became sort of blindly stupid about a lot of things. Oh, and Wolverine sobbing? Yeah right.

The Phoenix was pretty well done, though the explanation of how she became who she was a little far-fetched. (And that brings us to another guy who's out-of-character--Professor Xavier wouldn't do that, would he?) X3 is definitely a thrilling movie with amazing fight scenes, but it had very little in the way of character and plot development. (And what it did do in that area fell in the realm of either the bizarre or the cliché.) Usually I'm not one to say this sort of thing, but this movie should have been a lot longer. Either that or it should have been edited much differently. There are way too many unresolved issues and way too many questions.

Fights of Nations (1907)

Absurd and entertaining.

[7/10 · 6 May 2006]

Fights of Nations is an absurd and entertaining little film in five parts. It appears to attempt to demonstrate that though people in every country fight, they all come together happily in the United States. The parts are as follows: "Mexico and Spain", "Our Hebrew Friends", "Hoot Mon! A Scottish Combat", "Sunny Africa, Eighth Avenue New York", "Sons of the Ould Sod", and finally, "America, Land of the Free". The actors in each of the first four scenes engage in little spats which don't necessarily end peacefully, but in the fifth, people from different countries and backgrounds all join together with Uncle Sam. Fights of Nations comes off as vaguely xenophobic and insulting to other countries and cultures, which is probably to be expected considering the era in which it was made and the content it's tackling.

In the Border States (1910)

Pleasant little film

[7/10 · 6 May 2006]

In the Border States is a short Griffith movie with all the standard melodrama typical of the era in which it was filmed. Enjoyable particularly for its portrayal of the human side of war. Father leaves to fight for the Union and while he is away, his younger daughter meets a Confederate soldier who begs for water. Though reluctant to help him, she moves aside and allows him access to her water bucket, then protects him from Union soldiers as he hides in the well. Her father, meanwhile, injured on a dangerous mission, stumbles home with the Confederate army chasing him. His daughters drag him inside and hide him in the bedroom. An enemy soldier bursts in, and lo and behold, it's the very man the youngest daughter helped earlier. She bravely reminds him of this fact and so he hides her father from the other Confederate soldiers that rush in a few moments later. In the Border States has nothing really unexpected to offer, but it's enjoyable particularly for film and history buffs.

Rooster Cogburn (1975)

Charming and fun

[8/10 · 23 April 2005]

--CONTAINS SPOILER-- Rooster Cogburn is, as my summary says, a charming and fun movie. Katharine Hepburn is magic as always, and though I don't know much about John Wayne, I thought he did a good job here. They both play stubborn, spirited characters--the sort Hepburn does best, I think!--thrown together by circumstance and forced to cooperate in order to survive.

Though the ending is perhaps a little unsatisfying, I'm glad at least that they didn't choose the typical, hackneyed "the main male character and the main female character finally begin to understand one another after fighting for the whole damn movie and fall in love" option that so many films seem to feel obligated to end with. (Maybe they do, but Rooster Cogburn leaves that to your imagination, and that's what counts.)

Sin City (2005)

Stylistically amazing, but too gross.

[7/10 · 14 April 2005]

And confusing, but I suppose that's my fault because I'm not familiar with the books...er, graphic novels. Sin City would have been a lot better without the gore, but might just be worth seeing if you're a film buff interested in something a little different. (That's really who I'm directing this review at, by the way, not those of you who base your opinions of movies on how many people get blown up in them--because I'm just going to assume you'll like Sin City!)

Great cinematography overall and it will almost definitely win some awards for editing, I think. The style of the thing is really neat and incredibly creative. Don't miss Elijah Wood, proving that adorable child actors can successfully become creepy-as-hell adult actors, and Devon Aoki as the coolest character in the whole movie.

But to put it bluntly, I would have been disgusted and bored if not for the STYLE of the film. It doesn't have that much going for it otherwise.

Remember WENN (1996–1998)

An unsung classic!

[4 April 2005]

Remember WENN was an unusual show and a very good one. I became a fan of it while still in the midst of high school. By the time I graduated from university, it was not only long gone but had left a considerably more pathetic AMC in its wake. (Not to say that AMC never shows anything worthwhile anymore--it's just become a situation of "few and far between"!) If only they'd release Remember WENN on DVD or VHS--I'd be an instant buyer.

I'd recommend Remember WENN to any fan of old time radio and/or witty television, but I'm not sure where it's even available for viewing anymore.

If AMC ever decides to show reruns, I suggest you take advantage of the opportunity and watch them!

Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

[2/10 · 21 February 2005]

I don't think anybody expected this to be a good movie, but it was so boring that it didn't even qualify as campy or entertaining. I usually don't find action movies very interesting anyway (and I really dislike de Bont) but I genuinely enjoyed Speed (the original) despite its faults. It just worked. In this sequel, de Bont basically took the EXACT SAME PLOT and moved it to a boat. C'mon. In Speed 2, the lovely but dull Bullock trembles and stutters and screams, "Are you crazy? Are you insane?" fifty times before leaping in to help save the cruise ship. Her boyfriend, Patric, is the absolute most boring and unemotional actor I've ever seen, and that includes Keanu Reeves. (Whom, by the way, I gained a good deal of respect for after learning that he'd declined the idiotic role in Speed 2!)

This movie would have been a lot better--though I guess it would have been over faster--if the people involved were intelligent enough to get off a boat once in a while. There's an oil tanker involved in the film, and the cruise ship approaches it for about half an hour while the people on the oil tanker panic and run around in circles despite being maybe 100 feet from land. Jump off the boat, you morons. Even the people on the cruise ship spend the movie acting as if they're sailing across hot lava or something. De Bont throws in some bit about how they'll get sucked into the propellers if they jump into the water, but there are plenty of opportunities to do so. The ship stops, the ship slows down, etc.

When it smashes through a resort town, crushing condos, the people there are leaping out of the way at the last second--what the hell? How did they all somehow manage to not notice this cruise liner bearing down on them at 5 knots (which is slightly less than 6 mph?) I gave this 2 stars instead of one because it was on a boat, and I like boats. Otherwise, I'd have rather watched Family Guy's predictions for Speed 3. A glacier moving at the horrifying speed of 2 inches a year? I'm there!

Rent-a-Kid (1995 TV Movie)

Bland but otherwise harmless.

[6/10 · 21 February 2005]

This wasn't a particularly good movie, but it wasn't awful either. Incredibly and sometimes charmingly predictable--like a Leave It to Beaver episode--Rent-a-Kid is neither very interesting nor particularly memorable, but it's pretty harmless. It's typical made-for-TV fare, really, devoid of well-developed characters or relationships, and in the end everybody is a good guy. But it doesn't insult one's intelligence and the kids are fairly cute--unlike the typical obnoxious, irritatingly precocious brats that usually plague this sort of movie. Rent-a-Kid makes for entertainment only if you're really bored, but at least you won't feel worse about the world after having watched it.

Crossroads (I) (2002)

Great horrible movie!

[3/10 · 29 January 2005]

I love Crossroads because it's so terrible. Definitely one of the best "worst movies" I've ever seen, it tells the story of how Britney Spears looks like a fashion model and acts like an angel while still managing to be the most unpopular girl at school. Sob, sob! Incredibly awful and idiotic drama coupled with sickeningly sweet romance make this one a not-to-be-missed...if you're the sort to love MST3K, that is. Sure, Britney can't act too well, but she can sing, and this movie is actually a LOT better than Glitter, Mariah Carey's similarly-themed vehicle. (And by "better", I mean "less boring and self-indulgent.") It's been two years since I saw Crossroads and I still remember it vividly. It's a cult classic--moronic, worthless, contrived, and hilariously awful.

Glitter (2001)

I don't know what to say.

[2/10 · 29 January 2005]

Holy crap, this movie was so wonderfully terrible. Where do I start? Well, I read somewhere that the director of Glitter had only worked with television before and wow, is this obvious. The cinematography is flat and dull, broken only by about five thousand pan shots over the city--okay, okay, we get it, she's in New York--and the treacly, slow-motion shots of Mariah leaping into her skeevy boyfriend's/DJ's arms.

When it comes to octaves, boy, has the woman got range. But nowhere else. She can't act worth crap, and on a related note, I can't stand to watch her sing. She's always whipping her head around emotionally and pouting. What a voice--why can't she do something worthwhile with it?!

...oh, and don't forget her supposed naiveté and innocence--I loved it!! Mariah is so shy about being dressed in a silver bikini, sniffle sniffle. I loved the scene with her boyfriend (Dice) leaping in to rescue her when she's too uncomfortable with the beefy Chippendale-types crawling all over her in a video shoot. She looks on the verge of tears and totally ridiculous--sort of like she's got bugs under her skin and is trying to squirm them out--but the director is shouting, "Yes, yes, perfect!" Uh, did he WANT her to look like she was being molested? Later, studly, sensitive Dice decries her publicity photos by sniffing that she looks like a porn star. "P--porn star?" gulps Mariah, horrified. In almost every scene, though, she's dressed in something short and skin-tight. P--porn star? But I'm so ch--chaste and v--virginal!

Mariah sniffles like she's shy and humble and innocent throughout the movie, an act which is punctuated by brief scenes in which she belts out formulaic pop ballads like a woman who's been performing for a decade and a half. Every so often, there is a scene to indicate that she's climbed another rung on the ladder--for example, she's on TV briefly/Dice sees a headline reading that she's sold out Madison Square Garden--but none of them explain how or why. All we know is that she didn't finish a video. Oh, and she had a song on the radio once. Nice development. They must have cut about a mile and a half of film out of this thing.

The best example of Mariah's incredible acting ability can be found in a scene in which Timothy, the music producer with whom Dice has made some sort of secret monetary deal, breaks into their apartment. Mariah is alone, and her expression does not change once during a scene in which he slowly saunters towards her to grab her face and growl, "I don't want to hurt you...but I will." It's hilarious to watch her cheeks being squashed while her eyes continue to stare blankly into some void. (Despite being in the kitchen, by the way, she doesn't make a move towards anything that might protect her.) At one point, she asks Timothy how he got into the apartment, and he doesn't answer. Clearly the writers didn't care to figure it out either.

The ending is so perfect and wonderfully contrived that I can't do it justice here. Let's just say that Mariah leaves the concert at Madison Square Garden, finds a note from Dice, and goes immediately from NYC to Maryland in her limo. From the concert. She's still dressed in the glittery gown she performed in. Guess the limo driver didn't have anywhere to be that night. Fantastic!

The Simpsons (1989– )

One of the best shows ever, but should have died a few years back.

[28 December 2004]

The Simpsons is one of the greatest shows ever, but it needs to step down now. Since season 9 or so, it's been an almost total waste of time. The writers seemed to know this originally, and poked fun at themselves for it. But how many times is this sort of self-deprecation funny when they aren't actually doing anything to make the show better? Older Simpsons episodes are full of lovable, funny characters, but more recent ones are awful. Homer becomes selfish, stupid, and mean--sure, he was stupid before, but sweet--Lisa is a boring, one-dimensional caricature of her clever, formal self, and Marge practically ceases to exist except to occasionally utter her trademark grumble. (Oh, and the parade of guest stars only makes things worse.) The show is just embarrassing now. The first years of it, though, are simply some of the funniest stuff ever to grace a TV screen. An open plea to the writers and producers--please, for the sake of your biggest fans, please let the show die.

Oh, and...go banana!

Roseanne (1988–2018)

One of the greatest shows on TV for a few years!

[28 December 2004]

Roseanne was one of the funniest, most original programs on television for a long time. I recommend avoiding the last few years of the show; they're so maudlin and idiotic that they seem more like a (boring/stupid/insulting--take your pick!)parody of themselves than anything else. The actors sleepwalk through their lines as if they're fully aware of how stupid and poorly-written they are, and the last episode is ironically one of the WORST half-hours on TV! (Sort of mirrors the downfall of the Simpsons, really--why can't these wonderful shows just quit while they're ahead?) For a long time, Roseanne was a sweet and realistic portrayal of many American families--fraught with strife and struggle but loving all the same.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

The soundtrack is the best part.

[9/10 · 29 September 2004]

This movie is definitely fun and worth seeing--I for one would like to watch it again--and it's nice seeing George Clooney in a role more interesting than that which he plays (played?) on E.R. John Turturro, another talented actor, also does a great job.

However, I bought the soundtrack of this movie first and as a result had certain expectations built up around it. The music is beautiful and actually plays a rather large part in the movie, so if you have no interest in bluegrass/folk or such similar stuff, you probably won't enjoy O Brother.

I'm not sure, of course, but that's sort of the impression I've gotten.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

The best of its kind!

[10/10 · 29 September 2004]

Roger Rabbit is a marvel, especially considering when it was made. Since 1988, there have been other films combining animation and live action (think: Cool World, Space Jam, and similar crap) but none of them have matched the quality of Roger Rabbit despite the fact that it preceded them by years and was made without the benefit of computer graphics. I'm not just referring to its almost seamless blend of Toon Town and The Real World, either--though certainly, the artistry of Roger Rabbit still manages to outshine its various clones by far. The plot, characters, and screen writing are perfect, hilarious, and a lot of fun.

Bob Hoskins is amazing--I love the husky voice and accent he's adopted--and Joanna Cassidy, who plays Dolores, is rarely praised as she should be, it seems. Charles Fleischer, as the voice of Roger Rabbit (and a few other characters!) is perfect, too. He's an incredibly talented voice actor and this fact is more than obvious here.

I also want to mention how much I like the lovely, melancholy soundtrack of this film.

I loved this movie when it came out--I was just out of kindergarten--and I love it now. One of the many things that are so wonderful about Who Framed Roger Rabbit is its accessibility. It's full of innuendo and adult humor, but the characters are so much fun that viewers of any age should enjoy watching.

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996)

Great! (But not their best.)

[9/10 · 28 September 2004]

Well, I'd like to second the woman who says that this is definitely not a series for adolescent boys! What in the world? I'm a woman and have been a fan since I was 10 in 1990, and now that I'm about to graduate from university it's still one of my favorite shows!

That said, MST3K: The Movie is not the best that the series has to offer. It's definitely hilarious, but many of the individual episodes are better. If I wanted to introduce a newbie, I'd probably pick something like Manos or Eegah...but even so, "The Movie" is a nice piece of work. I was also grateful to see that they didn't make any incredible changes for the purposes of making the show more accessible to the general public. The fact that it's attempting to appeal to a wider audience (that composed of both MSTies and total newbies) is obvious, but not too distracting. All in all, a good job and a lot of fun.

The White Rose (1982)

Sad and very well done.

[9/10 · 28 September 2004]

Die Weiße Rose is a sad, touching film. I imagine that it was popular in Europe, but it seems that nearly nobody here has seen it--a shame, really, because it is so good. Yes, there was a resistance in Germany. The movie focuses on the story of two young people involved in said resistance, an attempted feat that makes them seem like heroes to almost everybody on the planet.

But it isn't just the story that's good. That wouldn't be enough, really, since there are lots of movies which take exciting ideas and screw them up horribly. Die Weiße Rose is very well filmed, very subtle and exciting, and very sad.

The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927)

Fun stuff, very Hitchcock!

[8/10 · 28 September 2004]

This movie is fantastic and fascinating mostly because of its director, but it would be fun either way. I'd say that it's better than many films of the same period, but not to the same extreme degree that Hitchcock's movies eventually achieved.

You can see it's his work, though. Hitchcock knew that what made a suspenseful movie good had nothing to do with gore or loud noises, and this shows even in his early work. The Lodger has a distinctly Hitchcock feel to it--fun and scary--and it's interesting to see how he gets around the lack of sound, considering the fact that most (all?) of his other films were talkies.

The Triplets of Belleville (2003)

Totally fascinating and bizarre.

[8/10 · 27 September 2004]

What a fantastically weird movie. It's got far more going for it than that, of course, but you have to get that fact out of the way first: Les Triplettes de Belleville is weird as hell.

Featuring wonderfully unique animation and very catchy music, this film features an absolute minimum of dialogue but manages to use that to its advantage. Certainly it's got a good deal of anti-American stuff, but if you're the type to watch a movie like this in the first place, you're probably not so offended by the realization that not everybody likes us. Also, the fat people (including the Statue of Liberty) are sort of hilarious-looking.

That said, I didn't think I'd really enjoy this film, but I did, so much that months after seeing it I remember it vividly. Definitely recommended for those interested in animation and art; recommended also to anybody who says, "Geez, that sounds like the sort of film I should appreciate, but I just don't know if I'm up to it." A nice work I'd like to see again.

Big Momma's House (2000)

Stupid, but that's no surprise.

[3/10 · 27 September 2004]

This is an almost totally worthless movie, aimed at people who would have enjoyed Mrs. Doubtfire and Tootsie if only there had been more toilets involved.

Big Momma's House isn't plausible but it isn't meant to be, so that's not really a major fault in this case. Instead, it's just not funny. It's stupid. Har de har har, Big Momma's in the bathroom and Martin Lawrence has to hide, ho ho, now he's lubing up some woman's birth canal with cooking oil.

I'm going to say SPOILERS here to avoid getting in trouble, but c'mon, this stuff is so formulaic that just about everybody will figure out what's going to happen by minute three of the movie.

Anyway--strictly for people who think that bodily functions are the height of hilarity, Big Momma ends on one of those brainlessly saccharine notes; after being fooled for days (weeks?) by Lawrence, Sherry still falls in love with him after a requisite "How could you deceive me?!" speech. And don't forget the final church scene, another maudlin and by-the-book attempt to turn a 90 minute fart joke into a touching romance. That in and of itself makes the movie worse than it would be otherwise--if it would simply admit to being a dumb comedy instead of attempting to convince us that it's teaching an important lesson about life and love, I could respect it a little more.

In short, Big Momma's House is a bottom-of-the-barrel sort of comedy, somewhat entertaining at times but more often inane and totally formulaic. I guess the best thing one can say about it is that it doesn't SEEM to be trying for anything original or creative; it's just a slapdash attempt at some box office cash. I hope.

Head Over Heels (2001)

Stupid and forgettable but entertaining.

[5/10 · 27 September 2004]

Head Over Heels is a brainless and totally forgettable movie, but it works well for a midnight showing on USA. I wouldn't pay a cent to see it, but I don't regret having blown two hours on it.

It's an awkward and weird comedy, too, one that made me wonder whether I was actually awake while watching it. Looking over the comments confirms my fear: yes, there is a scene where the dumb ingenue gets humped by a giant dog. (We're not just talking her leg here, either.)Very, very creepy. Not funny. The dog in question is being walked by Freddie Prinze Jr, and the unfortunate woman is the breathlessly ditzy Monica Potter. Is this supposed to serve as a romantic "meet cute"? (To use Ebert's term!) Blech.

The supermodels are nice eye-candy but not terribly entertaining or charismatic, though they seem to enjoy poking fun at their industry. That fact alone makes them a lot more personable. The "dumb model" jokes get old fast, though. Yeah, yeah, we know that they're ditzy. The fact that they seem completely out of touch with reality is a little more amusing, but there's only so many times you can make the same crack about plastic surgery.

I'm not totally sure where all the comparisons to Rear Window come in, incidentally. The plot is completely and entirely different with the exception of the fact that both movies involve a potential murder and a window. C'mon, people--if you think that Head Over Heels is anything like Rear Window, you weren't paying attention to one or both of them.

The movie does go downhill fast, though, going from entertainingly stupid to boring and disjointed about halfway through. Freddie Prinze Jr. doesn't help, of course; in 2001 he was just the flavor-of-the-month as far as romantic leads go. He's not very talented.

Monica Potter isn't much better; she's basically a low-rent version of Julia Roberts with a smaller and less demonic mouth. (But seeing as how I don't like Roberts either, maybe I'm not the best person to ask.) The movie attempts to make her seem like the intelligent roommate, but she comes out looking like an insecure moron whose main charm comes from the fact that she's clumsy and falls down a lot. How in the world does someone like her get a job restoring 600 year old paintings? Seriously now.

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

One of the best.

[10/10 · 27 September 2004]

This is an incredibly beautiful movie. Gorgeous cinematography, fascinating characters, and great music. Everything--from the very first credit to that last shocking scene--fits perfectly. Sure, the plot is romanticized. Who cares?

To those who are worried about the violence, I'll say that it is nothing compared to today's movies--Bonnie and Clyde is appropriately upsetting without being gratuitous or glorified.

The movie itself is mostly dramatic in nature but it isn't a "drama", per se. Like most truly great films, it blurs the lines, integrating humor and romance and suspense to create a work that seems more like an epic than anything else.

The Patsy (1928)

Wonderful!

[8/10 · 27 September 2004]

This is an absolutely wonderful film. Everybody is fantastically entertaining and endearing in it, and Marion Davies proves that she is far more than a pretty face. Hearst did not want her to become involved in comedies, believing drama to be far more dignified, and we're fortunate that she went against his wishes.

In this movie, her incredible comedic talent shines through--her acting ability, mimicry, and overall charm and energy make The Patsy lots of fun for everybody, including (it seems) the cast itself! Definitely one of the best silent films I've seen, full of laughs that rely on something other than pure slapstick.

Super Size Me (2004)

Duh...but fun anyway.

[8/10 · 26 September 2004]

Like we really needed a movie to tell us that fast food is wretched stuff. That said, I'm a vegan and therefore biased against the fast food industry anyway, but I really did enjoy this film. It isn't really revolutionary, of course, but Spurlock is a fairly entertaining guy and the movie itself is fun.

The best parts aren't really related to Spurlock's crazy attempt--the globalization of McDonald's and other fast food companies, the childhood obesity epidemic, etc, are the most entertaining and educational. Spurlock is a lot more approachable than Moore has become--whether or not you like the man, you can't deny that he comes off as pretentious.

The film definitely could have gone more in-depth, but all in all it's worth a look. And while you may not enjoy Supersize Me as much as some have, anybody who gets really angry about the content might just see a little too much of him/herself in it.

Good Bye Lenin! (2003)

Intelligent and fun!

[8/10 · 26 September 2004]

This was a thoroughly enjoyable, completely charming film--one of those rare movies that successfully manage to blend drama and comedy! The actors do a great job, the characters are totally endearing (even the mother, a staunch communist, is portrayed sympathetically), and the dialogue was well-written; the plot, which is fascinating in and of itself, is executed wonderfully and to its full potential. I guess that it could have been done better, but I for one don't see how.

Goodbye, Lenin! focuses on an incredible period in history, gives it a human face, and then manages to include a story so interesting that anybody with a brain would enjoy it. Definitely recommended, both to history buffs and film lovers alike!