Change Your Image
Michael Stamp
Reviews
American Psycho (2000)
A shocking but brilliant piece.
Poking fun at the excess of the 80's American Psycho performs a difficult balancing act between comedy and a thriller however it achieves this goal with aplomb. Bale is superb as the disturbing Patrick Bateman who despite his insanity is somewhat of an amiable character. The supporting cast is also adroit however Bale steals the show.
WWF in Your House 16: Canadian Stampede (1997)
Recent fans should check this out
Take 5 Americans, 5 Canadians, put them in a Calgary Saddledome full of rabid Canadians and what do you get? The best WWF PPV ever.
Even though this is only a four match event it still ranks among the best ever. The matches range from good to excellent and encompass a range of styles from crazy American brawling to Jap-Lucha to a typical US big man match. New fans who have been weaned on HHH and Stone Cold (yes I know they were both on the card) really out to check this out and see how good this is.
Park (1999)
so bad it's good
This film is one of the worst I've ever seen but I've given it a 9. Why?
Like the 1 line summary says this film is so dreadful it's fantastic. The acting is abysmal. The dialogue is even worse but the wooden acting and cheesy mood music are what make this film such a hoot. I highly recommend it for any fan of dreadful films.
WrestleMania XII (1996)
Good but disapointing
The 12th Wrestlemania was also one of the most interesting. For the first time ever the main event of Wrestlemania was guaranteed to last one hour. This would have been laughable in the days of Hogan, Andre and even Nash but the task has been given to two more capable athletes.
The main event is by far the biggest match in Michaels career yet he still takes all the risks he became famous for and combined them with a solid, cerebral ground based attack. Bret on the other hand enters a hesitant performance and seems reluctant to give Michaels anything. The drama in the closing moments is excellent however and Michaels title win was long over due. Unfortunately, instead of staying in the ring after the decision and congratulating the new champ Bret storms out of the building like a spoilt child who had to share his favourite toy. Aside from this complaint the match is awesome.
The undercard is a mixed bag, some good some bad. Overall the good outweighs the bad and makes WMXII a recommended event.
Fletch (1985)
Superb
The funniest thing about this film to me is how long it took me to finally see it. I've always loved comedy and was tipped onto this movie by my friend Lee.
To say I was impressed was an understatement. The viewer gets his first indication of how good this film actually is during the opening theme when the fantastic 'Bit by Bit' can be heard. Once the viewer manages to calm down they are taken on a rollercoaster ride with Chase excelling as the smart-ass, suave yet humanitarian Fletch.
This comedy is in many ways singular among US comedies. It needs to be watched more than once, as the one liners are so humorous you miss half of them on your first viewing. Fletch's array of hilarious costumes as well as Chase's facial expressions also mean that the film has a great visual effect although never stooping to cheap physical comedy. The sympathy that Fletch shows to the female characters in this and Fletch Lives means the film also has a visceral effect as we can literally feel our hearts warming to the protagonist.
In conclusion I would like to highly recommend Fletch to any Chevy Chase fans or infact anyone who likes to laugh. You won't be disappointed.
Cheers (1982)
Legendary
When the annals of comedy history are written they will say Cheers then have a line and then everyone else.
Cheers was good for so many different reasons I couldn't write them all in a thousand word however in my opinion what marked Cheers off form other US sitcoms (or sitcoms from any other country) was it's heart. The reason why Cheers worked so well is because the characters were 3 dimensional and not just ethnic stereotypes like other sitcoms of the era. The writing and comedy in Cheers was first class however it became even better because of the emotional attachment people feel to the characters watching Cheers can make people laugh but also reach them in a visceral way.
As an example I would like to offer up the final episode as an example. It was certainly not the funniest but I think most Cheers fans would agree that it is the best. The characters converse in a manner that shows them as humans not just clowns out for cheap laughs. The ending also brings us to an emotional climax that is stunning in its dignity, poignancy and pathos. A staggering achievement for a sitcom.
Perhaps the saddest part about Cheers is that it's gone now and will never be back. However we will always have our memories and smile when we hear that line "Making' your way in the world today..."