HarlenPepper Reviews

Waiting for Guffman (1996)

Blaine is the stool capital of the world

[10/10 · 28 August 2002]

Christopher Guest is widely known as the lead guitarist for Spinal Tap. With his 1996 effort, he had to somewhat out due himself by making Waiting for Guffman because it was in the same genre of it. In my opion, Waiting for Guffman is better then Spinal Tap.

Blaine, Missouri is celebrating it's 150th anniversary and their first pick to put on a play about this fine town is none other then off-Broadway director/writer Corky St. Clair. Corky accepts and begins casting. He casts the ego-driven Ron and Shelia Albertson, the Dari Queen waitress Libby Mae Brown, and a dentist, Dr. Allen Pearl. All these people, including Corky, have no talent and they don't know it. They rehearse for weeks and then one day a letter arrives saying that Mort Guffman will attend their show. What does this mean? Well in Cokry's words… `We might be going to Broadway!' I wouldn't want to give away the rest. The ending is truly ingenious.

Waiting For Guffman reminds me that good, clever, and thoughtful comedies are still being made. The film satirizes regional theatre very well, from the terrible dance moves to the over acting. Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Christopher Guest, and Fred Willard are at their comedic best in these rolls. There's lots of great one-liners and reading in between the lines humor. The film was largely improvised, and if this kind of concept were giving to other actors, I don't think it would work as well.

***** (Out of 5)

The Meaning of Life (1983)

Monty Python's The Meaning Of Life

[10/10 · 28 August 2002]

Monty Pythons the Meaning of Life is undoubtedly the group's best film together. Its hilarious yet anarchic view of the world is aw inspiring and the writing and directing is top notch. It has a surreal look that could even be compared to such surrealistic masterpieces as Luis Bunel's Un chien andalou.

There is one question on all our mines all the time, and that question is… What is the Meaning Of Life? No one really knows, but the Pythons took this question and strung 9 or 10 vignettes together involving it. Some of the best material they had ever produced is in this film including Every Sperm is Sacred in which a man is forced to sell his children for scientific experiments and Death in which death visits a bunch of people at a dinner party.

Something odd happened today while I watched this film for perhaps the 15th time. During the end credits, I shed a tear. Not because I was laughing, but because this was the last and final dose of Monty Python…forever.

Not only is Monty Pythons the Meaning of Life one of the best comedies ever made, it's one of the best films ever made period.

***** (Out of 5)

Little Nicky (2000)

Like a really bad bowel movement

[30 July 2002]

0 stars out of ****

Okay, Adam Sandler has been allowed to get away with some bad movies in his time. But Little Nicky is unforgiveable. It is just horrible on all acounts. Rodney Dangerfield, Dana Carvey and a slew of other comedic talent seem like they are paying off a debt to Sandler for even appearing in this movie. Even poor Kevin Nealon is reduced to wearing boobs on his head and dancing around with tassles twirling around. It's despicable.

Sandler plays his normal role of a idiot with a heart of gold, only this time there's the big twist of him being the son of the devil. I just didn't buy it. I didn't really buy anything in this movie. I don't get it and i don't want to get it. If this is what audiences think is funny, then i guess i'm just not "with it". And thank God. If you want to see a thoughtful, CLEVER comedy, go rent "Wet Hot American Summer". It is a priceless comedy that will live on, unlike this crap.

Going Overboard (1989)

One of the biggest disaster's of the 80's

[30 July 2002]

0 Stars Out of ****

Going Overboard is one of the worst films I have ever seen. Not only because of the p***-poor camera work and the god-awful acting, but because there is no script. Take for istance, a scene where the ships comedian, Croaker, get's back from lunch. Atleast 20 minutes is spent on him wondering around the ship yelling "What the hell did I eat? Holy god, I think I gotta vomit."

I'm not that big an Adam Sandler fan, and even if I was, I still wouldn't like this. I actualy started to feel sorry for him when I was watching this. The whole cast probaly had to convince themselves that they were making comedic gold. Because if they knew what they were doing, they would have abonned ship.

My grandmother could make a better movie. And she's dead.

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

Woody Allen's Greatest Achievement

[24 July 2002]

**** out of ****

After making such masterpieces as Manhattan, Stardust Memories, Annie Hall and The Purple Rose Of Cairo, you would think the writer/director of theese films, Woody Allen, could never out do himself. With the 1986 release of Hannah and Her Sisters, he did.

The films plot is focused around three sisters. Lee (Barbra Hushey)is the oldest, Hannah (Mia Farrow) is in the middle, and Holly (Diane Weist) is the youngest. Hannah is married to Elliot. (Michael Caine)Elliot is slowly falling in love with Lee, but he does not know how to confront her with out upsetting Hannah. Holly is trying to write a screenplay and act in plays but she got's shot down at every chance she gets. Hannah's ex-husband Mickey (Woody Allen) is a hypochondriac looking for an answer to all the questions in life.

Some of the most brilliant moments in Hannah and Her Sisters comes from Mickey as he tries to convert to a religion that has some meaning to it. First he tries, for about a month, to become a catholic. He does everything. Buys crosses, goes to church, reads the bible. He really can't get into it so he soons quits being a catholic and tries to become a Harry Krishna, but he quits that after realizing what he would look like bald.

The acting is perfect, with the exception of Mia Farrow, which is not bad, just mediocre. I love Michael Caine in this one. You really believe that he has love for both these women and can't choose between the both of them. You can tell how frustrated he is by the tone of his voice.

The script and the direction are top-notch. It seems that they used zooming rather then dollying, which I'm not to big a fan of, but it definitely worked for this story and these people.

Right. Great Movie. See it.

Annie Hall (1977)

The First Time the Oscars' Have Been Right in a Long Time.

[22 July 2002]

**** out of ****

Though I prefer Woody Allen's 1986 film Hannah and Her Sisters, ANNIE HALL still holds a special place in my heart. It is the best interpretaion of a romance caught on film and it features my favorite performance by Diane Keaton next to her amazing work in Interiors.

The Plot: Alvy Singer (Woody Allen), a jewish comedian has been divorced twice. When he thinks he can never find love again, his friend, Rob (Tony Robins) takes Alvy to a tennis match. This is where Alvy is introduced to Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). The conversation starts when Annie asks for a ride home, the conversation ends with Alvy asking Annie out on a date.

Though it is a hilarous film, the comedy is not nearly as frequent as early Woody Allen films such as Bananas or Sleeper. Good, this film would have never worked if it were a laugh a minute film anyway.

See it. And if your in the mood to have a Woody Allen marathon, I suggest: Hannah and Her Sisters, Annie Hall, and Manhattan.

Freddy Got Fingered (2001)

Still Confused

[21 July 2002]

**1/2 out of ****

Whether you like FREDDY GOT FINGERED or not, you will, after turning the film off, be saying to yourself "I've never seen anything like that before"

FREDDY GOT FINGERED has no real plot, but here it goes: Gord Brody(Tom Green) loves to draw so he decides to move to hollywood to try and shop his drawings for a TV show. Not surprising, no one is interested. So Gord moves back home, much to the disliking of his father, Jim Brody. (Rip Torn) Jim hates his son, and does everything he can to get him out of the house, even going as far as to smashing his beloved wheely board ramp as Jim calls it.

I think the funniest thing about this movie is that it's dead serious. Every joke is set to a bleak backround or classical music. For instance, there's a running joke about Gord's little brother Freddy being molested by his father. This isn't a funny idea, but the way it is played out by the actors is what makes it funny.

Funniest moment: Gord's face when he's waking his girlfriends legs with a bamboo stick.

This film proves that bad taste can be good, much like Pink Flamingos did in the 70s. But if you ever have to choose between the two, go with Pink Flamingos.