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sleopold
Reviews
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978)
It's not that bad...
After watching this for the first time in 25 years this past week, I can't understand why there's so many negative opinions about this film. The story's a bit light, and the ending is really bizarre, but otherwise it's a decent, entertaining movie. Some of the performances are spectacular, although I could have done without the computerettes. It's certainly much better than Moulin Rouge, and is one I'll actually watch again.
It (1927)
Great Romantic Comedy
This is easily one of my favorite films from the silent era. The story itself is a fun, little, romantic tale. What's great about the movie, though, is watching Clara Bow's performance. She's fantastic to watch, and truly lights up the screen any time she's shown. Also fun to watch for is Gary Cooper in a very early cameo as a reporter. This movie looks great on the DVD, which also features the enjoyable documentary, "Clara Bow: Discovering the It Girl". Highly recommended.
We're No Angels (1955)
A Christmas Classic!
"We're No Angels" is a deliciously dark comedy that has become a perennial Christmas favorite in our household, right alongside "It's a Wonderful Life", "The Bishop's Wife" and "A Christmas Story". Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray (along with Adolph, the snake) are fantastic as escaped convicts with rather dubious plans for a shop owner and his family. While not traditional Christmas fare, this is still a wonderful holiday film, and can be enjoyed year-round.
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)
Wow!
When I first heard the premise for Lagaan--a nearly 4 hour movie about 19th century Indian farmers taking on the British in a cricket match over taxes, almost entirely in Hindi, and, oh yeah, it's also a musical--all I could think is that somebody must not have been paying attention the day this one was given the green light. After reading numerous glowing reviews, though, I decided to give it a chance. None of the local video rental places had a copy (no surprise there), and I was hesitant to buy something I had so many doubts about. My wife finally got sick of hearing my debates with myself over it every time we went to Best Buy, so she bought it for me for Fathers Day. I'm now thrilled that she did! This is easily one of the best movies I've seen this year. While I felt the first 15-20 minutes or so dragged a little (this may simply have been me adjusting to the language & subtitles--something that generally happens any time I watch a movie in a language I've not heard before), the rest of the movie was spectacular. The story moves along at a good pace, and is fun and engrossing. The music, which was one of the things I had the most doubts about, was great (the sole exception being the English-language portion of the love song).
Overall, it was a fun, energetic movie whose tone reminded me of an old Hollywood musical. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but the biggest surprise you'll get from the movie is just how much you'll like it. While it may not be for everyone, I really can't recommend Lagaan enough.
Cry-Baby (1990)
Agonizing, cinematic excrement!
John Waters owes me 2 hours of my life back. I saw a sneak-preview screening of this way back in 1990, and I'm still in pain. Not before or since have I seen such a terrible piece of filmic waste spewed upon the screen. There is nothing positive I can say about this film. Acting--awful; plot--ridiculous; music--atrocious. Following the movie, my friends and I demanded our money back from the manager of the theater. He explained that, since it was a free screening, he couldn't give us anything in return, no matter how much agony we were suffering through. How Johnny Depp's career survived this trainwreck of a movie is anyone's guess.
Loverboy (1989)
An 80's Teen Masterpiece
Truly the brightest star in the Patrick Dempsey firmament, "Loverboy" stands out as one of the more enjoyable teen comedies from the 80's. While the subject matter is a little more risque than most teen movies from the era, it is handled in a fun manner, and gets across a good message in the end. Well, okay, maybe it's not such a positive message, but it's still a lot of fun, and has a great supporting cast, including Carrie Fisher in her 6th best movie ever.
Can't Buy Me Love (1987)
Great 80's teen movie
Let's face it, there were a lot of awful teen movies in the 80's. Not all of them were of the quality of "Ferris Bueller", "16 Candles" or "Better Off Dead". "Can't Buy Me Love", however, was one of the better ones. It has a sweet, easy to digest story, likeable characters, and decent performances. It may not be one of the 80's Classics, but it is firmly entrenched in the Near-Classic echelon, along with such other notables as "Loverboy", "One Crazy Summer", and "Three O'Clock High".