Review: The Cable Guy

The Cable Guy (1996) **1/2
Director: Ben Stiller (Tropic Thunder, Zoolander, Reality Bites)
Starring: Jim Carrey, Matthew Broderick

I was disappointed by this movie, but to be fair I went expecting to see Jim Carrey's over-the-top comedy shtick that made him famous in Dumb and Dumber, The Mask, and Ace Ventura. And if that's what you're expecting too, you'll be sorely disappointed. This is a dark, cerebral comedy/drama and Carrey plays a complex, dark character, and although I didn't care for the film overall I thought his performance was intriguing.

The film also offers an underlying satire of America's obsession with television and news media. But if you don't care for the dark comedy and social commentary and just want to see Jim Carrey for his comic brilliance, there are a few funny scenes that I feel at least make it worth a rental: the basketball game, The Medieval Times restaurant (Star Trek spoof), and the Carrey-oke version of Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody To Love" (which is an amazing impression and performance). Also, the running gag involving the spoof of the Menendez Bros' trial are amusing although since rather dated. But even suggesting it as a rental, I can only recommend this one to fans of Jim Carrey, Matthew Broderick and Jack Black because they'll be more tolerant of a bad movie because these guys are in it. So if it starts boring you or you simply don't like it, just skip to the few funny scenes.

Additional thoughts:

I originally published this review on a movie fan forum back in the late 90s which explains why I reference having actually watched the film at the movie theater. (If memory serves, I was the only one in the theater for a matinee show.) It was considered a box office bomb and was despised by critics, and Jim Carrey took a lot of flak for being grossly overpaid for his role ($20 mil!). A lot of Jim Carrey fans, besides myself, were also disappointed by this. The trailers were even misleading because they played up the film's comedic scenes, but as I stated above this is a dark comedy-driven drama. And it's only because I find Jim Carrey a fascinating performer that I even bothered to watch it.

Review: Open Water

Open Water (2003) ****
Director/Writer: Chris Kentis (Grind, and another feature in post-prod scheduled for a 2011 release)
Starring: Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis

Surprisingly entertaining indie thriller. Although we're not given much reason to care about the characters before they are accidentally abandoned in the ocean, this film offers a palpable sense of despair, hopelessness and fear the couple endure afterwards. The cinematography genuinely captures the feeling of what it would be like to be left behind in "open water." And the fact that the actors are actually in the ocean with real sharks swimming around them elevates the suspense to nail-biting status. For DVD viewers, after the film I recommend watching the production featurette -- the actors aren't just "acting" but reacting to real sharks swimming around them in the ocean. That kind of realism gives the movie a tangible sense of terror that other shark movies simply don't have.

Review: Into The Wild

Into The Wild (2007) ***1/2 out of 5 asterisks
Director: Sean Penn (The Pledge, The Crossing Guard)
Starring: Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Hal Holbrook

This twice Oscar-nominated indie film is a slow but interesting true-life adventure-drama with great performances. And I would rate it higher if it weren't for excess: excessive scenic footage, excessive use of slo-mo, and excessive montage Eddie Vedder-accompanied music videos. But the performances really shine, so if you don't mind a slow but inspiring drama it's worth watching.

Review: Flight of Fury

Flight of Fury (2007) ...can't even give this one a half-asterisk
Director: Michael Keusch (responsible for a lot of German TV movies I don't recognize and can't spell)
Starring: Steven Seagal (also credited with screenplay, which explains a LOT)

While watching attempting to tolerate this film, I had a sneaking suspicion that Seagal left all the work to his stunt and photo doubles. And I'd be willing to bet Seagal's stand-in could have given a better performance. Seagal's stunt double sees more screen time than he does, and there's not even that many stunts! And even when Seagal actually appears his performance is totally "phoned in." The movie itself is predictable, nonsensical, and full of crappy acting and poor special effects. In other words: a big, stinking waste of time.

Review: Last Action Hero

Last Action Hero (1993) ***
Director: John McTiernan (Predator, Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October)
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, F. Murray Abraham, Austin O'Brien

Every now and then a movie comes along that critics love to hate, comedians love to make fun of, and then everyone else jumps on the bandwagon -- most of them never even having seen the movie and yet they still criticize and mock it. This is one of those movies. (The flak this movie has taken for being awesomely bad is legendary.) But I decided to buck the trend and actually watch it. I expected it to suck, so when I realized immediately that it was an action movie spoof, it became a lot more entertaining. In this film, life goes beyond imitating art to outright mocking it with Ah-nold spoofing himself and the movie genre that made him famous. Most Hollywood actors take their work far too seriously to be involved in a satire like this. I, for one, am glad Ah-nold accepted the challenge. Granted, it's cheesy and campy, but that's what it's meant to be. It shouldn't be taken seriously. Give this one a chance -- it's really not half as horrible as it's made out to be.

Review: Welcome to Mooseport

Welcome to Mooseport (2004) ** out of 5 asterisks
Director: Donald Petrie (Grumpy Old Men, Miss Congeniality)
Starring: Ray Romano, Gene Hackman, Maura Tierney

I really wanted to like this movie. It had some good things going for it, like having a comedy-savvy director and a cast known for comedic roles. But either something went wrong during production or maybe it was just a bad script to begin with. This film is simply not believable -- it's contrived and dull. It's described as a comedy, and there are indeed some comedic moments thanks to the cast performances. But most of the movie you feel like you're waiting for a punchline that never gets delivered. My advice: skip this one and watch fan-favorite episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond or NewsRadio (starring Romano and Tierney, respectively), or some of Hackman's better comedic performances in Heartbreakers and The Birdcage.

Netflix Is a Naughty Word

Here's a fun little exercise for you Netflix subscribers out there -- a guaranteed laugh, and I believe I am the first person on the web to discover this:

Step 1. Login to your Netflix account.

2. Click "Movies You'll Love."

3. Click "Your Reviews."

4. Next to your profile image where it says "Enter a brief bio here" click "Edit."

5. Type "Netflix."

6. Click the "Save" button and discover the instant hilarity at the pop-up message that follows.

Update: 11.30.2010, 6:45 am -- Thanks to HackingNetflix.com for featuring this post on the frontpage of their site. I'm honored.

Review: Beast Machines - Transformers: The Complete Series

The new series Transformers Prime officially premiered on The Hub (formerly Discovery Kids) in November 2010, and advance hype for the series used such buzzwords as "groundbreaking," "cutting edge," and "epic." Hasbro also described the show as an "intense... drama" with "heavy metal action" and "nail-biting suspense." Time will tell whether the series genuinely delivers such a big bag of promises, but I'll grant it's been entertaining so far. I'll review the 5-part mini-series event once the other three episodes have aired.

In the meantime, I thought I'd take a look back at an earlier Transformers' series which delivered all of the above in what I believe to be the most unique series in TF history since the original "Generation 1" (or "G1", as the fans call it) animated series first premiered back in 1984: Beast Machines, the continuation of the fan-favorite Beast Wars saga which helped to revive the Transformers franchise in the 90s.

This is one of my capsule reviews I pulled from Netflix after they dumped their community features. I might expand this review later with individual episode reviews, but the following is an opinion I find myself repeating often on Transformers fan forums -- trying to persuade both passive and devoted G1 fans to at least give the series a try. So many fans have dismissed it and even criticize it openly without having watched it, and some outright refuse to watch it which I find a little ridiculous. Like the saying goes, "Don't knock it until you've tried it."

Beast Machines - Transformers: The Complete Series (1999) **** out of 5 asterisks
Produced by Hasbro/YTV/Mainframe Entertainment
Voice Cast: Garry Chalk, David Kaye, Scott McNeil, Ian James Corlett, Venus Terzo

You'll find mixed opinions on this series among Transformers fans, and unfortunately they tend to be largely negative. But as both a Transformers fan and long-time animation critic, I believe this series to be a shining example of great storytelling and characterization, and also possibly the darkest cartoon series ever produced for kids. It was, in fact, the most adult show I've ever seen made for kids as it included rich character development, philosophical themes, an overall dark tone, and it's an all-around high-quality production in terms of the voice cast, writing, and animation.

While there were elements of the show I didn't care for -- like the annoyance of Nightscream (TF's first emo character), a transforming flower (I'm not kidding!), and an ending that left my inner child dissatisfied and disappointed -- this series still captured my attention and kept me in eager anticipation all the way to the end. If you're a hardcore Transformers fan (aka "G1-er") AND you're a nitpicker, you probably won't like it. But I believe if you watch it as I did with an open mind as a stand-alone series, you'll find it epically entertaining. And even a decade later the CG animation still holds up too.

I've read many fan opinions on Beast Machines, and the other most common complaint (besides something in Cybertron's past that, to reveal it here, would spoil a major plot point for those who haven't seen the series) is that fans felt betrayed and confused that just within the first few minutes of its premiere Beast Machines changed... nay, challenged, revolutionized and even shattered EVERYTHING fans loved about Beast Wars. After all, the show's epic third season was incredible and a very tough act to follow.

And initially I dismissed Beast Machines for the very same reasons.

But then years later I found the DVD box set pre-owned for $12. Even though I didn't like what I'd seen of the show, it was too good of a deal to pass up. So I decided to give the series another chance, and this time try to view it objectively as if it were some sort of "Elseworlds" alternate-universe story that was connected to Transformers by name only.

And I was pleasantly surprised to find that -- despite its flaws and my fanboy tendency to nitpick -- it was really entertaining. I hope that other Transformers fans do too. If you can look beyond what fans have long perceived to be the series' core continuity problems, inconsistencies and character flaws, you might just be able to see the series for its compelling storyline, deep character development and overall entertainment value.

Review: It Runs In The Family

It Runs In The Family (2003) ***1/2 out of 5 asterisks
Director: Fred Schepisi (I.Q., Roxanne)
Starring: Kirk Douglas, Michael Douglas

There's not much "plot" to this movie and it moves along at a snail's pace; however, it's a nice slice-of-life drama about how a family copes with tragedy and does so in a realistic, familiar way. It also has three generations of the Douglas family in it -- Kirk and his ex-wife (Diana), son (Michael), and grandson (Cameron) -- and the reality of their relationships is portrayed beautifully on screen. And Kirk Douglas' performance is outstanding. Recommended if you enjoy character-driven dramas.

Review: Stir of Echoes: The Homecoming

Stir of Echoes: The Homecoming (2007) * out of 5 asterisks
Director/Writer: Ernie Barbarash (his other directorial credits aren't worth mentioning)
Starring: Rob Lowe (and some fairly unknown supporting cast not worth mentioning)

Bleah. Yuck, even. This follow-up to the 1999 horror/thriller starring Kevin Bacon is a waste of film. Even the "star power" of Rob Lowe can't redeem this low-budget, sub-par thriller... and it's a stretch to even call it a "thriller." It's like they intentionally ignored and gutted everything that made the original film entertaining just so they could make this piece of blatant anti-war propaganda.

Review: Arsenic and Old Lace

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) **** out of 5 asterisks
Director: Frank Capra (It's A Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington)
Cast: Cary Grant, Raymond Massey, Peter Lorre

This Frank Capra classic is a marvelous semi-dark comedy with marvelous performances and it's marvelously entertaining. (It's also fitting that I publish this review on Halloween because it's a childhood favorite and watching this film with my family was an annual Halloween tradition.) Like other of Capra's films, this has a timeless quality and continues to entertain no matter how old I get or how many times I've watched it.

Additional thoughts:

This film was based on a Broadway play and at times it really does feel like you're watching a live stage production. I really can't say enough how great the performances are in this, and the comedy and comic timing are impeccable -- heck, even the villain (played by Massey) manages to have some comedic moments.

Also noteworthy for voice actor fans is the performance by Edward Everett Horton -- narrator of Jay Ward's Fractured Fairy Tales (from Rocky & Bullwinkle) -- who appears in the film as Dr. Witherspoon.

Review: The Elephant Man

The Elephant Man (1980) ****
Director: David Lynch (Twin Peaks, Dune, Mullholland Dr.)
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud

All the awards and accolades this film has received are well-deserved. It's not quite a perfect film, but it's perfectly cast, performed, and directed. While I'm not a fan of David Lynch's work, I believe this is his best film, and John Hurt's performance as the title character is amazing. This film may not exactly fit into the "horror" genre, but horror elements are certainly there. And I was surprised to learn from the production documentary that the make-up effects were based on a full body cast made from the real "Elephant Man," John Merrick, and this film offers just a glimpse of the literal horrors and terrors Merrick was subjected to throughout his life.

Review: Fido

Fido (2006) **** out of 5 asterisks
Director: Andrew Currie (who also co-wrote the screenplay)
Cast: Billy Connelly, Carrie Anne-Moss, Dylan Baker, Kesun Loder, Tim Blake Nelson

What if you could keep a zombie as a family pet? Wouldn't that be fun? And wouldn't that make for a fun movie too? Yes, it would! Fido is a genre mash-up of horror/drama/romance/comedy, and with a PG-13 rating is about as close as you'll find to a "family-friendly" zombie movie. The comedy's not too dark and it's not too gory, and it even has some emotional moments (and I would rarely say this of a horror flick) where you might just feel sympathy for a zombie. It's like Lassie meets Leave It To Beaver meets Night of the Living Dead meets Shaun of the Dead meets When Harry Met Sally. It's got a great cast, and it's refreshingly original and very entertaining. Highly recommended.

Review: Timber Falls

Timber Falls (2007) *** out of 5 asterisks
Director: Tony Giglio
Cast: Josh Randall, Brianna Brown, Nick Searcy

I might have given this one 4 asterisks had it not been for the tacked-on and unnecessary horror cliche ending. But this film surprised me. I was expecting a formulaic slasher flick, and then after the first 20 minutes it gets veeeery interesting and holds the suspense level high from that point on. It's still a little predictable and has some silly plot points, but it was pretty danged fun to watch.

Review: The Serpent and the Rainbow

The Serpent & The Rainbow (1988) *** out of 5 asterisks
Director: Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street series, Scream series)
Cast: Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Paul Winfield, Conrad Roberts

While it's a little slow and the plot somewhat hard to follow at times, this is based on true events and is interesting as a non-traditional, "realistic" zombie film. At the time it was a risky departure for Wes Craven from his popular Freddy Krueger franchise, and in that regard, I enjoyed it. It's more of a cerebral horror movie and definitely has Craven's signature style balancing that fine line between reality and nightmares. Worth watching.

Review: The Ruins

The Ruins (2008) *** out of 5 asterisks
Director: Carter Smith
Cast: Joanthan Tucker, Jena Malone, Laura Ramsey, Shawn Ashmore, Joe Anderson

At first the story and characters seem typical, and the movie's fairly boring until about 25 minutes in, but it turned out to be an entertaining approach to the survival horror genre. It feels reminiscent of Stephen King-style storytelling and the Creepshow movies, while avoiding most horror cliches and offers plenty of suspense which pays off by the end. Also noteworthy are the DVD's two alternate endings, one of which I actually liked more than the final "unrated" cut.

Review: Shutter

Shutter (2008) **1/2 out of 5 asterisks
Director: Masayuki Ochiai (Shutter [original], Infection)
Starring: Joshua Jackson, Rachel Taylor

I'll save you some time and advise you to watch the original Thai horror version and skip this remake. While it's an okay flick and I liked the ending, it's too predictable and feels like you've seen it before. It's also difficult to watch because Jackson and Taylor fail to connect on screen -- they're just actors going through the motions and saying lines.

Review: Black Sheep

Black Sheep (2006) *** [Not to be confused with the 1996 comedy starring Chris Farley and David Spade.]
Director: Jonathan King
Cast: Nathan Meister, Peter Feeney, Danielle Mason

It's a silly premise: zombie, flesh-eating sheep terrorizing residents of a New Zealand countryside, but it's sheer campy, goofy fun. If you're a fan of horror comedies like Army of Darkness, Shaun of the Dead or Slither, you've got to see this one.

Review: Below

Below (2002) *** out of 5 asterisks
Director: David Twohy (Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick, The Arrival)
Cast: Matthew Davis, Bruce Greenwood, Scott Foley, Olivia Williams

An underrated and fairly unknown gem of a horror flick about a haunted submarine. No kidding! It's like The House on Haunted Hill meets The Hunt for Red October. And what the film lacks as a low-budget production, it makes up for with suspenseful pacing, atmosphere, and a good cast.  Also noteworthy is Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover, Due Date, It's Kind of a Funny Story) as "Weird Wally" in one of his first feature film roles, playing a quirky character who steals every scene he's in.

Review: Pacific Heights

Pacific Heights (1990) *** out of 5 asterisks
Director: John Schlesinger (Marathon Man, The Falcon and the Snowman)
Cast: Michael Keaton, Melanie Griffith, Matthew Modine

This film offers suspense in spades and Michael Keaton's performance is seriously creepy. On the downside, Melanie Griffith and Matthew Modine lack on-screen chemistry and their characters aren't interesting, but at least they don't distract from the film's plot and pace. If you enjoy suspenseful thrillers, this is worth the rental. Also, if you own rental property or are considering buying into the market, you owe it to yourself to see this film. It's the ultimate bad tenant tale.