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Painted Faces (1929)
Enjoyable Movie for Joe E. Brown fans
I love this great example of early Joe E. Brown. He delivers a great performance in a role that is more dramatic than most of his work. A brilliant comic, he shows his chops as a good serious actor here. Watching it, I am amazed that it's from 1929. It seems to pace much more like a 40s film noir or modern romantic comedy. And the plot is more robust than many of the earlier talkies. It keeps you entertained and doesn't bog down or plod. The scenery and props works is excellent as well. The writers do a great job of telling a compelling story and the circus atmosphere is interesting and captivating. All in all, it was a very decent movie for it's time.
It's maybe not one of Brown's funniest movies or even one of his best. But I think it's an important movie in his career and likely one that was instrumental in propelling him to stardom. I gave it a solid 7.
Fresh Meat (2011)
Very enjoyable show
I am a big fan of Peep Show, The Inbetweeners and other British comedies as well as shows like Trailer Park Boys and Arrested Development. I also tend to like college/high school drama/comedy, so it comes as no surprise I really did enjoy this program.
Being American, I admit that it took me a while to adjust to the accents and I still have to rewind some parts to see if I can figure out what they said, many of the jokes go over my head because they are referring to culture across the pond. There is also a certain annoyance factor with regard to several of the more 'hipster' characters and the self-centered younger generation in general. I am probably a bit older than the typical demographic who like this show, therefore I try not to be too judgmental.
The thing I like most about the show are the diversity of characters. The six main characters are all completely different. It is through their sometimes awkward interactions the humor abounds. Then there are the consequences of the choices made by young freshmen in college. Add to the formula, the way the show mixes drama with the comedy to keep it from ever becoming too sappy and goofy. It's the perfect blend of both, with some very cool music replacing your father's laugh track in traditional sitcoms.
The humor can sometimes be dark, subtle, or downright lurking in the bushes outside like an intruder in the night. Sometimes it hits you in the face like a Three Stooges skit and other times it challenges the mind with sophisticated rapid-fire precision.
I really enjoyed the first three seasons and I am looking forward to a fourth and final season which is currently in production. I am happy they gave them one more go. All I can say is, I am so glad I came to the party late and could binge watch all the episodes in a few days... I would have hated to wait week after week for a scant 6 episodes a year.
Bending the Rules (2012)
It's better than you would think, actually
I'm not a high-brow movie critic by any means. I have my personal niche of movies I tend to enjoy and I'm comfortable with that. I would make a terrible professional critic because I tend to find the good in all things artistic. When I bother to rate movies here, I usually rate them a 5 or better, I don't think I've ever given a 5 rating. I gave this one an 8.
The 'co-lead role' actor is a pro-wrestler-turned-actor, but doesn't do a completely horrible job. It's really not difficult to imagine since a pro wrestler is simply acting a role for the most part. So he seems to carry a confidence that most newcomers don't have. His contrast with Jamie Kennedy is really good and there seems to be a good chemistry and blend to make the characters interesting.
The plot and story line get a little confusing, lots of sub characters to remember and try to keep up with. But for me this makes the movie more interesting, especially the second or third viewing. You pick up things you missed the first time, and it's like watching a new movie. Some people have very analytical minds and can quickly pick this one apart in no time, so the details are part of the puzzle. In any event, there is enough action and comedy mixed with drama and suspense, it makes for a pretty decent movie overall.
Plus... Any movie set in New Orleans is going to be interesting. Add a street-wise, bend-the-rules cop and you have a good foundation for Kennedy's comic relief. It's just a good formula in my opinion.
Just Passing Through (2013)
Simply Outstanding
You will be hard pressed to find a better quality top-to-bottom comedy series on the web. The writing, acting and production are all top notch. The story and plot line is creatively funny and it never gets stale through the 7-episode Season 1. Interesting characters with lots of intriguing twists, depicting the colorful culture of the Maritime Canadians from Prince Edward Island and the East Coast.
It is definitely adult oriented and delves into some risky topics with a liberal amount of foul language and sexual situations. The production quality is great, not at all what you may expect from a web series, more like what you'll find on cable network TV. However, this is funnier than anything I've seen on cable in a while.
The initial season was funded through a grant from Innovation PEI and future seasons will be dependent on public reception, so go check it out and support these guys if you like what you see.
43: The Richard Petty Story (1972)
Wasn't that bad
Considering Richard Petty is no actor and many of the parts were played by members of the Petty family, it wasn't half bad. Lots of humorous moments, lots of stock car footage, and a fairly accurate historical account of how the Petty's became the First Family of NASCAR.
I particularly enjoyed the way the movie highlighted the sacrifices made by racing wives and the families in general.
If you are expecting an academy award winning movie, this ain't it. The acting is a bit amateurish and it does seem a bit on the low-budget side. Still, if you are a fan of Richard Petty or NASCAR, you'll enjoy this one.
The Junction Boys (2002)
Tom Berenger plays an awful Bear Bryant
This is an epic story which deserves a much better presentation than ESPN delivers. As a life-long Bear Bryant fan and follower, I was aghast at Tom Berenger's performance. I read the other glowing reviews and I totally disagree, it was an awful portrayal of the legendary coach, from the accent to the mannerisms, to the cold and callous nature of a man who you wonder why he wasn't arrested and imprisoned for what he did. Yes, much of the story is true, and yes, Bear Bryant was a ruthless hard ass who drove those boys hard in the Texas heat, but there was something about the way Berenger portrayed him, as if he had no human emotion whatsoever, just a mean old heartless bastard who didn't care if he killed every one of them.
The beer cans falling out of the car door as it opens, was this needed? I understand Bear Bryant drank alcohol, it came across as condescending and insulting. It's as if the movie was produced and directed by haters of Bear Bryant, attempting to do an all-out smear piece on his legacy. You even get the feeling that Berenger himself, didn't like Bryant, and wanted to play him as loathsome as possible. He succeeded. Perhaps the script and lines were historically on the money, but it was the delivery which bugged me the most? I think of how George C. Scott portrayed General Patton, another tough and relentless SOB, but Scott brought a humanistic element to the role, a soft and subtle side of the man we could relate to and admire. This was missing in Berenger's performance for the most part.
I read the book before watching the film, and one of the main aspects of the book was never really touched on in the movie, was how Bryant was livid that no one told him about the drought, or the lack of water at Junction beforehand. Had he known the whole deal, he would have never gone out there, but by the time he found out, there was no turning back. You can't teach boys not to back down from adversity and challenge by making that the very first thing you do, so they pressed on to Junction in spite of the situation. The movie may have spent 3 seconds on this, but it was important to the entire story, and would have really brought that missing "human element" to the portrayal of Bryant as a person.
I understand movies often over-play things, like the drunken trainer, Smokey, who was certainly never as exaggeratedly drunk all the time, as depicted on screen... I can accept that's Hollywood, no problem. But to have them portray Bear Bryant as some heartless cruel monster who just didn't care about those boys, was unforgivable, in my opinion.
I enjoy Tom Berenger in certain roles, he can be mean but have a charming side, and I can certainly see why he would be cast to portray Bryant, but the performance he gave was terrible, and didn't do the real Bryant justice. While the movie tried to stick with elements of the book, I would have loved to have seen more football on the field, the 'results' of what Bryant accomplished at Junction, perhaps? They could have shown Berenger lifting a young Coach Stallings to 'mock' carry him off the field, after Stallings led Texas A&M to a victory over Alabama in the 1967 Cotton Bowl. Again, that would have shown a 'human' side to Bryant, as opposed to the arrogance-filled reflections of Bryant fumbling around with a scrapbook and his thoughts.
The real shame is the story that wasn't told here. We could have been shown the bad stuff that happened at Junction, the rewards and redemption for what happened, and the reunion/reflection to conclude with humility and respect. What we got was; the bad stuff that happened at Junction, then some years later, they all forgave him, even though he was still a drunk old mean arrogant bastard. If I knew nothing of Bear Bryant before watching this movie, I think I would hate him afterward. Thank goodness, that is not the case. Thank goodness I read the book.