wvmotown Reviews

Catch Me If You Can (1989)

Surprisingly watchable, especially if you love the 80's.

[8/10 · 15 April 2023]

But you certainly dont have to be a 1980's era high schooler to enjoy this flick. Filmed on a small budget in Minnesota for only $800k, it has a fairly polished, quality feel. Sure, it's a clumsy plot, but that's not why we're here, right? Good acting from the leads, REAL car chases (no digital fakery) and some clever comic bits all help to make this movie a hidden gem. And you get authentic, Midwest 80's... so be sure to pause on the "mall hair" at the high school gym rally, when hairspray ruled the world!

Its obvious that Hollywood took notice of Stephen Sommers directing chops for this little known picture (thank goodness, because it had catastrophic distribution issues in the US) Apparently these issues were not an issue overseas, where it took in $7 million. After this, he was cherry picked by the big studios and has had quite the career. So grab some popcorn, fire up your big screen, and enjoy a classic time travelin' romp back to 1989.

Katt Williams: World War III (2022 TV Special)

Lots of talking, but very few laughs.

[2/10 · 17 December 2022]

He just rambled on about random stuff.

"Chicken wings" was an okay bit.... but then back to hum-drum.

I wonder if he is done trying to be funny... Almost as if he is now a "thinker", and trying to come off as a slightly humorous philosopher?

The crowd certainly seemed to laugh more than they would if they were watching at home, probably because they were out for a big night on the town and excited to be there. You can see a lot of people recording the show on their cell phones, and you think ..."man they are wasting a lot of space on their phone!" We watched on Netflix, and found it rather difficult to make it all the way to the end.

We Met in Virtual Reality (2022)

Eye magnet for the first ten minutes... then, zzzzz

[6/10 · 29 July 2022]

Fresh and tasty... but so is the #3 combo at Wendys... Kinda cool to put on in the background while you get your chores done. Certainly a treat for the VR set and the tweens, but this gum runs out of flavor quickly for the rest of us.

50 Summers (2018)

Bits of classic footage tucked between a lot of talking heads.

[6/10 · 12 June 2022]

Will appeal to fans of small town minor league baseball, but as a sports doc, its a sleeper. A harmless local history piece that may convince a few to sit and watch a shorter version in an Omaha sports museum.

Heaven Sent (1994)

Family friendly, but with amateurs reading a script written by 7th graders

[2/10 · 12 June 2022]

A bare bones script which is sadly outdated. Made for Christian cable TV and it shows. The cast seems to have been pulled away from a little league picnic. It's as if someone is off-screen holding the script so they can read their lines. May be an effective way to "punish" your teen after too much video gaming.

Cherry 2000 (1987)

Vintage throwback fun with good laughs and a big heart.

[9/10 · 14 January 2022]

Its like no other movie... really...This was a gem of a find... just dont take it seriously. It's a rollicking retro-blast that has been hiding on a shelf for decades. Luckily, I bumped into this on youtube, and I figured, what the heck? Enjoy!

To Be or Not to Be (1983)

Not enough funny, and at times rather dull.

[4/10 · 15 September 2020]

Mel Brooks is scrambling in this film to try and save an unfunny script. It follows the Nazi plot too seriously, and doesn't have the biting satire and wit of a classic Brooks pic. Basically, it needs more silly and less story. Save some space on your DVR and don't hit record on this one.

Adventures in Plymptoons! (2011)

Simplistic and slow, the director misses while the viewer quickly loses interest.

[3/10 · 3 February 2019]

The idea behind the story is good- Plympton shoud be classic art film fodder. But the energy is missing. Created by an uber-fan, this doc only elevates to "garage band" status . Terry Gilliam skypes in his corny sketch, Carradine and others sing theirs. Fuzzy audio and blurry backgrounds flush it down the drain. Good for napping if you keep the volume low.