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Reviews
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World (2005)
Not very impressed...
I am not the deepest thinker in the world, but I'm also not a complete plebeian either. I was hoping for something vaguely amusing that would make me think, and I'm sorry to say this is movie didn't really deliver.
Many great comedians such as Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, or Carol Burnett (I know they're old, but I think that most modern comics would get lynched in a fundamentalist Islamic area) could deliver material to any audience around the globe and make them laugh. I'm sad to say that the comedy routine Brooks came up with to gauge what the Muslim world found funny fell flat.
Of course they didn't laugh! He wasn't funny! My husband, who was watching the movie with me kept saying, 'But the jokes aren't funny.' An example of the stellar humor, "Why don't they have Halloween in India?" "Because someone stole all the Ghaaandi."(paraphrased) Ha. Ha ha. I'm very sorry to say that one liners like this went out when most people were in second grade. Even laughing at the comic for saying it feels forced. In the movie, the only people who enjoyed his work were stoned out of their minds. No wonder they thought he was funny.
It's no wonder that the rest of the world sees Americans as uneducated- the people we send out into the world aren't the best possible representatives....nor do they really educate themselves about other cultures. I can tell that Brooks didn't do his homework because some of the cultural errors in the movie.
In the movie, Brooks was on a mission to India to find out 'what makes people laugh' in the Muslim world. First of all, I don't think India is the best example...it isn't entirely Muslim, and their culture is vastly different than many other Muslim oriented nations. But that aside, it is a movie afterall.....
I realize that it would have likely defeated the movie's feeble point, but I know I could have gotten laughs out of almost any Indian in the audience by making fun of myself or George Bush.
I really lost suspension of disbelief when people didn't call Brooks on his arrogance. Whether it was real or written into the movie, Brooks' inflated self-importance and self-assuredness his own safety (and that of Americans in general) in foreign countries was ludicrous. Anyone who would cross the Pakistani border in the middle of the night without proper permission and a bodyguard would likely have been killed in the situation Brooks faced. The person who decides to stay in a country which is advising that Americans get out is also the person who gets killed.
The whole bit about him almost starting a war was juvenile and boorish, and not in the lovable three Stooges kind of way.
Wow- I just looked back at my review. I really hadn't intended on cutting the movie down so much. I really enjoyed Brooks in 'The Muse', and 'Defending Your Life'. I just don't think he's a stand-up man. He should leave the playing to the big boys. And leave his ego at home. Don't bother.
12 Monkeys (1995)
Good sci-fi if you can think....
I saw this movie when it first came out, when I was 16. I didn't get it at the time. Now, I get it. This is a very cleverly told story- I won't go into plot because I believe others have done it before...but I'll give a few reviews on performance. Willis plays a wonderful crazy man/ time traveler. The depiction of time travel itself was very unique to this movie, I thought. It was shown as being disorienting, painful, frightening and difficult. Brad Pitt was inspired when he was performing the insane asylum bit. Throughout the movie, the warning for mankind to watch what it creates is prevalent- making this a good movie for most sci-fi fans and those who believe that "our technology has exceeded our humanity"(Einstein).
The Butcher's Wife (1991)
Cute when you get past the accent
For someone who likes modern fairy tales, this is a great movie. Granted, Demi Moore's accent wasn't the best- but I blame that on a bad voice coach- not her. There was actual chemistry between her and Jeff Daniels. If you liked Practical Magic, you'll probably like this one too. Basically, if you want a cute, distracting movie with a little bit of the paranormal (Moore plays a psychic- yes, a real one), like urban settings and slightly predictable love triangles with a happy ending, you'll love this one. This one is for the innocent in the audience- or the people who can overlook one bad point for the big picture, because in the long run, this movie is awesome. This one and Moonstruck are my two favorite 'chick flicks'.....and I don't normally like chick flicks.
Cherry 2000 (1987)
Pretty decent time waster...
I've always been a really hardcore sci-fi/fantasy fan, so of course, I did really enjoy Cherry 2000. David Andrews and Melanie Griffith had great chemistry together, and this pre-Data android: Cherry 2000 (albeit an intelligent sex toy), gave the plot an amusing and very human twist. Basically, when Sam Treadwell's (Andrews) robotic playmate/best/only female friend 'dies', he desperately needs a replacement. An exact replacement. He braves the wilds out in the desert to reclaim his lost love. How will he find his dream girl? (Spoiler!) By finding another one! Sam hires a Tracker, Edith Johnson, also known as "E.". E is a sexy, capable, hard woman (Griffith). Although E is the antithesis of everything Sam held dear, he finds love eventually....just not in the arms he expected. A classic love story with a futuristic twist, this isn't exactly fodder for an academy award, however, the acting was decent, the story was well written, and overall the experience stays with you. (These are pretty much the things I look out for when I'm rating a movie). Since most of the story is set a world very reminiscent of Mad Max and Waterworld, fans of the post-apocalyptic type of fantasy should really enjoy this movie. Heck, give it a chance. I'd rate it as being about 2 points above Waterworld on a scale of 1-10. The effects were remarkably good for it's time. Not much (if anything actually....) was fake or CG'ed. Even though the story is set in 2007, most people I know are able to make the leap to suspend their disbelief and enjoy this ride. Give this one a try, if you like sci-fi!
Fans of less subtle movies, true dramas, regular romances will probably dislike this movie. Either they won't get the subtle jabs at society and the human condition or they won't enjoy the setting. Overly analytical, philosophical types probably won't enjoy this film either. It does take a long time to get the main point across.
The Mists of Avalon (2001)
A fantastic book translated into a fantastic movie
The movie version translates Marion's story into an epoch available to a wide audience. Angelica Houston gives an awesome performance as the Lady of the Lake, and the tension between Pagans and Christians was brought to vivid and painful life. If you like Arthurian legend, or have Pagan interests at all, this movie is definitely for you.