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Reviews
Clerks (1994)
This film IS the perfect Lament for the common man (I.e. Retail Workers)
I have spent four bone crushing, soul sucking years working in retail and with each passing day, I felt more and more bitter about it. Enter "Clerks" and suddenly I realized that not only does retail do all of those things, but also that I'm not the only one who suffered from doing it. Not to be too personal here, but some of the customers I had to help were so dumb, they make all of Dante & Randal's look like Harvard Graduates. "Clerks" is the perfect film for people who have been working at McJobs for far too long, and they could use a little venting. It helped me communicate the (sometimes) daily toil, and it can do the same for you guys out there. SEE THIS MOVIE!!!
Fun & Fancy Free (1947)
Good (Not Great) Vintage Disney.
I was almost tempted to put in a spoiler for this one, (A Key one, not the minor ones I have in here) but Somebody was kind enough to go into more than great detail about "Bongo" and anyone who was a kid once already knows the story of "Jack & The Beanstalk", so going over the plot of "Mickey & The Beanstalk" would seem a little frivolous. So instead, I will say that this was just an OK Disney film for the era which it came from.
I do have a soft spot for Bongo, 'cause we could use a sweet story during times like these. The only downfall is that sometimes it gets so sweet, I need one of those OneTouch machines to keep track of my insulin levels. One such example (MINOR SPOILER) is when Bongo meets Lulubelle and they go into this whole sequence where just about every single love cliché/device/gimmick is being shown. Which begs me to wonder how much sugar the animators had in their coffee during the making of it. Otherwise, it's a cute story that goes beyond cute.
Afterwards, The live action stuff with Edgar (Candace's Father) Bergen boosts the film a little. Albeit, it's filler when you stop to think about it. Also, not a lot of people this day and age knows who he and his dummy co-horts are unless you did a little researching. Apparently, they were huge back in the day.
Enter Mickey & The Beanstalk and it's essentially the same story as the one we read as kids (CONTINUITY SPOILER). Only there's three heroes instead of just one, and A Golden Harp, but no goose that lays golden eggs. Other than that, nothing to write home about.
All in all, it's a crowd pleaser at best. No "Shooting Through the Roof" deal, but still just OK for a 1940s Disney Animated film.
NewsRadio (1995)
The last of the Smart TV Comedies of the 1990s
I originally watched "Newsradio" for one reason only, (1 1/2 if you count Andy Dick) because I've been a fan of Phil Hartman when he was previously on SNL. That was all I watched the show for. Then when he died, I tried to give the Jon Lovitz Episodes a chance, but by then it just turned into just another "sitcom" (Though it could be argued that it was leaning in that direction regardless of whether it was with or without Phil.) Having rediscovered this show on DVD years later, I realize that this is a perfect ensemble show that gets a little goofy on purpose. What "Arrested Development" was for this Decade, "Newsradio" was for the 90s and the quality holds up to this day.
Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure (1976)
Man, this takes me back...
I vaugely recall seeing this when I was 3 years old, then my parents accidentally taped over all but a few seconds of it with some other cartoon. Then I was about 8 or 9 years old when I rediscovered it and since I was then able to comprehend things better, I thought it was a good movie then. Fast forward to Just a few weeks ago (June 2006) when I re-re discovered it thanks to some internet articles/video clips and it's just not the same movie. I'm sure it's still good with the kids, but to us 20-30 somethings it's definitely got "Cult Status" written all over it. It's a shame that the original production went through a painful process; if Fox gave it enough time it would probably be more recognized in the public eye today. Maybe if they were to remake it with a totally different story and an all star voice cast it could be, but that's for Fox to decide. I'm rambling here, I know. I Still think it's a great film, but it could be better than great.