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Reviews
CB4 (1993)
Classic Chris Rock at his best
I am writing this review upon seeing the move, CB4, for the third time. Even after watching this film twice, I still managed to laugh my way through 99% of the jokes. This movie showcases Chris Rock's unique and funny blend of black comedy which was still relatively unknown in his immediate post-SNL period of his career. The jokes are fast and fresh, and come one after another and still manage to get chuckles out of the audience. CB4 follows such films as Spinal Tap, in using the mockumentary style. CB4 provides a documentary for a rap group headed by Albert, Chris Rock. Rock's already established views on black culture fit in very well in his role as a middle class black man pretending to be a gangsta rapper. The supporting cast of Allen Payne and Deezer D as Euripides and Otis respectively, provide great personas for Rock to joke off of. The movie climaxes in a typical Chris Rock humorous way and leaves the audience feeling satisfied and happy. The movie is also enhanced by some killer cameos in the beginning by such rapping stars as, Shaq(during his ill-fated rapping days), Ice-T, Ice-Cube, and some other famous rappers. In a nutshell: I am only waiting for this film to be released on DVD so I can watch it over and over again.
Kate & Leopold (2001)
A Predictable yet Delightful Comedy
At the request of my mother, I sat down on my couch and viewed a DVD copy Kate & Leopold. Upon going into my home theater I expected yet another boring chick flick romance film but what I got was a delightful surprise. Upon the start of the film the viewer in transported into 1876 New York and into the life of an English Duke Leopold, played by the wonderful Australian import Hugh Jackman. Leopold laments at the emptiness of his life and his desire to make something of himself. Leopold then meets a strange man Stuart, played by Liev Schreiber, and follows him into a time portal and straight into 2001 New York. Here he meets Kate (Meg Ryan) who plays a tough corporate woman in an advertising agency. Basically then it's a predictable romance between the naïve Jackman and the savvy yet romance starved Ryan. The movie has some really funny moments relating to the anachronistic Jackman. The comedic performance by Jackman is light and whimsical and has the audience with grins on their faces throughout the picture. The movie also has tender moments which although adding to the general effect of the picture tend to slow it down almost to the point of boredom. Perhaps female viewers will not find this fault but in this reviewers opinion the last half hour of the movie kept on begging me to fast forward to the end. The ending is bright and feel-good which redeems the boringness of the last portion of the movie. Finally, what truly made this film were all the extra features that were on the DVD. The disc contains two great featurettes on the making of the film and the costume design of the film. Also on the disc are about 5 or 6 deleted scenes which when viewed with the director's commentary provide great insight into the mind and intentions of the director. Bottom line: Great rental for a date or with your family.
Rollercoaster (1977)
Top notch disaster film with great acting with very minor problems
Before I comment on this movie, I must acknowledge this films superiority to similar disaster films of the time such as Earthquake. The movie earns many high marks in my book for exciting and suspenseful action sequences and good acting on the part of George Segal, the main character Harry, and Timothy Bottoms the antagonist. Bottoms really plays a believable madman terrorist bent on destroying people. What makes any disaster movie great is the action scenes and this movie doesn't skimp on them. The scenes involving roller coasters have that difficult to obtain balance between suspense and action and all the while providing decent looking visuals considering the film was made almost 25 years ago. There are only a two major gripes I have with this film and they are both not the fault of the moviemakers. There are some seemingly pointless scenes, one comes to mind about some boys lighting off fireworks in a street, which originally were in place to showcase the Sensurround technology. Without that technology in place in my living room, these scenes serve no purpose to the plot and tend to merely drag out the film. My other gripe is in the same vein as the last one. I felt that some of the action sequences were a bit too long due to the producers' desires to showcase the new sound technology. The true quality of this film can be seen in its Hitchcockesque ending. I'll just leave it at that. Those who watch the film will enjoy seeing the debut of a young and bright Helen Hunt as Segal's daughter and Steve Guttenberg , of Police Academy fame, as an uncredited bit part as an agent. Also enjoyable are the cameo roles of the famous 70's rock group Sparks. Bottom line: Watching this film will make you feel like you put your 2 hours of time to a good use.
The New Guy (2002)
A Movie that can be summed up in 4 letters....CRAP!
I just finished watching a little tidbit of film know as the New Guy. I started off not expecting much as I was unimpressed by the commercials. The film is filled with tired old jokes that are repeated over and over. Though there are some rare gems of jokes in this film the majority of it is scatalogical humor. I must admit that my review is somewhat influenced because I had just seen Not Another Teen Movie the night before. This movie is similar to that film but perhaps one or two steps better. What saved this movie was the cameos by famous people like Tommy Lee and Tony Hawk. Overall, the film will be a good dvd rental so you can just fast foward to the cameo scenes.