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Reviews
Eagle & Evans (2004)
Brilliant Skit Comedy...With A Hint Of Potato
Eagle and Evans was on for three episodes two months ago. Now, after The Chaser has finished, it's back on. I bought the DVD of this before all the episodes were aired and let me tell you, they're crackers. But I'm not going to give anything away, so I'll just refer to what I think is the funniest skit I've ever seen, June In The Restaurant. Gribbich? I'm laughing myself stupid THINKING about it...
Anyway, if you're keen to watch the remaining episodes, on a Friday night, then I'll leave you with a quote that will stay in your heads for a long time coming. Picture Bob Franklin in a safari suit saying, "Who's dancin'? Who's dancin'?" Ah, the goodness. The goodness!
PS. June In The Restaurant is battling with Santo Cilauro's "Hijack Bloopers" for my favourite ever skit. Just thought I'd let you know.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Couldn't Have Been Superb-er
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind deserves the praise it is getting. All I heard about this film before I went to see it was that it was a Kaufman script and the leading man was Carrey. What I ended up finding was an engaging script, paradoxically relate-able, anchored by outstanding performances. Carrey shines an otherwise drab character, Mark Ruffalo is funny and superb and I didn't think Kate Winslet could be any more appealing than she is in this film. I loved the plot (what's more, I understood it) and I loved the people, even when you perhaps shouldn't. That elderly couple that passed me in the cinema and said "I didn't like it" should eat some soap. A credit to all involved, they inspired me to begin writing scripts again after a 6 month sebbatical.
PS. I hope 'sebbatical' iss spelt correcttly.
Micallef Tonight (2003)
Mad, he's absolutely livid!
I'm lodging this comment a little too late, but I was fast forwarding through some old TV tapes (y'know, where you tape certain shows you aren't able to watch there and then) and I saw Shaun Micallef interviewing Anthony LaPaglia and Dave Hughes....Why the sam hill isn't Shaun Micallef on TV!?!?!?
In my rather stunted view, he is funnier than any ol' Jim Carrey or Mike Myers or (dare I say it) Christopher Guest! C'mon, with segments like "The Credible Hulk", characters like Myron and Action Boy and small jape-esque phrases like "Miced Volvo" and "Homosexuality" (you had to be there to understand), surely there is some room for him on the box, particularly if Tony Squires can have his own 60 minute program. Obviously not...
If you're not as furious as I currently am, let me leave you with this quote from David McGhan's "Dr. Miracle."
"Jack, get me 4 BP's of stat and Electrocardioman. Rory, get me 10CC's of Murgol. Because I've gots me an idea..."
The Night We Called It a Day (2003)
What's The Dealiyo Yo?
I managed to catch Paul Goldman's "The Night We Called It A Day" the last time it was being shown in a Toowoomba cinema. I took my sister with me. The movie was about three minutes in when I realised that it was me, my sister and a man in a Top Gun-esque fighter jacket that were going to see it for the final time on a giant screen (well, not giant really. That cinema needs to be repaired). Anyway, three people were watching this movie, and I was p***ed off that no one else bothered. That emotion was countered, I guess, when I paid attention to what was being projected onto this dilapidated screen. Superb performances by Joel Edgerton and David Field and a fine looking Frank Sinatra by the guy (and let's not forget this) who was a frighteningly aggressive rule-breaker in "Easy Rider." I don't know why this movie was bagged to the high heavens by Australian critics and audiences (or lack thereof) alike. It's a great movie and those who don't appreciate it, even marginally, oughta see it again. Go to the Toowoomba cinema to see it, okay? There's nobody around that will talk over the trailers...
Houseboat Horror (1989)
They Weren't Film People...
Before I begin, allow me to refer to the theory of Mr. Charles Montgomery Burns to describe my opinion about this movie.
"I don't really understand art, but I know what I hate. And I don't hate this..."
I don't really understand the appeal behind this movie. I can think of no more daggy an era than the late 80s in Victoria to locate a film. Secondly, I can't understand why a creditable actor such as Alan (you're off my detail) Dale would lend his talent to this film, having also built the image of a decent family man on "Neighbours". What I enjoy about this movie is the fact that I know no worse. Only recently, I have started becoming interested in cinema, and I have found that there is a demand for perfectionism in all films. If Kevin Smith had released "Clerks" today, he wouldn't have won a solitary award for it. That's modern cinema at work.
Only Australia could write, direct, produce and release a film like this. Only Australia could gather some very notable stars and draw from them drawl about "walkabouts" and "bar up". Only Australia would bother. So think of film as an expression of the true Australian psyche, that things don't need to be perfect. That people can and will enjoy even the most pointless and lazy film. That Australia has the most creative and surreal cinema in the world. That John Michael Houson appeared in a movie he would have canned the following day with Bert...