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YolkyPalky
Reviews
Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill (2020)
Nothing new here, old jokes told again, sadly.
Does Seinfeld ever write new material? This "special" is simply a rehash of every joke he's told over the past 10 years. If you've watched Seinfeld on late-night talk shows, Comedians in Cars, and yes even his past specials over the last decade, you've heard 80% of the material already. Such a bummer.
Panic: The Untold Story of the 2008 Financial Crisis (2018)
Great re-telling of the '08 financial meltdown, could do without the anti-Trump nonsense at the end of the film.
I thought this documentary was a great re-telling and explanation of all the moving parts of the '08 financial crisis. Having the key players interviewed and explain their thought processes was a good way to tell the story.
The obligatory Holly-weird anti-Trump nonsense at the end of the film was wholly unnecessary and seemed beyond oddly out of place. But, what else can we expect from Holly-weird these days than to blame anything on Trump.
Aside from the absurd connection of Trump to the '08 financial crisis, the film was very good.
The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling (2018)
Great life review of Garry Shandling, a Judd labor of love for sure.
Judd's documentary is comprehensive of Garry's life, from childhood beginnings to his end days. I doubt many people realized the childhood pain Garry suffered and carried with him his whole life when his brother died. Childhood trauma, which often occurs from a fractured or broken relationship like a parent or sibling dying, sudden departure of a parent from the family, etc., is often the root cause of many emotional and psychological problems in adulthood. Judd's film underscored this by emphasizing the impact of the death of Garry's brother in childhood.
It was also incredible to see how many other comedian's lives Garry touched and influenced along the way. It was as though Garry became somewhat of a muse in the world of comedy and comedians would seek him out for counsel and advice.
I suppose I could critique one thing about the movie. The one thing that was kind of swept under the rug and hidden from the audience, and I don't blame Judd for not emphasizing this, was Garry's apparent use and perhaps even addiction to opiate painkillers. You can see how Garry was an emotionally tormented soul, and the movie emphasizes how Garry spent a lifetime searching for truth, happiness, and contentment. The thing about opiate painkillers is they don't just numb physical pain, which Garry surely had after major surgery, but they also numb emotional pain, which surely made Garry susceptible to it's trappings. The toxicology report found Xanax, Oxycodone, and Hydrocodone in Garry's system at time of death. I think it was known among Garry's friends that he had a problem. The film could've addressed this issue head-on instead of not really addressing it at all, especially considering others in the film, or talked about in the film, like Tom Petty and Prince, died from similar reasons.
Overall a terrific look back at a comedy genius and Garry will surely be missed by everyone who knew him, and those who didn't as well.
Gravity (2013)
Great visuals, but over-rated film and mailed in performances by Bullock and Clooney.
This film has great visuals, but that is about it. Boring acting jobs by Bullock and Clooney. I don't know why Hollywood feels the need to put miscast "A-listers" in every feature. Personally, I feel this film would have been better with relatively unknown actors, rather than stars like Bullock and Clooney that have the exact same screen presence and speech patterns no matter what film they are in. Hard to believe them being astronauts when they have the exact same screen presence of every other role they've had. Go see it for the visuals but try to look past the mailed in performances of Bullock and Clooney and the sappy sentimental introspective look into Bullock's character...Boring!
Avatar (2009)
Go See This Movie.....NOW!!!
The most visually stunning piece of film I have ever seen....Period! I saw it in IMAX 3D, and for two and a half hours, I was breathtakingly transported to another world, another universe. There simply aren't enough superlatives to describe how one feels after an Avatar movie-going experience, except to say that I WILL be going to see it again, and I wait with great anticipation for the announced sequel! Well done Mr. Cameron, you have made an instant all-time classic that will surely withstand the test of time! I hope the Motion Picture Academy, who often times seems to not reward sci-fi fantasy films with heavy CGI, will recognize the ground-breaking work done here and justly award it the Best Picture, for I think this film will have a place in the ranks of the all-time greats!
Wedding Crashers (2005)
Great promise, horrible execution.
It's hard to imagine such a promising comedic cast deliver so little and make you feel after watching that countless opportunities were wasted. What should have been a hilarious comedy based on the concept and stellar cast, makes a left turn and becomes a morose corny sentimental who-cares journey that leaves one wanting their money back. The genius of Walken is totally wasted, the middle hour or more of the movie just lugs along clumsily with very little humor, although the scenes themselves offered numerous chances to be really funny. By the time Will Ferrell enters the screen as cameo role, it's too little too late, though I do think he was the funniest thing about the whole movie. I put this comedy disaster on the director's feet, the cast and script had a lot going for it, but the direction and way the movie was shot and edited was not comedic at all.