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Reviews
Art School Confidential (2006)
Almost perfect satire and black comedy.
First: My daughter and I were the only people in the theater in the town with the "most vibrant" arts scene in the State of Texas (oops, I forgot, The Great State of Texas). Perhaps it's because the AAS (Austin American Statesman, not to be confused with ASS although easy to do) gave it only two stars out of five, apparently due to the lack of football references. This was a very grim but funny black comedy and there were times when I squirmed a little in my seat. The tone was very nihilistic at times, not surprising considering its comic book/graphic novel source material. I can see why the artsy crowd that the AAS panders to wouldn't like it: It makes shish kabob out of a lot of modern art pretensions. It is definitely not for everyone, but if you like being challenged and don't mind being made a little uncomfortable,,, (Didn't someone once say that all great art is supposed to make you uncomfortable? That's nonsense, of course. Anyone who says that means that great art is what makes people other than him or her uncomfortable.) As another correspondent says, it keeps you guessing until the end. The one small problem with the film that troubled me was casual way it treated the deaths of several innocent people in an accidental fire caused by the hero. If it were not for that, this film would have been 10 out of 10 for me.
Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
Boring
Just really dull. Long extended scenes of exposition, talking heads yakking from the screen. David Strathairn got the nuances of Edward R. Murrow down just right but just missed the essence. (Or it may be that my impression of Murrow, being 40 years old, is flawed.) The entire film contradicts the point being made in the speech that bookends the story: TV, by its very nature cannot be a medium of extended, thoughtful debate. The "debates" in the movie were all just one talking head pontificating, and then sitting down for the bloviater on the other side to spew. The debate between Murrow and Senator McCarthy is the centerpiece of the story, but there is no give and take between them; they don't even appear to be in the same room. Some other quibbles: All of the humor in the story falls flat; I wonder how many people got the interview of Liberace. What was the point of the romance between the Robert Downey Jr. character and the Patricia Clarkson character? Finally, some of the themes and even the dialog ("They were on our side.") were stolen from The Front, a much better movie. I know, I know, it's an "homage."
Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
Don't waste your time, or money
The original Ice Age was a flawed movie with great animation.
This sequel is a complete mess with great animation. It appears that they spent $100 million on animation and voice talent and 5¢ on writers. There is no real plot; characters pop up and disappear for no reason; and most of the animals are just cute for the sake of cute. The whole thing seems pointless, out of sync, and lame. The movie was only about 90 minutes long, but every minute was excruciating. I know, I know, it's just a cartoon, it's for kids, etc. Well, it's possible to make smart movies for kids, but if everything is lowest-common-denominator garbage like this we will never see them again. My ten-year-old liked it, and it's going to be a hit, unfortunately. If you rent this film, try turning off the sound and making up your own dialog; or you could randomly flip through the scenes as individual vignettes. Either way, it would make as much sense as the original.
The Fortune Cookie (1966)
An enjoyable film--look for the details
I remember seeing this film several times when I was a kid and always enjoying it. Seeing it again about thirty years later was not the complete disappointment that the reviewing of old favorites often is. Walter Mathau's seedy lawyer is the center of the movie, but he does not "carry" it as some have implied. What makes the movie enjoyable for me are the supporting characters, asides, and throwaway lines. I still laugh at the German professor's "Fake!" and popping monocle and I still remember the little game the equipment men are playing toward the end of the movie. As a nursing student, it's also entertaining to see the medical uniforms and equipment from that era. This is not a "great" film, but it's great fun and well worth seeking out.