Thursday, September 25, 2008

5 Quick Remembering-type Movie Reviews

In light of my entry earlier this week about fellow blog, the House of Self-Indulgence, I thought that I would do a quick rundown of a few movies which could have made longer Remembering columns, but I thought this format would be better.

And taking a cue from SamuraiFrog, I will not refer to them as guilty pleasures.

Ready to Rumble: It was a movie about WCW wrestling made at a time when I wasn't into wrestling at all... and yet I watch it every time it is on. Maybe it is because I enjoy Oliver Platt's take on sloppy redneck drunkenness (I enjoy seeing him in movies anyway), or Martin Landau's spunky trainer Sal Bandini... or maybe it is just the gratuitous kicks to the groin. I mean, I do like Scott Caan, Joe Pantaliano and Rose McGowan, and I am OK with David Arquette. I do know that it certainly has nothing to do with supporting the career of director Brian Robbins (he inflicted Norbit on us... and that is just unforgivable). It is a stupid movie, and I am the first one to admit it, but I still get roped in every time.

What Women Want: I'll sum up why I watch this movie every time it is on in 6 words: Judy Greer, Marisa Tomei, Sarah Paulson. But in all seriousness, the premise that because of an electrical accident, Mel Gibson can hear the thoughts of women is ok but the execution is more than a little sloppy. And his post-movie behavior really taints this one (as does Helen Hunt)

The Whole Nine Yards: I started writing a Remembering post about this a few weeks ago, but somehow, I could never get it finished. Basically, the argument I was going to try to advance was that this movie was in essence, a Shakespearean comedy filtered through the conventions of film noir. The film tells the story of a dentist named Dr. Oseransky (Matthew Perry), who is unhappily married to a woman who is secretly trying to have him killed. His life changes when a former hitman for a Chicago crime family, Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski (Bruce Willis), moves in next door, setting off a series of events which are both romantic and violent in nature. Now, the only reason it didn't work as successfully as it should have was because it seems like the filmmakers couldn't decide on an appropriate tone for the film, so there is seems to have been an attempt to make things a little more wacky than they probably should have been.

Robocop 3: I know, I know. It doesn't have Peter Weller in it, and compared to the elegant satire that was the first movie, Robocop III is more than a little ham-fisted, but I find it enjoyable on a lot of levels. Decent action sequences and a somewhat well-thought out anti-corporate message, and it's got Mako. Mako is one of those actors who has elevated an otherwise disappointing movie for me in the past. And that isn't even mentioning Stephen Root showing some range in another dramatic role. And because of the mask, well, it isn't like you miss Weller too much.

Blue Streak: This is one of two movies starring Martin Lawrence that I find entertaining. He does have a tendency to either play cops or petty criminals in his movies, and in Blue Streak, these two types comes together in one performance. Lawrence plays Miles Logan, an expert jewel thief, who after being double crossed by one of his partners in the theft of a large diamond, hides the stone in an under construction building before being arrested. Upon his release from jail, Logan discovers that the building is now a police station, and to get the diamond, he must pretend to be a police officer, something he is surprisingly good at. But every time he thinks he has the diamond in his grasp, some new complication arises... including the re-emergence of his old partner who is willing to kill to get the diamond all to himself. Featuring supporting work from Luke Wilson, William Forsythe and Dave Chappelle, this movie is an unsung gem in the TBS lineup.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ready To Rumble is one of my favorite movies of all time.

MC said...

Jorge: WWKD! And it taught me the importance of watching where I am in a ladder match.

I also wonder if you happened to read my review of Fire Pro Wrestling Returns last week.

a. said...

what the problem IS?

Arjan said...

What women want: 6 good reason
Robocop: I liked all of em just for plain action.
Bluestreak was on tv somewhere this week..but I missed it..too bad cause I liked it.

Megan said...

So many movies, so little time. But thanks for sourcing that 'guilty pleasure' post for me...

xo

Anonymous said...

I could watch Martin Landau kick the crap out of those wrestlers over and over again. In fact, I did. I mean, when he pops out of the trap door with the whole "SAL BANDINI" bit... I'm sold.

Sadly I've also enjoyed What Women Want too many times, although I have no qualms with listing The Whole Nine Yards as a college favorite.

MC said...

arjan: So I am not alone here. :)

Megan: I remember you mentioned it during the week.

Thom: When I was looking for the Ladder match quote, I came across a site that was ripping into the movie and wondering why Landau was in it... and I figure it must have been a lot of fun for him.

Semaj said...

Robocop III: Wasn't this the one where he flies? I don't think I've ever seen it.

Ready to Rumble: While I hate Arqutte, nothing beats watching Rose McGowan dancing around in that Nitro girl outfit.

The Whole Nine Yards: I liked this movie. I certainly enjoyed that one scene with Amanda Peet. I think this movie isn't that bad.

MC said...

That is indeed the Robocop where he flies a bit.