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Mellow_Biafra
Reviews
Boss (2011)
Sideshow Bob as a sociopathic Mayor of Chicago and its freaking awesome!
Locked in a room for a few days with nothing to keep me entertained except Netflix. Stumbled upon this gem because I'm a huge Kelsey Grammar fan and the show just sounded awesome.
The first two episodes, I felt like I needed Ritalin to keep up with all the story lines and characters being introduced.
By episode five, Boss had restored my faith in television.
By the end of season one, I was ready to declare Boss as one of my favorite shows of all-time.
The show is expertly acted and superbly directed with a rotating roster of big name directors that weave together the stories surrounding Chicago Mayor and political boss Tom Kane. Played by Kelsey Grammar, Tom Kane is a coldly logical if sociopathic mayor who engages in the darkest of politics for the greater good of his city. Surrounding him is a cast of other political figures, employees, journalists, businessmen, crime figures and family members. Painted against a modern back drama, Boss plays like a modern opera as the stories of many people weave together to form the reality of modern politics.
While Boss can be highly complex, the masterful performance of Grammar carries the show and is so engrossing that its difficult to stop watching once you start. The weaving story lines of different characters, their motivations and how they work to screw one another is one of the most engrossing experiences I've had with a television show. In the end, despite Mayor Kane coming across as the epitome of evil, you come to realize through the corruption or ignorance of the other characters that Kane is working towards the greater good.
If you're a fan of Kelsey Grammar or you enjoy dark political stories, this is a can't miss show. The first few episodes are difficult to get into but are carried by Grammar's performance. However once you get into this show, it becomes highly addicting.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
A beautiful if flawed movie
First off let me say that I am not a big fan of video games, but the Final Fantasy series was the reason I bought a playstation and the only game since Super Mario to hold my attention or get my excited. When I first heard about the Final Fantasy movie I was initially displeased because of the horrendous history of good games being made into bad movies (Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat for instance). Originally I let the hype sweep over, vowing not to see the movie for fear of being disappointed. However, about two years after the film was released, I managed to get caught up in a animated movie whose title I didn't know on one of those depressing rainy afternoons. The film completely hooked me with it's catchy if a little corny writing and the cool computer generated look. This film really moved me with its beauty and storyline.
Reading other comments on here people have been saying that the film is copying other Sci-Fi flicks and that it's terrible, but I disagree. I think the concept of the film is a fairly new idea and that the film has remained faithful to the game series I know and love. The game series had the same sort of airy futurist plots as well and intense moving storylines. I also must commend this movie for the fact that some of its main characters actually die, which is sad yet refreshing.
Bottom line, this movie is a bit corny and perhaps a bit to cliché. However, the movie is beautiful and moving and faithful to the games, which inspired it. I think this is one of the better anime movies to come out in quite a long time and although it wasn't a big hit or had a lot of success, it still remains one of my favorite movies of all time. In the end I give it a 7 out of 10.
Daredevil (2003)
Wow, this film was horrible
Some friends and I went to this movie on opening night (last night) to see the the film Daredevil. This film is just one horrible cliche after another with corny lines and wooden acting abound, I swear to you if I see Ben Afflick on the street I'm going to demand my money back from him for this lame ass movie. We knew we were in trouble when about five minutes into the movie the kid and the dad start crying in each other arms, and is there a more believable multi-billionare than that big guy who when he gets threatened turns it into a "Brooklyn thing" and despite his incredible resources he'll fight Daredevil himself. I swear to god, I think one scene was lifted directly out of the Matrix, line for line, action for action. It got so bad that by about the 15th minute we were just laughing at how horrible this film was and cracking jokes about Nachos. The movie would have been a flawless comedy if only we all knew but hoped Daredevil didn't fight Kingpin after killing Bullseye because we wanted to get the hell out of theater as un-hurt as possible but alas it didn't happen but I guess we wouldn't get the "thug" element if he didn't. Unless you want to laugh your ass off two hours at such a horrible movie, I suggest you don't see this. However, this could be the best comedy of the year, kicking "How to lose a guy in 10 days" right in the ass. Also another example of my theory that there is nothing valid in mainstream cinema today and Ben Afflick is cinematic poison. Seriously in six months when the hype wears off for this movie no one will care or like this film anymore.
Mission Hill (1999)
The greatest cartoon of the new Decade
Strangely enough Cartoon Network a network committed to entertaining young kids has dedicated a weekly section of their programming to adult aimed cartoons (adult comedy not graphic sex) on their `Adult Swim', which has produced nothing but untapped creativity and a base of die hard fans. Adult Swim has culminated to the point of a cult sort of status with fan commitment with such gems as Home Movies (my other personal favorite), Baby Blues, Harvey Birdman, The legendary space ghost and a host of other off-beat originals with obscure brilliant underground Japanese anime (Adult Swim turned me on to Cowboy Bebop, one of the most brilliant and beautiful pieces of animation if not cinema I have ever witnessed). Through all this the true shining pinnacle of Adult Swim has to be Mission Hill. Mission Hill is basically one of the funniest Generation X cartoons I have ever seen, eclipsing such sacred pillars of pop culture such as South Park and dare I say Beavis and Butthead. The reason I think it's so good is that because their targeting older youths the show isn't restrained to moral codes that could confuse eight year olds, for instance the line `Let's get cocaine and hookers!'. The show's comedy is absolutely great because it appeals to wayward young adults joking on pop culture with it's obscure references, occasional drug humor, and hilariously simple and realistic story lines. Originally, I think they showed three or four episodes and then cancelled it but then the bulk of the Adult Swim audience requested it come back. In the end, I think there is only ten episodes made and ordered and that may be it but I seriously hope this cartoon finds a home and more episodes are made because it is the perhaps the finest cartoon for slackers and some of the best layered humor since Beavis and Butthead. There's nothing more I can really say in this kind of incoherent slash and burn attempt to explain why I like this show other than to just tell you to watch it. To the people who made it, if for some reason you look at this, please let me thank you for convincing me television was worth watching again.
Red Dawn (1984)
My goodness you kids with this political stuff
Perhaps I am too laid back but I see this film as just a interesting action "B" movie playing on American fears of the 1980s and cold war era. I remember when I first saw this movie when I was a teenager after hearing about it from friends and talking about how cool it would be to have freedom like the kids in the movie did while fighting a common enemy. However, upon re-watching it on TV, I still see it as a fairly decent action movie that's interesting enough to watch. I consider myself strongly left wing and liberal and I do see propaganda and some interesting paranoia themes but every movie has a view point and this one just takes a sort of conservative view if that's how you see it. This movie is kind of lame in that the dialogue is corny and some of the writing, directing and editing is questionable but outside of that it's not bad. At some points some of the incoherent politics do get on my nerves, however I just picture the kids fighting aliens, lol. Anyone who tries to make anything political out of this movie is looking for a fight and a vehicle to express their opinion, I think anyway. So like I said, this film is a just a decent "B" movie to kill a afternoon with by watching some of the nifty action scenes and making fun of Patrick Swayze, now at a time when this type of fear is past us as Americans (there is no terror threat and even if there was it has nothing to do with this movie, that would be like saying Back to Bataan is relevant and teaches us to be ever vigilant), we should just watch these kind of movies and go with it, like watching World War Two John Wayne Films. Now go watch this film pilgrim, and in closing I think I've managed to offend and disagree with both sides of the argument of this film, so good for me and the left and right political peoples that lurk these boards looking for stuff to complain about need to relax, it's just film and film is different to each through their interpretation and opinion.
Keys to Kingdoms (1999)
Pretty Good Short
I was flipping late night and happen to run across CBC's tv zed I think it's called where they show short films and then talk to the people who made them. While watching they showed this short Keys to Kingdoms which is about a guy living in a completely messed up hotel and enviroment and what happens to him over the course of about two or three days. It's kind of like the somber version of trainspotting without the heroin. Originally based on a poem, it's one of the better shorts I have ever seen. It's stylish and noirish to work all together. Great short.
That was pretty incoherrent but yeah lol...
American Pop (1981)
I'm amazed that this isn't in the top 50 for animation
I thought this film was one of the finest animation films I have ever seen. The film continually keeps building and building until it peaks at the end when the last guy becomes a star. It almost has the feel of a documentry on life in a America by the way it continually keeps pounding the nail on the head in terms of the storyline and the action scenes cut to music were absolutely brilliant. Considering this film was ahead of anything even close to this (even ahead of MTV for gods sake) it's far and away one of the finest animation films ever made. I think anyone grading this film before a eight just isn't looking at this film as a film and instead putting it against a Disney film or something that's pretty but has no point. For my money I'd easily stack this film against any other animation ever made. Also I saw some people nay saying this film because of the soundtrack, but it's all a natural progression man and in this film it shows the progression of life and music and in 1981 that's what was popular and I thought it was a great choice since it's still listen-to-able today.
Extremely great film, if you haven't yet... Go see it now!
Girl in Gold Boots (1968)
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?!?!
I didn't think the movie was that bad considering what it was supposed to be, I mean the acting and directing wasn't untolerable and the soundtrack was pretty good given what the film is intended to be, although the editor does deserve a cruel death. Taken for what it is, a 60s drive in skin flick it actually isn't to bad and besides at least the film didn't take itself to seriously or at least hopefully it wasn't (with that Fuzzy guy buying drugs lol). It's not the greatest film ever made but it's not worth some of the abuse it's getting, I give it a 3.
And I give the MST3K version a 10, this is what MST3K is capable of when they don't have to stick to SCI-FI movies week in and week out. Two of the most memorable moments in MST3K history were made in this episode in my humble opinion. First crow dancing on the table and Mike screaming "What the Hell is going on here!" Also I thought the running joke of the lead actor playing the harmonica with his ass was priceless.
American Playhouse: Overdrawn at the Memory Bank (1984)
A "6"
I rated this film a six, and I'm going to tell you why. Considering this film was made in 1985 it was pretty visionary in terms of storyline and I found the acting to be pretty well. I also found the Casablanca features with in the story as a interesting twist, although it was out of place I kind of liked it. I'm not saying it was the greatest movie ever made but compared with the normal insults to cinema that are regularly featured on MST3K, this film wasn't half bad.
(Besides the thing with Mike calling Overdrawn at the Memory Bank tech support and being asked for the serial number of the movie was priceless hehehehehe)