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shawn9210
Reviews
Envy (2004)
What an odd film!
I just saw this movie at a sneak preview and all I can say is..."What did I just watch????" And I mean that in a good and bad way.
The plot is really simple. Stiller and Black play friends/neighbors. Stiller is the focused, hardworker while Black is a dreamer. Black invents this idea to create a spray that erases poo. The idea becomes very popular, and Black becomes very rich. The extravagant lifestyle that Black gains and the fact that he still tries to be best friends with Stiller causes Stiller to become crazy with envy.
As I said, the plot is simple. Everything else is plain odd. The direction is odd, with a weird rotating opening shot to out-of-nowhere sped up sequences. The dialouge and the acting is very odd; odd in a rambling sort of way. And the sound track is the oddest thing in the movie, from the weird "Envy" song that keeps on reappearing to the scene where you think you're going to hear a classic 80's song but suddenly it's in Japanese.
So, the true question is this...is odd funny? That depends purely on the individual. I was cracking up at the shear unwavering weirdness of the movie. After the screening I heard people call it horribly unfunny and glad that it was free. Strangely, I understood their point. There are no jokes whatsoever, so if you aren't hooked by the uniqueness of it all, you will hate this movie. Absolutely hate it.
This movie is destined to lose a lot of money at the box office and become a DVD cult classic. If you can laugh at a movie with no real jokes, like Cable Guy or Punch Drunk Love, then I suggest you see it. If you don't, run away from this movie. It'll only make you mad.
The Wedding Singer (1998)
Not the typical Sandler movie
The Wedding Singer and Punch Drunk Love standout from typical Sandler movies is two important ways. 1) The humor is subtler in these movies, and Sandler is much more subdued. 2) Critics actually like these two movies.
The Wedding Singer is a pretty average romantic story that wins because of funny performances and the ever elusive "chemistry" between Sandler and Barrymore. This was the first movie that taught me what romantic chemistry was. While you're watching it you not only want the characters Robbie and Julia to get together, but you want Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore to get together. The chemistry is that strong. A reason people, especially guys, don't like romance movies is because often the love between the leads seem contrived and forced. Thankfully, the Wedding Singer steers clear from that, and actually allows you to have an emotional stake in the characters.
Sadly, the movie is slightly forgettable, as it merely succeeds in its goals but fails to impress. However, it's great fun while it lasts and you'll always have a fond, if somewhat faded, memory of the movie.
The Singing Detective (2003)
Stylish and different but...
First, let me say that I'm all for movies attempting to be different and break the traditional movie formula. As a screenwriting student, I attempt to do that in all my movies. The problem with breaking the formula, however, is that often what results is an unclear narrative and the tendency to make the movie too artsy without proper reason. These reasons turn a promising movie like "The Singing Detective" into a pretentious mess.
Now some will like this movie purely because it is very different than most Hollywood movies. The plot and character development is complex, and excellent acting abound, especially by Robert Downey Jr. Plus, those that have actually seen the mini-series (I have not) will get information and complexity not explained in the movie. That said, most will not understand it, and even some that do will still not enjoy it. Unfortunately, the movie makers do not go to any trouble making an enjoyable movie, just a complex one. The musical numbers are slightly enjoyable, but the lip-synching does not add anything, instead it seems ridiculous that everyone in the movie is so obviously faking it. The four different realities are interesting, but the frequent switching between them seems unnecessary. The realities, and the plot for that matter, only seem to reinforce one point, that Downey Jr.'s character is distrustful of women. We find out the reason pretty early in the movie, so the repeated pounding of the point is unnecessary. Plus, the whole film noir reality has no plot. It's supposedly a murder mystery, but after showing us the beginning of the mystery it makes no attempt to further it's story, instead using the reality also to state (repeatedly) Dan Dark's hatred of women.
So, is the movie worth seeing? Only if your a type of person who repeatedly complains about Hollywood type movies. If you actually enjoy well made movies with a straightforward narrative, then avoid this movie. (Which actually shouldn't be hard)