World's Shortest Movie Reviews
The Last King of Scotland
Alternate title: The Original Fat Bastard
Summary: The thing about psychotic dictators is they're so damn likable. A happy-go-lucky Scottish doctor is drawn into Idi Amin's inner circle, learns the truth the hard way, and has a showdown at Entebbe Airport.
The Best Part: Forest Whitaker, future winner of the Best Actor Oscar
The Second Best Part: James McAvoy, as Dr. Garrigan, is a total cutie.
Notes on a Scandal
Summary: A battleax of a schoolteacher (Judi Dench) becomes obsessed with her co-workers, especially the lovely young Sheba (Cate Blanchette). Sheba only has eyes for a 15-year-old student.
Comments: Great. Now Judi Dench scares me even more.
Shut Up and Sing (documentary)
Apt Quote: "It won't cost much...just your voice." - Ursula the Sea Witch
Summary: The Dixie Chicks before, during, and after Natalie Maines' infamous statement about Shrub.
Actual Quotes: "They should just shut up and sing...they should be tried for treason....strap her to a bomb and drop her on Iraq."
Comments: I saw this movie the same day Glenn Beck chastised Americans for using the n-word moments before his guest referred to Britney Spears as "trailer trash". O'Reilly referred to the Dixie Chicks as "bimbos". So it's uncool to be a racist, but go ahead and rip on gorgeous, talented young mothers or dump your sh** on the NASCAR set. The average American is too stupid to know better, according to a Lipton spokeswoman in the film as she tried to persuade the Chicks not to do their Entertainment Weekly cover shoot.
Telling women to put up and shut up? Isn't that what we hated about the Taliban? Telling people they can't voice an opinion unless it is in perfect alignment with the current administration? Isn't that what we hated about Communism?
It's 2007. It's the Free World. We all have voices and we will use them.
Deja Vu
Much Like: Minority Report, Enemy of the State, The Philadelphia Experiment
Somewhat Like: Laura, Contact
Summary: Minutes out of harbor in New Orleans, a ferry full of Navy men and their families is blown up. The Sherlock of the ATF, Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington), links the this to the murder of a young woman and is invited to join a task force that's using Star Trek technology to ID the culprit.
Unique for: A killer car chase that technically involves one car. The first movie filmed in New Orleans after Katrina.
The Best Part: Jim Caveziel's Eric Rudolph-like villain isn't fleshed out, but he is way creepy. His eyes remind me of those green marbles you can see through.
Downside: Even Denzel can't make the ATF cool.
A Few of My Favourite YouTube Channels
4 years ago
10 comments:
Did you see Last King of Scotland? I still want to see that.
The thing about psychotic dictators is they're so damn likable. --> LOL
Sounds neat. I will have to check these out sometime if I can find them. Hope all is well. Starting to feel better. Not much but a little bit. Well gotta go for now. tweets.
Ps your mom is going to put a tweety bird next to my name this weekend. LOL.... Well now I am gone. Talk to you later. N.
I should try this format. Way less wordy than my usual...
Sme, I totally love your movie reviews. I was interested in seeing The Last King of Scotland. and your discription sold it for me. Besides, Forest Whitaker is a good actor. Thank you for adding me to your blogroll. I just wanted to let you know that I added you to my links, too. Thanks!
Love these reviews! Well written,short and to the point. Thanks SME!!!
I got in an argument with someone at work. He downplayed just how bad Idi Amin was. I love Forest Whitticker as an actor, so that's an additional bonus. Will probably catch this one in the rental.
We got in an argument ranking the worst dictator of the 20th century. I find too many people rank Amin lower than he should be (or at least how bad I thought he was).
Good quotes about Shut Up and Sing. Wife likes the Dixie Chicks. I think Maines wishes she was Maria McKee, but I'd rather listen to McKee.
I love how you can make fun of poor whites, but you can't say the n-word. I've always said poor folks are in the same boat. Being poor sucks, no matter what race you are. Nice going Glenn Beck. That just proves Jim Goad's point.
I do think Maines could have used better words. Being ashamed someone's from your state is kind of dumb. Saying his foreign policy sucks, now, that's being more specific and could actually get the old brain churning. But the outrage was even more dumb, by many degrees.
Maybe I'll rent this one too. Orwell was right about what he said about war. When patriotism is at a low, bomb somebody. It's worked for our last three Presidents now.
If I were that photographer though, I'd tell Robinson to move her arm.
I want to see Last King of Scotland - is it out on DVD yet? A friend and I are going to see Children of Men today. We'll see how that is. I like your movie review format - I might have to give it a go.
Notta, I'll have to see Children of Men, too. I've heard good things about it - let me know what you think.
ZS, you got it. According to the Glenn Becks of the world it's OK to knock the working class, which makes up the majority of the U.S. population. Whatever.
I like the Redneck Manifesto, too. ;)
I'm not a huge DC fan, but I do think they're good. And I think that if you honestly expect performers to uphold your pet beliefs just because they come from the same geographical place you do, you're an idiot. And if you put so much stock in what celebrities have to say that you arrange your life around protesting it, you're twice the idiot.
P.S. As far as body counts go, Amin was the worst dictator of the 2nd half of the 20th century.
Just saw Last King the other night. Damn if he doesn't deserve that oscar. He switches from ultra charming to freaky-vicious and back again in a heartbeat. And the juxtoposition of Amin's inner-sanctum and the rest of the country is like Hotel Rwanda meets Boogie Nights. It's really, really bizarre.
It's still in theatres in Chicago - I think it will probably stay in theatres until the Oscars to get that post-oscar box-office push.
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