A new Gadget

"Inspector Gadget"
Overall Rating: ***


Normally, I feel out of my element with kids' movies. I grew up on the "Inspector Gadget" cartoons, however, so as soon as I learned about the new Disney movie, I wanted to see it for nostalgia reasons. On the whole, I was pleased with the result.

John Brown (Matthew Broderick) wants nothing more than to be a police officer. Unfortunately, he must settle for being a security guard at the Bradford Robotics Lab. His chance to prove himself comes when Sanford Scolex (Rupert Everett) breaks into the lab, steals a robotic foot, and kills Dr. Artemis Bradford (Rene Auberjonois). Brown promises Dr. Brenda Bradford (Joely Fisher)--the daughter of the murder victim--that the killer will be brought to justice. In the ensuing pursuit, however, Brown is nearly killed and Scolex looses a hand. With Brown rebuilt as the cyborg Inspector Gadget by Brenda, he can resume his pursuit of justice for his arch-rival, now called the Claw.

"Inspector Gadget" is very funny. The humor is generally lowbrow--slapstick comedy makes up the bulk of the humor. Though targeted towards children, adults will also laugh--jokes are nearly omnipresent.

The biggest plus is the cast. While most of the supporting cast is very good, the two stars--Matthew Broderick and Rupert Everett--make the whole movie work. Broderick is wonderful as Inspector Gadget. He plays the part with the same self-assured demeanor he applied to Ferris Bueller, but while Bueller was perfectly competent to skip school, Gadget is not up to detective work (and possibly not even hooky). That invincible air works beautifully. Keeping pace with Broderick all the way is Rupert Everett. Everett is absolutely perfect as The Claw. He is sinister throughout, perhaps a bit amusingly overwrought, and an excellent kids' villain. One noteworthy performance in the supporting cast is a cameo by Don Adams, who provided the voice of the cartoon Gadget and played Maxwell Smart, on whom Inspector Gadget is loosely based; he had one line, but it cracked me up.

There are two points where I have mixed feelings. First is Cheri Oteri, who played Mayor Wilson. Mayor Wilson is a small part, and she's supposed to be annoying; the problem is that Oteri has a voice that reminded me of fingernails on a chalkboard, and may have played it too annoyingly. The other is the movie's deviations from several of the cartoon's staples: for instance, the cartoon never really explained how Gadget got his gadgets, and in every episode, Gadget accidentally blew up the Chief Quimby with an exploding letter; in the movie, an explanation is present, but the exploding notes aren't.

There are also some outright problems. For one thing, D. L. Hughley as the Gadgetmobile simply goes overboard. The part is grating; part of this may be that the Gadgetmobile didn't talk in the cartoon, and part may be its clone-like similarity to the suit in "My Favorite Martian;" regardless, the car is annoying. The plot is thin and the theme is nearly non-existent--though since the "Inspector Gadget" cartoons weren't particularly profound, either, and since young kids are this comedy's main target audience, I wasn't expecting too much. Another problem--and this is the first movie where I thought this was a problem--is product placement; while I usually have no problems with product placements (because I'm in favor of commerce in general), the placements in "Inspector Gadget" are far more intrusive and annoying than in any other film I've seen. After paying $6.75 for a relatively short movie, overt advertising for Yahoo!, Coca-Cola, Disney, Skittles candy, and McDonald's distracted and detracted from the movie.

As a general rule, the movie is appropriate for children. The main potential problem is the violence--while most of the violence doesn't result in harm to people, there are two notable exceptions: the murder of the senior Dr. Bradford and the incident where Gadget and Claw are maimed. There's also a joke where the word "balls" has a double meaning--though the way it's structured, children who don't know the vulgar meaning will probably miss the double entendre.

You may also want to stay for the credits if you see "Inspector Gadget"--there are several jokes scattered throughout the credits. Most of these brief sequences are near the beginning of the credits, but there is a line and an altered logo at the very end.

In the end, I enjoyed "Inspector Gadget," but then, I grew up on the cartoon, so I was reliving a part of my childhood when I saw this film.


Title: "Inspector Gadget"
Release date: July 23, 1999
MPAA rating: PG
Overall rating: ***
Aprox. run time: 78 min.
Director: David Kellogg
Writers: Dana Olsen (story), Kerry Ehrin (story and screenplay), Zak Penn (screenplay), Audrey Wells (screenplay), based on the "Inspector Gadget" television cartoon series
Stars: Matthew Broderick, Rupert Everett, Joely Fisher

Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Mansion/7045/Gadget.htm
Added to blog site: 7/28/09

Open your eyes to a great film

"Eyes Wide Shut"
Overall Rating: ****½


Last March, Stanley Kubrick--one of the world's foremost filmmakers--passed away. If you don't immediately recognize Kubrick's name, you've probably seen some of his work: the films he directed include "Lolita," "Dr. Strangelove," "2001: A Space Odyssey," "A Clockwork Orange," "The Shining," and "Full Metal Jacket." His career reads like a film class syllabus--an analogy, I'm glad to say, that wasn't lost on my college film professor. Just before Kubrick's death, he completed one last film. "Eyes Wide Shut" is a final classic to end to an illustrious career.

The Harfords are typical members of the New York elite. In an early scene a few days before Christmas, while at a party, Dr. Harford (Tom Cruise) runs into Nick Nightingale, (Todd Field), an old friend from medical school who is now a pianist. Dr. Harford is subsequently called upon by the host (Sydney Pollack) to treat Mandy (Julienne Davis)--a guest suffering from a drug overdose. While Dr. Harford is distracted, his wife (Nicole Kidman)--who is intoxicated--flirts with a mysterious foreign guest. Nothing happens at the party--but later discussion of the events spark a highly emotional argument when Dr. Harford says he wasn't jealous--and his wife tells him why he should be. Dr. Harford is then called by the family of one of his patients. After seeing the patient, Harford, still seething from the argument, tries to walk off his anger--and in the process, walks into the most traumatic events of his life.

Kubrick pays attention to the details in "Eyes Wide Shut;" these subtle touches add dimension to the film, and surface in almost every aspect of the film. Props: one character, after escaping a life-threatening situation, buys a newspaper (which plays an important role in another way)--the paper's headline reads, "Lucky to be Alive." Music: the decidedly appropriate choice "Strangers in the Night" in the background at an orgy. Light: in one scene, when Dr. Harford is in a cab, he is engulfed in darkness--appropriate since he's just had an argument with his wife (perhaps the most serious of his marriage) and is going to pronounce a patient dead. Nothing is neglected.

Nor are there any bad performances in "Eyes Wide Shut." Tom Cruise delivers the performance of his career. His character goes through an emotional roller coaster--not surprising, since he's in the majority of the two and a half hour film's scenes. Cruise is brilliant throughout--understanding his character completely and delivering a convincing portrayal.

"Eyes Wide Shut" has some imperfections. The most frustrating one is a mystery left unsolved at the end--a character who remains anonymous. There are a few scenes that don't seem to fit in completely with the rest of the film--at least not after two viewings. These flaws tend to weaken the story line; not disastrously, but considering how tightly woven other aspects of the film are--including other aspects of the story that at first seem mere coincidence/character revelation--it does hurt the film as a whole.

"Eyes Wide Shut" is for adults only. In terms of violence, there is only threatened violence on screen. Strong language and drug use are prominent without being prevalent. There is, however, a great deal of strong sexual content, including more nudity than any R-rated film I can recall. All told, it's probably best to leave the kids home on this one.

"Eyes Wide Shut" is a magnificent thriller; you never know what's going to happen next. It's also classic Kubrick. Kubrick kept his fans waiting 12 years for this one, and it was worth the wait. If you have any doubts, I'll simply add I've already seen it twice, plan to see it again on the big screen, and will probably buy the video.


Title: "Eyes Wide Shut"
Release date :July 16, 1999
MPAA rating: R
Overall rating: ****½
Aprox. run time: 159 min.
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Writer: Stanley Kubrick, Frederic Raphael, Arthur Schnitzler (novel Traumnovelle)
Stars: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sydney Pollack

Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/reviewsbyjohn/EyesWide.htm
Added to blog site: 7/27/09

Stale pie

"American Pie"
Overall Rating: **


To be fair, my opinion of "American Pie" was somewhat swayed by previews that I thought looked dumb. Perhaps I'm also prejudiced by my own high-school dating career, which was limited. In all fairness, I laughed much less than most of the rest of the audience. None of these facts, however, alter the fact that I thought "American Pie" was stupid.

"American Pie" is about four of the students at East Great Falls High: Jim, Oz, Kevin, and Finch (played by Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, and Eddie Kaye Thomas respectively). Like pilot fish with a shark, they hang around the high-school jock Stiffler (Seann William Scott) because he throws parties where people get drunk and have sex. When Sherman (Chris Owen), the ultimate geek, spends the night with a woman at one of these parties, our four "heroes" make a pact--they will lose their virginity before graduation. The problem: senior prom is three weeks away, and Kevin is in his girlfriend's bad graces--which puts him ahead of Oz, Jim, and Finch, who don't have any girlfriends at all.

"American Pie" has a few laughs. Not nearly as many as "South Park" or "Tarzan;" for that matter, not as many as "The Siege" or "Independence Day." Some of the jokes: the awkward moments where Jim's dad (Eugene Levy) tries to have that "facts of life" talk with Jim. One of his friends tells Jim that "third base" feels like "warm apple pie;" so, when Jim's mother bakes a pie, Jim uses it as a sex toy. Then, there's a scene where Finch tries to be suave and jump in bed--but winds up jumping over the bed. These jokes--all used in the previews--are representative of most of the humor. Many of the antics are the type that are funny only when you know the people involved.

Putting aside any double entendres, there isn't really a point to the movie. The loftiest observation the film makes is that boys in high school have raging hormones, and will do stupid stuff trying to have sex. Considering some of the things these kids do, it's pretty hard to sympathize with them. For instance, Jim has a study date with an attractive exchange student, and she needs to change clothes at his house; so Jim sets up a webcam in the room where she's going to change so he and his friends can watch; the word puerile comes to mind. The film is also predictable--you can see the ending around the time the kids made their little pact--if not sooner. All told, if you don't like the jokes, there's nothing else there.

The bright side? Some of the jokes do actually work. There's also a clever nod to "The Graduate." The biggest strength is the supporting cast--which is almost invariably good. The best is easily Seann William Scott; he has Stiffler's look and attitude down perfectly, and is convincing in later scenes when his character gets a bruised ego and subsequently is humiliated completely--Stiffler winds up as a stronger character than the bland, "everyman" protagonists that sadly dominate the movie. Scott's performance, however, isn't the only good delivery, Chris Owen is also good as the dislikable nerd Sherman. Eddie Kaye Thomas is good as Paul Finch, making his character almost sympathetic--and the only one of the protagonists who stands out in any way.

If there is a film where sexual content alone makes it inappropriate for children, "American Pie" is it. There is pervasive strong sexual content including some nudity; the biggest concern is movie's overall message of "you're only cool if you lose your virginity while you're still in high school." Beyond that, there is a fair amount of strong language, and several scenes involving teenage drinking, but no violence.

After the recent success of the highly vulgar "There's Something About Mary," there's a big drive in Hollywood to appeal to the crowd that found that movie a bit too classy. Some of the films to come out of this effort work--"South Park" is highly entertaining and makes good points, all while redefining crude. Unfortunately, "American Pie" falls far short; it lacks the satire and wit of "There's Something About Mary" and "South Park," and for all it's effort, it isn't even as coarse.

Title: "American Pie"
Release date: July 9, 1999
MPAA rating: R
Overall rating: **
Aprox. run time: 95 min.
Director: Paul Weitz
Writer: Adam Herz
Stars: Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Eddie Kaye Thomas

Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Mansion/7045/Am_Pie.htm
Added to blog site: 7/26/09 (some minor editing)

Beavis and Butthead: the Next Degeneration

"South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut"
Overall Rating: ***½


There is a trend in cartoons. In the late '80s, one cultural icon was Bart Simpson: a little crude (but more rebellious), and very strange hair. In the early '90s, we had "Beavis and Butthead" with its crude drawing and cruder content. "South Park," compared to "Beavis and Butthead," is yet cruder in both animation and content. By the time digital televisions become prevalent six or seven years from now, I'm predicting that a significant number of people will shell out thousands for these advanced devices, just so they can see cussing stick figures. For now, however, those of us who enjoy these cartoons can enjoy ourselves with a movie version of "South Park."

When Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman (voices of Trey Parker for Stan, Cartman, and others; Matt Stone for Kyle, Kenny, and others; Mike Judge for a cameo voice performance for part of Kenny's role) go to see an R-rated, Canadian movie, they immediately take to imitating it. At first, this simply involves using every cuss word in the movie (and it has plenty of them) to anyone they can, including their teacher Mr. Garrison; however, things turn "serious" when--again, imitating the movie--Kenny tries to pass gas and set it on fire; Kenny sets himself ablaze and dies as a result. Outraged by her son's language and Kenny's death, Kyle's mother (voice of Mary Kay Bergman) starts a crusade against all things Canadian that just might escalate into a war. Meanwhile, Kenny--who has gone to Hell for seeing a movie on Sunday instead of going to church--learns that Satan and Saddam Hussein are planning to conquer the world using the chaos that the war between the U.S. and Canada would cause.

I have mixed feelings about a number of aspects of "South Park." Since the show has made crude animation a staple, I'm not sure whether I should praise the movie for sharper animation than ever, or complain about it. Mostly, what gives me pause about the movie are places where it simply gives in to excess. Anyone who pays attention to the movie--or the television show--knows that Trey Parker and Matt Stone rail against prejudice, but they hold the overly sensitive in greater disdain. "South Park" makes its point: people should lighten up. Having made the point--mainly by trying to push as many buttons as possible (some of the groups "targeted" include the disabled, the obese, gays, Jews, Germans, Britons, Australians, and Canadians), I'm not sure it doesn't then go overboard.

So, with a plot that barely makes sense, deliberately cheesy music and animation, and a screenplay that seems to try to offend everyone possible, why should you see "South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut"? Well, the main reason is because it's a riot. If you don't get offended, you will laugh for most of its 81 minutes. "South Park" also makes good points: racism is stupid, people are offended too easily, war is bad, bad language in movies is not the cause of all the world's evil. Personally, I agree, and I think one look at the nightly news should be enough to remind us that these messages are all too often forgotten.

"South Park" may be a cartoon, but it is not indented for children. There is pervasive violence and even more pervasive strong sexual content (complete with realistically animated nudity). Though always used satirically, there are plenty of ethnic comments that would be offensive taken out of context. Without the standard compliment of cuss words, "South Park" would almost be a silent movie. My advice: take the kids to "Tarzan" or "Star Wars;" "South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut" may be a good choice for adults who think like children, but the prospect of real children emulating Eric Cartman is frightening.

While I'm giving advice, I'll add this: if you see "South Park," stay to the end of the credits; there's a scene that follows.

If you dislike the "South Park" television show, you probably should skip this one. I expected to enjoy "South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut" since I like the TV show; the movie exceeded my expectations. If you like "South Park," or are just curious about it, this is one to see.


Title: "South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut"
Release date: June 30, 1999

MPAA rating: R
Overall rating: ***½

Aprox. run time: 81 min.
Director: Trey Parker
Writers: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Pam Brady
Stars: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Mary Kay Bergman

Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Mansion/7045/S_Park.htm
Added to blog site: 8/5/09