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Another look at LIFE
Harry here with a new spy, but with very strong ties to another constant contributor here on the site, so I hope he/she is a new constant. I already did one intro tonight during MORIARTY's review, so here ya go he'll tell ya the rest.... Oh, but first, it sounds like it's the kinda film that the studio could drop the ball on in the post-production and marketing stage. Let's hope the big boys with the ties don't finger paint with mittens.
They call me Segue Zagnut and I'm a shy boy. Mostly I just watch and listen. Sometimes I talk. I
just saw a screening in Pasadena of 'Life' the new Eddie Murphy-Martin Lawrence-Ted Demme
movie. They sold it on the flyer as a screw ball comedy... wacky guys try lame-brain tricks to
break out of prison over sixty years and comically fail. I guess this is the premise but it is not the
movie.
It was good. A solid well paced real film. Not a typical no brain Murphy movie. Well written
strong characters. A thought out personal comedy. This was not a sitcom with laugh track. More
'Parenthood' than 'Nutty Professor.
A quick description: Eddie (E) spots Martin (M) at an expensive restaurant as a person to pick
pocket. E pick pockets M and finds no money in the wallet. Then a scene must be missing
because it jump cuts to E & M having their lives threaten by a loan shark. Then for some reason
E & M embark on a road trip to buy moon shine together, I don't know why. Once there, they go
to a bar and M gets laid and E loses all his money in a card game. Going back to their car they
find a dead body and get accused of the murder by the cop who actually did it. Most of this is
funny but there are a lot of other stories started here that never mean anything. It is an awful lot of
stuff just to get these two to prison. AND the film is told in flashbacks by a narrator. The narrator
is totally unnecessary and the occasional voice over annoying. Once we get to prison only little
flaws hold up the film every once in a while.
This aside the movie works. E & M are very likable and have great chemistry. The make up
work is incredible and the dialogue is very sharp. And E especially puts in a great performance
with a range of depth and emotion we don't usually get to see. The supporting cast holds up. I
think Universal has a big hit on their hands if they can tighten it up and market it as something a
little more than just a comedy.
I've said too much.
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If Life ends up stiffing (I'm talking creatively, not financially) don't blame Universal, blame Eddie. He obviously chose the project to stretch himself, and two reviews now say he succeeded. He certainly has the clout to go to Universal and say "This wasn't made to be a wacky comedy, stop trying to cut it down to one." He could probably even promise them a wacky comedy for next summer if they agree to let this one alone. But if he doesn't have the guts to defend his work to the execs then what can you expect? Suits have very rudimentary brains; to them, Eddie Murphy=Wacky Comedy=9-digit box office. Their thought patterns aren't capable of going any further. Eddie's the one that needs to step forward and take some pride in his work for a change. Only then will the movie be what Mo and Segue think it can be.
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A point raised in a very..."violent" Star Wars talk back: Harry looks and talks JUST LIKE the fat comic book store owner in The Simpsons!!!! Another point: Harry: SHOW US SOMETHING FROM THE GODDAMN STAR WARS SCRIPT, YOU CHEAP ASSHOLE!!!!! Are you just trying to make your site more popular by tempting us with your knowledge of the script????!!! You are a goddamn asshole! Thanks for nothing, you fat-ass, candy-eating, child-molesting, nerdy bastard!
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You gotta love Ryan
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I'd never heard of this movie until I read this review, and even though the revier is fairly positive, I'm not so sure. The idea of an Eddie Murphy comedy set in prison (OK, so it has serious bits in it, but it's still a comedy) just makes me feel nauseous. Eddie was great for a while - the first Beverly Hills Cop is one of my all-time faves. But his recent stuff - especially the nutty professor - have been awful. I just don't find him funny anymore. And now he's doing a prison comedy? I'm sorry, but, for me, the genres of Prison and Comedy just don't go together. The finest prison movie of all time is The Shawshank Redemption. The only prison comedy I can think of is the movie version of Porridge (old BBC sitcom) and that sucked royally.
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Harry Knowles should check news &his filmography before they correct it on IMDB.
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I was at this screening a few days ago and I loved it. It's not perfect, but it's WAY better than any Eddie Murphy movie since Coming To America. It's easily his best dramatic work ever. It's like the old Eddie is back. You just have to see it. And Moriaty's reference to Shawshank Redemtion is quite valid. Again, you just have to see it.
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