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.