Cool News
Harry's DVD PICKS AND PEEKS Does The First Week of March 2007!!!
Hey folks, Harry here with the first week of March’s DVD releases. We have tons of great stuff here. Now – you can click on the titles or the DVD boxes to order or get more information from Amazon. Often times they’re giving you 30%-50% off retail prices – but find the best deal you can – or just add it to your NetFlix queue. See you with next weeks list.
March 6th, 2007
BORAT
I can’t really recommend this. I’m that stick in the mud that doesn’t enjoy BORAT. To me – it just feels like r-rated cable bullshit polluting my local theaters. However, many of you love Borat – and you’ll be getting your sequel. For me, I’m looking forward to Sacha Baron Cohen’s work opposite Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s next film. I think he has immense potential as a comedic performer – and I’d love a fully produced BORAT film in a fully realized Kazakhstan. I just don’t like the docu-feel of the film. Gives me a headache. The DVD isn’t fully stuffed – you know and I know that there will be an additional DVD at some point… but at this point it has Deleted Scenes and other extras that were funny.
PETER PAN 2-Disc Platinum Edition
This is hands down one of my all time favorite Disney films. This past weekend, I shared this with my nephew – who is currently a PSP addict. However about the time that Peter Pan is chasing his shadow – the PSP dropped to Kublakhan’s lap, and his eyes became entranced upon Peter Pan. In fact – he didn’t move for the entire film – transfixed by the story, the music, the characters… That’s the power of classic Disney. This is one of those Platinum Editions from Disney, which means – you’re getting every ounce of your money’s worth. Of the tons of features, perhaps my favorite was the “IN WALT’S WORDS” where Disney reveals why he made Peter Pan. I love watching Walt Disney talk. When the corporate trappings melt away and it’s just Uncle Walt telling us stories about how and why cartoons come to life. On the other hand – the worst feature on the DVD is the “Sneak Peek at the all new TINKER BELL movie” - ARGH!!!! Yeah. I wish John would stop the regurgitation that Eisner started by raiding the vaults for terrible endless sequels that make 2D animation look like pap.
SOUTH PARK – Complete 9th Season
Here’s the complete 9th Season of SOUTH PARK – today’s Lost Boys, if you will. Hilarious and wrong – South Park continues to own. What was on the 9th season? Here ya go:
1. Mr. Garrison's Fancy New Vagina - Mr. Garrison becomes a woman.
2. Die Hippie, Die - Hippies come to "South Park", so it's up to Cartman to get rid of them.
3. Wing - The boys open their own talent agency and try to get Token to sign with them.
4. Best Friends Forever - Kenny buys the latest game console, dies and then helps Heaven beat Hell.
5. The Losing Edge - The boys don't want to play baseball the whole summer, so they come up with a plan just to lose.
6. The Death Of Eric Cartman - Cartman thinks he is dead, because everyone is ignoring him, do to what he did and Butters is the only one who can see him.
7. Erection Day - Jimmy is growing up and something is happening to him that he doesn't understand.
8. Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow - Because of Stan & Cartman a Beaver Dam is broken and a near town goes underwater, making everyone blame each other and everything for what happen.
9. Marjorine - The boys fake Butters' death, to dress him up like a girl so he can spy on the girls, that supposedly holds something that predicts the future.
10. Follow That Egg - The boys are divided into two's to take care of a egg, which represents a baby and Stan wanted to be paired with Wendy, buts gets paired with Kyle, making Stan mad at Kyle, even though Kyle doesn't like Wendy.
11. Ginger Kids - After Cartman makes find of red haired kids, calling them "Gingers", Kyle, Stan & Kenny teach Cartman a lesson, by bleaching his skin and coloring his hair Red, making him a "Ginger".
12. Trapped In The Closet - Stan takes a test Scientology test, when he gets high numbers on the test, Scientologists start to believe he is the reincarnation of the founder of Scientology.
13. Free Willzyx - The boys are tricked into thinking that a Orca/Killer Whale named Willzyx talks and that he is from the moon, making them help the Whale get back to the moon.
14. Bloody Mary - After Stan's father becomes a alcoholic. He here's about a statue that bleeds blood, believing he can be healed from being a alcoholic he goes to the statue.
Hawaii Five-O – 1st Season
Jack Lord kicks ass! Had the Snakes on a Plane scenario had happened on his watch… that plane never would have left the airport. He would’ve nailed that drug dealing bastard before he made like a piñata on that D.A. Cuz Steve McGarrett was the shit! This set doesn’t only have the original 24 episodes of the first 1968 Season – but the Pilot Movie “COCOON” that I know I had never seen… and it kicks ass. And every time those opening titles kick in, it’s like 20,000 licking tongues. AWESOME!
NIGHT OF THE COMET
NIGHT OF THE COMET! NIGHT OF THE COMET! I love this movie. “Daddy would have gotten us Uzis!” Hehehehehe… This is one of the great 80’s cult films. If only because it disappeared. This is like Zombie Last Starfighter for me. I stay awake at night fretting about some asshole remaking this. Some people call it dated, I say it’s period. Besides – I could watch Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Meroney all day, every day. Rowr! The DVD is like feature-less. But hopefully if this sells well, they’ll do a deluxe version some day. At least we finally have the film on DVD.
LITERARY CLASSICS COLLECTION ( Madame Bovary ‘1949’ – Captain Horatio Hornblower – The Three Musketeers ‘1948’ – The Prisoner of Zenda both 1937 & 1952 versions – Billy Budd )
This is another in a great classic collection put out by the brilliant folks at Warner Home Video. For example – the least well known of the titles – BILLY BUDD features a commentary by Terence Stamp and Steven Soderbergh. Just being able to get great prints of CAPTAIN HORATION HORNBLOWER and MADAME BOVARY and both THE PRISONER OF ZENDAs is worth it. All with Cartoons and specialty shorts… that recall those marvelous matinees at the Bijou. However – the inclusion of the 1948 THE THREE MUSKETEERS is nothing short than a miracle. I grew up in love with the Michael York and Oliver Reed 3 & 4 Musketeers movies. And I just assumed that they were the best versions of the tale. In some ways, they are. But when I went to college, I was once assigned to review a Swashbuckler flick for my Film Appreciation class – So I went to THE MOVIE STORE here in Austin to find one that I had never seen. A tough task, as I was raised on Swashbuckling. There I found the 1948 THREE MUSKETEERS with… lol… Gene Kelly as D’artagnan. I assumed it would be terrible. I LOVE IT! This is a storybook film. The Technicolor makes all the actors unbelievably perfect. Lana Turner never looked more dangerous or delectable. Vincent Price as Richelieu oozes slime. However, it’s Gene Kelly as D’Artagnan that soars for me. I always thought of D’Artagnan as a wild, juvenile doer of derring-do. At the beginning of the film, he’s playful, goofy and a tad gay. But as he experiences more, as things he loves are taken away – the boy gives way to a Musketeer. Meanwhile – Kelly’s physical prowess are unleashed and frankly are remarkable. I love this film. This set is fantastic.
FAST FOOD NATION
This isn’t Linklater’s strongest film by a long shot, but it’s incredibly ambitious. I like to think of it as TRAFFIC for the fast-food industry. Only – because the drama isn’t as high as in TRAFFIC – the fact is it’s still a very entertaining film. And how can I let a hole occur in my Linklater shelf? There is a commentary with Rick and writer Eric Schlosser. However, my fave extra is the Manufacturing Fast Food Nation featurette. It kinda rocks.
JESSE JAMES
The best Jesse James flick ever made is Walter Hill’s THE LONG RIDERS – that being said – the CLASSIC Jesse James flick is JESSE JAMES starring Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda as Jesse and Frank James. Here – Jesse James is played as a vengeful Tom Joad/Robin Hood esque character. The cast for this is just epic. Joining them is the amazing Henry Hull, Randolph Scott, Brian Donlevy, Jane Darwell … and the sleaziest son of a bitch to ever play the coward Bob Ford… John Carradine! Hehe.
RETURN OF FRANK JAMES
In many ways far better than the original film JESSE JAMES – even if it is far less based in history than the first film – hard to do. But RETURN OF FRANK JAMES was directed by Fritz Lang, who had just recently migrated to Hollywood from his native Germany. The Technicolor is stunning – as is Gene Tierney – who was never younger on screen than she was here. Mainly because this is her first movie. See it for Henry Fonda, for Fritz Lang and for the gorgeous Gene Tierney. It’s classic Hollywood – pure fantasy, mythology and iconography at its best.
PRIVATE SCHOOL
Ok… yes, owning this movie is a pervy thing. But one of the truly great things about the 80s – was all the great T&A High School / Girl school / College flicks that delighted in exposing the uncovered talents of such brilliant babes as Phoebe Cates. You also get the ungodly beautiful Betsy Russell to take into your whack fantasies. And did I mention the shower scene or the nude horseback riding scene. Yeah. This movie is lame on many levels – but it has it where ya want it.
THE OTHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT
One of the great – so full of itself, self-serious messes – that it became one of those great unintentional comedies that just is funny, because it’s so serious. Watch Susan Sarandon when she was impossibly young and beautiful. She’s still beautiful, but not like this. This was… back in the day – when she was what she was. Whew.
MANITOU
This is an amazingly fucked up awesome piece of genre weirdness. Bet you never knew that Susan Strasberg once gave birth to a full sized Indian Witch Doctor out her backside didja? And I bet you didn’t know that Tony Curtis fought this doctor with the spirit of Hospital Mainframe Computers didja? In the world of what the fuck, this is a what the fuck. Awesomely entertaining in the… DID THE INDIAN FETUS TAKE OVER THE LASER THINGEE – kinda way. You kinda gotta see it to believe it. Fucked up in the right ways.
SOLARBABIES
One of the worst, lamest, mostest stupidest movies ever made. SOLARBABIES is insanely awful, but it’s one of those dare movies on movie night – where you and your friends see who gives up first, who gives up last. It’s terrible in that, “I can’t believe I’m watching this shit” kinda way. It’s racist, unfunny, terrible storytelling… it’s just awful, but guess what? It’s now on DVD.
CINDERELLA LIBERTY
In the realm of rescuing a hooker with love movies go – CINDERELLA LIBERTY is pretty great. Mainly because it’s played so real. James Caan plays a lowly Navy sailor on leave that falls in love with a prostitute that has a kid, hustles pool and is just plain no good. But when is love ever perfect? Well, if you’re the one ending up with James Caan, I suppose it ain’t so bad. It could be worse, you could end up with Richard Gere. Check out the performances by Eli Wallach and Burt Young – they’re very nice. This is one of those forgotten films, check it out.
THE ELECTRIC COMPANY’S GREATEST HITS & BITS
If you’re like me – and planning on raising your kids on the utopian liberal upbringing of the Seventies – then you already have The Best of the Electric Company Vol 1 and Vol 2! This show was awesome. It was all about racial equality and diversity. It had Spider-Man. And generally I preferred it to SESAME STREET, though I loved that show too – and yes, I’m archiving those for my child rearing experiment. In fact – I’m buying vintage calendars to convince the child that it is infact – always the seventies. Cuz – the Seventies ruled!
EURO FIENDS FROM THE GRAVE ( The Red Headed Corpse, Faceless Monster, Satanik )
THE RED HEADED CORPSE features a drunken Farley Granger in an interesting Giallo mystery that I had never seen. Filled with the requisite Italian beauties. It’s hot in that misty lens way. FACELESS MONSTER (was actually released in the U.S. as NIGHTMARE CASTLE, I have the one sheet) starred BARBARA STEELE – the oh so yummy lady of the sixties scream queen heyday. The story is pure TALES FROM THE CRYPT. This is a typical story of Husband killing wife and her lover - only to have them come back to life seeking revenge. SATANIK is well, out of this set – it’s the jewel for me. And best to be discovered. Sure – it’s a poor man’s DANGER DIABOLIK, but dammit, it is still stylish, filled with hot Italian women and of a period that there never seems to have been enough movies from.
COMMISSAR
I haven’t seen COMMISSAR yet, but I make it a point of simply buying every release that comes from KINO. If you click the box above – you’ll know as much as me, until I pick this up and watch it. I love a great Russian film.
BUSTER CRABBE COLLECTION
There isn’t much information about this release online - but I love Buster Crabbe. He’s one of those B-actors that is hypnotic onscreen. Getting 7 movies – like JUNGLE MAN, SWAMP FIRE and FUZZY SETTLES DOWN – is amazing. Getting episodes of Captain Gallant, Planet Outlaws and more is just awesome. And 12 Flash Gordon episodes. This is a wonderful release for Crabbe fans.
THE MIRACLE MAKER – Special Edition
It’s the story of Jesus as told through the miracle of Clay Animation with the voice of Voldemort as Jesus himself. How awesome is that? I love Clay Animation – this isn’t the best work in that field, but it’s pretty nice. If you love this story, history, mythology – whatever your personal belief, this is a handsome production and very much worth a look.
THE HEMINGWAY CLASSICS COLLECTION – ( THE SUN ALSO RISES / FAREWELL TO ARMS / THE SNOWS OF KILIMANJARO / UNDER MY SKIN / ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG MAN)
It is my opinion that no young man should go out in the world without first reading the work of Hemingway. I believe there is a necessary shot of intellectual machismo that comes from the reading of his works. However, since none of you read anymore… so sad… I suppose you should, at the very least, know these tales through their cinematic tellings – which is no substitute for actually reading Hemingway. This is a fantastic set. Most people know how awesome THE SUN ALSO RISES, FAREWELL TO ARMS and THE SNOWS OF KILIMANJARO are… but less seen, but also great are UNDER MY SKIN and ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG MAN. So get these, sit back and let Papa tell you a story or two or five. Then – get ye to a bookstore – a place like Half price and get an old hardback copy - get a Havana cigar and a some nice brandy – and read.
KING KUNG FU
A Chinese Gorilla that knows karate! This could be – the greatest film of all time. The Monkey has a love interest named Rae Fay. This could be – the greatest film of all time. The film ends on the tallest building in Wichita, Kansas. This could be – the greatest film of all time. How can you deny the power of a kung fu gorilla from China unleashed upon Kansas. Monkey, I don’t think you’re in China anymore!
2. Die Hippie, Die - Hippies come to "South Park", so it's up to Cartman to get rid of them.
3. Wing - The boys open their own talent agency and try to get Token to sign with them.
4. Best Friends Forever - Kenny buys the latest game console, dies and then helps Heaven beat Hell.
5. The Losing Edge - The boys don't want to play baseball the whole summer, so they come up with a plan just to lose.
6. The Death Of Eric Cartman - Cartman thinks he is dead, because everyone is ignoring him, do to what he did and Butters is the only one who can see him.
7. Erection Day - Jimmy is growing up and something is happening to him that he doesn't understand.
8. Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow - Because of Stan & Cartman a Beaver Dam is broken and a near town goes underwater, making everyone blame each other and everything for what happen.
9. Marjorine - The boys fake Butters' death, to dress him up like a girl so he can spy on the girls, that supposedly holds something that predicts the future.
10. Follow That Egg - The boys are divided into two's to take care of a egg, which represents a baby and Stan wanted to be paired with Wendy, buts gets paired with Kyle, making Stan mad at Kyle, even though Kyle doesn't like Wendy.
11. Ginger Kids - After Cartman makes find of red haired kids, calling them "Gingers", Kyle, Stan & Kenny teach Cartman a lesson, by bleaching his skin and coloring his hair Red, making him a "Ginger".
12. Trapped In The Closet - Stan takes a test Scientology test, when he gets high numbers on the test, Scientologists start to believe he is the reincarnation of the founder of Scientology.
13. Free Willzyx - The boys are tricked into thinking that a Orca/Killer Whale named Willzyx talks and that he is from the moon, making them help the Whale get back to the moon.
14. Bloody Mary - After Stan's father becomes a alcoholic. He here's about a statue that bleeds blood, believing he can be healed from being a alcoholic he goes to the statue.
-
+ Expand All
-
First
-
Downloaded Once Upon a Time in the West off iTunes. Terrific! I'll have to give Jesse James a try.
Nice picks Harry. -
Maybe since Tom Cruise is no longer welcome at Paramount they don't have to adhere to his childish demands.
-
Rough week... Go see The Lives of Others instead
-
What the fuck are you talking about Harry? Have you even seen SBC's TV work at all? Potential? - the guy has already achieved cult status and a huge following for less than a decade's body of work. Correct me if im wrong, but it's like your saying he hasnt been sucessful yet when its quite the opposite. Sacha Baron Cohen is the greatest comedic performer going around at the moment and I have no doubt already has a place amongst the greatest comedians of all time.
-
this sentence confused me.. either it's hands down your favorite, or its one of your favorites..not both.
-
Those South Park episode descriptions have to contain, hands down, the absolute worst butchering of the english language by Harry yet seen. Well done big guy, I knew you had it in you.
And remember, kiddies, memorize the following: "Cartman thinks he is dead, because everyone is ignoring him, do to what he did and Butters is the only one who can see him.", "Because of Stan & Cartman a Beaver Dam is broken and a near town goes underwater, making everyone blame each other and everything for what happen.", "The boys fake Butters' death, to dress him up like a girl so he can spy on the girls, that supposedly holds something that predicts the future.", "After Cartman makes find of red haired kids, calling them "Gingers", Kyle, Stan & Kenny teach Cartman a lesson, by bleaching his skin and coloring his hair Red, making him a "Ginger".", "Stan takes a test Scientology test, when he gets high numbers on the test, Scientologists start to believe he is the reincarnation of the founder of Scientology.", "The boys are tricked into thinking that a Orca/Killer Whale named Willzyx talks and that he is from the moon, making them help the Whale get back to the moon." and "After Stan's father becomes a alcoholic. He here's about a statue that bleeds blood, believing he can be healed from being a alcoholic he goes to the statue." - These are the new gold standards in writing to which we must all now aspire. :-) -
Mar 06, 2007 1:29:02 AM CST
I spontaneously uttered "FUCKING SWEET!" when I saw....
by lhombresiniestro
Night of the Comet on DVD. YES!!!
-
You can kinda tell since they're in a quote box.
-
...has some of the worst episodes so far. But who doesn't love the Scientology one?:)
-
The interviews were too short. Everytime it started to get interesting, the interview stopped and we got back to the "story". But it was still interesting. I'm always surprised what people say when they think that nobody outside of Kasachstan will hear them! 8/10
-
Is in the public domain. You can download it at the internet archive should spooky Italian horror be your thing.
-
I love Harry but I think he's nuts on this one. Wanting to see Borat with a bigger budget is like wanting to see your favorite jazz quartet playing along to a DAT tape. I haven't seen that Ali G movie yet but it seems like the entire world agrees that it doesn't work when he does a traditional scripted comedy. Part of why BORAT is so fucking great is because of the on-the-fly quasi-documentary feel of it. It wouldn't be so funny if he wasn't set loose in the unsuspecting real world (which is why I can't see the sequel working). I would usually say comedies should be more visually appealing than they generally are, but I'm willing to give that one up for Borat. Who cares if the footage looks shitty as long as we get to see authentic reactions to the chicken flying out of Borat's suitcase.
As for the DVD, it does have some pretty decent extras including a montage of his promotional tour. At one point he chases Conan O'Brien around with a pair of scissors because "the red pubus is more valuable than diamonds." The deleted scenes are mostly uncomfortable stuff that made sense to cut out, but I really enjoy the tour of the grocery store, which had me yelling at the store manager to do something to stop Borat from pointing at cheese over and over again.
Another nice touch: under the cardboard sleeve the cover is made to look like a bootleg with a shitty computer-printout cover and nothing written in English. -
"This was… back in the day – when she was what she was. Whew."
It seems like that review fizzled out into nothingness. Whew indeed. -
but the actual dvd looks like a blank disc with the name scribled all over it in marker pen. Here in the UK, they've actually added a sticker saying "This is not a pirate copy". Gotta love it. Oh and I agree, Knowles is way way WAY off the mark with this one. A scripted Borat film set in Kazakhstan would just be a bunch of people walking around in silly accents - the beauty of this film is of the melding of this fictional character and real people - it's shitty, but it's meant to look shitty...but it all serves the story and the narrative.
-
Damn you Michael Bay
-
....from your comments you dont get it even SLIGHTLY
-
...Borat'S swimsuit in it? I'm not even sure if it's in every DVD or just inside the DVDs you can buy at "Hertie".
-
Sounds pretty good Harry.
But I prefer James Caan and Ninjas!!!
If you want to see the best of James Caan, get The Killer Elite or Rollerball instead Harry! -
...we're getting both Night of the Comet and Solarbabies on DVD yet are still denied MegaForce and Night of the Creeps on shiny discs. Criminal!
-
I didn't think that was possible since his cover's been blown. Well, hope it doesn't suck. By the way, I really think Harry's right about this movie. No way in HELL did it deserve that screenplay nomination...I actually think its an INSULT to the screenwriting process by the Academy. As an aspiring screenwriter myself, I think Cohen's gotten way more credit for this than he deserves, and I DO think he's immensly talented...but this is nothing but TV leftovers tied together with some lazy filmed pieces about Pamela Anderson. Its funny, sure, but as I've said before..."cinema" it is not. Thanks for going against the grain on that one Harry, you are not alone.
-
Borat equals greatness! I realize it is not for everyone, but I feel sorry for those select few that just don’t get it. Thank you, now I must go back to my cage…
-
Some say his films are talky, but I find the "talk" pretty fascinating. I still think Waking Life is a wonderful film, and I don't get people who attack it as "philosophy 101"...I was philosophy minor, and nothing I encountered in any of those classes was as interesting as the conversations in Waking Life (well, maybe the notion of Cartesian doubt...which was so brilliantly exploited in The Matrix). Maybe I'm alone in this, but I sorta wish Linklater would fully devote himself to working in animation...A Scanner Darkly was so intriguing, and seemed to open a door to countless untold cinematic possibilities. I hope it isn't his last foray into animation...
-
I loved the show, and the character, and of course I'll probably buy the movie. Its damn funny! But all the praise heaped on it gets a bit annoying, especially since the "funniest comedy of the year" isn't even a real comedy...its a series of improvised pranks caught on film. What I'm saying is that Borat is as overrated as Jackass Number Two is UNDERRATED. This brand of humor has been around forever (Borat seems like Tom Green crossed with Peter Sellers to me), and Andy Kaufman championed this kind of thing BEFORE it was "hip". But I readily concede that Borat succeeds in what it sets out to do (namely, being a funny indictment of America which lets it subject ridicule themselves), I just don't think its as hard to do or "brilliant" as many concede. Take a look at the Ali G movie, it sucks. That shows that without the "subjects" to make fun of, these characters really aren't that funny on their own. I'd guess thats what rubs Harry the wrong way, and I completely agree.
-
"That is the finest example of bareback riding that I have EVER seen!" Ha! And yes, Harry's downing of Borat is so transparent. I think he randomly picks a small handful of movies a year that are universally liked just to rail against so he can step and and point "Loook! Looook! See I don't love EVERYTHING!" Weak.
-
It has plenty of great episodes. Marjorine is fantastic and the ending shot of Free Willzyx will have you laughing for a while.
-
You know this to be true.
-
It's twisted to think you're going to get anything of the experience of reading great writing by watching a Hollywood adaptation of the book. Hemingway isn't about the plotting, no more than reading a novelization of a great movie can give you the thrill of cinema.
I will never understand why people champion shit. Bad movies are bad movies. Just because some piece of crap like "Solarbabies" comes out you have to tell us? If it sucks, leave it to rot.
And I am sorry, but Harry, to criticize "Borat" for the reasons you give --you completely missed the point. Give it another shot maybe? If it didn't make you laugh, that's fine, I appreciate that, but to gripe that you'd rather see it as a traditionally-scripted film set in 'Kazakhstan' misses the point so spectacularly that I wonder if you even saw the movie in the first place.
One last thing: Sandman has nipples (well, at least one). -
Good call, Osmosis Jones. Man is she hot.
-
I'm with Harry and didn't find Borat to be that hiliarious.
I know Rupert Murdoch deeply loves Borat, because it was so cheap to make and has made a substantial profit, but since Fox stupidly didn't make Cohen sign on for a sequel when the film started, Cohen (who got paid $US 40 mill upfront by Universal, just to do a Bruno film for them) would want an 8 figure fee, a cut of the sequel profits and apart from salary, a sequel's budget would also be substantially higher than what the first movie cost.
-
PLEASE! I don't even want to see a Bruno film. He's a terrible character unless he's doing what Borat and Ali G do, which is to expose our prejudices and reveal our inner assholes. Cohen will obviously do whatever the hell he wants to, which I hoep is to act in roles that allow us to enjoy hos comedic talents. He's very funny.
-
But Harry DID say reading Hemingway was superior to the movies! Dude, he likes movies, give him a break!! Here's my question, do you think Borat is any different than the Ali G Show? Why didn't Cohen just make another season? I'll tell you why...because his cover was blown and he had already filmed the "Borat" sections but was no longer getting interviews granted to him as Ali G, so he made the movie to basically "use" the unused Borat material. Its "cut-and-paste" all the way, and we're just lucky the material was good enough to merit the film. Thats great, but with all the praise you'd think it was the first time anyone had heard of this character! As for the other poster that says Harry just dislikes Borat because everyone else likes it, I can't think of a better reason to be critical...it takes alot more balls to recommend something like Night of the Comet than to go with the masses in praising Borat. Hell, I'd never even HEARD of The Manitou, but you know what? I want to check it out now, thanks to Harry. And we both know Harry takes a lot of shit (unjustly in my opinion) for "liking everything", and I think he has every right to call Borat what it is, a cut-and-paste job that happens to be funny. Harry watches movies with the giddiness of a child, thats what we love about him...and its also why he cuts alot of "bad" movies a break...because he gets what went into them and he isn't so "superior" as to write off everything as if it was filmed in 3 days. WORK goes into these movies...yes, even TCM: The Beginning, and its pretty cool that he respects that and writes from a "filmmaker's" perspective. We have plenty of critics who consider themselves "above" the movies; I even like some of them. But Harry isn't like that. And I say, good for him. If you don't like what he has to say, read someone else, you have plenty of other options to choose from...but Harry has added alot to my film appreciation over the years, and he has opened my mind to alot of stuff I used to condescend to...thats a great service in my opinion. If you don't appreciate it, don't read him, simple as that!
-
Cements Harry's reputation as the biggest (no pun intended) moron when it comes to movies on earth. Congratulations Harry!
-
but I wish he had some fucking taste to go along with that passion. It's like loving great art and collecting Precious Moments figurines while you dismiss Michelangelo. Meh.
-
Harry's passion and sense of wonder are astounding, and part of what has made this site great, but some of the utter dreck he rates highly (idlewild, and that M. Night shit leaping to mind) and praises to the heavens is unbelievable. He just needs a slightly improved quallity control. It's like having the chance to bang any woman in the world and deliberately choosing Roseanne Barr. There are loads of these.
-
...but while Harry recommended reading Hemingway, he asks you to go running out to watch all the movies first, then, if you're inclined, to read the books (WTF?), while smoking and drinking brandy? What, is brandy an intellectual beverage? And in case you have not noticed, this portion of AICN is known as the "TALKBACK FORUM." This is why we all use it to TALK BACK. I can disagree, quite often vehemently, with Mr. Knowles, but I am here because I enjoy the site, and because I have decided to completely give up on women and life in general. Harry can take the jabs. He's got a good sense of humor. But he's also a little bit of a freak. He'd probably be the first to admit that. (I LOVE speaking on behalf of people I do not know.) Anyone who is as obsessed with film as Harry is has to be considered a little deviant. But look what he's done with that! From what I can tell, he seems to be making a living at being a cineaste. That's pretty fucking awesome. His wide-eyed childlike love for all things film is not necessarily something I can get behind, however. You have to have some discrimination. And when he doesn't get something like "Borat" while he insists we not only watch but PURCHASE some piece of shit film that no one should ever see again, I do reserve the right to speak up about it. I disagree with his opinion. He probably disagrees with mine. God, I love this country. Harry, God bless you.
-
My #1 whack it matterial from my youth. Now only Paradise is missing from DVD. I love you, Phoebe!
-
...if he derides the Borat movie. Let it be said right now, Harold, that if you rag on Solarbabies again - I WILL COME FOR YOU. That is all.
-
After all those wonderful,and clever improvised material throughout the movie; The big payoff at the end was kidnapping anderson at a book signing, and stuffing her in a burley sack. How is that funny; seriously i mean bestiality is funny,kicking an obese man in the belly button is funny, but the ending didn't pay off for me. What i would like to see is have Borat gezz on Panderson while GHandi attacks Borat from behind with nun chucks!!!
-
I would love to read his daily musings aboout non-film stuff.
-
are exactly why Harry should have LOVED Borat. That and it is a veritable smorgasbord (thanks Templeton) of stupid Americans which Harry just loves to point fingers at.
-
But it just goes to show that we are all unpredictable in our responses to art.
-
You are right Harry, that is far and away the best Jessie James film.You're also right about Hemingway.
-
"To me – it just feels like r-rated cable bullshit polluting my local theaters." I went back and reread Harry's blurb on "Borat," and this line cracked me up. The shit he recommends, and he complains about cable programming? Holy cow, that kills me. I don't have TV, but based on the programs I used to watch on HBO etc, there's at least as much good stuff on TV than might be screening in your neighborhood multiplex.
It's not the size of the screen, sir, it's what you fill it with. -
I mean, he's famous for this shit! He champions movies that people usually dismiss, and the flip side of that coin is that once in a while he doesn't "get" something that lots of people LIKE. To get my point across, I'm going to apply Harry's philosophy of film appreciation to his own work. Put simply, to get the full benefit of what Harry says, you need to be able to "find the good" (and, like the films themselves, most of it IS good) and separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak...it really IS the same philosophy Harry champions with regard to movies. Anyone who has read Harry frequently knows what I mean here...if you don't "get" the qualities of a particular movie (just as if you don't "get" why Harry forms the specific opinions he does), it just means YOU aren't discriminating enough to understand where the film (or Harry) is coming from and find THE GOOD in the movie (or the review). It makes perfect sense that the same standard applies to his opinions...he writes alot of good stuff that can become obscured by occassional missteps that people blow all out of proportion...just like the movies he loves that noone knows about because they let the "cheesy" cover art (that we love) scare them off!! Nothing Harry says is etched in stone anyway, you don't HAVE to agree with him all the time. Personally, I only take his advice when its positive, and even then I sometimes disagree. But if Harry were to suddenly start behaving like any other critic (which is what I think alot of you guys secretly want) he'd run the risk of losing the qualities that have made him interesting in the first place. In order for Harry to champion the kinds of films he champions, he literally HAS to be knee-deep in B movies and schlock...because thats where alot of the hidden gems are found. What he does requires a huge tolerance for some stuff that just isn't "great"...it leads to different standards than most filmgoers are used to, and occassionally he gets something wrong (in the majority opinion...even though this entire site is always going against the grain and is almost aggressively anti-majority), simply because he watches so much stuff so frequently. But I just feel its the nature of the beast...and the beast is worth it in this case. Harry writes from the heart more than the head...everyone knows that. I mean here he is (ever the kid at heart) pictured wearing the Nacho Libre mask getting ALL INTO IT...and people get mad that he actually enjoyed the movie and called it a "warm hug"...well, thats what it was for him! He had a blast with all those people at that screening, and in that kind of environment (and anyone could have gone to that if they really wanted to) its pretty hard, not to mention grotesquely undesirable, to be cynical and spoil the magic. Now Borat, here's a movie that everyone on Earth likes and that certainly doesn't need a HARRY to champion it...so he tried to do something different by being completely honest. Was he right? Well, thats subjective, but he does make a good point that its been overpraised. Like the movies he loves, you either "get" Harry or you don't. If you get him, you can fully understand why he said what he said about Borat, and since I came to the SAME CONCLUSION about it MYSELF, I can vouch that his sentiments DO come from a natural and authentic place. In fact, I wrote almost the same thing he did as a talkback about 2 months ago...that it didn't seem to really qualify as "cinema" to me...and I was thrilled to see today that Harry feels similarly. I thought I was alone on this! So I can honestly say, thanks for having the balls to say that...it needed to be said and noone else said it. Damn, I've rambled enough...time to watch Lady Vengeance for the first time and, hopefully, have my mind blown like it was after seeing the first two films in that unbelievably good trilogy.
-
With the blue alien bowling ball thats alive!
-
I'm telling you, send Borat to Japan. His cover is not blown there and Japanese people are infinately more polite and will put up with anything as long as you keep smiling.I also don't think Bruno has what it takes to fill a movie of any format. The Ali G scripted movie had a few laughs, but it fell into the SNL movie trappings.
-
Does anybody else notice how they're not actually funny? For some reason Father of The Bride was the most influential comedy of all time in that it spawned 'Meet The Parents' type movies that have one joke every twenty minutes and some lame predictable family event filling the rest of the screen time with scenes that are neither funny, dramatic, or actionny.If action movies delivered action at the same rate as "comedies" delivered laughs Bruce Willis could do film Die Hard 5, 6 & 7 without even standing up.
-
It's all about "agree to disagree." Debating likes and dislikes is one of the most enjoyable things about pop culture. The interesting thing about "Borat" is that it was over-hyped terribly, including the horrible over-exposure by Cohen himself, showing up on eEverything prior to the film's release. That it was nominated for an Oscar demonstrates as clear as anything else why the Academy Awards mean squat. But all of those issues are tangential to the main item: the movie itself. Quite often it's difficult to take something on fairly when it's been hyped to death, and I could care less whether people like any particular film. I simply rejected Harry's arguments for why he didn't like it. He seemed to base his opinion based on a bias against cable TV and against the style of the film. It had to look like shit. It was shot with shit equipment. It was not pretending to be cinema. It was a magnifying glass on our ugly American culture. And what was impressive about the film was how the fact that many of the people that Cohen spoofed actually behaved politely and with civility. They showed a basic decency and kindness that short-circuited Cohen's attempt to ridicule them. If you saw any of the cuts that appeared on the web that didn't make the cut of the film, you'll clearly see what I mean. Ultimately, I think there's an essential meanness and dishonesty to what Cohen does. I already know people keep many of their biases private. I don't need to see them ridiculed to know this. But the film was also funny, so while I disapprove of his methods, the film was good for a number of big laughs, which is more than can be said for most film comedies.
-
And that's why the film was released. That seems an obvious statement, but when you're in the entertainment business, there are two main objectives: entertain, and stay in business.
-
Dude, give it a rest. Sucking up to Harry won't get you a screen writing gig. Borat was brilliant. How do we know this? Because every god damned comedian on the face of the earth said it was like listening to "Sgt. Pepper" for the first time. Even if I didn't like the movie I wouldn't presume to tell how it should have been done and what I expect from Cohen in the future that would improve him. Gimmie a break. Harry "wuved" Jar-Jar. That is all you need to know to not drop jaw every time he hates something obviously good and loves something obviously awful.
-
i think you are missing the point, we know what Harry does- how his stance is devoted to his inner child and he wades through massive amounts of shit that most wouldn't touch with a bargepole to give us undiscovered gems- but his quality control has gone way off, and not on little b-movie efforts, but on big budget ones. I personally think he is at his best when writing about his love for obscure genre pieces (Dagon) but really do not share his opinion of the big tentpole releases. That is where I would like to see some quality control come in, rather than simply saying he loved it and doesn't know why. Harry is unique, but not infallible, yet his childlike sense of wonderment should not be an excuse for some of the hugely inaccurate reviews that he has given (especially regarding the Star Wars prequels, and most of the crap that came through last summer). I kind of share his opinion of Borat though, not that may opinion is worth a damn.
-
I am in complete agreement with you about comedies. While I hate reducing entire genres to the phrase "it sucks"...I really think comedies suck with more frequency than any other genre, and have for quite some time. Thats why everyone loves Borat so much...its barely a movie, but its actually FUNNY, so of course everyone's gonna love it. Whats the alternative...Failure to Launch? Norbit? Epic Movie? Christ...comedies probably make more money than any other genre, and yet I laugh more at painfully honest dramatic films than comedies. Hell, I think I laughed more during The Departed (thanks to Baldwin, Wahlberg, and Nicholson) than half the comedies I saw this year. Maybe comedy is just better suited to the small screen, when we can develop lasting relationships with the characters. On the big screen, they try too hard to jam "laffs" into two hours and the result is movies with ZERO character development...and honest character development is almost always funnier than people falling down. Unless that person is Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin (Harold Lloyd is pretty funny too). Man, Keaton's The General fucking ROCKS, and is both funnier and more exciting than most movies that came out this year...NO JOKE!! Its a silent film, but once you've seen it, you'll love it just as much as I do. Thats a promise!
-
as Harry's. And Harry, by creating this site to begin with, proved his opinion mattered just as much as anyone else's. They're just opinions. One of the biggest problems I have always had with AICN was the spying. I think there are two reasons I even visit this site these days. First, there is nowhere near as much illicit material as there used to be; thank the high profile this site has, and the ambitions of many of the roleplayers to work in the film business. Stealing images and revealing closely held story lines is not good behavior, and I am glad there's less of it. Second, and more important, Harry's writing seems to be improving. And while I still cringe at a great amount of what he puts to page, I cannot argue with his enthusiasm.
-
It's not easy being funny, and being funny with a film is damned difficult. So when a movie comes out that makes me laugh out loud (and I don't mean "Gladiator"), I am very happy.
-
Please, "Borat was brilliant"...get a fucking camera, go out to a store, and fuck with the people that work there. You've just made a bad version of Borat. I should know, I did it about 5 years ago...and it was funnier than you think. That kind of humor is like playing a retarded person, it looks impressive until you try it yourself...and realize almost ANYONE can do it. Just like ANYONE can make up some bullshit story about getting "abducted" by a UFO to try and sell books...you fucking loser. And The Phantom Menace captured the spirit of Star Wars better than the other two prequels (even WITH jar jar...whom I strongly disliked), even though I liked the third one better. So blow me.
-
I would think that when you write a comedy you go back and reread each scene and ask what was funny in that scene and then try to build on it or add more funny things or make it funnier, but they don't. Every comedy seems to have twenty minutes of set up so that Ben Stiller can get his foot stuck in a toilet or something.I also laugh more at poorly made dramas and horror flicks. But I find action movies actually contain more intentional humour than any other genre, including comedies. You watch Lethal Weapon sequels and these guys are way funnier than Owen Wilson farting, and they're still kicking ass.
-
the potential for fuck up is huge. With everything else there is always some form of potential get out- The Lightsaber duel in TPM is often used to mitigate its many glaring flaws, for example- but if a crap punch line is delivered badly then the whole thing collapses. Very hard.
-
I don't feel like defending Harry to every single poster, so I'm not gonna keep respondng to every post, but since yours was at least respectfully written, I'll just say this: I don't usually agree with Harry on the "tentpole" releases myself. Those movies get extensive coverage everywhere else, so I really don't NEED this site to inform me about them. But I DID think it was cool that Harry felt the same way about Borat as I did. Apparently, some people have a problem with that, so I'm not gonna belabour the point any further. Suffice it to say that this is what talkbacks are for, and you have every right to your opinion. Unless your name is www.valiens.com, in which case you have every right to be anally probed while (ironically) talking out your ass at the same time.
-
Are you really saying that your going out and fucking with people on camera is the equivalent of having a fully fleshed out character do mapped out pranks? That's idiotic, even with the caveat that what you did is a bad version of the flick. Please, send it to me, I'd love to compare you knocking over some cans in a grocery store to Cohen's brave-as-hell/never-breaks-character performance. There's a reason "Borat" was number 1 at the box office and up for an Oscar, while "Jimmy Tickles Baby When Mom Turns Back" is jammed in your VCR. Seriously, what you're arguing is the equivalent of me saying, "Tss... 'Hamlet' sucks. I've written stories about a crazy guy who *SPOILER* gets stabbed in the back."
-
talk out of your arse whilst it is being stuffed? hehCheers for responding
-
Sorry, it's been a long day
-
but you like Private School? mmmkay
-
I do not understand why Harry writes up movies he has not watched? If the purpose of this feature is to educate us as to new releases, fine, just publish a list with release dates. But why bother writing something like this?
"I haven’t seen COMMISSAR yet, but I make it a point of simply buying every release that comes from KINO. If you click the box above – you’ll know as much as me, until I pick this up and watch it. I love a great Russian film."
But what if this isn't one of them? The Russians make shitty movies too? Just because they're subtitled doesn't make them great. At least you're honest about not having seen it, and thank you for that.
-
Man, why didn't I think of that?
-
I was playing a British guy doing a documentary on the region I live in. The only thing that didn't work about it was that there was some local humor that wouldn't make sense to people who didn't live in the area...chalk it up to our making it in high school. There was actually very LITTLE interaction with outside people, it was just us interacting with each other...without the "gimmick" of messing with people (except for one scene). And, frankly, it was about as funny as Ali G Indahouse...and thats WITH the local humor and nonexistant production values.
-
I said it didn't really meet my criteria for "cinema"...in other words, it was a long episode of The Ali G Show, which is fine. But for that to be "the best comedy of the year" is pretty damn sad...I still respect something scripted (like Groundhog Day or The Royal Tenenbaums) much more. But is Borat funny? Did it make me laugh? Is Sacha Baron Cohen extremely talented? Yes, yes, and yes.
-
I felt that too much was staged, and the onlookers' reactions weren't nearly as funny as some of the Jackass stuff. Plus, having to listen to every frat boy on campus say "My name a Borat" for the last six months would turn anyone off of the movie.
-
Really nice cover art for some of the releases this week, especially NIGHT OF THE COMET (Yay!) & Other Side of Midnight. Private School though....jeez....that looks like a porno!
-
This from a man who found something good to say about both "Night Of The Comet" and "KING KUNG FU"?????????
-
Yeah, I forgot all about that. Man, was that annoying. You like. I like! But the flick was funny as hell.
-
And, Private School is the single greatest 80s teen-skin-sexploitation flick ever. That one guy in drag getting pressured into giving the girl a (semi) nude massage while he sweats like fuck is hysterical. Bad, but oh so good.I hate Borat, too, Harry. I'm with you 100% there.Otherwise, EXCELLENT picks!
-
I love Harry as a man but, lordy, on occasion, his love for utter garbage knows no bounds.
-
Natch.
-
Between Harry and this list of DVDs and Herc and the endless stream of links at the end of every one of his posts, I don't understand how they can insist ion one breath that editorial is separated from ad content and then shill for vendors like Amazon, or Netflix If you're going to write about DVD releases, please watch them first, and then review them. That Harry didn't mention the packaging of the "Borat" release is a huge breakdown in geek terms. The way Vern describes it, it sounds pretty cool, so it makes me wonder if Harry even had the DVD to begin with, or is he simply looking at Amazon's site and copying their links?
-
one of my Aust-onian friends saying that sitting near Harry in a theatre is like sitting near a barrel of spolied milk filled with green onions?
-
one of my Aust-onian friends saying that sitting near Harry in a theatre is like sitting near a barrel of spoiled milk filled with green onions?
-
Thanks, Vern. I'm getting that DVD today. I said this on an e-mail I sent the guy and I'll say it again: He's far more reliable than Harry. Get the Amazon deal yourself Vern. Or Harry, get Vern to pick the DVDs. This has a lot of garbage with the "Oh it's so bad it's fun" tag on it. Well, I can't afford money on that, dude. Nor space. Cheers, Verno.
-
What's the hold-up? I need a West / Ward fix. This hasn't been on TV in a few years now.
-
but now I'm hungry.
-
Kelli was supposed to die when she was given that injection by Mary Woronov and Catherine Mary Stuart would have carried the flick, but they ended up liking Kelli's character so much they changed it during production. Its a shame they didn't do a commentary on this. It would have been interesting.
-
I always complain on Harry's talkbacks. I'm kind of an asshole. But his DVD column is an entertaining read, almost as good as Moriarty's was (R.I.P.?) Harry's movie reviews are often too personal, orgasmic and uncomfortably silly for my tastes sometimes. This DVD column is to the point and concise, even if I don't agree with all of his opinions. I'm going to go read that Dagon review, because that movie was all kinds of awesome.
-
Someone asked if Harry blogged. I'm pretty sure he has a MySpace page that he blogs at. Do I read it? No. Have I read it? Well, once. The thing that I can't believe people are glossing over here (and maybe it's out of a sense of self-preserving denial) is that Harry seems to be actively talking about procreating. Or maybe it's amateur-creating. Regardless, this is something to stand up and take notice of because, if true, the Apocolypse is surely drawing nigh.
-
Hawaii 5-0 is like "20,000 licking tongues"...?? And people are concerned with your Borat review? I think you should get your meds checked.
-
to head for the hills and take cover.
-
Sorry if someone else already pointed this out, but it's simple math. FOX + Harry = "It's shit", "I don't get it", "Insult to Geekdom", blah blah blah. Harry & Rothman should just beat each other up or screw, either one (or both!). Just get it over with and MOVE ON.
-
But, now, back to the AICN-Amazon Conspiracy.
-
His Three Musketeers performance is classic, Harry! Geez!
-
...or is someone trying to get a job on the website via the silly talkback forum?
-
I recall a recent Talkback where posters were complaining about the movie ads on the site and articles written about those movies. While I think that's a baseless issue (newspapers are filled with ads and also carry news-so long as editorial is separate from news, no conflict). But when the editorial content itself seems to be nothing more than a clearinghouse for advertising, then I cry foul. If the links went back to the producer of the content, I wouldn't even have much problem with that, as at least it allows the reader to go back to learn more about the product. But when the links are to vendors selling the product, that's sort of slimy. At least put a disclaimer somewhere regarding your relationship with Amazon. If there is none, lose the links. People know where to buy shit on the net. If there is one, I for one would appreciate the honest approach. Just come straight out and declare they are a sponsor of the site. Nothing wrong with having the financial support of a company like Amazon. But there is when it's not out in the open.
-
Ball is in their court.
-
I was 11 when my dad took me to the premiere of "The Faculty" (he was the Key Grip) at the Paramount Theater in Austin. While waiting for the movie to start a large redheaded man entered and sat a few rows ahead of us who drew the attention of some people around. I asked my dad who he was and he replied, (word for word) "Thats Harry Knowles... he smells kinda weird." ...I hope that helps.
-
this Talkback?
-
...he might have a medical condition.
-
nuff said.
-
Episode One: The Kazakh Menace
Episode Two: Attack of the Kazakhs
Episode Three: It's a me, Borat!
The producer will be replaced with a completely CGI character named Wherez-Micash -
OK, I just wanted to know. I'm more worried about his review biases and his delicious giggling than his anti-perspirant... Just wanted to know if my friend was full of shit or not.
-
Do you use one of those fat man "carts" or whatever they're called ?
-
Fed up with brick!
-
so does Rae Fay.
-
They are cooking the books too.
-
They are cooking the books too.
-
I recall it being something sexual but can't remember exactly what... I do remember the pharmacist (was it Martin Mull?) thinking that Matthew Modine wanted a toothbrush when he was trying to buy rubbers...
-
Tie in your jokes with the talkback, don't just recycle worn out AICN catchphrases. Make an effort! Now, go get 'em.
-
Amazon you say? Why, I never would have been able to find that on my own. Thank you, sirs, for providing that service to me. You are very kind!
-
That is all.
-
That is all.
-
I got nothin.....
-
Thank you for avoiding the trite and well-worn catchphrase.
-
I've had it for at least three years now. It's not Deluxe or anything, but it exists.
-
...was made up greatly of footage from TV footage that couldn't make it to the air is dead wrong and libelous. All footage was shot for the movie. The story you heard a year or so ago about politicians being warned about Borat was referred to in stories as for the television show, but it was, in fact, for the movie before most knew about it.
-
days...(i was 11?)
gotta revisit that one.
CULT flic? -
While I must agree with many of the reveiewers of this film that say it is preposterous, silly, laughable, and the like, I must also add that watching the film is an entertaining experience. Yes, the story about a fetus growing on a woman's back and then becoming a four foot Indian ripping his way out of a tumor the size of basketball stretches the line of credibility. This pint-sized spirit has amazing powers as he can literally freeze an entire hospital ward, call forth the devil himself, and take the skin off of people's bodies through his mind. The most ridiculous aspects of the film, however, are the explanation and execution of how to fight the manitou. Apparently all things in life have their own manitou, so we see this incredibly powerful spirit temporarily beaten when Tony Curtis throws a typewriter at him. We are to believe the spirit of the machine harmed this powerful spirit. Yeah, okay. The special effects are very outdated and some of those will just make you burst out laughing. The scene where Tony Curtis(the former boyfriend of the girl with the shoulder-weilding fetus/pint-sized Indian spirit) and Michael Ansara(playing John Singing Rock or something like that who just happens to be an Indian medicine man ready, able, and willing to do battle with the most powerful Indian medicine man's spirit that ever lived...and this one apparently has ripped through the shoulders or bellies of five previous people) walk into the hospital room and see what I guess is suppose to be space will have you slapping your knee. But the very worst scene has to be the finale which I will not explain in great detail. Suffice it to say that Susan Strasberg(the poor woman aforementioned) is sitting up on a bed topless..., yes, you heard me, TOPLESS, throwing ele trical current from her fingers as she battles the manitou. It has to be seen to be believed. The acting in the film is not very good, but again very likable. Curtis plays a mystic and some of his scenes are good in the beginning. Ansara is ok, and Burgess Meredith gives the best performance in his five minute cameo. The little Indian who could was played much of the time by Felix Silla, the same fella that played Cousin It on The Addams Family and has appeared in countless horr/science fiction films.
-
That movie's gotta be hilarous to watch these days. There's no cheese better than 80's cheese. But on a serious note, how come this gets a release but not Monster Squad?!
-
I got to see a screening of this in 86 - USC film school student at the time. We had to lie to get into the screening, as studios wouldn't allow film students anywhere near screenings. Yes, this is as bad as you'd imagine. Yes, we laughed our asses off when the name came on the screen. The director was a choreographer, who had no business directing. Um, you'd think that with "Muppet Babies" running on TV at the time, that somebody would have had the sense to change the name.
-
I can't believe this hive of fan boy geek-ness neglected the fact that Robert Beltran, aka Cmdr. Chakotay from ST:V was "Hector" in this flick...For shame on you Trekkies!
-
Are the best! I'm still waiting for the feature length film, Catholic High School Girls in Trouble!
-
And I thought I was the only one who dared say it!
-
We are, after all, speaking of Him.
-
Although KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE is almost mind numbinly UNFunny. With the exception of the newscasters/ sex on the couch... the daredevil... and Catholic High School Girls On Trouble. Oh god, the whole kung-fu movie sequence should be given out as a tranquilizer.
-
(wasn't intentional, either)
-
while the "joke" had a valid basis, your choice of words was funny. No harm no foul. Everyone, put down the torches.
-
Hey, was Private School the one with the communal girls' shower scene, or was that My Tutor?
-
So much hype around this movie. I finally went to see it. There were a few skits that were funny but I don't think this was as great as the hype that surrounded it went it was out in theaters. After a while I just wanted the movie to end to be honest. While it had some moments that were truly funny it was just ok. I got it. I understood the joke and the circumstances he put himself into to get a laugh or make a point. It just did not stick with me afterwards. Call me insane but I laughed much harder throughout when I went to see Jackass #2. I know that type of movie is not the type you can rewatch over and over again but as far as the first time see it depending on the humor you like it was one of the funniest films I had ever seen. I never laughed harder. And no I am some meathead moron I just like that type of humor. It's just so stupid it's funny.
-
Just read what I wrote. Brain working faster then the hands so some of that came out wrong. Hopefully you get what I was saying =D
-
Its just awful the first time you watch it because you want a reality documentary like the show. Once you realize that its a parody of all the modern low budget gangster movies that are put out by people like Master P. Trust me, its not a comedy classic hall of fame movie, but go have a few drinks, and watch it for the 2nd time and its pretty funny.
-
Pay more attention to Blue Underground and Mondo Macabro releases. That's where Tha Shit is, I tells ya.
-
Reason I recommend the film without having seen it is this. KINO - the company releasing it is very much like Criterion. The people behind the company have astonishing taste in great films that often times I've only ever heard of, based on their reputation. I list it - because to a large degree - my DVD PICKS AND PEEKS have to do with me either being sent the films early - or my intention to acquire the films based upon my interest in them.
-
No mention what so ever of the Full Monty double-dip. 2 Disc version double dip no less and when compared to the singular, special featureless version of before, this is an improvement.
-
But what if they're wrong? My god, man, are you prepared to deal with consequences? COSMPIC POWERS might be unleashed.
-
"I think he has immense potential as a comedic performer"
Are you sure you're not a studio head? -
when he compares a movie to cunnilingus, he catches shit. The guy cannot win. (In all sincerity, that Blade II review was one of the most reprehensible things I have ever encountered, worse than the photos from Abu Ghraib.)
-
14. Bloody Mary - After Stan's father becomes a alcoholic. He here's about a statue that bleeds blood, believing he can be healed from being a alcoholic he goes to the statue.
-
I mean seriously, what we got here is an issue with hype. Everyone thinks it should be good, so everyone says its good. I am glad that Harry finally said what it is all about. Borat is NOT that great. Yes, it is funny at times, but one of the funnies movies of all time?? Hardly, Borat is just another mockumentary of someone who improvises until it is funny. How is this new? It is the same as Jackass, and Reno 911 did before it. No, Borat has nothing on Blazing Saddles or Airplane and it never will.
-
Now that I've had it explained in broken English I get it. Thank you.
-
because he's the sexiest tomboy beanpole on the planet....
-
Funny, Manitou is doing the late night cable rounds at the moment, I saw a bit of it a few nights ago. I remember being weirded out by it as a kid, there was some freaky imagery in it like the seance scene where an Indian face rises out of the table. But seeing it much later, its apparent that this movie is basically an Exorcist ripoff, with a little LSD sprinkled on top
-
I dont get that. I was about 9 or 10 when I saw it. As I interpreted it back then, it was very bleak. And I really thought there was no happy ending for the solarbabies. Then dude made that long ass jump, and I was captivated the whole movie. I really thought the kids weren't going to succeed. That blue ball encompassed all their hope in the world. (Which was rather well-realized.) If that feeling of impending doom and dispair came across to a 10 year old, then I have to say, mission accomplished. Good movie. Harry, how can you diss it like that? (Sidenote, since watching it I have randomly flashed back to scenes and marveled at its wierdness; for the last 19 years?!?)
-
Putting aside that it was a financial disaster that made virtually nothing and lost money, I was hugely let down by Linklater's attempt (and also the smugness displayed when doing press for the film) at fictionalising Eric Schlosser's brilliant and powerful
non-fiction book and it's a shame FFN wasn't done as a 100 % documentary instead.
-
Finally, Harry and I can get behind something. Five-O has always been the standard, you fucking Nancy-boys!
-
"– a place like Half price and get an old hardback copy - get a Havana cigar and a some nice brandy – and read." AMEN. Great stuff.
-
Or Mexico
-
When does Season 2 of The Incredible Hulk come out?
-
What kind of nerd based site is this where our Gospel gets no mention? I just happened upon it while picking up South Park Season 9 today. This site is dead to me. DEAD TO ME, I SAY!
'I'm a nerd. And uh, I'm pretty proud of it.'
As for South Park 9, I agree that about half of it sucked ass, but 'Losing Edge' , 'Marjorine', 'The Death of Cartman' and 'Trapped in the Closet' alone make it totally worth picking up. -
because he went to target and they didn't have his favorite flavor of ORBIT GUM or maybe the movie studio refused to send him a free toy or some shit.
-
Because the movie itself is hateful and racist. I love the fact Americans go crazy over this movie it kind of shows why everyone hates the US. Why is it okay for a Jewish guy to go and make fun of certain cultures while if I tried I'd probably be sued or even arrested. Borat is hateful trash and I can't wait for it to fade away into nothing as most social crap does. On another note looks like I won't be buying a lot of dvd's in March so that helps my wallet.
-
I was just wondering to myself the other night when they were going to put this movie on DVD ... hallelujah! I don't understand many of Harry's picks, and I don't think many people ever will. Sure ... some people don't like Borat. From my experience, it's because they feel bad for the characters in the film in some regard. Hating the movie because it's of low-quality is fucking ridiculous.
Since when did quality of film triumph over smarts or execution? That's one lame-ass excuse. What's the real reason you don't like the movie, Harry? -
Mar 07, 2007 12:40:56 AM CST
I just got off the phone with Hemingway and Jack Lord..
by alonzo mosely
And both want to distance themselves from the idea they influenced Harry's sense of machismo... They also both loved Borat, and would totally fuck Betsy Russell.
-
Well, I don't have any personal inside knowledge of this but I always assumed those Amazon links were just like any other sight, they got it set up where if you click through and end up buying that product then Harry or Herc gets one seventy sixth of a peso or something and after every quarter, if it adds up to more than $25, they send him a check. Something like that. I tried something similar years ago when reel.com existed, but they never sent me a fuckin dime and then they went out of business.
Personally, for my tastes, the unrelated advertising on Mr. The Strong's posts is too much. But for Harry's I don't have a problem with it, it is helpful to me to click and see what the extras are or whatever from Amazon and then not buy it there.
Also you gotta keep in mind that Harry makes his living from this sight, it is not really viable to run a web sight without advertising. I know this for a fact because I run a web sight without advertising. I have realized since the reel.com days that crass commercialism, or even tasteful commercialism, goes against my samurai code, so I gotta make a living some other way. But for normal people it is a way to make a web sight pay for itself.
I think it's fine and I'm thankful at least that Harry doesn't do that horrible thing that Chud and alot of the other fellows are doing where phrases in the text of the articles are underlined and link to some related product. -
Mar 07, 2007 3:18:53 AM CST
Jezum Crow, talk about missing the point of Borat
by franklin t marmoset
A film that takes place entirely in Kazakhstan? Christ. Also, I'm sure Mr Baron Cohen will be happy to know Harry Knowles expects him to fulfil his potential any day now...P.S. I love season 9 of South Park - it's probably my favourite. The Losing Edge, Death Of Cartman, Trapped In The Closet, Wing, Marjorine, Ginger Kids, plus the genuis that is Erection Day? How can you not love that?
-
You say it with a French accent, like ennui. It's a bit like genius, but with added COSMPIC POWER.
-
but the best part about Chud is that it's so goddamn hard to look at the site, no one with half a brain would ever make it to an actual article...god damn thing looks like it was designed by blind teenagers on caffiene and acid.oh, and not for nothing, but it's "site".
-
Harry, you live the life of a Kazahk..barabarian good looks, a stolan Tartat lust slave..you dress bad and have no sense of whats hip..you are a far Borat
-
why are you spelling 'website' as 'web sight'? is this some clever play on words?
-
Probably Chakotay's best work. I also had a thing for Kelli Maroney. I liked her in a cheerleading outfit.When will they get Zapped on dvd?
-
As far as I can tell, he does it to rile the type of talkbacker who gets their knickers a knot about such things. Same goes for 'alot', which seems to be another of his favourites. It's pretty funny, though, because you can usually guarantee at least three people per Vern review will point out his mistake, often from atop a very high horse. Funny buggers.
-
Harry, you've really pissed me off with those comments about Borat. The fact that it reminds you of standard r-rated cable bullshit unfortunately suggests that you are unable to distinguish style from content, only look at the surface, and don't understand humour based around the merging of fact and fantasy. This is strange for an American. Didn't your country give birth to David Lynch and Philip K Dick? Even more unfortunately, this calls into question your ability to review at all. I enjoy the site, but there's no thought going on here. You are a fan, and not a reviewer. A N Englishman.
-
I appreciate that you took the time to address the issue about the ads. I suppose it was the absolute mountain of links on Mr. The Strong's posts that made me sensitive to Harry's inclusion of Amazon links. I don't think I'd have a problem at all with Harry's practice if he was actually reviewing the product, as in describing the DVD features, packaging, etc. Telling the reader that he saw one of the movies in a six disc package when he was a kid doesn't tell us if it's a good transfer, if the supplemental material is worth a damn, and so on. It's not very helpful in my opinion, but it's Harry's site and he can certainly manage it the way he thinks is best. And so long as he makes it clear that he has not seen the product he's discussing and cannot speak to its merits or faults, then it's his show to run.
Herc's situation is out of control, but at the end of the day, I understand that people have to eat. I agree with you about the ads at CHUD--they are a serious intrusion. If the way Harry works in ads keeps him going the way of CHUD, more power to him. Again, thanks for your take on the matter. Cheers. Oh, one last thing. I'd never heard of the Conan incident. The "red pubis" line was hilarious. Thanks for sharing. -
I realize Harry mentions her on this site, but that doesn't mean she's fair game. Leave a man's family alone. You start making jokes about wives and kids, you've crossed THE line.
-
Just sayin'.
-
Even those of you who didn't like Borat or just found it overrated have got to admit that the guy tried a lot harder than most "comedy" movies these days. There were at least a couple things in each scene that were supposed to be funny in a joke/gag kinda way.Most comedies these days seem to think that just putting Owen Wilson on screen is comedy enough.
-
Blue Underground and Mondo Macabro are DEFINITELY where it's at.Also I'd personally like to add Shriek Show/Media Blasters and NoShame to that list.Anchor Bay USED to belong on that list too until they decided to start getting involved with direct to video garbage.Now they're output is the video equivalent of the Sci-Fi channels "originals".
-
I just saw it on CNN Headline News
-
Vern is right, it is the documentary shooting style that makes Borat work. And it's true of many other recent comedies as well: Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office...I just watched the lastest Christopher Guest movie and I think it isn't funny because Guest abandoned the faux documentary style. I can see why he might feel he is repeating himself but the movie would work better with that looser feel for the improvisations.
-
THIS...IS...SPARTA!!
-
But you are right about parents of young kids today. It is as if there is a culture of these idiots worshipping their children. I was a teacher for 10 years and I am glad I got out of it. The bottom line is this: you fucked....and then nature took its course. You didn't DO anything by having a kid.
-
I deserve a damn plaque in their company offices for all the releases I've bought. LOL
-
The whole point was that he's going around the country, exposing how racist everyone is. OK. Except, he didn't really achieve all that much in that arena. Who did he hook up with...some crazy evangelicals, a southern politician guy, some drunken frat dudes, a rodeo... who all pretty much treated him with respect, despite his being a douchebag. Yes, there were a few epithets thrown around here and there but overall, he was treated quite nicely, considering what a douchbag he went out of his way to be.
-
looks battle.. who'd win??
oh and you rock Harr, play some of that Kung Fu Fightin' music for me. -
(not the Walken one) = Drive In movie heaven. Hang a sheet in the back yard, bring out the projector and relive the true golden age of cinema.
-
I watched Borat the other night and I found it meh. Phoebe Cates is way hotter than Katie Holmes.
-
to hell and back
-
I don't know what movie you were watching, but Solarbabies, was a favorite of mine growing up.
-
Yeah they can get a little excessive. As it was mentioned before, there's a difference between posting links to items you've already reviewed, and simply posting links to whatever items without seemingly reviewing them. You kind of lose integrity when you do that. But at least Harry seems to post links to items that he personally likes, no matter how obscure they are. Herc's situation is way out of control in that links are posted to whatever the hell seems to be bestselling items. And that was kind of tasteless when the recent article was posted about the Justice League Frontier and the link that was suppose to provide information to those who didn't know about it instead led to Amazon.com.
-
I completely agree with what Vern was talking about. I can't stand sites that have hyperlinks and underline words in order to advertise. Especially when those sites have a pop up every time your mouse hovers over it. I love that there is a quick amazon link to the DVD's because I get to see how much they are selling it for (which is usually pretty good) and I get to see the extras. So I hope Harry keeps it up with those links. I know a few people who make their living off web sites, and advertising is the only way to go.
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 209 total posts 207 posts
- AVENGERS enemy revealed as pink boardgame pieces... You might suffer some form of elation... SPOILERS!!! -- 160 total posts 97 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 144 total posts 77 posts
- Here's The Red Band Trailer For Drafthouse Films' THE FP! -- 68 total posts 68 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 67 total posts 67 posts
- Does ‘SNL’ Rhyme With ‘Deschanel’?? Learn Which SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Vet Hosts After Sexy Zooey!! -- 64 total posts 60 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 480 total posts 55 posts
- HANNA's Saoirse Ronan to boss around seven little people -- 53 total posts 50 posts
- Friday Brings SWEEPS DAY NINE!! Gab Here About Tonight’s FRINGE!! Plus Einstein on TIM, Wiig On PORTLANDIA, MAHER, CLONE, GIFTED, GRIMM, SPARTACUS, SUPERNATURAL, GOLD RUSH And More!! -- 118 total posts 32 posts
- SPACE 2099!! -- 182 total posts 27 posts