:fresh: I have found that in my life there is only a fine line between what is cheesy and what is cool. They have the same basic elements and from a distance look quite the same. What separates them is whether I like it or not. Something I like is cool. Something I don't is not.
I bet I could change places with a film critic, say the same exact sentences, describe the same exact scenes, and pontificate on the same exact desperate implausibility of this movie but come away with a different conclusion about it. I think it's cool. Everyone else thinks it's cheesy.
Looking back on my reviews, I find that I give much more fresh tomatoes than rotten tomatoes. I'm beginning to think that the real difference between regular critics and me is that maybe just maybe I like movies, in general, just a little bit more.
To think we've all heard complaints about the amount of sequels and rip-offs in Hollywood. The end of originality and all that crap. We'll I've seen two incredibly original comedies this summer (Nacho Libre and My Super Ex-Girlfriend) and they truly aren't getting the respect they deserve. No wonder Hollywood makes sequels galore when we truly tend to embrace the mediocre.
This movie is funny first of all. I laughed the entire way through. It had everything. From quiet facial twitches to huge special effects shots. Comedy, Adventure, Sex, Romance, The Human Problem. It has more insights into what being a superhero might actually feel like in one scene than "Superman Returns" had in an entire movie.
And it's cast superbly. Uma Thurman as the supervixen. Great! Luke Wilson as the normal everyday guy. Inspired! Wanda Sykes and Rainn Wilson as flat one-dimensional clowns. Perfect! and Anna Faris, one of the best woman comedians out there. (Not to mention incredibly beautiful).
What's more is I never knew what would happen next. This is one of those movies where I had a set view of what was going to happen when I came in. (I based it off the minute and a half preview.) But instead of going where I thought it would go, it bounced all over the place and took me by surprise half the time. True I was a bit dissapointed that my own vision had not come apparent on the screen, but I'm not about to be bitter about that sort of thing. It was still funny, and they pulled off everything and more that I thought they could accomplish.
They had one of those great Seinfeld endings that all comedies, I think, should strive for. Through twists and turns, everyone ends up in the same room. Not forced, not predictable. It was smooth and seemed so easy. Seamless and easy. As we all know, for a comedy, that's one of the hardest and the greatest things it can do.
Showing posts with label uma thurman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label uma thurman. Show all posts
Sunday, October 24, 2010
The Producers 01/02/06
There is a common belief that remakes, in terms of art, are subpar. That sequels can never be better than the original and back in the day we all lived in a cinematic utopia where story and art fused together to make the best stuff ever possible at all times forever.
How complete crap that idea is.
I've seen a good deal of movies this year. And some of the best of those movies were remakes. Here's a few "Pride and Prejudice" "King Kong" and now the "The Producers." To say that these are subpar because of the fact that they are remakes is, for lack of a better word, crap. I think these are perfect examples that old material can be resurrected and shown in as bright a way (sometimes better) as the original movie. This is not new. In regular theater, we constantly regurgitate Shakespeare. Is that a crime. Would tomorrow's Hamlet not be as good as yesterdays because of the different actors, directors, settings yada yada yada. In my opinion great stories are timeless and if people want to hear them again from different people than where's the harm in that. In fact it's probably a good thing. Different people give different takes on the story, giving it extra levels and more meaning. Sometimes it's bad, but in many other ways it can be good. A good example of that is "The Producers" a remake of the Broadway musical that was a remake of the 1968 movie.
I saw both the 68' version and this version. They are both funny, they are both likable in all their own way.
What the 68' version lacked in any way was made up by this movie. The added musical numbers and choreagraphy was inspired. Instead of the low-budget sets the first gave us, now we have what unlimited budget can produce. There's new jokes, new great performances, and new storylines that tie up different points. Alot is taken out also. Which is more a testament to how much new material was put in. The show is a good hour longer, and contains great new scenes. (Genius Accounting scene with Jon Lovitz). If there's too much, than there's too much of a good thing. One final note: I loved especially, how happy this movie was. It was joyful singing and dancing the entire time. The makers knew that they were simply putting on a show and did nothing but that. This movie is pure entertainment. No stops for morals or lecturing. Classic Mel Brooks. All the stops are pulled out for a good time or else period.
How complete crap that idea is.
I've seen a good deal of movies this year. And some of the best of those movies were remakes. Here's a few "Pride and Prejudice" "King Kong" and now the "The Producers." To say that these are subpar because of the fact that they are remakes is, for lack of a better word, crap. I think these are perfect examples that old material can be resurrected and shown in as bright a way (sometimes better) as the original movie. This is not new. In regular theater, we constantly regurgitate Shakespeare. Is that a crime. Would tomorrow's Hamlet not be as good as yesterdays because of the different actors, directors, settings yada yada yada. In my opinion great stories are timeless and if people want to hear them again from different people than where's the harm in that. In fact it's probably a good thing. Different people give different takes on the story, giving it extra levels and more meaning. Sometimes it's bad, but in many other ways it can be good. A good example of that is "The Producers" a remake of the Broadway musical that was a remake of the 1968 movie.
I saw both the 68' version and this version. They are both funny, they are both likable in all their own way.
What the 68' version lacked in any way was made up by this movie. The added musical numbers and choreagraphy was inspired. Instead of the low-budget sets the first gave us, now we have what unlimited budget can produce. There's new jokes, new great performances, and new storylines that tie up different points. Alot is taken out also. Which is more a testament to how much new material was put in. The show is a good hour longer, and contains great new scenes. (Genius Accounting scene with Jon Lovitz). If there's too much, than there's too much of a good thing. One final note: I loved especially, how happy this movie was. It was joyful singing and dancing the entire time. The makers knew that they were simply putting on a show and did nothing but that. This movie is pure entertainment. No stops for morals or lecturing. Classic Mel Brooks. All the stops are pulled out for a good time or else period.
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