My final punishment movie to talk about. An Eddie Murphy film that doesn't have much love from movie fans. At least it wasn't Norbit. Well, because I don't know what's right for me, I ended up seeing Norbit as well. Of my own free will. Not super smart.
It's really hard for me to express just how much I loved Murphy when I was growing up. Pirated cassette copies of Raw and Delirious got listened to over and over (with headphones, of course. I couldn't be caught with those). The sense of humour, the timing, the edge of it all really captured something in me, and he was one of the bigger influences when it came to comedy in my life.
Because of that, it is really hard to watch movies like Daddy Day Care and Norbit. Everything that I had known about Murphy was gone, and what remained wasn't incredibly special. It seriously hurts to say that. Watching one of the mastodons or your past being more generic than an early 2000s McConaughey was crushing. Thankfully, both Murphy and McConaughey would come back to form further down the line.
Alongside Murphy in Daddy Day Care are Jeff Garlin and Steve Zahn, and I'm huge fans of both of them, and their potential is huge. Looking at the IMDB page, seeing those three people together should indicate that something special was going to be seen. Sadly to all, we never get to see the elements that make either of those talents shine. The generic nature of the film robs us of what they could do, and convinced me that pretty much anyone could have been cast in those roles, because of how stale everything was.
Garlin and Murphy's characters lose their jobs, and while becoming stay at home dads they decide to open a day care. Men looking after childern?, you exclaim. But, men don't know how to look after children. Surely this will all fall apart and it will be super funny, because, you know, the idea of men looking after children is for some reason super funny. Super funny. Men, allowed to be with children. Gosh, what apocalypse has this modern work a day world unleashed on us?
Of course, being generic, there are people who don't want these men to succeed. Because, you know... already mentioned, 'men looking after children?' Essentially, this could have been an Adam Sandler movie. The difference would have been Sandler would have made it for an older audience, and that really feels like the fault of Daddy Day Care.
I'm not suggesting that it needed to be R-rated because of sex and the men accidentally leaving toddlers in an industrial blast chiller. When I look at the three main people, I think their talents would have worked much better in something that wasn't tailored to the entire family. Each of them has their own type of delivery, and some of that revolves around a bit more crass than the ratings board would allow in a G-rated movie. Once again, it doesn't need to be a hard R for extreme reasons, but more for the actions and reactions of the people they chose to cast.
Family friendly movies can be brilliant and wonderful. I think it takes a huge amount of effort to be able to create something that will please the young and the old, and people should never look down on studios like Pixar because 'they're for the kids.' However, certain movies shouldn't be made for the whole family, and this is one of them.
Rating - 1 out of 4 stars
Note - no proofing! I'm done with this nonsense!!!!!
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
REVIEW: Running Wild
I didn't pick this film for myself. Once again, a movie that I have to see as punishment for my lack of skill at guessing numbers. This time, it wasn't the nefarious Christopher Spicer selecting the form of 'The Traveller,' but rather his son, who it turns out can be equally nefarious. I have made it known that I don't really care for horse movies. That's because I really don't care for horses. I don't see them as majestic, but rather four legged factories of nostril discontent. When a movie seems to assume that me as the audience will bond with an animal and cry at the end when it's often put down, I don't get invested. There have, however, been some horse movies that I've really loved. Both Lean On Pete, and The Rider came out a few years ago and won me over, to the point of putting The Rider as one of my favourites of 2018.
Running Wild is pretty much Hallmark territory, which pretty much means it's going to go after that assumed sentimentality towards equine plots. The level of steady hand around the plot was not there. Horses are majestic, there are wild ones, and don't we really need to see all the horses on the planet being healthy and saddled? That's kind of the plot. There is a rancher who's idiot husband dies, leaving her in debt, and she comes across wild horses that got into her ranch. Cool. Nurse them to health, the collective audience screams! Not cool, though. Sharon Stone plays a rich lady who for some totally unknown reason has a real bridle in her craw when it comes to wild horses getting medical attention. So, we have a plot. I guess.
Stone's character (who shall remain unnamed for now because I can't be bothered switching over to IMDB) just can't stop despising people who do something nice for wild horses. She's in the camp that they should be moved to her huge sanctuary where they can run free (but also be susceptible to dying from pustular infections). Director Alex Ranarivelo makes the social climate in the film as one where people are so wound up over what happens to wild horses that they go out and protest and get all up in the press to get their thoughts out there.
Is this really a thing? Maybe. It doesn't seem legit to me, though. That's probably in how it's portrayed. Movies can make me accept anything from a beloved McDonalds character snapping his fingers and destroying half of all life in the universe to believing that kids can take out monsters by forming a squad. I'll buy anything if it's presented properly. Movies are about taking us somewhere, so I'm prepared to go. In cases like this, I am not convinced. That comes down to many things, most notably the writing and directing.
I will admit that this is one of the few films that really showed me the connection between people and horses. This didn't come from either the protagonist or the antagonist, but rather from criminals who had a work program that allowed them to tend to the horses. The scenes were all cheesy, yet something crept through that gave me a hint of that connection. Most Hallmarkish films of this nature just rely on you already feeling that way.
This really shouldn't be seen if you're like me. Or if you are just the kind of person that likes a less than flimsy plot. There are people who will enjoy it, and I won't fault them. Different people, different tastes. When you're someone who doesn't really care about the difference between a horse and a cephalopod, there isn't any kind of bridge that's created to bring you in. Watch Lean on Pete or The Rider, and you'll have a better experience.
Rating - 1 out of 4 stars
Note - this hasn't been proofread because I'm done with Running Wild
Running Wild is pretty much Hallmark territory, which pretty much means it's going to go after that assumed sentimentality towards equine plots. The level of steady hand around the plot was not there. Horses are majestic, there are wild ones, and don't we really need to see all the horses on the planet being healthy and saddled? That's kind of the plot. There is a rancher who's idiot husband dies, leaving her in debt, and she comes across wild horses that got into her ranch. Cool. Nurse them to health, the collective audience screams! Not cool, though. Sharon Stone plays a rich lady who for some totally unknown reason has a real bridle in her craw when it comes to wild horses getting medical attention. So, we have a plot. I guess.
Stone's character (who shall remain unnamed for now because I can't be bothered switching over to IMDB) just can't stop despising people who do something nice for wild horses. She's in the camp that they should be moved to her huge sanctuary where they can run free (but also be susceptible to dying from pustular infections). Director Alex Ranarivelo makes the social climate in the film as one where people are so wound up over what happens to wild horses that they go out and protest and get all up in the press to get their thoughts out there.
Is this really a thing? Maybe. It doesn't seem legit to me, though. That's probably in how it's portrayed. Movies can make me accept anything from a beloved McDonalds character snapping his fingers and destroying half of all life in the universe to believing that kids can take out monsters by forming a squad. I'll buy anything if it's presented properly. Movies are about taking us somewhere, so I'm prepared to go. In cases like this, I am not convinced. That comes down to many things, most notably the writing and directing.
I will admit that this is one of the few films that really showed me the connection between people and horses. This didn't come from either the protagonist or the antagonist, but rather from criminals who had a work program that allowed them to tend to the horses. The scenes were all cheesy, yet something crept through that gave me a hint of that connection. Most Hallmarkish films of this nature just rely on you already feeling that way.
This really shouldn't be seen if you're like me. Or if you are just the kind of person that likes a less than flimsy plot. There are people who will enjoy it, and I won't fault them. Different people, different tastes. When you're someone who doesn't really care about the difference between a horse and a cephalopod, there isn't any kind of bridge that's created to bring you in. Watch Lean on Pete or The Rider, and you'll have a better experience.
Rating - 1 out of 4 stars
Note - this hasn't been proofread because I'm done with Running Wild
REVIEW: Do The Right Thing
Once again, this is one of those reviews that revolves around the fact that I lost a bet. The difference with this film over the countless others is that it was chosen for me because it is a classic that I hadn't seen yet. My podcast co-host, Christopher Spicer, had decided to be a decent human being. He won't do that again. Not after I put off watching this movie for half a year. He has declared mercy to no longer be given me. I accept that.
Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing turned out to be as much of a classic as I had heard. The film is a deep dive into cultural identity, primarily looking at the black experience in Brooklyn. Lee doesn't focus solely on that perspective, and the different elements added to the story make it both more profound and more accessible.
The film focuses on pizza delivery man, Mookie, played by Lee. Mookie is the vessel that we the audience see the film through. He is about patience, and yet also about standing up for yourself. Mookie works for Sal, played phenomenally by Danny Aiello. Sal has been in the neighbourhood for years, making pizza and feeding the locals. For him, he is as much a part of the neighbourhood as it's residence.
The locals don't see it that way. He is white, and they are black. Within the walls of the pizzeria, Sal has the photos of many of his heroes. For him, the people he looks up to are Italian Americans who achieved success. Whether or not the audience is meant to believe is as right or wrong, the residents, in the form of Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito) see it as an indication of the racial divide. He believes that there should be black representatives shown on the wall, and indication that Sal respects the people he's serving food to.
Is the audience to see it as Sal not respecting his clients? Should we side with him, or should we side with Buggin' Out? Does it really matter? I believe what is being highlighted here is the perceptions people have of each other, and how they identify. Lee is looking at different cultures and the things that can cause divides.
Well acted and well directed, Do the Right Thing is as important today as it was when it came out in 1989. One would like to think that society changes a lot as we understand the errors of the past. I would say that it does change over time, but it is clear that change doesn't happen nearly as fast as it should. My hope is that in twenty years we will be able to look back at this film as a relic from the past that educates on our history instead of a sermon that still needs to be heard.
Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing turned out to be as much of a classic as I had heard. The film is a deep dive into cultural identity, primarily looking at the black experience in Brooklyn. Lee doesn't focus solely on that perspective, and the different elements added to the story make it both more profound and more accessible.
The film focuses on pizza delivery man, Mookie, played by Lee. Mookie is the vessel that we the audience see the film through. He is about patience, and yet also about standing up for yourself. Mookie works for Sal, played phenomenally by Danny Aiello. Sal has been in the neighbourhood for years, making pizza and feeding the locals. For him, he is as much a part of the neighbourhood as it's residence.
The locals don't see it that way. He is white, and they are black. Within the walls of the pizzeria, Sal has the photos of many of his heroes. For him, the people he looks up to are Italian Americans who achieved success. Whether or not the audience is meant to believe is as right or wrong, the residents, in the form of Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito) see it as an indication of the racial divide. He believes that there should be black representatives shown on the wall, and indication that Sal respects the people he's serving food to.
Is the audience to see it as Sal not respecting his clients? Should we side with him, or should we side with Buggin' Out? Does it really matter? I believe what is being highlighted here is the perceptions people have of each other, and how they identify. Lee is looking at different cultures and the things that can cause divides.
Well acted and well directed, Do the Right Thing is as important today as it was when it came out in 1989. One would like to think that society changes a lot as we understand the errors of the past. I would say that it does change over time, but it is clear that change doesn't happen nearly as fast as it should. My hope is that in twenty years we will be able to look back at this film as a relic from the past that educates on our history instead of a sermon that still needs to be heard.
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About Me
- Scott Martin
- I'm smarter than a bat. I know this because I caught the little jerk bat that got in my apartment, before immediately and inadvertently bringing him back in. So maybe I'm not smarter than a bat.