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Reviews
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (1989)
Funny and intelligent family fun
Though essentially a children's program, Chip N' Dale's Rescue Rangers possesses that wonderful quality which makes it enjoyable to both young and old alike. The story follows four noble-minded rodents and a house fly who solve mysteries and generally help people, and others, in need. The villains are often hysterical and their diabolical schemes hilariously absurd. There is physical comedy aplenty and enough action to keep the wee ones interested. Meanwhile, the not-so-wee ones will be recognizing referenes to everything from Rocky and Bullwinkle to The Fly. The voice acting is clever, and the charaters are easy and likeable.
Of the five main charaters, Chip is the sharp-witted, responsible one. That of course means he often has to play the unfortunate straight man to the others' hijinks. Dale is the silly, fun-loving one who likes to play jokes (usually on Chip) and basically have a good time. Monterey Jack's the affable, adventurous Aussie wth a nose for trouble and even more so for cheese. Monterey's "little pally" Zipper the housefly courageosly performs feats above and beyond the call of duty of a "household pest." Gadget is the MacGyver of the group. She's an absent minded, though unquestionably brilliant, engineer who can make just about anything out of practically nothing.
It's fun. It's funny. It's the Rescue Rangers. Enjoy!
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (1989)
Funny and intelligent family fun
Though essentially a children's program, Chip N' Dale's Rescue Rangers possesses that wonderful quality which makes it enjoyable to both young and old alike. The story follows four noble-minded rodents and a house fly who solve mysteries and generally help people, and others, in need. The villains are often hysterical and their diabolical schemes hilariously absurd. There is physical comedy aplenty and enough action to keep the wee ones interested. Meanwhile, the not-so-wee ones will be recognizing referenes to everything from Rocky and Bullwinkle to The Fly. The voice acting is clever, and the charaters are easy and likeable.
Of the five main charaters, Chip is the sharp-witted, responsible one. That of course means he often has to play the unfortunate straight man to the others' hijinks. Dale is the silly, fun-loving one who likes to play jokes (usually on Chip) and basically have a good time. Monterey Jack's the affable, adventurous Aussie wth a nose for trouble and even more so for cheese. Monterey's "little pally" Zipper the housefly courageosly performs feats above and beyond the call of duty of a "household pest." Gadget is the MacGyver of the group. She's an absent minded, though unquestionably brilliant, engineer who can make just about anything out of practically nothing.
It's fun. It's funny. It's the Rescue Rangers. Enjoy!
Tai ji quan (1996)
reasonably enjoyable Hong Kong schlock
It's a Jackie Chan-ish martial arts movie with dangerous stunts, hair attacks, and peculiar meditations (among other things). The movie is sly yet undemanding, but it's not very well made. Then again, we don't watch this kind of movie to see lavish sets or high acting talent.
A Guide for the Married Man (1967)
Overlong, overplayed, and overrated
This bilious yuppie comedy has Robert Morse giving Walter Matthau some tips on committing adultery. The film was inexplicably successful at the box-office when first released.
There are cameo appearances by Lucille Ball, Sid Caesar, Wally Cox, Jayne Mansfield, Sam Jaffe, and many more, but even hypnosis couldn't help you remember anything they did in here.
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
pure torture
It's difficult for one to conceive how anyone could actually enjoy watching this. After about twenty minutes, we've given up any hope of seeing the film look even remotely organic, but then it goes on for another 160 minutes. All the while we just sit and stare at the ugly (and phony) Russian landscapes and listen to that godawful music by Maurice Jarre playing the same two bars over and over. Then, the ending is intrinsically insulting, but we're too numb from watching the rest of the movie to feel insulted. I don't know how they did it, but they managed to make a movie even more boring than Cleopatra (1963) in less time.
Gigot (1962)
one of Jackie Gleason's best performances
A very nicely done emotional comedy where Jackie Gleason plays a poor, mute janitor who takes care of a little girl and a heartless prostitute, even though he hasn't much money. The director, Gene Kelly, tried to give the film a Charlie Chaplin-esque look, but ,in doing so, he made the film extremely sentimental. However, it has an airy, heart-warming innocence that the audience can feel strongly, and that with the film's wonderful music makes us feel just as sentimental as the movie. Gleason is surprisingly good, even without lines, and the little girl Gigot takes care of is adorable.
$ (1971)
Ow, my ears!
The pakage implies that Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn are pulling off a huge bank robbery, but that's not what I got out of it! I didn't get anything! In the first half there's a new character (without introduction) in every other scene. The first half-hour is completely incomprehensible, the rest is just one long, annoying, underlit chase scene. There's always an irritating sound in the background whether it's a loud watch ticking, a blaring siren, a train whistling, or even the horrible score by Quincy Jones. There are a lot of parts that are laughably bad, too. Like, the bad guys chasing Beatty on thin ice with a CAR! Or, the police arriving at the scene roughly fifteen times. I really hated this movie!
Meng long guo jiang (1972)
Fantastic action from the master of martial arts.
The plot is rather silly, but it does exactly what Bruce's fans expect it to do--set up some of the most fantastic fight sequences ever put to film.
Perhaps the thing that sets Bruce's movies apart from the myriad of action hacks that followed him is not his unparalleled kung fu choreography but rather his powerful screen presence. He brings to his characters, including Tang Lung, the same charisma, vim, and charm that John Wayne would infuse in all his characters. It is easy to see here the emotive talents he learned performing in Chinese opera as a boy with his father. His ability to project emotion, particularly rage, may even rival (dare I say it?) Toshiro Mifune's. In Way of the Dragon, Bruce gives an endearing performance as country boy sent to the big city (Rome in this case) to help his cousin who is being harassed by mobsters.
Of course, the real attractions are the action sequences which Bruce choreographed personally, as per usual. To the common action fan, they are simply a breath-taking showcase of flashy moves that get the adrenaline pumping. However, die hard Bruce Lee fans also get to see a detailed picture of the level of the master's art just before he invented the anti-style, Jeet Kune Do. Those who study kung fu will get a lot from this picture, particularly the scenes where Bruce demonstrates his style for his friends. There are even flashes of what will become Jeet Kune Do in his climactic fight with Chuck Norris.
Speaking of which, if you want to find simply the greatest martial arts sequence ever put to film, look no further. The direction is brilliant and the choreography is without equal. The tension in the air is almost tangible as the two "gladiators" prepare for battle in the Colesseum. Watch the expressions of the two combatants change as the flow of the fight shifts. Normally, Chuck couldn't act his way out of a paper bag, but even he looks spectacular here. It's this emotional contest between Bruce and Chuck that really grabs the viewer by his lapels and pulls him onto the battlefield. The advantage belongs to Chuck at first, but it flows back to Bruce as adopts a more free style (an embryonic Jeet Kune do). When it's clear Bruce is the victor, an injured Chuck refuses to stay down in the movie's, and perhaps the genre's, most touching scene (I imagine you need a Y chormasome to feel it, though). Chuck dies, but he dies swinging like a hero. Though his loyalties are questionable, his courage is anything but, and a sorowful Bruce honors his fallen foe. Truly magnificent.