Roger Ebert often mentions that he reviews a film based on what he
thinks it set out to accomplish. Therefore, a really good gross-out
comedy might rate as high as a really good costume drama.
Makes sense in theory, but I would have trouble giving both
"Wedding Crashers" and "Elizabeth" the same grade, much as I
enjoyed both films.
"The Dukes of Hazzard" is a passable -- nay, entertaining --
goofball comedy. Given the actors and subject matter involved, I
don't see how it could've turned out any better than it did. (Indeed,
it could've turned out much, much worse.) It's moderately funny,
fast-paced, action-packed, and has Jessica Simpson in skimpy
outfits. Is it worthy of a top recommendation by me? Hell, no.
But if you like Southern-set films full of car chases and moonshine,
this just might be your favorite film of the year.
My grade: C+
Screened: August 20
It is definitely the year of Terrence Howard. After his stunning turn
in "Crash" as a successful TV director insulted by racist cops, he
puts in another fine performance as a pimp-turned-rapper in this
Sundance favorite. The cliche of actors disappearing into their roles
is an oft-used one, but there's no other way to describe how Howard
inhabits the desperate, world-weary, on-the-fringes, pathetic,
caustic body of DJay.
The movie as a whole offers less than Howard does. It has some
thrilling, vibrant scenes; the slow-building formation of the pic's
seminal rap tune is a fascinating study of the musical creative
process. But other plot developments don't hold up to careful
scrutiny. (Anthony Anderson's character decides to up-and-leave
his old life behind a little too quickly, for one.) "Hustle & Flow"
fares best in its examination of pimp culture in the South, less so
when everything else is attempted to be explained away.
My grade: B
Screened: August 25
Remember everything I said above about gross-out comedies and
even ratings? Well, I can't help but recommend "The 40-Year-Old
Virgin" to everyone. (Except you, impressionable youths under 17.)
You must go out and see this movie.
I cannot recall a recent funny film in which I -- and the crowd --
laughed the entire time. Usually even the best comedies peter out
near the end (again, "Wedding Crashers") as the plot denouement
kicks in. Not so with "Virgin." It is literally a laugh riot (again,
another cliche) from start to finish.
Catherine Keener gets extra points for being one of the best things
about the movie, slumming it after higher-profile projects like "Being
John Malkovich" and "The Interpreter" to give the pic a warm,
humane glow.
My grade: B+
Screened: August 27
In this quasi-humorous documentary, dozens of well-known comics
put their own spin on a supposedly legendary joke about a group of
lurid stage performers.
I'm no prude, but I just couldn't stand hearing a barrage of
comedians tell the same setup over and over again with increasingly
hoary language.
One "shit" is fine. A few "fucks" are okay. But hearing them for
over an hour straight just dulls the shock and turns the laughs into
groans. By the end of the movie, the few worthy one-liners had
drowned in a sea of "assdamnfuckshitdicks."
The only comedian that truly stands out is Sarah Silverman, and
that's because she tells a lacerating, straight-faced story that
dramatically blurs the line between comedy and reality. It's shocking
but witty -- and completely unlike the rest of the "laughs" in the
movie.
My grade: B-
Screened: August 30
