Movie Info:
Writer: Mark Poirier
Director: Noam Murro
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church, Ellen Page, Ashton Holmes, Christine Lahti, Camille Mana
Rating: R
Studio: Miramax

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: April 11, 2008
DVD Release Date: August 12, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon

When I read the buzz about Smart People, around the time of its theatrical release, I was apprehensive about seeing this movie. I like Ellen Page and Dennis Quaid is okay, as long as he isn’t in a dumb, cliché, romantic comedy. However, reviewers were comparing it to The Squid and the Whale. I think I may be one of only an elite few who think that The Squid and the Whale is the biggest piece of overrated drivel on the planet. I could barely make it through to the end of the movie (and I have sat through some pretty bad films in my day – for review purposes mostly) because the film was just that bad.

I know people are going to say, “You just didn’t *get* the point of The Squid and the Whale, Dom”. No, I got the point. I still thought the movie was dry, poorly written and only interested in attaining a shock factor from what was supposed to be deemed “reality”. The characters are also wholly unlikeable to the point of unrelatability. I can admit Jeff Daniels gave a decent performance in the movie and I’m guessing so did Laura Linney because by the end of the movie (and during random parts, throughout) I felt the need to punch her in the face for being so damn annoying. I can guess she did a good job because I think that was the point of her character.

Needless to say, this review isn’t about The Squid and the Whale. It’s about Smart People. I was hoping for something a bit more entertaining than a story about a family that happens to include bratty kids who get so drunk they spit up cashews (they previously shoved up their nostril) and rub semen on everything including school lockers. While I did get something different from Smart People (and the only similarities I can see between the two films are that both Jeff Daniels and Dennis Quaid’s characters are narcissistic jerkoff Professors), the film isn’t as good as it has been hyped up to be.

Don’t get me wrong. I like Smart People. I just don’t love the movie. There are some flaws with stilted writing, obscure dialogue, bouncing plots, and unlikeable characters (ok, maybe it is like The Squid and the Whale a bit more than I thought). However, that doesn’t seem to take away from the acting, the humor, and the undeniable enjoyment of the events as they unfold on film. Sure, Smart People has a clichéd ending I’m not exactly in love with and the film tries to be a bit smarter than it really is. Still, there are enough redeemable qualities to make watching this film (at least once) worth your time.

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Movie Info:
Writer: John Hughes
Director: John Hughes
Cast: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jeffrey Jones, Jennifer Grey, Cindy Pickett, Lyman Ward, Edie McClurg, Charlie Sheen, Ben Stein
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Paramount

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: June 11. 1986
DVD Release Date: August 5, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $8.99

One of the first 80s movies I ever really remember watching is Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. I was five years old when the movie debuted in theaters, so who knows if I saw it in the theater or not. I do remember owning the VHS copy of the movie and watching it on television every time it was on. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was one of those movies that was snarky enough to get kids and teens into it, but not so bad that parents wouldn’t complain about their kids watching it. I had very odd parents who had weird rules about what we could and couldn’t watch, so knowing I watched Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and even owned a copy of the VHS says a lot.

What’s not to like about Ferris? I was a good kid in school. At home, that’s another story. I was afraid of the authoritative figures at my school, so I minded my p’s and q’s. When I used to watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off I couldn’t help but be envious of Ferris. Here is a guy who can fool a whole town into thinking he’s sick, trick his parents into letting him stay home, and then go out and have a heck of a day in Chicago. What kid doesn’t dream of having a day all their own with no teacher or parents harping on them?

I have to say that even as a good student I did try putting my thermometer against a light bulb once or twice, to try to get out of going to school (I said I was a good student, not that I enjoyed school). I guess when my temperature read 107 my parents thought I was either fooling them or I was miraculously awake while my brain was frying in my head. That definitely didn’t mean I got to stay home. I ended up having to fake some other illness the next day. Even then, all I could do was hang around the house and watch TV all day, since there really wasn’t anything exciting going on around the small village of Walbridge, Ohio.

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Movie Info:
Writer: John Hughes
Director: Howard Deutch
Cast: Molly Ringwald, Harry Dean Stanton, Jon Cryer, Annie Potts, James Spader, Andrew McCarthy, Andrew Dice Clay, Gina Gershon
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Paramount

Release Info:
Theatrical Release:February 28, 1986
DVD Release Date: August 5, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon, Wal-Mart: $9.86

John Hughes is the undisputed king of 80s movies. He revitalized the high school drama and to this day no one has done it in a more memorable fashion than he did. I often find myself missing the days of such great brat pack films as The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and St. Elmo’s Fire, so when the I Love the 80s pack came out, the press release that I originally read made me smile. We did not receive all of the I Love the 80s pack DVDs to review. We were sent a small selection of movies including Top Gun, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and obviously, Pretty in Pink.

This would be the third Hughes film that Molly Ringwald had a big part in. These days, Ringwald is playing the mom of a pregnant teenager rather than playing the teen herself. This has a way of making us 80s kids feel a little bit older, but that is beside the point. Pretty in Pink remains one of those movies that will always make me smile. Years later it just sleighs me that Jon Cryer still looks exactly like Duckie.

While this pack is probably a long time coming, considering the amount of great 80s movies out there, this particular DVD probably isn’t going to be necessary to fans that already have the “Everything’s Duckie” Edition. The Duckie Edition, which includes numerous special features, will probably end up being a better deal for the true Pretty in Pink fan. This release, which is a pleasure to watch, does not offer the depth of the former release though, so if you have that one don’t go out of your way to pick this up. If you’re just out to watch the movie though, this should work nicely.

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Movie Info:
Writers: Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr.
Director: Tony Scott
Cast: Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt, Michael Ironside, John Stockwell, Barry Tubb, Rick Rossovich, Tim Robbins, Clarence Gilyard Jr., Whip Hubley, James Tolkan, Meg Ryan,Adrian Pasdar
Rating: PG
Studio: Paramount

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: May 16, 1986
DVD Release Date: August 5, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $8.99

Growing up in the 1980s, I had the chance to see some of the coolest movies. The 80s was filled with plenty of movies now deemed classics. Among them is the movie Top Gun. Before Tom Cruise was a freaky Scientologist who lost the ability to act and all sense of reality, he was the super cool Maverick, a hero of 80s children everywhere. Boys wanted to be Maverick. Girls wanted to be with him. This is just one of the roles that Tom Cruise had in the 80s that made him a big star. In the 80s, Tom Cruise was it.

It’s funny how a person can change in 20 or so years. Today, Tom Cruise is still making movies. In fact, he is rich and could retire tomorrow easily. Unfortunately, he really isn’t the box office draw he was back in the day when Top Gun was at the theaters. His erratic behavior, obsessive love for Scientology and his somewhat same-sex (Katie is looking more and more like a guy with every haircut she gets) relationship with Katie Holmes have made many of his fans reconsider whether Tom really is all that. He’s changed and with it, he’s chosen less desirable movie roles that just aren’t what they used to be.

I hate to spend this whole review talking about how Tom Cruise is a freak, who no longer gets the respect he once had. So, I’ll stop while I’m ahead. Top Gun is a great movie because it has all the elements that make an action-packed movie (80s movies especially) worth watching again and again. There is a cool story that is going to draw in both men and women. There’s romance. There’s high paced adventure. There is plenty of in the air action with Maverick and his class flying fighter planes as they train at a Navy Fighter Pilot Flying School, the TOPGUN School. Finally, there is an interesting back story that frames who Maverick is and why he acts the way he does

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Movie Info:
Writer: Eran Kolirin
Director: Eran Kolirin
Cast: Saleh Bakri, Ronit Elkabetz, Sasson Gabai, Khalifa Natour
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Sony Home Entertainment

Release Info:
Theatrical Release:May 19, 2007 (Cannes)
DVD Release Date: July 29, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon: $19.99

Most Americans consider the lives of Middle Easterners only as much as they have to. Sure, they hear about things going on in the Middle East daily, but that has nothing to do with really thinking about the people that live in those countries or how they live their lives. The Band’s Visit gives an interesting, albeit fictional, look into the lives of some of these people. While I could guess that the mundane parts of this movie would not hit high notes in the Middle East, in America it is interesting and enjoyable to watch.

There are moments when The Band’s Visit may move slower than other, similar, films. Considering this is going to be a movie with actors that the average American is unfamiliar with, I feel that this is an excellent first look into what these actors have to offer. Some good performances are given all around, which is even more impressive whan the story probably would not have been, had it been filmed with an American cast. This group not only makes the best of what they have, their performances end up being more entertaining than you could imagine, and they shine throughout.

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Movie Info:
Writer: John Hughes
Director: Howard Deutch
Cast: Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, Lea Thompson, Craig Sheffer, John Ashton, Elias Koteas, Molly Hagan, Maddie Corman, Jane Elliot, Candace Cameron Bure, Chynna Phillips, Scott Coffey
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Paramount

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: February 27, 1987
DVD Release Date: August 5, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $10.99

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize that Some Kind of Wonderful is Pretty in Pink backwards. The stories are remarkably similar. In Some Kind of Wonderful we have a boy who likes the popular, beautiful girl in school, yet his outcast best friend (who is a girl) likes him. In Pretty in Pink, we have the girl who likes the hot, popular guy in school. In the meantime, her dorky friend is in love with her. The stories are so similar that John Hughes has supposedly stated that Some Kind of Wonderful was his true vision for Pretty in Pink.

What’s interesting is that Pretty in Pink has always been deemed superior, with far more recognition and praise than Some Kind of Wonderful. Back to John Hughes, when making Pretty in Pink he had supposedly planned to end the movie the way he ended Some Kind of Wonderful. The studio didn’t want the movie to end that way so in defiance, he made Some Kind of Wonderful.

I never saw Some Kind of Wonderful in the 80s, but I did see Pretty in Pink. Having seen both of these movies, I’d have to say Pretty in Pink is better. Sorry, John Hughes. I have to agree with the studio. The ending for Some Kind of Wonderful is cheesy, sappy and wholly unrealistic. That’s just the way I see it, but then again, the shining point of Some Kind of Wonderful is the inclusion of Lea Thompson, who I’ve always liked as an actress.

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Writer: Craig Mazin
Director: Craig Mazin
Cast: Christopher McDonald, Brent Spiner, Drake Bell, Regina Hall, Pamela Anderson, Marion Ross, Leslie Nielsen, Jeffrey Tambor, Sara Paxton, Kevin Hart, Tracey Morgan
Rating: Unrated
Studio: Weinstein Company
Release Date:July 8, 2008

Parody movies are not for everyone. I feel that this is the best way to start this review for a number of reasons. For starters, parody movies, by definition are either hit or miss. Most of them have funny moments in them somewhere, but that doesn’t mean that they are all generally funny. Three laughs in two hours is hardly a success. So, parody movies aren’t always the best thing for everyone. You have to be a lover of these movies going in for them to work out more often than not.

I fall somewhere in the middle of parody lover and hater. I have my favorite actors that do these kinds of movies and I can tolerate movies when I am watching them with these people, but when it comes to tossing in someone new, it doesn’t always work for me. Superhero Movie has some advantages in the fact that there are many names here that people know. You can enjoy the comedic timing of Leslie Nielsen and Marion Ross among others. Of course, the makers of this movie listed a few names to get potential audience members watching, when the actors were only in the movie for a scene or less, which didn’t score any points with me.

Release Information:
After seeing Superhero Movie it is easy to see why this was not screened for critics. It’s not the worst parody movie ever seen, but I am sure that critics would have made it much harder for this movie to make any money. Speaking of money, Superhero Movie has made over $57 million worldwide, which includes $31,600,000 that was made in North America alone. Not bad for a mediocre movie, but a sure sign that it wasn’t completely worthy of praise.

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Writer: Kristofor Brown, Seth Rogen, John Hughes
Director: Steven Brill
Cast: Owen Wilson, Troy Gentile, Nate Hartley, David Dorfman, Alex Frost, Josh Peck, Leslie Mann
Rating: Unrated
Studio: Paramount
Release Date:July 1, 2008

I love comedies. Next to crime dramas and very strange titles that the people at Literary Illusions try to convince me to review, comedies are my thing. I enjoy the psycho rednecks like Jeff Foxworthy and LtCG (Larry the Cable Guy), but I tend to be versatile and open minded where comedy is concerned.

I also enjoy Eddie Murphy (his 80s stuff in particular), Martin Lawrence (though not in College Road Trip) and many other funny guys. Owen Wilson tends to be pretty good. I have missed a couple of his comedies that double as chick flicks, but Drillbit Taylor looked pretty safe, so I decided to pick up the review duties on this one.

Back in the day, one of my favorite comedy writers was John Hughes. The king of high school, teenage angst popped off numerous classics back in the 80s. When I think of all of the really big teen 80s movies, it seems his name is always attached. Favorites include The Breakfast Club (I was so Bender with a pot belly in high school…or maybe that’s now?!), Pretty in Pink, and Weird Science. Of course, Bueller is a definite classic as are so many other Hughes films. So, when I found out that Hughes had come up with the idea for Drillbit I couldn’t wait to see it.

Release Information:
Hughes was not actually given a writing credit on the film to my knowledge. I am not even sure how much he had to do with the project in terms of writing and decision making. This is where Drillbit differs from his teenage 80s classics where Hughes was heavily involved. Still, if you look close enough you can see the Hughes mark that is so obvious in his films.

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Writer: George Gallo
Director: George Gallo
Cast: Meg Ryan, Selma Blair, Antonio Banderas, Colin Hanks
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Sony Home Entertainment
Release Date:June 17, 2008

Two things before I begin. Number one, I absolutely loathe this movie. When I say that, let me clarify by saying that I would cut off my leg, roast it, and eat it, before I had to watch this again. Number two, what happened to Meg Ryan? How do you go from When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and The Doors to this? Meg Ryan has been in plenty of great movies, so it’s sad to see her revert to such unwatchable drivel.

I can watch just about anything. That, in essence, is the job of a reviewer. I have to be able to watch good and bad and convey my feelings for whatever it is, either way. Watching this movie made me want to take it out of the player and put it in my driveway so that I could run over it to ensure that no one else had to live through the mental anguish of watching this film. I never want to see it again. In fact, if I pass it while looking for something to watch on cable, I may go into shock and end up needing psychiatric treatment as a result of severe trauma.

Release Information:
I don’t recall this movie ever being mentioned prior to the press release, which explained the premise of the movie. I didn’t find the premise to be terribly exciting and I am generally not a romantic comedy fan, but I like Meg Ryan, so I wanted to give this a chance. I suspect that when people find this in the $5 bin at Walmart they will make the same mistake that I did. Unfortunately, all of the talent in the world cannot make a crappy, poorly-written script into a movie. Furthermore, I am curious to know if these stars even read the script before they signed. I am thinking something must be in their past that forced them to make this movie against their will. This is just a theory, of course, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I was right.

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Writer: Robbie Fox
Director: Thomas Schlamme
Cast: Mike Myers, Nancy Travis, Anthony LaPaglia, Amanda Plummer, Debi Mazar, Steven Wright, Michael Richards
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Sony Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 17, 2008

People think that comedy is an easy genre because all you need to do is make someone laugh. It’s just too bad that a good comedy takes so much more work than that. So many of the comedies that are made anymore are made with weak storylines and produce stupid laughs. One of the things that I like about Mike Myers is that he manages to be in some pretty decent movies. Sure, he ends up playing some pretty odd characters, but the movies end up being interesting and memorable, which is more than I can say for most off the wall comedies that I watch.

So I Married an Axe Murderer is one of the first comedies that I remember seeing Mike Myers in where he did not seem tied to the Saturday Night Live roles that he made so popular. While the film’s writing credit only lists Robbie Fox, Myers actually had quite a bit to do with this script. In the end, they had to take his name out due to Writer’s Guild rules, but watching this you can definitely see the imprint of his comedic style.

Release Information:
So I Married an Axe Murderer was Myers’ first comedy after the incredibly successful Wayne’s World. I am sure when they made this with a paltry $20 million budget they thought they would easily make a huge profit by riding off the success of Wayne’s World. Unfortunately, they were wrong. Axe Murderer bombed at the box office, only making $11 million in North America. Eventually, when it went to video, the rabid Mike Myers fans were able to make it somewhat of a cult classic.

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