Reviews
Peep Show (1999)
Ingenious comedy
Peep Show surprised me. I saw it on one of the cable channels, and it was better than most of the feature-length films. It's a different take on "what women want" and makes good-natured fun of commonly held views. I got laughs seeing a woman pay to hear men say things she wants to hear, like "I'd love to go to your niece's Christening." Of course the men utter their comments without a lick of sincerity, though they do a nice job of faking it. And she not only believes them, her arousal level climbs the more she hears.
I suppose some might consider this film women bashing but it's too light and too much fun to be taken seriously.
This is one of my favorite shorts. I hope it gets aired frequently.
Dance with Me (1998)
A Fun Film
This is one of my all-time favorites, yet I wouldn't call the film great in the usual sense. It doesn't have an intricate plot, and some will be frustrated at the limited interaction between the stars, Williams and Chayanne. (I wasn't but that's me.) The film's spirit - with its dancing and Latin music - makes it something special. The acting was superb, and there was a nice mix of characters. But the dancing really steals the show - it makes you want to get up and join them.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a mix of light drama and dancing.
The Natural (1984)
The Natural projects a different world
How strange and refreshing to see a movie so lacking in cynicism. The people who populate the world of The Natural, from the stars to the fans in the stands, projected a quality not seen in today's world. Could you say they were natural? That comes close. There's an unhurried, genuine affection for the game of baseball and for its star, Roy Hobbs. This is not a film about things as they are. There's minimal profanity, sex, and violence, with heavy doses of sentiment. Hobbs is a hero many of us dream about being. The makers of this film had the nerve to project that dream without apology.
This movie is intended to make you feel good, and I think it largely succeeds.
Very Bad Things (1998)
Very Good Laughs
I remember watching Dr. Strangelove in a theater long ago and the people behind me were offended at almost every scene, making remarks like, "This is supposed to be funny?" I had always gotten a load of laughs from the movie. The folks behind me, though, broke the spell, and I didn't enjoy watching it that time.
When I watched VBT I took it as straight drama until sometime in the middle. Then it unmasked itself as something that was trying to make me laugh, and I fell into it. I was able to get some seriously good laughs from many of the scenes precisely because I didn't take it seriously. I think this film is an exceptional achievement in comedy. I see it as a satire of the violence and stupidity of other films that we're supposed to view as realistic. But this is an afterthought; I'm trying to explain why I laughed. I don't laugh at violence in the real world or violence in movies that want my serious attention. VBT, though, gave me a moment's relief from this and I enjoyed the spell tremendously. You might too.