d-j-dekok's reviews

Went to see this on opening weekend with my wife (date night). I was absolutely enchanted throughout. Understated, graceful, stately performances from all involved--BUT--was anyone else thinking "British version of 'Singin' in the Rain"?

Armageddon is a good movie to see once--and once you realize that it's a stereotypical military movie--band of misfits saves (in this case) the planet--you realize that you've seen this movie twenty times before, and you don't have to watch it again.

The WORST part of this was the lust story between the maverick roughneck and the boss's daughter. What passed for romantic scenes between the two was simply cringeworthy.

I loved this show in the 1960's when Peter Marshall was the host, with stars such as Rose Marie, Wally Cox, Charlie Weaver, and who could forget Paul Lynde? I frankly gave up on the show when that awful, preening, self-important John Davidson fawned over and flirted with female contestants (and the show let them win 80% of the time). But Tom Bergeron is the perfect host for the most recent incarnation of the show, and who could forget the "YOU FOOL!!!" episode. That one, along with the Richard Simmons episode of "Whose Line is it Anyway?" will never fail to make me do multiple spit-takes laughing as long as I live.

If you knew a young, outwardly attractive woman who told you, "I can't decide who to marry, so I'm going to simultaneously date 24 homogeneous men", what would your initial reaction be?

She's: A silly, sin-burdened woman? A slut? Stupid? Clueless? Ignorant of how the world REALLY works? Harboring a pathetic Cinderella complex? Pity? Derisive Laughter?

But you're going to watch anyway, because you're one of the thousands of sheep who waste an hour or two weekly watching this drivel. Enjoy.

And if you think for one moment that I approve of "The Bachelor", you're wrong, wrong, wrong!

I will freely confess that I didn't watch the whole hot mess, and that I wasn't a big fan of the original production, but I will comment anyway.

Abigail Breslin--stiff, wooden acting, worse dancing--and I didn't think that a performance worse than Jennifer Grey's in the original was possible. She came off like a 12 year old trying to pass for 18. Katey Segal simply played Peg Bundy circa 1960. The "added elements" detracted from the original story. The male lead (I don't even remember his name) flexed a lot.

Awful, Awful, Awful--and this coming from someone who liked "San Pedro Beach Bums".

I have always loved this show,from its British beginnings to Drew Carey (less enthusiastic about Ms. Tyler). How could you NOT love: 1) "Superheros" ("Thank God you're here, Rogaineman") 2) Sid Caesar literally stopping the show; 3) Richard Simmons OWNING the sketch where he and Wayne Brady played the props ("I'll be ALL the props for THESE men!"). I have NEVER laughed so hard in my LIFE. I'm taking up jet-skiing this summer! 4) Wayne Brady could have been another John Legend/Smoky Robinson/Marvin Gaye outside of his comedy career, but the song parodies were priceless. 5) Greg Proops, Ryan Stiles, and Colin Mochrie--and think about it, what a perfect name for a comedian (mockery)--were GREAT GREAT GREAT!!! 6) The outtakes are on YouTube. 7) "Helping Hands" was a holdover from the British version, but still clever and funny. 8) Film Noir, World's worst dating video, and yes, even Irish Drinking Song, and even Hoedown were really good, and you didn't have to understand the genre to get it.

Well Done, gentlemen, and may you have new life in syndication.

I was an enthusiastic Scout, and later Scouter and Eagle Scout Dad, and as cheesy as you might find "Camp Lazlo", I found it to be a cute, nostalgic trip down memory lane and my days in Scouting. I identified with everyone and everything from Scoutmaster Lumpus to the kids with flies buzzing around them constantly, from bad food to activities that didn't work out quite the way they were supposed to. Most importantly, though, is that the boys/bean scouts learned to get along with each other, even if it was at the expense of Scoutmaster Lumpus. EVERY Scout or Scouter I've known knew a Scoutmaster Lumpus. This show makes me smile warmly, and I highly recommend it to adults and children alike.

This show reminds me of Aaron Spelling productions from the 1970's to the 1990's, in particular Beverly Hills 90210 and 7th Heaven. You start with an improbable premise, stocked with standard Hollywood central casting types, PC plots, and it soon becomes clear that no one connected with the show has the slightest clue what (in this case) the life of a real professional musician is like. Don't waste your time with this mess. Don't be a person who says, "I'm not a musician--but I watch it on TV".

The other thing that doesn't ring true is that the show lacks a healthy respect for those who came before. Real musicians will speak in hushed tones about their idols and influences from the past. If they're lucky enough to have met them--or better yet, played with them--they'll have a story or two. There's none of that here, and no older musicians.

Unbelievable. Godawful. Mess. This was (inexplicably) on Turner Classic Movies at 2 am this weekend. Curiosity got the better of me (bad me!) and I tuned in. Hippies obviously wrote(?) this, shot it, directed it, all while stoned. I'm waiting for the MST3000 version, or better yet, for someone to give it the "Rocky Horror audience" treatment. Spoilers will not be part of this review, because it would spoil your lunch/dinner/munchies attack. I haven't been stoned in a good 35 years, so maybe state-dependent learning would come into play, and I'd truly be able to appreciate this ever-loving mess of a movie. I have to write ten lines of review, which is about seven lines more than the script had, or for that matter, the emesis-inducing 1970's rock song that keeps playing through the entire movie.

Granted, even Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny have their off days, but I find much to like in "Fairly OddParents". My all-time favorite episode is when Timmy gets a hold of Vicky's diary, and makes her repeat juicy excerpts from it during cheerleading tryouts. To Wit:

"I pick my nose when no one looks, I wipe it in your History Books!"

The characters are unique and funny Timmy--enthusiastic 10 year old boy with a well-fueled imagination Cosmo--dimwitted but lovable husband of Wanda--arguably the brains of the operation Vicky--Timmy's babysitter and evil personified Jorgen von Strangle--think Arnold Schwarznegger Mama Cosmo--Wanda's nemesis Wandissimo--Wanda's Latin ex-boyfriend and masseuse to the fairies Doug Dimmadome--local rich tycoon Timmy's Mom--never saw a dish she couldn't burn; a real estate agent Timmy's Dad--talks like a sports announcer; a self-described "pencil pusher"

The Pixies are a competing group, all wear business suits and led by a character voiced by Ben Stein (a voice made for comedy if there ever was one). Bueller? Bueller?

What a cast of characters! What a show!

This show, and its a/b alternative "The Bachelorette", are easily the most pathetic, eyeroll-inducing, "reality" shows of them all. I can't fathom any good reason for wasting an hour of my life watching them, never mind a whole season. CBS should be ashamed of itself for promoting the "dashing prince/beautiful princess" fantasy. It's 2014, for Christ's sake. This isn't how solid relationships are built.

The worst part is where they're interviewing the "star" in one of those moments where they're "baring their soul" accompanied by thoughtful music. You run away from people in your circle who tell you everything they're thinking, every time they're thinking it--here it's seen as deep. Blech. Even Jack Handey wasn't this emetic on SNL.

Much is made in the fan mags about the couples resulting from this show. What they SHOULD do is a "where are they now" on the people who AREN'T picked and what work they're getting in Hollywood as a result of being seen on "The Bachelor" or "The Bachelorette", since that seems to be the real reason anyone puts up with this nonsense. I have nothing but contempt for the people who put this drivel on the air--in fact, I've wasted too much time writing this review.

I have to confess, I was a fan of Dick Tracy comics back in the day and when word of the movie came out I went to the theater the first weekend. I was not disappointed. Relationships in the story went far deeper than the newspaper on which they were originally printed. The costumes, the gaudy colors, the hard-boiled title character and villains, all made for an unforgettable movie experience. Was this Kurosawa or Fellini? Of course not, but who cares? I had FUN at the movies, and nearly 25 years later I still enjoy it.

The music gets its own paragraph (and should have its own review). The forces that came together to create this masterpiece are nothing short of miraculous. The score by Danny Elfman was spot-on deadly fun. The songs by Stephen Sondheim served not only to entertain at the club but moved and commented on the story in a way that only Sondheim could do it. The background music is performed by a rogue's gallery of singers and for the most part it works wonderfully. Frank Loesser's "Two Sleepy People" is given a charming treatment by Art Garfunkel. "The Confidence Man" is brassy, brash and bold in Patti Austin's capable hands. Even Jerry Lee Lewis gets in on the fun with an old-timey cover of "it was the whiskey talking', not me". According to the liner notes on the soundtrack he liked the song so much that he recorded two versions--the one in the movie, and one up-tempo more akin to what his fans know. It is telling that a lot of music written for the film didn't make it into the final cut, but survives in the Soundtrack recording, and in a third recording made by Madonna. Check out YouTube for recordings by:

k.d.lang and Take 6--Riding the Rails Jerry Lee Lewis--It was the whiskey talking' Patti Austin--The Confidence Man

I have not read Victor Hugo's novel, nor seen the stage version of Les Miserables, nor have I participated in it as a musician or actor. I don't have that frame of reference for my review--only the movie. Winners: 1) Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman--I think the criticism of their singing is unwarranted. I felt like their acting chops shined here. Jury's out: 1) Production values--no dubbing of the singers--the singing was presented, warts and all. On the other hand, the scenery and costumes was spectacular, even if the "greenscreen" at the end where the guard jumps to his death was all too obvious. 2) Victor Hugo--I have to wonder how he'd react to this spectacle. Losers: 1)Sasha Baron Cohen--yo, Sasha baby! Stick to broad comedies where YOU are the star. That way I can avoid seeing you for all time. What a horrible choice for this movie. 2)Kid with a Cockney Accent--if he can be coached to speak like Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins, he can be coached to speak like a French child--or better yet, CAST a French child. 3) Female leads singing--sorry, it was pretty bad. I'm a big fan of Anne Hathaway, so I'm glad that this wasn't the first movie in which I saw her. See the first "Princess Diaries" when she's in her convertible singing in the pouring rain. Yo, Amanda! Singing a through-sung Broadway score is a LITTLE different than performing a jukebox musical (Mamma Mia)--even though you had the look for the part, your vocal chops weren't up to the task. 4) Too many closeups!

I'm sure people will think it's a good date movie, and maybe for theater geeks, it will be. Time to go to the library and check out the book.