June 14, 2006

A Few Brief Movie Reviews

"Nacho Libre": Not a good movie by any stretch of the imagination whatsoever, but at least it was a risky misfire that tried to do something and failed at it, rather than take no risks and venture nothing like most movies do these days. It has the same director, writer, cinematographer, and general cinematic sensibility as "Napoleon Dynamite," but the biggest reason that movie worked and this one doesn't is that 'Napoleon' created a great, totally original and unique character, while 'Nacho' is merely the usual Jack Black character, but with an atrocious Mexican accent.

Yes, it's always a problem in a movie about a Mexican priest who becomes a wrestler when the lead actor isn't the slightest bit convincing as a Mexican, as a priest, or as a wrestler.

"Cars": A great, great movie, and I really don't understand the critical consensus that it's the weakest Pixar film. I say it's better than everything but "The Incredibles" and "Toy Story 2." Great animation, memorable characters, and tons of heart, but I still can't get over the brilliance of that first racing scene, when we first see that the cheering crowd is all... cars themselves. And I say that as someone who absolutely hates NASCAR. See this immediately.

"Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic." I'm with Bill on this one- not particularly funny or memorable, and I say this as someone who has always liked Sarah Silverman. Now maybe I'm underwhelmed because I've seen her standup act before and therefore I'd already heard all of the "shocking" jokes. But what's the point of doing a concert version of a standup routine if the crowd is dead for most of the show? Not to mention that none of the musical or sketch bits worked at all either. There were more laughs in her five-minute segment in "The Aristocrats" than all of "Jesus is Magic" put together.

Posted by Stephen Silver at June 14, 2006 01:08 AM
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