I was fortunate to see 15 Minutes at a free sneak preview. Why fortunate?
Because I am able to view the movie without any preconceived notions,
except those brought on by TV commercials. It is also fortunate because I
didn't pay anything to see it.
15 Minutes is by no means a bad movie. It has its thrills, chills,
gunfights, fires, and hookers. On top of this, it tries to make a
satirical statement about the state of the American public and the trash
that passes for entertainment on TV. We see, from an outsider's viewpoint,
how all of this can be interpreted by someone unfamiliar with America.
What kind of opinion do you think a foreigner would get if it was formed by
watching low-grade tabloid TV?
The movie presents itself as a movie within a movie. This is not the only
novel idea the movie tries to present. However, it still never feels fresh
or new. This time we get the seasoned homicide detective teamed with a
NYFD arson investigator. Do arson investigators really pack pistols? I
don't know. What's next? Vice squad with a meter maid?
I can never completely dismiss a movie with my main man Bob DeNiro. I
still think he is one of the finest actors alive, even he seems to be
shying away from the grittier roles. So, I would give this movie a middle
rating, say 2 stars out of 4. It wasn't a bad way to spend a couple of
hours, but I doubt it will stick with me for any period of time.
As a movie buff, I have been called a movie snob at times. Yes, I like
independent and art house movies. Yes, I watch, and enjoy, foreign movies
with subtitles. But I like a good silly movie as much as the next guy.
Last year, for instance, I was pushing through all of the January Oscar
nominees that aren't released here until much later than the "big cities".
After 3 or 4 of them, I needed a break. I saw Galaxy Quest. What a great
movie. It was silly, but what it was most of all was CLEVER. Even a
stupid movie can be clever. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure comes to
mind. I went in with low expectations and was quite pleasantly surprised.
More recently, American Pie and Road Trip had me laughing out loud
frequently. I'm always up for a good fart joke.
So, you may ask, what did I think of Dude, Where's My Car?. If I can do
one thing to save my fellow denizens of earth from inhumane torture, it is
DON'T SEE THIS STUPID, STUPID MOVIE! Now, please don't get me wrong. I
actually wanted to see this movie. There is an unwritten rule regarding
movies, however, that I should have heeded. If the studio does not make
copies available early for critics, it is a safe bet that the movie really
sucks. I like the two stars of the flick. Ashton Kutcher is a hoot on
That 70's Show, and I really enjoyed Sean William Scott in two of the movies
mentioned above. I think they tried to be clever with little jokes like
the "twin" girlfriends of the two leads, but it all falls flat. I saw it
in a theater with about 8 other people. I heard maybe two chuckles from
the "crowd" during the entire movie. The only scene that was able to
entice a titter from me involved a 15 foot babe alien in a miniskirt.
Just please don't waste your time seeing this. My friends and I agreed on
how sad it was that we just wasted 83 minutes of our lives that we will
never, ever be able to reclaim.
LITTLE NICKY is the latest Adam Sandler movie. You
either like Sandler or don't. His last movie, BIG
DADDY, was his most "main stream" endeavor to date.
LITTLE NICKY, however, is his most bizzare film to
date. He plays the youngest of the devil's three
sons. The devil has decided to retire and needs to
pick a successor. It seems he feels none of his sons
are up to the task of running hell, so he decides to
remain on the throne for another 10,000 years or so.
Little Nicky is estactic, but his two older brothers
are irate, so they decide to head up to earth to rule
there and in the process created a hell on earth.
Well, little Nicky, being the spawn of satan with a
heart of gold is sent up to stop his brothers. Most
of the comedy comes out of Nicky being a fish out of
water during his first ever visit to earth. This
movie is silly and stupid, but I found my self
laughing almost the whole way through, so I guess I
liked it. I can't say it is Sandler's best movie so
far (although Roger Ebert did), but it was funny.
Aiding Sandler is an all-star supporting cast
including: Harvey Keitel, Rodney Dangerfield, Allen
Covert, Robert Smiegel as a talking dog, Jon Lovitz,
Patrica Arquette, Dana Carvey, the NBA's Bill Walton,
Blake Clark, Resse Witherspoon, Tiny Lister, Regis
Philben, Micheal McKean, Clint Howard, Quentin
Taratino, Lewis Arquette, Rob Schneider, George
Wallace, Ellen Cleghorne, Peter Dante, Carl Weathers,
and Kevin Nealon as "tithead." With a cast like that,
how could it not be entertaining?
Date: Fri Nov 10, 2000
From: tedfarr Bedazzled Web Site
Okay, guys. Feel like a night out without the spouse/girlfriend? Don't
feel like eating greasy wings and putting up with drunk rednecks at your
local Hooters, but still want to ogle scantily clad (but not naked, or
nekkid in the South) attractive women? Then Bedazzled is the movie for
you. What you see in the commercials is what you get. Now, this could
open a whole can of worms concerning movie studios giving too much of their
movies away in the trailers (ala Meet the Parents, a funny movie, but you
see most of the funniest parts in the commercials), but we won't go there.
The plot is based on a Dudley Moore flick from the 60's. I haven't seen
it, but I don't imagine that it is that much better, mainly because I
haven't heard of it. In this telling of the story, Übergeek Brendan
Fraser works as a technical service rep for a software company in San
Francisco. Disdained by his peers and dismissed by the lady of his dreams,
his lot in life appears hopeless - until the devil comes calling. Now,
this may be sacrilegious, but if the devil really does look like Elizabeth
Hurley, she can come knocking on my door any time. She changes from sexy
outfit to sexy outfit quicker than Al Gore can retract his concession. The
rest of the movie is pure window dressing for Hurley to parade around in
and look, well, damn fine!
In summary, I am glad I didn't go see this movie with a date, because it
would have been painful to stifle all of the lewd comments that ran through
my mind from beginning to end. Have a couple of beers with the boys and
check out this movie to catch an eyeful of the devil doing her dirtiest.
But please don't see this if you are looking for something that will stay
with you longer than 5 minutes after the movie ends.
The plot is based on a Dudley Moore flick from the 60's. I haven't seen
it, but I don't imagine that it is that much better, mainly because I
haven't heard of it. In this telling of the story, Übergeek Brendan
Fraser works as a technical service rep for a software company in San
Francisco. Disdained by his peers and dismissed by the lady of his dreams,
his lot in life appears hopeless - until the devil comes calling. Now,
this may be sacrilegious, but if the devil really does look like Elizabeth
Hurley, she can come knocking on my door any time. She changes from sexy
outfit to sexy outfit quicker than Al Gore can retract his concession. The
rest of the movie is pure window dressing for Hurley to parade around in
and look, well, damn fine!
In summary, I am glad I didn't go see this movie with a date, because it
would have been painful to stifle all of the lewd comments that ran through
my mind from beginning to end. Have a couple of beers with the boys and
check out this movie to catch an eyeful of the devil doing her dirtiest.
But please don't see this if you are looking for something that will stay
with you longer than 5 minutes after the movie ends.
Date: Fri Nov 10 2000 
Subject: Yeah...that was good