Dave Chappelle’s Block Party (2005)
VERDICT:
8/10 Boss Emcees
One of those magical little movies that’ll a big ol’ smile on your face from beginning to end. Man, what the hell happened to Dave Chappelle?
Dave Chappelle’s Block Party is a documentary that follows Dave Chappelle – back when he was living it up as the funniest man on Earth – as he puts together an utterly epic block party in Brooklyn, NY featuring some of the biggest names in the history of R&B and Hip-Hop. And being that Dave Chappelle is the man, he makes it into a free show, buses droves of people from his hometown in Ohio to go to the show, and makes everyone laugh their asses off.
What a guy.
Now, I happen to like a lot of the acts that Dave lined up for this show, especially since he somehow managed to get The Fugees back together for it (if you’ve never listened to The Score, you don’t know what you’re missing, brotha). So being that I like to laugh hard and since I’m always down for some choice R&B and Hip-Hop, this was a win-win for me, but I can understand how a number of folks out there might not see the attraction to this little comedy/rap concoction. For those of you who fall into this category, listen close, I have a story to tell thee.
I kinda had to rope my friends into seeing this one when it was out in theaters because they could really have given a shit about every aspect about this movie that didn’t have to do with Dave Chappelle. But by the time they came out, even though they still didn’t really care much for the musical aspect of it, they were soundly entertained across the board.
Part of this is because of Dave. The humor here is kinda different from Chappelle’s Show in that it’s not really trying to be edgy or push the envelope, it’s just capturing Dave as this normal, genuine, and totally hilarious guy that’s just trying to throw this sweet party for everyone to enjoy. The only bits that are scripted are a couple acts he does onstage with Mos Def and The Roots, but his best stuff is just when he’s being himself. It’s a damn shame that he’s been written off as this mental case over the years, because the impression you get from him here is that he’s of the rare humble, and grounded breed of celebrity that’s doing his best not to let fame get to his head. There’s a lot of celebrities out there who could learn a thing or two from Dave. That guy’s A-okay in my book.
But the other part of this is actually because of Michel Gondry. From a visual standpoint, you’d never know Gondry was behind this as it pretty much boils down to him with a camera and that’s it, but it’s something about the overall positive vibes this movie puts out that feels very much his own. Gondry makes movies about people, movies that bring people together, and that’s the beauty of Block Party. More so than the acts on stage, Gondry makes the people going to the show the main characters, showcasing this melting pot of cultures and happiness that all came together for this one kickass occasion.
It’s an unlikely one, but Chappelle and Gondry are a great team whose visions really complement each other. Good times all around with these guys.
Dave Chappelle’s Block Party is just a damn good time. Not only is it funny as hell, but it’s surprisingly insightful, has a huge heart, and the concert itself is totally awesome, too. So give it a shot, even if you could care less about a Fugees reunion, everyone needs a good reminder every now and again of the genius that is Dave Chappelle.
We miss you, man. Come back to us.
Fight Club (1999)
VERDICT:
9/10 Lead Salads
Not quite David Fincher’s best movie, but still, it’s freakin’ Fight Club. This here movie kicks a fine amount of ass.
Fight Club is about a humdrum guy whose humdrum life gets turned upside down after being seated next to one Tyler Durden on an otherwise humdrum flight for his humdrum job. Humdrum. Anyway, after his apartment accidentally blows up, he moves in with Tyler, they become quick pals, and then they form Fight Club after a night of heavy drinking – a nice little place for them and their fans to beat the living shit out of each other. So Fight Club gets really popular, it gives new meaning to this guy’s life, it also eventually turns into an even wackier little shindig called Project Mayhem, and then shit really gets crazy.
Point is, there aren’t too many movies out there like Fight Club.
I know I’m a bit behind the ball on this one what with last week being the tenth anniversary of this family favorite, but hey, glad to finally have an excuse to review this.
So, why does this movie kicks so much ass? Let’s start with director David Fincher.
Like I said, this isn’t his best movie – a well-earned title still held by Se7en – but it’s a close runner-up. The thing I like most about this guy is that not only is a really good storyteller and continually churns out one original, gritty movie after another, but, man, does he know how to use lighting to his advantage. This is one of those things you have to see for yourself to really get, and this isn’t really a characteristic that I’m prone to point out in movies, but the entire movie looks like it was filmed in a damp basement, and that is awesome. There’s stark contrasts between light and dark all around, it’s got this “Finchian” (Copyrighted 2009, Cut The Crap Industries) blend of sleek and dirty from the shiny glint of city buildings to the bloodied face of a maimed everyman, and everything about the way this sharp, grimy movie looks totally complements the dark story it’s telling.
Look, when you see a David Fincher movie, you know it’s a David Fincher movie. Not to belabor the point, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the dude is one of the best working directors out there today and he sure knows how to make a movie look good.
And hey, guess what, there’s a solid little cast here, too! Well I’ll be!
I’ve always been a big fan of Edward Norton, and while this isn’t the best thing he’s ever done either, he still plays a really good protagonist as our humdrum anti-hero, Cornelius. He probably would have been more memorable if it weren’t for Brad Pitt and his eight-pack abs as Tyler Durden. I’m slowly coming over to the mindset that Brad’s actually a good actor after his turn Inglourious Basterds recently, and even though there’s a whole lot of eye candy going on with him in this movie, the fact of the matter is that Tyler Durden is one hell of a character. Most of the credit is probably due to the script in this case, but still, hard to knock Brad this time around.
Helena Bonham Carter is also in it as Ed Norton’s main squeeze, Marla, and boy howdy is she creepy as hell.
And Meat Loaf is in it, too, and he’s good, and not just because his name’s freakin’ Meat Loaf.
It’s not often that adaptations end up being better than the source material, but after trucking through Chuck Palahniuk’s novel a couple years ago, I’m still sold on Fincher’s take. Still not really sure if there’s a moral to the madness, but whatever, Fight Club is one wild ride that’ll have you hooked right from the opening shot. Lots of memorable scenes, has one awesome twist going for it, a real biting sense of humor that just adds to an already terribly well-written script, and even though it might be a little too gnarly for some, it’s pretty darn rewarding for all you postmodern fanboys out there.
Great script, great director, people making soap and punching out Jared Leto. Sounds like a winner, alright.
Snakes on a Plane (2006)
VERDICT:
6/10 Highly Unlikely Situations
One of the deeper, more thought-provoking films of my generation. Truly profound on many a level.
Snakes on a Plane is about…well, it’s exactly what you think it’s about. A guy witnesses a notorious mob boss commit a murder, the said guy gets put on a plane with Samuel L. Jackson as his FBI bodyguard so that he can testify against the mobster, then it turns out that the mobster loaded up the whole effing cargo section of the plane with venomous snakes that are all really pissed off as a bizarro way to kill off the witness without having someone just shoot him.
I could probably just tell you to click this link and leave it at that – and considering I just clicked that link five times in the last minute and I’m still laughing my ass off, I’m pretty tempted to do so – but what the hell, I’ll just go ahead and keep this one short and sweet.
There’s probably two reactions you had when you first heard the title of this movie: “Worst. Idea. Ever.” or “FUCK. YES.” I’m pretty sure this review would be going differently if I was in the former mindset, but come on, how could you not be at least a little interested with a title like that?
Yeah, it’s pretty stupid, but any movie whose overall function is to see how many ways people can die via snakes on crack, explore the many wonderful places people can get bitten (e.g.: penis and breast get addressed quite promptly, in case you’re wondering), and gives Samuel L. Jackson free reign to swear and yell his brains out like no other, that’s the kind of movie I’m going to see. The acting is whatever, the story is pretty much non-existent, but who cares, bring out the next batch of boobie-biting snakes!
One question though, how the hell did they smuggle the world’s largest anaconda onto that plane without anyone noticing? Ugh, never mind, stupid question for a movie like this.
Snakes on a Plane is a B-movie through and through, it’s not trying to be the next Die Hard, and you’re getting exactly what you pay for with this one. While it’s not necessarily a good movie, it’s still a good slice of ridiculous fun and who can resist Sam Jackson tazing snakes and dropping F-bombs for an hour and forty minutes? I sure can’t.
That Sam Jackson. What a badass.
Heya folks,
So it’s come to my attention that the cool cats over at the Large Association of Movie Blogs (aka: The LAMB) have selected Cut The Crap for it’s latest edition of Brutally Blunt Blog Blustering. In a nutshell, this is my opportunity to hear what you guys think about this little project of mine – what you like about it, what you can’t freakin’ stand about it, yada, yada, yada.
Being that I’m pretty stoked about this and am always looking to hear from anyone and everyone about how I can make this thing better, if you happen to get a free moment in your day, I’d be super appreciative if you gave this link a click and dropped some knowledge on me. It’s recommended you do it anonymously so that I’ll get the most honest opinions and subsequent reactions, which also probably means that I won’t know it’s you who wrote it, but trust me, I really appreciate it.
Anyway, thanks in advance, still kind of disbelief that I’m almost at 200 reviews (get a life, huh?), and hey, thanks for reading. You guys rock.
– Aiden R.
Office Space (1999)
VERDICT:
9/10 Jump-To-Conclusions Mats
Was hilarious before I graduated college and stepped into “the real world”, and now that I’m there…still can’t believe how it true it all is.
Office Space is about a guy who’s girlfriend is probably cheating on him, who hates his bullshit job pushing paper at a software programming company, Initech, who is nonetheless worried about getting fired, and who does absolutely nothing to change his circumstances. Then one day he goes to a hypnotist who sends him into a state of perpetual nirvana, thus prompting this former dull bastard to stop taking orders and do whatever the hell he wants instead.
This is the story of Peter Gibbons – a god among men.
Was planning to post this one on a Monday as a nod to the whole “Looks like someone’s got a case of the Mondays” thing, but, folks, I couldn’t help myself. It’s been a long week.
I was tempted to give this movie an 8 out of 10 for a while there, then it occurred to me that this was and always will be the be-all-end-all satire of corporate America. There’s simply no point in trying to one-up this because no one will ever say it better. Sorry, screenwriters, but this one’s a losing battle.
It’s pretty self-explanatory why this movie works as well as it does, pretty much because work environments like that at Initech are more or less a joke in themselves. And considering that everyone has worked a shitty job in their life, whether it be in an cubicle or otherwise, even if you can’t exactly go “That’s what I’m talkin‘ about!” when Peter and his buddies murder the office printer/copier, you’ll get it and you will laugh.
The writing here is just so damn good and quotable and original, especially for a comedy. It’s not lewd and it doesn’t go for shock value, but rather it cashes in on being painfully observant, has a great cast of characters, and has a slew of freakin’ classic running gags, most of which can be summed up in two words…
And even though this is probably one of the best things Jennifer Aniston‘s ever done with her life as Peter’s love interest, I can’t help but totally dig when a cast of unknowns like this works so well. Ron Livingston is great as Peter, Diedrich Bader has some choice lines as Peter’s next-door neighbor, Gary Cole is a rip as Peter’s boss, Lumbergh, and of course I have to give it up to Stephen Root as Milton. Can’t forget Milton – the one and only reason anyone gives a damn about red Swingline staplers. The only backfire here is that, with the exception of Jennifer, this cast will never escape these characters for as long as they live. Might not be the worst thing in the world considering how awesome this movie is, but still, I can imagine how being “That guy from Office Space” could get old quick, let alone being called “Milton!” at every casting call you show up to.
Man, I could go on about this movie, but it’s one of those things that’s actually better to just quote about with friends rather than break down to a science. With that being said, feel free to leave comments on your favorite parts, let’s get a good little discussion going here, m’kay? Great.
Whenever I talk about the guy, my uncle/fellow movie buff always calls Mike Judge “a comic genius”, and while that’s a pretty epic statement, I’ve gotta agree with him. Even if Office Space were the only credit to his career, had Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill never even been created, I think the statement would still stand. Usually after groundbreaking comedies like this come out, there is inevitably an absurd amount of horribly sub-par knock-offs that try to capture that same magic in the following years. Maybe it’s because it was a box office dud when it was out in theaters, but time has been more than kind to this movie since and there still hasn’t been any competition.
When you make something so good that no one even tries to copy it just because they know they can’t, that, my friend, is the mark of genius.
Have a nice weekend, everyone, and don’t forget to show her your “O” face.
The Visitor (2008)
VERDICT:
8/10 Awkward Homecomings
World, say hello to Richard Jenkins. Great to finally put a name to the face.
The Visitor is about a quiet, reserved widower that takes a leave of absence from his teaching job to spend some time at his old NYC apartment that he hasn’t been to in God-knows-how-long. So he walks in through the front door only to find a Syrian bongo player and his Senegalese girlfriend squatting in his place of residence because they don’t have green cards. He freaks out at first, but before he outright boots their asses onto the streets, his heart grows three sizes that day and lets them crash until they get back on their feet. To pay back the favor, the Syrian guy teaches his new landlord how to play the bongos, the guy starts to break out of his shell, and so begins a beautiful, yet tumultuous, relationship between these two unlikely individuals.
It’s too bad this movie came and went when it was out in theaters, but by the same token, I’m not all that surprised either. The problem with The Visitor is that it’s almost too subtle for it’s own good as it kinda caters to an older indie crowd. My good buddy Fred and I were the youngest people in the theater by a long shot and a lot of the dialogue and humor – even though they’re both very solid – that we found ourselves smiling at were echoed with guffaws and such by the crowd around us that was a good thirty years our senior.
Nonetheless, this is still a damn fine movie.
It’s the sophomore effort by director Thomas McCarthy, the same guy who did another good, yet overlooked, movie called The Station Agent (should probably get around to seeing that one again). The thing that McCarthy does well is that he makes no-frills movies that are totally character-driven. He keeps it simple and straightforward with the camerawork and pretty much just tells it like it is. It’s actually nice to come across directors every now again that don’t try to be the center of the story and let the people in front of the camera do what they do best. And in this case, McCarthy lucked the hell out.
So this is Richard Jenkins. Yes, you’ve seen him before, and, no, don’t feel bad if you can’t remember a single movie he’s from. The guy’s been in every movie under the Sun but up until now hasn’t gotten the chance to stand in the limelight. This is probably another reason not a whole lot of people went out to find this movie, and again, that’s a shame. To say that Richard Jenkins hits it out of the park as our protagonist Walter Vale is an understatement. I still find myself thinking back to the one scene he has here that more or less got him nominated for a Best Actor Oscar last year and each time I think to myself, “What a freakin’ performance.”
The rest of the cast is very good as well, but Jenkins delivers on a whole ‘nother level and you’ll be scratching your head after wondering where the hell this guy’s been hiding all these years. If he hadn’t been up against Mickey Rourke, I think he might have been my front-runner pick for that golden bald man.
I hope I’m not selling this movie short by making this out to be for old fogies or anything, it’s just not often I come across such a dramatic experience like this that also happens to be so subtle and reflective about the circumstances it’s dealing with. It’s a very human movie that covers a lot of pertinent issues about our society in regards to conflicts of culture and the things we can gain from each other as people.
So if you’re one of the many who happened to miss it, The Visitor is one worth checking out. It’s heartfelt, heartbreaking, and it’s got some great music in it, too, even if you could care less about bongos.
Audition (1999)
VERDICT:
7/10 Peglegs
Takes a while to reach that paydirt, but once you’re there, sweet sassy molassy, you will not forget it.
Audition is about a widower who, with the help of his friend the film producer, sets up a fake cattle call for a non-existent movie as a means to find a woman that, hopefully, might just be the (next) one. He quickly finds himself falling for a timid brunette, but by the time he figures out that she’s batshit crazy through and through, it’s unfortunately far too late to just give her the old “We need to talk” bit and get on eHarmony like the rest of his widower pals.
Now, I haven’t seen too many movies by director Takashi Miike, but it doesn’t take too many encounters to realize that there aren’t a whole lot of other dudes out there that make ’em like he does. The guy is pretty out there, and he’s one sick mofo, but I don’t see a whole lot of other horror directors out there that are going anywhere the kind of sadomasochistic and challenging shit the Miike has become infamous for pulling off with style.
And that’s probably what’s most interesting about Audition. This is one messed up movie, but it’s also crafted in a way that it doesn’t cheapen the movie as a whole. The main reason being that Miike just does a great of keeping the tension at this horribly unsettling slow boil that by the time the last fifteen minutes roll around, you’re either in it for the long haul or you’ve got your trigger finger trained on the STOP button because it is just too damn much to take.
Miike keeps his audience in the dark about what’s really going on along with giving an explanation as to what the hell is up with this weird-ass girl, and with each subtle, bizarro hint he drops as to her true colors, you can’t help but keep watching. It’s a pretty jaw-dropping and unnerving trip, but good lord does it separate the sheep from the goats by the time the climax rolls around.
But the double-edged sword of this movie is the said last ten or fifteen minutes. I think a lot of people have seen or have heard about this movie solely because of this final scene, and by the time you finally see it, everything else that came before pretty much pales in comparison. This is a bad thing because when someone asks you, “Have you ever seen Audition?”, they’re really asking you, “Have you ever seen the last ten or fifteen minutes of Audition?” Granted, the scene is beyond insane, and while it does do a dandy job of confirming the audience’s suspicions and culminates the building intensity in a truly nightmarish fashion, it also isn’t doing any favors to the rest of the movie in a certain sense either.
The pacing is also pretty slow at times in the hour and forty minutes leading up to this wonderful little segment, and it has a signature Miike non-ending to it that I continue to wonder whether I like or not, but in the grand scheme of things, neither of these things really detracted from the movie all that much anyway.
Also, is it just me or did this charming woman’s punishment really not fit the lonely widower’s crime? Seems a tad extreme for duping her into believing she was trying out for an acting gig. Totally overreacted.
But still, even with its faults, Audition is something else. Not only is it a very well-made and utterly twisted horror movie, it’s one of those things that’s worth seeing just so you can say, “I survived Audition.” And amazingly enough, it’s not even Miike’s most extreme effort.
Good ol’ 1999, back when J-horror was in it’s prime…
And is it weird that I crack up at that last scene now? Anyone else think there’s some dark, dark, dark comedy going on there? Just want to make sure I’m not tapping into any Freudian homicidal urges or anything.
Survive Style 5+ (2004)
VERDICT:
8/10 Acid Trips
It’s not often I get to watch a movie that completely defies categorization, and let me tell ya’, folks, it is quite the privilege.
Survive Style 5+ is about a businessman that gets hypnotized into believing that he’s a pigeon, an ad executive that’s continually looking for strange new commercial ideas through everyday encounters with everyday people, a British hitman that picks his targets based on whether or not their “function in life” justifies their existence, an ambiguously gay small-time crook that’s falling for his partner in crime, and a guy who’s wife just won’t stay dead. If the title weren’t indication enough, it’s as bizarre as you probably think it is, but hot damn is it one hell of a good time.
I watched this movie on loan from my co-worker after totally digging his last suggestion, Three…Extremes. I’ve never heard of it before, Netflix hasn’t heard of it before, Rotten Tomatoes hasn’t heard of it before, and even though those weirdos at IMDB have heard of it before, chances are you have no freakin’ clue what this movie is. No worries, I didn’t either. I’m still not really sure how my co-worker got around to seeing this, let alone managing to hunt down the back-alley bootleg DVD bodega that had this on sale, but, in the words of the great Jeff Goldblum, life finds away.
It’s hard to describe what it’s like to sit down and watch Survive Style 5+, but I’ll do my best. Alright, imagine your six-years-old, you find yourself magically transported to, say, the Japanese version of Candyland, you immediately chug five of those yard-long tubes of Pixie Stix, and nobody speaks English. It’s kind of like that, and that’s a good thing.
From a visual standpoint, everything just pops. Lots of bright colors, lots of wild set pieces and constant in-your-face camera angles that all very much complement the bizarro nature of the storyline. It’s a mile-a-minute experience – I had to do a double-take at my watch when the third Act started – and being that the plot line jumps around from one Survive Style to the next like a meth freak on pogo stick, I’d be surprised if anyone found themselves bored by the time the two hours is up.
It’s too bad that this is the only movie Gen Sekiguchi has done since ’04 because the guy sure has a unique and captivating directing style. His look almost feels like Tarantino mixed with Chan-wook Park (Oldboy) mixed with Stephen Chow (Kung-Fu Hustle – awesome movie!), but still, that’s not really doing it justice.
And as it usually goes with these kinds of things, all five of the stories are all connected to each other in some shape or fashion, usually in a pretty integral way. Not exactly a good thing or a bad thing, but it’s probably the only thing about this movie that I’ve seen done before. Anyway, without getting too detailed, each storyline more or less breaks down into their own little running gag. Some of them really work – the pigeonman’s bird impression is hilarious from beginning to end – and others get kinda old after a while – like the ambiguously gay crook. The good thing is that the final Act puts an end to the gags before they wear out their welcome and adds a hefty dose of meaning to all the madness.
I wasn’t expecting it, but it’s actually quite beautiful in a way. Just what the movie needed to bring it from a 7 to an 8.
The only people anyone will recognize here are Tadanobu Asano (for those of you who’ve seen Ichi the Killer) as the guy whose wife keeps on coming back from the grave, and, quite fittingly, Vinnie Jones as the British hitman. Both are really good and Vinnie Jones just kicks ass as usual. Guy doesn’t really have to try very hard though, now does he.
Look, I have no idea how anyone is going to find this thing if they don’t already own it or don’t already know my co-worker, but if by some grace of God you find yourself lost in the black market section of Oakland, California and see this hot pink poster staring you in the face, pick. it. up. I’ve never seen anything like Survive Style 5+ and while it might not be everyone’s slice of pie, I’d still recommend giving it a fair shot.
It’s freakin’ hilarious, completely original in regards to its script and its direction, and it has one of the best ending sequences I’ve seen in a good long while. And it oesn’t hurt that the scene is set to “I Will Survive” by Cake.
Truly, truly awesome.
And the best Star Wars movie is…
EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK!
Hell to the yeah, folks! My favorite entry in the series, glad to see it’s yours, too.
RESULTS:
– Episode I: The Phantom Menace: 0 votes (agreed)
– Episode II: Attack of the Clones: 1 vote (…okay?)
– Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: 2 votes (best of the new trilogy)
– Episode IV: A New Hope: 9 votes
– Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back: 18 votes
– Episode VI: Return of the Jedi: 3 votes
I think a marathon is in order…
Almost Famous (2000)
VERDICT:
8/10 Ultimate Senior Projects
Not as amazing as I initially remember it being, but still a great movie.
Almost Famous is about William Miller, an unpopular, endearing, and sheltered High Schooler who really digs music. After finding out that he’s two years younger than he always thought he was, he pitches a story to Rolling Stone about doing a piece on the up-and-coming band Stillwater, Rolling Stone is all about it, so this once-lame kid packs up his shit and hits the road with what eventually becomes one of the biggest bands in the country. Needless to say, it ends up being one groovy effing trip.
The story here is loosely based on writer/director Cameron Crowe’s own life and times on his journey from High School nerd to R.S. editor to Oscar-winning screenwriter, and with that, I once again tip my hat to Mr. Crowe. The only other person I can think of that might top him for having one of the coolest lives of all-time, or at least the coolest teen years of all-time, is Frank Abagnale, Jr. from Catch Me If You Can (great movie), only, you know, without all the jail time and whatnot.
But before I go any further, we gotta talk about the soundtrack. I didn’t really appreciate it as much the first time I heard the music in this movie, nor did I fully appreciate the actual soundtrack I got for my birthday that same year, but now that I’ve had a good long time to discover Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers (both of whom are the bands Stillwater is based on – fun fact!), and every other seminal classic rock band that are as much a part of this movie as its story and characters, I finally see what I’ve been missing. Screw Rock Band and Guitar Hero, Almost Famous is a true education in some of the greatest music ever put to vinyl along with what it means to actually love music.
Come on, like you didn’t sing along to the “Tiny Dancer” scene.
I think the reason I connected so much with this movie when I first saw it back in High School was because I could connect with William Miller and good lord did I want to be him. Nine years later, William Miller’s life remains unreal, but I’ve unfortunately come to the realization that Patrick Fugit isn’t a very good actor. Doesn’t show a whole lot of emotion, doesn’t do a very good job of convincing anyone that he’s serious when he’s trying to be, and is actually at his best when he lets everyone else do the talking. Probably explains why he hasn’t really landed any significant roles since, but still, what an awesome life.
Not the biggest fan of Jason Lee either, but everyone else is awesome. Billy Crudup is great as Stillwater’s lead guitarist, and even though I’m not all that keen on his real-life antics, he’s one cool mofo here and he sure does look the part, too. Also really like that Crowe made the lead guitarist the main focus of the band, ’cause isn’t the lead guitarist always the coolest one?
“Unfortunately, yes,” replies Aiden the drummer.
There’s also some great cameos by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rainn Wilson, Jimmy Fallon, Fairuza Balk (where the hell did she go?), and Anna Paquin (not exactly great, but hey, she’s an Oscar-winner, dammit!). And big shout-out to Frances McDormand‘s hilarious turn as William’s outrageously overprotective mother. She should have won the Oscar for this one.
And lastly, there’s Kate Hudson as Penny Lane, the leader of Stillwater’s groupies – “The Band-Aids”. Among the many things people might remember this movie for, it continues to stand as the both the launching pad and single high point in Ms. Hudson’s unfortunate acting career. I don’t know if it’s a good idea to follow Cuba Gooding, Jr’s lead and keep to a strict diet of shitty role after shitty role after getting nominated for an Oscar, but maybe that’s just me. Still, Penny Lane is arguably the most interesting character in this whole movie and if Kate Hudson were to quit acting today, she’d go down in history for her performance here.
But I don’t know if it’s because I’ve seen this movie too many times or if it’s just because I knew what was coming, but the script isn’t as fantastic as it once was. The humor seems somewhat canned, so does the dialogue at times, and even though it’s better than any other script that was written in 2000, it didn’t have me grinning like an idiot like it used to. Not saying that Crowe didn’t deserve it, but some of the magic has been lost. But if you haven’t seen this movie before, completely disregard this paragraph, the magic was definitely there the first time around.
I’m just now realizing that I’ve used the word “great” a lot in this review, but the thing is that this movie reeks of it. I remember walking out of the theater the first time I saw this and announcing to the world that it was “MY FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL-TIME!” I took that statement back a few hours later, but still, it was a big deal for me. Nonetheless, Almost Famous may very well be the best movie about music that I know of and even though it may have garnered a 9 out of 10 at another time in my life, it’ll always hold a place in my heart.
Now go out there and get that damn soundtrack.
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