NBulanski

Believe it or not, I am forced to give a very low review of this movie. Even though my user name is derived from it. (At least from this script.) In 1999 I had the honor of playing Norman Bulanski in a stage presentation of "Boys Next Door" and the stage play is considerably better than this movie. While the movie seems to focus on Jack and Barry, the play gave equal time to all the boys. Each was given a particular hurdle he had to overcome. Norman Bulanski, an overweight, and simple guy who loved doughnuts, his keys and his girlfriend, had his date with sweet, simple minded (and no "skinny Minnie") Sheila. Barry Klemper, a brilliant schizophrenic who wound up in the same group home with severely developmentally disabled men through a hiccup in the system, had to endure a visit from his insensitive and cruel father. Lucien P. whatever the movie called him, (It was Smith in the play) had to go before the "State Sneck" (Senate) who had deemed him mentally competent and was threatening to completely cut his funding... even though he still had trouble reciting the first five letters of the alphabet. And Arnold... had to deal with everything. The play showed a growing frustration in Jack as he neared the end of this career, that I think showed somewhat in this movie, but I felt Norman and Lucien's scenes were underdeveloped and neglected. The movie added a scene where Arnold takes his groceries back and these scenes are hilarious and masterly done by Jeters. I do wish the play had them. Also I felt Lucien was quite well done. I don't think Nathan Lane was given the opportunity to fully develop Norman. I think he could have done much better if he had had more time to understand Norman's mind. On the whole, I suppose, it was very well done... if you aren't expecting the depth of the play. It is good entertainment and you wind up caring about these characters... but if you can... see the play too.

Just like Red, waiting abandoned in the corner- This is an undeniable star just waiting to shine. The film is very short and kind of silly, but it's one that takes multiple viewings to get a true appreciation of it. Watch for the expression of total disgust from "Red" as the clown goes on oblivious to what's happening to him. The timing is perfect and hilarious. Good job Pixar!

A friend of mine saw this movie the day before the news of it being a fake was announced by the press. He told me that it disturbed him so badly that he couldn't get it off his mind and had nightmares about it that night. When I finally went to see it I went knowing full well that the actors hadn't really disappeared but instead had started making the talk show circuits. There were four other people in the theater besides me. Everyone hated the movie... except for me. If you've already seen this movie and hated it, then there probably isn't anything you can read here that will change your mind. But this was certainly no ordinary movie. This isn't a movie you can walk into and think "All right, scare me! I dare you! I've seen some of the most disgusting special effects and make up that Hollywood has to offer!" The people who challenged the movie in that way missed it completely. I figured there had to be a reason why my friend was SO deeply disturbed by it while every one was now panning it. It was because, at the time, he believed it was REAL! This movie requires total belief that the things that happened REALLY happened. That was why the studio lied to the public telling them that these three kids died. It forced the public... even for the brief time it was able to keep the story up, to believe it really happened. Thus, getting the full, intended effect of the movie. If you saw it and hated it... see it again, this time placing yourself in the woods right next to Mike, Josh, and Heather. It's maddening, it's sickening, it's terrifying. It's like a slow, torturous, inevitable slide, fingernails furrowing the ground uselessly, towards a high, deadly cliff. Also it may help to consider this. (I don't believe this is a spoiler, but I'll warn against it just to be safe) The ending and the last shot really does make sense... if you stop and think about it carefully. (repeated viewings may be required for this) While the "lost" part of the movie was like the slide towards the cliff I mentioned earlier... the final shot, if you "get" it, will make your blood run cold! Hope you enjoy it more this time.

Imagine if you will, two talented actors. They are playing quite small roles... the smallest roles in the play so are given no form of direction or motivation for their parts. They are simply told they are "sent for". They are told they are "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern" but no one fully indicated to them which of them were which. No they are thrust bodily into the play itself (Hamlet) and stripped of all their memories of their life before... they have become the characters. They know their cues, instinctively know their lines, but no one bothered to tell them the plot of the play, leaving them to figure it out (or not) for themselves. Their only source of any kind of direction is a player (Dreyfuss) who gives them a rudimentary crash course on dying and tragedy itself ("Generally speaking, things have gone about as far as they can possibly go, when things have gotten about as bad as they can reasonably get.")... and ("We are tragedians. We follow directions. There is no choice involved.") This is Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. And it is the funniest intellectually stimulating comedy I've ever seen. Oldman and Roth deliver a wonderful performance, always desperately struggling "get it" but never quite fully understanding what's going on around them. Oldman's portrayal of the existentially distracted Rosencrantz... or is that Guildenstern... was brilliant! (G: Is that you? R: I don't know! G: (disgustedly) It's you.) Viewers who delighted in the "verbal tennis" match might also notice that this really goes on through out the movie. (Player: But why? R: Exactly! G: Exactly what? R: Exactly why. G: Why what? R: What? G: Why? Why what, exactly?) It's truly sad that this movie doesn't get the recognition that it deserves. See Hamlet... become familiar with the story line... and then see this movie. It is quite worth the effort. I give it a 10 out of 10.

I saw this video in the store one day while I was in an '80's mood. I'd seen "Adventures In Babysitting", "Ghostbusters" and "Beverly Hills Cop" enough and needed something that brought me back to my youth. Then I found this flick- named after a brainless Cindy Lauper ditty, released the very year I graduated high school, and starring ACADEMY AWARD WINNER Helen Hunt (She got better) I couldn't resist. It was like a ride in Michael J. Fox's Delorian straight back to the mid-eighties and I loved every second. My wife and I had a great time playing scavenger hunt on all the typical 1980's fashions (probably make a great drinking game) "Right there! Skinny White Tie!!" "Lace Ringed Ankle socks!" "IZOD! I just saw an Izod!" And who would have guessed that hell raisers, punk rockers and lesbian weight lifting gate crashers were so good at choreographed dancing? If you are a child of the '80s- this movie is a must see. But with all the wonderful talent that participated in this film, my only question is, what happened to Lee Montgomery?

I feel sorry for the people that said they were bored during this movie and that was the only thing they had to say about it. This movie was a wonderful fantasy in which Plympton used the animated media to its highest potential. This movie does have something to offend just about everyone, from extreme profanity, extreme violence, to bizarre (but funny) sex scenes to quoting Hermann Goring?? The bird sex scene in the opening probably did a good job offending most of the population and let you know there was a really raunchy good time ahead; the facial expressions were great! Another great part to look for is when one character watches the "How To Make Love To A Woman" video. There was one segment I rewound the tape three times and STILL couldn't hear what was said because I was laughing SO HARD! WONderful movie and such an improvement over "The Tune".

What does the V. I. Stand for? Very Irritating, Violently Inept... Virtually Intolerable. She's a detective, and she's a CHICK! Get it?? Funny? No? Well it's the only joke in this movie. This movie was very painful to watch. The first part seemed completely improvised, make that poorly improvised. I also couldn't understand how the movie takes place in Chicago yet everyone seems to have a Brooklyn accent. Note the driver of the cab Kat gets into. Most of the major plot of the movie seemed to be cliches taken from every other detective novel and movie ever written as well, but turned around gender-wise. Get this, V.I.'s love interest? A guy named "Boom Boom"? This movie is more insulting to Polish people and woman than all the jokes of that genre could ever be. Anyway I felt sorry for Kathleen Turner and all of the other wonderful actors that appeared in this movie. Avoid it if you can. Weep for those who couldn't.