little_red_corvette

When this movie was released in 1992 it sounded worthwhile. I was (and remain) a fan of many of the actors, enjoyed Rita Rudner's comedy, and had been impressed with Kenneth Branagh's work to date.

But I never got around to seeing it until recently, and now I understand why it received middling to poor reviews on its release.

From the first scene following the opening montage, the entire film feels simultaneously flat and strident. None of the characters feels natural. Each actor is playing an archetype, and with no subtlety. The script is cliché-ridden and the actors seem compelled or directed to over-deliver every line. The final scenes are truly painful due to the hackneyed, awkward delivery, and the forced gaiety of the final scene.

There were a few enjoyable moments, but the movie never comes together. When it was over I felt relieved, and embarrassed for the participants.

The house and grounds the story is set in are gorgeous, though.

In the sixties my father worked for a NASA sub-contractor and thus had a small role in the American space program. He would bring home NASA film clips (PR stuff) and show them on our 8mm projector for the neighborhood. Watching this series in 1985 brought back a lot of good memories of that amazing time. It was marvelously done, with archive footage both familiar and lesser-known, combined with new interviews with a stellar list of individuals, many of whom are no longer with us. It captured the excitement and uncertainty and humanity of the endeavor. And the music was spine-tingling good! Top it with Martin Sheen's narration and you have a corker of a documentary series that puts most modern efforts to shame. It's hard to believe this series was first broadcast twenty years ago!

This would be a marvelous series to have on DVD, unfortunately it appears to only be available on VHS for now.

(Possible general spoilers) When does 98 minutes feel like 196? In movies like this. I'm a real middle-age female and while I'm in far better shape than the average Walmart shopper due to regular exercise and having something of a

clue re: nutrition, I'm still no fashion model. So the idea of Renee Z. as

Bridget being considered 'obese; is simply laughable-- unless she's 3 feet tall. Most heterosexual males don't care if a woman is a bit plump--most prefer it, Hollywood neuroticisms aside. The real quizzer in this movie's scenario is why Colin Firth's Darcy would develop an interest in such an emotional wet rag as Bridget. The women is a mess--not an interesting mess, a drippy

mess.(Honestly, one 'bad speech' scene was plenty, thanks.) Still, it's a fair cop. I've lost track of the number of movies/TV shows I've seen where the

overweight/loser male lead somehow attracts the devoted attentions of the

impossibly pretty/skinny female lead. After years of male-screenwriter

fantasy fulfillment why shouldn't an unsympathetic average-looking female

lead get the attentions of a lovely male character. Only fair, eh? Aside from Messr's. Broadbent and Firth, the film's a snooze. Save your money and give this one a pass.

Coming out of 'K-19', I had to wonder--what movie did those

negative reviewers see? More specifically, what movie did the

disgruntled Russian submariners see? Nothing in this movie

portrays the submariners as incompetent or as drunkards. One

officer is found drunk on duty early in the film; he is dismissed

from his post, although defended by his captain as a good man

who has never been found thus before. As for incompetence, it is

the Communist hierarchy, and by connection, the Navy that is

shown responsible for the cost-cutting and carelessness which

leads to the tragic consequences for the crew. Yes, the crew refers

to a manual for help in solving the reactor problem. When they find

it useless, they come up with their own solution. If anything the

crew is presented in a humanistic and resourceful light without

denying their fear and uncertainty.

Much has been made of the accents. It seemed a little obvious at

first, but the performances soon overcame any awkwardness, for

me. Although the beginning was a little stiff, I found myself

completely absorbed by this story by the time the sub put out to

sea, and never lost interest. Harrison Ford proves that he can still

become a character, a fine thing to see after too many desultory

roles.

'Das Boot' is my favorite movie; 'K-19' is its own animal but shares

some fine characteristics with that great film.

Ignore the negative reviews. This is a fine movie.

A great cast like the one assembled for this film is often a warning

sign. How many movies have you gone to see because of the cast,

only to see their talents wasted? 'Gun Shy' breaks that curse; it is a

great, imaginative and fun film. At first the storyline may seem

disjointed, but wait; the threads are woven together and culminate

in a lovely ending which I found refreshingly sweet.

Liam Neeson's is one of many great performances--he must have

loved this role as an antidote to the turgid mess that was 'Phantom

Menace.' Oliver Platt and Richard Schiff are fine as well.

Highly recommended to those who look for a little intelligence and

humanity in their entertainment.

I walked into this movie expecting at best a couple hours of air-conditioned comfort, at worst another painfully dull experience as Phantom Menace turned out to be. Surprisingly, I was quite entertained. Much in this film harkened back to 'The Empire Strikes Back', in that it has texture, and even some dimension--along with incredibly improved visuals. The reviews are spot on in this regard; the movie is stunningly beautiful and feels 'real', unlike the video-game feel of 'Menace'. I'll say right now that the love story aspect was stillborn; in fact, nearly every scene featuring Padme and/or Anakin was as flat as a day-old beer. The digital performers out-acted them on every level (Jar-Jar aside--even his brief appearances were too much). Despite the overall clunkiness of the story, I felt something I thought wasn't possible with a Star Wars movie any more: involvement. (SPOILER: I especially enjoyed the return to Tatooine and the moisture farm, seeing Luke's future guardians as youths, in the familiar settings from the first movie. END SPOILER) While most of the dialogue was expectedly painful, there were a few chuckles, and C-3P0 has the best scenes he's ever had. The obligatory 'big battle' at the end was everything that the battle at the end of 'Menace' was not. I'm glad I gave in and saw this on the big screen. It's not a great movie, but it has many fine moments and bodes well for the next installment--as long as George has his romance jones licked, that is.

You can practically see the duct tape holding this story together, and as is usual for a studio movie, the 'ugly duckling' concept is ludicrous. (Forget the beauty-queen look: most of us gals would sell offspring to look like Sandra Bullock as 'frumpy' Gracie, but then, we live in the real world.)

Those weaknesses aside, Sandra saves the film with her charming and funny Gracie, ably assisted by the incomparable Michael Caine. The other roles mostly felt flat and forced.

Overall, this movie was painted with too broad a brush, but is worth a rental for some amusing moments and for Sandra Bullock doing what she does best.

While respecting and enjoying the work of everyone involved, I still felt underwhelmed by this experiment in satire. Christopher Guest and his cohorts created a dead-on spoof of small-town Middle-American earnestness and delusion, but the format was perhaps too loose and too unscripted to hold together as a film, for my tastes at least. It would have made for a great 30 minute short, but at 84 minutes it felt interminable: like one of those Saturday Night Live skits that starts out funny and on the mark, but doesn't know when to quit.