Man On The Moon - A WOW Movie

WOW!! I love when you finish a movie and you feel that staying in your seat and letting the credits roll is......well.........the right thing to do. Of course when I come across one of these films and I sit watching the names rolling across the screen just one word comes to mind. WOW!! Why is this you wonder? Why do I feel pinned to my seat?? The super glue might explain it, but no, no the reason is you don't want to leave the reality of the film. you know that once you get up it's over. You'll have to.........well.....as Eminem put it "snap back to reality."

I just finished watching one of these WOW films Man on the Moon (1999) starring Jim Carrey as Andy Kaufman. For those who don't know, Kaufman was a famous comedian in 1970s and 1980s who was known for some very much "out there" comedy. He was called, as the critics put it, "Ten years ahead of his time." Well, twenty years later they couldn't be more accurate. His materiel was funny in the 1980s became hilarious in the 1990s and truly solidified into timelessness in the 21st century.

What makes a movie about a comedian a WOW film? Well, to put it simply, it is not a film about comedy, but about a guy who sought after new ways to get laughs. I put the word guy in that description purposefully. The film isn't about what makes good comedy, it's about Kaufman's life endeavor, staying ahead of the audience, finding as a person what makes other persons smile.

The film is done brilliantly and with heart and that is why I give it FOUR STARS. Man on the Moon is truly a WOW film.

Bonus Features That Go Above & Beyond

With today's DVD craze it has become an incentive to add new bonus features, constantly expanding the movie "experience." The problem is while some may praise the addition of commentary tracks and making of documentaries (myself included) sometimes bonus features can go.....welll.....above and....beyond....but more beyond then above. Now some of these new features may be a little odd, for example the critics commentary track on the new HD-DVD version of the Matrix (1999), but they still are mildly interesting. For those who do not know what I'm talking about: the critics discuss what makes some scenes in the film good and why others are considered to be just....ummm....sub-par.

These are not ones I call going entirely too beyond. I actually refer to one bonus feature in particular in going to new and well distasteful heights....the alternate ending on the new 3 disc collectors edition of the Titanic (1997) DVD. For those who haven't seen this alternate ending I highly recommend that you stop reading and click here. Still reading? Then I hope you've just watched it or like me actually saw it on the titanic DVD. SPOILER ALERT. The original Titanic ending was a piece of cinematic heartthrob. Forgetting the dream sequence, which if you ask me was a little cheesy, the films ending of rose dropping the hope diamond over the back of the ship as music swells was amazing. This alternate ending? This is crap. SPOILER OVER

That said, I would love to hear back comments on other poor or unusual bonus feature on different DVDs. Please let others know what unusual stuff is out there.

Slasher - Leprechan

I have decided as author of this blog that one entry truly is not enough, especially when that one entry speaks almost nothing of the world of film. So I have decided to write yet again, but this time on a film that I have just finished watching; that film is titled Leprechaun (1993).

For those who have seen the film they can skip this paragraph, for all those reading this who have not seen the film it is about (don't worry I'll keep this spoiler free) a man who travels to Ireland to spread his wife's ashes. Upon his returns he has an urn full of gold that he supposedly stole from a Leprechaun. That bit of information is simply told to the audience in the first few minutes of the film. The Leprechaun in question has managed to follow the man back to his home in the USA. The Leprechaun is then forced into a crate where he sits until the house's next owners mistakenly let him out allowing him to reek havoc until his gold is returned.

Many claim that movie is of poor quality, it is considered a horror film that is not scary, and a slasher film with very little slashing (not to say that it is without its share of bloodshed). I, for one, happen to disagree with these people. Those who can appreciate a slasher film understand that this has all the elements necessary while still holding onto much of its unique charm. The elements that are necessary, which I will go into deeper in a later blog entry, are: 1) has a plot which is almost irrelevant (which like I pointed out in the summary is simply told in the first few minutes) 2) takes death lightly enough that while is contains lends thrills to the squeamish it does not deeply disturb in anyway 3) It understands to not take itself too literally, which the audience will not do whether the director wanted them to or not 4) It has a whimsy that films like Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) capture so well, that is to say, the killer is both scary, comical, and witty in the same breath.

That said I give this film 2 and 1/2 stars, not because I didn't enjoy it immensely, but rather because when compared to the best of this genre it is not perfect.

On a side note this is a good film to check out if your a Jennifer Anniston fan because it is was her first full length film. I have to admit she pulls pulls of the role of scared teenybopper most splendidly at the age of 25, but of course that she has seemed to hold that role through it's many forms throughout her career.

To make my point in short, this is a good film to check out for cheap thrills in the slasher genre but don't get carried away on trying to make sense of it. The good news is if you like it their are four sequels which lend to many more hours of enjoyment.

The Opening

As I sit here at 12:19, early on a Sunday morning I decide to write. Of course the question that plagues all authors before they have even set pen to paper.....(or would that be keyboard to monitor.......that doesn't rreeaalllly make sence.....anyway).....is what should they write about. Of course while many bloggers painstakingly lay out the details to vacations that only a handful of people care about for approximately a week after those words have so carefully been planned and written, I on the other the hand do not wish to bore you with a topic that is well.........boring. So in light of that idea I write about something that is just the opposite: something that can inspire, something that can cause debate, something that can make one hell of a lot of money, and of course what that thing is...is film. So, that said I ask continue to read this blog over the coming weeks and help me delve into what little insight I have about that little niche of the art world: cinema.