Movie Review:THE WORK AND THE GLORY: AMERICAN ZION -- by naudy (1)

There comes a point when one realizes that :

1. People are really just blood thirsty monkeys
2. People, when they're afraid, make very bad decisions
3. People, in general and specifically, suck

This was reinforced to me last night as I watched this film. You might think I'm talking about the mobs portrayed in this movie, the groups of men who felt threatened and started killing people. Or, you might think I'm talking about the First Mormon Batallion who thought it was a good idea to walk to Missouri and kick some butt. I'm not talking about any of these characters. I'm talking about the men who made this film. Bloodthirsty monkeys like to make movies about guys getting beaten up by other guys. Lots of loving shots of shirts being ripped off and naked man chest and (badly)acted agony. Filmakers, when dealing with a lousy soap-opera-y book, a pointless story, and Larry H. Miller, feel fear and make very bad decisions. (i.e. actually making this film.) And, the guys who made this movie HAVE to personally suck 'cause they wouldn't have made all the lame decisions they made if they wern't.

I went to a free showing and it wasn't worth it. The ONLY good thing was the last five minutes when I got the giggles 'cause the "sexy bad" brother ripped his shirt off, lit his house on fire, and then walked away -- well oiled -- from the blaze. It made me laugh 'cause he had so much oil on him that he looked like he had just gotten up from a massage. The rest of the time I just rolled my eyes and worked hard to not actually yell at the screen.

Terrible terrible movie.

Best of "The Muppet Show" on DVD -- by naudy

It's nice to know some things really are as good as you remember them. The Muppet Show, wholesome, full of bad puns, and featuring such guest stars as Julie Andrews and Alice Cooper, probably did more to mold and shape my personality than anything else. This weekend I watched 21 episodes of The Muppet Show and the one underlying theme is:

You don't have to be just like everyone else.

Yeah, I know, it's been said before, but the Muppets sort of live the dream. It has a lot to do with Jim Henson deciding that he could make a career by playing with hand puppets made out of his mom's old coats. Sam the Eagle ,with all his "you people are WEIRDOS" cracks, is the (slightly ridiculous) Man who told Jim he couldn't do it. Sam is also the same sort of character who sends me hate mail if I say I'm against the draft. Miss Piggy, a result of that little sexual revolution America had, is delightful because she happens to be more "human" (i.e. imperfect but still cool) than a lot of the other impossible ideals created since. It's fun to watch Animal and James Coburn together explored the concepts of aggression and meditation. I'm always delighted to cach the tail end of one of Janice's stories about her fights with her mom. Scooter is the ultimate techie, all the musicians act exactly like musicians (they're rowdy and when stuff gets bad they get out) and Statler & Waldorf make fun of the Muppets and look around to make sure everyone heard them. Gonzo, (the word itself being Boston slang term for the last man standing after a drinking contest) is the ultimate weirdo. He's unafraid to pursue his own interests, he's in love with chickens (though has has dated a cow), he takes photo essays of people's knees, and he likes being shot out of cannons. He's not even of an identifiable breed/type/race. Conveniantly, the Muppet mindset tied in perfectly with '70's culture, but it really is Jim behind everything. Kermit The Frog, like Mickey Mouse, is truly the inner self of Jim Henson.

So, it's nice to see these shows resurrected on DVD. The DVDs are put out by Time-LIFE-Whoever, and were intented to be subcribed to. So, rather than being purchased in a box set like most telvision shows, you just buy three episodes at a time. The episodes unfortunately aren't in chronological order, which is a shame. I would much prefer to watch the show and characters evolve instead of having a "themed" DVD. (Alice Cooper and Vincent Price are on the same DVD.) However, what's done is done, and it's good to see the gang again.

UNDERWORLD EVOLUTION

I'm not even going to try. This guy's review says it all...

http://moviebob.blogspot.com/2006/01/review-underworld-evolution.html