Film Review: MAN ON THE MOON (1999)

Director: Milos Forman
Writers: Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski
Running time: 118 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15
Genre: Biography/Drama/Comedy
UK Release date: 5^th May 2000
Watched on Sky+ Saturday 4^th February 2012.
PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.
This is a film I have seen three times now and I must admit I love it! Apart from his portrayal of Latka (I know I spelt that right) on the TV show ‘Taxi’, I knew very little about Andy Kaufman. Of course much of his work was focused on the US and so we didn’t really hear much about it here in the UK. He was quite a character who had a very controversial career, some of it worked and was brilliant and some of it was a bit too wide of the mark for many. Either way, I found it a very interesting and entertaining film with a stand-out performance from Jim Carrey. I will tell you more after this brief summary.
We begin with a very young Andy Kaufman putting on shows for his kid sister. Moving on, he’s doing stand-up in a club when an agent, George Shapiro, sees him and offers to represent him. This leads to him landing the role of Latka in ‘Taxi’, a role which, we are lead to believe, he didn’t really want to do. Another character, Tony Clifton, puts in an appearance at this point. He is a cabaret singer and a very good friend of Andy’s; in fact, Andy would only agree to play the part of Latka if Tony could also appear in the show. Moving on, Andy and his writing partner, Bob Zmuda, turn their attention to wrestling and Andy begins to play the bad guy, wrestling women. One of the top wrestlers in the country, Jerry Lawler, doesn’t like it and challenges Kaufman to a fight! It all comes to a head when they come to blows live on the David Letterman chat show. Little did people realise, but it was all staged and Kaufman and Lawler were really good friends. Andy eventually meets Lynne Marguiles who becomes his partner and they move in together. Sadly, it’s not long after that he is diagnosed with cancer. Whilst fighting it he fulfils his lifetime ambition and puts on a show at Carnegie Hall in New York. I will leave it there or the Spoiler Police (Biopics Division) will be making my biopic a little shorter.
A well made film with many people playing themselves which is either a testament to Andy Kaufman… or they needed the work (that’s a joke by the way). For me, the stand-out performance came from Jim Carrey as Andy Kaufman; his best performance to date (IMO)! Danny DeVito did a great job as George Shapiro, as did Courtney Love as Lynne Marguiles and Paul Giamatti as Bob Zmuda. But, for me, a film that can bring together the likes of; Marilu Henner from ‘Taxi’, Judd Hirsch from ‘Taxi’, Carol Kane from ‘Taxi’, David Letterman and Christopher Lloyd from ‘Taxi’ has to have something special.
I think the reason I like Jim Carrey in this so much is that it gives him the opportunity to play the crazy zany stuff he’s famous for while at the same time giving him the chance to show the audience what a fine dramatic actor he is as well. The title comes from the REM song about Andy of the same name, refrains of which can be heard throughout the film, which I thought was a nice touch. As I said at the beginning this is the third time I’ve watched this film and it’s the third time it’s touched me emotionally. Not many films do that these days and so I have no problem in giving it a higher score than many and also deeming it ‘highly recommended’.
My score: 8.6/10
IMDb Score: 7.4/10 (based on 59,843 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0125664/
Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 62/100 (based on 117 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 74/100 (based on 89,423 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1093579-man_on_the_moon/
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FAVOURITE QUOTES: George Shapiro: You're insane, but you might also be brilliant.
Andy Kaufman: I am from Caspiar, an Island in the Caspian Sea. It sunk.
Tony Clifton: Can I use the bathroom? I may have shit my pants.
Security Guard: Not on the lot.
Tony Clifton: Drink of water?
Security Guard: [shakes head]
Tony Clifton: Aspirin?
Security Guard: [shakes head]
Tony Clifton: Moist Towelette?
Security Guard: [shakes head]
Tony Clifton: Well, in that case, a good day.
George Shapiro: Andy, you have to look inside and ask this question: who are you trying to entertain - the audience or yourself?
Andy Kaufman: Since you've all been such good boys and girls, I would like to take everybody in this entire audience out for milk and cookies. There are buses outside. Everybody follow me.
Tony Clifton: So... ya wanna see Andy? Anybody gotta flashlight and a couple of shovels?
LINKS: (Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.universalpictures.com/manonthemoon/
Trailer:

Film Review: ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (2004)

Director: Michel Gondry
Writers: Charlie Kaufman (Story/Screenplay), Michel Gondry (Story) & Pierre Bismuth (Story)
Running time: 108 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Drama/Romance/Sci-Fi
UK Release date: 30^th April 2004

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 31^st January 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is a film I saw several years ago and immediately fell in love with. I thought it would be interesting to give it another viewing just to see how well it’s stood up in the intervening years. Well I’m pleased to report, it does pretty well; if anything, I like it slightly more after this most recent viewing. I will tell you more after this brief summary.

We begin with a couple meeting on a train for the first time. They are Joel Barish and Clementine Kruczynski. Everything seems to be going very well and then the mood suddenly changes. Joel is in his car banging his head against the steering wheel; very upset, almost inconsolable. He eventually finds out that Clementine has undergone a procedure to erase him from her memory. Unable to live with that, he decides to do the same. It is through this process that we see their entire relationship from the end to the beginning. Will it be successful, or is Joel doomed to live with his grief? Well obviously I can’t tell you that or the Spoiler Police will be erasing my memory (some say they already have!).

Beautifully made with some outstanding (& very subtle) CGI; I really love the way small things are erased as a scene progresses, or they go out of focus so you get the impression of memories being lost. The performances are all excellent too; especially Jim Carrey as Joel Barish (I really wish he would take more parts like this, he’s very good at it) and Kate Winslet who played Clementine Kruczynski perfectly; in fact she got an Oscar for it! Honourable mentions go to; Elijah Wood as Patrick, Mark Ruffalo as Stan, Kirsten Dunst as Mary and Tom Wilkinson as Dr. Mierzwiak.

[Spoiler Alert]
There are several sub-plots that I have not included in the main summary that serve to show the imperfections in the process Joel and Clementine have undergone. This takes the film to a higher lever for me, it illustrates that no matter what, there may be a person you are supposed to be with. I don’t know whether that’s true or not, but it’s a concept that (I know) many cling to. But back to the film… It’s really well made with some excellent performances; very well written (another Oscar for that), one that’s quirky and quite bizarre in places, but also quite unique and one I have no problem in deeming ‘Highly Recommended’.

My score: 9.1/10

IMDb Score: 8.5/10 (based on 297,486 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0338013/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 93/100 (based on 218 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 93/100 (based on 503,889 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/eternal_sunshine_of_the_spotless_mind/#

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FAVOURITE QUOTES:
[first lines]
Joel: [voice over] random thoughts for Valentine's day, 2004. Today is a holiday invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap.

Joel: [narration as Clementine acknowledges him by raising her coffee mug] Why do I fall in love with every woman I see who shows me the least bit of attention?

Clementine: Hi!
Joel: Excuse me?
Clementine: I just said hi.
Joel: Oh! Hi, hello.
Clementine: I'm Clementine... No jokes about my name.
Joel: I don't know any jokes about your name.
Clementine: Huckleberry Hound.
Joel: I don't know what that is.
Clementine: Huckleberry Hound!
[singing]
Clementine: Oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling Clementine.
Joel: I don't know what that means.
Clementine: Are you NUTS?
Joel: It's been suggested.

[Mary reads to Dr. Mierzwiak out of "Bartlett's Familiar Quotations"; the lines are from Alexander Pope's poem "Eloisa to Abelard"]
Mary: How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! / The world forgetting, by the world forgot / Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! / Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.universalstudiosentertainment.com/eternal-sunshine-of-the-spotless-mind/
Trailer:

Film Review: DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL (2009)

Writer (Screenplay)/Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writer (Novel): Charles Dickens
Running time: 96 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): PG

Genre: Animation/Drama/Family
UK Release date: 4^th November 2009

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 26^th November 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I remember this coming out in theatres and deciding I’d wait for it to come on TV. It didn’t really appeal to me and anyway it was another vehicle for the 3D ‘phenomenon’ that I want no part of. So, time passed and it finally arrived on my TV screen and I must say I’m glad I waited. It’s very well made and beautiful to look at, but for me, sadly, that’s where it ends. A very well known story and so I’ll make my summary very brief and to the point before I give you more of my thoughts.

Ebenezer Scrooge is a miser, he keeps his money very close to his chest and really doesn’t like spending any of it. He treats his only living relative, his nephew Fred, as badly as he treats his clerk, Bob Cratchit. His business partner, Marley, had been dead seven years when he is visited by Marley’s ghost. The ghost warns him that if he does not change his ways he will be doomed, like him, to wander eternity in chains. Scrooge is to be visited by three ghosts who will each show him the error of his ways in an effort to make him mend them. Will the miserly Scrooge be swayed by what they show him? Well, the Spoiler Police (Classics Division) have deterred me from revealing the answer here, so I’ll end my summary on that cliff-hanger.

As I’ve already said, it’s a beautiful film to look at, with some excellent animation, although I did find the picture a tad dark at times (& I wasn’t even watching in 3D!). The music was every bit as expected the traditional Carols and classical tunes of the day, fitted the visuals perfectly. Many of the voices of the main characters, and the ghosts (except Marley) were performed by Jim Carrey, who I must say, did an excellent job. Other voices were supplied by; Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Cary Elwes, Robin Wright and Bob Hoskins, amongst others. All did an excellent job also.

I guess the clue is in the title… DISNEY’S A Christmas Carol… and it is very much a Disney film, although I did find the story a lot darker than I expected. My favourite adaptations of this story have always been comedies; films like ‘Scrooged’ and ‘A Muppet Christmas Carol’, both of which I have reviewed previously, are far superior (IMO). I guess this adaptation didn’t work so well for me because it did stick quite closely to the original novel (with a few twists), and as such it doesn’t quite work for a modern audience. It plays very much on Scrooge being in fear of his mortal soul and, for many, I think that is of very little, or no, consequence in modern society. It’s still very well made, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend it for the very young… some of the ghosts are pretty scary. Over all, sadly, not recommended.

My score: 5.8/10

IMDb Score: 6.9/10 (based on 22,962 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1067106/

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 53/100 (based on 183 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10008502-christmas_carol/

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FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Ebenezer Scrooge: What do you want with me?
Jacob Marley: You will be haunted by three spirits.
Ebenezer Scrooge: I'd rather not.

Fred: A Merry Christmas to you, uncle!
Ebenezer Scrooge: Bah! Humbug... What reason have you to be merry? You're poor enough.
Fred: What reason have you to be so dismal? You're rich enough.
Ebenezer Scrooge: BAH! Humbug!

[last lines]
Tiny Tim: God bless us. Every one.

LINKS:
Official Site: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/achristmascarol/?cmp=dcom_VAN_WDSHE_ACC_van_dcomcc__Extl
Trailer:

Film Review: I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS (2009)

Directors: Glenn Ficarra & John Requa
Running time: 94 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Comedy/Drama
UK Release date: 17th March 2010

Watched on Sky+ Friday 11th March 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is a film I never thought I’d see… It’s really not my kind of thing. But it has been recommended several times, even by respected critics, and so when it came up on TV I thought I’d better give it a watch. There are some good performances and it works quite well as a comedy, but I found it more tragic than anything else. I will explain that later, but here’s a brief summary first (summary haters and those that don’t wish to know anything about the plot please help that guy over the wall while I write the next paragraph).

At the beginning of the film Steven Russell is a happily married cop with a beautiful wife, Deb, and a daughter. He is keeping a secret from them and, after a traffic accident; he decides to let it all out… He’s gay (hope that’s not a spoiler!). He leaves Deb and begins to live a life of excess, but as he soon discovers, ‘being gay is really expensive!’ This doesn’t deter Steven; he begins a series of scams and cons in order to finance his new found freedom. Unfortunately, there are consequences and eventually these catch up with him and he ends up in jail. There he meets the soft-spoken Phillip Morris and instantly falls in love with him. When they are released from jail the pair lives together and Steven gets a job… But he is keeping a secret from Phillip… I’ll leave it there in the interests of not giving spoilers away.

Based on a true story, and obviously a lot of poetic licence, I found this film entertaining at times, but also quite tragic. It was tragic in that the Steven Russell character finds it so hard to stop himself from conning people and no effort is made to stop him, or at least rehabilitate him. Even his lover doesn’t seem to recognise that he has a serious problem. Or maybe I’m just reading too much into it… Performance wise, Jim Carrey did a great job as Steven Russell, he’s bold, brash and everything you’d expect from Carrey. He does show he can do the dramatic stuff too, there are hints of the excellent work he did in The Truman Show (1998) and Man on the Moon (1999). I hardly recognised Ewan McGregor as Phillip Morris; he puts in the best performance in the film (IMO). Honourable mentions go to Leslie Mann as Deb and Rodrigo Santoro as Jimmy.

So, over all, it’s quite an entertaining film, in parts, but one that just didn’t quite hang together (for me). I felt the cons came too much to the fore and the relationship between Steven Russell and Phillip Morris became secondary. At the end of the day I didn’t quite believe the love story and so all that Steven Russell did just became ‘crazy antics’. Having said that, it’s still quite watchable… but not one I’ll watch again… Recommended, but just for one viewing.

My score: 6.3/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1045772/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_love_you_phillip_morris/
Official Site: http://www.phillipmorrismovie.net/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi4149844249/