Jeff's Reviews

Thoughts on every movie I've ever seen.

recent product reviews

The Blues Brothers (1980)

Reviewed on Sep 23, 2005

Aykroyd and Belushi aren’t terribly cool or funny. This movie is really just an excuse to get some cool performers together for some jamming. Brown, Hooker, and Charles turn in good performances. But while Franklin’s acting is good, her lip-synced performance is awful. The comedy and timing is a bit…

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In Good Company (2004)

Reviewed on Sep 14, 2005

The Secret of my Success storyline is not taken seriously enough, and Grace isn’t funny or charming enough. I’ve always liked Quaid. He’s never broken out with an Oscar-worthy performance, but he’s always been solid.

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Joe Dirt (2001)

Reviewed on Sep 12, 2005

Probably intended to be a similar type of vehicle to Spade as Austin Powers was to Mike Myers. But this one’s not quite as funny. Pressly is stunning.

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Super Troopers (2001)

Reviewed on Sep 5, 2005

Dumb. Where’s the comedy? That “Whoah, we’re so drunk/wasted!” humor doesn’t do it for me. I get the feeling that there are a lot of inside law enforcement jokes here…

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Wedding Crashers (2005)

Reviewed on Sep 5, 2005

Very funny, with some real heart at its center. If anything, it drags on a bit at the end. Great timing and classic characters. Wilson and Vaughn play off each other very well, and their dialogue (a lot of which seems ad-libbed) is very natural and sharp. McAdams is pretty…

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The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Reviewed on Aug 29, 2005

While the flashbacks paint a picture of the character, it’s not enough to make the cliamactic suffering palatable. He suffered. That point is made sickeningly clear. But without the character build, it’s way overdone. Gibson seems to have a thing for dramatic torture, as it is also featured in the…

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The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)

Reviewed on Aug 27, 2005

Funny. Carell’s got talent. Too many super close-ups of his face, though.

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Super Size Me (2004)

Reviewed on Aug 27, 2005

Spurlock’s carefully researched discussion of the fast food industry, interspersed with playful but informative animation and editing, is educational and eye-opening. Like Michael Moore, he is resourceful, eloquent, and funny. Spurlock takes a leg up by sacrificing his own well-being to make his point.

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Arlington Road (1999)

Reviewed on Aug 25, 2005

Probably the best of the mad bomber movies, and the second for Bridges. Thr paranoia storyline is pretty good, but I’m not sold on the fact that Fenimore was counting on Faraday choosing the wrong van to follow on the way to he FBI building. Robbins seems to prefer these…

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Bad Santa (2003)

Reviewed on Aug 24, 2005

The whole “mean Santa” thing is a laugh, but it can’t sustain a whole movie. And when we realize that he’s a genuine asshole, it’s hard to recover. And it almost does. Thornton’s great, and the kid’s good, too.

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