Affectionately Yours, Screwtape: The Devil and C.S. Lewis (2007)

Here is an old-school documentary on the context and message of The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, a classic work of Christian literature that is easily understandable, relevant to readers of any level, and likely to remain a popular tome for centuries. The documentary is reputable and informative, however, it is relatively dry, since it seems intended for Sunday school or church-based audiences. (Another reviewer said it would put her grade-school students to sleep within 3 minutes.) In other words, a rolling narrative of talking heads, commentary, and dramatization is spread across a video stream of medieval and classical artwork depicting the origins and conceptions of the devil, describing the literary and biblical influences C.S. Lewis would have known and used. Three talking heads (Dr. Bruce L. Edwards of Bowling Green State U, Dr. Scott Calhoun of Cedarville U, and Fr. Joseph Goetz, a doctoral graduate of Cambridge U) know the subject well and ably present their message. The weakness of this film is its narration and dramatizations (from an actor standing in as C.S. Lewis who repeatedly gazes up in the air with furrowed brow, then nods his head and resumes writing, to the mildly sinister Wormwood, whose voice frequency is altered to also sound sinister). I would more highly recommend this production if it were presented as audio only, and all voice talent besides the talking heads were improved. 3.5 stars. (8-31-2016)

Scary Movie (2000)

Like the goofball film Crazy People, Scary Movie isn't one of those movies you review seriously. It is not as funny as Airplane! or as slapstick as Naked Gun, but it is passably well done and funny; kudos to the Wayans brothers. More than this, however, Scary Movie was noteworthy to a new generation, and so it launched a franchise (Scary Movie 2 through 5), not to mention the Not Another movies, much less Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th. So it's all good. I have yet to see Scary Movie 4 and 5 to finish the series, but my impression at this juncture is that Scary Movie 2 and 3 are the best of the first three (and the buzz says Scary Movie 5 is the worst of the set). The scene setups and outright spoofs in the first Scary Movie are good, but I seem to recall them being stronger in Scary Movie 2 and 3. In fact, I would have given this film 3.5 stars to match my rating for the second and third movies, but I do not appreciate amped-up adolescents binge drinking and pot smoking in my entertainment. Since it was there, blue smoke was used to passable comic effect -- it just could have been funnier, like many things. To sum up, the jokes in Scary Movie are not dead-on bulleye hits, but they land on or sometimes graze the torso, and the target demographic gives the ones doing the riffing a thumbs up for effort. Enjoy! 3 stars. (8-31-2016)

Angry Harvest (1985)

Angry Harvest is indeed a complex tale -- of a prosperous peasant, a brave coward, a grasping protector, a tragic samaritan, and a killer who claims innocence. Armin Mueller-Stahl is superb in any role, with his eyes twinkling like turquoise or glinting like flint. In this role, he finds a Jewish woman in the woods who escaped from a death camp train and takes her into hiding -- not fully through altruism, we learn, since he is lonely ... grope-y ... even rape-y. While not as explicit and ironic as Amadeus, Angry Harvest really gets toasty when we see the condition of this man's faith. Among other things, one of his arguments for her to love him is that she should convert to "the right religion." He also appeals to the pastor's sister to go in his stead on what he believes may be a suicide mission -- then later tells the pastor he is innocent in her death. Here is a movie that will stick to your ribs -- or pierce them a bit. Enjoy! 4.5 stars. (8-26-2016)

Poochini: Coffee Dog (2002)

Netflix finally delivered this disc into my hands after more than 8 years. (It was a Save title until a year or two ago, then a Very Long Wait title until my queue juggling paid off.) Like Dorf on Golf, I had no good reason to see it beyond a guilty pleasure -- I just liked the idea of a dog named Poochini with a jonesing for java. The disc contains the title cartoon plus 3 "bonus" cartoons, each running 9.5 minutes for a total of 38 minutes. (They actually come from Episodes 1abc and 14b of Poochini's Yard, a 26-episode cartoon series.) The intro is a bit like The Nanny, if drawn by the Tex Avery studios -- intentionally dorky, occasionally grotesque. (Half of the son's nose is nostril holes, but I like the biker/ZZ-Topp neighbors, and the homeless guy seems to have a Yale accent.) Poochini going ape over coffee is the entire premise of the title 'toon. I enjoyed it -- but I have a weakness for physical comedy. In the other 'toons, Poochini's manic joi de vivre is toned down a bit when he goes jumping into leaf piles, when he is shoved down a giant mole tunnel to stop the destruction of the father's perfect lawn, and when he gets conked on the noggin and tries to remember what a "dog" is. Poochini's voice (Billy West) has a distinctly Latino accent, almost reminiscent of Fairly Odd Parents' Juandissimo (Carlos Alazraqui). If you are so inclined to such cartoon silliness, enjoy! 3 stars. (8-23-2016)

High Hopes (1988)

High Hopes is a gem from Mike Leigh, the master of impromptu dialog, that I would watch again and again to witness human dynamics that are often shocking, though ultimately reassuring. Set in London, two thirtysomething couples that are polar opposites interact with each other, with the elderly mother of humble Cyril and unhinged Valerie, and with several others. Valerie is a real piece of work, with her manic laughter, self-centeredness, and toadying to the rich. She is likely a narcissist who is hollow inside. (She is quite aggravating, but we also see some of her pain, which humanizes her.) Cyril's 10-year partner Shirley is kindhearted, while Valerie's husband is a womanizer. The frail and elderly mother is the center of the story, however. She is treated so poorly by everyone but Cyril and Shirley that I can only imagine, behind her pained expression, that she is lamenting how she raised such a daughter and how difficult the rest of her life has now become -- but there is hope. High Hopes flows because of its long takes and an intimate chemistry between the actors; you may never doubt they are family members with a long history together. Even the rich neighbors are insufferable in their own smug narrative. You have to listen closely to catch all the dialog. Enjoy! 4.5 stars. (8-11-2016)

David Cross: Making America Great Again! (2016)

David Cross speaks slowly, making significantly long dramatic pauses (once up to 40 seconds), for the first 40% of this show before he hits his stride with Donald Trump, and then hits his usual touchstones (gun control, religious intolerance, masturbation). He is reasonably funny on Trump and gun control, and goes easy on (and even compliments) organized religion. I like his political and historical observations, which happen to be correct. (The Status of Liberty welcomes immigrants, not persecutes them.) Enjoy! 3 stars. (8-6-2016)

Lovely & Amazing (2002)

I enjoy Emily Mortimer, esp. here as a model with body issues, but Catherine Keener as the frazzled housewife and wannabe actress/artist holds her own even without Emily's assets. Brenda Blethyn is the queen mother whose insecurities were inherited by her two genetic daughters. Raven Goodwin plays her 8-year-old adopted black daughter, who can be a pistol when she wants attention too. Emily plays the "lovely and amazing" daughter who only seeks the clarity and grounding she needs to stand firm. Catherine, we conclude, may never take herself seriously or realistically. Misogynists tend to pan a movie as a "chick flick" when it deals with emotions or male/female relationships (which misogynists do not want to discuss), but this film is properly called a "chick flick" because it presents mostly women discussing women's issues. As such, it is not about events happening in the visible world so much as it is about inner emotional landscapes, skirmishes, and victories. It is in this world that Lovely & Amazing excels. Enjoy! 4.5 stars. (8-5-2016)

High Crimes (2002)

High Crimes is basically Basic meets Class Action in San Francisco. The acting is good across the board but no great shakes. The story arc is not so much predictable as rounding all the bases. For me, Morgan Freeman is generally in 5-star movies (like Shawshank Redemption) and Ashley Judd is in 4-star movies (like Kiss the Girls). I like The Bone Collector (3 stars) less than, but Along Came a Spider (4 stars) more than, High Crimes (3.5 stars). Enjoy! (8-5-2016)

Funny or Die Presents: Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal: The Movie (2016)

Funny or Die is usually hilarious. Maybe a 50-minute movie format (with 5 minutes for intro and credits) is just harder to sustain. The script and actors seem especially suspect in this case. The best parts are Ron Howard's introduction on how he discovered this videotape (but not his epilogue at the end) and the scene showing the New York Zoning Commission. I did not know until the end that Johnny Depp played Trump, and he played it so straight that I could barely tell this is supposed to be a satire. Patton Oswalt as Merv Griffin had one line that made me smile. The German architect was a little funny. Christopher Lloyd's cameo was chuckleworthy. The rest of it was a long, slow slog about a guy who is all about himself -- too scary to be funny, much less president? It is not a political hatchet job though, strictly historical in the cheesy 1970s sense. 2.5 stars. (8-5-2016)

Bye-Bye Bin Laden (2009)

As I write this review, Bye-Bye Bin Laden shows an average of 2.1 stars among 348 ratings, and mine will be the second 2-star review; four other reviews are 5 stars, and two glowingly praise the producer or production, even comparing it to Adult Swim. (Can you say "apple polishing"?) This 72-minute waste of time takes 12 minutes to set up the premise, which is: Bin Laden and Mullah Omar (whose eye patch constantly switches sides, ha ha) consider promoting Taliban thuggery by airing TV show knock-offs of American Idol, Gilligan's Island, I Love Lucy (riffing on the cupcake factory scene using anthrax), and Jeopardy. Meanwhile, a much taller President Bush and his wayward daughter Jenna compete with their own lackluster talent shows. You must be warned that the music throughout this production sounds like it was lifted from a Casio keyboard during a grade school or summer camp skit rehearsal. The singing is cringingly off-key, the audio is muffled, and the animation is not very good. (Many scenes skip along at 1 frame per second.) Most importantly, the songs ramble (both lyrically and melodically) but get good marks for vocabulary, and the whole silly thing is just not funny (it's barely even silly). The only part I appreciated (goosing my review up to 2 stars) was the Jeopardy segment, where a starving emburqahed woman was constantly asking for food ("--or else cigarettes, they're delicious!"). No way does this excretion compare with the genius that is Adult Swim. You will be much better served by watching Li'l Bush or the South Park episode where the US invaded Afghanistan. 2 stars. (8-4-2016)