Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Sh*t Sandwich

I enjoy looking through Rotten Tomatoes for movie reviews on good (and bad) films, and came across this line: "We have reached a point in our moviegoing life where the two most horrifying words a studio can mutter are "Robin" and "Williams."-John Anderson, Washington Post, reviewing Old Dogs.

Or how about this one from the same review: "When [Robin Williams] puts on the sad clown face, you may indeed laugh, at the tragedy of what happens with success in the movies, and in a culture where Americans demand so little. Travolta is simply useless in Old Dogs, but Williams is actively offensive, in the puerile manner by which he tries to milk sentimentality out of the wizened teat of Old Dogs, which will leave you howling, but only over the cost of the ticket." That is awesome. Someone's performance in a movie is so bad that it is "actively offensive."

The New York Post said: "Old Dogs does to the screen what old dogs do to the carpet. It's unfortunate that only the latter can be taken out and shot."

St. Paul newspaper: "Kids who suffer from progeria may be able to relate to Old Dogs, but it's hard to imagine anyone else fully appreciating it."

Or this: "Director Walt Becker can’t even pull off hits to the groin (you know they’re coming in a movie like this) with as much panache as an episode of America’s Funniest Home Videos."

But of course, there is the lone critic who swims against the tide. Pete Hammond of Box Office Magazine offers the sole positive review of Old Dogs, raving that it is "An often riotously funny slapstick farce that ought to appeal to moviegoers of all ages...Robin’s in great form and has terrific chemistry with Travolta as they manage to recall a modern-day Abbott And Costello."

5 comments:

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  2. Anonymous30/11/09

    You missed my favorite review from Drew McWeeny at hitfix.com...

    "If 'Old Dogs' were a person, I would stab it in the face."

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  3. Anonymous30/11/09

    Jim Bruzzese (Houston) Best Releases of 2009

    Big Star- Keep An Eye On The Sky BOX
    Yo La Tengo – Popular Songs
    Monsters of Folk (Conor Oberst, Jim James, M. Ward, Mike Mogis) – Monsters of Folk
    Wilco – Wilco (The Album)
    Chuck Prophet - Let Freedom Ring
    Superchunk, Leaves In The Gutter EP
    Joe Henry, Blood From Stars
    Liam Finn - Champagne In Seashells EP
    Magnolia Electric Co. – Josephine
    Grant-Lee Phillips - Little Moon

    Best Live Recording of 2009
    Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl Van Morrison
    Robyn Hitchcock - I Often Dream Of Trains In NewYork
    Jonathan Coulton, Best. Concert. Ever.

    Best Box Release of 2009
    Big Star- Keep An Eye On The Sky

    Best EP Release of 2009
    Superchunk, Leaves In The Gutter
    Liam Finn - Champagne In Seashells

    Honorable Mention Releases of 2009
    JJ Cale, Roll On
    Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
    Sonic Youth – The Eternal
    Dinosaur Jr. – Farm
    Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson – Break Up
    The Flaming Lips – Embryonic
    Jay Farrar and Ben Gibbard – One Fast Move or I’m Gone: Music From Kerouac’s Big Sir
    Weezer – Raditude
    Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey Cracker
    WPA, Works Progress Administration
    Roman Candle, Oh Tall Tree In The Ear
    M. Ward – Hold Time
    Pete Yorn – Back and Forth
    Tommy Keene, In The Late Bright
    Steve Earle, Townes
    Smithereens, Smithereens Play Tommy
    They Might Be Giants, Here Comes Science
    Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs – Under the Covers, Vol. 2

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  4. Anonymous30/11/09

    Way to stay on topic, Jim!

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  5. Alright Jim, I'll bite. That Big Star box is perfection, I agree. I reviewed it in detail already on this site. Wilco...eh. I also reviewed the live Van Morrison on this site. Love it. Really dig Pete Yorn's 'Back and Forth', but the other one with Scarlett is pretty useless.

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