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Showing posts with the label robin williams

IS BICENTENNIAL MAN ANY GOOD?

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We ask only the important questions on podcast  The Big Rewind .

RV - REVIEW

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Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, RV was a family comedy released in 2006 about a father's Hawaii holiday plans falling through due to work being dumped on him at the last minute and his messy attempt at a backup holiday as he loads his family in a cheap RV and heads for the Rockies. Road trip movies about people being forced to jump in a clunky vehicle before facing various goofy adventures aren't exactly a rarity: from the National Lampoon's Vacation films to About Schmidt , Little Miss Sunshin e , an entire season of Weeds , Dumb & Dumber and many others, it's something of a comedy tradition so finding a new take on it isn't exactly easy. It's a weird challenge for a talented director like Sonnenfeld to take up but if someone could make it work, it would be him. Robin Williams is Bob Munro, the father who leads his family into a predictably disastrous holiday that's really just an excuse to secretly attend a work meeting, and he brings just the rig

TOYS - REVIEW

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Robin Williams stars in this surreal comedy from 1992 directed by Barry Levinson in which a toy factory is handed over to a sadistic army General who uses its resources to create war toys. A box-office flop, Toys famously did not exactly wow critics and audiences alike even if it did receive some praise for its creative visuals. Indeed, the René Magritte-inspired art direction and costumes earned the film some Oscar nominations but little else about it managed to charm anyone. The main complaint being that, while Toys is rich in fancy sets, it is weak in terms of story and character and with a running time of over two hours that's a legitimate concern. On paper, this is a simple, straight-forward story and yet in Levinson's hands it's borderline incomprehensible. Every scene aims to entertain by showing you increasingly whimsical stuff but it all falls flat due to a lifeless, unfunny script and some criminally underwritten characters. Tonally, the film is also off as

A MERRY FRIGGIN' CHRISTMAS - REVIEW

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One of Robin Williams' last films, A Merry Friggin' Christmas got a limited release in 2014 so you shouldn't be too surprised if you missed it. Unfortunately, good Christmas movies are hard to come by so let's see if this one is worth checking out. The film sees Boyd Mitchler (Joel McHale) and his wife Luann (Lauren Graham) having to spend Christmas with Boyd's father Virgil (Williams), who doesn't get along with his son, and the rest of the family. Boyd's primary goal, to keep the magic of Christmas alive for his young son, is soon put in jeopardy when he realises he forgot the kid's presents back home. He jumps in his car and sets off to recover them but he faces several setbacks along the way. In the vein of Bad Santa , this is a black comedy with a dash of Christmas spirit and it's a refreshing change from the sappy releases this season tends to churn out. This one isn't too focused on gross-out humour and, instead, it prioritises the t

INSOMNIA - REVIEW

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Before Christopher Nolan's name was synonymous with big, high-concept sci-fi blockbusters but after the director's breakout hit Memento , he made Insomnia , an Alaska-set remake of the 1997 cult Norwegian thriller. The film sees Al Pacino play an ageing detective who travels to Alaska to try and solve a murder case. After he mistakenly shoots his partner in the fog while following the killer, he attempts to cover up his blunder but he is soon blackmailed by the murderer. The lack of any sleep also starts to confuse the detective and his insomnia plays tricks with his memory. Insomnia was released the same year as One Hour Photo , a film which also starred Robin Williams in a creepy against-type role. The fact that the actor and comedian agreed to tackle two chilling characters in a row was a bold move which showed great versatility, especially since he did such a brilliant job in both movies. And Death To Smoochy , of course. Insomnia often gets forgotten as a Christop

BICENTENNIAL MAN - REVIEW

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Based on a novella (and a novel) by sci-fi maestro Isaac Asimov, Bicentennial Man had one wacky premise to work with and it sure rolled with it: a robot butler living for 200 years and, in that time, becoming a living, breathing human being. Robin Williams stars as Andrew, the candid android bought by Sam Neill's family and, for a good portion of the film, he is in full robot attire looking like an old-fashioned automaton you'd see in a comic strip from the 50's. And, as odd as that sounds, seeing as the film is set in the not-so-distant future of 2005, that adds some retro charm to the film. Since Bicentennial Man, of course, spans a heck of a lot of years, the movie approaches Andrew's story a little like Forrest Gump as we skip through the years, occasionally checking in on what the android is up to. The character is pretty naive throughout, even if he does grow gradually and, by the end of the movie you do feel like he's been through a lot. That said, the

GOTHAMIZED: GHOSTBUSTERS V BATMAN - PODCAST

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Gothamized  is a completely unofficial guide to new series  Gotham  and a debate arena for all things Batman. CLICK HERE TO PLAY THE EPISODE CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE EPISODE In this fourth episode, we discuss Pierce Brosnan, ice bucket challenges, Ghostbusters, Mystery Of The Batwoman, The Red Hood and we end with a riddle. Hope you enjoy it! You can also find us on podcast  The Big Rewind  (available on iTunes) and send us emails with your Bat-questions, Six Degrees challenges and riddles here:  gothamized@gmail.com (for the pilot episode  CLICK HERE )

GOOD WILL HUNTING - REVIEW

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Taking a break in between Kevin Smith movies, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon wrote and starred in Good Will Hunting , the film which not only earned them an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay but put them on the map as actors to look out for. Of course, they would both go on to star in "Good Will Hunting 2: Hunting Season" (see Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back ) and one of them is now Batman but that's another story. The film sees a brainy yet volatile janitor solve a complicated equation on an MIT chalkboard before a professor notices his impressive capabilities and encourages him to become his protégé. Unfortunately, young Will Hunting (Matt Damon) has just been arrested for assault and he's showing no improvements in his personality. Therefore, Stellan Skarsgård's professor makes him see a therapist in order to stay out of jail and perhaps live up to his full potential eventually. After going through a bunch of ineffectual doctors, Hunting meets Dr. Sean Mag

MRS DOUBTFIRE - REVIEW

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The very definition of a classic family flick, Mrs Doubtfire is one of those rare movies you watch and enjoy loads as a kid but then re-appreciate as an adult. And, following the heartbreaking loss of comic genius Robin Williams, this is the perfect movie to watch as a tribute to the late actor as, chances are, you first saw this one when quite young so you'll get to revisit why you and everyone fell in love with the guy and this film all these years ago. Mrs Doubtfire's premise is, at heart, a rather sad one: a father is told he can only see his kids once a week after his wife demands a divorce (on her kid's birthday, no less) and, out of desperation, passes himself off as an aged female British nanny just so he can spend time with the kids he loves. As you do. Ok, so it's not exactly plausible but it's a comedy so you kinda have to buy it even if it's highly unlikely that a family would get fooled this easily in real life. Williams plays a Mel Blan

THE BIG REWIND: EPISODE 41 - PODCAST

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In this 41st episode, Adam (aka The RetroCritic) and fellow film buff Jamie discuss movie news, review Guardians Of The Galaxy and pay tribute to Robin Williams. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE EPISODE CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE EPISODE Email us here if you have any questions, requests or contributions:  bigrewindpodcast@gmail.com Or simply comment below :) Oh and you can also find us on  iTunes  where you can subscribe to the podcast and download every episode thusfar! @TheRetroCritic #TheBigRewind retrocriticblog.blogspot.com thebigrewind.blogspot.com youtube.com/TheRetroCritic youtube.com/Cablogula

ROBIN WILLIAMS (1951-2014)

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Today we lost not only a Hollywood and comedy icon but an inspiration. I can't speak for everyone but, for me personally, Robin Williams was more than just another actor: his work was a huge part of my childhood and, in a way, he helped shape who I am. After all, it's no accident that my very first published movie review would end up being One Hour Photo many years later, the actor's impact still going strong even after I'd grown up. Williams was not only a comedy genius with his own unique, instantly recognisable style but a damn fine actor as well and an anarchic stand-up very few comedians could match in terms of sheer tornado-like creativity. Like many who grew up in the late 80's/early 90's, I was introduced to Williams through more kid-friendly movies and it's only much later that I'd see him pop up in shows like Larry Sanders , Friends or even his very own off-beat classic Mork & Mindy . Aladdin blew my mind as a kid.  V

HOOK - REVIEW

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Few films captured my imagination quite as much as Hook  did back in the day. It was a live-action Peter Pan which was decidedly kid-friendly and crazily whimsical yet it felt more grown-up somehow. Even as a kid, I vastly preferred it to the animated Disney flick and... ...it almost made me believe in Julia Roberts fairies. Damn you Spielberg, you lying genius. Re-watching it now, some of the film's whimsy is sadly lost on natural cynicism and busy kid-full scenes have become kinda exhausting to watch. Hook's cheesier moments like the little girl randomly singing or the whole let's-touch-Robin Williams'-face scene have become a tad distracting rather than just instantly charming and yet the film still mostly works if you're willing to buy into it. Spielberg's NeverLand is brought to life beautifully. A surreal world full of crude pirates, sword-wielding children, sexy mermaids, hungry crocodiles and several moons, it's simply an enchanting, perfec

JUMANJI - REVIEW

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Most kids movies these days tend to lack either creativity or a certain refreshing simplicity. Occasionally, a movie comes out and makes the most of a clever concept, like Zootopia  or even Wreck-It Ralph , but many fail to grab kids' attention by being too adult or talking down to them like they're idiots. Jumanji is one that most definitely worked. The concept of this movie alone captured my imagination as a kid: a board game that not only comes to life but which you can literally enter and is packed full of messed-up stuff? No wonder we all flocked to the cinema back in the day like a stampeding bunch of CGI rhinos. The film opens with a couple of kids in the late 1800's trying to get rid of the titular drumming board game before we cut to the 1960's where young Alan Parrish uncovers the game and, after having a heated argument with his father, invites his friend Sarah to play only for his turn to go horribly wrong leaving him stranded for 26 years inside the

DECONSTRUCTING HARRY - REVIEW

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In what is arguably Woody Allen's last masterpiece, Deconstructing Harry sees Allen play a deeply flawed character who is terrible at life and can only function through his work. Only the versions of himself that he himself creates when writing his short stories and novels are quirky and lovable, the real Harry Block (who incidentally suffers from writer's block, geddit?) is something else entirely. How many Woody Allen movies do you know where the guy not only swears constantly but plays a character who openly claims to love whores (his words)? Pretty great already lol Yes we get to know Harry and deconstruct his character through both his far-out stories and several glimpses into his everyday life. We get to see the people around him both as what they are and as how he sees them, same goes for himself. Harry isn't the nicest of guys and is actually a pretty dislikable person altogether but by the end of the film you'll still like him, or you'll understan