The Year of Watching DVDs, Part 27: Ill

I watched the entire IMDb top 250 list and now I'm watching everything else. All reviews so far.

Fuckshit! I'm SO many films and TV shows behind on this, it's not even funny anymore. And here I am all ILL and stuff. What should I do? Should I watch O Lucky Man!, or should I blog? Or should I drink coffee and read comics? Or should I get some sleep? It's too early for lunch. Methinks I'll blog a tiny bit, then drink coffee. Yes.

Ugly Betty (2006-2007) (23 episodes)
Downloaded this and kept watching it against my better judgment. It's amusing enough, but I'm sure there's plenty of better TV series I haven't gotten around to yet. The main reason to watch it is/are Marc and Amanda (fag and fag hag, respectively), who are just as deliciously sarcastic and cool as I intend to be in my next life. It's too late in this one, I'm afraid.


Penn & Teller: Bullshit! Season 4 (2006) (10 episodes)
One of the more interesting seasons. Pretty good balance of weirdo subjects (boy scouts, pet love) and things that actually matter (death penalty, ground zero).


Penn & Teller: Bullshit! Season 5 (2007) 10 episodes)
And then there was this one. The most reactionary season: pro-Walmart, pro-obesity, pro-nuclear power, anti-union, anti-hybrid cars, anti-handicapped for God's sake... in a particularly unconvincing and disturbing episode that's just wrong in so many ways. For instance:

their purpose seems to be to demonstrate the futility of the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] - to illustrate, they put an ABLE-BODIED person in a portable iron lung and let him try to push his way into a narrow restaurant doorway (one wonders if they thought this was actually funny, or simply wanted to make a point).

At one point, Penn mockingly asks "How can we be expected to cover every conceivable handicap? What are we gonna do for dyslectic people?", which just shows him suffering from a severe lack of imagination. Here's some further commentary, to save me the trouble. Of the other episodes, the one on exorcism strikes me as boring and unnecessary, while "Mount Rushmore", on patriotism, is pretty good.


Seeing Other People (2004)
I mostly wanted to see this because it has Liz Pfair in a small role, but she's hardly even in it. People who are definitely in it include Lauren Graham and Jay Mohr. Directed by a guy called Wallace Wolodarsky who's a former Simpsons writer. Wikipedia says, "The character "Vladimir Wolodarsky" in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou was named after him. He is a close friend of director Wes Anderson and had a small part in Rushmore." The reason I go on about stuff like that instead of the actual movie is that the download was corrupt so circa 10 percent of it were unwatchable. Therefore I won't grade it. But I will say that the titles are in Comic Sans, which is a very bad thing.

Witness for the Prosecution (1957) (repeat)
Billy Wilder's adaptation of Agatha Christie's story, starring Laughton and Dietrich. I think I mentioned it in a previous installment.


One, Two, Three (1961)
Insanely fast-paced Billy Wilder comedy starring James Cagney as a Coca Cola executive in West Berlin.


The Stranger (1946) (repeat)
Apparently this was Orson Welles' most commercially successful film.


The Man Who Laughs (1928).
"Bring on Gwynplaine!", I say. Semi-classic based on Victor Hugo novel. Titular character is defaced by Comprachicos as a boy. Conrad Veidt in the lead is an obvious inspiration behind Batman villain the Joker. And he has a wolf named Homo! How about that? I don't know how to rate this one.

Killer's Kiss (1955)
Kubrick's earliest non-suppressed feature.


Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
Screwball comedy. The Coen Brothers' least good movie. Not bad, just not very good.


Hannibal (2001)
Mostly bought this because it was co-written by David Mamet, but apparently his was an early version. Entertaining while it lasts, then forgettable. I was a little bit disappointed that they changed the book's weird over-the-top ending into something more conventional.


Leprechaun (1993)
Starring Jennifer Aniston with her original, big nose!


A Man for All Seasons (1966) (IMDb list)
Wholly absorbing account of Henry the Eighth's divorce, and Sir Thomas More's silence on the matter. Leo McKern from The Prisoner plays Thomas Cromwell, Robert Shaw is Hank 8, John Hurt is a young scallawag, and Phat Orson Welles is Chancellor Fatso! (He's in a grand total of two scenes, only one of which lasts awhile. But it's enough.)


Laterz, dudes.