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JakeStevens Blog

  • Don't Listen To The Critics

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    Under discussion:

    RV  (2006)

    Personally, I think Barry Sonnenfeld's films are the damned funniest things out there today, and this one is no exception. I don't know why his films are critically reviled, but they make me laugh out loud...and often. Most certainly, there is the infamous "shit shower" scene that could most definitely be categorized as purile (which normally I despise), but here...I don't know why, but it's funny. Perhaps it's Robin Williams, whose work at the turn of the millennium turned less manic and more acerbic, and here he's spouting a few rapid fire one-liners and zingers. The only thing I didn't care for was the song and dance number at the end...it's bad. REAL bad. But anytime I watch this film, I'll just turn it off before that part...and voila! Jeff Daniels has a few good lines in here, and (to me, at least) Cheryl Hines and Will Arnett are some newcomers who prove to have very malleable faces. If you've seen "The Addams Family", "Addams Family Values" or "For Love Or Money", "Get Shorty" or the "Men In Black" series, you know what to expect from Barry Sonnenfeld. In my opinion, that equates to "A Good Time".


  • Beautifully Shot, But Tonally Uneven

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    I'm EXTREMELY torn about this film. On the one hand, they stay MOSTLY true to the text of Shakespeare, and the locales are decidedly gorgeous. Kudos. But the 20th Century Fox DVD I watched on my Plasma TV is non-anamorphic, so it was very grainy, leaving much to be desired considering the lush 19th century Italian backdrop. I'd LOVE to see this film on Blu Ray as I'm sure the colors would jump off the screen the way they were meant to. On the other hand, the wealth of talent that makes up this cast is extrordinary, and it's obvious most of the actors have a grasp on The Bard's tongue-twisting double entendres, but as I've said in other reviews, it's the absence of a proper accent that began to take me out of the film. For instance, Kevin Kline (a Shakespearean veteran) has the acting chops down pat and he's a joy to watch, but ARG! Why the mid-western American accent? The same for David Strathairn, Stanley Tucci, Calista Flockhart and Michelle Pfeiffer - all put in fantastic performances...and they all sound like they live next door to me. Hmfph. All that being said, it's one of Shakespeare's more difficult productions to adapt, and director Michael Hoffman gave it a pretty good shot, even if the final product is flawed. I hope to see a Blu Ray version soon...perhaps it's raise the rating a notch.


 


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