Clerks II

Clerks isn’t for everybody. How could it be?

Throughout all of the Clerks’ universe movies, the references can come and go so fast that if you don’t already know what they are talking about, you’re lost.

But if you are part of the intended audience for the latest Kevin Smith film Clerks 2, you will enjoy the hell out of it.

The dialogue is fast and witty, the characters have progressed to exactly the place you want them to since the last movie (nowhere) and the new characters blend right in perfectly. With the small exception of being expected to believe that Rosario Dawson would look twice at these losers, the casting is great.

Even the storyline works. I mean, for two of the greatest slackers of our movie generation, the thought of actually quitting your job and moving IS a movie worthy event.

The donkey scene was hilarious even if the mere thought of it caused Joel Siegel to storm out of the theater. If you haven’t seen the movie, I’m not giving anything away, but for me the funniest line in the movie may have been, “Oooh, Cake.”

Loves lost and found, dirty jokes and Star Wars lie at the heart of Clerks and if you can keep up, you will love it.

An Incovenient Truth

It is sad to me that science is now politics. And that I can’t go to this movie and recommend it without people constantly trying to convince me that it’s all BS and Al Gore just has this agenda and it’s going to help him back to the White House.

Why can’t Al Gore just be a guy who has had a life long concern for the environment, and has dedicated a good portion of his life, pre and post VP, to trying to inform the world that we just might be hurting the planet.

There are facts and figures in the movie that right wing politicos will argue are skewed just to make his point. So there is almost no point in arguing their merit here. If your not going to believe Al Gore’s argument, you won’t believe mine either.

But there is one fact in the movie that I don’t think you can’t really argue with, and a somewhat logical conclusion to that fact.

From basically the beginning of time, through the 1800’s the population of humans grew to about 2 billion people. Then in the last 100 years we went from 2 billion to about 8 billion.

How could this insane population growth not hammer the planet and it’s resources? And maybe, possibly, negatively impact the planet?

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

I wanted to see this a second time before I posted my review but, alas, that isn’t going to happen.

This movie has become a box office monster, above and beyond what everyone expected, but was it any good? Box office doesn’t always equate to quality.

I think the movie was good. It had some problems, but it was good. It was not as good as the first one, but what movie is? OK, maybe Empire Strikes Back.

This movie had a few scenes that were fall down hilarious. And yet, for a small stretch of the movie, I was bored. I can’t explain it. Maybe there was too much in the movie and I had to disconnect myself from the film to recharge, because they try and throw alot at you.

Alot of it is good too. But there is still a little too much. When Johnny Depp played Captain Jack in the first film, his character came out of nowhere, surprised people and stole the entire movie.

Now, with Jack basically expected to lead the movie, it might not work as well. Jack works better running around with things happening around him. Not leading the way. And it may have backfired a little here.

Storytelling-wise. Obviously not box office-wise.

The biggest complaint I hear about the movie is about the ending and the cliffhanger. I guess I pay just a little too much attention to movie news, but people in the theater did not know that there was going to be a third film next summer.

Much like the Lord of the Rings, the film just ends and many people, even people I was with, let out a few “What the…?”’s. Almost leaving angry that they had to wait another year to see the finale.

The Passion of Mel Gibson

The story that I read today said that Hollywood was discussing whether or not Mel Gibson has a future in Hollywood any more, after this weekend’s incident and possible bigoted remarks.

Excuse me, this man has the (at least currently) the 11th highest grossing movie of all time and won Best Director for Braveheart (one of the greatest movies ever), and you think Hollywood may actually turn it’s back against him.

Let’s look at a couple of other Oscar winning directors who might have had a problem or two and whether or not it hurt their careers.

Last time I looked Roman Polanski was a convicted rapist hiding out in France so as not to serve jail time. And he was given an Oscar for the ‘Pianist’ and had it hand delivered by Harrison Ford himself.

Woody Allen has had no end of personal ‘events’ that by some may be considered quite disgusting, and actors and actresses take pay cuts left and right to work with him.

And now we have an actor/.director who is as close to money in the bank as you can get, who wrote out a very detailed apology, covering everything he may have done in his inebriated state and we are going to not forgive him. I have my doubts.

As for the alcoholism, is there any doubt that this man has issues. In watching his movies, I have yet to see another actor take parts where they are anywhere new as persecuted as his. From the insanity of Martin Riggs in ‘Lethal Weapon’ to the face scarring role in ‘A Man Without a Face’, to the torture scenes in ‘Braveheart’ and his direction of the ‘Passion of the Christ’ this man thrives on a tortured character.

To me that seems like something that comes from inside.