Sexy Cineplexy: Reviews

Thanks for your reply. I'll try to answer at a shorter length, as you requested:

Concerning Dallas Buyers Club:

The film's main theme was about survival. I agree with that, but a few scenes also clearly made Ron question his earlier habits (like that scene where he looks at his arm with all the injection spots on it). Surely, it doesn't say things like "drugs are bad" directly, but in some scenes the film does kind of make a statement against living life in a reckless and destructive manner, in my opinion. It makes you think about possible consequences. Not in a preachy way, but in a thoughtful way.

I definitely don't want to seem like some kind of preacher against hedonism and "living life to the fullest" or anything like that, by the way. I appreciate adventure and I welcome experementalizing myself (especially at a young age when we have less responsabilities), but I think it's important not to lose ourselves in a delusion of excessive behavior. Jordan Belfort and Woodroof are two examples of people that did lose themselves for a while and I think both of their films also showcase that.

Concerning The Wolf of Wall Street:

Well, I'm willing to admit that some people might interpret the film "wrongly" or see certain scenes differently than Scorsese probably intended them to come across. That's pretty much inevitable. I personally just didn't see this film as glamorizing and I think it even makes a few strong statements against Jordan's crimes and lifestyle, while still realistically showing some of the fun too. We both stated arguments on why we think the film does or does not celebrate what we are seeing. Obviously I think mine are predominant and you think yours are, so that leaves us stuck.

I still maintain that this film doesn't deserve to be criticized for patting Jordan Belfort on the back for what he's done. For me, this film does exactly the opposite, only not in a typical, cliché kind of way.

I now understand your opinion and problems with the film, though, and while I disagree, I can see that you won't shy away from them, because you have certain different interpretations and views on a few key scenes and on certain themes this film is trying to tackle. I respect that. I agree to disagree.

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Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019

Scorsese is interested in the psyche of "gangsters" and makes entertaining films about them, but there's always a moral compass that's guiding the audience through it, in my opinion. He dives into their worlds and into their minds, but never makes them look like they're "admirable people" or glamorizes their crimes. He understands them (and that's why his films are so good), but he doesn't approve of what they do.

I think people should be able to make that distinction pretty clearly when watching his films. Sure, some scenes may be cool to watch, but Scorsese never chooses the side of the badguys he so often portrays.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
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Anchorman 2:
The Legend Continues
(directed by Adam McKay, 2013)

* This review is of the Unrated version. *



Well, let me just start off by saying that I enjoyed this movie. I know a lot of people said it's not good at all, but I liked it. I laughed plenty and found the movie entertaining and never really boring at all.

THE ONLY part that bothered me was the stupid fight scene in the park with all the different news teams (and all the many different cameos, including Jim Carrey, Will Smith and that dog ugly Amy Poehler and her obnoxious partress in crime, Tina Fey). Oh my god, John C. Reilly as the ghost of Stonewall Jackson is one of the most irritating visuals I've ever been cursed to succumb to. Luckily, Vince Vaughn showed up, making the end of that horrid scene something to look forward to.



Ron Burgundy is back!

Set, I guess, something around a decade after the first Anchorman movie (since it's been a decade since that came out), the film takes place in... late 1970's/early 1980's? Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), who is Burgundy's wife, becomes the first female prime time news anchor, while her husband, Burgundy, gets fired. Angered, Burgundy demands that she quit. Since she refuses, Burgundy walks out on her and their 7 year old son, Walter. Some months pass and Burgundy becomes an alcoholic mess back in San Diego, while she gets a new boyfriend, a psychologist played by Greg Kinnear. Then Burgundy gets the opportunity to be a part of a 24 hour news channel and he recruits his old team from the first movie to join him. They head to New York (where Veronica is also at) where they have a new boss, a fierce black woman named Linda Jackson (Meagan Good). And basically, they become a hit. Yadda yadda yadda.



It's possible this could become yet another sequel I prefer over the original. I'm not sure, yet. I liked the first Anchorman movie when it came out years ago, but I haven't seen it many times since. I recently tried to rewatch it, but ended up shutting it off early. I don't know for sure yet which movie I actually like more -- I won't know until I rewatch the first movie all the way through again. BUT... right now, the sequel is living pretty good in my head.

A lot of people complained about Brick Tamland, the bizarre, strange, what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-him character played by Steve Carell, being too prominent in the sequel. First of all, I didn't think that was entirely true. I didn't feel like he was overused. Second, I LOVE the character. He is definitely funny and memorable and -- really, he steals the show. He is definitely better than the characters played by Paul Rudd and David Koechner, and if you see too much of him, it's just because he's so good that he stands out. I think he's even better than Ron Burgundy. I don't know, but he even seems better than how he was in the first Anchorman movie, although his quotes might not be as quotable this time around. This time around, he has a weird girlfriend, Chani, played by Kristen Wiig, and I thought that was a fun subplot. So, to you Brick Tamland haters out there, shut the Hell up!



Well, I just don't know what to say.

It's hard to compare it to the first movie because I'd really need to watch it again. I think I can understand why this movie didn't work for people in ways, but then again, I think a lot of people are automatically going to respond to a sequel with, "Oh, well, it sucks!" Because sequels always come doomed with being WORSE. I believe a lot of people are just going to have it in their head to automatically diss a sequel. On the flip side, I'm more prone to liking sequels, so there's that. To me, a sequel can be a chance to improve upon the first movie, to add depth and grain. I didn't really think Anchorman 2 added much to what we already saw in the first movie, and it may not have been as fully utilized as the first movie, but still, I like this movie (except perhaps for that park fight scene) and I laughed and I don't think it's a waste of time. There's something about it that charms me even if parts of it were moronic. I have seen much, much worse.

This review isn't that great, but it's 4 A.M.

7.5 out of 10.

A couple days ago, my wife said she wanted to watch this; your review gives me some hope. Like you said about this one, the only thing I didn't like about the first one was the stupid fight scene between the news teams. If I agree with you about the rest, it'll be worth watching.

Stage Fright
(directed by Jerome Sable, 2014)



Ten years ago, Minnie Driver gave an absolutely astonishing performance as the lead actress in the play, "The Haunting of the Opera." After the show, she was murdered in her dressing room! Now, her two children, who were there that night she was murdered, have been adopted by Meat Loaf and they work as cooks at his musical theater summer camp for kids and teens. The daughter, Camilla, auditions for the lead role of "Haunting of the Opera", which is being brought back to the stage at the camp, and she gets the part, but so does another girl, and now there's a battle between who will perform the role on opening night when a big guy from Broadway is supposed to show up. Meanwhile... murders start to happen again at the summer camp! Who is donning the Kabuki mask worn by the phantom killer in the Japanese version of "The Haunting of the Opera" and killing everybody?!



Stage Fright has a GREAT movie poster, reminiscent of '80s horror films, and the trailer I watched some time ago got me interested in this movie. The movie, though... could have been better... but it wasn't bad. It's a bizarre mix of horror movie, musical and comedy, as well as the TV show, Glee. The kids sing a joyful musical number outside about how everyone at camp is gay. It had a lot of potential, but unfortunately, the movie was neither scary enough or silly enough to really hit the roof for me. Too much gets overstuffed by the plot, which falls apart in the last act, almost ruining the movie completely. The characters are paper thin and one dimensional, but they aren't saved much by the farce that is going on. The funniest line in the entire movie for me was the very last one, due to the way it came across and what it was saying about the whole movie in a way. It was that line that literally saved the picture for me from being an abomination. I will always remember the last line of this movie, which might seem strange to you if you know what it is, but it got a big laugh out of me. If only the rest of the movie had been as funny. (Hint: It involves something... gay.)



I HATED the killer. Absolutely hated the killer. Not who the killer turns out to be... but the way the killer acts before he or she is revealed. Let's just say that the killer is very angry, very angsty like a teenager, and the killer has a guitar......

Which isn't bad if you're the killer from Slumber Party Massacre II and your guitar is also a drill....



But here, in Stage Fright, the guitar isn't also a drill, so... no.......



Meat Loaf wasn't anything special in this, really. Just a fat man with a killer on his musical theater camp ground. They must have thought, "Oh, Meat Loaf! We'll get him for our scary musical movie and it will remind everyone of The Rocky Horror Picture Show!" But most of the time he just sits in his office, on the telephone, where we see that he's defaulting on the mortgage for the camp ground, it seems. He's in the movie a lot, but the performance isn't anything to be blown away by.

Stage Fright is a decent little movie, though. PHENOMENAL in some ways, especially when you consider how crappy horror movies have been in the past 10 or 15 years, but it's disappointing because it could have been a lot better and a lot more cult. It's a little witty, but not really creative. Enjoyable enough, though, for about 85 minutes of your time, if you're bored. There's definitely a lot worse out there you could watch. But there's also better stuff, of course. Recommended, but I'm sort of disappointed. I would own this movie, though, if that says anything at all.

5.5 out of 10.

Yeah I love that poster. Too bad it sounds like the movie doesn't really live up to it.

I take it from your review that you liked Last Holiday...I thought that movie was so stupid I barely got through it. Loved Blades of Glory Though...also nice to see some love for Love, Valour, Compassion.

I somehow missed your latest review Sexy, sorry about that. Sounds kind of interesting but don't see me ever getting round to watching it unless I just stumble across it on TV

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Another Year
(directed by Mike Leigh, 2010)



Somewhere around London, an aging, single woman named Mary (Lesley Manville) is drinking a glass of champagne or wine. Drinking and drinking and drinking. She is not an alcoholic, I guess, but she is single. Lonely. Depressed. Needs someone to talk to.

Her co-worker, Gerri (Ruth Sheen) has been happily married to Tom (Jim Broadbent) all her life. Gerri lives in a nice house and she has a thirty year old son, Joe (Oliver Maltman), who is also single and comes around a lot. He still has a bedroom at his parents' place, still decorated his way, but most of the time the bedroom is occupied by Mary, when she has drunken sleepovers at the place. Mary is so close to the family, and has known them for so long, that to Joe she is practically "Auntie Mary." Which is why when she now flirts with the thirty year old Joe, it's just a little... too much. And you should see the look on Mary's face when Joe surprises her with his own girlfriend!



Another Year is a two hour long (actually, just a tiny bit over two hours) study of this Mary character, although the examination really isn't that deep. The film is divided up into seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. We begin by meeting Mary where she works with Gerri and then, as the seasons go on, we realize that the whole movie is basically Mary, Mary, Mary! It's practically comical. Autumn was a short segment dedicated just for us to watch Mary as she seethes with rage when she visits Tom and Gerri and runs into their son, Joe, with his new girlfriend. A butcher knife is seen and you practically expect Mary to reach out and grab it and stab the new girlfriend in the chest!

The interesting thing about Another Year -- and this is basically going to be very spoilerish -- is that, in another movie, you'd expect good things to happen to everybody by the end of this film. You figure that by the end of this movie, something good will eventually happen to Mary. There's a character named Ken who wants to kiss and cuddle with Mary, but she's not interested because he's fat. Will she eventually accept his obesity and be with him? In another movie, that may happen. In Another Year, if it ever happens, we certainly don't see that happen. There is a possibility that someone may be there for Mary, but the film ends on a dark note, focusing on Mary as she sits at the dinner table with Tom and Gerri and their family as they discuss their comfortable lives, their future travel plans, their happiness, etc. Mary is seen as a nuisance all through the movie, but a funny one, and it's painful to watch her openly destroy herself in front of everyone. But by the end of the movie, I felt like we could actually understand her side and her misery. This is a woman who has nothing, surrounded by people who have everything.



The movie begins with Imelda Staunton playing a very depressed woman named Janet, who is visiting a doctor for a checkup and then she sees a psychiatrist. She is severely depressed. On a scale of 1 to 10, she rates her happiness with life as 1. We never see this character again after these two scenes, but I think her story is transferred over to Mary. It is through Mary that we see how miserable someone can be -- although, Mary seems quite different from Janet, and who knows what brought Janet down.

I am surprised that I even watched this movie. I had never heard of it before until tonight and didn't expect to be watching what I watched, but I made it through it and I liked it very much.



It's a funny movie -- in an odd, kind of insulting way. It deals with misery, but it treats it as both a hoot and a form of Hell. I was expecting doldrums, but Another Year was actually kind of wicked and snarky and rather like a TV show or something. The Mary character -- whether it was the character or the actress or both -- reminded me a lot of the woman who played Rose on the British show Keeping Up Appearances. The second woman who played Rose, that is -- Mary Millar. This certainly added a fascinating touch for the film for me.



Give Another Year a watch sometime if you haven't. If you don't see it, you won't be missing much -- just two hours of observing a really neurotic mess. But I thought it was a really good film and I honestly would love to do a movie commentary for it sometime so I could laugh at Mary's unfortunate existence with someone else.

Is this your first Leigh?

It's Leigh and it's British. This is pretty ordinary, not exceptional in our cinema.

I've not seen it, however, if you want to see the anti-Leigh version of a Leigh film, watch Happy Go Lucky. It's supposed to be very good, which isn't a surprise because it's Leigh.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

Really nice review Sexy. And interesting to see you do something completely different. I don't think I've ever actually seen any of Mike Leigh's films. Generally I don't really care for the gritty, kitchen-sink dramas that the UK so often produces. He's someone I'll try and get to someday though.

Plus it has Sally Hawkins, who is fantastic in everything. I've been meaning to see it.

My user title is from a Mike Leigh film. Naked.

MANNEQUIN
(directed by Michael Gottlieb, 1987)



There's been a lot of filth spewed forth concerning the 1987 film, Mannequin, and I'm gonna clean all that crap up and get it straight and get this world balanced again.

People do not understand this movie. Worse, neurotic people holler that it's sexist and offensive and homophobic -- they are the ones who REALLY don't get Mannequin, and they are the worst because they've dragged this beautiful movie through their own dirty mud tracks.

Roger Ebert wrote an absolute BRAIN DEAD review for "Mannequin" that I feel strongly proves that fat lunkhead was severely overrated as a movie reviewer and probably only did the job for free popcorn.

I've been a fan of this movie all of my life. I was probably three or four years old when I first saw it. I remember being enamored with the VHS of Mannequin when I'd see it on a shelf in a certain store. I had probably already seen the movie on television (I'm not positive) but I remember eventually getting that VHS and being very happy. Through the years, I watched it countless times. In 1991, at seven years of age, I jumped for joy when a TV spot for Mannequin: On The Move, the sequel to Mannequin, appeared on my television. The Saturday after the Friday it was released, my dad took me to the mall movie theater and we watched flamboyant, gay window dresser Hollywood Montrose do his thang again in Mannequin 2. Months later, I ordered it off pay-per-view and I set the VCR to tape it while I was in school. The cable went out during the day, ruining my attempt at recording Mannequin 2. It's a miracle I didn't have access to guns or I might have gone to school the next day and shot everybody due to my frustration and anger with what happened the day before.

Last night, I sat down and watched Mannequin again due to a big discussion of it recently in a thread here, started by the vile, confused Captain Spaulding. It's weird and spooky how this all played out because I had just had a dream about Mannequin days before. I swear I must have been predicting the future again through my dreams.

Interestingly, Mannequin also happens to be a movie that deals with mysticism and magic, the Gods, the creative force, the spirit of man. It is practically a religious movie, and watching it last night was like a religious experience.



The truth about Mannequin is that it's much more than a comedy. In fact, there's really not that many funny scenes (a big complaint from people about the film, I know) although I did find myself laughing at times -- surprisingly during moments I really didn't expect to laugh at, but I did because the moments just ... felt like "home" to me, I guess. I knew them well and enjoyed them. Some things were funnier to me just because the movie... felt kind of different to me.

Watching this movie last night, I worried I might be bored because I've seen the movie so many times before. What stunned me is how NOT bored I was. It almost felt NEW, although I knew every scene. It's really been some years since I've watched it all the way through -- I can't remember when the last time was. Not a LONG time ago, but... at least six years, maybe. I hadn't felt the urge to watch it much anymore. Partially, I think it's because even I have been sort of affected by the naysayers of Mannequin. Partially, it's because I've seen it so much that I can play it in my head anytime I wish to see that movie again, like how you can recite a song you know so well. Partially it's because I've wanted to explore new movies and didn't feel a need to return to Mannequin.

BUT NOW -- I have returned to Mannequin. I'm back there and GUESS WHAT?!

There's gold there.



Mannequin begins in Ancient Egypt. A young woman, Ema "Emmy" Heshire (Kim Cattrall) is hiding in a pyramid amongst some mummies, trying to avoid her mother. Her mother comes in and finds her. Emmy's mother wants to take Emmy and marry her away to some Egyptian guy who sells camel dung. Emmy doesn't love this guy or even really know him -- but it's Ancient Egypt and women are treated like cattle. They are given to men to serve as wives and they have no say in the matter. Emmy prays to the Gods to help her get out of this situation because she wants to be more independent and live her own life. She wants to basically live like a man -- she wants to INVENT THINGS. She wants to FLY. She has grand ambitions for her life, but unfortunately, her mother and the men of Ancient Egypt want to give Emmy only bondage and enslavement to other men.

After she prays to the Gods, the Gods LISTEN TO EMMY. And suddenly -- Emmy disappears from Ancient Egypt! Through an animated opening credits sequence (and later explained by Emmy in the movie), the Gods grant Emmy the power to live this life she wants. She ends up being a time traveler like Dr. Who or something, and she visits different time periods and she takes part in all sorts of adventures. She meets a lot of famous people, like Christopher Columbus and Michelangelo. Mannequin deals with Emmy's stop in 1980's Philadelphia, where she decides to meet Jonathan Switcher (Andrew McCarthy), a gifted artist leading a miserable life.

Now, really -- how does this sound sexist? How does a movie about a woman wanting independence and escaping male slavery sound sexist?

You know why people say Mannequin is sexist? I think I know -- nobody likes the fact that she's a wooden mannequin. People see a woman being portrayed as a wooden mannequin, being carried around and set up in window displays, and they idiotically think it's sexist. They pay NO ATTENTION to the other details of the movie. They make up bogus beliefs that they see fit for their own gross negligence.



Now, a moment ago, I said Mannequin isn't really that much of a comedy. If you're expecting non-stop laughs, forget it. If you find yourself laughing non-stop, fine. The thing is -- you wanna know what Mannequin is? IT'S A BIG GAY MOVIE. That's what it is. And that's probably a big reason, too, for why it's so devalued. There's something frightening about Mannequin to people. But look at this:

The movie's lead character is a very sensitive, soft man, played by Andrew McCarthy. His character, Jonathan Switcher, is like a gay man. The character isn't gay, but you could easily believe a person like him would be. When we meet Jonathan, he is getting fired from all kinds of jobs. The reason he gets fired is because he's so into art that he can't do complete assignments correctly. He doesn't do a job like a man -- GET R DUN! He takes his time. He works slow, like an artist, perfecting and perfecting and perfecting. Because of this, he pisses off the more macho bosses he always has, who want a job done fast. The first job we see him have is at a mannequin factory, where he builds the mannequin which will become Emmy. He feels it is his greatest work of art for some reason -- but he gets fired from the job because he took a long time making her. Later, drenched in the rain on his motorcycle, after being dejected by his girlfriend, Jonathan sees the mannequin in a window display. He runs up in the rain and talks to it, lovingly. Then he gets back on his motorcycle and rides off, telling the mannequin that he will see it again the next day. He's an artist IN LOVE WITH HIS WORK.

The next day, he goes back to the window display early in the morning to see his mannequin again. Estelle Getty, the boss of the store, arrives (after hitting a guy with a cab door -- another sign of this movie not being sexist since there's NON-STOP female power going on) and she strikes up a conversation with Jonathan. Stupid, careless construction men drop a heavy sign they're putting up in front of the building and it almost kills Estelle Getty (and Estelle Getty, by the way -- another sign of this movie's incredible gay friendliness -- since she's a Golden Girl and this movie actually feels very Golden Girls like) -- anyway, Estelle Getty is almost killed, but Jonathan saves her. Her pushes her out of the way and because of this, she gives him a job in the store.

He meets the turd of a vice president, Mr. Richards (James Spader), who puts him in charge of the women's lingerie inventory. But Jonathan is compelled to seek out his mannequin, finding it one of the window displays. While speaking fondly to it, he is caught by Hollywood Montrose (Meshach Taylor), a flamboyant gay window dresser who is filled with energy and style and pizzazz. And then later... Jonathan's mannequin comes to life. It is Emmy. She had decided to visit this time period and meet Jonathan. How, I don't know, but apparently she did.

Through Emmy, Jonathan finds faith in his abilities as an artist. He starts creating beautiful window displays with mannequins, which attract people to the store, which is just what the store needs because it's a failing business. Another department store, Illustra, which is nearby, and where Jonathan's bitchy former girlfriend works, wants to buy Jonathan's store, called Prince & Co., for 1/10th of the store's worth. But Jonathan appears like a magical saint and his window displays save the store and Estelle Getty's character couldn't be more thrilled. Eventually Mr. Richards is even fired and Jonathan becomes the vice president. But the evil people of Illustra want Jonathan for themselves, and when they discover that he's spending his nights talking and fooling around with a MANNEQUIN (Emmy turns back into a mannequin around other people -- only Jonathan can see her) -- all Illustra needs is some embarrassing photographic evidence of Jonathan with this mannequin to get him in their hands. IF that will work....



Mannequin.

There's SO MUCH MORE I could say, but I'm getting tired of writing this.

Sexist and offensive? Not at all. I haven't explained all the reasons, but I can explain in more posts. I did some already with Captain Spaulding, but I've noticed new things after watching the movie.

Mannequin is an original. One of the greatest movies ever. Very inspiring and uplifting if you can stop living in a pig pen for awhile. I encourage everybody to see it and open their eyes and hearts to it. It's outrageous how so many people -- so many KNOW NOTHINGS -- have vilified this movie. May the Gods do away with these people and get more people to appreciate Mannequin for the real movie it is. For so long, it's been trashed and accused of all kinds of hideous charges for which it is guilty of NONE.

Get this f**king movie right now and watch it.

You don't actually expect me to read that do you? My god it just keeps going and going!

I've never actually seen Mannequin. I love 80s cheese and have seen a good deal of it, but that's a gaping hole in my 80s cheese résumé

You sure are direct.

Are you offering your services?


By the way I meant to ask you how exactly did you come across Another Year and what made you think you'd watch it? Just seems quite different from your normal type of film.