Only movie critic on earth worth reading. Even if you never agree with his reviews, which I usually do anyway.
Consider this portion of his review of “Stealth.”
“Meanwhile, the three human pilots, having participated in a mission that destroyed a skyscraper in Burma, may be on a worldwide most-wanted list, but they’re immediately sent to Thailand for R&R. This gives Gannon a chance to photograph Wade in a bikini under a waterfall, while Purcell picks up a beautiful Thai girl.
Soon all four of them are having lunch, and the three pilots are discussing military secrets in front of the Thai girl, who “doesn’t speak English.” Beautiful Thai girls who allow themselves to be picked up by U.S. pilots almost always speak English, but never mind. It’s not that Purcell is too stupid to know that trusting her is dangerous; it’s that the movie is too stupid. How stupid? Nothing happens. The girl can’t speak English.”
That movie is dumb - everyone knows fighter pilots don’t do that kind of crap. They have homoerotic beach volleyball games, and uh… buzz the tower and stuff.
Stealth is going to be the biggest shit pile of a movie. America will wake up to the fact that Jaime Fox is not a good actor he only did an impersonation of a person who had true talent.
In general, if he says its good to outstanding, the movie almost always has some redeeming qualities. If Ebert says the movie sucks it nearly always does. Except for Ace Ventura. He was wrong about that one. Great movie still.
“I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Hated the implied insult to the audience by its belief that anyone would be entertained by it.”
If Ebert says the movie sucks it nearly always does.
That’s one of the things I like about him- he can enjoy a movie for what it is. He just likes movies. It doesn’t have to be some Citizen Kane wannabe for him to enjoy it, he takes it as it is. If he says a movie stinks, it probably does. (Though I think he’s at odds with the general forum about The Wedding Crashers.)
North! That’s my best friend’s daughter’s favorite movie! Of course she was like 7 or 8 when she told me she liked it. I have never seen it. Now she is 11 and its all about Harry Potter.
Kids … Now thinking back my second-favorite movie when I was 9 or 10 was “The Final Countdown” where the modern aircraft carrier gets sucked into a vortex and goes back to World War 2. I can’t remember if they opt to change history or not. I think they decide not to. Real deep. Of course my favorite was Star Wars.
I never miss Stephen Hunter’s reviews in the Washington Post (for which he recently won a Pulitzer) even if I have zero interest in the movie. See below for his ripping of Stealth.
Stephen Hunter is also a very talented author. His book ‘Point of Impact’ is one of my top five favorite novels, and his ‘Bob the Nailer’ character has allowed him to create a whole series of spin off books. Havana is his latest and was also very good.
I never knew a pilot with a super tough call sign. I knew a lot of spuds, soups, rainmans, dilberts, etc. Your buddies give you the call sign and trust me no fighter pilot will give another pilot a call sign like “Iceman” or “Maverick”.