Capsule Reviews - Girl Most Likely (2012), Clerks II (2006), and Galaxy Quest (1999)

Galaxy Quest (1999) - It is hard to believe that it has been 15 years since this outstanding entertainment was released. It remains remarkably fresh and, given the budget even for the time, looks pretty darn good - of course smartly using the fact that some of it is supposed to look cheap. While the film doesn't exactly spend a lot of extra time fleshing out the character backgrounds, if you're at all savvy about film and TV it won't matter. A fun story with hints of wit dropped throughout, this is an outstanding comedy well worth a refresh for those that haven't seen it in a while.

Girl Most Likely (2012) - If this were intended as an experiment in seeing what happens when filmmakers mash up a Todd Solondz film with a Farrelly Brothers movie, it might be interesting, if only to prove it doesn't work. Wild tonal inconsistency and characters that don't add up in the least are problems, but the cardinal sin is that it isn't funny - either as a dark comedy or as a broad one. I suspect part of the problem is that the filmmakers intended satire but really didn't have a clear sense of what they wanted to satirize. It also has a really mixed message - suggesting that the lead character, played by Kristen Wiig, needs to stop believing she's entitled to her princess fantasy, only to kind of let her have it anyway. Just go watch the superior Muriel's Wedding instead.

Clerks II (2006) - The sequel to Kevin Smith's DIY indie classic keeps the amateurish direction and poor acting but loses the original's chaotic, punk sensibility and sharp sense of humor. Most of the bits fall flat here and the story feels really forced. There's actually a bit too much story here, departing from the original's slice-of-life feel. Even Smith's stand-up tour videos work best as the witty raconteur delivering unstructured, off-the-cuff anecdotes that are more or less Smith going off on tangents about things that have happened in his life. That doesn't come through here. Because this one is packed with more by-the-books plot drama, it needs actors that can sustain it and that can provide depth beyond just reciting the (amply packed) words. Rosario Dawson mostly gets that done, but that is, unfortunately, about it, and she is really a sideline player here. It just doesn't work, although perhaps Kevin Smith die-hards will disagree (and it is really only for them).

All three were screened on Amazon Prime Instant.

But I'm a Cheerleader (1999) - Brief Review

The first question I had when I started re-watching Jamie Babbit's But I'm A Cheerleader is whether, 15 years later, it would still hold up. The short answer is it actually holds up quite well, although its struggles with some issues that will always leave it as a worthwhile but somewhat minor film.

Falling Through The Cracks? Four Films from the Last Thirty Years That Could Use A Rescue

There's always a lot of talk about "lost" films from the 1970s and before that are either becoming available or need to be made available. I love the cinema of the 1970s as much as anyone, but with the fading of DVD and Blu-Ray into a collectors' only marketplace, and with fragmentation and inconsistency in streaming services, you might be surprised at some of the more recent films that appear to be falling through the cracks.

I've picked four such films. Some of these are moderately big name movies or involve name directors or stars. So there is hope that they will permanently find their way on to a streaming service or to being in print on DVD/Blu-Ray.

Availability is, hopefully, subject to change, and I hope you will let me know in the comments if you know of a place where these films are (legally) available that I've missed - particularly for streaming.

Brief Film Reviews (4/17/14)

Check out after the jump for some brief thoughts on films recently watched or re-watched, including Jesus' Son, Killer Party, and The Show.