Two posts and six reviews within the period of a week. Not too bad, eh? And they'll only keep coming. I've been busy seeing new stuff and I don't plan on slowing down any time soon, especially with all the fall offerings. Still on tap for the future are: A Dirty Shame, Family Guy Presents -- Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, In the Mood For Love, Ken Park, The 40 Year Old Virgin, and The Thief of Bagdad. Phew. Looks like I have some writing to do. While I do that, you go ahead and read these. See you next time.



The Aristocrats
Review by Jon Waterman

***1/2

A guy walks into a talent agent’s office and says “Boy, have I got an act for you!” There you have the standard opening to possibly the filthiest joke ever imagined. And it’s one you haven’t heard. Scores of comedians take turns telling their version of this outrageous joke that’s been passed around and told amongst fellow comics since the vaudeville days. Here’s your chance to get in on the joke…if you can stomach it.

The movie is more than just a hundred people telling their rendition of this nasty joke. In fact, the documentary does such a good job analyzing it that my job as a critic is limited. It starts off giving us a brief history followed by the simplest, pared down version you’ll ever hear. With all the hype behind the movie exclaiming how raucously hilarious it is I was a little worried. That’s it?
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+++++++++


9 Songs
Review by Jon Waterman

1/2 star

Matt and Lisa meet at a concert and go home together. They grow increasingly fond of each other and start off a relationship filled with passionate, occasionally tawdry sex. Yet they don’t deny their roots, and they still enjoy the wonderful atmosphere and music that their local hot spot provides. But is there more to life than music and screwing?

My answer to that question is: there should be. Unfortunately, we’re not given anything more than that. There’s no real insight into the minds of the characters. There’s no chance for us as an audience to build a connection with either of them. All we see is sex, song, sex, song, etc. I bet you can guess how many times that cycle is repeated. That’s not to say there isn’t dialogue. There is, but it’s bad and not enough to flesh out these people past, well…their flesh.
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++++++++++


Save the Green Planet!
Review by Jon Waterman

*1/2

Have you ever felt like the world doesn’t understand you? Yeah, me neither. But Byeong-gu has. He thinks that a select few humans are actually aliens that are working towards infiltrating the planet. Rightfully convinced that the government won’t intervene, he takes it upon himself to find and capture these “people.” Once they are in his clutches, he must do whatever he can to get as much information from them as possible, so that he can save the Earth from invasion or total destruction. Our story starts with his latest catch, his former boss.

The movie gripped me from the start. The opening credits sequence was hip, fast, electric and enjoyable. Unbeknownst to me at the time, that was the climax. What lies beneath the interesting concept of a man who is essentially an alien hunter is a rather standard presentation style. Writer/director Jun-hwan Jeong keeps the visual side in order, but remains pretty safe and conventional. The real downside is the cartoony computer graphics.
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