“Word Wars”

Although I never really thought about competitive Scrabble as a career choice, apparently some people have. Including the four players profiled in “Word Wars.” This is a rare group of men who have a talent with the tiles but no visible means of support – and Scrabble isn’t exactly paying the bills. The characters range from the mildly eccentrlc to the downright creepy. One competitor with the unpleasant nickname “G.I. Joel” (G.I. as in gastro-intestinal) swigs Maalox and explains the finer details of his acid reflux. It’s all a bit sad. Hence my tweet: Word Wars-Forget the underdogs. This film about competitive Scrabble makes you feel sorry for the winners. 5.5 (out of 10) If you’re looking for a documentary about someone with an unhealthy obsession, I’d recommend “The King of Kong.” I gave it a 9. Steve Wiebe’s quest to beat the world record on Donkey Kong is a much more exciting and interesting story.

“Word Wars”

Released: 2004

Rating: NR

Length: 77 minutes

Cast: Joe Edley, Matt Graham, Marlon Hill, “G.I.” Joel Sherman

Directors: Julian Petrillo, Eric Chaikin

Genre(s): Documentary

“The Twelve Chairs”

My tweet: The Twelve Chairs-Mel Brooks made a movie between “The Producers” and “Blazing Saddles” that no one ever talks about. This is it. 5.5 (out of 10) I never heard of this movie before. But even Brooks’ less successful films are usually a good time. “The Twelve Chairs” certainly opens on a good note. It’s post-revolutionary Russia and an old lady, a one-time member of the aristocracy, makes a death-bed confession to hiding a fortune in jewelry inside an old dining room chair (one of 12) that has since been lost. That sends orthodox priest Father Fyodor (Dom Deluise) and her son-in-law, Ippolit Vorobyaninov, (Ron Moody) on a race to find the chairs and ultimately the jewels. I was expecting a madcap treasure hunt akin to “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.” But “The Twelve Chairs” never rises to that film’s level of slapstick and certainly not to the inspired lunacy of “The Producers” or Blazing Saddles.” It’s not all bad though. Frank Langella, as a larcenous beggar who teams up with Vorobyaninov, is a dashing presence. And both Dom Deluise and Ron Moody have their moments. But unless you’re a hardcore Mel Brooks fan who wants to see everything in his catalog, I think you can better than “The Twelve Chairs.” Brooks certainly did.

“The Twelve Chairs”

Released: 1970

Rating: NR

Length: 94 minutes

Cast: Ron Moody, Frank Langella, Dom DeLuise, Mel Brooks

Director: Mel Brooks

Genre(s): Comedy

“Ghost Town”

The reason to rent this DVD, in a word (two, actually): Ricky Gervais, who does another spin on the socially-awkward character he perfected on “The Office.” In “Ghost Town” he plays Bertram Pincus, a dentist who dies on the table during a colonoscopy and is revived, only to discover that he now can see and communicate with dead people. One particular member of his new group of friends is Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear), a recently-deceased cad who “convinces” Bertram to break up his widowed wife’s (Tea Leoni) pending marriage. And as is the law in the world of romantic comedies, Bertram must eventually fall in love with the widow and she with him. But that’s a little difficult when Bertram is an “anti-people” person who has a gift for saying and doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. Gervais himself has a gift for making these cringe-inducing characters watchable. Just as in “The Office,” you’ll watch a scene unfold and think to yourself, “he’s not going to do that… oh please don’t do that” and when does, you think to yourself, “I can believe he just did that.” And that’s the fun part in an otherwise pretty tame romantic comedy. My favorite scene: The dog with bad breath. My tweet, inspired by Bertram’s ability to see dead people: Ghost Town-Ricky Gervais, Tea Leoni & Greg Kinnear star in this romantic comedy loosely based on M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Sixth Sense.” 7 (out of 10)

“Ghost Town”

Released: 2008

Rating: PG-13

Length: 102 minutes

Cast: Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, Tea Leoni

Director: David Koepp

Genre(s): Comedy, Romantic Comedy

“Stranger than Fiction”

Let me first say that I like Will Ferrell. You might even consider me a fan. “Blades of Glory,” great. “Talladega Nights,” terrific. “Elf,” a delight. But “Stranger than Fiction,” just okay. The difference? As Howard Crick, the main character in “Stranger than Fiction,” Ferrell’s essentially playing himself. And sorry, but he’s not that interesting an actor. It makes me wonder if he can carry a movie when not in character or doing broad comedy. If you don’t agree, rent “Melinda, Melinda.” It’s painful to watch Ferrell do his Woody Allen impersonation. Or look at the dismal box office for “Land of the Lost.” The other thing about “Stranger than Fiction” is that I liked the idea more than the movie itself. It's a pretty standard story about "living like you were dying" but with a high concept twist. I can just imagine the pitch: “The main character realizes he’s the character in the book, a la ‘The Truman Show.’” And “Stranger” tries to get all metaphysical like “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “Being John Malkovich” but lacks their wit, charm and inventiveness. So while watching "Stranger" I couldn’t keep from thinking about those other movies and wondering how much better this one could have been. Which earned it this tweet: Stranger than Fiction-This Spike Jonze/Charlie Kaufman-esque movie suffers from not being attached to Spike Jonze or Charlie Kaufman. 6.5 (out of 10)

“Stranger than Fiction”

Released: 2006

Rating: PG-13

Length: 113 minutes

Cast: Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Queen Latifah, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman

Director: Marc Forster

Genre(s): Comedy, Fantasy

“Office Space”

Talk to anyone who works in a cubicle farm about “Office Space” and chances are they'll be able to quote it chapter and verse. Mike Judge’s workplace comedy pokes fun at almost everything that sucks the soul out of office staff -- clueless bosses, pointless procedures and ineffective “improvement” initiatives. Ron Livingston is the worker bee who, with the aid of a hypnosis session gone wrong, decides that the corporate life isn’t for him. And it’s precisely his “I couldn’t care less” attitude that starts to get him noticed by management. Which can be either good or bad, depending on your point of view. My 140-character review on Twitter: Office Space-A celebration of corporate America’s embrace of the human spirit and refusal to let go until it’s been crushed. 8.5 (out of 10)

Another Mike Judge movie you might enjoy: “Idiocracy”

“Office Space”

Released: 1999

Rating: R

Length: 89 minutes

Cast: Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, David Herman, Ajay Naidud

Director: Mike Judge

Genre(s): Comedy, Romance

Swimming with Sharks: A different kind of buddy movie

For fans of Kevin Spacey, of which I count myself, “Swimming with Sharks” is a must see. Heck, even if you’re not a fan, it’s worth it. Spacey’s performance in this black comedy is a real treat. He plays Buddy Ackerman, a Hollywood studio executive who's expert at chewing up and spitting out assistants. (He makes Ari Gold of "Entourage" look like Mother Teresa.) And when an innocent new assistant, Guy (Frank Whaley) arrives, Buddy quickly sets his expectations for life in hell and keeps piling on the abuse until Guy can’t take it anymore. But rather than quit, Guy has other plans. This led me to tweet: Kevin Spacey plays an abusive studio executive who learns that the love you take is equal to the love you make. 8 (out ot 10) It can get a little brutal at times. But if you ever think you’ve got a bad boss, or have a revenge fantasy of your own, pop “Swimming with Sharks” into your DVD player. You’ll feel better.

"Swimming with Sharks"

Released: 1994

Rating: R

Length: 101 minutes

Cast: Kevin Spacey, Frank Whaley, Michelle Forbes, Benicio Del Toro

Director: George Huang

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Thriller

Infamous: The other Truman Capote movie

“Infamous” had the unfortunate luck of being released a few months after "Capote" and was overshadowed by that film and Philip Seymour Hoffman's Oscar-winning performance. Unfortunate because I actually prefer this film. For me, “Infamous” feels more personal and offers a better glimpse into the workings of Truman Capote’s mind. For one thing, Toby Jones’s physical presence is more like the writer’s. And Jones does an amazing job demonstrating how this odd little man from the big city cajoled his way into the lives of straight-laced Kansans to get the "In Cold Blood" story. This is especially evident at an awkward Holiday dinner as Capote discovers he can win over his hosts with his insider celebrity gossip. It’s not long after that he becomes the toast of the town. “Infamous” also dives into how attached Capote became to condemned killer Perry Smith, played by Daniel Craig (yes, James Bond), and the effect of their professional/personal relationship. The supporting cast that includes Jeff Daniels as Kansas Bureau of Investigation detective Alvin Dewey and Sandra Bullock as writer Nelle Harper Lee is very good. My review from Twitter: "Capote" may have gotten an Oscar. But this film, also about the writer's "In Cold Blood" experience, reveals a truer Truman. 8.5 (out of 10)

"Infamous"

Released: 2006

Rating: R

Length: 118 minutes

Cast: Toby Jones, Sandra Bullock, Daniel Craig, Peter Bogdanovich

Director: Douglas McGrath

Genre(s): Drama, Adaptation, Period

“Being There”

As the old saying goes, "When you assume you make an ass out of you and me." If you'd like a demonstration, I suggest you watch "Being There." In this satire, Peter Sellers is Chance, a simple-minded gardener put out on the street when attorneys come to settle his dead employer’s estate. Up until that point, Chance has only experienced life through the television set. (And mind you, this is before 500 channels of cable, so it’s not much of a life.) Chance's fortunes change when he’s struck by a limousine carrying wealthy socialite Eve Rand (Shirley MacLaine). A mumbled introduction later and Chance the gardener is rechristened Chauncey Gardiner. His well-groomed appearance, expensive clothing and reserved speaking manners compound that error by leading Eve and her politically-connected husband Benjamin (Melvyn Douglas) to assume Chance is a man of importance. So when introduced to members of the Rand’s inner circle, Chance’s simple gardening tip responses to complex questions take on the air of sage advice. From there it's only a matter of time before Chance is being courted by Washington power brokers and being groomed for greatness. All of which led me to tweet: Peter Sellers is simpleton who ends up wielding tremendous influence in the nation’s capital. This is fiction, right? 8.5 (out of 10)

"Being There"

Released: 1979

Rating: PG

Length: 130 minutes

Cast: Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden

Director: Hal Ashby

Genre(s): Comedy

The Top 8 DVD Reviews (so far): “What's Up, Doc?”

Article 7 of 8

Here’s the number 2 DVD (so far) in the Top 8 countdown of the first 100 TweeterFlix DVD reviews:

What’s Up, Doc?

What I wrote on Twitter: Peter Bogdanovich’s screwball comedy is a reminder that Barbra Streisand used to be funny. I recommend she see it. 10 (out of 10) Ryan O'Neal used to be funny, too. And Madeline Kahn always was. “What’s Up, Doc?” is a throwback to the comedies of the 1940s and centers around at a hotel in San Francisco, when four identical red plaid overnight bags containing rocks, diamonds, top-secret papers and Streisand’s clothing get mixed up. There’s a great supporting cast and funny bits throughout the picture. But the chase scene alone is worth the price of admission.

Number 3: "An Inconvenient Truth"

Number 4: "The Fog of War"

Number 5: “Splendor in the Grass”

Number 6: “Thirteen”

Number 7: “The King of Kong”

Number 8: “The Dark Knight”

Coming up next: “Fail Safe”

“What's Up, Doc?”

Released: 1972

Rating: G

Length: 94 minutes

Cast: Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Austin Pendleton

Director: Peter Bogdanovich

Genre(s): Comedy, Family

Coming Soon: The Future, Part 2

Continued from “Children of Men”

For a comedic take on the future, try Mike Judge’s “Idiocracy.” It has Luke Wilson as a volunteer for a one-year hibernation experiment who accidentally sleeps for 500 years. He wakes up to discover what happened while the world’s greatest minds were focused on curing male-pattern baldness and E.D. Now, as the film's title implies, the idiots are running things. Monster Truck Rallies are used to mete out justice and they’re watering crops with sports drinks. But Luke figures it all out in the end. After all, he is the smartest man in the world. My review from Twitter: Idiocracy-In the future, the dumbest people in American rise to power and prominence. Haven’t we have learned from the past? 7 (out of 10)

“Idiocracy”

Released: 2006

Rating: R

Length: 87 minutes

Cast: Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, Sara Ruer

Director: Mike Judge

Genre(s): Comedies, Sci-Fi, Period

Christmas in July - Part 2

My review on Twitter: A Christmas Story-Cautionary tale about the perils of getting what you wish for because it just might shoot your eye out. 8 (out of 10) If you don’t know where the “shoot your eye out” reference is from, you’ve missed one of the all time great holiday movies. “A Christmas Story” is humorist Jean Shepard’s nostalgic take on the holiday as seen through the eyes of nine-year-old Ralphie Parker who desperately wants “an official Red Ryder carbine action two-hundred shot range model air rifle with a compass in the stock.” While he eagerly tries to secure its arrival, he has to endure the neighborhood bully, a pair of bunny pajamas, his cantankerous father’s battle with their cantankerous furnace and the constant warnings from nearly everyone, including Santa himself, that he’ll shoot his eye out with the rifle. So what happens when Christmas morning finally arrives? Just like Ralphie, you’ll have to wait.

"A Christmas Story"

Released: 1983

Rating: PG

Length: 93 minutes

Cast: Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, Peter Billingsley, Ian Petrella

Director: Bob Clark

Genre(s): Comedy, Holiday, Adventure

The Hoax: So would that be fiction or non-fiction?

“The Hoax” is the fascinating tale of Clifford Irving’s “authorized” autobiography of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes. As the title indicates, it turns out to be a completely and masterfully fabricated sham. Along the way, Irving (Richard Gere) manages to fool the experts sent to verify his claims and it’s not until Hughes himself gets involved that Irving and his scheme start to unravel. My review from Twitter: Clifford Irving's fictitious autobiography of Howard Hughes fools everyone with the unfortunate exception of Mr. Hughes himself. 8 (out of 10)

"The Hoax"

Released: 2006

Rating: R

Length: 115 minutes

Cast: Richard Gere, Alfred Molina, Marcia Gay Harden, Julie Delpy

Director: Lasse Hallstrom

Genre(s): Drama, Adaptation, Period

Super Size Me: I’m lovin’ it!

"Super Size Me" is another of my all-time favorite documentaries. Here's what I wrote on Twitter: Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock tries to turn himself into Michael Moore, literally, by eating nothing but McD's for a month. 8.5 (out of 10) Sure, it’s a bit of a stunt-umentary. But it’s a good one. Morgan Spurlock is an otherwise healthy specimen. Until he decides to eat nothing but McDonald’s -- breakfast, lunch and dinner – for a month. He chronicles the physical and emotional changes with visits to doctors and various other experts as he super sizes himself with this unusual diet. And don’t forget to check out the extras. You just may think twice before driving through the golden arches.

“Super Size Me”

Released: 2003

Rating: PG-13

Length: 98 minutes

Cast: Morgan Spurlock, Daryl Isaacs, Lisa Ganjhu, Stephen Siegel

Director: Morgan Spurlock

Genre(s): Documentary