turing77

I just watched this on the Sundance Channel, and it is awful. I actually felt embarrassed for Cho at times. Histrionics outweigh material. Her co-option of a black accent is grating and unfunny. She spends more time making weird faces than in delivering solid jokes. The people that rate this work highly have drunk the Kool-Aid....they're the ones Cho's baton-waving is meant for. Fans of stand-up comedy, who enjoy the artistry of a comedian in getting an audience to laugh, will be stone-faced...but it is rather interesting to see in a "How bad can it get?" way. It can get plenty bad. At times I wondered if Cho was having a nervous breakdown on-stage...at other times, I wondered if she'd ever heard of a thing called "timing." Whatever you do, don't pay good money to see it; but if you do catch it for free somewhere, give it at least five minutes.

Remakes today are seemingly ubiquitous in Hollywood. Most of them are unnecessary (e.g. Alfie), or unwarranted (e.g. Dawn of the Dead), and damned near every single one is crap. But there is always the exception to the rule: John Carpenter's The Thing is the exception to the Iron Law of Remakes. It goes off in a different direction than Howard Hawks' Thing (which is trite "Doctor, look at the geiger counter!" 1950s rubbish), but stays more faithful to the original source material. This film is a horror masterpiece, without flaws, false notes, or counterfeit nonsense that makes the viewer say to himself "Oh yeah, I'm watchin' a movie." The script is taut, the acting superb, the credibility factor unassailable, and the special effects tremendous. I don't think Hollywood realizes just how artificial and awful CGI is. The effects in The Thing are gross, gory, and organic, and they never made me shake my head once. Let's put it this way: the 1982 special effects for The Thing do the job they're supposed to do--tell the story--better than anything George Lucas and his oodles of nerd-loot managed twenty years later. This is a film to own, and I can't sing its praises enough. Last point: I've seen the movie numerous times, and know how the plot works out...but the film is so well-made, such a classic, that I'll stick with it if I chance upon it on cable because it's that good (cf. "The Godfather).

Before I address the film, allow me a quick paean to its writer/producer/director. Thank Christ for Werner Herzog. It's tough being a cineaste these days, with such creative geniuses as Michael Bay, McG, and whoever directed Deuce Bigalow 2 ruling the Hollywood roost. Even Spielberg and Lucas have lost their mojo...OK, Lucas moreso--much, much moreso--than Spielberg. But what about Coppola? What's Scorsese done recently? Did P.T. Anderson fall off the face of the Earth? It's a bit frightening to think that no one is at the helm of the ship, and nothing good and/or original is being made. Enter Herzog. The guy IS a genius, and besides that, he is not only prolific, but he still has "it." Grizzly Man is just as good as anything Herzog made thirty years ago. Coincidentally, Stroszek was made thirty years ago. It is brilliant. Herzog knows how to use music in films, and here is a prime example. Herzog always has one or two bits of indelible imagery in his films; in Stroszek, we have the premature babies and the dancing chicken. (Another Herzog staple is unforgettable characterization. Who else wanted to punch the banker in the face? The guy's performance as a glad-handing vulture with a big sh*t-eating grin was spot-on.) Now I can see some viewers giving up after fifteen minutes and saying, "This is pretentious, Euro-arty bullsh*t." Fair enough...not all movies appeal to everyone. But I hate pretentious, Euro-arty bullsh*t too (e.g. The Perfect Human), and this ain't that. Stick with it, or wait a few years and try it again (just like reading Ulysses). This film will make demands on you...don't expect Hollywood pap. Last thing: the accusation of "anti-American" has been leveled at this film. I'm a white, male Republican (i.e., evil incarnate) and I do not--NOT--find this to be the case. This film is not about bashing America: it is about the other side of life's coin, and how no man truly decides his own fate.