mendelmovie

I enjoyed the original film for it's sense of fun and it's wonderful off-the-cuff characters. If we learned anything from Lethal Weapon 4, it's that just copying what worked in a previous film is essentially making a mockery of your franchise. First of all, this script is fantastic...for a geek-fan in his first year of film school. For anyone else it's utterly horrendous in every way imaginable. I have never witnessed so many cliché's operating all at once. Sure, many of our favorite characters are back, but watching them all yell incoherently and blather profane language with no purpose or direction is just boring. This particular comment is mainly directed at the cops who's collective acting is a horror to behold. I don't know what happened with Willem Dafoe, but his absence is sorely missed. Julie Benz is nice to look at, (and wonderful on Dexter) but having her do a Kyra Sedgwick impression from "The Closer" was an embarrassing move on the part of Troy Duffy. The boys were adequate, I guess. Sean Patrick Flanery must have had some plastic surgery done to his face over the years cause he looks dreadful, but it is what it is. Another buzz kill was Clifton Collins Jr., a gifted actor who somehow thought that in order to replace Rocco, he needed to yell allot and make stupid faces. Most of the blame falls on Duffy's lap though. The guy must have just stood there while his actors were taking his already crappy dialogue and making it worse. This is where Willem Dafoe would have been of some use. What a waste. Having said all this, I will have to check this out again when it hits DVD. Here's why: This movie was so boring, so bland, so utterly unconvincing that it caused a patient film lover to get up out of his chair and walk the hell out with 30 minutes left to go. I will see the ending eventually, but no matter how good it might be, it cannot make up for the total disgrace that preceded it. Now, I don't begrudge Troy Duffy making a third film. The guy does have some talent hiding somewhere. I just hope he examines this lazy retread and dares to do better. He was HUNGRY when he made the first film. Troy, do us all a favor: GET FRIGGIN' HUNGRY AGAIN!

Forget everything you think you know about Michael Jackson. Forget the scandals, the surgeries, the rumors, the mysteries. Just accept that we're all innocent until proved guilty in America and let it all go. Michael Jackson was the greatest dancer in the history of mankind. This documentary shows that hours before his death, he remained the greatest dancer in the history of mankind. He was a revelation, pure and simple. And the greatest achievement in Kenny Ortega's simple, elegant tribute is that it allows the viewer, without a shred of distraction, to witness the process of an artist. Sure, some of the footage is a little amateurish, as this was meant for Michael Jackson' records more than anything else. But that's the fun of it. The viewer gets to witness the raw nature of the artist rather than the glossy outcome that would have been the final product. If you're concerned that the film will be an act of gross exploitation and an attempt to squeeze every last dime in the wake of Michael Jackson's death, know this: I haven't the slightest doubt that Michael would have wanted his fans to see this footage. Of course it's exploitive, don't fool yourself into thinking otherwise, but so what: All documentaries are exploitive to some degree and tasteful exploitation is better than tasteless exploitation. This is a film about the process, nothing more. We're just lucky that this process happens to revolve around the finest entertainer of our time. If you're even the slightest fan, this is a must see. If you're not, I dare you not to be won over. Also, if you're looking for signs of fatigue from Michael Jackson, you will be disappointed. In fact, if there's one thing that bothered me about the film, it's that Michael was in such terrific shape that it's angering to think he died so close to the finish line. We don't have many great entertainers left in the world. And the fact that at 50 years of age, operating at about 80% energy wise, Michael blows the top 10 pop singers of today out of the sky, is rather remarkable. Prepare for an emotional and downright exciting concert-film. "This is it" will show the world that with all the noise, all the distractions, all the craziness: Michael Jackson still had it. And then some...