This week’s movie reviews concentrate on some movies that were hyped when they came out. All of them I had been eager to see due to the hype, and my big concern was that they wouldn’t live up to it. Did they? Let’s see:
The first movie was Y Tu Mama Tambien. When this movie came out in 2001, it was hyped due to rampant sex that occurs in the movie as well as some brief bits of male nudity. Well, I went into the movie expecting rampant sex, and lo and behold there was some sex and glimpses of male nudity, but in reality it was nothing that was along the lines of the OMG/eye-popping variety. I thought the movie was well done, though a bit hard to follow at times. I think subtitled movies have to be extra good in order to make up for the fact that you have to do more work by reading at the same time as watching the movie. I wish I had one of those Matrix plugs so I could understand the Spanish and concentrate on the movie more. I recall a similar problem with the 400 blows as well as Fellini’s Roma – both good movies that struggled with my attention – maybe its the complexity.
Moving on to the second DVD of the week: Best in Show. This movie was also highly rated and regarded. For me, this movie fell into the “If I get time, I’ll see it” category. I have always been a big fan of the SCTV alums and their projects, and after hearing endless good things about their latest movies “Waiting for Guffman” and “Best in Show”, and the fact they had a new movie coming out soon, I decided to give it a spin in the player. My blase about wanting to see the movie was carried over into my opinion of the movie. It certainly had its moments, and its amazing to think that the majority of it was unscripted. I think Fred Willard’s improv skills shine the most above a great ensemble cast. Did I think it was worth seeing? Yes. Did I think it was as good as hyped? Not really.