by Ethan Johnson
December 11, 2006
Hooray! First run stuff. If you hurry, you might catch them in time:
Borat: There's really nothing I can say that hasn't already been said about this movie. If you liked Da Ali G Show, you'll at best like this movie. The movie is much more hardcore than the TV series. And yes, that is the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas when Borat walks into the hotel lobby and says "what's up vanilla face?" If you avoid the theatre, settle for the comfort of your own home and your trusty remote control. Trust me on this.
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny: Here's the scoop: Poorly marketed, and the box office take is reflecting who actually knows who/what Tenacious D is. I also think the crowds are thin because everyone already saw School of Rock. But the D precedes any Jack Black movie, really. We enjoyed this movie immensely but we're also kinda in on the joke. Come on, give it a try. Before it goes straight to video, anyway.
For Your Consideration: Wow, talk about poor marketing. Worse, Christopher Guest's movies are so crowded now as to be nearly useless. This is not to say that everything has to be exactly like Waiting for Guffman. However, the charm of Guffman was the absurd stretch they tried to make: Gymnasium stage to Broadway. This meta-movie is about a movie that could net at least one Oscar nomination. But that's just it... lots of movies/roles could get nominated. Anyway, sparse laughs, way too crowded, and here's hoping the next one gets back to its airier, ambitious roots.
The Matador: I had no idea what to expect when I rented this movie. I still don't know what to make of it. This may be a huge cop-out, but I think this is one of those movies where the less you know about it going into it, the better. I will say that Pierce Brosnan owned his role, big time. Well, Greg Kinnear did too, but Brosnan seemed like more of a stretch to me. Check it out for your own self.
Kinky Boots: If I was still maintaining my business-themed blog, I would be required by law to say a few words about this movie over there. Lots to like from a marketing/long tail/business 2.0 (or whatever) perspective. Oh, and it's a UK flick, which means it's charming, and there are drag queens in it, which means it embraces diversity for its competitive advantage. ADP up 3 and 3/8 in moderate trading. Rent it and either enjoy it as fluffy entertainment, or get your moleskine notebook out and have multiple epiphanies. Whatever works. <EM>
