Cr@ppy zombie movie, filmed in grainy Haze-Cam.
Features lots of cr@ppy, out of place incidental music. And bad dialogue/acting, of course.
If only the main characters’ alarm clocks hadn’t gone off, this movie need never have been made.
Knowledge gained: Zombies are destroyed by stock footage.
Inspirational Exchange:
Man: “I wasn’t always a priest.”
(several minutes later)
Woman: “You weren’t always a priest, were you?”
Grade: F-
Somewhat informative, somewhat absurd, often repetitive “documentary” on the zombie idea.
Grade: D
7/14/18: The Great Grade Update. Grade: D+
The movie is really cheezy sci-fi wannabe, but Joel and the bots don’t rip it apart with anywhere near enough ferocity. Moments of brilliance, though, if you can stay awake for them.
Highlights: persistent Gymkata, persistent forklift song, and some really tasteless (funny) jokes.
Grade: B-
Some people have asked me: “Why do you get so many hits?”
And my first, instinctual response, which I repress for courtesy’s sake, is “Fck you! And thanks for the support.”
My second response, which I state, is “I don’t know.”
If there’s one thing you can say about my reviews, it’s that:
1) They’re heartfelt.
6.9) They pay no attention to what anyone thinks my opinion “should” be.
237) They are made (unless otherwise noted) after watching the ENTIRE D@MN THING, no matter how painful. Critical integrity.
9906753) They mix together a little bit Christgau, a little bit Python, a little bit Stooges, a little bit MST, a little bit random references I’ve picked up random places, and a little bit occasional inspiration.
Tha end.
‘Mystery Science Theater 3000: Manos: The Hands Of Fate (1993)’
Kinda sad, really :(
What a complete RIPOFF.
It starts out good enough…seems fairly witty, intelligent, well-acted, well-made.
But besides (infrequent) zombies, it’s NOTHING like the original. I would liken it more to ‘Return’ but it’s NOT funny. It’s also not scary. It also gets boring about half an hour in when you begin to wonder when it’s actually going to START.
Character development is great. But only when the characters then do stuff.
It’s cleverly made in that it puts forth a good opening and since you KNOW it’s gonna eventually turn into ‘Night 2012’, you keep watching. But it doesn’t. Ever. Really. I watched the WHOLE THING.
Just cashing in on the name, basically. And except for first-time viewers who haven’t heard what a piece of sh1t it is (like me), it will attract NO type of audience. Not gore fans, not horror fans, not horror parody fans, not even die-hard Romero fans.
Upped a notch for the decent but meaningless beginning, and to prevent having to add it to my F list. I have SOME standards.
Grade: D-
3/11/13: Why didn’t I notice that this was a prequel to the cr@ppy 2006 ‘Night’ “remake” until well after I’d finished watching it? Because the 2006 version was so terrible I didn’t bother to review it. There. Accurate AND precise! Grade: D-
A post-apocalypse movie. Cause: extreme heat.
It’s well made and acted enough to be “authentic”, but the dialogue is as persistently lifeless and dull as the landscape.
Nothing special. Subtitles if you care, and kinda boring regardless. The ‘Twilight Zone’ heat episode is much better, if you insist on a heat disaster subject.
Grade: D
Quite possibly the worst movie ever made.
A great short (‘Hired!’ Part Deux), pretty good riffing, good host segments, classic ending.
Inspirational Quote: “You know this scene is strong enough for a manos, but made for a womanos.”
Grade: B+
2/15/13: This is a must-see for anyone that doesn’t demand goodness in their greatness. Grade: A-
Interesting and well-made documentary about CleanFlicks in particular and the edited-movie business in general, as well as some of the people that were involved in it.
Obviously since it was made by people it’s subjective, but overall the stance is fairly neutral: it presents a clear viewpoint, but it doesn’t show and say ONLY those things that back up that viewpoint. So it’s opinionated without being completely propagandic…which is good, because if you’re denouncing preachy behavior it’s a good idea not to preach about it.
Grade: B
1/17/13: See ‘Pupdate: Documentary Grade Edits’. Grade: C+
A quote and a comment open this movie. Both are creepy-interesting.
Then the movie begins.
Is it creepy? It’s about a girlfriend eating her boyfriend…so yeah.
But it’s ALL mood. I mean ALL. Dark, creepy mood. Bad (infrequent) dialogue, bad acting, bad arty attempts, bad SFX (the gore in any zombie flick is more “realistic” than this). And after a while dark, creepy mood becomes dull, monotonous repetitive mood.
To close, two guest reviews:
Larry: “Let’s pluck him, and see if he’s ripe!”
Monty Python (paraphrased):
*Derek Hart* “Nude man, what did you make of that?”
*Nude Man* “Well, don’t you see, that was exactly the kind of explicit…reference I’m objecting to. It’s titillation for the sake of it. A deliberate attempt at cheap sensationalism. I don’t care what the so-called avant-garde, left-wing, intellectual namby-pambies say…It is filth!”
*Derek Hart* Bishop.
*The Bishop* Okay, don’t anybody eat!
Grade: F
A combination of mediocre horror flick and attempt-at gripping post-apocalyptic drama.
It’s more the second, along the lines of ’28 Days Later’/’The Book Of Eli’ (much more ‘Eli’, though, especially with the recurring religious themes).
Of course it’s not nearly as GOOD as either of those films…it’s not bad and it’s fairly watchable, but it’s pretty predictable. I didn’t discover any surprises, at least.
The “sidekick”/kid is actually a lot more convincing than the lead/”hero”. None of the other characters really make an impression despite some of them trying really hard, and the whole thing is a bit overwrought. But it doesn’t really make you think much, if that’s a bonus for you.
There’s a part where the narrator says “small talk stopped”. Lucky break for the screenwriter. And of course shortly after that there’s a moment when it’s quiet…TOO quiet…
A: They had a great cheezy hit with “Kyrie”
Q: Why would it be cool if the lead’s last name was the same as his first?
Inspirationally Dumb Tactical Move: “Let’s leave the pregnant sleeping girl alone.”
Grade: C-
Subject of mockumentary: Really Cr@ppy B-Movies.
But despite the unbelievably easy target provided, it only hits “mildly amusing”, and even that only occasionally. So if you liked ‘This Is Spinal Tap’ or ‘Best In Show’, well…so did I, but this kinda sucks.
Although as a B-grade mockumentary of B-grade movies, there’s a certain symmetry of mediocrity there.
Grade: D-
Somewhat interesting documentary of Michael Jordan’s one-season baseball career: why it happened, how it went, and why it ended.
Grade: C+
1/17/13: See ‘Pupdate: Documentary Grade Edits’. Grade: D+
Even if you appreciate the majesty that is all things bat, it would be hard to watch this combination of blatant, half-a$$ed ripoffs and dull attempts at originality/sentimentality with anything more than tolerance and occasional mild interest.
Recommended only to families containing very small bat-obsessed children.
…and the question is: When will the world’s supply of disposable paper products replenish itself?
Features lots of interviews with former porn stars and people in the porn business.
I don’t know HOW, but this makes porn actually seem kinda meaningless.
Honestly, it is kinda sad to see the real, emotional, human reasons why some of these women (and men…but mostly women) got into porn in the first place; reasons that invariably tend toward loneliness, abandonment, and self-esteem issues.
Not really sure what the target audience is here, though…
Men that used to jerk off to these women that actually care about them as people?
OR…
Men/Women that actually care about them as people, who also want to see the many nude scenes sprinkled throughout?
Grade: C
1/17/13: See ‘Pupdate: Documentary Grade Edits’. Grade: D
Like episodes 1-3, only much less funny.
Like ‘The Naked Gun’, only much shorter. ‘Ring Of Fear’ is my fav, but they’re all pretty much the same.
If you’re not a fan, this is useless to you. If you are one, it probably is too, except to see if you think I’m an idiot re: my favs. So to be of any use whatsoever, I’ve just decided to list the episodes that I think are NOT worth your time, even if you are a fan (like me). These are the ones that are either embarrassingly and consistently bad, or that have so few good moments and are otherwise so completely DULL that they’re not worth the time. Listed by number and name, for those that haven’t memorized both, to know what to steer clear of.
Episode 1 – Pilot: The Cage
Episode 7 – Mudd’s Women
Episode 11 – The Corbomite Maneuver
Episode 14 – The Conscience Of The King
Episode 28 – The Alternative Factor
Episode 57 – Spock’s Brain
Episode 74 – The Lights Of Zetar
Episode 75 – Requiem For Methuselah
Episode 76 – The Way To Eden
Episode 78 – The Savage Curtain
10/11/13: I changed my mind. Will (briefly) review episodes, except those deemed unworthy of review, in the near future.
I certainly can’t recommend this, because there’s no way I’m gonna watch all 26 episodes.
But of all the anime I’ve seen, it’s definitely got the best sense of humor (about itself and anything else) along with really bad taste.
It’s intentionally silly to the point of absurdity but it’s smart enough to make a few good jokes along the way: it pokes fun at villains, heroes, drama, itself, sentimentality, japanese anime, good, evil, life, death, etc…
Also, it features the (at least tied for) most annoyingly perpetually ultra-cheerful really-high-pitched when-will-she-lower-from-a-screech sort-of-evil kinda-heroine weird-a$$ multi-death-absorbing slightly-fanged scantily-dressed-as-usual-in-these female lead character I’ve ever seen.
I tried watching a lot of anime…I really did. This is the most clever I could find.
I’d say watch the first one and proceed from there as you see fit.
The title is the most cleverly enjoyable part of watching the movie.
Not scary, and since it’s a straight-out parody the one or (maybe) two laughs and couple of mildly interesting moments (all in the first half) don’t make it worth watching.
What a waste of time and dull mostly-professional competence.
Grade: D-
Started to watch this…found it to be an inferior version of ‘Masters Of Horror’, with worse scripts/acting/directing…stopped. I wasn’t afraid, I was bored.
I almost ALWAYS make it a rule to watch every single minute of something before I review it, just on the OFF chance I might miss some great revelation that makes the first 99% worth slogging through. So take this as an “incomplete”, and torture yourself if you want to. You MIGHT like it. But based on the evidence I saw, I’m 6.9 you won’t. Unless you have really bad taste, or you JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH…dun dun dun dun dun da da dun dun.
The Best Of Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1980)
The original version of this (released in 1980) is superior to the 1994 re-release because it ends sooner.
ELP was intricate, eclectic, and popular…like Yes. But they always struck me as excrutiatingly pretentious when they weren’t being very basically melodic. And unlike Yes, I never escaped the feeling that they were just bullsh1tting all along.
And, aside from a few basic melodic tunes, they weren’t very interesting. They should have just given “Still… You Turn Me On” to a band with a real singer and “Lucky Man” to one WITHOUT a synthesizer that threatened to make your eardrums bleed and/or explode when it REALLY kicked in.
Also, they didn’t have Steve Howe.
Grade: D+
Message of ad seen recently: “Doing two things is better than doing one”.
Not necessarily. If someone was performing an incredibly intricate surgical procedure on a patient whose life literally was hanging in the balance every moment of the operation, it’s PROBABLY not a good idea for said head surgeon to be 50/50 in concentrating on the surgery and a crossword puzzle.
Or, to quote ‘Cheers(The Diane Years)’:
*Larry* “Hey Coach…what happened to our pool table?”
*Coach* “It’s still there, Larry, but thanks to our Billiard Buddy adaptor, ya know, it’s more fun than ever now. It can be a knock-hockey table, a ping-pong table, a slot-car track, you name it.
*Larry* *Brief Pause* “I want a pool table.”
*Coach* “Well, let me get out my easy-to-follow conversion instructions here…*Takes out a blueprint and a bunch of tools, mutters a bit*…and that.”
*Larry* “Uh, Coach, how long is this gonna take?”
*Coach* “Bout 20 minutes.”
*Larry* “20 minutes to put the pool table together?”
*Coach* “No, 20 minutes to figure what the hell this is.” *holds up a “tool”*
*Larry* “Eh, forget it, I’ll play ping-pong.”
*Coach* “God bless ya…”
-Puppy/Cheers – ‘King Of The Hill’
You would like to watch…you would like to watch, you…WOULD like to watch…
Classic bit done very well.
Grade: A-
Now that they have a chance at a first-round bye, I find myself torn.
I mean, I know it makes sense in terms of wanting them to have a better chance of getting to the Super Bowl…but how can I TOTALLY get into rooting for them to NOT play next week, since I like watching them play?
I mean, if someone offered them a last-six-games-of-the-regular-season bye without making them any less sharp and with a guarantee that they would still make the playoffs, would I want that?
*Shrug*
That’s all that matters, folks!
Highs:
convenient sign
glasses dissatisfaction
chalking the baton
DRAMATIC pause(s)
inconvenient clothing adjustment(s)
full-body conducting
rock-star-ish instrument destruction
music-loving fly
Lows:
insufficient jokes w/ the cuteness
battle conducting
Grade: B-
Highs:
Lots of stuff you’ve seen before
Lows:
Lots of stuff you’ve seen before
Grade: C
Why did this win an Academy Award when no Bugs Bunny cartoon before had? Well, since this clearly isn’t anywhere near the best of them, I would guess that the Academy was giving Bugs a “Lifetime Achievement Award” before the cartoons got too boring/repetitive. Just in time, in that case.
Pretentious artsy cr@p. About as meaningful as ‘Sprockets’ but not NEARLY as watchable.
Grade: F-
It’s sad to see a lot of this footage behind the fight that shouldn’t have been, but if you’re a fan of Holmes, Ali, boxing, or the importance of knowing when something’s over, it’s worth the pain.
Grade: B
1/17/13: See ‘Pupdate: Documentary Grade Edits’. Grade: B-
Highs:
oh, the pageantry
kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit…
“what’s up, doc” enquiry
majestic steed
overall animation and score
tragic ending
Lows:
too much magic helmet
it’s impressive and interesting (at least to watch once), but it’s not funny. And isn’t that supposed to be the point?
Point of review: Yes, there are many “classics” I don’t review. Why? I watch them, I don’t think they’re worth the time. This is included only because it’s “historic”. Sort of.
Grade: C
More of a really cr@ppy combination of a cheerleading movie and ultra-soft-core porn-for-guys than the campy, cheezy “cult classic” you might be expecting from shlockmeister Roger Corman. So it’s stupid and it’s dull and it’s not scary.
Watch this only after every episode of MST3K, ‘Troll 2’, ‘Hobo With A Shotgun’…
BUT…maybe before ‘Rubber’. Too close to call, really.
Fans of underwear sorority pillow fights in slow motion: A MUST-SEE!
I left that last line in especially so it can be misquoted by people with an interest in seeing this piece of dreck make money as “…A MUST-SEE!”
Grade: D-
Tries to be really dramatic, but fails. The “light” moments certainly don’t help, nor are they funny.
Leaves out huge chunks of the book and dumbs down the rest, which is just plain DUMB because it was all understandable AS IT WAS, in the book.
Here’s what I would do: Read the book.
It’s really short and very easy to read…and it’s brilliant while being simple. Understandable on a very basic level by mandate to junior-high students (I think, maybe even younger…these kids today, a lot smarter) but also a VERY “adult” book when you think about the themes/messages. Personally I think it’s just as good as ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ (the book).
This is nowhere NEAR as good as ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ (the movie).
Grade: D
The paraphrased-from-Michael-Palin-on-an-unrelated-matter thoughts of Puppy on Marcel Proust’s masterwork, ‘A le recherche du temps perdu’:
“I see, I see, I … er … I … er … I … er … I … I can’t think of anything to say about it.“
My favorite part of this movie is that they say “canopy” a lot. And indeed, there’s a candid picture of one.
But I digress.
GREAT message, so-so animation/script, mediocre music, poor sound mix, HORRIBLE songs.
The message is pretty obvious, but how can you disagree with it? “Do Not Destroy Nature”.
And I appreciate the Three Stooges rip.
Ending Battle: Not quite “Force Of Nature”, but Green beats Black.
Inspirational Quote: “Humans can’t feel anything. They’re numb from the brain down.”
Grade: C-
5/11/14: A more candid grade. Grade: D+
Michael Palin on what group he finds the most fervently annoying.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIwhonuq_SM
‘A Fish Called Wanda’/Puppy
10/16/16: FAIR USE: CRITICISM – Quite frankly I think this movie was somewhat overrated in retrospect, but this was a remarkably appropriate clip, and it ain’t bad. (housekeeping)
Highs:
Open Iterations
Bugs’ horrific directional sense
Daffy’s greedy eyeballs
forceful Bugs dismissal
Daffy calling it first
re-emergent bunny head
Daffy’s poor danger-sense
Hassan’s impressive chops
Daffy’s unflinching loyalty in the face of danger
bottled rabbit, unbottled
habitual greedy slobbiness
really impressive rope trick
forceful genie dismissal
happy little miserdom
Lows:
pre-rope trick exposition
Grade: A-
I think a great Magic or Munchkin (or any card game) card would be “Dissidenti Seer”.
Also good for rebel magick-wielding groups in fictional worlds.
Strength/Abilities: I’m just an idea man. Hint: It’s a music reference, not an Italian reference.
I could do without the LONNNGGG pauses accompanied by monotonous minimalist piano score, but this documentary on eugenics is otherwise fairly interesting.
I may not agree with everything it’s trying to say (then again, I may not UNDERSTAND everything it’s trying to say) but I believe I can sum up the basic, simple message intended by the filmmaker thusly:
Eugenics SUCKS.
Or, regarding the “discoveries” of/from eugenics, I believe Ian Malcolm said it best:
“…what you call discovery, I call the rape of the natural world.”
Or for Star Trek fans:
*Khan* “We offered the world ORDER.”
*Kirk* “We?”
Grade: B-
1/17/13: See ‘Pupdate: Documentary Grade Edits’. Grade: C
Highs:
lurking shark
recurrent cute shark retreats
shark nicknames
Bugs’ rabbit stew desire
relucant toes
bone-fetching shark
shark with legs and feet
one Sampower
convenient ocean sign
Lows:
Bugs Bunny-arrival-and-capture exposition
Grade: B-
To: American Atheists
From: Puppy
Since the common CA/A refrain is “We want people to think for themselves” or “We want to encourage free thought”, or SOMETHING along those lines, altered slightly…here’s an idea.
It’s a CRAZY idea…but it just might work!
Instead of spending money (that could be spent on, oh I don’t know, Secular Humanist causes) on a propagandic Crusading Atheist sign in a “nyah nyah!” petulant childlike act of defiance, HOW ABOUT THIS…
Now…it’s really complicated, so stay with me…
NEXT TIME…INSTEAD of the CA/A sign that TELLS people an opinion, NOT to “think for themselves”…if you insist on putting up a sign to promote people thinking for themselves, try this:
Put up a GREAT BIG sign with GREAT BIG letters that says “THINK FOR YOURSELF”.
And, if you wanna slip in the propaganda, put “This message brought to you by American Atheists”. You know…WITHOUT mocking belief.
You see, that’s SMART propaganda. Because people will then think “Hmmm…they’re atheists, because the sign says so…BUT they’re not saying “Be Atheist”…they’re saying “Think For Yourself”…HMMMMM…”
I think that would work far better re: your agenda. AND you wouldn’t look like a bunch of wankers (e.g. Richard Dawkins/Penn Jillette).
You can take that idea for free if you want. Even expand on it! Just show me some love, and look up my Jim Jarmusch quote for specific instructions. Thanks!
Remember…I admitted identification with various possible “labels”…but “Crusading Atheist/Antitheist” was NOT one, as they still make me want to vomit.
-Puppy >.< Yip!
Zombies don’t run.
At least, George Romero’s zombies don’t. And since this is a remake of a Romero film (see the title), you can attribute the speed of the zombies in this to one of two things: Either it’s an artistic attempt at improvement, or it’s a hackish attempt at making them more “scary”.
I think the second. And since the movie itself is pretty generic by undead standards and at times really DUMB, the “re-imagining” produces only one superior idea: “Let’s hire a few real actors.”
Not…good…enough.
The first five minutes or so are pretty good if you saw the original and haven’t read this review, admittedly.
Inspirational Exchange:
“We’re goin’ to the mall.”
*Pause* … “Sh1t.”
Grade: D
The only problems with this movie are that the script is poor and that it doesn’t have any good actors (which is a pretty big problem, seeing as how it’s a movie and all).
I mean, some of them are ok…but a few REALLY suck.
But the IDEAS are brilliant…Romero just isn’t a very good dialogue writer. At least, for every movie ’til ‘Land’. And after ‘Land’.
The gory nastiness has improved in “quality” from ‘Dawn’, if you care about that.
The only really notable acting performances (for being good) are Dr. Frankenstein and Bub. Franky-baby is a thoroughly convincing insane genius. And he, and his activities, lift the movie up a bit in terms of thought-provocation and level of interest. Everything else is pretty much irrelevant given the existence of ‘Night’, ‘Dawn’, and ‘Land’.
Inspirationally Cheezy Scene: “Dramatic” standoff complete with EXCITING music.
Grade: C
Ok, I’ve thought about this a lot, and, if anybody cares, I am…
*DRUMROLL*
Ignostic. Or “Einstein-ian Agnostic”, or “Agnostic Atheist”, or “Spinoza’s-God-Theist”, or “Non-Crusading (atheist or theist) Good Guy”, or “Influenced-By-Buddhism-And-Various-Other- Eastern-Forms-Of-Spirituality-As-Well-As-Certain-Aspects-Of-Western-Religions-And-Various-Others-As Well-Guy”, or “Who Cares?”…
“As god means very different things to different people, when the
word is spoken, an ignostic may seek to determine if something like
a child’s definition of a god is meant or if a theologian’s is intended instead. A theistic child’s concept generally has a simple and coherent meaning, based on an anthropomorphic conception of god. Many philosophers and theologians have rejected this conception
of god while affirming belief in another conception of god, including…Baruch Spinoza and Soren Kierkegaard.” – excerpt from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignostic
But then again, who cares? I’m a good person that doesn’t try to shove my belief (OR non-belief, as the case may be) down anyone else’s throat. If EVERYONE did this, theist and atheist, THAT would make things acceptable to both individual freedom of thought/expression (see ‘The 1st Amendment To The United States Constitution’) AND civil non-crusading-jerkiness. Yip!
Will this gain or lose readers? Not sure. Don’t really care, cuz as I’ve said ALL ALONG, I’m not a propagandist. Believe what you believe…don’t let anyone (on ANY side) tell you what you SHOULD believe. Peace.
-Puppy >.< Yip!
Highs:
ugliness confirmation
cute hideous mask
non-union witch
crisis of ugliness
sudden tea party departure
the magic of sweeping
snagging the Bugs
ADORABLE eyes
adorable-eye effect
adorable pet tarantula memory
post-tea Hazel…rowr
the great flying race
Lows:
some of the chasing
Grade: A-
Highs:
artiness
cast-iron tuxedo
knight’s impressive toitle
a big one
unimpressed by other impressive toitles
valiant sword attempts
the leg is mightier than the horse
horny-toads of unusual size
putting out the dragon
cute but sad dragon retreat
pig suit removal
endless donkey
Lows:
the ending
Grade: B+
This film works so well because:
1) It adheres so closely to the novel, which was absolutely brilliant.
2) It makes no attempt whatsoever to glamorize or sanitize the utter bleakness of the world Orwell created/imagined/feared.
Since it follows the novel so well, it goes without saying that it’s well-written. It’s also well-acted. Could it have been better? Perhaps, a bit…but I don’t really think it needs to be.
If you’ve read the book, this still has considerable value. If you haven’t, this is an absolute must-see.
When you see it, you’ll know why. I hope.
Inspirational Quote: “No. Nothing’s real.”
Grade: A
After quite a bit of introspection and uncertainty, I considered the following question:
Would I rather have theists (not to suggest by any means they all do, but SOME certainly do) that behave in a good and moral fashion simply because they are afraid of going to Hell or desirous of going to Heaven, who otherwise are just nasty people at heart?
Or would I rather have atheists (not to suggest by any means they all do, but SOME certainly do) that behave in an aberrant, malicious, destructive, cruel, even truly evil fashion simply because they believe that there is no Heaven or Hell, or anything of the sort, that when you die…that’s it. And who believe, therefore, since there’s no “incentive” for positive behavior and no “disincentive” for negative behavior, they might as well just do whatever the heck they want, whatever makes them happy, regardless of how it affects anyone else, being constrained only by their fear of consequences/laws/etc?
And that’s like asking if I prefer fascism or anarchism.
Fascism is the ultra-far-right: All security, no freedom.
Pure Anarchism (There are degrees, I know, but I’m talking about PURE Anarchism) is the ultra-far-left: All freedom, no security.
And my answer to that question would be…do I really have to pick one?
Why anyone would want to WATCH ZZ Top instead of just listening to them (unless you’re actually at a concert) when there’s no elaborate “show” and really nothing besides the three of them playing their instruments and occasionally smiling (well, and talking…but you can HEAR that) is beyond me.
However, if you have any interest, the songs do sound a bit more raw live. Usually not quite as good, to me…but since they haven’t really been writing interesting new songs for quite a while, there’s at least no weak current-album tracks. And it goes without saying that they’ve got their material down cold.
Grade: B
*Larry* Hey Curly shave some ice.
*Curly* (confused) What??
*Larry* I said shave some ice!
…
(cut to big block of ice with a bib on it, on chair next to Curly)
*Curly* “You’re new in the neighborhood, aren’t you?
Once over lightly, yes sir…
…Hot towel? No? Ok…”
