A little spatter of what I've watched the past few days:
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka ***
Funny riff on the blaxploitation movies of the '70s. Some of the jokes fall flat, but most of it works, something that surprised me in a Wayans-centric comedy. Always great to see guys like Bernie Casey, Jim Brown, and Isaac Hayes kicking ass. It's a good, fun movie, worth checking out if you've got nothing else to watch on cable, if anything.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask ****
Woody Allen's farce about different aspects of sex was hilarious for the most part, but like all comedy, was hit-and-miss. The medieval, sheep, mad doctor, and inner body segments all killed me, especially the sheep. I wonder why Allen hasn't worked with Gene Wilder again after this, he seemed to fit this material like a glove and would handle his later, more dramatic work well, too. The awesome quips and general cleverness had me entertained throughout, even through the less funny segments. This was my first time watching one of Allen's early comedies, and if this is a sign of what they're like, I'm sure I'll enjoy the rest.
Friday Foster ***
A kind-of-awesome blaxpoitation flick with a surprisingly good cast (Pam Grier, Yaphet Kotto, Eartha Kitt, AND Carl Weathers! Holy shit) and ridiculous storyline around a conspiracy to wipe out all of the country's black leader. It's got all of the crazy violence, random nudity, and language you could want in an hour and a half. The montage of the millionaire slowly seducing Pam Grier over the course of the day culminating in the wham-blam-thank-you-ma'am boobies shot really made my 2 AM.
The Player ***1/2
This was my first Altman flick, which may seem like blasphemy to people named Laz, but that's okay. Aside from being an "industry" flick with loads of actor cameos (most of which are unscripted), the film centers on Tim Robbins as a movie exec being stalked by a vengeful writer. He confronts a guy who he thinks is doing it and kills him, only to find out he's killed the wrong man. Altman fills this with tons of references to other films (the 8 minute-long opening shot references Welles' Touch of Evil and Hitchcock's Rope; the camera lingers on shots of posters of movies that give insight to the film's plot - things that hardcore cinephiles would pick up on and appreciate). I enjoyed this film, from a directing and performance standpoint, but would only recommend this to people who are familiar with cinema or dig movies about the film industry.
Last of the Mohicans ***1/2
This was the second time I've seen this and it didn't change what I thought about it the first time around. Seeing Daniel Day-Lewis as this ripped action hero, cleaving the hell out of Indians and running through the forest, during the French and Indian War was worth the 2 hours of watching this. Even watching the Director's Cut, I still got the sense that Mann intended to have more to this story - imagine watching his other film Heat, but after they've cut abut 45 minutes to an hour of the relationship storylines, yeah, that's how I felt with this. The score grated on me throughout, dating what's supposed to be a period film to somewhere in the early '90s - that ain't good at all. That being said, it's still a wonderfully shot and performed film and fun to watch when you're in the mood.