Review of Margaret Cho: Notorious C.H.O. (2002) by David K — 20 Jul 2010

Life has been unexpectedly hectic as of late, but luckily my viewings of movies (particularly old ones which I missed out on initially) has picked up.

Note about Netflix: if you haven't tried this service yet, you are missing out on one of the quintessential internet fads. An affordable online rental service, this thing makes it not only efficient to see thousands of available titles on DVD, but also affordable. A flat rate per month and unlimited movies which can be sent back in pre-paid return envelopes. Can it get any better?

Okay, enough of the shameless promotion. Onto the films themselves:

[b]The Notorious C.H.O.[/b] - I genuinely like Margaret Cho and all, but this stand-up comedy feature film is not one of her greatest moments. Neither, for that matter, are very many of the jokes particularly funny; in fact, she exhausts some gimmicks so immensely that you're left wondering when it will all end instead of how funny they might actually be.

[b]Hero[/b] - The blueprint for "House of Flying Daggers," they say, is both beautiful and intoxicating, although the narrative structure is a bit too over-the-top for my tastes. But I guess if you're part of that whole "Crouching Tiger" fan club, you aren't seeing these movies necessarily for raw story power or anything. And that's okay, because "Hero" is interesting enough in several other regards to warrant the attention. All that complex choreography reeks of art.

[b]Wonderland [/b]- Starring Val Kilmer as legendary porn star John Holmes, the film chronicles the events surrounding and leading up to a series of murders that took place in Southern California towards the end of his infamous career. The specifics were never cleared, but the movie offers various different insights into possible ways that the events played out. Some of the flashbacks are well-acted and photographed; other moments are bit too melodramatic. Still, not a bad film; certainly informative.

[b]The Texas Chainsaw Massacre[/b] - The remake, not the original. Basically just an elaborate 96-minute geek show with a few jump moments... but then again, such sentiment basically describes the original film, too. Not badly made or executed by any stretch, at least, and the picture is punctuated by a series of slight differences from the original to at least make the viewing experience a little more interesting than it might have been. Oh, and that ending? Terrific.

New movies: [b]Robots[/b] was pretty darn awesome, [b]The Ring Two[/b] was pointless drivel, and [b]Sin City[/b].... well, let's just say I can't tell you until opening day, or the studio might have my head.