![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
It still holds up
Having waited till the crowds died down to see "The Dark Knight," I do not disagree with critics who have been tripping over their upturned thumbs to heap accolades upon it. It's riveting, and the rapidfire climax is jaw-dropping. It should receive an Oscar nomination for editing for that sequence alone. And the praise for Heath Ledger's performance is no mere sympathy vote; his will replace Nicholson's as the iconic portrayal of The Joker.
But that's not why I'm here. A month or so ago, I extolled the virtues of "Get Smart." I rarely watch a movie more than once, more rarely still pay to see it in a theater, first-run, more than once. In recent years, that honor has been conferred only upon "L.A. Confidential" (I'm still bitter that it was robbed at the Oscars by "Titanic") and "The Sixth Sense" (which I then went on to view once or twice more on video).
But after seeing "Get Smart" in June, while I was grabbing everyone I knew by the collar telling them how funny it was, I decided it would join that elite group of movies to receive repeat theater viewings. Last night (its last showing at my favorite local theater, the Hampton Cinemas) was that night.
The passage of ... oh, a month ... and the onslaught of a summer's worth of blockbusters has not rendered it stale. I laughed just as hard last night as I did the first time, and this time I made sure to commit some of my favorite lines to memory ('cause, unlike most guys I know, I do not have the brain-wiring for instant movie-quote recall). Steve Carell's delivery doesn't have Don Adams' stylized nasal intonation, but he brings his own funny, as any fan of "The Daily Show," "The Office" or any of his films (OK, except "Evan Almighty") can attest. Anne Hathaway adds a new dimension to 99, and there's a costuming nod to her TV predecessor, Barbara Feldon. Alan Arkin does the geezer demographic proud. The cameos are delicious. And the ending will satisfy those nostalgic for the series ... and those, like me, hungering for this to be only the first entry in a new movie franchise.
So, if it's still playing near you, I say again: Rungosee "Get Smart." Off with you now.
But that's not why I'm here. A month or so ago, I extolled the virtues of "Get Smart." I rarely watch a movie more than once, more rarely still pay to see it in a theater, first-run, more than once. In recent years, that honor has been conferred only upon "L.A. Confidential" (I'm still bitter that it was robbed at the Oscars by "Titanic") and "The Sixth Sense" (which I then went on to view once or twice more on video).
But after seeing "Get Smart" in June, while I was grabbing everyone I knew by the collar telling them how funny it was, I decided it would join that elite group of movies to receive repeat theater viewings. Last night (its last showing at my favorite local theater, the Hampton Cinemas) was that night.
The passage of ... oh, a month ... and the onslaught of a summer's worth of blockbusters has not rendered it stale. I laughed just as hard last night as I did the first time, and this time I made sure to commit some of my favorite lines to memory ('cause, unlike most guys I know, I do not have the brain-wiring for instant movie-quote recall). Steve Carell's delivery doesn't have Don Adams' stylized nasal intonation, but he brings his own funny, as any fan of "The Daily Show," "The Office" or any of his films (OK, except "Evan Almighty") can attest. Anne Hathaway adds a new dimension to 99, and there's a costuming nod to her TV predecessor, Barbara Feldon. Alan Arkin does the geezer demographic proud. The cameos are delicious. And the ending will satisfy those nostalgic for the series ... and those, like me, hungering for this to be only the first entry in a new movie franchise.
So, if it's still playing near you, I say again: Rungosee "Get Smart." Off with you now.