ToyfareMark
Vegeta
A WINNER IS YOU!
In Hutch I trust!
Posts: 9,609 
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Post by ToyfareMark on Dec 24, 2007 9:35:46 GMT -5
Recently RRA started a thread about bad biopic movies and I brought this one up, and because I brought it up it made me go buy a used VHS copy of it on Ebay...this thing will never see a DVD release. Its a movie about John Belushi that mixes fantasy with reality.
The main plot is about John Belushi waking up in a morgue after he has died, and being taken on a tour of his life with an angel appropriately named Angel. The subplot is about writer Bob Woodard (one of the reporters who helped bring down Richard Nixon) investigating Belushi's life to write a book about him.
One of the biggest things about this movie is there is pretty much no chronological order at all, things skip back and forth pretty much all the way through, and it has one of THE weirdest endings in the history of movies...IMO at least.
Most critics and moviegoers took a giant crap all over this when it first came out in 1989, and once it was released on VHS in 1991 it was left to be forgotten forever. However, viewing this 18 years later....I think its gotten better with age. Now that I have seen this again it is apparent to me that Michael Chiklis did a very good job in playing Belushi, he really did make the character his. Its the fantasy element that was what killed this movie, nobody in 1989 could possibly wrap their head around that.
Too be honest I think this movie came out way too soon, Belushi had only been dead for 7 years, and we were still a few years away from the trend of making "out there" movies with WTF endings. I'm glad I did buy this because I was expecting to just watch it and make fun of it, and I ended up enjoying it alot.
This isn't my attempt at a review really, just my thoughts on a long forgotten movie that was ridiculed in its short lifespan, I just felt the need to share.
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Post by amsiraK on Dec 24, 2007 9:59:03 GMT -5
Michael Chiklis got roasted on an open flame for doing this... and he wasn't half bad at it, either. But he and biopics don't seem to work together. He was Curly in the Three Stooges TV Biopic and got smacked around for THAT, too.
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ToyfareMark
Vegeta
A WINNER IS YOU!
In Hutch I trust!
Posts: 9,609
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Post by ToyfareMark on Dec 24, 2007 11:21:01 GMT -5
I remember the 3 Stooges biopic being advertised...but I tend to avoid most TV movies...especially TV biopics.
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Post by Dr. Marzvon Zombie M.D. on Dec 24, 2007 14:45:00 GMT -5
I still have yet to see this movie, but would like to.
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rra
King Koopa
Posts: 10,145
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Post by rra on Dec 24, 2007 15:57:40 GMT -5
Recently RRA started a thread about bad biopic movies and I brought this one up, and because I brought it up it made me go buy a used VHS copy of it on Ebay...this thing will never see a DVD release. Its a movie about John Belushi that mixes fantasy with reality. The main plot is about John Belushi waking up in a morgue after he has died, and being taken on a tour of his life with an angel appropriately named Angel. The subplot is about writer Bob Woodard (one of the reporters who helped bring down Richard Nixon) investigating Belushi's life to write a book about him. One of the biggest things about this movie is there is pretty much no chronological order at all, things skip back and forth pretty much all the way through, and it has one of THE weirdest endings in the history of movies...IMO at least. Most critics and moviegoers took a giant crap all over this when it first came out in 1989, and once it was released on VHS in 1991 it was left to be forgotten forever. However, viewing this 18 years later....I think its gotten better with age. Now that I have seen this again it is apparent to me that Michael Chiklis did a very good job in playing Belushi, he really did make the character his. Its the fantasy element that was what killed this movie, nobody in 1989 could possibly wrap their head around that. Too be honest I think this movie came out way too soon, Belushi had only been dead for 7 years, and we were still a few years away from the trend of making "out there" movies with WTF endings. I'm glad I did buy this because I was expecting to just watch it and make fun of it, and I ended up enjoying it alot. This isn't my attempt at a review really, just my thoughts on a long forgotten movie that was ridiculed in its short lifespan, I just felt the need to share. My video store has this movie, and I need to check it out. Anyway ToyfareMark, you did a really good job with your very first review. Just keep at it, you'll improve in terms of your penmanship. Trust me, my early reviews were long-winded, boring, and idiotic this side of an AICN review. You gotta start somewhere. |
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Post by wolfmoon103100 on Dec 24, 2007 16:35:00 GMT -5
I spent time with my dad doing security for the film. It was is Ft. Bragg California, Last time I saw my dad by the way.
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Triple Kelly
Vegeta
Not once, twice, but three times a Kelly
Posts: 9,470
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Post by Triple Kelly on Dec 24, 2007 19:02:05 GMT -5
I have this movie on VHS. The biggest problem is that the movie mixes Bob Woodward investigating Belushi's life while Belushi and his guardian angel of Christmas Past take him back over his life. they should've taken ONE of those approaches, not both. I think Chiklis does a good job as Belushi and the guy who plays Aykroyd isn't bad. But something about it doesn't click with me.
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Post by Rocky Van Heineken on Dec 24, 2007 19:06:44 GMT -5
Umm ... in my opinion, this is one of the worst movies of all time. I have no idea how anybody could enjoy it, but to each his own.
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ToyfareMark
Vegeta
A WINNER IS YOU!
In Hutch I trust!
Posts: 9,609
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Post by ToyfareMark on Dec 24, 2007 19:11:02 GMT -5
Recently RRA started a thread about bad biopic movies and I brought this one up, and because I brought it up it made me go buy a used VHS copy of it on Ebay...this thing will never see a DVD release. Its a movie about John Belushi that mixes fantasy with reality. The main plot is about John Belushi waking up in a morgue after he has died, and being taken on a tour of his life with an angel appropriately named Angel. The subplot is about writer Bob Woodard (one of the reporters who helped bring down Richard Nixon) investigating Belushi's life to write a book about him. One of the biggest things about this movie is there is pretty much no chronological order at all, things skip back and forth pretty much all the way through, and it has one of THE weirdest endings in the history of movies...IMO at least. Most critics and moviegoers took a giant crap all over this when it first came out in 1989, and once it was released on VHS in 1991 it was left to be forgotten forever. However, viewing this 18 years later....I think its gotten better with age. Now that I have seen this again it is apparent to me that Michael Chiklis did a very good job in playing Belushi, he really did make the character his. Its the fantasy element that was what killed this movie, nobody in 1989 could possibly wrap their head around that. Too be honest I think this movie came out way too soon, Belushi had only been dead for 7 years, and we were still a few years away from the trend of making "out there" movies with WTF endings. I'm glad I did buy this because I was expecting to just watch it and make fun of it, and I ended up enjoying it alot. This isn't my attempt at a review really, just my thoughts on a long forgotten movie that was ridiculed in its short lifespan, I just felt the need to share. My video store has this movie, and I need to check it out. Anyway ToyfareMark, you did a really good job with your very first review. Just keep at it, you'll improve in terms of your penmanship. Trust me, my early reviews were long-winded, boring, and idiotic this side of an AICN review. You gotta start somewhere. Thanks RRA, I appreciate the kind words. Be sure to let us all know what you think of it. |
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