Direct to DVD hits

After a late start after a late evening of LAN games at Matt's I drove home and enjoyed a brief portion of the Seafair festival showcase Blue Angels flying ballet show. From West Seattle and for a bit of my drive south on I-5 I saw a few formations cruise by in impressive fashion. Although estranged from her job with Oh Boy! Oberto and the many cars and boats they put their logos on, I'd really enjoy taking in the Seafair festivities some year soon. Since September 11, 2001 our local McChord AFB airshow hasn't existed and I yern for a chance to snap some photos of tight jet formations.

Anyway, early this evening Sarah treated me to a DVD she happened upon at our local rental store. Starring Matt LeBlanc and Eddie Izzard, All the Queen's Men had a premise that was hard to resist. The fun stopped there. This film is an absolute loser in the category of "Try Something For the Heck of It" since it couldn't decide whether it was a comedy, tragedy, or socio-political commentary. After all, how hard could it be to screw up a plot wherein a rogue US soldier is recruited along with three Brits to infiltrate a World War II Germany code machine factory staffed by women? Extremely easy. Not only did the writing smell of burning bodies ("Our superiors don't know crap. That's why they're superior!") but it actually looked to have a decent sized budget. I'm sure there could be a redeeming use for a DVD like this such as coaster or makeup mirror.

Swing-and-a-miss on this one so, perhaps, we'll have better luck next time. It's really amazing how much movie renters rely on critics and/or word of mouth when picking out what films to see and which to leave gathering dust on the shelves. Consider this my advice.

Comments (2) | To Top

8/10/2004 @ 11:00am

Thanks for the heads up. I saw this at Hollywood Video and was thinking about picking it up. Eddie Izzard can be absolutely brilliant. I think Matt LeBlanc is forever a one-trick pony after burning "Joey" into the American consciousness through Friends. Meh... Should've known it would suck, having heard nothing about it. That said, I'm still willing to check out obscure films on a whim.

by Matt Turner

8/10/2004 @ 12:39pm

Poor Mr. LeBlanc. Watching this movie seemed like some extended Friends scene mocking him as a struggling/starving actor.

by KevinFreitas