NEW REVIEWS!!! ........................................ The Butterfly Effect The Cooler Ella Enchanted Eternal Sunshine Hellboy Mean Girls 13 Going on 30 Used Cars The Whole Ten Yards

This movie is certainly an experience, so let's break the review into two segments: the experience and the movie. I had the opportunity, I suppose that's the best word, to watch it with some friends on video. The only one who had seen it hadn't seen it in a very long time, and not nearly as much as I did in high school, so all the witty participation was up to me. Joy.

The whole fun of the movie was a pre-MST3K (not to be confused with 3KMTG) chance to let someone funnier than you make fun of a movie for you, since you were too drunk to shout anything intelligible, or were still uncomfortable about making jokes about dildos and anal sex. I must admit, I am back to feeling uncomfortable making those jokes, primarily because they invariably fail to get a laugh, and when I pull a random reference I have those topics running in my head about as often as Monchichis or Adam Smith's Invisible Hand theory of economics, which is to say not much. When I went, the crowd was of the MST3K variety, centering more on pop culture, odd references, and wit over the traditional dirty word fest many casts fall into. As sad as this sounds, we tried in vain to keep it somewhat sophisticated. Anyway, it didn't matter because it was fun at least 40% of the time, which is a better ratio than say, my entire movie going experience for the Year of our Lord 2000. Again, though, the crowd was what made it. If you've never seen it, DO NOT just rent it on a whim, or try and see it with people who don't know it fully. Even then, they'll get tired, start forgetting lines, and be put on the spot for an entire evening. On second thought, just wait for it to come to your town.

Why? The movie without the experience is not what we would call a fun filled viewing experience. It's slow, it has gaps that seem almost designed for the audience call outs, which when missing give the scenes the pace and rhythm of Pat Boone on valium, and it actually makes less sense when taken seriously. Now, I am not saying it doesn't have its pluses. The music is very good, much better than a lot of your more popular Broadway fare. The style, a parody combination of 50's horror films and 70's Studio 54 style anything goes lifestyles is very well blended and never betrays itself. The performances are definitely notable. After all, Susan Sarandon and Tim Curry are not exactly nobodies, and Barry Bostwick is still working, on a popular show no less. Meatloaf started his acting career here, and would "Fight Club" have been the same without him? I'm not saying it would have changed drastically, but they might have gone with Tom Bosley for his role, which could have totally ruined the movie. I could, however, picture Bosley in "Black Dog." But I digress. The movie was a fairly well done production of the stage show, but some things just don't work on screen. Before I get hate mail, remember why the movie got popular: on its own it wasn't entertaining. It needs the live energy, which means on stage or with a good crowd. Too many people are ruined on it because of the situation they see it in. Done right, it's a friggin blast.