Weekly Cinemeh

Hello, and welcome back to Weekly Cinemeh, were two nerds talk about stuff they watched. This weeks theme was Tom Hanks comedies from the late 80s. Mostly because we watched one (The 'Burbs) and thought it was good so we looked for more. On to the List!

1: The 'Burbs
This was a movie about a bunch of suburbanites not trusting weird people who move in next door, and how gossiping can make things way worse for everyone. To be fair, they are odd people, but the crazy military type neighbor and the pot stirring neighbor are probably worse. Ultimately, it is a movie about questioning perceptions of people and how paranoia can get out of hand quickly. It was funny and Tom Hanks was good. His neighbors Bruce Dern and Rick Ducommun are good, if a little over the top, Carrie Fischer was a welcome surprise and did well as an S.O. fed up with a paranoid and stressed partner. While not as funny as the other two movies on this list, it holds up as a silly comedy of errors and is worth a watch.

Eshi: The 'Burbs was a lot of fun in that distinctly 80's way. Carrie Fischer was a delight, as usual and Tom Hanks was pretty solid. That said I kinda hated every other character in the film. I spent the whole movie wishing someone would just break the tubby neighbor's jaw and relieve us of the stupid fuck. I get that he's like that by design but after a certain point in a movie that character needs to either get killed redeeming themselves or get unfucked before they drag the story down with them. Of the movies we watched this week, this is the least recommended.

2: Dragnet
I love this movie. I saw it when I was a kid, and thought it was silly, but after seeing some of the show it was based on (A hyper right wing/conservative cop procedural filled with straight edge characters with sticks up their asses) the satire was far clearer and the references are funnier. Dragnet is about an uptight cop (played by the fantastic Dan Aykroyd) who gets a new partner who is far less serious (Tom Hanks) and they are both drawn into a mystery involving the evil organization P.A.G.A.N.. Antics ensue. Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd are great together and fun to watch, though I think Tom Hanks was a bit too hacky, but it was a fairly campy movie so that might have been on purpose. Its a fun movie, give it a shot.

Eshi: I've never seen the Dragnet show, from what Brian says I'm glad of that, but I feel like I have absorbed enough of the references to have gotten the gist of the satire here. Mostly because it is relentless. I feel like there isn't a single frame of this movie that isn't burning the show in some way and I dig it. I enjoy Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks at least makes it work, he doesn't carry this movie the way he does with most of The 'Burbs, but he's got some fun lines. I get the impression someone told Hanks to just aim at ridiculous and lean in, if for no better reason than to foil Aykroyd's impenetrable straight man and it could have done with less of that. By and large this was a good way to burn an hour and a half.

3: The Man With One Red Shoe
This movie was based on a French comedy "Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire", which I have not seen. It was funny, though only because of how incompetent the CIA is in it. It is about a CIA power struggle in which an acting CIA director gets into a battle of wits with the director he is trying to replace. The current director tries to create a diversion by making a random person seem like an informant that would hurt the acting Director. This random person is a concert violinist (Tom Hanks). The CIA agents working for the acting Director try to follow him and kill him. The antics in this movie are great, it was a lot fun. Carrie Fischer is also in it, and is very funny. Jim Belushi plays Hank's best friend who is also pulled into the drama, and ends up being one of my favorite things in this film. Its a fun comedy of errors that should be watched with some friends.

Eshi: Brian did the importance of context a little while ago, The Man With One Red Shoe out of context is fucking scary. It's a CIA recon/assassination job with a random innocent civilian as the target. It is, however, denied that harrowing fate by the likes of Jim Belushi, Tom Hanks, and Carrie Fischer. The careful balance of frightening competence and complete stupidity makes for a great payoff. This was my favorite movie this week, give it a shot.