FilmJerk Favorites

A group of unique directors and the essential works that you've got to see.

||| Frank Capra |||
Frank Capra

It goes without saying that Capra is one of the greatest and most beloved directors of all time, especially renowned for his madcap romantic comedies. He is one of the few directors who ever managed to balance whimsy with meaningfulness without loosing the ability to entertain.

Only Frank Capra, with his light hand and good sense of allowing the actors to be their roles, could carry off this tale of a naive average American used by an unscrupulous politician through a nationwide goodwill drive. No one was ever better at having strong yet vulnerable women not only aid, but often come to the rescue, of the leading man.

Frank Capra's final film is a hilarious translation of a Damon Runyon tale set in 1930s New York, as gangster Glenn Ford repays street peddler Bette Davis for her "good luck" apples by passing her off as a well-to-do society lady for her visiting daughter (Ann-Margret in her film debut). This excellent and thoroughly enjoyable remake of his own 1933 "Lady for a Day" is a beautiful swan song to a master storyteller. Widescreen!

In this black comedy about two sweet old ladies whose basement holds a murderously funny secret, Capra utilizes star Cary Grant to his zany, patented “double take” best. Capra’s brilliance in comic casting is demonstrated with such reliable character actors as Raymond Massey, Peter Lorre and Jack Carson who manage to play their parts to the hilt without chewing up the scenery.

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Undisputed

By EthanMonroe

August 23rd, 2002

Ah, boxing. One of the greatest sports ever invented. Not really, invented. It's pretty much fighting with rules. One guy beats the shit out of the other guy. It's a pure ass-kicking session. In movies, we have to endure sub-plots like "romance" and "racial sterotypes". But the hero always overcomes.


When I first saw the preview for "Undisputed," I thought it was a really cool idea. The undisputed champion on the outside butts heads with the champ on the inside. I'm a fan of Ving Rhames, even though I firmly believe that Wesley Snipes cannot act. Then came the release delays. For anyone familiar with what this means for a movie, let me point to you the horrors of "Texas Rangers," "Impostor," "Deuces Wild" and "The Adventures Of Pluto Nash." I still shudder whenever someone mentions "Texas Rangers."

I don't know what made me choose this film over "Simone." I don't think I can ever forgive myself for it. Maybe I wanted to see a good movie, maybe I wanted to see a serious ass-kicking. Whatever I was looking for, I didn't find.

What makes this movie so awful is how quickly, and half-assed, everything is done. Our two main characters, Monroe (Wesley Snipes) and Iceman (Ving Rhames) are stereotyped right down to the bone. Monroe's character is the quiet bad ass. The one that everyone respects, and constantly ends up in solitary. And of course, he has nothing to lose because he's in for life, without parole. Iceman, however, is a new entry with his appeal still in courts. The heavyweight champion of the outside world is getting charges pressed against him for, you guessed it, rape. Is that the only thing boxers can do? Beat the shit out of people and rape women?

Eventually, the idea crosses someones mind that they should fight. So, it gets arranged through a series of corrupt and forgettable characters, including one played by Peter Falk and another by Jon Seda. Then finally, we get to see some serious action. Monroe is the obvious favorite. All the prisoners cheer him on. But who wins?

It doesn't matter anyway. They both get what they want in the end anyway. It's a very "feel-good" ending. You can choose either character you want to win, and they'll win. Each in their own way. However, I was incredibly pissed off by this concept. Enough with the feel good crap. These are two criminals, let one of them get a serious ass-whooping and feel humiliated. Don't send him away with the golden ticket! Beat the shit out of him! Damn!

Apparently, the writer of this film had seen Wesley acting in previous films, and decided to give his character as little dialogue as possible. Whenever he does talk, it's usually very brief. Most of the time, we find him giving a Keanu Reeves stare. The kind of stare that's supposed to be menacing, but makes you laugh at the same time. Ving on the other hand, was chosen because he looks like he could kick the crap out of you. He spends most of the time showing us what massive muscles he's got and punching shit. The director is clearly showing you that Ving is the front runner for this fight.

I hate having my films fed to me. I like to not know what's right around the corner, but I saw the ending coming a mile away. Poor setup, horrible execution. The acting wasn't much better either. If I was a teacher, and this was presented to me, I would send it back telling the student that he should spend more time on his work. "Undisputed" isn't just bad, it's direct-to-video.

My rating: D-