Cortechba Overrated

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Wes47 The original Pink Panther (1963) was a light-hearted comedy. This one features The Princess from the original as Clouseau's widow, because apparently, forgetting that she's a Princess, making her the wife of a dead Clouseau, and having Clouseau's son not know who he is is very funny. And apparently, it's also funny for Clouseau's son to be mistaken for a pink diamond.There was also about a million bullets flying everywhere (more humor?). Having a new Princess who acts like she's drunk when tranquilized and kidnapped (over and over) is supposed to be funny. And her Mother (who looks to be about the same age as her daughter) is behind the kidnapping, just because. About the only funny thing about this movie is that Clouseau's Mother is only 13 years older than her son.Meaning that she had Clouseau's son before she ever met Clouseau.

fullonrobotchubby I have not seen the latest Pink Panther movie starring Steve Martin, but from what I gather, it at least has redeeming qualities. Its most popular credit is the song Beyonce provided for it (I'm not a fan - "Check on Me" is it called?), and most had no idea the song and movie were connected (I also read that Martin's comedic timing slightly saves the family film). Clearly, it can't be as bad as Son of the Pink Panther... can it? I mean Son is really bad; I've heard Peter Sellers (the original Inspector Clouseau) roll in his grave a time or two, but I thought there was thunder outside when I saw this. A then-unknown Roberto Benigni (yup, that wacky Italian who, five years later, would beat Tom Hanks AND Edward Norton for the Best Actor Oscar and declare he wants to "kidnap you and make love to you") plays what many suspect to be Clouseau's offspring. Of course, it's up to him to solve the case, which I won't even bother going into detail with. My favorite scene, uhhh... some physical comedy with a bicycle toward the beginning. Can't we all, as a whole, agree to never make or support another Pink Panther movie ever again? The Bobby McFerrin (?!?) musical intro to this gunk should have served as enough indication that the genius work of Blake Edwards and Sellers should not be outweighed by a steaming pile of pink whatsit.

vchimpanzee The enduring image of Roberto Benigni for me is the crazy man climbing over people to collect his Oscar. Obviously, if he won, he has talent. But I didn't see anything so great here. He's not quite Peter Sellers.In Gambrelli's first scene, the physical comedy was great, the writing was top-notch, and the performances of actors other than Benigni just fine. Benigni showed he could do physical comedy almost as well as Peter Sellers, though his delivery of dialogue lacked something.Later on, Benigni showed more talent, or at least my expectations were lower and he met them. Gambrelli had quite a funny scene in a hospital when he thought a patient's bed control was a TV remote. This was the first and best of several disastrous scenes in that hospital (and I mean disastrous in a good way).Gambrelli's funniest scene came when he pretended to be a doctor, though he had left the hospital when this particular scene took place. Other standout moments for Gambrelli came when he dressed like a Middle Easterner, and in the movie's final action scenes, and in the final scenes after the climax of the major plot.The main plot line was silly but enjoyable. A subplot with an interesting spoiler seemed a distraction but actually contributed a lot later. There was some real violence in addition to the slapstick that dominated the movie, but nothing too serious. Also several scenes from before and after sex.I had a special reason for liking Cato Fong this time. If I saw him in any of the other movies, I don't remember. But Burt Kwouk is now a part of my Saturday nights on public TV, playing an intelligent but somewhat stereotypical philosopher/electrician, a man not all that different from Fong, in the British sitcom 'Last of the Summer Wine'.And, of course, it was fun to watch Dreyfus being tortured, and Herbert Lom did a good job as usual. Claudia Cardinale did a fine job as Gambrelli's mother. I don't remember how many Pink Panther movies I have seen. I do remember the one where Clouseau asked for a room and the hotel clerk couldn't understand him. Regardless, I do want to see all the Peter Sellers movies, and while I don't go to theaters, I look forward to the Steve Martin film when it is available on TV. Whether this film measures up depends on the individual, but I had a good time with it even after I realized it wasn't going to be the spectacular experience Sellers could have made it.Not to be missed: the opening credits with the familiar theme music performed by multiple Bobby McFerrins in the style of 'Don't Worry, Be Happy', conducted by the animated pink cat that has become a staple of these movies (who I also enjoyed for years on Saturday mornings). I enjoyed the music in this movie overall, because it remained traditional, in the styles from the era when the first movie in the series was made.Don't expect another Peter Sellers, but this was still fun.

DirectorsCut19 This installment of the "Pink Panther" series was a good romp.Italian comic Roberto Benigni is Jaques Gambrelli, the son of Inspector Clouseau, who has to save a princess from being taken by criminals. Gambrelli, however, carries a lot of traits from Clouseau, including giving Chief Inspector Dreyfus a hard time."Son" doesn't quite measure up with the other films: Series director Blake Edwards seems to lose some of his talent of choreographing slapstick, and the story has nothing to do with the diamond. However, there are still enough funny moments, and Benigni gives a good performance. The opening credits are funny too, presenting Bobby McFerrin's strange scat version of Henry Mancini's theme song, while the animated Pink Panther and Gambrelli chase each other. The movie is not a disaster like most say, and it isn't brilliant, but it will still make you laugh. That accomplishment is good enough.