1990 - Groundhog Day

Man oh man do I love this film.  I’m stuffing packages of films and watching movies in the background, so I’m treating myself to a marathon of all my favourite films.  I like films that have a hint of magic to them and this is one of the best that there is.  It’s a great concept - a man having to live the same day over and over again until he gets it right - the comedic beats, the darkness, there’s not much out of place here and I dare say it’s a masterwork for Harold Ramis who we recently lost.  Bill Murray is in top form and Andy McDowell is so beautiful and delightful here.  If you’ve never seen this film please do me a favour and get around to it - you won’t regret it. 

1497 - Year One

 

When this film first got announced I thought that the concept had enormous potential.  The idea of putting someone with a modern consciousness in the period of biblical times was just pure comic gold.  And then seeing the cast that they'd assembled got me extra excited.  Then it came out and people shit all over it, so I kinda forgot about it.  

So I decided to check it out anyway, and honestly, there's some funny stuff going on in here.  But I think that my biggest issue with it, and probably the reason that it didn't go over so well, is that it really lacks a driving force.  It just feels like it goes from one bit to another, stringed together by a loose narrative.  So if you don't care about something as silly as a "plot" then this will probably be just fine for you. 

On the upside, really enjoyed discovering June Diane Raphael here.  She's funny, sexy, and just over all wonderful. 

Year One (Theatrical & Unrated Edition)