Two Words, One Answer.
Greetings
 Greetings $14.98 It's Cathy's party, but she's not having a good time. The boys have found an Ouija board and are out for some harmless fun. When strange things start to happen, they blame each other, but the joke goes too far and soon they realize it isn't a joke at all...  Greetings $6.99 Robert DeNiro is one of the greatest actors in film history, which is why "Greetings" made it to my viewing list. Unfortunately youthful exuberance cannot redeem this tasteless anti-Vietnam sketch comedy. The central story of the film involves three men in New York City who are trying to avoid the draft by any means possible, ethical or not. The film is offensive on almost every level, and features overt racism (particularly disparaging to the Chinese), a truly pathetic homosexual impersonation scheme ("You better use 'Nair'..."), an equally unappealing scheme to feign psychiatric disorders, a nauseating comedic treatment of the Kennedy assassination (seriously, could this get more tasteless?), and slimy voyeurism, just for starters. The film wanders aimlessly and drags on forever while never engendering an ounce of sympathy for any of the characters: they are all equally loathsome. Along the way there are long, rambling tales about the conquests of various women that in no way furthers the plot (though it does pad the running time enormously), painful slapstick interludes, and numerous subplots that go nowhere. The film starts with a terrible theme song while the cast frolics in fast motion, much like a sequence from "The Monkees" only not as cleverly devised. (Jumping jacks in Central Park? Really?) The film definitely gets my vote for most unendurable and kazoo-intensive soundtrack in modern history (especially mind-numbing in the bookstore scene), and serves to support pablum like the pointless tap dancing-passport photo scene (don't ask); also enjoy the completely disjointed story of computer dating gone awry that (like many other distractions) does nothing to advance the plot of the film. The only conclusion to draw is that Brian DePalma discovered anti-plot shortly before making this drivel. The long and embarrassing concluding scene of DeNiro as a soldier in Vietnam is an insult to those who actually served: a female Viet Cong guerilla-stripper is nether tasteful or funny, but why should the film start exploring either of those concepts at this point? The only thing this film accomplishes is making hippies look like self-indulgent, narcissistic idiots. I could not dislike or disrespect this film more.  Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. $7.99 The Boss knows how to make a person feel like they are growing younger rather than older... it's funny how it works. The music rings off better for me now more than in the previous years of my life. Songs that seemed to be old songs for old people when I was a kid, now have a quality to them, where I can relive some of those days past. While he gets older with each passing year he masters the craft even more so. Still, my favorite is his first. The one recorded by the free wheeling Bruce Springsteen and the early swagger of a young E-Street band. A frenetic mix of styles and lyrical content is strategically placed into every number. It's funny that the man is so loose on this record. Nothing really heavy going down here, but real... and he is trying to get inside of your mind a little and blow it up. Every song is an anthem for something on this record,,,an anthem for something small but important, and he sings it loud. my faves are BLINDED BY THE LIGHT and SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT but theres nothing lacking on this bit. Kids, this is The Boss record that never felt old and crusty for me. It's always been young and fresh, and I imagine that it always will... |
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