Story

Russell is a simple redneck who is constantly working on inventions. His wife Sissy is buying things off of the TV before Russell is able to get his invention noticed. But Russell has finally invented something that not even the Cranium Concepts on the TV can create. The only problem is that the part he needs to complete the invention is in the Big City and he and his friends are more than a little out of place in the Big City.

Everything Else

The Importance of Being Russell is an interesting comedy directed well with humor and special effects to go along with it. Although it is obvious independent filmmakers made this movie, some of the special effects were quite impressive. The humor may not have been spot on for me most of the time, but there are plenty of true to life jokes about rednecks.

The acting in the film is not overly great, but John Pickle was great as Russell. There are plenty of scenes showing off his talent of being a consistently ridiculous redneck. The Importance of Being Russell starts off a little on the slow side, but picked up about half way through as Russell and his friends set out for the Big City. The special effects were impressive for the surely next to nothing budget and the story was wacky enough to make a complete redneck journey from the sticks to the Big City.

The Real Deal

The Importance of Being Russell certainly has room for improvement, but as a comedy that was able to make me laugh out loud on more than one occasion I have to give it credit. The acting is just quirky enough to fit in with the crazy redneck antics and the characters are able to keep you entertained even if the humor doesn’t strike you just right. I would have liked the movie to have less language, as it often seems that filmmakers think foul language is a way to make the viewers take the movie more seriously. The truth is that the language almost makes the movie seem more insecure with itself and therefore opportunities for witty thoughtful dialog are replaced by the ‘f’ word. Aside from that it was a fun ride and I would love to see the same movie made with a larger budget because it has so much potential and the filmmakers have a real talent.

Dave’s Score: 6/10

Written by Dave of Dave’s Movie Reviews

In the second week of our summer blockbuster season, Speed Racer is looking like it could be a flop. Right now it’s tracking on Rotten Tomates with a 34%…egads. My wife said USA Today gave it 1.5 out of 4 stars.

Now, the Cap’n can back me up on this, but I am certainly not surprised by this. I told him on Monday I was planning on writing an article about how I thought it might not do well. In fact, over a week ago in our Summer Box Office predictions article, I didn’t even include the movie in my Top 10.

I had zero desire to see this film once I started seeing more and more trailers for it. I never got into Who Framed Roger Rabbit, or Cool World, and the scenes I saw in the Speed Racer previews with real actors in the middle of CGI effects made me think of those two movies.

I guess it’s part of why the new Star Wars films annoyed me. CGI is cool, I love it, but nothing can replace “real” stuff. George Lucas started thinking that he could paint an entire canvas exactly how he wanted out of CGI, and not ruin the integrity of his movies.

But he was wrong. All those special effects and computerized characters just left us disconnected. Jar Jar Binks? Really?

And seeing the racing scenes in Speed Racer just looks like a computer game with Emile Hirsch’s head stuck on a body.

Anyways…I’m really curious to see how much money Speed Racer will make. I could look like an idiot on Monday after writing this, because a lot of the time bad reviews can have ZERO effect on what moviegoers want to see.

Do you still want to see it after hearing the 34%? Do you ever care about reviews? Do you watch movies based solely on your own interest, without listening to what others say?

What do I think so far? I think the more I watch it, the more I love it. Yet I kind of worry about how they can keep it going for a few seasons.

Will the novelty of the narrator and bringing people to life/back to dead again wear off?

I don’t know, but in the meantime I’m really enjoying it. It’s like some kind of fantasy show, that has a good heart, yet deals with death. Last night’s show was filled with humor, like when his partner-in-crime Emerson went running from the funeral home, or when Ned fought the guy up and down the stairs, fell off and was wrapped in the red drapes.

There are a lot of subtle plot elements, like the spice baked into the pie crust that Chuck sends to her aunts.

It’s just an enjoyable show, happy in spite of the main topic of death on every episode and funny. The moments between Ned and Chuck, with the celophane wrap kiss are just touching.

So what do you guys think so far? Anyone still watching? Is it one of your new favorites?