| Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley | | | | garnered three other Academy |
| Here are four average movies that do not | | | | nominations: Robin Williams for Best |
| get any better the second time around: | | | | Actor, Peter Weir for Best Director and |
| Anger Management - 2 Stars (Average) | | | | Best Picture. |
| Anger Management brings young Adam | | | | The Emperor's Club was not even noticed |
| Sandler together with old Jack Nicholson | | | | at awards time. |
| in a dippy comedy that borders on a | | | | The Fast and the Furious - 2 Stars |
| romantic comedy without the dramatic | | | | (Average) |
| bent. | | | | The Fast and the Furious is an action |
| Dave Buznik (Adam Sandler) is a | | | | flick for guys featuring street car |
| businessman who is wrongly sentenced to | | | | racing, macho wannabe men and mindless |
| an anger-management program following an | | | | activity that sends a terrible message |
| incident on airline flight, but insult | | | | to every mixed up teenager who is out of |
| is added to injury when Dr. Buddy Rydell | | | | control and looking for trouble. |
| (Jack Nicholson), an aggressive, | | | | Yes, the cars are great, yes, the race |
| unorthodox therapist, becomes his live | | | | scenes are terrific for a fantasy world, |
| in roommate during rehabilitation. | | | | and no, this film has no redeeming |
| This film is dominated by Nicholson, has | | | | quality worth talking about. It is, in a |
| a script that begs for better lines, and | | | | word, stupid, and glorifies a stupid |
| becomes annoying after awhile, which is | | | | activity. |
| very similar to Nicholson's character in | | | | The Fast and the Furious picked up some |
| the movie. I am not altogether sure this | | | | minor awards for cinematography and |
| movie would not have been better if the | | | | music, but lacks substance and gets low |
| roles of Nicholson and Sandler were | | | | marks for bad behavior. Save your money |
| reversed. | | | | on the sequel. |
| Imagine Nicholson as a problematic, | | | | Five Easy Pieces - 2 Stars (Average) |
| anger-management reprobate (not hard to | | | | Five Easy Pieces was made in 1970 and 36 |
| do) and Sandler as a recent psychiatrist | | | | years later has become a cult film in |
| grad about to deal with his first real | | | | the sense that it engenders a misplaced |
| patient (easy to do). I propose this | | | | or excessive admiration because of an |
| because I felt very little chemistry | | | | actor named Jack Nicholson and a |
| between Nicholson and Sandler as they | | | | restaurant scene that suggests humor but |
| were cast. | | | | exhibits rage. |
| Anger Management is not a film I would | | | | Robert Dupea (Jack Nicholson) is a |
| see twice under any circumstances. | | | | successful classical pianist from a |
| Apparently a lot of judges felt the same | | | | well-to-do family who becomes a |
| way as awards were really absent for | | | | worthless piece of nothing on his way to |
| this effort. | | | | nowhere about 1,000 miles an hour. Dupea |
| The Emperor's Club - 2 Stars (Average) | | | | becomes one troubled and sad person who |
| The Emperor's Club reminds me of the | | | | ends up as a trashy oil rigger. |
| aspirations of people starting out in | | | | Dupea surrounds himself with enough |
| life and the disappointment that | | | | dysfunctional people to field a |
| inevitably comes when forcing one's | | | | basketball team. One of Dupea's lines in |
| ideas upon another. | | | | the movie says a lot: "I move around a |
| William Hundert (Kevin Kline) is a | | | | lot, not because I'm looking for |
| passionate and principled classics | | | | anything really, but 'cause I'm getting |
| professor who finds his world challenged | | | | away from things that get bad if I |
| when a new student, Sedgewick Bell | | | | stay." Dupea just needs to grow up and |
| (Emile Hirsch), comes into his class. A | | | | stop feeling sorry for himself; he |
| battle of wills ensues. | | | | simply cannot come to terms with life |
| The Emperor's Club needed a better | | | | and what it has to offer. |
| script and suffered from the lack of a | | | | Nicholson does a great job with his role |
| female presence. Who wants to watch a | | | | in the film (he gets his second Oscar |
| bunch of guys being smart asses? This | | | | nomination for Best Actor), but the |
| gets to be about as interesting as | | | | script, story, ending and everything |
| watching flour turn brown. | | | | else about Five Easy Pieces is negative |
| The Emperor's Club was not unlike the | | | | and worthless. The message of the film |
| Dead Poet's Society with Robin Williams | | | | is just a sad, sorry excuse for living. |
| as English professor John Keating, | | | | Nicholson becomes a major force in |
| except Williams does a better acting job | | | | acting during Five Easy Pieces. He goes |
| than Kline. | | | | on to earn no less than 2 Best Actor |
| The message of The Emperor's Club is | | | | Oscars (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest |
| negative and undermining; the message of | | | | and As Good As It Gets), 1 Best |
| Dead Poet's Society is uplifting and | | | | Supporting Actor Oscar (Terms of |
| encouraging. | | | | Endearment) and no less than 9 other |
| Dead Poet's Society earned an Oscar for | | | | Best Actor nominations. |
| Best Writing by Tom Schulman, and | | | | |