Alien Resurrection (1997 - DVD)

I don't hate this movie as much as many Alien fans do (I still contend that Alien 3 is the worst of the non-AVP movies), but it needed a serious rewrite for some scenes that are far too over-the-top and cartoony (like Purvis's death scene and that ricocheting bullet scene). These scenes needed to be toned down or removed altogether, and I hate the General Perez character on an almost irrational level (why didn't anyone involved in making this movie realize that a character who keeps crossing his eyes has no place in an Alien movie?) But some scenes are good and could almost have been "great" in a better movie, such as the clones scene and the swimming scene. I liked Ron Perlman's character, the alien effects are superb, and Sigourney Weaver was good as always, but Winona Ryder's acting wasn't very convincing at all. The gore factor is also much higher than the previous films, though it still seems cartoonish when you think about it in comparison to Kane's death from the first movie.
Rating: 2.5/5


Saturday Night Live: The Best of Gilda Radner (1975 - DVD)

Maybe I've just seen these sketches too many times or maybe I'm just older and less susceptible to them, but for some reason I found Gilda Radner a lot funnier when I was a kid. That's not to say there aren't laughs to be had here (Emily Litella, Roseanne Rosannadanna), but some of the sketches are more mysterious than funny (Candy Slice, Lisa Loopner prom sketch), and I laughed the hardest at one that didn't go the way it was planned (where Candice Bergen flubs a line and starts laughing at her mistake). I really could only recommend this to someone who is already a Gilda Radner and/or early SNL fan. With that said, most of what is here is at least okay, if not good, but the misinclusion of the Lisa Loopner sketch where they're laughing at Dan Aykroyd's pants falling down as he plays a refrigerator repairman is inexcusable.
Rating: 2.5/5


Saturday Night Live: The Best of John Belushi (1975 - DVD)

Ya know, when I would watch SNL years ago, all I kept hearing was how it used to be funny in the early years, but it sucks now. When I finally was able to see some reruns of earlier episodes, it seemed to me that the ratio of funny to unfunny sketches was just about the same... and this DVD might be the living proof of that. It starts out strong, but the second half tapers off and I noticed even the audience wasn't laughing too much at some of the sketches, like that Superhero sketch (which seemed to be more about Bill Murray as Superman than John Belushi, anyway), and that "Samurai Night Fever" sketch. If they wanted two Samurai sketches, I would have much preffered Samurai Tailor for the second one. The first half is good (especially the Cheeseburger, Blues Brothers, and Beethoven sketches), but once again, I can't really recommend it to anyone who isn't already a John Belushi fan.
Rating 2.5/5

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