Reviews (38)

A fun film!
You may have been looking at all of the reviews for this movie and getting mixed messages. First of all, it is a story about a group of kids trying to seek revenge because of the "Snow Plow Man" who has ruined every first snow day with no snow day to follow. (He ruined it by plowing the roads and making it so the kids could go to school after each snow day.) The older brother of one of the kids is trying to find a way to tell a popular girl that he likes her. The plot is that simple. The plot is not "meshed" it is just like any other movie, there is more than one thing going on, but it would only confuse you if you are an easily confused person (after all it was intended for a younger audience, and they get it!). There is no harsh or "adult" language used in the film, to my knowledge, and I have seen it twice. I liked the movie, and thought that it was fun, go ahead and buy it, if you have kids, or if you are just looking for a cute film with a clear message " anything can happen, when you really try"

ALL IS POSSIBLE IN A SNOW DAY
When I went to see this movie, I thought I was wasting my money and my time but I was wrong. "Snow Day" isn't only a movie for kids, is for adults too. Starring Chevy Chase as a weatherman that one day discovers the snow is coming. His children want a snow day because they don't go to school. But there is a problem: the snowplowman (Chris Elliott). This time the kids will get fight against the snowplowman to have more days of fun with the snow. The romantic part appears when the son of the weatherman (Mark Webber) declares to his love interest. His childhood friend (Schuyler Fisk) falls in love with him but he doesn't know it. Is a great movie for the whole family. Rent "Snow Day" today and you'll enjoy so much. Probably you'll buy it too. A five stars movie, with good actors and a lot of great song that make you buy the soundtrack.

Terrible Film, DO NOT SEE, DO NOT BUY
This movie doesn't even deserve the one star that I gave it. I wish I could give it 0 stars. The movie was NOT funny at all and had no action. I didn't like this movie at all. I can't think of any age group that would like this movie.

It's Not Tootsie, but...
I'm 30 years old. If I want funny, I go to Woody Allen. But, this film surprised me. It's not Tootsie, but if you're a parent, you're not looking for a night at the Oscars. You're looking for a fun family flick that can for once lay off the football-in-the-crotch jokes and less overt adult references we assume the kids don't catch. (I for one give the little lads a little more credit.) The movie's simple, creative, even smart, dealing with the challenges and pain of early adolescence in an honest but responsible way. Both Chevy Chase and Chris Elliot take it down a notch for an even, sure-footed film.

But please remember the pro and con of Snow Day
If you are wondering what the pro and con of a Snow Day are. Then here they are. The pro is you get a day off from school. The con is that you will have to go back 2 to school at the end of the year to make up for the Snow Day(s). But suppose if you worked a job (other than being a teacher or other staff member at a school), I'm not sure on how it would be worked if they had to close for a snow day to. In Snow Day there are kids, teenagers and adults who are rivals for what they want. The kids want to enjoy the snow day, but their rival is the evial snowplowman (Chris Elliot). There's a high school student named Hal (Mark Webber) who has now a new girlfreind that seems to don't know that he lives. And he has to go up against her ex-boyfriend (David Paetkau) to win her. While his dad Tom Brandson (Chevy Chase) who wants to wear pants while he does the wheather but his boss (Pam Grier) that tells him to get the rating of his rival and she will let him wear pants on the air.

My thoughts on Snow Day are, that if you like movies with people going up against rivals and enjoyed Snow Day, I reccomend you to watch Max Keeble's Big Move. Watching Chevy Chase playing a whatherman who wears costumes on air reminds me of Max Keeble's dad. Because Max's dad had to wear costumes to work at times. My Suggestions: Parents if your kids want to watch a film, I reccomend you to know what the rating is. And toi watch the film ahead of time and decide to let your kids watch a film that doesn't have a G rating (like this). Snow Day is a good movie to watch if you like movies in which characters go up against thier "rivals" to get what they want like this and Max Keeble's Big Move. Or if you have a kid that like Nicolden's films I also reccomend you to let your kids watch this. Or this is a good movie to watch, if you are a fan of a actor or actress that is in this film. So if it is any of the above reasons, I strongly reccomed you to watch this movie. Even if it is not a snow day. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Why so few?
I've enjoyed pete and pete and artie and ellen for years. So few shows on television have humor, thought and style. Why don't they release more videos? Do they not want our money? I have Classic Petes and Farewell, My Little Viking and they shine with surreal light and great storytelling. I hear there's a third video somewhere. There should be more, many more.

Demand the release of more Pete & Pete videos
This wonderful show is great for all ages. Well rounded plots with quirky dark comedy. Why is no one producing these videos for sale? I would gladly pay $25 for a 3 episode tape. How about reruns? Anything!

Great Series
THis was a great classic show, I just hate the fact that sleazebags here are expecting you to pay $75 for one video.

pete and pete should be on DVD!!!!
I want my pete and pete to be complete! I wish they would release all these fantastic shows on a better format that is more widely available. Pete and Pete was pure genious and should not be forgotton!!!

Rock on Pete and Pete!

Pete and Pete and Teddy
The best people in Pete and Pete are Endless Mike, Teddy,Big Pete and Artie the Strongest Man in the World!!!! I agree that they should sell a box set of the whole series. And just to let everyone know, the show comes on the "Noggin" channel. I watch it everyday and love it. It's excellentay!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

BORING?!?!
okay, that guy was stupid, anyone who ever was cultured in the ways of nick shows growing up has GOT to have loved PETE & PETE. i personally thought that this was the best show to ever come out of that network. other than ren and stimpy and rockos modern life. but pete and pete was always there for me, as was the others. and for someone to down grade it is a total bummer. they have no sense of humor and should get back to teaching their 4th grade class and prune juice smoothies. not to mention burning in hell.

Irate Pete and Pete fan
How could anyone give this classic show a 1-star rating? Sir, people like you should not be allowed to speak in public, or anywhere for that matter. Oh, and the video is really funny. Buy it, now.

Boring
"The Adventres of Pete and Pete" is boring including that it has to do with two brothers having the same name and a stupid tattoo. I give this * (1 out of 5).

Wonderful Entertainment for Everyone
The clever and highly original spelling of the title ("daze" instead of "days") gives the viewer a clue as to the sort of lighthearted tomfoolery and hilarious pranks which are to be seen in this marvelous compilation of episodes from one of Nickelodeon's greatest programs ever. The witty, engaging young Danny Tamberelli portrays "Little Pete", one of the most memorable characters in the annals of show business; the humorous antics of this merry little madcap will delight every viewer. He has, of course, since gone on to even greater fame and artistic achievement, having become a major part of the cast of "All That", another great Nickelodeon series. The role of "Big Pete" was played by Michael C. Maronna, a gifted actor who would later gain wide recognition and praise by starring in a series of wonderfully entertaining commercials. The rest of the cast was just as talented, particularly the lovely and charming Syd Straw, and the distinguished Toby Huss. This wonderful series is sure to please everyone, so it is probably a good idea to purchase at least two or three copies of each video. This is undoubtedly the greatest comedy series in the history of the world, and promises a rollicking good time for every viewer. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Should be on a Top-100 List to see
Perfect in it's balance of unnatural dialog and incredible insight into life and relationships, this is a fabulous movie. As surreal and funny as Raising Arizona, Simple Men's subtle humor isn't quite as redundantly over-the-top. If you appreciate dry wit and intelligent rapport, you are in the right vicinity.

Although I love his films, Hartley isn't for everyone. The obscure dialog and sparse camera work is tailored for artistic sensibilities.

Why isn't this film maker famous?
As a film fan with a brand new DVD player, my first priority in begining my movie library was to obtain a copy of 'Simple Men', and another Hal Hartley film, 'The Unbelievable Truth'. I have been unable to track down the latter, but was happy to find more Hartley films available. I believe fans of 'Repo Man' and 'Clerks' would be very pleased with 'Simple Men'. I just hope Hartley's great films make onto the more durable DVD format. Hartley fans need to unite!

poor effort
This is one of Hartley's lesser efforts.
He recycles characters and mannerisms to
the point of tedium. It's too bad
considering his many other fine films.

Amazing
A few years ago I was looking for some movie in TV when in wrong move I put one of this channels you never watch cos the quality of the image is bad and the movies are in my spoken languaje (spanish, I prefer with subtitles). I don't remember what scene but I remember the face of Robert John Burke from Robocop III, talking some very clever dialogues. After just a few minutes I couldn't change the channel till the movie ends leaving me absolutely impress.
Just a few weeks later by the same reason I catch "Trust" and from this same moment I became fan of Hal Hartley.
Why?
Because after years watching more than one hundred different movies of any style and director, Simple men and the rest of the Hartley's work show me another vision of life and another way to make movies, thinking more in a good and very deep script with a few good actors than a good budget with great special effects.
It reminds me the movies of Terrence Malick, because in the chaos of the existence both directors show the path of the real survivors, not those guys who are born to be heroes, just those one only wanna some moment of peace and true love, that's it's more than all the glory of the universe.

Simple Men on DVD
For all you Hal Hartley fans who have desired having a copy of Simple Men on DVD, your time has come. Simple Men will be released on DVD widescreen format January 27, 2004. I can't wait to get my copy!!! ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Should be on a Top-100 List to see
Perfect in it's balance of unnatural dialog and incredible insight into life and relationships, this is a fabulous movie. As surreal and funny as Raising Arizona, Simple Men's subtle humor isn't quite as redundantly over-the-top. If you appreciate dry wit and intelligent rapport, you are in the right vicinity.

Although I love his films, Hartley isn't for everyone. The obscure dialog and sparse camera work is tailored for artistic sensibilities.

Why isn't this film maker famous?
As a film fan with a brand new DVD player, my first priority in begining my movie library was to obtain a copy of 'Simple Men', and another Hal Hartley film, 'The Unbelievable Truth'. I have been unable to track down the latter, but was happy to find more Hartley films available. I believe fans of 'Repo Man' and 'Clerks' would be very pleased with 'Simple Men'. I just hope Hartley's great films make onto the more durable DVD format. Hartley fans need to unite!

poor effort
This is one of Hartley's lesser efforts.
He recycles characters and mannerisms to
the point of tedium. It's too bad
considering his many other fine films.

Amazing
A few years ago I was looking for some movie in TV when in wrong move I put one of this channels you never watch cos the quality of the image is bad and the movies are in my spoken languaje (spanish, I prefer with subtitles). I don't remember what scene but I remember the face of Robert John Burke from Robocop III, talking some very clever dialogues. After just a few minutes I couldn't change the channel till the movie ends leaving me absolutely impress.
Just a few weeks later by the same reason I catch "Trust" and from this same moment I became fan of Hal Hartley.
Why?
Because after years watching more than one hundred different movies of any style and director, Simple men and the rest of the Hartley's work show me another vision of life and another way to make movies, thinking more in a good and very deep script with a few good actors than a good budget with great special effects.
It reminds me the movies of Terrence Malick, because in the chaos of the existence both directors show the path of the real survivors, not those guys who are born to be heroes, just those one only wanna some moment of peace and true love, that's it's more than all the glory of the universe.

Simple Men on DVD
For all you Hal Hartley fans who have desired having a copy of Simple Men on DVD, your time has come. Simple Men will be released on DVD widescreen format January 27, 2004. I can't wait to get my copy!!! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

For Scott Caan fans only
I am a huge Scott Caan fan and have been waiting for this DVD to come out since it premeired in 1999 at Sundance. I really have no words to describe this movie. It was too... up to be good. But too real to be bad.The relationship between Drew and his father was beautifully demented and hard to watch and throughout the movie you just ended up feeling sorry for everyone. The best part was the chemistry between Scott and Mia Kirshner. Other than that I would recommend this movie only to fans of either one of them. On the plus side, Scott Caan hasn't looked this hot in a wife beater since Varsity Blues.

Get up to 'speed' on the superb acting of Scott Caan
I've been a huge admirer of Scott Caan ever since I first saw him on the big screen. The son of the great James Caan, his pedigree may well be taken care of, but he still had a lot to therein live up to. And he did so in an amazing list of acting jobs that include 'Gone In 60 Seconds,' 'Novocaine,' 'Varsity Blues' and even the cheesy 'American Outlaws' and 'Ready To Rumble'. In 'Speed of Life' Caan is the central character that takes care of his 'fast-fading' father in much the same way a new mother would take care of her newborn. Finally pushed to levels he never realized he could feel, Drew (Caan) turns to drugs to relax, but ends up losing his job, his common sense and finally his judgement. That all said, it's Leo Burmester's ('The Abyss,' 'The Neon Bible') role as Caan's relapsed father that steals the show and the heart strings well before the tortured end. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Filmmaker Hal Hartley is something of an acquired taste. But if you can get on his oddball, deadpan wavelength, you can't help but enjoy his films--and this is one of his best. Isabelle Huppert plays a former nun who now works as a pornographer. She connects with Martin Donovan, playing a fellow who's lost his memory, but whose past may contain particularly nasty stuff. As they look for a way to get away from that past (which includes a couple of hit men who look like stockbrokers), the two discuss the meaning of their lives in hilariously vague ways. Hartley's dialogue is tart and concise, filled with acidic but low-key humor. And Donovan, who also starred in the director's equally good Trust, has just the right downbeat affect to give the film an unusual spin. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (15)

A Masterpiece
Restraint wrings our emotion. Jumping up and down can express joy, but a perfect ballet segment will convey ecstasy so complete the dance pratically creates it. Subtlety often can explode emotions larger than realism.

Hal Hartley understands this. The characters in his film do not talk like real people. Their speech is subdued, flat, and usually bluntly honest. Their small words carry mountains of meaning.

Most mystery films focus on the identity of the bad guy. This film instead chooses to explore the bad guy's identity. The film opens with him laying unconscious on a cobblestone street. He awakes but has no idea who he is. With this premise, the audience always knows who the bad guy is. He is in almost every frame of the feature. The rest of the film sets about discovering who the bad guy is.

I'm avoiding the film's plot. Telling too much about this film steals many of its pleasures, although I have enjoyed it each of the ten times I have seen it. Most scenes are arranged as artfully as a painting, the actors understand and enlarge Hartley's vision, and the music, ranging from Liz Phair to Pavement, is excellent.

This film may well be the best the ninties have to offer. Hartley's own Simple Men is one of the only other real contenders.

Gets better with repeated viewings
Like all Hal Hartley films (I've seen Flirt and Henry Fool, but neither are as good as Amateur), this is a decidedly odd and mannered movie. The first time I saw it, the far-fetched plot and stilted characterizations are a bit unnerving. This is an ambitious project--Hartley explores the fall of man (an event which literally precedes the film) and original sin in the context of an off-kilter Manhattan thriller. There are some hilariously delivered deadpan one-liners (Martin Donovan: "You're a nyphmomanic and you've never had sex? How could that be?" Isabelle Huppert: "I'm choosy.") But the heart of the movie revolves around the title, and how, try as we might, we cannot escape who we are--Hartley seems to suggest that humanity's flaws are indelible, and despite the guises we might adopt, we are only novices. Amateur ranks low on entertainment value (see Air Force One instead), but a great thinking person's film: brainy, sly, somber, and at times (especially the ending), heartbreaking. Hartley's beguiling screenplay unravels its original insights upon repeated viewings, and it makes the effort worthwhile.

Best Hartley Ever
This is my favorite Hal Hartley film, several of the scenes do not fail to bring a tear to my eye or give me a feeling of frisson and I saw it for the first time in 1995. I think that should say it all.

Purist Hartley fans seem to believe that Trust is the quintessential Hartley, and while I agree that the film is great, Amateur has a much more complicated plot and explores more complicated issues.

The film is all about ontology. What is the nature of being? Can one change? What is memory? Is there an essential nature to existence or is existence mutable depending on experience?

Don't think, however, this is some weird indie/foreign flick heavy on the meaning. Hartley manages to pose all of the above questions within a film that is quirky and funny and deadpan and sad and wonderful all at the same time.

Yes, I know this man.

The mark of Hal (Hartley)
Here's the trademark Hartley quirkiness that fuses bullets with uncertainty, a fried-brain accountant and two sexy women, semi-stagey dialogue and neatly dressed corporate hit men. Here's Parker Posey in a small role, Michael Imperioli (of The Sopranos) in a smaller one, and Martin Donovan as the amnesiac lead male who gets involved with Isabelle Huppert's character, an ex-nun who's turned to writing porno fiction--unfortunately, bad enough to make her publisher reject her work.

And here's Elina Lowensohn as well as a porno actress who wants out of her tawdry (though well-paying) life, whose sad eyes and possible death wish clash with her overly sensuous demeanor. How can all these disparate elements, you ask, ever possibly blend into a whole?

An excellent question. In Hartley's film, they do and they don't. Nobody really knows anything for sure; everyone here is an amateur at life, trying to figure out what to do next--or not knowing how to do anything next. Thomas (Martin Donovan's character) can't remember his name or what he did in the past. Isabelle (Huppert's character) knows intuitively she's linked to Sofia (Elina Lowensohn's role) but she doesn't know how. The accountant, Edward (Damian Young) seems self-assured until he has his brains fried and then he's completely unpredictable.

There's shooting and torture and a little love making. There's uncertainty or puzzlement around every corner. We never really know a whole lot, Hartley's saying, and because of that, you could, in fact, meet a porno-loving ex-nun. You could be an accountant whose neat orderly life is scrambled into violent outbursts and uncontrollable behavior. You could wind up becoming a man who doesn't remember his name and makes some effort to find out what it is, but not enough to discover it.

So is this a coherent film? Hartley is interested more in character than coherence. Structure is not as important as how people actually impact each other, how they impinge on each other's lives. It is, he says, this random colliding of personalities that determines what will happen; people are so complex and so full of possibilities that things just...happen as a result of them being brought together.

Once the viewer accepts this perspective, everything falls into place. Or randomly shifts into place--falling here, rising there, making a jagged turn when you least expect it.

This is less satisfying than Hartley's masterpiece Henry Fool, but it is nevertheless a very intriguing film and definitely worth seeing.

An amateur rewiew
I was channel-surfing when I landed on IFC showing a "comedy-drama" called Amateur. It was nearly an hour in, and there was this scene of these two geeky accountant types arguing about the merits of various cell-phones while using the wires from a floorlamp to electrocute a Christopher Lloyd look-alike. High-concept, but decidedly "B", I thought. But as the movie progressed, I began to notice the deliberation that led to the quirky stagger of the film. The style itself was saying things that the action couldn't begin to convey. This was high art! And it was funny in an intentionally-unintentional way.
The plot, about an ex-nun who now writes bad pornography, a porn queen with a grudge, and an ex-pornongrapher with amnesia, each searching for their identity, is interesting, but it doesn't begin to tell of the impressive stylishness of this movie. Amateur sucks you in like Beckett mixed with "letters to Penthouse", and leaves you satisfied on both accounts. If this sounds good to you, you should check it out. It shows on IFC quite frequently. Oh also, this movie turned me into a freak for Elina Lowensohn. ... Read more

Reviews (38)

A fun film!
You may have been looking at all of the reviews for this movie and getting mixed messages. First of all, it is a story about a group of kids trying to seek revenge because of the "Snow Plow Man" who has ruined every first snow day with no snow day to follow. (He ruined it by plowing the roads and making it so the kids could go to school after each snow day.) The older brother of one of the kids is trying to find a way to tell a popular girl that he likes her. The plot is that simple. The plot is not "meshed" it is just like any other movie, there is more than one thing going on, but it would only confuse you if you are an easily confused person (after all it was intended for a younger audience, and they get it!). There is no harsh or "adult" language used in the film, to my knowledge, and I have seen it twice. I liked the movie, and thought that it was fun, go ahead and buy it, if you have kids, or if you are just looking for a cute film with a clear message " anything can happen, when you really try"

ALL IS POSSIBLE IN A SNOW DAY
When I went to see this movie, I thought I was wasting my money and my time but I was wrong. "Snow Day" isn't only a movie for kids, is for adults too. Starring Chevy Chase as a weatherman that one day discovers the snow is coming. His children want a snow day because they don't go to school. But there is a problem: the snowplowman (Chris Elliott). This time the kids will get fight against the snowplowman to have more days of fun with the snow. The romantic part appears when the son of the weatherman (Mark Webber) declares to his love interest. His childhood friend (Schuyler Fisk) falls in love with him but he doesn't know it. Is a great movie for the whole family. Rent "Snow Day" today and you'll enjoy so much. Probably you'll buy it too. A five stars movie, with good actors and a lot of great song that make you buy the soundtrack.

Terrible Film, DO NOT SEE, DO NOT BUY
This movie doesn't even deserve the one star that I gave it. I wish I could give it 0 stars. The movie was NOT funny at all and had no action. I didn't like this movie at all. I can't think of any age group that would like this movie.

It's Not Tootsie, but...
I'm 30 years old. If I want funny, I go to Woody Allen. But, this film surprised me. It's not Tootsie, but if you're a parent, you're not looking for a night at the Oscars. You're looking for a fun family flick that can for once lay off the football-in-the-crotch jokes and less overt adult references we assume the kids don't catch. (I for one give the little lads a little more credit.) The movie's simple, creative, even smart, dealing with the challenges and pain of early adolescence in an honest but responsible way. Both Chevy Chase and Chris Elliot take it down a notch for an even, sure-footed film.

But please remember the pro and con of Snow Day
If you are wondering what the pro and con of a Snow Day are. Then here they are. The pro is you get a day off from school. The con is that you will have to go back 2 to school at the end of the year to make up for the Snow Day(s). But suppose if you worked a job (other than being a teacher or other staff member at a school), I'm not sure on how it would be worked if they had to close for a snow day to. In Snow Day there are kids, teenagers and adults who are rivals for what they want. The kids want to enjoy the snow day, but their rival is the evial snowplowman (Chris Elliot). There's a high school student named Hal (Mark Webber) who has now a new girlfreind that seems to don't know that he lives. And he has to go up against her ex-boyfriend (David Paetkau) to win her. While his dad Tom Brandson (Chevy Chase) who wants to wear pants while he does the wheather but his boss (Pam Grier) that tells him to get the rating of his rival and she will let him wear pants on the air.

My thoughts on Snow Day are, that if you like movies with people going up against rivals and enjoyed Snow Day, I reccomend you to watch Max Keeble's Big Move. Watching Chevy Chase playing a whatherman who wears costumes on air reminds me of Max Keeble's dad. Because Max's dad had to wear costumes to work at times. My Suggestions: Parents if your kids want to watch a film, I reccomend you to know what the rating is. And toi watch the film ahead of time and decide to let your kids watch a film that doesn't have a G rating (like this). Snow Day is a good movie to watch if you like movies in which characters go up against thier "rivals" to get what they want like this and Max Keeble's Big Move. Or if you have a kid that like Nicolden's films I also reccomend you to let your kids watch this. Or this is a good movie to watch, if you are a fan of a actor or actress that is in this film. So if it is any of the above reasons, I strongly reccomed you to watch this movie. Even if it is not a snow day. ... Read more

Reviews (38)

A fun film!
You may have been looking at all of the reviews for this movie and getting mixed messages. First of all, it is a story about a group of kids trying to seek revenge because of the "Snow Plow Man" who has ruined every first snow day with no snow day to follow. (He ruined it by plowing the roads and making it so the kids could go to school after each snow day.) The older brother of one of the kids is trying to find a way to tell a popular girl that he likes her. The plot is that simple. The plot is not "meshed" it is just like any other movie, there is more than one thing going on, but it would only confuse you if you are an easily confused person (after all it was intended for a younger audience, and they get it!). There is no harsh or "adult" language used in the film, to my knowledge, and I have seen it twice. I liked the movie, and thought that it was fun, go ahead and buy it, if you have kids, or if you are just looking for a cute film with a clear message " anything can happen, when you really try"

ALL IS POSSIBLE IN A SNOW DAY
When I went to see this movie, I thought I was wasting my money and my time but I was wrong. "Snow Day" isn't only a movie for kids, is for adults too. Starring Chevy Chase as a weatherman that one day discovers the snow is coming. His children want a snow day because they don't go to school. But there is a problem: the snowplowman (Chris Elliott). This time the kids will get fight against the snowplowman to have more days of fun with the snow. The romantic part appears when the son of the weatherman (Mark Webber) declares to his love interest. His childhood friend (Schuyler Fisk) falls in love with him but he doesn't know it. Is a great movie for the whole family. Rent "Snow Day" today and you'll enjoy so much. Probably you'll buy it too. A five stars movie, with good actors and a lot of great song that make you buy the soundtrack.

Terrible Film, DO NOT SEE, DO NOT BUY
This movie doesn't even deserve the one star that I gave it. I wish I could give it 0 stars. The movie was NOT funny at all and had no action. I didn't like this movie at all. I can't think of any age group that would like this movie.

It's Not Tootsie, but...
I'm 30 years old. If I want funny, I go to Woody Allen. But, this film surprised me. It's not Tootsie, but if you're a parent, you're not looking for a night at the Oscars. You're looking for a fun family flick that can for once lay off the football-in-the-crotch jokes and less overt adult references we assume the kids don't catch. (I for one give the little lads a little more credit.) The movie's simple, creative, even smart, dealing with the challenges and pain of early adolescence in an honest but responsible way. Both Chevy Chase and Chris Elliot take it down a notch for an even, sure-footed film.

But please remember the pro and con of Snow Day
If you are wondering what the pro and con of a Snow Day are. Then here they are. The pro is you get a day off from school. The con is that you will have to go back 2 to school at the end of the year to make up for the Snow Day(s). But suppose if you worked a job (other than being a teacher or other staff member at a school), I'm not sure on how it would be worked if they had to close for a snow day to. In Snow Day there are kids, teenagers and adults who are rivals for what they want. The kids want to enjoy the snow day, but their rival is the evial snowplowman (Chris Elliot). There's a high school student named Hal (Mark Webber) who has now a new girlfreind that seems to don't know that he lives. And he has to go up against her ex-boyfriend (David Paetkau) to win her. While his dad Tom Brandson (Chevy Chase) who wants to wear pants while he does the wheather but his boss (Pam Grier) that tells him to get the rating of his rival and she will let him wear pants on the air.

My thoughts on Snow Day are, that if you like movies with people going up against rivals and enjoyed Snow Day, I reccomend you to watch Max Keeble's Big Move. Watching Chevy Chase playing a whatherman who wears costumes on air reminds me of Max Keeble's dad. Because Max's dad had to wear costumes to work at times. My Suggestions: Parents if your kids want to watch a film, I reccomend you to know what the rating is. And toi watch the film ahead of time and decide to let your kids watch a film that doesn't have a G rating (like this). Snow Day is a good movie to watch if you like movies in which characters go up against thier "rivals" to get what they want like this and Max Keeble's Big Move. Or if you have a kid that like Nicolden's films I also reccomend you to let your kids watch this. Or this is a good movie to watch, if you are a fan of a actor or actress that is in this film. So if it is any of the above reasons, I strongly reccomed you to watch this movie. Even if it is not a snow day. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Superb Entertainment
This series is the greatest cultural phenomenon of all time. The premise is absolutely brilliant; two brothers have the same first name, the younger one has a tattoo and wears a plaid hunting cap (how utterly cool)! He also frequently addresses others as "blowhole", a charming habit, to be sure. The cast is brilliant, particularly Toby Huss and Syd Straw, who are legends in the world of show business, as exemplified by their continuing popularity throughout the world. Of course, the brilliance of Polaris, the world's greatest band, helps to make this a marvelous addition to the world of culture.

Magnificent
Throughout its long and successful run on Nickelodeon, "The Adventures of Pete & Pete" boasted perhaps the finest aggregation of talent ever assembled in one cast. Leading the way, of course, was the amazing Danny Tamberelli, probably the most gifted comic actor of all time. A great show became even better when the fabulous Michelle Trachtenberg was added to the cast. This captivating young lady, undoubtedly the most talented child actor since Shirley Temple, added great charm to an already marvelous series.

Despite the much-lamented departure of distinguished actor Toby Huss from the cast, the series was strong enough to withstand the blow, and go on to even greater artistic triumphs. With the marvelous scripts, thrilling plot devices, and the genius-inspired music of Polaris, this show surpasses every other program in the history of TV comedy. Everyone should own at least two copies of this video. This wonderful show should be required viewing for everybody.

The best t.v. show ever made
this show is so super rad!! Nothing beats Pete and Pete, and Iggy Pop is awesome!! ... Read more

Reviews (15)

A Masterpiece
Restraint wrings our emotion. Jumping up and down can express joy, but a perfect ballet segment will convey ecstasy so complete the dance pratically creates it. Subtlety often can explode emotions larger than realism.

Hal Hartley understands this. The characters in his film do not talk like real people. Their speech is subdued, flat, and usually bluntly honest. Their small words carry mountains of meaning.

Most mystery films focus on the identity of the bad guy. This film instead chooses to explore the bad guy's identity. The film opens with him laying unconscious on a cobblestone street. He awakes but has no idea who he is. With this premise, the audience always knows who the bad guy is. He is in almost every frame of the feature. The rest of the film sets about discovering who the bad guy is.

I'm avoiding the film's plot. Telling too much about this film steals many of its pleasures, although I have enjoyed it each of the ten times I have seen it. Most scenes are arranged as artfully as a painting, the actors understand and enlarge Hartley's vision, and the music, ranging from Liz Phair to Pavement, is excellent.

This film may well be the best the ninties have to offer. Hartley's own Simple Men is one of the only other real contenders.

Gets better with repeated viewings
Like all Hal Hartley films (I've seen Flirt and Henry Fool, but neither are as good as Amateur), this is a decidedly odd and mannered movie. The first time I saw it, the far-fetched plot and stilted characterizations are a bit unnerving. This is an ambitious project--Hartley explores the fall of man (an event which literally precedes the film) and original sin in the context of an off-kilter Manhattan thriller. There are some hilariously delivered deadpan one-liners (Martin Donovan: "You're a nyphmomanic and you've never had sex? How could that be?" Isabelle Huppert: "I'm choosy.") But the heart of the movie revolves around the title, and how, try as we might, we cannot escape who we are--Hartley seems to suggest that humanity's flaws are indelible, and despite the guises we might adopt, we are only novices. Amateur ranks low on entertainment value (see Air Force One instead), but a great thinking person's film: brainy, sly, somber, and at times (especially the ending), heartbreaking. Hartley's beguiling screenplay unravels its original insights upon repeated viewings, and it makes the effort worthwhile.

Best Hartley Ever
This is my favorite Hal Hartley film, several of the scenes do not fail to bring a tear to my eye or give me a feeling of frisson and I saw it for the first time in 1995. I think that should say it all.

Purist Hartley fans seem to believe that Trust is the quintessential Hartley, and while I agree that the film is great, Amateur has a much more complicated plot and explores more complicated issues.

The film is all about ontology. What is the nature of being? Can one change? What is memory? Is there an essential nature to existence or is existence mutable depending on experience?

Don't think, however, this is some weird indie/foreign flick heavy on the meaning. Hartley manages to pose all of the above questions within a film that is quirky and funny and deadpan and sad and wonderful all at the same time.

Yes, I know this man.

The mark of Hal (Hartley)
Here's the trademark Hartley quirkiness that fuses bullets with uncertainty, a fried-brain accountant and two sexy women, semi-stagey dialogue and neatly dressed corporate hit men. Here's Parker Posey in a small role, Michael Imperioli (of The Sopranos) in a smaller one, and Martin Donovan as the amnesiac lead male who gets involved with Isabelle Huppert's character, an ex-nun who's turned to writing porno fiction--unfortunately, bad enough to make her publisher reject her work.

And here's Elina Lowensohn as well as a porno actress who wants out of her tawdry (though well-paying) life, whose sad eyes and possible death wish clash with her overly sensuous demeanor. How can all these disparate elements, you ask, ever possibly blend into a whole?

An excellent question. In Hartley's film, they do and they don't. Nobody really knows anything for sure; everyone here is an amateur at life, trying to figure out what to do next--or not knowing how to do anything next. Thomas (Martin Donovan's character) can't remember his name or what he did in the past. Isabelle (Huppert's character) knows intuitively she's linked to Sofia (Elina Lowensohn's role) but she doesn't know how. The accountant, Edward (Damian Young) seems self-assured until he has his brains fried and then he's completely unpredictable.

There's shooting and torture and a little love making. There's uncertainty or puzzlement around every corner. We never really know a whole lot, Hartley's saying, and because of that, you could, in fact, meet a porno-loving ex-nun. You could be an accountant whose neat orderly life is scrambled into violent outbursts and uncontrollable behavior. You could wind up becoming a man who doesn't remember his name and makes some effort to find out what it is, but not enough to discover it.

So is this a coherent film? Hartley is interested more in character than coherence. Structure is not as important as how people actually impact each other, how they impinge on each other's lives. It is, he says, this random colliding of personalities that determines what will happen; people are so complex and so full of possibilities that things just...happen as a result of them being brought together.

Once the viewer accepts this perspective, everything falls into place. Or randomly shifts into place--falling here, rising there, making a jagged turn when you least expect it.

This is less satisfying than Hartley's masterpiece Henry Fool, but it is nevertheless a very intriguing film and definitely worth seeing.

An amateur rewiew
I was channel-surfing when I landed on IFC showing a "comedy-drama" called Amateur. It was nearly an hour in, and there was this scene of these two geeky accountant types arguing about the merits of various cell-phones while using the wires from a floorlamp to electrocute a Christopher Lloyd look-alike. High-concept, but decidedly "B", I thought. But as the movie progressed, I began to notice the deliberation that led to the quirky stagger of the film. The style itself was saying things that the action couldn't begin to convey. This was high art! And it was funny in an intentionally-unintentional way.
The plot, about an ex-nun who now writes bad pornography, a porn queen with a grudge, and an ex-pornongrapher with amnesia, each searching for their identity, is interesting, but it doesn't begin to tell of the impressive stylishness of this movie. Amateur sucks you in like Beckett mixed with "letters to Penthouse", and leaves you satisfied on both accounts. If this sounds good to you, you should check it out. It shows on IFC quite frequently. Oh also, this movie turned me into a freak for Elina Lowensohn. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

For Scott Caan fans only
I am a huge Scott Caan fan and have been waiting for this DVD to come out since it premeired in 1999 at Sundance. I really have no words to describe this movie. It was too... up to be good. But too real to be bad.The relationship between Drew and his father was beautifully demented and hard to watch and throughout the movie you just ended up feeling sorry for everyone. The best part was the chemistry between Scott and Mia Kirshner. Other than that I would recommend this movie only to fans of either one of them. On the plus side, Scott Caan hasn't looked this hot in a wife beater since Varsity Blues.

Get up to 'speed' on the superb acting of Scott Caan
I've been a huge admirer of Scott Caan ever since I first saw him on the big screen. The son of the great James Caan, his pedigree may well be taken care of, but he still had a lot to therein live up to. And he did so in an amazing list of acting jobs that include 'Gone In 60 Seconds,' 'Novocaine,' 'Varsity Blues' and even the cheesy 'American Outlaws' and 'Ready To Rumble'. In 'Speed of Life' Caan is the central character that takes care of his 'fast-fading' father in much the same way a new mother would take care of her newborn. Finally pushed to levels he never realized he could feel, Drew (Caan) turns to drugs to relax, but ends up losing his job, his common sense and finally his judgement. That all said, it's Leo Burmester's ('The Abyss,' 'The Neon Bible') role as Caan's relapsed father that steals the show and the heart strings well before the tortured end. ... Read more