Absolutely Fabulous – ISO Tank. Birthday. Magazine

Bob Spiers: Absolutely Fabulous S1.E4: ISO Tank (GB 1992). Joanna Lumley (Patsy) and Jennifer Saunders (Edina). IMDb synopsis: "Banned from attending Saffron's college open day, Edina tries to get her own back by threatening to adopt a Romanian baby, a scheme which totally backfires."

V-003535 / G / GB / 1992 / Saunders, Jennifer / comedy

Absolutely Fabulous – ISO Tank. Birthday. Magazine. / Todella upeeta / Helt hysteriskt. Serie 1. Isoleringstank. Födelsedagen. Magazine. © BBC. P: Jon Plowman. D: Bob Spiers. SC: Jennifer Saunders. CAST: Jennifer Saunders (Edina), Joanna Lumley (Patsy). 88’ PAL. DIST: DHE Castle Oy. VHS projection in Helsinki, VET, Thursday 9 April 1998. *** Edina has a nightmare in her isolation tank. –Edina’s 40th birthday party turns into a disaster. – Patsy’s magazine gets to present fashion news on morning TV: she invites Edina’s daughter and mother as her models.

Trial and Error

Jonathan Lynn: Trial and Error (US 1997). Michael Richards (Richard Rietti), Jeff Daniels (Charles Tuttle), Charlize Theron (Billie Tyler).

100603 / G / US / 1997 / Lynn, Jonathan / / comedy

Trial and Error / Nuijalle töitä / Rätt och galet. © New Line Productions. D: Jonathan Lynn. SC: Sara Bernstein, Gregory Bernstein. Music selections include ”All The Time In The World” by The Subdudes. CAST: Michael Richards, Jeff Daniels, Charlize Theron, Jessica Steen. Scope. MPAA 34701. PG-13. BBFC: 12. DIST: Warner Bros. Finland. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Friday 13 February 1998. *** ”A trial for the viewer and an error for all those involved”, states the Sight & Sound reviewer. While not as funny as My Cousin Vinny, this one still makes one laugh several times. The Seinfeld regular Michael Richards is the bad actor who has to pose as the ace lawyer while Jeff Daniels is recovering from a hangover. - One of the best Finnish titles for a foreign movie, replacing an untranslatable wordplay for another untranslatable wordplay.

Mousehunt

100602 / 8 / 5 / US / 1997 / Verbinski, Gore / / comedy
Mousehunt [title on the movie] / Mouse Hunt [title in print ads] / Hiiri jota ei saatu hengiltä. © DreamWorks. D: Gore Verbinski. SC: Adam Rifkin. Animatronic mice by Stan Winston. CAST: Nathan Lane, Lee Evans, Vicki Lewis. 1,85. MPAA 35725. Rated PG. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Timo Porri / Janne Staffans. DIST: UIP Finland. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Thursday 12 February 1998. ** Strained farce mixes choice ingredients over-zealously, spoiling all the flavour. It is easy to copy, it’s easy to overdo. It’s difficult to strike the balance to create true fun.

Flubber

100577 / 8 / 5 / US / 1997 / Mayfield, Les / / comedy
Flubber / Maailman mahtavin mönjä. © Disney Enterprises. P: John Hughes, Ricardo Mestres. D: Les Mayfield. Based on the screenplay by Bill Walsh for The Absent Minded Professor / Hajamielinen professori (Walt Disney Company 1961). M: Danny Elfman. CAST: Robin Williams, Marcia Gay Harden. 93’. MPAA 35540. Rated PG-13. Finnish subtitles by Hannele Vahtera. DIST: Finnkino. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Monday 26 January 1998. ** I have never seen the original and did not warm up to this remake. Loud noise and special effects cannot fill the void when style and warmth are missing.

Shooting Fish

Stefan Schwartz: Shooting Fish (GB 1997). Dan Futterman (Dylan), Stuart Townsend (Jez), Kate Beckinsale (Georgie).

100509 / G / GB / 1997 / Schwartz, Stefan / comedy

Shooting Fish / Huijareita kuten me. PC: Gruber Brothers. P: Richard Holmes, Glynis Murray. D: Stefan Schwartz. SC: Stefan Schwartz, Richard Holmes. Music selections include performances by Space, Strangelove, and The Supernaturals, and Burt Bacharach tunes like ”Do You Know The Way To San Jose”. CAST: Dan Futterman (Dylan), Stuart Townsend (Jez), Kate Beckinsale (Georgie). 113’, 109’. Scope. BBFC: 12. DIST: Cinema Mondo. Viewed in Helsinki, Tuesday 30 December 1997. *** Two con artists meet a medical student who becomes their secretary in their outlandish schemes. Pleasant yarn with funny inventions and weak morals. Excellent soundtrack.

Pardners

045501 / 12 / US / 1956 / Lewis, Jerry / / comedy

Pardners / Peloton sheriffi. PC: York Pictures. A Paramount release. D: Norman Taurog. Based on the film Rhythm on the Range (1936). Songs by Sammy Cahn, James Van Heusen. CAST: Jerry Lewis (Wade Kingsley), Dean Martin (Slim Mosely). 88’. Technicolor, VistaVision. PAL transmission cropped to Academy. Below average colour definition. Yleisradio TV2 on Saturday, 13 December 1997. *** Absurd comedy Western wears well today. It’s a Jerry Lewis showcase as a mama’s boy who has to transform into a rodeo star, a cowboy, and a sheriff. His pantomimes are masterful. On the small box it is hard to appreciate them properly, since they are often in medium or general shot.

Kummeli Kultakuume / Kummeli Goldrush

Matti Grönberg: Kummeli Kultakuume / Kummeli Goldrush (FI 1997).

A-027797 / 12 / FI / 1997 / Grönberg, Matti / / comedy

PC: Porkkana Ryhmä; Solar Films. D: Matti Grönberg. CAST: Heikki Silvennoinen, Heikki Hela, Heikki Vihinen, Timo Kahilainen. 1,66. Parts in German, with Finnish subtitles. DIST: Finnkino. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Monday 24 November 1997. A crazy comedy about a madman (HS) and his male nurse (HH) wreaking havoc with two delinquents (TK and HV) in Lapland on the trail of a lost gold treasure. They beat the Nazis and get the gold. The madman is cured through happy marriage. Seasoned comedy veterans appears all through the film. It could have more style, but some scenes are very funny.

Excess Baggage

100458 / 12 / US / 1997 / Brambilla, Marco / comedy

Excess Baggage / Tuhannen taalan tyttö. PC: Columbia Pictures. P: Alicia Silverstone (First Kiss Productions). D: Marco Brambilla. CAST: Alicia Silverstone, Benicio Del Toro, Christopher Walken. MPAA 34335. Rated PG-13. 98’. 1,85. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Hannele Vahtera. DIST: CB Egmont. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Thursday 20 November 1997. ** Clueless was a first-rate film, and Alicia Silverstone was great in it. A hard act to follow? This one is merely a trifle.