Non Stop Laugh-Fest

If I see this review blurb on any movie ad, I RUN as fast as possible in the other direction.

I've only seen one, non-stop, laugh-fest in my many years of film-watching and that was "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." It still is a non-stop laugh-fest after about the 100th viewing. Fortunately, I hadn't seen a review blurb (promising a "non-stop laugh-fest") prior to my first viewing of the Holy Grail, otherwise I may have run in the other direction and missed out on years and years of enjoyment.

A trailer for the new Kevin Costner film, "Swing Vote," ran on Good Morning America today, proclaiming it as a "non-stop laugh-fest." Now, I like Kevin Costner. But, with the exception of "Waterworld" and "Dancing with Wolves," it is pure folly to associate his name with any film that is a non-stop laugh-fest.

Which brings me to the point of this blog: movie reviews. I recently discovered Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes, two sites dedicated to extensive reviews of the arts (including games). Both sites amalgamate reviews from top critics across the country with reviews from every-day schmos like us. It's great to get the good, bad and ugly...along with an average score that gives you the down-low on a film.

Had I known about these sites, I could have saved much time and money by avoiding M. Night's "The Happening" (34 out of 100 Metacritic score), Will Smith's "Hancock" (49) and Adam Sandler's "Don't Mess with the Zohan." (54). Unfortunately, I probably still would have had to suck it up and go with my wife to see "Sex and the City." (53).

So, now, if a film gets a 95 rating and more than one person calls it a "non-stop laugh fest" I might be inclined to give it a go.