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Stroker Ace , a review by Dragonfire

Stroker Ace



Racing champion Stroker Ace (Burt Reynolds) is one of the most respected NASCAR-circuit drivers. So how come everybody's laughing? Could it be that chicken suit he's wearing, maybe?

Reyonlds rejoins director Hal Needham (Hooper, Smokey and the Bandit) for another engine block-buster. When Stroker signs a sponsor contract with a sly fried-chicken magnate (Ned Beatty) without reading it, he feels like a dumb cluck: now he must cut ribbons at fast-food outlets, hawk chicken on TV and wear that dumb outfit - even when driving. Jim Nabors, Parker Stevenon and Loni Anderson co-star in this ace-high action comedy.

My Thoughts

I first saw this one years ago on television.  I remember liking it a lot then and I would watch it whenever I found it on television again.  I have the movie as part of a 3 movie set along with Hooper and Sharky's Machine.  I watched the movie for the first time in years recently.  I still managed to enjoy the movie overall, though I see more flaws in it now than I did when I originally saw it.

Within the first few minutes, it is clear that Stroker is arrogant and basically a jerk even though he is a fan favorite driver.  He likes to have a good time and he doesn't take much of anything seriously.  He doesn't even care about ticking off his sponsor, which is how he ends up in the mess with Clyde Torkel.  Stroker signs the massive contract without reading it and ends up forced into making all kinds of appearances and even wear a chicken suit.  The plot is very thin, though it is entertaining to see Burt Reynolds in the chicken suit.  Some of what happens is funny, though many of the attempts at humor don't work that well.  A lot of what happens is silly or just stupid. 

Several racing scenes are used in the movie.  I don't know a lot about racing, but it seems accurate.  There are some crashes which add a bit of excitement to some scenes.  Footage from some actual races is used.  Sometimes the footage blends in well and other times it stands out because of the difference in the picture quality.  Stroker ends up having a rivalry with another driver for no particular reason.  I think that was supposed to add some complications but that part of the plot isn't developed enough to be complicated. 

The characters are sort of interesting, though none of them are developed that much.  Stroker is basically a jerk who chases after every woman he sees.  He does start to act a little better later in the movie.  He is the most developed character, but he is still very flat.  The cast is fine in the parts, though nothing special.

The movie manages to be entertaining, though it has issues.  It won't appeal to a lot of people.  Fans of the cast might find something to like.



I did post a review on Epinions if anyone wants to take a look.

Stroker Ace

(From Stroker Ace on September 5th, 2010)

Clerks, a review by Tom

Title: Clerks.
Year: 1994
Director: Kevin Smith
Rating: 18A
Length: 92 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles: English, Spanish, Trivia

Stars:
Brian O'Halloran
Jeff Anderson
Marilyn Ghigliotti
Lisa Spoonhauer
Jason Mewes

Plot:
The movie that started it all... In two versions, including the Extended Cut that you've never seen!

Miramax Home Entertainment is proud to present this amazing three-disc collector's set that includes two versions of the original indie classic, a killer, brand-new 90-minute documentary - "Snowball Effect: The Story of Clerks" - and more never-before-seen bonus material than you shake a salsa shark at!

Awards:

AFI	1994	Nominated	100 Years... 100 Laughs (2000)
Independent Spirit Awards	1995	Nominated	Best Debut Performance	Jeff Anderson
Independent Spirit Awards	1995	Nominated	Best First Feature	Kevin Smith; Scott Mosier
Independent Spirit Awards	1995	Nominated	Best First Screenplay	Kevin Smith

Extras:
Closed Captioned
Commentary
DVD-ROM Content
Featurettes
Music Videos
Photo Gallery
Production Notes
Scene Access
Trailers

Still a great movie to watch. I just love all the scenes with Randal in it. His "Return of the Jedi" rant or his ordering of porn videos are hilarious. Imagine Kevin Smith would have played this role as originally planned. I think it wouldn't have been half as fun.
And the bonus feature "The Flying Car": Simply Great!


Rating:

(From Tom's Alphabet Marathon Reviews on July 3rd, 2010)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

The Critic: The Complete Series (1994/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (United States) Length: 520 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

---

Stars:
Jon Lovitz as Jay Prescott Sherman/Woody Allen/Himself (voice)
Nancy Cartwright as Margo Sherman (voice)
Christine Cavanaugh as Marty Sherman (voice)
Gerrit Graham as Franklin Sherman (voice)
Judith Ivey as Eleanor Sherman (voice)

Plot:
From the producers of "The Simpsons" comes this hilarious animated sitcom about Jay, a New York movie critic and cable television host.

Pudgy and balding, Jay is not a well-liked man. His unsympathetic boss makes his life miserable, his ex-wife hates him, his adoptive parents barely tolerate him, and even the makeup lady treats him with disgust.

Fortunately for Jay, he has his 11-year-old son Marty and one very unlikely friend, Jeremy Hawke, the Australian film hunk.

Jon Lovitz provides Jay's distinctive voice as a single father who searches for happiness while satirizing life and the movies in this irreverent comedy.

The Critic
1.01 Pilot
Not really funny. At least the pilot episode. I don't remember much about the rest, only that it was not memorable.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on April 2nd, 2011)