Wanderings and … wonderings.

An attempt to watch Gotti (1996) reminded of what I hate about ex-mobsters, or ones on the margins of that world, who segue to ‘acting’. They cannot act a lick and it’s embarrassing to watch. 

This has Big Pussy and Paulie Walnuts in it and their mere presence had me reaching for the remote. Uncle Junior even appears; The Sopranos survived despite this.

Then Anthony Quinn reels off one of his worst performances, which defines the last 20 years of his career. 

So I turned it off because it’s shite.

Stick to Scorsese. Avoid crap like this.

Roughly 43 minutes into this semi-charming, fully pedestrian tale about a cynic humanised by a penguin, I said to myself: “Why the fuck is this a movie?”

And then I went to sleep until I heard the sound of departing footsteps. 

I’m sure it was worthwhile for those in the audience who resisted the temptation to nap. 

What trivial pish.

I can’t fathom the immense hoopla and ‘controversy’ surrounding this; my only conclusion is that folk in this age of hysteria have nothing else to do. Anyway, I have little regard for the original and view it as irrelevant – it’s certainly not irreverent – claptrap. I suppose it’s animated so that means it’s important ….

And this is the same, but just immeasurably more pointless. In a tale of baffling narrative choices, it swerves at one stage into barmy Peasants’ Revolt material, or a Robin Hood transposition with associated modern-day social democratic politics (I’m being serious) yet remains decidedly insipid and aimless.

Was this movie supposed to be about the titular dwarves or elementary economics and a mass rebellion against the oppressors? It was all a wee bit confusing, and I’m genuinely curious as to how so much time and money can be spunked on something so pedestrian. But I didn’t pay to see it so I’m not that bothered. 

Seven midgets in a forest, a poisoned apple, silly songs, a talking mirror, a token uprising, and much ado about nothing.

Grow up.