The Blues Brothers

Of course, The Blues Brothers. I’ve played so many video games starring them. How many times have I heard the typical tune that makes you think of the Blues Brothers? But when I watched the movie, I had no idea how many people participated in this project. Legendary musicians such as James Brown and Ray Charles and the no-less legendary people from the world of film Frank Oz, Steven Spielberg or John Candy. And I am only mentioning the things that I can think of now. That’s not to mention all the squad cars that the director John Landis had crushed to pieces. It’s been a long time since I saw such proper American shots in a movie. You can clearly see that this is a movie from the 1980’s. If it had a better story, I may have given it a higher rating. The way things are, I have to appreciate the proper craftsmanship and the awesome spirit of this idea of the Blues Brothers. (05/01/2014)

As much as I consider Trading Places to be a sympathetic and very well-functioning comedy even years later, I have to say that after just ten minutes I felt that I was simply not understanding Landis' idea of humor and exaggeration when it came to The Blues Brothers. I didn't find it funny, and especially the rather monotonous carousel of chases, car crashes, and explosions seemed to me if not downright silly, then certainly not clever. In comparison, the Czech comedy Blockbuster, which I definitely don't consider a shining example of a top-notch and clever film, seems to me like a masterpiece for intellectuals. I didn't like John Belushi and I was puzzled by the simple, almost non-existent story and screenplay. The only thing that appealed to me was the music, and in the first half, I thought I would at least give the film 2 stars, but after country music got involved and the film moved to its final third in a large hall with a concert for a police choir and the present masses, it didn't appeal to me anymore. Overall impression: 25%. (04/01/2014)