My Favorite All Time Movie (Yes, I do have one)

I am going to do something that will send ripples of shock and awe among the regular patrons. (No Stephanie. That does not include the fact that I accually updated my blog) I am about to write about my all time favorite movie which of course means that it will be relatively positive! *Gasp*

Now I'll warn you all upfront. Since this is my favorite movie I am a bit biased about it so I can't give the hard review I usually go for. It is very hard to critique something you love. It is much easier to bitch and complain. This is one of the reasons that the editorial boards in the local newspapers will aways enjoy a certain level of success.
It should also be noted that I watched this movie with Stephanie and so it is only fair to put in her reaction. She fell asleep.
Now without further ado I give you.......Down Periscope, starring Kelsey Grammer, Lauren Holly and Rob Schnieder. *applause*

The Story

Lt. Cmdr. Tom Dodge is assigned as Captain to the USS Stingray, an old diesel driven submarine that has seen better days. With his career on the line and stuck with a crew that consists only of weird guys (and a gal), he's headed against the atomic powered USS Orlando, with the mission to destroy a dummy battleship in a high stakes war game.

The Good

1. Kelsey Grammer! He exhibits a big screen presence without going 'overboard'. Plus, not only did he have the best lines, he pulled them off without giving them that 'scripted' feel

2. The way they managed to squeeze a subtle little bit of feminism in there with Lauren Holly's Character. Nothing radical but it's there.

3. The great visual aids in the movie. Some of the camera work is just amazing!

4. The supporting cast was also awesome. Sometimes almost too awesome (See The Bad, Comment 2)

5.History teaches us that the outcomes of sea battles, unlike those fought on land, are relatively easy to predict. The side with superiority in numbers and technology almost always carries the day, while the inferior side ends on the sea bottom. However, occasionally the opposite happens (most famous example being 1866 Austro- Hungarian victory over Italians in Battle of Vis/Lissa) so the basic premise behind DOWN PERISCOPE wasn't beyond limits of plausibility.

6. The end titles which feature "Village People" and the submarine crews singing "In the Navy"

7. The 'Pirate' scene

The Bad

1. Some of the sexual jokes drag the film a bit

2. I know Rob Schnieders character is meant to be so annoying that you want to put your fist through the screen and dear god they succeeded.

3. The story was a bit cliched. Okay, a lot cliched. As were the characters

4. (This is a reacurant problem in movies) Lauren Holly starts out as a strong character that knows her stuff then falls apart so Grammer can play 'hero'

5. The writing was inconsistant

The Ugly

1. The reveiws it got from the papers, the internet....you name it

2. Lauren Holly's shoes near the end of the film.