Confessions of a Nazi Spy & Stick It

Confessions of a Nazi Spy is extremely dated, and it feels almost like a documentary rather than a fiction film. But the problem is that it never actually feels like any type of film, rather a warning shot across the American bow in an attempt to make them be sufficiently anti-Nazi. Some of the problem there is that it's so comically done that I don't think it's effective enough in the portrayal of Nazis as evil. Plus, Edward G. Robinson gets a crap role. All he does is play the FBI agent as smarter than everyone else in the film, and plays a few scenes silently because the narrator is telling the audience what the movie isn't good enough to show. It was also strange to see George Sanders play a Nazi. Just a whole bunch of strange in the film. At least it was an anti-Nazi film produced before WWII started, even though the extra scenes at the end, added after the re-release in 1940, put that added bit of anti-Nazi kick that the previous 100 minutes were missing. Because really, Confessions of a Nazi Spy just wasn't anti-Nazi enough. It's like the Diet Coke of anti-Nazi films. Just not anti-Nazi enough. And now I will shoot myself for not only thinking of ripping off Austin Powers, but then doing so.

Stick It suffers because of a horrible visual sense. I'm not even sure that most of the bits of the gymnastic routines can be done. I'm also pretty sure that the judging is about as stupid as it is portrayed. And what the hell was up with the crazy visual effects during the first meet? Why the hell was the kaleidoscope effect used? Why do I get embarrassed for characters who dance crappily? It suffers also because it isn't nearly as trashy fun as Bring It On. It's still trashy fun, but it isn't nearly as good. That said, it's so freakin' ridiculous that if you aren't leaving the theater just bouncing and making devil horns (possibly with two hands because this movie rocked too much for one hand), you suck. Seriously, this movie is ridiculous fun.