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Haiku Tunnel

Haiku Tunnel

List Price: $29.95
Your Price: $26.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Diappointment
Review: I was thoroughly disappointed by this movie. I rented it as my comedy selection for the evening and did not even make it to the end. The movie tries to employ clever commentary. However, there was nothing clever about this movie. We all hate mail outs and computer printers are frustrating. We get it. There was nothing fresh or intriguing offered. Needless to say I did not crack much of a smile. Stick with movies like Office Space for an actually entertaining office-themed comedy.

So stupid a film
Completely trite and boring
Gross fat guy sex scene

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "I rubbed its tummy and it went to sleep"
Review: I work at a movie store, and on the offchance that I might be pleasantly surprised, I rented Haiku Tunnel. Best described as the Art House version of Office Space, Haiku Tunnel is hilarious, sad, and thought provoking all at the same time. If you really enjoy slightly strange, low-budget movies that aren't your run-of-the-mill, predictable hollywood blockbusters, then you should buy this movie. If you like movies that are stupidly funny (which isn't necessarily a bad thing), then buy Office Space (which is also a really good movie). You might be as pleasantly surprised as I was :)

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: GIVE ME MY TWO HOURS BACK!
Review: I would have given this movie a .25 star but that wasnt an option- plus after sitting through that movie, i figured i should do something nice by giving a FULL star! This movie not only dissapointed me, but made me wish i could get my time back in order to do something productive such as twiddle my thumbs and read the dictionary. If you are thinking of renting this video do not waste the calories running out to blockbuster. And if you were thinking of buying the video or dvd, find a homeless person on the street and buy him dinner! (Or at the very least open your window and watch it fly!) Basically this movie lowered my IQ while wasting my time. DO NOT BOTHER!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Must-see for lawyers
Review: If you or anyone you know is an attorney, has worked for an attorney or has ever considered doing so, take a look at this film. The characters are just over-the-top enough to be realistic, and I must admit the plot twists were not easily predictable. Overall a hilarious look at the people who practice law and their employees, from an "outsider's" perspective--the temp. Very funny movie.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Unfulfilled Promise
Review: If you're thinking you've stumbled upon a more zen rendition of "Office Space", think again. The jacket would lead you to believe you've found a funny & clever working place story, but more than likely you'll be waiting for humor to shoot into orbit, when in reality it simply sputters on the launching pad. The premise seems to hold validity as a funny scenario - successful temp becomes chaotic perm - but the writing and directing are a bit too amateurish to pull it all off. Josh Kornbluth is able to entertain, but only in spurts during the film. Some of it is very predictable, once you get going, and from there on you're waiting for something that just never happens. The only thing you'll be concentrating on is why the heck isn't he mailing the letters? The supporting cast does a very credible job, specifically the head secretary, the lawyer who Josh works for, and the female lawyer he trysts with. The rest is pretty much forgettable.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Like a sleeping pill.
Review: In this incredibly unfortunate movie, Josh Kornbluth "stars" as Josh Kornbluth, a lazy and unmotivated temp worker looking to "go perm" at his current assignment. Besides being lazy and unmotivated, Kornbluth spends much of his time at work trying to finish a novel of some sort to the detriment of his actual job. Things come to a head when he is asked to deliver 17 VERY IMPORTANT letters and, predictably enough, he fails to do so. The rest of the movie is spent attempting to salvage his job and cultivate a ludicrous relationship with a beautiful executive with the aid of his co-workers and so-called "friends."

Where this film primarily fails is in its painful attempts at humor. I wanted to laugh and I wanted to enjoy this movie, but I could do neither. All of the jokes fall flat. The reason for this is that they all sound like inside jokes or you-had-to-be-theres. For the obvious reasons, this mode of operation does not really lend itself to appealing to a broad audience. That's not meant to suggest that a film's popularity is a surefire indicator of its quality, but it is difficult to relate to or to sympathize with the bizarre and completely unmotivated protagonist that we have been stuck with. The plot itself is not particularly engaging, and when you combine that with the hellishly unfunny jokes as well as the unsympathetic characters, you have all the makings of a terrible movie. I cannot for any reason recommend this boring, trite, and unsatisfying movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One Of The Funniest Films I Have Ever Seen
Review: Josh Kornbluth (Josh Kornbluth), ambles from temp job to temp job as he contemplates writing the Great American novel. He is perfectly content to take these jobs, because, as he points out, he's a really good temp. They also allow him the freedom to concentrate on other things. Yes, he has to live in a small dump of an apartment in the Mission District in "San Franclisco" (a 'fictional' town, the setting for his 'fictional' story, but he actually enjoys his life. Then he accepts a temp assignment working for Bob Shelby (Warren Keith) at the law firm of Schuyler & Mitchell. Josh notices strange things at S & M, but he goes about his assignment. Then Marlina D'Amore (Helen Shumaker), the head Secretary, asks Josh if he wants "to go perm?" Josh accepts and everything begins to unravel.

"Haiku Tunnel" is simply one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long, long time.

Josh Kornbluth reportedly developed a one-man show called "Haiku Tunnel" based on his adventures as a Legal Temp. He and his brother Jacob worked for a long time to turn the play into a film. The film, directed by the Kornbluth Brothers works amazingly well. We follow Josh's adventures as he wades through the bureaucracy of office life and John frequently takes us aside to share his observations.

Every character in the film is pitch perfect. If you have ever worked at a law firm, in an office or for a temp agency, you will most likely recognize the people. Bob Shelby is easily one of the funniest characters ever created for a film and Warren Keith is brilliant in bringing the stoic, emotionless lawyer to life. He almost steals every scene he is in. This is quite an accomplishment considering the actor playing against him, Josh Kornbluth, created the character. Keith's monotone is very evocative of a supervisor who wants to do a great job, expects his employees to do a great job, but can't quite summon the will to enforce this desire.

Josh Kornbluth is hilarious playing a character that he goes to great pains to try to convince the audience is fictional. He makes frequent observations, which is usually a technique that is sure to annoy me, but his observations are very funny, very accurate and well-timed. He has to deal with the stigma of being a temp, the quick revelation of going perm, his various office workers, office machines, procrastination, artificial environments, desperate office celebrations, security guards and computer professionals who work all hours. There isn't a single joke in the film which doesn't create a laugh.

Marlina D'Amore, played by Helen Shumaker, is also perfect. Slightly condescending, finally embracing the role of mother to the office, she walks around with an all-knowing, silent attitude which is simply a marvel to behold. "Josh, would you like to go... perm?"

Mindy, Clifford and DaVonne (Amy Resnick, Brian Thorstenson and June Lomena respectively) are the three other secretaries in the office. Each is a perfect example of a specific type of office worker you have already met. Each is well-thought out and very unique. It is unusual to have this level of detail for the individual characters in any film. These three have been in the office long enough to recognize all of the ins and outs. "She's a pusher" and "Hi, Josh. So we hear you went Perm?" are just two of their many funny lines.

"Haiku Tunnel" is a rare thing. The pitch perfect, consistently funny and inventive comedy.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Laugh Out Loud Funny
Review: Laugh out loud funny, Haiku Tunnel is a dry and witty look at the universe of the temporary employee and how that world is effected when a job becomes permanent. At the center of Haiku Tunnel is Josh Kornbluth, a 'fictional character' played by writer director Josh Kornbluth who narrates, comments, and pontificates about his life as a temp. Kornbluth is somewhere between Woody Allen, Spaulding Grey and Dilbert with a profound sense of comic timing.

One of the stand-out aspects of Haiku Tunnel is Kornbluth's spot-on characterizations of the different type of office people, especially the head secretary of S&M (a law firm), Marlina, played brilliantly by Helen Shumaker. Kornbluth goes beyond the office stereotypes and instead of portraying his fellow co-workers and bosses as 'evil' he manages to find the quirky element in each one which makes them endearing.

It's easy to want to draw comparisons between The Haiku Tunnel and a movie like Office Space but the two films are more different than alike. Haiku Tunnel ultimately is less about working in an office, and more about feeling impermanent and transitionary. When it does lampoon the working world, the results are hilarious, but the real core comes out of Josh's search for himself. Haiku Tunnel is extremely funny and completely enjoyable, and I highly recommend it. [Geoffrey Kleinman,

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Have never seen a worse movie.
Review: Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco must be related to Kornbluth...as well as anyone who writes a positive review about this film. Instead of a "winning comedy" (as Lasalle leads the unassuming consumer to believe), Haiku Tunnel comes through with the worst plot line, acting, gimmicks and comedic attempts to ever be put on film. Kornbluth, looking eerily like the Principal from Billy Madison by the way, has just made the day of anyone that has had anything with the movie "Ishtar". We now have a new heir to the thrown of the title "Worst Movie Of All Time". Do not waste your time...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: What a hoot!
Review: My husband and I saw "Haiku Tunnel" last night, and what fun it was! Josh has achieved quite an accomplishment as writer, director, and actor, along with his brother Jacob and John Bellucci. The casting was perfect, with performances from Warren Keith, Sarah Overman, Brian Thorstenson, Amy Resnick, June Lomena, Harry Shearer, and the divine Helen Shumaker. Great job, Josh!!


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