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A milestone was reached in criticism of the critically panned Disney blockbuster Pearl Harbor this week when film critic Terry Larson of the Topeka Weekly Free Shopper wrote a review of the film without using a single pun based on the movie's title. It is believed to be the only such review written so far in the United States. He told Cultureshark that he "just couldn't think of anything clever, I guess."
Most of the nation's prominent film critics loaded their reviews of the latest Jerry Bruckheimer epic with jokes like "Bora Bora Bora" or "A film that will live in infamy." Larson's piece is believed to be the first to avoid any such wise-ass comments.
"I guess I usually just try the old-fashioned way of saying what I think about the movie," Larson said. He also admitted that all the good puns were likely taken, since when he wrote his review the movie had already been out several weeks. "We review as much as we can, but the manager of the local 5-screen won't give us free passes until something's been out a while." It is possible, Larson concedes, that he might have taken the opportunity to get in a quip if he hadn't already read so many of them.
Larson is sensitive to criticism that he held back on trashing the movie because the owner of the local drive-in, which is carrying the movie, heavily advertises his car dealership in the paper. "That's just ridiculous," said the critic, who also serves as assistant copy editor and part time circulation assistant. "I only gave it two out of five stars. I talked about what I didn't like about the movie. Come on, I criticized the writing, the acting, and the direction."
It was pointed out to him that his review may have appeared "soft" because of the absence of scathing puns. "Well, I guess I'm out of touch," he responded. "I am going to pay to see A.I., though, and I already am thinking up some stuff for that one."
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