As an atheist, I have a very low tolerance level for religious foolishness. I understand that I'm supposed to respect peoples' religious beliefs. In point of fact, I don't. Well, let's not be too harsh. I respect your right to believe anything you wish. But I reserve the right to think that those beliefs are stupid.
In the stupid category I would put radical, nutbar religions like Seventh Day Adventists. And into that religion did one Angus T. Jones apparently fall. In what I'm hoping is either a publicity stunt, or a classic Punk'd episode with costar Ashton Kutcher, Jones--who plays Jake Harper, the half man of the title--has come out against the show. The show that made him a star, and is solely responsible for anyone knowing or caring what he has to say. As I said, I hope it's all a ruse. If it's not, he's playing with the livelihoods of his costars and those of everyone associated with the show, all based on nothing more than this addle-brained, crazy-pants religious sect. And I'd lay money on Angus being very embarrassed by all of this when he outgrows his "religious phase." I may actually believe he's for real if he gives back all of the money he's gained from his "filthy" show.
Last week, in Blast from the Past, I shared trailers from some of the best spoof movies of all time. Not surprisingly, most were from the masterful Mel Brooks, and some combination of ZAZ (David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker), and we won't stray far from them here. This week's collection isn't quite up to the level of Part 1 by necessity. They were just the best. But there is some gold to be found here.
1. Naked Gun 2-1/2: The Smell of Fear - Police show parody - You'd think I'd put The Naked Gun: From the files of Police Squad! as my pick from the series, but no. The first in the series was the revival of the short-lived television show. It was funny, and provided fodder for the series, but was a little thin, especially toward the end. Part 2 was consistently funny, end-to end. Part 3 rehashed a lot from the original series, so Part 2 wins it. All are worthy of your time, and are responsible for Leslie Nielsen's resurgence, and Hollywood's belief that he'd make any movie funny. Here, it was true. ***
2. Hot Shots! Part Deux - Rambo/war movie parody -Like the inferior Airplane II: The Sequel, this movie put its title's suffix into the lexicon. If you hear "part deux" or "the sequel," that's where it came from. Unlike the latter, HS!PD is a worthy sequel, if slightly less so than its predecessor. This time, Charlie Sheen (in his prime) is aping both Rambo and Apocalypse Now, along with several other movies. He's helped along by Richard Crenna, Rowan Atkinson, Ryan Stiles and Lloyd Bridges. It kinda runs out of gas about 2/3 of the way through, but there are memorable gags throughout. Recommended. **-1/2
4.
3. Scary Movie - Scream/horror movie parody - The first in
the series--by the Wayans brothers--is a gem, funny, filthy and a lot
of fun. It closely follows the Scream movies, and parodies the crap out of them. Which is kind of funny, when you consider that Scream was sort of a send-up of horror films in the first place, and had the working title, Scary Movie.
This movie also put Anna Ferris on the map, in the first of four in the
series. The Wayans' take on what is essentially a white-centric movie
genre is genius. *** Scary Movie 3 - Parody of Signs and The Ring - Part 2 of this series was just terrible, mostly for Chris Elliot (decidedly not for every taste) and the fact that it strayed so far from the first movie. Part 3 took the series out of the Wayans' hands, and into David Zucker's. It was perhaps his last funny movie. Very funny, again with Charlie Sheen. But if you watch the outtakes, you'll see what a mess it could have been (and reasons why the movie is a little disjointed in places). Part 4, also by Zucker, has its moments, but is not worthy of this list. **-1/2
5. History of the World, Part I -Historical epic parody - This one doesn't rate in the top mostly because it is wildly uneven. There are moments--many moments--of genius in this film. In my storied pop culture consciousness, there are quotes from this film aplenty. But lo these many years later, it just doesn't hold together. I find myself fast forwarding in places. But the French Revolution, Spanish Inquisition and Roman Empire sections are golden. I'd tell you more but I'm on my wine break. Mel Brooks managed to pull this one up above the line, but not to true greatness. **
6. Spaceballs - Star Wars/space movie parody - Critics said that this movie was curiously late, 10 years after Star Wars. But, did they say that about Young Frankenstein, 42 years later? Anyway, that wasn't really my problem with it. It has funny, memorable moments. It is classic Brooks. But it's thin. It feels like an hour's worth of jokes, spread over 96 minutes. Makes the list for the many classic bits, but just barely. **
7. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life - Historical epic parody - This one is one of my favorites, but like History of the World (and Monty Python in general) is wildly uneven, and not for every taste. Uproarious in places, head-scratching in others. **-1/2
8. Shaun of the Dead - Zombie/horror parody - This one should really be in my first list, to be fair. It is perhaps the best of the bunch, since it works as both a superb parody, and as an effective movie of its genre by itself. Hilarious, tense, well acted, and well written. Certainly the most in-genre spoof movie, but closely tied with Young Frankenstein for authenticity. Simon Pegg made his name here. ****
See, they put him in everything.
Also rans:Repossessed, the Exorcist parody really tries, but too hard. Airplane II has its moments. Naked Gun 1 & 33-1/3 do too. The Creature Wasn't Nice (also known as Spaceship!) has some classic moments, but is kind of cheap. Don't be a Menace to South Central while Drinking Your Juice in the Hood is funny, but way outside my pop culture zone, as is I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (both are worthy, I'm just unworthy to review them). Austin Powers and its sequels probably qualify, but sort of became an entity unto themselves. Not Another Teen Movie has some very good jokes (and Chris Evans), but is responsible for. . .
Terrible spoof movies: Disaster Movie, Date Movie, Meet the Spartans, Superhero Movie, Epic Movie, countless others, and the worst spoof movie of all time: An American Carol. Its spectacular badness is only rivaled by The Happening, which is possibly a spoof, but is so bad it doesn't matter.
And that's it for now. Have a great Monday, everyone!
So, I'm thinking of things for Blast from the Past today during my walk, and I came up with a great idea! And now, I have no idea what it was. But I still have a column to do. So, why not the best spoof movies of all time? It's one of my favorite pop culture things, and they're the kind of films you can watch over and over again. Unfortunately, today's generation has been fed a series of hideously bad spoof movies like Date Movie and Meet the Spartans. They really need to read this list, and check out some of the films on it, to see how it's supposed to be done. These are in no particular order, but I've given each a score on a * to **** scale.
1. Blazing Saddles (1974)- Western spoof. This is Mel Brooks' funniest film (his best is below), and he's chased it ever since. Don't get me wrong, I'm in awe of the man. But his best work was in 1974. The cast, Cleavon Little, Harvey Korman, Slim Pickens, Madeline Kahn, and especially Gene Wilder are sublime. The jokes are rapid-fire, and hilarious. The script (co-written by Richard Pryor among others) would never be green-lit today. But it will live on forever on video. If you haven't seen it, add it to your movie list. ****
2. Young Frankenstein (1974) - Universal horror spoof. Mel Brooks' best film by a mile, and funny too, if less rapid-fire than Blazing Saddles. Probably more quotable than any other film in history, this is a cinematic masterpiece. It's as much an homage to the original Frankenstein series as it is a send-up. Wilder is also at his best, and ably supported by Terri Garr, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman and Madeline Kahn. ****
3. High Anxiety (1978) - Hitchcock spoof. The last Mel Brooks film of the list isn't in a league with the first two, but is better than most attempts by others. And it holds a very special place in my pop culture noggin. I've loved this since I saw it (again and again) on TeleCinema, the precursor to HBO. Madeline Kahn doesn't enter until the second half, but is fantastic. Cloris Leachman is demented and very memorable as Nurse Diesel. Harvey Korman, Ron Carey, Dick Van Patten and many others are all pros. The more you know Hitchcock, the better you'll like it. ***
4. Airplane! (1980) - Disaster movie spoof. This is one of the funniest movies of all time, by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker (ZAZ). It's somewhat dated, having been shot in the waning days of the 1970s. But considering the heyday of disaster movies was the 70s, that actually helps with the humor. Robert Hays and Julie Haggerty are pitch perfect, but it's the unlikely comedic performances of Lloyd Bridges, Leslie Nielsen (at the time, not known for comedy), Peter Graves and Robert Stack that added an extra layer of brilliance. (Followed by a much lesser sequel) ****
5. Hot Shots! (1991) - Top Gun parody. Jim Abrahams of ZAZ was behind this one, and he loses nothing without the Zuckers. It's a riot. It spoofs far more than Top Gun, though it uses that movie as a framework. Charlie Sheen is terrific in the lead, and supported by many funny supporting actors, including Lloyd Bridges (again). (Followed by a decent sequel) ***-1/2
6. Top Secret! (1982) - Elvis movie/Cold War parody. ZAZ again, and this one is an odd one to try to describe. In addition to Elvis movies, and "behind enemy lines" Cold War movies, this one spoofs The Blue Lagoon, beach movies, westerns and even The Wizard of Oz! Scattershot, but oh-so funny. Val Kilmer--in his first major role--is fantastic: singing, dancing and hilarious. Not a lot of famous co-stars, though Omar Sharif and Peter Cushing are here, but it doesn't matter. It's the characters that make this one, and wow, what characters! Deja Vu, Latrine and Chocolate Mousse, just to name a few! This one is only marred by a too-abrupt ending. Watch it. ***-1/2
And that's going to have to wrap it up for this week. More to come! In the mean time, have a great Monday!
I'm still a bit vexed by the big news stories of the day. I'll likely still talk about Libya, Japan and the protests against GOP governors, but I just don't feel like it right now. And hey, this isn't a newspaper. I'm not pretending to have some sort of journalistic code. If there's news about Charlie Sheen, it doesn't matter if I talk about it. This is a blog, not the New York Times, right? So, when the buzz is that CBS wants to woo Sheen back to their network, I don't feel out of my depth to say something about it!
Charlie Sheen gave a whole new meaning to "scorched earth" in his trashing of just about everything to do with Two and a Half Men but himself. He napalmed Chuck Lorre, the creator of the show. He insulted Jon Cryer, his costar. He lambasted the show's wardrobe person by dissing his character's bowling shirts. He even trashed his own audience, pretty much saying that viewers would lap up anything he put in a bowl on the floor for them.
Charlie Sheen is also either a) crazy, b) drugged or c) both. And don't forget that his charming rogue act was great on a late 30s-early 40s "aging well" handsome man. But Charlie has--frankly--hit a wall. He's moved from sexy older guy to old guy. He looks gaunt and drawn. He's getting that ropey neck thing. He's got crazy eyes to rival Michele Bachmann. So even if all concerned managed to iron over the rough spots, I don't think they'll be ironing over Charlie's face.
So with him, they've got a year or two left at best before it's all just looking sad. And without him, they've likely got. . .a year or two left at best before it's all just looking sad. They could pull a That '70s Show, and squeeze out a lackluster final season. They could do a Spin City (ironically, also with Sheen), and manage two more years. But is there any precedent for an eight-year-old sitcom to transform itself, and stay on the air years after a big cast change? How long can Alan Harper live on a fold-out sofa, regardless of who the costar is?
[Excerpt]
CBS Wants Charlie Sheen Back on 'Two and a Half Men' ... If He Makes Nice
If the prospect of 'Two and a Half Men' without Charlie Sheen seemed like a weird idea to you, then be assured that the folks at CBS were likely tying their stomachs in knots thinking about the same thing. . .
Okay, so this isn't their best effort, but it's still pretty funny. And yeah, I'm still sad that Charlie Sheen is so clearly messed up, though talented. I hope he sorts it all out.
[UPDATED to add a picture of Charlie Sheen, because (duh) that should have occurred to me before.]
I don't curse much on the blog. Not because I don't swear in real life, that's not even close to true. But when a person is writing, they should usually be able to express themselves more artfully than they do in extemporaneous speech. And because, let's face it, I don't want people sending complaints to Blogger! But there are exceptions. And there are off-color descriptions that are so perfect, I simply can't resist using them. Case in point: batshit crazy.
Exhibit A. Image from Alan Colmes' LiberaLand
I use this term mostly for specific actions, or overall political behavior, and rarely use it to describe a person in specific. For example, a person may do something batshit crazy, and may or may not necessarily be batshit crazy. In fact, "crazy" is very often just a colloquialism, and I very rarely allege that a person is literally crazy. Except in the case of Michele Bachmann. She's nuts. "Batshit crazy" could have been invented just for her. If you Google search the term and her name, you get over 5,000 matches, and more than double that if you spell her name like it sounds, rather than the crazy way she spells it.
And as perfect a fit as the term and Bachmann are, the definition given at Urban Dictionary is so perfect, I felt I had to share it. I don't even care if this is a case of Urban Dictionary cross pollinating with Urban Legends.
1. batshit crazy
Exhibit B.
A person who is batshit crazy is certifiably nuts. The phrase has origins in the old fashioned term "bats in the belfry." Old churches had a structure at the top called a belfry, which housed the bells. Bats are extremely sensitive to sound and would never inhabit a belfry of an active church where the bell was rung frequently. Occasionally, when a church was abandoned and many years passed without the bell being rung, bats would eventually come and inhabit the belfry. So, when somebody said that an individual had "bats in the belfry" it meant that there was "nothing going on upstairs" (as in that person's brain). To be BATSHIT CRAZY is to take this even a step further. A person who is batshit crazy is so nuts that not only is their belfry full of bats, but so many bats have been there for so long that the belfry is coated in batshit. Hence, the craziest of crazy people are BATSHIT CRAZY.
Dude that guy on the corner wears a tinfoil hat and ripped all the wires out of his house so the government couldn't listen to his thoughts.
I've run a series of Movies I Can't Wait to See posts, and you would think (given my previous choices) that Superhero Movie would be one of them. I'll tell you why I'm a little leery about this one.
The Scream series of movies rejuvenated both horror movies and spoof movies, by combining the best of both. After a successful trilogy, Scream was done, but was effectively followed by Scary Movie. This spoof was created by the Wayons brothers, and was extremely funny. Scary Movie 2 followed, and was, well. . .not so much. They shoehorned in The Matrixand Charlie's Angels--decidedly not horror movie fodder, and of course Chris Elliot. Elliot is a notoriously unusual performer, and was put in a gross-out role, which is sort of redundant. Part 2 just didn't work for me.
Scary Movie 3 came around, with the Wayons brothers out, and David Zucker (of Airplane!and Top Secret! fame) was in. This was a great move, and the third movie was hilarious. Charlie Sheen is at his best in this type of movie, and Simon Rex was funny and lovable. I actually liked this movie better before I saw the outtakes on DVD, which showed how scatter shot the production was. But it was a vast improvement over Part 2.
Scary Movie 4 had many funny moments, but didn't hold together very well. Like Airplane II: The Sequelor Hot Shots! Part Deux, it felt like leftover jokes from the earlier edition. Things get screwy right around this point, because other spoof ideas got churned into "spin offs."
Date Movie tried to spoof chick flicks, and even though I adore the star, Alyson Hannigan, I thought it was terrible. Epic Movie, spoofing blockbusters, was a bit better, but was still all over the place, hopelessly trying to work all of the spoof elements into a cohesive whole. And that brings us to. . .
Superhero Movie. Now, I love genuine superhero movies, having been a rabid comic book reader in my youth. I even liked Fantastic Fourand The Hulk. But superheroes got a bit of a spoof in Epic Movie, and if the recent spate of spoofs is any indication, this will likely be a mess too. I'd love to be wrong. My feeling is, if you're going to throw in the kitchen sink, it might be better to split the stories into four half hours, rather than trying to weave them all together. And putting Leslie Nielson in your spoof doesn't automatically mean it will be funny. Ever seen Repossessedor Dracula, Dead and Loving It?
Oh, and there's a Scary Movie 5 on the way too. And who am I kidding, I'll at least get the videos.
