Blast from the Past: Greenlee Gazette's Favorite Comedy Movies (Part 1)

There are so many, I can't narrow them down to just one batch. So here is the first in (at least) two parts!






#1 and #2-3/4 - Airplane! and The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (#1 - 3) - I'm combining these movies because the video I found does the same. In truth, Airplane! is at the top of the heap, and the Naked Gun series slots in slightly down the list. But I defy you to get any of these four movies, and not laugh. It's my litmus test for a sense of humor.

#3 - What's Up, Doc? - One of the funniest movies of the 70s starred (at their physical peaks) Ryan O'Neal and Barbra Streisand, not to mention Madeline Kahn in her introductory role, Kenneth Mars, John Hillerman, Phyllis Albertson, Sorrell Brooke and Randy Quaid. It's a comic masterpiece, and if you don't think so, well. . .there's no hope for you. Represented here by one of the few embeddable videos I could find, a blooper reel.

#4 - Top Secret! - From the wonderful ZAZ! team (before David Zucker lost his ever-loving mind) was this under appreciated comic masterpiece, starring Val Kilmer at his absolute best. Not to be missed.

#5 - Ruthless People - Again, ZAZ! in one of their more straight-ahead comedies, produced this gem, starring Danny Devito and Bette Midler. It's one of the funniest movies of the 80s.

#6 - Young Frankenstein - Surely one of the most artistic and well-executed spoof movies of all time, Young Frankenstein marks the pinnacle (along with Blazing Saddles) of both Mel Brooks' and Gene Wilders' careers. Nothing short of perfection. Frau Blucher!!!

#7 - Blazing Saddles - Of course, with the last entry, I couldn't forget this one. Not only is this a spectacular spoof, an fantastic skewering of racism, and a masterful bit of film making. . .it's also a pop culture touchstone for its generation. Along with Young Frankenstein, this movie is so full of talent, so jam-packed with jokes and one-liners, the two films may have more quotable lines than any ten other movies.

Bill Maher: Tea Bagger Romantic Comedies

With acclaimed "romcom" writer Nora Ephron on his Real Time panel, Bill Maher presents some possible new romantic comedies for the tea party era.  Watch before it vanishes into the YouTube graveyard.

DVD Review: Tropic Thunder

Image from source, Wikipedia

WARNING: Here there may be spoilers. . .

I started watching this movie this past spring at my parents' house. They pronounced it "stupid," and we popped it out, and put in Journey to the Center of the Earth, starring Brendan Fraser. And, boy howdy, that movie was stupid. After sitting in my travel bag for many months, the DVD was rescued, and finally watched this afternoon.

Tropic Thunder starts out very promisingly, with three hilarious "coming attractions" trailers, all of which you can nearly believe that Hollywood would produce. The funniest of w hich was Satan's Alley, with Robert Downey Jr. and Tobey Maguire as monks with a forbidden love. . .to an Enigma soundtrack! From there, the movie proper starts, with an over-the-top, gory Viet Nam story, which we soon come to realize is actually a movie shoot.

Over budget, and sick of the drama-queen actors, the director plunks them all down into the real Vietnamese jungle. Unbeknownst to him, there is a real paramilitary Vietnamese drug-running group out there with them. The premise doesn't logically lend itself to comedy, but there is plenty to be found, some very dark. Much of the film is a parody of Hollywood itself, and the ridiculous demands actors make. Industry politics and the quest for Acadamy Awards feature prominently, along with method acting. If you're a fan of the "sausage making" in Hollywood, there is much to like here.

I was surprised that Downey got an Acadamy Award for his role as a method Australian actor who undergoes pigment augmentation to play a black Viet Nam vet. He claims to never break character until it is time for the DVD commentaries. Having watched the film, the unlikely use of "black face" to win an Oscar may just pay off. Downey is good, and a highlight of the film. Tom Cruise is cast against type as a Hollywood producer. . .bald and bespectacled. . .and a total douche.

I can see why my parents thought it was stupid. They just weren't the audience for a picture making fun of the motion picture-making business. I am such an audience, and I loved it. It is all of course utterly preposterous, not believeable in the slightest. But it doesn't matter. It's a hoot and a half. I also loved the cute cameo at "The Oscars." I just don't recommend it for your parents, if they're over 60.

Recommended for everyone else

Two-in-One DVD Review: Saw V & Disaster Movie

Image from Wikipedia

I actually got out of the house and got a few errands run, which is something I guess. And since there's no work tomorrow, I picked today for rest and laziness. While I was out, I got some cheap pre-viewed movies at Hollywood Video, knowing full well what I was getting: cheap entertainment.

I got a Ryan Reynolds picture called The Nines, which is supposed to be quite good, but somber. So I went with my other two picks for my lazy day. First up was Saw V. It's the most recent in a series of ridiculously convoluted "torture porn" horror movies. I'm not sure the creators of the original Saw had such a long "franchise" in mind when they started the whole thing. For one thing, they started out with a killer who had a terminal illness. This necessitated the actual death of the guy, drug out through the last two installments.

The series is actually inventive, and no doubt delivers the shocks and the gross outs. But it isn't just the Rube Goldbergian murder machines that provide the torture, logic and reason are tortured as well. The story strains to link all five parts together, with plot elements of part V supposedly having occurred before part I, with things going on behind the scenes we never knew before. This terminally ill man was very, very busy during the last days of his life. I enjoyed this movie the same way I did the rest: by buying them cheaply, and not expecting much. There are worse ways to spend an hour and a half. Saw VI, for example, out soon.

The other movie I had much less hope for, and it still managed to disappoint. Disaster Movie is also from a long series of movies, more-or-less loosely affiliated with each other. I suppose they date back to Scary Movie, itself a series, but I don't know if many (or any) of the same people are still involved. All of these movies were silly, bordering on stupid. All of them had up-to-date (and thus, now dated) pop-culture references, and out-of-left-field throwaway gags. But somewhere along the way, they really went off the rails.

Date Movie was the first one that sucked out loud. Even the usually outstanding Alyson Hannigan couldn't save it. Epic Movie was a skosh better, but that would take little effort. Meet the Spartans was dreadful, but had just enough funny stuff to be nearly enjoyable, almost all due to the star, Sean Maguire. Disaster Movie, other than being aptly named, is a complete waste of time. At this point, the whole string of movies seems to exist only to employ former members of Mad TV and midgets. There isn't a single laugh in the whole film. Cheap gay jokes abound, so it is ironic that the only worthwhile things in the film are star Matt Lanter (very cute), and you get to see Ike Barinholtz naked. Still, as terrible as it is, it's a better way to spend some time than The Happening.

Halloween Horrors: Top 10 FUNNY Horror Movies

Last October, I ran a series of Top 10 lists of different types of horror movies for Halloween. This year, since my blog traffic has quadrupled, I thought I'd re-post some of those lists for the people who likely missed them. So, if you're looking for some Halloween horror, but you'd like it tempered with a bit of humor, here are ten options for your movie night!

Image from Wikipedia.org

Yes, horror can make you scream and laugh. Some of these films are straight-ahead comedies with horror thrown in. Some are horror with comedy thrown in. And some may be unintentionally funny. But if you like your scary movies cut with a little bit of humor, these are the films for you.

Greenlee Gazette Top 10 Funny Horror Movies

1. Shaun of the Dead (2004) - This movie is a horror spoof, but it doesn't spare the shocks, or the gross-outs. It's probably the best horror spoof ever made (I don't count the fantastic Young Frankenstein, which is more spoof than horror). It helps if you like British humour.

2. Fright Night (1986) - This film isn't quite a spoof, but it is surely an homage to the old "chiller theater" TV programs of years gone by. Excellent performances, lots of laughs, and a shock or two. It does suffer a bit for its obvious 80s fashions, though.

3. Army of Darkness (1992) - The third of the Evil Dead series was the most mainstream, and more straight-ahead comedy. I recommend getting Evil Dead 2 (which is sort of a higher-budget remake of part 1) in tandem with this one. A classic.

4. Final Destination 2 (2003) - This horror film isn't exactly a comedy. But try not to laugh (maybe nervously) at the inventive and gory kills in this one. Better than parts 1 or 3 by a long shot. And some genuine thrills.

5. Critters (1986) - Riding the Gremlins and Ghoulies wave of the 80s, this New Line Cinema (A Nightmare on Elm Street) offering offers thrills and laughs--most intentional. Actually manages to be cute and scary.

6. Psycho II (1983) - The sequel to the all time classic is not the fright-fest it could have been. Tony Perkins is clearly playing it for laughs. And he gets them. Avoid any further sequels and remakes.

7. April Fool's Day (1986) - One of my all time favorites. Every holiday got its horror movie in the 80s, and this one has a novel twist. Gamely played by actors a notch above the typical horror flick. I recently re-watched this one, and it still holds up. I haven't yet seen the remake, though I've heard nothing good about it, so look for the date on the box.

8. The Car (1978) - James Brolin fighting a car possessed by the devil. This one could have made my "BAD" horror list, but it does have some shocks. But, just try not to laugh when The Car kills the tuba player. . .

9. Freddy vs. Jason (2003) - The terror is long drained out of both of these series, so the kills are mostly for laughs. A good time anyway. But who really won?

10. The Blob (1986) - I've blogged about this one before, and it is one of my favorites. Funny mostly for Kevin Dillon's mullet, and the general 80s vibe. Still has a few shocks and is most enjoyable.

PREVIOUSLY:
Halloween Horrors: Psycho
Halloween Horrors: Top 10 FUNNY Horror Movies
Halloween Horrors: Top 10 SCARY Horror Movies
Halloween Horrors: Overlooked Horror Films
Halloween Horrors: A Nightmare on Elm Street
Movies I Can't Wait to See: Friday the 13th
Halloween Horrors: Top 10 BAD Horror Movies
Halloween Horrors: Top 10 CLASSIC Horror Movies

Airplane! Cast Reunites!

Airplane! is one of the funniest movies of all time, and is still funny 28 years after it was made. Yesterday, part of the cast reunited on The Today Show, and remenisced about the film. I'd post more, but I think I've covered this ground somewhere before. . .



Thanks to Stupid Monkey Planet once again for a great link.