Gentleman, welcome to my underground lair.
Everything's gone perfectly to plan except for one small flaw.
// We're a few weeks late, I know... I know.
// Right...
// Well, I apologize for that, Dr. Evil - it was just important to review the brand new
pictures like "Interstellar", and "Big Hero 6", so we had to postpone this episode until
now.
// Okay people, you have to tell me these things, all right?
// Anyway, I'm ready to review now, lots of great films to discuss.
// What do we have?
// Well, five more comedy parodies from 1991 until today.
// Really?
// Yeah, I think it'll be worth watching.
// Gentleman...
I have a plan.
// Sorry, your Excellency, but I can't let you review your own movie.
// Shit.
// But I'm more than willing to critique it.
// ... well, that's a start.
That's something.
// It's more than 'something'... this is Movie Night!
Hello and welcome to Movie Night, in-depth reviews in under minutes.
I'm your host, Jonathan Paula.
Tonight, in part two of our comedy parodies episode, we'll review five more classics from
that genre, continuing where we left off with "Hot Shots!".
The self-proclaimed "mother of all movies" was released in August of 1991 by director
Jim Abrahams, who previously found success with "Airplane!" and the "Naked Gun" series.
The $26-million dollar comedy spoof did remarkably well at the box office, earning over $150
million in profit.
The loosely connected plot follows Charlie Sheen as an ace fighter pilot who must overcome
his troubled past to save a mission sabotaged by greedy weapons manufactures.
With all of his headlines recently, it's easy to forget that Sheen was once an incredibly
talented actor with impeccable timing and delivery: it's his charisma that makes this
picture fly so effortlessly.
Alongside him is Cary Elwes, Valerina Golino, Kevin Dunn, and his future "Two And A Half
Men" co-star, Jon Cryer.
They're all plenty capable of handling the picture's copious amounts of verbal pans and
pratfalls - but it's the age aging Lloyd Bridges as a respected Navy Admiral who positively
steals the show.
His overtly clueless behavior is juxtaposed against headstrong stubbornness, as he fires
up his young cadets by sharing, "I've personally flown over 194 missions and I was shot down
on every one.
Come to think of it, I've never landed a plane in my life."
It's the look in his eyes, and the fact that he comes to this realization mid-line that
makes this particular bit of dialogue so great.
An obvious send-up of the 1986 fighter-pilot classic, "Top Gun"... this PG-13 rated romp
packs in nearly a dozen sight gags even before the opening credits finish.
Another sequence has "Home Improvement"'s William O'Leary gleefully, almost excessively
reminding his sweetheart about all the wonderful things they'll get to do together as soon
as he returns from a dangerous mission.
Of course, the very next scene has him almost immediately shot down and killed.
Not all of the gags work however, and a few sequences drag on a bit too long, but with
any good "shotgun approach", there's plenty more hits than misses.
The extremely short 84-minute runtime does ensure there's no downtime between these mile-a-minute
jokes, with Sylvester Levay's score filling in the gaps with appropriate, electric-guitar
themed music.
Abrahams lends further realism to the production by filling the 16:9 frame with a healthy amount
of Naval stock-footage while also utilizing a wooden deck built on a cliff overlooking
the ocean that convincingly function as the film's aircraft carrier.
Although mostly unnecessary, a sequel released two years later, has plenty of fantastic moments
of its own - and is definitely worth watching too.
For all fans of the goofier spoof pictures made famous in the 1980's, this is a worthy
entry that should deliver the laughs on multiple viewings, even if it is as shallow as a shot
glass.
"Hot Shots!" is a decidedly silly endeavor packed with consistent jokes.
Let's check out the YouTube comments now to read your reviews.
You loved the gags and more childish humor, scoring this a COOL.
I have to agree... while "Hot Shots!" isn't quite on the same level as Abrahams' earlier
work, Bridges is undeniably hilarious, so I'll score this a COOL as well.
In part one of this "Comedy Spoofs" episode, I asked you what your favorite parody was,
with one lucky viewer getting a prize if they answered.
Well, congratulations to Rick Karns who has won a year-long "Pro-Level" account at Letterboxd.com,
a $20 value!
Back to tonight's reviews, let's discuss, "Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery".
This $16-million dollar action comedy film from director Jay Roach was released on May
2, 1997... where it saw modest success, earning around $50 million in profit.
It was the picture's massive earnings on home video that led to two theatrical follow-ups,
both of which were sizably more successful.
After opening with a playful Beatles-inspired romp through the Universal backlot, a character
named Basil Exposition lays out the...
well... exposition.
After being cryogenically frozen for thirty years, a hipster secret agent from Britain
must be awoken in the 1990's to thwart his greatest nemesis.
"Saturday Night Live" alum Mike Myers stars as the title character, an irresistibly charming,
yet simultaneously detestable womanizer who quickly discovers his carefree social attitudes
are glaringly out of place.
The smashingly sexy Elizabeth Hurley functions as a perfect setup for many of the film's
jokes... but her role as the romantic interest provides the film with some effective emotional
moments too.
In a dual-role, Myers is also featured as the villain - almost unrecognizable as the
clueless Dr. Evil - constantly at odds with the changes in society.
In perhaps the best example of this "Blast From The Past" naivety, he originally demands
only a million in blackmail from the UN, before discovering that's really not much money anymore.
While top-marks obviously go to Myers: whose excellent delivery, accents, and mannerisms
steal the show - the large supporting cast includes some great talent as well.
Robert Wagner is the headstrong second-in-command, Seth Green is an insolent test-tube teenager,
and Mindy Sterling is a resourceful lackey who loves to shout.
The PG-13 rated picture is certainly funny on its own, but those familiar with the James
Bond series, especially its earlier films, will appreciate this movie the most; like
how Dr. Evil is a combination analog of Dr. No and Blofeld, or his henchman RandomTask,
a nod to Oddjob from "Goldfinger", or Myers' unsightly tuffs of chest hair being inspired
by Sean Connery.
The extremely fast 89-minute narrative layers in plenty of jokes and potty humor, like one
standout sequence where Myers chokes out an attacking henchman on the toilet while struggling
to ask, "Who does Number Two work for?"
But the best jokes are undoubtedly whenever the film levels commentary at the absurdities
of the action / espionage genre: with Green asking why they're dispatching the deadly
spy with such a convoluted method without even witnessing it.
Unfortunately, a number of the gags feel particularly dated today, like a quick Macarena dance,
or references to Princess Di's marital troubles.
The lively 60s-style score from George S. Clinton is a perfect fit for the colorful
action on screen: all framed with wide shots, and long takes.
Speaking of visuals, the picture's trademark sight gag sees Myers' nude body strategically
obscured from view thanks to some well-placed, and often suggestively shaped objects.
This is a wholly silly and childish experience, but it's undeniably amusing on repeat viewings
- and a great start to a wonderful trilogy.
"Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery" delivers immature laughs with its brilliant
characters and jokes.
Here's what you had to say in the YouTube comments.
Enjoyable on multiple viewings, despite some hit-or-miss jokes, we bought thought this
comedy was GREAT.
Our third spoof tonight is "Galaxy Quest".
This light-hearted science fiction parody film by director Dean Parisot was released
on Christmas Day in 1999, where it eventually doubled its $45 million dollar budget.
The brilliantly written script follows a group of washed up television actors from a long-defunct
space-opera show who have to play their characters for real when an alien race requests their
help.
The entire experience is an obvious, but faithful nod to "Star Trek", satirizing not only the
larger-than-life attitudes of its cast, but also the techno-jargon, sensational scenarios,
and its rabid fandom.
The 102-minute story opens by showing us a quick glimpse of the show within the film,
where we're introduced to the cast via their on-screen characters; Tim Allen stars as the
egotistical and headstrong leader; who has his dignity bruised when he overhears fans
at a convention saying he's a pathetic has-been.
This wake-up-call was reportedly based on an actual event that happened to Allen's real-life
analog, William Shatner.
For me, Tim will forever be the "Tool Man" - but he captures the swagger, confidence,
and annoyed attitude of a TV star perfectly...
even managing to have his shirt ripped off to assert his sexual appeal.
At 50 years old, Sigourney Weaver is as beautiful as she is talented in the second-lead, constantly
bitter about her character's lack of purpose on the show... which has now been translated
to an actual outer-space adventure.
She flatly remarks on their situation, "We're actors, not astronauts!"
They're joined onboard the NSEA-Protector spaceship by Alan Rickman as a British theater
actor reluctant to be participate, Tony Shalhoub as a nonplused engineer apparently intended
to be Asian, Sam Rockwell as the "glorified extra" only in attendance for his "plucky
comic relief", and Darly Mitchell as a grown-up child actor.
The rest of the equally incredible cast includes Enrico Colantoni, Justin Long in his film
debut, and Missi Pyle.
The original screenplay is undoubtedly a cult-classic - but it's this group of actors that makes
it all work so flawlessly.
The briskly paced PG-rated romp is assembled with impressive visual effects, and an inspirational-sounding
score by David Newman.
Without prior knowledge of "Star Trek", or its many tropes - "Galaxy Quest" is still
a wonderfully fun time that delivers plenty of laughs.
But for those who have attended conventions, and followed this film's inspiration: the
payoffs and situations are undeniably incredible.
Like when Weaver angrily rants about a pointlessly contrived obstacle that only exists because
it was once on the old TV program, shouting, "This episode was badly written!"
But the disclaimer that closes out the credits, as with most movies?
"Purely coincidental" my ass...
some of the characters are direct analogs of their Trek counterparts.
Although it constantly parodies Trek and its fans, it always does so with love and respect;
allowing a pivotal moment of life-saving exposition to be delivered by the one person who understands
interstellar situations the best: a devoted fan.
Worth watching again and again, this is a touching, and spirited homage to "Star Trek"
that approaches its uniquely absurd premise with admirable believability.
The even-numbered Trek film that fans deserved, "Galaxy Quest", is a truly fantastic spoof
of sci-fi culture.
And here's what you had to say about in the YouTube comments.
Applauding its pitch-perfect satire and the chemistry of the cast, you thought this was
AWESOME.
I definitely have to agree...
when I first saw this in theaters, I didn't appreciate it as much as I do now, having
actually attended some of those nerd-conventions, and seen every episode of "Star Trek".
Rockwell makes me laugh every time, I thought it was AWESOME too.
Next up, a quick plug for Jogwheel's new merchandise store.
Last month, I launched over 25 new T-shirts at our overhauled store, now available by
visiting ThatReference.com.
You'll find plenty of great film-inspired pop-culture designs to wear on sizes from
small to double-X-L.
They're only $19 - and each sale greatly helps support the production of new content here
on Jogwheel, so please give the site a visit, and consider picking up some brand new clothing!
Fourth up tonight, my review of "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story"
Released in December of 2007, this musical comedy film written and produced by Jake Kadsan,
and Judd Apatow - and directed by Kasdan unfortunately underperformed at the box office, only earning
back half of its $35 million dollar budget.
The 96-minute feature is ostensibly a send-up of the 2005 Johnny Cash biopic, "Walk The
Line", but generally parodies the entire genre of biopics.
John C. Reilly stars as the character he was born to play: a lewd, drug-taking, sex-having
musician who experiences a long and turbulent life of adversity and smell-blindness before
becoming a musical legend.
Performing all of the singing himself, Reilly is positively phenomenal in his first substantial
lead role... expertly nailing all of the jokes, timing, and emotional beats with ease.
His extremely talented co-stars include Kristen Wiig as a demanding housewife, the adorable
Jenna Fischer as his second wife, and Raymond J. Barry as a grudge-holding father, with
comedy veterans Chris Parnell, Tim Meadows, and Matt Besser featured as his bandmates.
Dozens of other familiar faces pop-in for quick cameos, either as themselves, or other
famous musicians: like having Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Justin Long, and Jason Schwartzman
playing The Beatles for a single scene.
Spoofing nearly every major type of music during the 20th century, this picture flies
by at a mile-a-minute pace - jammed packed with excellent jokes.
The extended, unrated DVD version however is much slower, and suffers as
a result.
Although the titular number actually scored this R-rated comedy a Grammy nomination, it's
not even the best song in the picture...
instead, its closing ballad, "Beautiful Ride" is, as its title suggests a beautiful song
worth listening to outside the film.
If you strip away the humor and absurd lyrics, many of the songs here are actually pretty
catchy and well-done, like a duet with Fischer and Reilly filled with double-entendre, as
they sign to each other...
"In my dreams, you're blowing me... some kisses."
The film often pokes fun at other biographical dramas, by pointing out the absurdities of
having an adult actor play his character at only 14-years-old.
Besides this commentary-based humor, some brash on-the-nose dialogue delivers plenty
of laughs too, including a recurring gag involving the easiness of slicing someone in half with
a machete.
Although the goofy and irreverent jokes mayn't be for everyone, the story is packaged together
with competent cinematography, and effective editing.
A very enjoyable picture for a couple viewings, "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" is a fun
character-driven comedy with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments - and, a GREAT film.
And now, the newest entry in the comedy-parody series, "They Came Together".
Long-time collaborators David Wain and Michael Showalter bring their prolific talents to
the big screen for this romantic comedy parody that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival
in January of 2014.
Produced on a small budget of $3-million, the narrative follows Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler
who overcome their quirky, yet opposite lives to fall in love, break up, and attempt to
make amends.
Rudd and Poehler are veterans of comedy, and their believable chemistry and pitch-perfect
timing is what truly makes this picture work.
Amy kicks off the film's R-rated plot via flashback by coyly remarking, "It's kind of
a corny, romantic comedy kind of story."
Hearing this account first hand in a wraparound plot, Bill Hader's isn't given much to do,
but his wide-eye delivery and overly inquisitive nature generates some big laughs.
The rest of the supporting cast includes a bevy of familiar and equally talented players,
including Max Greenfield, Ellie Kemper, Ed Helms, Michael Ian Black, Jack McBrayer, Kenan
Thompson, and Cobie Smulders - who all nail their respective parts.
In a rare comedic turn however, Christopher Meloni is surprisingly terrific, especially
when he frantically struggles to go the bathroom while wearing a one-piece Halloween costume.
From the great double entendre of the title itself, "They Came Together" is littered with
wonderful puns, brilliant performances, self-aware dialogue, and hilarious visuals.
The quick-witted script spells out the exposition in the funniest way possible, by overtly taking
the piss out of every classic rom-com cliché.
During a
playful musical montage, our protagonists even sneak into the actual recording session
of the song itself, apparently being sung live by Norah Jones.
Fantastic sight-gags like Poehler using shaving cream, or bed sheets that magically cover-up
the beautiful Smulders, are included with a wink and a nod.
The 83-minute picture makes great, tongue-in-cheek use of its New York location, a point which
is emphasized a dozen times in the plot, and even on the picture's poster...
I mean, it's almost like it's another character in the movie!
The traditional editing and cinematography propel the story forward at an amble pace
without ever distracting, while Craig Wedren's original pop song, "Say You Love Me" provides
an upbeat atmosphere.
Although it takes some curious turns in the final act, and doesn't really try anything
new, this is a competent and entertaining picture all adults should enjoy.
Goofy parody films are hard to come by these days... which is why this amusing and light-hearted
experience is definitely worth watching.
"They Came Together" is a hilarious breath of fresh air, and a GREAT movie.
Finally tonight, let's take a look at what you're saying about films currently playing
in theaters with some of your Tweet Critiques.
If you see a new movie in theaters, Tweet your review with the #JPMN hashtag.
Next week we'll take a long-awaited look at some of the biggest movies of summer 2014,
"Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes", "Guardians Of The Galaxy", "The Expendables 3", "Gone
Girl", and "Boyhood" - the first three are also new on DVD this month.
Once you've seen these films, share your opinions by voting in the polls below, or by leaving
a comment review.
If you'd like to watch more Movie Night reviews, check out the "related videos" on the right,
or click SUBSCRIBE to be notified of future uploads.
Also be sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, or Letterboxd for updates
between episodes.
Once again, my name is Jonathan Paula, thank you for watching and listening.
Until next time, have a good Movie Night!