Ghostbusters is a movie I've heard about since I was a small child growing up in Amish country in Pennsylvania. As the son of Pennsylvania Dutch emigrants from central Ohio I was not able to watch movies as a kid, as my parent's considered technology to be the devil's 'ology.' After nearly twenty years of build up I have to say that I was thoroughly disappointed with this piece of mid 80's tripe. The film was so predictable that everyone in the room was saying lines from this smutfest before they were even spoken in the film. The movie seemed to dwell not as much on the ghost-busting one might expect from the title as Bill Murray's pursuit of Sigourney Weaver's vagina. His constant smutty asides really ruined other parts of the movie that I might have enjoyed, such as Dan Aykroyd's encyclopedic and seemingly genuine knowledge of the science of parapsychology. Meanwhile Harold Ramis positively oozed sexuality in his role as the dreamy Dr Egon Spangler. His movie star good looks and forbidden science know-how really made him the finest portion of the movie. I was also upset by the treatment of William Atherton's hard working EPA investigator trying to stop these nucular-backpacked madmen as they reigned destruction across New York City. How these so-called "scientists" could not understand the dangers of nucular power after the disasters of 3 Mile Island and Chernobyl was simply disturbing. So I have to say that the build-up I've heard from my friends over the years was total BS and that I can assure you I will never watch this terrible movie again.
Showing posts with label Ghostbusters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ghostbusters. Show all posts
Friday, July 2, 2010
Summerfest 3 Day Two: Ghostbusters
I'm going to hand Ghostbusters over to the one person in the audience that had never seen the film, Mr. Phillippi. I know, it sounds like I'm lying, but as he'll demonstrate, the movie was a revelation - for all the wrong reasons:
Ghostbusters is a movie I've heard about since I was a small child growing up in Amish country in Pennsylvania. As the son of Pennsylvania Dutch emigrants from central Ohio I was not able to watch movies as a kid, as my parent's considered technology to be the devil's 'ology.' After nearly twenty years of build up I have to say that I was thoroughly disappointed with this piece of mid 80's tripe. The film was so predictable that everyone in the room was saying lines from this smutfest before they were even spoken in the film. The movie seemed to dwell not as much on the ghost-busting one might expect from the title as Bill Murray's pursuit of Sigourney Weaver's vagina. His constant smutty asides really ruined other parts of the movie that I might have enjoyed, such as Dan Aykroyd's encyclopedic and seemingly genuine knowledge of the science of parapsychology. Meanwhile Harold Ramis positively oozed sexuality in his role as the dreamy Dr Egon Spangler. His movie star good looks and forbidden science know-how really made him the finest portion of the movie. I was also upset by the treatment of William Atherton's hard working EPA investigator trying to stop these nucular-backpacked madmen as they reigned destruction across New York City. How these so-called "scientists" could not understand the dangers of nucular power after the disasters of 3 Mile Island and Chernobyl was simply disturbing. So I have to say that the build-up I've heard from my friends over the years was total BS and that I can assure you I will never watch this terrible movie again.
Ghostbusters is a movie I've heard about since I was a small child growing up in Amish country in Pennsylvania. As the son of Pennsylvania Dutch emigrants from central Ohio I was not able to watch movies as a kid, as my parent's considered technology to be the devil's 'ology.' After nearly twenty years of build up I have to say that I was thoroughly disappointed with this piece of mid 80's tripe. The film was so predictable that everyone in the room was saying lines from this smutfest before they were even spoken in the film. The movie seemed to dwell not as much on the ghost-busting one might expect from the title as Bill Murray's pursuit of Sigourney Weaver's vagina. His constant smutty asides really ruined other parts of the movie that I might have enjoyed, such as Dan Aykroyd's encyclopedic and seemingly genuine knowledge of the science of parapsychology. Meanwhile Harold Ramis positively oozed sexuality in his role as the dreamy Dr Egon Spangler. His movie star good looks and forbidden science know-how really made him the finest portion of the movie. I was also upset by the treatment of William Atherton's hard working EPA investigator trying to stop these nucular-backpacked madmen as they reigned destruction across New York City. How these so-called "scientists" could not understand the dangers of nucular power after the disasters of 3 Mile Island and Chernobyl was simply disturbing. So I have to say that the build-up I've heard from my friends over the years was total BS and that I can assure you I will never watch this terrible movie again.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Recycling or Remaking?
Sigh. That's really all I can say to this whole "Rob Zombie remaking The Blob, but without a blob" chatter. It's not a sigh that another movie is being remade, or even about the removal of said blob from said film. I won't even bemoan the fact that Zombie is remaking something else instead of making Tyrannosaurus Rex or something new-ish.
What I will say is that if someone wants to "remake" a movie and then take away the most identifiable component of it, do yourself a favor and don't call it a remake. At this point in time, where cinema is shamelessly cannibalizing itself, it would be nice to go back to the day of making a movie and pretending it was something other than just a retread.
Okay, perfect example: Evolution. I don't know how many of you remember Evolution, but it was an Ivan Reitman film starring David Duchovny, Julianne Moore, Sean William Scott, Orlando Jones, and Dan Aykroyd. It's about aliens landing and invading a small desert town, and then becoming a giant monster that the heroes have to spray with shampoo to kill.
I bring Evolution up because the film is, for all intents and purposes, Ghostbusters. Same director, same ensemble cast structure, same beats and plot points. Substitute aliens for ghosts, and now it's a different movie. (Evolution, by the way, may end up being the better Ghostbusters 3 than the actual Ghostbusters 3 we'll get next year-ish.)
Perhaps it seems disingenuous to pretend you're making another movie that is essentially the same film, but I find that the practice is more like the ways that stories repeat themselves through history. They have roughly the same archetypes, similar storylines, and easily identifiable genre "types". The variation on a theme is fun, and a really clever filmmaker or writer can take those familiar tropes and make something new-ish out of old stories.
On the other hand, if you're going to admit that "yes, I'm lifting directly from this source. This one source that all of you know and can go to directly for reference", where's the fun in that? You're immediately inviting comparisons where there don't need to be any before people have seen it. Moon is clearly borrowing from the 2001 / Silent Running / Dark Star / Alien model, but it's not a remake of any of them, nor does it profess to be. Moon is its own film, one that draws comparisons, but not in such a direct manner.
The Blob, with or without a blob, does.
I don't mean to just pick on Rob Zombie. Truthfully, there's the potential for a really sick, really twisted movie there, but you don't need to call it The Blob. Shit, The Stuff is in many ways The Blob, but it's not trying to BE The Blob, as the other Blob remake did and mostly failed at. It's okay to pretend your slasher movie isn't a Friday the 13th film and still have some dude killing people in the woods. One of the reasons I think it's so silly to remake Outland is because Outland is High Noon in space. Just make your own High Noon in space; you don't even need to call it Outland.
My final point, and then I'll put it to rest:
Yojimbo. A Fist Full of Dollars. Last Man Standing. All three the same movie and yet all unique in their own ways. Three expressions of one story, all of which are recognizable as related but don't have to be linked as "remakes", or to share a name.
What I will say is that if someone wants to "remake" a movie and then take away the most identifiable component of it, do yourself a favor and don't call it a remake. At this point in time, where cinema is shamelessly cannibalizing itself, it would be nice to go back to the day of making a movie and pretending it was something other than just a retread.
Okay, perfect example: Evolution. I don't know how many of you remember Evolution, but it was an Ivan Reitman film starring David Duchovny, Julianne Moore, Sean William Scott, Orlando Jones, and Dan Aykroyd. It's about aliens landing and invading a small desert town, and then becoming a giant monster that the heroes have to spray with shampoo to kill.
I bring Evolution up because the film is, for all intents and purposes, Ghostbusters. Same director, same ensemble cast structure, same beats and plot points. Substitute aliens for ghosts, and now it's a different movie. (Evolution, by the way, may end up being the better Ghostbusters 3 than the actual Ghostbusters 3 we'll get next year-ish.)
Perhaps it seems disingenuous to pretend you're making another movie that is essentially the same film, but I find that the practice is more like the ways that stories repeat themselves through history. They have roughly the same archetypes, similar storylines, and easily identifiable genre "types". The variation on a theme is fun, and a really clever filmmaker or writer can take those familiar tropes and make something new-ish out of old stories.
On the other hand, if you're going to admit that "yes, I'm lifting directly from this source. This one source that all of you know and can go to directly for reference", where's the fun in that? You're immediately inviting comparisons where there don't need to be any before people have seen it. Moon is clearly borrowing from the 2001 / Silent Running / Dark Star / Alien model, but it's not a remake of any of them, nor does it profess to be. Moon is its own film, one that draws comparisons, but not in such a direct manner.
The Blob, with or without a blob, does.
I don't mean to just pick on Rob Zombie. Truthfully, there's the potential for a really sick, really twisted movie there, but you don't need to call it The Blob. Shit, The Stuff is in many ways The Blob, but it's not trying to BE The Blob, as the other Blob remake did and mostly failed at. It's okay to pretend your slasher movie isn't a Friday the 13th film and still have some dude killing people in the woods. One of the reasons I think it's so silly to remake Outland is because Outland is High Noon in space. Just make your own High Noon in space; you don't even need to call it Outland.
My final point, and then I'll put it to rest:
Yojimbo. A Fist Full of Dollars. Last Man Standing. All three the same movie and yet all unique in their own ways. Three expressions of one story, all of which are recognizable as related but don't have to be linked as "remakes", or to share a name.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Little Boxes on the hardwood, little boxes made of...
well, cardboard, I guess. For all the Cap'n knows, they could be ticky-tacky. If one takes the definition of ticky tacky ("shoddy material, as for the construction of standardized housing"), I suppose you could actually say they are made of ticky tacky. And most of them look the same.
That, as many of you can guess, is the problem. I'd love to tell you about all the movies I've watched since class ended and I moved in, but I honestly can't remember which box has what movie. I only just found the box with the Torchwood and Doctor Who blu-rays, and I think I learned how to use the DVR (we'll find out if Weeds is on it tomorrow), but On Demand doesn't work for some reason and Chiller (the all horror channel) also doesn't want to load. Cheesus crust!
Other than that, things are good. I was surprised to come back from an internet blackout to see that Ridley Scott is directing this Alien prequel thingamabob and that Spielberg is remaking Harvey. Both of these struck me as very odd and unnecessary, but the Cap'n has been wrong before.
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I think before dipping into the "Vault", I mentioned that my days of used books and more were winding down. This is true; in fact, my last day of enjoying "McKayflix" will be Thursday, so if you have requests, now is the time to get them in. Trade credit is light but I can buy them on your behalf for a later date. Just let me know.
The split is one more out of "that's how it has to be" than "what either would prefer": I can't work the schedule they need and they don't have positions for seasonal employees. It's okay though, I'll still find ways to keep the filmic updates coming your way, and hopefully I should have a ton of material to sort through in the three weeks between the end of work and the beginning of school.
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If I get this DVR thing working correctly, I might even start reviewing stuff I'd never use trade credit on, or check out, and definitely not buy. Having spent very little time perusing the twenty or so movie channels to record from, I couldn't give you specifics, but those lesser-tier HBO and Showtime channels are airing just about anything.
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Finally, I saw this on Saturday night and thought it was cute:
That, as many of you can guess, is the problem. I'd love to tell you about all the movies I've watched since class ended and I moved in, but I honestly can't remember which box has what movie. I only just found the box with the Torchwood and Doctor Who blu-rays, and I think I learned how to use the DVR (we'll find out if Weeds is on it tomorrow), but On Demand doesn't work for some reason and Chiller (the all horror channel) also doesn't want to load. Cheesus crust!
Other than that, things are good. I was surprised to come back from an internet blackout to see that Ridley Scott is directing this Alien prequel thingamabob and that Spielberg is remaking Harvey. Both of these struck me as very odd and unnecessary, but the Cap'n has been wrong before.
---
I think before dipping into the "Vault", I mentioned that my days of used books and more were winding down. This is true; in fact, my last day of enjoying "McKayflix" will be Thursday, so if you have requests, now is the time to get them in. Trade credit is light but I can buy them on your behalf for a later date. Just let me know.
The split is one more out of "that's how it has to be" than "what either would prefer": I can't work the schedule they need and they don't have positions for seasonal employees. It's okay though, I'll still find ways to keep the filmic updates coming your way, and hopefully I should have a ton of material to sort through in the three weeks between the end of work and the beginning of school.
---
If I get this DVR thing working correctly, I might even start reviewing stuff I'd never use trade credit on, or check out, and definitely not buy. Having spent very little time perusing the twenty or so movie channels to record from, I couldn't give you specifics, but those lesser-tier HBO and Showtime channels are airing just about anything.
---
Finally, I saw this on Saturday night and thought it was cute:
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Finally, the worlds of packing and movie anecdotes can collide!
Shamefully, I don't look at my VHS collection that much anymore. Aside from a brief return to taping movies on TCM and the occasional Horror Fest cameo, the VHS function on my DVD/VHS machine doesn't get much use. The tapes have been sitting in the remains of an entertainment center-cum-bookshelf, and I just don't give much thought to them.
The reason this is a shame is because without those tapes I wouldn't have the foundation of cinematic geekery the Cap'n draws upon. Packing up those tapes today reminded me that not only did I tape a significant amount of X-Files, MST3K, and The Twilight Zone, but I also learned to appreciate film history in the best possible way: trial and error.
While I can't advocate film piracy or copying tapes or any of that jazz, in my younger, dumber, days, I would copy the shit out of some movies from Carbonated Video. Unlike many video stores, they didn't put scrambling signals into their tapes, so you could straight up copy a movie if you had two vcrs. I should feel worse about this than I do, but the honest truth is that I rented so many movies from that store and gave them so much business that it must have offset the copies.
It's not like I copied stuff and then didn't rent anything else. I would - quite literally - rent three or four movies at a time, make copies of them, and then rent four more. If it was summer, I did this all the time. I burned through their "twenty rentals for twenty bucks" or whatever it was in two to three weeks. In that time, I had lots of exposure to movies I would never have rented otherwise, and the tapes reflect it. Some of the tapes are embarassingly bad; others are just amusing.
For some reason, I rarely went by "theme"; I'd just rent four movies that looked interesting, get a six (and later, eight) hour SLP tape, and put them together. It's how you end up with tapes that have the following combination:
The Postman
Spice World
The Lost Boys
The Untouchables
So the upside is that I have The Lost Boys and The Untouchables. Unfortunately, they're the second half of a craptacular 8 hour tape. Admittedly, it's not as bad as the tape where I had to fast forward through The Island of Dr. Moreau and Shock Treatment to get to Edward Scissorhands, but what I love is that I rented indiscriminately. I don't rent like that anymore, so that willingness to try out just about anything and keep it on tape makes me chuckle. I'd end up with random stuff like Beavis and Butthead Do America, Ghostbusters, Animal House and Die Hard on one tape. Three comedies and... Die Hard. Beats me.
Those years taught me what I did and didn't like, what I gravitated towards, and helped lay the foundation for what I looked towards when I got older. Looking back at the tapes is like looking at other juvenalia: you can see where you were heading, warts and all.
I had originally considered giving these tapes away on the Free Shelf at work, but I think there's some value in having keeping my "sequel" tape of Halloween II, Dawn of the Dead, and From Dusk Til Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (or whatever it's called. the tape is in a box now). If I'm willing to embrace the dead format of HD-DVD, I can keep giving those tapes a shot. They teach me a lot about where I've been and where I'm going in film studies.
The reason this is a shame is because without those tapes I wouldn't have the foundation of cinematic geekery the Cap'n draws upon. Packing up those tapes today reminded me that not only did I tape a significant amount of X-Files, MST3K, and The Twilight Zone, but I also learned to appreciate film history in the best possible way: trial and error.
While I can't advocate film piracy or copying tapes or any of that jazz, in my younger, dumber, days, I would copy the shit out of some movies from Carbonated Video. Unlike many video stores, they didn't put scrambling signals into their tapes, so you could straight up copy a movie if you had two vcrs. I should feel worse about this than I do, but the honest truth is that I rented so many movies from that store and gave them so much business that it must have offset the copies.
It's not like I copied stuff and then didn't rent anything else. I would - quite literally - rent three or four movies at a time, make copies of them, and then rent four more. If it was summer, I did this all the time. I burned through their "twenty rentals for twenty bucks" or whatever it was in two to three weeks. In that time, I had lots of exposure to movies I would never have rented otherwise, and the tapes reflect it. Some of the tapes are embarassingly bad; others are just amusing.
For some reason, I rarely went by "theme"; I'd just rent four movies that looked interesting, get a six (and later, eight) hour SLP tape, and put them together. It's how you end up with tapes that have the following combination:
The Postman
Spice World
The Lost Boys
The Untouchables
So the upside is that I have The Lost Boys and The Untouchables. Unfortunately, they're the second half of a craptacular 8 hour tape. Admittedly, it's not as bad as the tape where I had to fast forward through The Island of Dr. Moreau and Shock Treatment to get to Edward Scissorhands, but what I love is that I rented indiscriminately. I don't rent like that anymore, so that willingness to try out just about anything and keep it on tape makes me chuckle. I'd end up with random stuff like Beavis and Butthead Do America, Ghostbusters, Animal House and Die Hard on one tape. Three comedies and... Die Hard. Beats me.
Those years taught me what I did and didn't like, what I gravitated towards, and helped lay the foundation for what I looked towards when I got older. Looking back at the tapes is like looking at other juvenalia: you can see where you were heading, warts and all.
I had originally considered giving these tapes away on the Free Shelf at work, but I think there's some value in having keeping my "sequel" tape of Halloween II, Dawn of the Dead, and From Dusk Til Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (or whatever it's called. the tape is in a box now). If I'm willing to embrace the dead format of HD-DVD, I can keep giving those tapes a shot. They teach me a lot about where I've been and where I'm going in film studies.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
I wish I was at San Diego Dork Con
I'll keep this short, but every year when the Cap'n reads about the cool shenanigans SDCC attendees are privy to, I get a bit bummed. This year, with its Tron: Legacy's and its Avatar footage and its Trick 'R Treat and Inglorious Basterds screenings, I wish - just once - that I could go and be a part of that giant geeksplosion. You could make fun of me for the rest of my days and I wouldn't care. I'd even sit through the underwhelming junk, like Saw VI and Alice in Wonderland if it meant somebody was going to share the cool shit I just get to read about.
But I'm not there. I'm here packing, and reading about it like the rest of you. If you hadn't guessed yet, I don't think I care at all about Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. It sounds (and picture-wise) looks like Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd or Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, etc. At this point, the Tim Burton players suit up and play make believe for two hours while he indulges in visual flourishes that remind you of earlier, better work. For some, it's like crack. For me, it's getting a little worn around the edges.
I'm already bored by Dark Shadows, which is likely the next to follow Alice in Wonderland. Yee-ha. A show that, by design, took a long time to say and do nothing interesting. That's why the most interesting things I could rent, Dark Shadows-wise, were the "scariest moments" tapes, which weren't that scary because they lacked any context. Of course, when you have to plod through (literally) hours of context to see a vampire, ghost, or werewolf, you'll settle for 50 minutes of unrelated "spooky" moments. Imagine what a movie that'll make!
Alas, the Cap'n protest too much. I'd be happier if there was some hot Tron-on-bootleg footage action, or some Ghostbusters related news*, or more stuff like this pretty cool Book of Eli trailer from the Hughes Brothers. Admittedly, I'm a mark for post-apocalyptic stories of pretty much any persuasion, but it still looks like fun. Maybe we could get some confirmation from QT about that Grindhouse blu-ray that's been rumored. Or maybe something totally off the wall, like Sam Raimi directing a World of Warcraft movie...
Oh, right.
Anyway, maybe if I go to grad school on the west coast, perhaps the Cap'n could be reporting to you along with the other lame-o-matic bloggers who are no doubt updating with photos and crap. The difference is that I know the people reading this are not reading those other blogs, so the Cap'n could drop some new shit knowledge on you guys. Stay tuned...
* No, I haven't played any more of the game. Both the system and the game are in boxes...
But I'm not there. I'm here packing, and reading about it like the rest of you. If you hadn't guessed yet, I don't think I care at all about Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. It sounds (and picture-wise) looks like Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd or Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, etc. At this point, the Tim Burton players suit up and play make believe for two hours while he indulges in visual flourishes that remind you of earlier, better work. For some, it's like crack. For me, it's getting a little worn around the edges.
I'm already bored by Dark Shadows, which is likely the next to follow Alice in Wonderland. Yee-ha. A show that, by design, took a long time to say and do nothing interesting. That's why the most interesting things I could rent, Dark Shadows-wise, were the "scariest moments" tapes, which weren't that scary because they lacked any context. Of course, when you have to plod through (literally) hours of context to see a vampire, ghost, or werewolf, you'll settle for 50 minutes of unrelated "spooky" moments. Imagine what a movie that'll make!
Alas, the Cap'n protest too much. I'd be happier if there was some hot Tron-on-bootleg footage action, or some Ghostbusters related news*, or more stuff like this pretty cool Book of Eli trailer from the Hughes Brothers. Admittedly, I'm a mark for post-apocalyptic stories of pretty much any persuasion, but it still looks like fun. Maybe we could get some confirmation from QT about that Grindhouse blu-ray that's been rumored. Or maybe something totally off the wall, like Sam Raimi directing a World of Warcraft movie...
Oh, right.
Anyway, maybe if I go to grad school on the west coast, perhaps the Cap'n could be reporting to you along with the other lame-o-matic bloggers who are no doubt updating with photos and crap. The difference is that I know the people reading this are not reading those other blogs, so the Cap'n could drop some new shit knowledge on you guys. Stay tuned...
* No, I haven't played any more of the game. Both the system and the game are in boxes...
Monday, July 13, 2009
Dangerous Things, these "Best of" lists.
The Cap'n was reading an old issue of Rolling Stone where comedians were asked to name the best comedy of all time, and it got me thinking: could I even do that? I certainly can't limit it to one, so I tried five and then thought of a sixth, so let's just go with ten, all right?
As with any "best of" list, I'm clearly going to be leaving out some good ones - and probably your favorite - but this is just the Cap'n talking here. I don't speak for the rest of you, although I welcome your amendments to my list.
I had a really hard time putting 2-10 in order, so just consider them as interchangeable.
1. Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb - It doesn't matter how many times I seen Strangelove because the film is so perfectly constructed and well designed that you can always catch something. Stanley Kubrick made a series of wonderful films back to back, but for my money this is the most lively of them. What I love is that it's not abundantly clear what or when the film is supposed to be funny, right down to the fact that introducing the title character feels like an afterthought. Rather than any build-up, the President merely asks Dr. Strangelove what he thinks, and Peter Sellers rolls across the war room with his deleriously misbehaved arm. Wonderful.
2. Ghostbusters - I think of this movie as something that could have easily vanished amidst the rest of 80's horror-comedies, but instead is still relevant and still funny twenty five years later. It's not simply a childhood affection for Ghostbusters either; the movie is actually funnier now because you're catching the jokes you missed as a kid. Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis scripted a movie packed with quotable lines, anchored by a great cast and really memorable practical ghost effects. If a movie is still funny the twentieth time you've seen it, then it belongs on the list.
3. The Blues Brothers - Speaking of quotable movies, Blues Brothers has them in spades. What I love so much about The Blues Brothers is not simply that the cast is great or the jokes come fast and furious, but instead how absurd it is. Things seem strange, if reasonable until the Blues mobile jumps the bridge, and even the mall chase and Elwood's apartment are within some strange logic. But then Carrie Fisher blows up their building, and the brothers crawl out and continue. It only gets crazier from there, but the movie never acknowledges that what's happening to Jake and Elwood is wildly improbable; you just go along for the ride.
4. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein - This is a purely sentimental pick. I'm not even that huge of an Abbott and Costello fan, but I am a sucker for the Universal Classic Monsters, which this movie works in exceptionally. Better still, Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr. look like they're having fun hamming it up, and there's a bonus Vincent Price cameo at the end. It's not a classic, I admit, but it goes on my list.
5. The Philadelphia Story - Just a great script, with a great cast, doing screwball the best way screwball can be done. Cary Grant and James Stewart up again Katharine Hepburn in a battle of barbs, I'll take it any time.
6. Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Life of Brian may be the better movie, but Monty Python's first "proper" film is one worth coming back to again and again. I've seen it pretty much every way you can see it (save for laserdisc), and the movie is so packed with great, random, or sly jokes that you're bound to catch something you forgot between when you last saw it and the next time. And there will be a next time.
7. The Big Lebowski - When it came out Lebowski was the kind of movie that people were "meh"-ing about. Critics didn't take it kindly as a follow up to Fargo, and audiences blew it off. I even forgot to go see it, until Phillippi dragged my to Blue Ridge to watch it. At the time, you loved it or you didn't. Lots of people didn't, but there was a sea change over time and now almost everyone knows what we knew that night: this is a comedy designed to scare off the average comedy fan. The Big Lebowski draws most of its humor from characters, not gags: Jeff Lebowski doesn't tell jokes, he's just silly. Involving him in the plot is silly, but then you meet people even sillier than he is, and the laughter flows from there. The one joke in the movie comes near the end, when Donnie's ashes hit the Dude in the face, and it's still good for a laugh.
8. An American Werewolf in London - I do love comedies that make the jokes seem effortless. Werewolf has a similar surrealist streak that you find in The Blues Brothers, although it ties it to horror. Rather than be frightening (which it can be when it wants to), John Landis milks the comedy out of gore and violence, but does it in such a way that it feels natural to the story. Placed in a situation like that, finding things to laugh about is the only way to feel relief.
9. Modern Times / The General- I'm cheating by putting a tie up for number 9, but invariably, when I think of one, I think of the other. Keaton does with his face what Chaplin does with his body, and both movies are prime examples of the men at their best. Modern Times has most of its laughs early, during the "work" section of the film, and the factory gags are still funny when you've spent time studying his technique. I'm also quite fond of the roller skating and his dream sequence. What Keaton does on a moving train in The General is nothing short of impressive, so I can't choose one over the other.
10. Young Frankenstein - Finally, Mel Brooks' best film. I always underestimate Young Frankenstein when I come back to it, assuming that I remember exactly what happens and when. I've come to take the movie for granted, but it surprises me every time. Little things come back, even if it's just a look from Marty Feldman's scene stealing Igor - pardon me, EYE-gore - and before long I'm swept up again. I have a hard time listening to "Putting on the Ritz" without thinking of Young Frankenstein, which is not good if you want not to laugh in public places.
I can already tell you Barrett is going to kill me for leaving out The Marx Brothers. Of course, I also left out a sentimental favorite, Kind Hearts and Coronets, along with Murder by Death, Some Like it Hot, Annie Hall, Shaun of the Dead, Cannibal! The Musical, and I Heart Huckabees. The Philadelphia Story only narrowly beat out Bringing Up Baby, and there was just no room for Arsenic and Old Lace, Groundhog Day, Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, or even Gremlins.
As with any "best of" list, I'm clearly going to be leaving out some good ones - and probably your favorite - but this is just the Cap'n talking here. I don't speak for the rest of you, although I welcome your amendments to my list.
I had a really hard time putting 2-10 in order, so just consider them as interchangeable.
1. Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb - It doesn't matter how many times I seen Strangelove because the film is so perfectly constructed and well designed that you can always catch something. Stanley Kubrick made a series of wonderful films back to back, but for my money this is the most lively of them. What I love is that it's not abundantly clear what or when the film is supposed to be funny, right down to the fact that introducing the title character feels like an afterthought. Rather than any build-up, the President merely asks Dr. Strangelove what he thinks, and Peter Sellers rolls across the war room with his deleriously misbehaved arm. Wonderful.
2. Ghostbusters - I think of this movie as something that could have easily vanished amidst the rest of 80's horror-comedies, but instead is still relevant and still funny twenty five years later. It's not simply a childhood affection for Ghostbusters either; the movie is actually funnier now because you're catching the jokes you missed as a kid. Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis scripted a movie packed with quotable lines, anchored by a great cast and really memorable practical ghost effects. If a movie is still funny the twentieth time you've seen it, then it belongs on the list.
3. The Blues Brothers - Speaking of quotable movies, Blues Brothers has them in spades. What I love so much about The Blues Brothers is not simply that the cast is great or the jokes come fast and furious, but instead how absurd it is. Things seem strange, if reasonable until the Blues mobile jumps the bridge, and even the mall chase and Elwood's apartment are within some strange logic. But then Carrie Fisher blows up their building, and the brothers crawl out and continue. It only gets crazier from there, but the movie never acknowledges that what's happening to Jake and Elwood is wildly improbable; you just go along for the ride.
4. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein - This is a purely sentimental pick. I'm not even that huge of an Abbott and Costello fan, but I am a sucker for the Universal Classic Monsters, which this movie works in exceptionally. Better still, Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr. look like they're having fun hamming it up, and there's a bonus Vincent Price cameo at the end. It's not a classic, I admit, but it goes on my list.
5. The Philadelphia Story - Just a great script, with a great cast, doing screwball the best way screwball can be done. Cary Grant and James Stewart up again Katharine Hepburn in a battle of barbs, I'll take it any time.
6. Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Life of Brian may be the better movie, but Monty Python's first "proper" film is one worth coming back to again and again. I've seen it pretty much every way you can see it (save for laserdisc), and the movie is so packed with great, random, or sly jokes that you're bound to catch something you forgot between when you last saw it and the next time. And there will be a next time.
7. The Big Lebowski - When it came out Lebowski was the kind of movie that people were "meh"-ing about. Critics didn't take it kindly as a follow up to Fargo, and audiences blew it off. I even forgot to go see it, until Phillippi dragged my to Blue Ridge to watch it. At the time, you loved it or you didn't. Lots of people didn't, but there was a sea change over time and now almost everyone knows what we knew that night: this is a comedy designed to scare off the average comedy fan. The Big Lebowski draws most of its humor from characters, not gags: Jeff Lebowski doesn't tell jokes, he's just silly. Involving him in the plot is silly, but then you meet people even sillier than he is, and the laughter flows from there. The one joke in the movie comes near the end, when Donnie's ashes hit the Dude in the face, and it's still good for a laugh.
8. An American Werewolf in London - I do love comedies that make the jokes seem effortless. Werewolf has a similar surrealist streak that you find in The Blues Brothers, although it ties it to horror. Rather than be frightening (which it can be when it wants to), John Landis milks the comedy out of gore and violence, but does it in such a way that it feels natural to the story. Placed in a situation like that, finding things to laugh about is the only way to feel relief.
9. Modern Times / The General- I'm cheating by putting a tie up for number 9, but invariably, when I think of one, I think of the other. Keaton does with his face what Chaplin does with his body, and both movies are prime examples of the men at their best. Modern Times has most of its laughs early, during the "work" section of the film, and the factory gags are still funny when you've spent time studying his technique. I'm also quite fond of the roller skating and his dream sequence. What Keaton does on a moving train in The General is nothing short of impressive, so I can't choose one over the other.
10. Young Frankenstein - Finally, Mel Brooks' best film. I always underestimate Young Frankenstein when I come back to it, assuming that I remember exactly what happens and when. I've come to take the movie for granted, but it surprises me every time. Little things come back, even if it's just a look from Marty Feldman's scene stealing Igor - pardon me, EYE-gore - and before long I'm swept up again. I have a hard time listening to "Putting on the Ritz" without thinking of Young Frankenstein, which is not good if you want not to laugh in public places.
I can already tell you Barrett is going to kill me for leaving out The Marx Brothers. Of course, I also left out a sentimental favorite, Kind Hearts and Coronets, along with Murder by Death, Some Like it Hot, Annie Hall, Shaun of the Dead, Cannibal! The Musical, and I Heart Huckabees. The Philadelphia Story only narrowly beat out Bringing Up Baby, and there was just no room for Arsenic and Old Lace, Groundhog Day, Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, or even Gremlins.
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