comedy

Sleeper

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Sleeper. Rollins-Joffe Productions 1973.

Before watching the movie:

 

It occurs to me that I may not have actually seen any Woody Allen film before. I’ve seen him perform before, though possibly the only thing I’ve seen longer than a clip of is Antz.

That aside, once again I only realize at the moment I have to sum up my preconceptions that I don’t know what I’m getting into again. It sounds somewhat raunchy, but every adult comedy at the time was at least a little raunchy. For what it’s worth, it got a PG.

Ultimately, what I can say is that Woody Allen”s character finds himself in a future which no doubt is designed to be a satire on the world of its time.

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The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

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The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. Columbia Pictures 1988.

Before watching the movie:

Terry Gilliam made some movies in the 80s. Specifically, he made three movies about dreamers, which Gilliam has come to call the “Trilogy of Imagination.” Three different movies about protagonists of different ages trying to escape the oppressive world around them. I’ve already seen Time Bandits (the dreamer as a child) and Brazil (the dreamer in middle age). Baron Munchausen is an older man going on fanciful adventures that may not exactly be accurate.

I’m not sure how I expect this film to make me feel. Time Bandits was fun and the end was depressing but hopeful, Brazil was a long downward spiral through madness, and Twelve Monkeys was depressing throughout. “Munchausen” looks like some good fun, but I don’t know how much of that is a misrepresentation for marketing purposes.

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Strange Brew

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Strange Brew. Metro Goldwyn-Meyer 1983.

Before watching the movie:

I don’t think I’ve seen any of Second City. As far as I know, SCTV never aired in either area I’ve lived in. I’ve only heard of Bob and Doug McKenzie through one or two audio tracks on Doctor Demento albums. I was surprised to find out that the not-Rick Moranis McKenzie brother is played by Dave Thomas (no, not the Wendy’s guy), whom I’ve seen on The Red Green Show. He looks more like Andy Richter in this picture.

I’m hoping this will be pretty light comedy, apparently with parallels to Hamlet, so there’s some intelligence to it. I’ll probably get back to my usual array of genres next week.

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BASEketball

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Baseketball. Zucker Brothers 1998.

Before watching the movie:

I remember clearly that this movie came out when I was in grade school. I think my friends liked it, but I can’t remember any specific people who definitely saw it. That’s a good thing, because it seems to definitely be a more (im)mature comedy than I realized at the time. The kind of thing that kids shouldn’t see, and adults shouldn’t want to see.

However, after a couple downer weeks, I’m looking for something light, and South Park creators + Zucker brothers sounds like it would fit the bill.

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Being John Malkovich

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Being John Malkovich. Propaganda Films 1999.

Before watching the movie:

This is a really weird concept. Like perhaps many other people or perhaps nobody else, the only reason I know the name “John Malkovich” is because of this movie’s existence.

Other than some trippy ideas and actor rage, I have no idea what to expect from this film.

This is the part where I ramble about the blog itself to fill space.

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The Graduate

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The Graduate. Embassy Pictures 1967.

Before watching the movie:

What I know about this movie is… well, the iconic scene. Surely the plot can’t be as simple as “he gets seduced by an older woman?” Sources seem to indicate it is, but I don’t see how it could have such staying power if that’s all there is. I’m a little comforted by the mention I see that he has no direction in life after graduation, so I guess it’s a coming of age story?

It was not until I had this copy in hand that I realized that the title character was played by a very young Dustin Hoffman. Sure, I’ve seen him mentioned in context with the film a few times, but somehow I never heard “Dustin Hoffman” when people said, “In The Graduate, Dustin Hoffman…” Continue reading →

Spy Hard

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Spy Hard. Hollywood Pictures 1996.

Before watching the movie:

Remember a few years months ago, when Leslie Nielsen died? At first, I didn’t think anything of it in connection to this blog, but then it was suggested to me that I should make some recognition of it in a selection.

I have two methods of obtaining my movies. One can be fast or slow, and one is medium in speed. I expected the first to be slower, so I went to the second one. The reason this is a month after the fact is because “medium” was actually “slowest.” Then I tried to use the first in a fast mode, but I didn’t quite think it through and ended up delaying another week.

Anyway, this looks like a good late Leslie Nielsen film, which probably means it’s mediocre. As far as I know, that’s the best one can say about his movies after the second Naked Gun movie. Or perhaps anything other than Airplane and The Naked Gun series. More to the point, he’s playing a dimwitted Bond spoof instead of a dimwitted police officer. Also Weird Al Yankovic wrote the theme song.

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The Front Page

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The Front Page. Universal Pictures 1974.

Before watching the movie:

Back when I was in a film studies class, I was shown a movie titled His Girl Friday. Apparently, this movie is a more faithful adaptation of the play that movie was based on. As my professor was also apparently a fan of Billy Wilder, I’m not sure why this film didn’t come up in a way that I remember.

Also, this one has Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, Carol Burnett, and Susan Sarandon, a trainload of fun people to watch. I didn’t know Matthau and Lemmon worked together outside of The Odd Couple, but the box seems to imply they were a popular comedy team.

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When Harry Met Sally

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When Harry Met Sally. Castle Rock Entertainment 1989.

Before watching the movie:

I know about something like two scenes from this movie. Apparently it explores the subtlety between friendship and romance, which is an issue presently on my mind as well.

From the tagline, I’m worried this will be the poster movie for the “friends with benefits” concept, or Zack and Miri Make a Porno without the audacity, but it has a good reputation.

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The Wizard

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The Wizard. Universal Pictures 1989.

Before watching the movie:

One hears a lot about this movie online, or at least in the circles I move in. It’s pretty universally reviled as “a feature-length commercial for Nintendo/the Power Glove.” But while the characters are playing with the toys, they have to have something to do. Home Alone 2 isn’t worthless because it heavily features the TalkBoy. I’ve seen some clips brought out as examples of how bad it is, but anything can be stupid out of context.

I defy this movie to make me join its hatedom, and demonstrate how a movie about playing video games can be not dull, but still actively a waste of time.

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