Movies Blog : comedy

Wacky Wonderful Bad Movie Night!

wag.mado@evpl — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:25:00 GMT

If you’ve never been to Bad Movie Night, you’ve been missing all the fun. Here’s your opportunity to come and enjoy (on the big screen)some of the wackiest movies ever made. In cool comfortable surroundings at Central Library, you and your friends can sit back with a drink and popcorn --------and it’s all free!

Bad Movie Night this month features The Thing With Two Heads starring Ray Milland and Rosie Grier. The 1972 cult film is being shown in Central’s Browning Events Room this Thursday August 11 at 6:30 PM.

Come and see what the excitement is all about!

Winter Holiday movies

KickinLibrarian@evpl — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:39:00 GMT

During the few days I had off over the holidays, I was able to catch a lot of movies. Some in the theater (Avatar- excellent!; Sherlock Holmes- pretty good), but even more at home. Two movies that I had been waiting to come out on DVD did so right before I left on vacation.

500 Days of Summer stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt (loved him in 3rd Rock from the Sun) and Zooey Deschanel. Tom (Gordon-Levitt) is a greeting card writer who believes in fate and one true love. Enter the new girl at work (Deschanel), who Tom believes to be is soul mate. Unfortunately, Summer does believe in much of anything, but especially relationships. The movie bounces back and forth throughout their relationship's beginning, middle, and end. Quirky romance, great soundtrack. Highly recommended.

The creator of Office Space is back with his newest movie, Extract. This time we are introduced to happy business owner, Joel, who is content with his extract business, his wife, and his life. A freak on-the-job accident, however, throws Joel's life into a spin. Jason Bateman stars as business owner, Joel, Ben Affleck as his slacker best friend, Kristen Wiig as Joel's bored wife, and Mila Kunis plays a con artist in the middle of it all. I love Office Space (who doesn't?), so I had high expectations for Extract. I really wanted to love it, but it falls short for me.

Easy Virtue

KickinLibrarian@evpl — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:55:00 GMT

I am a huge fan of Colin Firth. I might question his decision to make films such as What a Girl Wants, but he easily redeems himself with performances in Love Actually, Then She Found Me, and now Easy Virtue. In this movie, Firth plays the distant father and husband of an English family living in a crumbling estate. Firth’s character returned home after wandering around Europe following WWI as part of the Lost Generation. He now hides in his family’s shed repairing an old motorcycle and avoiding his family and their problems. He pops up throughout the movie with sardonic wit and repressed feelings.

Easy Virtue was adapted from a Noel Coward play set in the late 1920s. Jessica Biel plays American racecar driver, Larita, who steals the heart of English heir, John (played by Ben Barnes). The two marry and head to the family's English estate. Larita faces the scorn of her new mother-in-law who had plans for her son to marry the wealthy neighbor girl. Kristin Scott Thomas does an excellent job as the mother fighting against her daughter-in-law for her son's attention and affection. Larita's only allies come in the form of the family's servants and father-in-law (Firth). Once her past scandals come to surface, however, Larita must decide if she will stay with John or leave him and his family behind.

I loved the music, costumes, and actors in Easy Virtue. This movie slipped my attention before landing on the library shelves, so I guess many others may have missed it as well. Check it out- highly recommended.

Sunshine Cleaning

KickinLibrarian@evpl — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:24:00 GMT

Rose and Norah were little girls when their little mother died. They both came in from playing in the yard to find their mom dead in the bathroom, an apparent suicide. As the two girls grow up, that day shapes their lives. Rose is a single mother working hard as a house cleaner to raise her son, while having an affair with her married high school sweetheart. Norah is a party girl. She doesn't have a boyfriend, drinks all the time, and can't hold a job. Their father is a quirky man always looking for a get-rich-quick scheme.

After Rose's son is expelled from school and a reunion with her high school friends approaching, Rose convinces Norah to start a crime scene cleaning business with her. Hilarity ensues as the two women struggle to learn the ropes of cleaning up grisly crime scenes, but there is an underlying seriousness as well. With their new business taking off, both Rose and Norah have to come to grips with what happen to their mother all those years ago and figure out what they want out of their own lives.

Fans of Little Miss Sunshine will like this movie with the quirky characters, humor, but a serious storyline as well. I laughed out loud and cried a few times as well. Highly recommended.

"Hot Fuzz" a modern spoof film worth watching

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:20:00 GMT

While channel surfing several weekends ago, I happened upon Naked Gun 33 1/3 airing on Comedy Central. I used to love the Naked Gun series, with Leslie Nielsen portraying a bumbling Lieutenant Frank Drebin. It made me recall some of the other "classic" (I use that word subjectively) spoof films of the late 80s and early 90s, like Spaceballs, Hot Shots!, and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Okay, so none of these movies are all that great, but I still enjoy them to this day. And it's not just from nostalgia-goggles...the lame, in-your-face comedy cracks me up.

I then thought about the current state of the spoof movie...and it's a bit painful. From the Scary Movie's to Meet the Spartans to Superhero/Date/Epic/Disaster Movie, things have come a long way. In my opinion (and on IMDB & Rotten Tomatoes), most of these movies are unwatchable. But someone's watching them, as they all make millions (and Sci-Fi Movie & Scary Movie 5 are in the works).

It was there, in the midst of that frightening darkness, that I recalled a beacon of hope...a 2007 film called Hot Fuzz. I rewatched it to get the bad taste out of my mouth and was amazed...a modern spoof movie that's witty & funny!

Hot Fuzz, in a nutshell, is a spoof on the "buddy cop" movie (i.e. Rush Hour, Bad Boys) from the guys that created Shaun of the Dead (a romantic comedy, with zombies!). Here's the official plot summary, better than what I could come up with:

Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is the finest cop London has to offer, with an arrest record 400% higher than any other officer on the force. He's so good, he makes everyone else look bad. As a result, Angel's superiors send him to a place where his talents won't be quite so embarrassing - the sleepy and seemingly crime-free village of Sandford.

Once there, he is partnered with the well-meaning but overeager police officer Danny Butterman (Nick Frost). The son of amiable Police Chief Frank Butterman, Danny is a huge action movie fan and believes his new big-city partner might just be a real-life "bad boy," and his chance to experience the life of gunfights and car chases he so longs for. Angel is quick to dismiss this as childish fantasy and Danny's puppy-like enthusiasm only adds to Angel's growing frustration.

However, as a series of grisly accidents rocks the village, Angel is convinced that Sandford is not what it seems and as the intrigue deepens, Danny's dreams of explosive, high-octane, car-chasing, gunfighting, all-out action seem more and more like a reality. It's time for these small-town cops to break out some big-city justice.

This movie is absolutely hysterical! Pegg & Frost always work great together, and Hot Fuzz continues that trend. Their dialogue, characterization, everything is A+! Every "buddy cop" and over-the-top action movie cliche is taken on here. Whether it's the humorously-overdone gore, the hilariously-brilliant plot you won't see coming, the insane gunfight at the end, the FOUR cliffhanger endings, or "firing your gun in the air and yelling 'aaaahhhhh!!!'" (ala Point Break), you will laugh profusely while watching this movie. Unless you have a condition that prevents you from laughing.

Below is a short clip of one of my favorite scenes. If you find yourself laughing, you owe it to yourself to watch the whole movie!

(Please visit the site to view this media)

More Information

Library Catalog: Check the availability of Hot Fuzz on DVD. The EVPL has widescreen and fullscreen versions.
Theatrical Trailer: Check out the theatrical trailer for a glimpse of the humor, guns, & gore.
User Reviews: The movie has an 8.0/10 rating on IMDB and a 90% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Meet Dave, you might not like him

E-Ville Librarian@evpl — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 19:10:00 GMT

I just saw Eddie Murphy's recent DVD release on my iPhone, and I think it had a few moments where it wasn't half bad. While the story was hokey, the acting wasn't anything to mention, and even though the Razzies agreed it was one of the worst movies of last year, I'm soft on it. Murphy is a master comedian in my book, and this was another example of master physical comedy. While the role no doubt required little actual work for the actor, I found the subtle expressions and stiff-jointed portrayal of the robot to be the highlight of an otherwise forgettable film. As always, Murphy plays a second character as captain of the human-shaped ship which no doubt required even less of the actor than the other role. The more I think of this movie, the more I think of Pluto Nash...

"Burn After Reading"

MediaPhile@evpl — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 23:28:00 GMT

I guess the ads tipped us off that this was not your run of the mill spy thriller, but let me assure you that nothing about this Coen Brothers movie is run of the mill. Following the dark "No Country for Old Men," the brothers have returned to the comic instincts so evident in "Fargo," "The Big Lebowski," "O Brother Where Art Thou" and other Coen classics.

As usual, the brothers had no trouble attracting some of our most outstanding actresses and actors for their ensemble cast. George Clooney plays an enthusiastic lady's man, Frances McDormand a 40-something fitness club employee determined to follow through on a five-part plastic surgery makeover plan, John Malkovich a sophisticated ex-spook with a "drinking problem," Tilda Swinton the spook's uptight and unhappy pediatrican wife, and Brad Pitt a stupid but likeable personal trainer.

All of their lives intertwine in unexpected and hilarious ways. I was so caught up in the slapstick that when things started to turn a bit dark, I was startled -- but quickly settled in for the rest of the ride.

"Burn After Reading" is in the running for the 2009 Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy, and McDormand is one of the finalists for best comic actress. But it's all the little pieces that make a Coen Brothers movie special -- the trip to the drab 100% concrete Russian embassy to sell "secret" data, the priceless posturings of Malcovich (who has the unfortunate name of Osborne Cox), the nonchalance of CIA superior J. K. Simmons, the moony attempts by fitness club manager Richard Jenkins to woo McDormand...let's just say that this is the sort of movie you can watch more than once.

"Chuck" is about a nerd that becomes a spy...essentially my life story

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:50:00 GMT

In the television show Chuck, Charles "Chuck" Bartowski plays your typical 20-something computer-geek, stuck in a dead-end job at Buy More's Nerd Herd (a less-than-subtle parody of Best Buy's Geek Squad). He lives an uneventful life with his sister Ellie, until one day when he receives an email from his long-lost friend Bryce. Turns out Bryce is a rogue CIA agent, and his email contains an entire government database of top secret info, which embeds itself into Chuck's brain upon viewing.

Both the NSA and CIA want the intelligence returned to them and dispatch agents of their own - Major John Casey and Sarah Walker - to "retrieve" that data. When the original database is destroyed, Chuck has the only copy of that data, so he is forced to become a spy. Chuck's decision to keep his new-found occupation a secret from his family and friends, and to live his life as normally as possible, forces Casey and Walker to establish an uneasy alliance and secret identities (Walker poses as Chuck's girlfriend and takes a cover job at the local restaurant next to the Buy More while Casey gets a job at the Buy More), with the shared goal of protecting Chuck at all costs.

Seeing specific people/things causes Chuck to "flash", subliminally retrieving data about the person/object from the government database in his mind. Chuck uses this ability to help John & Sarah thwart evildoers and save the entire world from impending doom.

Sarah is an incredibly attractive female spy, and as they continue their "fake" relationship Chuck's feelings for her become real. There is lots of romantic tension, often mocked by smart-aleck comments by John (portrayed by Adam Baldwin, of Full Metal Jacket & Firefly/Serentity fame).

This show is brilliant, tied with The Office as my favorite current TV show. The cast is excellent, with real chemistry. The plots, while far-fetched, are extremely well-thought out, always resulting in hilarity and the unexpected. And the emotion evoked by the tension between Chuck & Sarah (not helped by Ellie's constant "I'm so happy you finally found a girlfriend" remarks), his belief that Sarah is way out of his nerd-league, the experiences with his ex-girlfriend (who re-appears in season 2), and his quest for more (a normal life and better job, for starters) creates endearing, genuine characters.

Season 1 was released on DVD & Blu-ray a couple months ago, and season 2 (which is even better than season 1) is currently airing on Monday nights at 7pm on NBC. It's a show you really need to watch in order, so check out the season 1 DVDs, catch up on the previous season 2 episodes at NBC.com, and watch the latest episode every Monday night!

More Information

EVPL Catalog: Check on the availability of Chuck: The Complete First Season on DVD at EVPL libraries.
NBC.com: Official website of Chuck. Find out more about the show, and watch full episodes from season 2!
Amazon: Buy Chuck: The Complete First Season on DVD or Blu-ray using these links, and the Public Library Friends will receive a portion of your purchase!

"Air Guitar Nation" cranks the make-believe volume up to 11

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:58:00 GMT

How many times has this happened to you...you're listening to music and an epic guitar solo comes on. What do you do?!? You bust out the air guitar, showing onlookers the musical virtuoso you are.

Apparently, air guitar is bigger than I realized. Since 1996, Oulu, Finland has been the home of the Air Guitar World Championships. Essentially the Olympics of air guitar, contestants from all around the world compete to bring this coveted trophy back to their home country. Competitions consist of two rounds: in the first, contestants perform a song of their choosing. The second round is a song picked by the judges, not revealed until the competition, that contestants have to improv. Contestants are judged based on their "airness" and pure rock-ness.

Sadly, the US did not participate on this world stage until 2003. It was then that Americans realized what a travesty this was and the US Air Guitar Championships were founded. After a series of regional competitions, the best performers go to Finland to represent the US.

Air Guitar Nation is a documentary (more along the lines of This is Spinal Tap than a traditional documentary) about the founding of the US Air Guitar Championships, the first competitions in the US, and the journey to the 2003 World Championships (including an air guitar training camp!) in Finland. You'll meet many of the zany US performers, including C. Diddy and Björn Türoque, whose fierce rivalry becomes a central focus of the film.

Air Guitar Nation is extremely entertaining, hilarious, and very well made. How does the US fare in their first outing in the World Championships? Watch the movie and find out for yourself!

Movie Trailer

(Please visit the site to view this media)

More Information

EVPL Catalog: Check availability of Air Guitar Nation at EVPL libraries.
Amazon.com: Buy the movie using this link, and the Public Library Friends will receive a portion of your purchase!
AirGuitarNation.com: Official website of the movie.
AirGuitarUSA.com: Official website of the US Air Guitar Championships.
AirGuitarWorldChampionships.com: Official website of the Air Guitar World Championships.

"Run Fatboy, Run" limps to the finish line

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:31:00 GMT

I've always been a fan of Simon Pegg's work. In his previous efforts (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, & Spaced), Pegg & co-star Nick Frost teamed up with absolutely hilarious results!

Run Fatboy, Run is Pegg's latest film...and unfortunately it doesn't live up to its predecessors.

Pegg portrays Dennis, who gets cold feet on his wedding day and leaves his pregnant fiancée, Libby, at the altar.

Five years later... Of course, Dennis has become an out-of-shape loser with a crummy job. Dennis & Libby share custody of their child, and he now realizes the mistake in not going through with the wedding. However, Libby is now dating Whit, who is everything Dennis is not: successful, wealthy, dedicated, etc. After discovering Whit is an athlete and will be running in an upcoming marathon, Dennis decides to run in it as well, proving to Libby that he he has changed and can actually finish something he starts.

Cue the cheesy training montages. Dennis' friend Gordon and his landlord Mr. Goshdashtidar (a stereotypical foreigner) whip him into shape, transforming him from a fat boy into...well...less of a fat boy.

Does Dennis finish the marathon? Is it enough to win back Libby? How ridiculous is this plot?

I understand that most movies require suspension of disbelief (an out-of-shape guy can train for a marathon in less than a month?), but that's not the problem I have with this film. In an attempt to be a family-friendly romantic comedy, the humor has been degraded to the level of a bad Adam Sandler flick; nothing but predictable, juvenile humor. Gone is the gut-busting humor, witty dialog, and endearing characters the viewer actually cares about, all of which were present in Pegg's previous efforts.

If you've never seen Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, or Spaced, you'll probably enjoy Run Fatboy, Run more than I did. Otherwise, you'll be extremely disappointed.

More Information

EVPL Catalog: Check availability of Run Fatboy, Run at EVPL libraries.
Amazon.com: Buy the movie using this link, and the Public Library Friends will receive a portion of your purchase!
RottenTomatoes.com: View other opinions and read why it's at 48% on the Tomatometer.
Internet Movie Database: Discover info about the movie at IMDB.

"Hancock" worth watching

MediaPhile@evpl — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 23:44:00 GMT

How can a movie gross $625,000,000 worldwide and yet get a 38% rating at Rotten Tomatoes? One could say that there's no accounting for taste, but in this case I agree with the general public.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of this DVD before its official release date on Tuesday. What I remembered hearing about this action thriller was that the first half was okay, the last half a let-down.

Well, I beg to differ. I didn't think it really got interesting until the twist that came at midpoint. I was as usual only half-watching while working away on my laptop. I sensed an attraction betwen Hancock (Will Smith) and Mary (Charlize Theron) but was surprised at what developed. Suffice it to say that there is something lurking under that beautiful surface.

Which brings me to the point that I could barely recognize Charlize. I have always considered her to be flawless, but evidently she and her plastic surgeon didn't think so. There is some buzz about this on the Net.

But getting back to the movie, this is another one that I wish I had seen on the big screen. In fact, I should have shelled out the money and seen it on IMAX. The special effects were pretty amazing. Oh, well....

"Hancock" is inventive, quirky and funny...and Will Smith does his usual superb job...so count me with thumbs up on this one. I even watched it twice!

"Spaced" a short-lived, hilarious TV comedy

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:02:00 GMT

I'm a fan of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. In the States, this comedic duo is best known for Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz (both of which I highly recommend!). They got their start in a British television comedy called Spaced; it ran for two seasons (14 episodes total) during 1999-2001. It finally made its way to the US this past July in a DVD box set of the entire series.

It's a very difficult show to describe...so, ripped from Wikipedia:

Tim Bisley (Pegg) and Daisy Steiner (Jessica Hynes) are two London twenty-somethings who meet by chance in a cafe while both are flat-hunting. Despite barely knowing each other, they conspire to pose as a young professional couple in order to meet the requisites of an advertisement for a relatively cheap flat, in the distinctive building at 23 Meteor Street, Tufnell Park, which is owned by and also houses the landlady, Marsha Klein. Also in the building is Brian Topp, an eccentric conceptual artist who lives and works on his various pieces in the ground floor flat. Frequent visitors are Tim's best friend, Mike Watt (Frost) and Daisy's best friend, Twist Morgan.

The series largely concerns the colorful and surreal adventures of Tim and Daisy as they navigate through life, decide on what they want to do with their lives, come to terms with affairs of the heart, and try to figure out new and largely unproductive ways of killing time. Tim and Daisy repeatedly stress that they aren't a couple to everyone but Marsha, but despite (or because of) this, romantic tension develops between them, particularly during the second series.

The central comedic conceit of the series is that it portrays the rather ordinary lives of Daisy and Tim using overblown Hollywood blockbuster clichés.

Like their forays into Hollywood, Spaced provides non-stop laughs, constant pop-culture parodies, crazy camerawork, a great cast, and a surprising amount of character development.

With 5 stars on Amazon, a 9.8/10 rating on IMDB, and my rave review, Spaced comes highly recommended.

More Information

EVPL Catalog: Check the availability of and/or place a hold on Spaced.
Amazon.com: Buy it at Amazon and support the Public Library Friends!
Wikipedia: Find out about the history of the show.

Lovable "30 Rock" nerd Jack McBrayer (Kenneth) a UE graduate!

MediaPhile@evpl — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:10:00 GMT

According to Hollywood.com Jack McBrayer, born on May 27, 1973 in Macon (Ga) "nurtured an interest in theater and performing since childhood. He attended the University of Evansville in Indiana, studying theater management, with an eye on honing business and management as well as dramatic skills, smartly, as a back-up plan." McBrayer later took classes at Second City and Improv Olympic in Chicago and eventually caught the attention of Tina Fey.

The plot of 30 Rock revolves around the cast and crew of the fictional sketch comedy series TGS with Tracy Jordan, that airs live from Rockefeller Center (30 "Rock" - get it?). McBrayer. is hilarious as an NBC page who acts as a go-fer for the various actors, writers and executives. He is absolutely thrilled to be working in TELEVISION and does it all, no matter how demeaning, with a big smile.

Watch "30 Rock" for its guests as well as its regulars (Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Jane Krakowski, and Tracy Jordan, among others). Drop-ins in the first two seasons included Paul Reubens, Whoopi Goldberg, John McEnroe, Maury Povich, Elaine Stritch, Wayne Brady, Matthew Broderick, Carrie Fisher, Al Gore, Nathan Lane, Molly Shannon, Will Arnett, Chris Parnell, Chris Matthews, James Carville, Tucker Carlson, Conan O'Brien, Jerry Seinfeld, and Edie Falco.

The library has both seasons one and two on DVD.

"Pushing Daisies"

MediaPhile@evpl — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 02:26:00 GMT

The first season of this new ABC series just came out on DVD.

"Pushing Daisies" is a fast-paced, whimsical, and light-hearted comedy -- nothing like the dark humor of "Six Feet Under" that I expected. Bryan Fuller (Heroes, Wonderfalls) and Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black) are the driving force behind it, and their artistic talents are evident.

Nothing is quite normal in this series. The characters are all quirky and have odd names. The colors are unnaturally bright and saturated. The stage sets are wildly inventive and almost theatrically stagey. And the story lines have unexpected spins and twists.

The male lead, Ned (Lee Pace), has the amazing ability to bring dead things back to life. The only problem is that the dead can only stay alive for one minute, or someone else will die in his/her/its stead. Also, if Ned ever touches this reborn entity again, the result is immediate and irrevocable death. A detective who solves murder cases for the reward money uncovers Ned's secret and convinces him to be his partner. And a new TV series is born........

Other series regulars are childhood sweetheart Chuck (Anna Friel), gumshoe detective Emerson Cod (Chi McBride), Pie Hole waitress Olive Snook (Kristin Chenoweth), and Chuck's Aunt Lily (Swoosie Kurtz).

"Pushing Daisies" was nominated for 12 Emmy Awards for its first season, and the second season begins on October 1.

"The Love Guru": 86 Minutes I'll Never Get Back

HoodooVoodoo@evpl — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:57:00 GMT

Oh Mike Myers, what were you thinking? The Love Guru (2008), Myers first live-action film since Austin Powers: Goldmember (2002), is 86 minutes of Austin Powers type jokes in Hindu garb. Of course the jokes on me, I actually sat through the whole film. One would think that after six years of crafting ideas for a feature film Myers could come up with something better than this. I enjoyed Mike Myers during his Saturday Night Live days, with skits like Wayne's World and Sprokets, but it's time to grow up do something different, or at least, entertaining. Mike Myers is quickly becoming the new Eddie Murphy, expect that Eddie used to be really funny and play characters in movies that didn't involve over-the-top outfits, storylines, and makeup.

Okay, now to the movie. Myers stars as Guru Pitka, an american born guru, who specializes relationship management. When the Toronto Maple Leaf's star player seperates from his wife, thus hampering their chances of a Stanley Cup, Guru Pitka is called in to save the day. There are a few highlights in the movie, the hockey announcers played by Stephen Colbert and Jim Gaffigan are pretty funny and Justin Timberlake (who's acting is far superior to his musical talent in my opinion) is steller. That's about it though.

The Love Guru, is 86 minutes of nonsense and the reverberations of it's viewing have stuck with me all week because I can't get the songs from the movie out of head. Oh, I forgot the musical numbers, which are popular songs, like Dolly Parton's Nine to Five and Steve Miller's The Joker sung Guru Pitka style. If you love mindless humor and bodily functions jokes, The Love Guru is for you. However, I strongly recommend not watching this movie.