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Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken (2017)
Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken (2017)
2017 | Documentary
Absolutely hysterical, through sheer commitment and idiosyncrasy achieves the once impossible task of turning ๐˜๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฅ, ๐˜๐˜ฏ๐˜ค. into a comedy. I do have a few gripes, one of which being that - since this is objectively more 'professionally-made' than most of his other works, it sort of lacks some of that personal quality which made a lot of Spurlock's docs so distinctive. But overall that's such a minor quibble because this is still just as eccentric. Also gets a bit deceptive towards the end, though even then the base claims it sets out to make are still objectively correct so not a huge issue. Certainly not the first film to tackle this subject and won't be the last either, but it's definitely the most enjoyable - still ripe with enlightening information (if not nearly as much as the first) and insane charisma. I find it endlessly intriguing to see Spurlock create this morbid pitch-black comedy/doc hybrid that acts as this absurd birthing video showing him help raise the monster (faux-healthy fast food hysteria) that he helped create. Also the parody restaurant he makes at the end is hilarious. For anyone else I'd say this "imagine (company)... but honest!" filmmaking is an easy target that sort of has no meaning anymore but naturally Morgan delivers the goods with his ever-watchable personality and trademark filmmaking so here it seems admittedly different. Really good. Better than Where in the ๐˜ž๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜–๐˜ด๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ข ๐˜‰๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜“๐˜ข๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ? and ๐˜”๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ด๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ, not as good as ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜Ž๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜”๐˜ฐ๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ฆ ๐˜Œ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜š๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ or the original ๐˜š๐˜ถ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜š๐˜ช๐˜ป๐˜ฆ ๐˜”๐˜ฆ.
  
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
1974 | Classics, Comedy, Horror
My All Time Favorite Comedy
There are certain films that I can revisit time and time again and the effects of the film do not diminish for me and I would argue that they get better with age...and with repeated viewings.

Such is the case with Mel Brooks' Universal Horror film spoof/satire YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN from 1974. It is a work of comedic genius and features some of the most memorable characters in motion picture comedy history.

Co-Writen by Brooks and Gene Wilder, Directed by Brooks and starring Wilder, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman and the great Madeline Kahn, this film sends up the black and white Universal Horror films of the 1930's not by making fun of them, but by lovingly recreating them and then exaggerating the scenes/circumstances.

Wilder is at his manic best as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein - the grandson of the original Frankenstein - who is brought to Transylvania and soon takes up his grandfather's work. He works through a controlled rage throughout the film until such times where the rage (and his hair) comes bursting forth in maniacal energy that is a comic tour-de-force.

He is surrounded by an outstanding collection of misfits, most notably Marty Feldman's servant/assistant Igor who is game for just about anything. Under-rated is the comedic performance of Teri Garr as Frankenstein's lab assistant Inga who not only has good looks ("what knockers") but can hold her own with Wilder and Feldman in a scene. Peter Boyle is earnest and scary and vulnerable (all at the same time) in his portrayal of "the Monster" who just wants to be understood - the "Puttin' on the Ritz" scene shows some fine comedic chops in an actor that up to this point had not really done comedy (his Emmy nominated work in EVERYONE LOVES RAYMOND is years in the future).

But it is the work of 2 female comediennes that drives this film to another level. Madeline Kahn as Frederick's fiance, Elizabeth, commands (and steals) every scene she is in while the inscrutable Cloris Leachman is deadpan perfection as castle housekeeper Frau Bleucher (horse whinny).

Director Brooks keeps the jokes coming at a fast a furious pace, but keeps the pace and the story going as well. This is much more than "just a collection of jokes" - it is a very good movie.

This film falls squarely in my "Top 10 All Time Favorite Films" - and my #1 comedy of all time.

Letter Grade: A+

10 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
David Brent: Life on the Road (2017)
David Brent: Life on the Road (2017)
2017 | Comedy
6
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
A squirm-athon from beginning to end.
โ€œLife on the Roadโ€ is a mockumentary sequel to the classic British version of the TV comedy โ€œThe Officeโ€ (obviously later remade for the US market and featuring Steve Carell). Ricky Gervais played the ego-centric David Brent, a monster of a character who exercised what little control he had in his managerial role at a Slough paper company.

Here in โ€œLife on the Roadโ€ we join Brent 15 years later where he has taken a rung or two down the career ladder and is working as a sales rep for Lavachem, a sanitary goods manufacturer, also based in Slough.

But Brent still harbours a dream of making it big in the rock world with his middle-of-the-road band called โ€˜Foregone Conclusion (2)โ€™. Gathering around him his ethnic rapper โ€˜friendโ€™ Dom Johnson (Doc Brown) and a band of session musicians (who canโ€™t stand him), Brent cashes in โ€œseveral pensionsโ€ to fund a tour of the venues of Berkshireโ€ฆ or at least, those that will give stage time over to a โ€œshite bandโ€. As the tour delivers predictably diminishing returns, and no record-company interest (at least, not in him) Brent is forced to face his inner demons and some uncomfortable truths.

Bringing TV comedy characters to screen is fraught with difficulty, and few have successfully done it. Even legends like Morecambe and Wise struggled with a series of lacklustre films. Perhaps in recent times Steve Cooganโ€™s Alan Partridge has come closest with โ€œAlan Partridge โ€“ Alpha Papaโ€ and indeed there are a lot of similarities visible between Partridge and Brent: both have extreme ego issues and self-centredness. But there are significant differences as well, for while Partridge is just an irritatingly loud and obnoxious minor-celebrity Brent โ€“ as this film makes much clearer โ€“ has real mental illness.
Brent - the sun shines out of his earhole.
Brent โ€“ the sun shines out of his earhole.

Is this therefore a comedy at all? Well, yes, but in a very black way. There are certainly moments of excellent humour, with the tattooing scene being a high-point. But the result of watching Brentโ€™s progressive decline, with his nervous laugh as a constant โ€˜fingernails on chalk boardโ€™ reminder of his insecurity, results in a level of audience squirming that is palpable. Everything he does is perverse, from describing in excruciating detail every song before singing it, to spending his money on multiple hotel rooms when every gig is within the County of Berkshire.

As a black comedy its important that it doesnโ€™t outstay its welcome, and at 96 minutes it doesnโ€™t. However, the film lacks the courage of its own dark convictions, and unnecessarily switches tack in the last reel to provide a degree of redemption for Brent. Whilst โ€˜sweetโ€™, it is also implausible given whatโ€™s happened before and I would have suspected the interference of the director in lightening the mood of the writerโ€™s original intent. However, as Gervais is both writer and director, there is no such excuse. Thatโ€™s a shame.

So, in summary, an uncomfortable watch that aligns appropriately with the high squirm factor of the original TV show. Prepare to laugh, but feel a bit guilty in doing so.
  
Black Panther (2018)
Black Panther (2018)
2018 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Black Ops.
There was a joke on the internet the other day that made me laugh and laugh. Virtually the only white people in โ€œBlack Pantherโ€ are the Hobbit/LOTR stars Martin Freeman and Andy Serkisโ€ฆ. they are the Tolkein white guys! Itโ€™s actually getting to feel quite isolating as an โ€˜average white guyโ€™ at the movies! After a plethora of #SheDo films about empowered women, now comes the first black-centred Marvel filmโ€ฆ stuffed full of powerful women too!

The setting is the hidden African kingdom of Wakanda, where due to an abundance of a an all-powerful mineral called McGuffiniteโ€ฆ so, sorry, Vibraniumโ€ฆ the leaders have made their city a technological marvel and developed all sorts of ad tech to help the people keep their goats well and weave their baskets better (there are a few odd scenes in this film!). Tโ€™Challa (Chadwick Boseman) succeeds his father Tโ€™Chaka (John Kani) to become the king and adopt the role of The Black Panther, being bestowed superhero powers by drinking a glass of Ribena.

But it emerges that Tโ€™Chaka has a dark secret in the form of Eric Killmonger (Michael B Jordan, โ€œCreedโ€œ) who is determined to muscle in on the king-stuff. โ€˜It never rains but it poursโ€™, and the whole of Wakandaโ€™s secrets are in danger of being exposed by the antics of the vicious South African mercenary Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis, โ€œWar For The Planet Of The Apesโ€œ), trying to get his hands on vibranium to sell on to CIA operative Everett Ross (Martin Freeman, โ€œThe Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armiesโ€œ, โ€œThe Worldโ€™s Endโ€œ).

After โ€œThor: Ragnarokโ€œ, this is back to the more seriously-played end of the superhero spectrum: there are a few jokes but itโ€™s not overtly played for comedy. Holding the film together are some sterling performances from the ensemble cast with Michael B Jordan very good as the villain of the piece. Adding to the significant black girl power in the film are Angela Bassett (โ€œLondon Has Fallenโ€œ) as the queen mother; Danai Gurira (โ€œWonder Womanโ€œ) as the leader of the Dora Milaje: the all-female kingโ€™s guard; and Lupita Nyongโ€™o (โ€œ12 Years a Slaveโ€œ, โ€œStar Wars: The Force Awakensโ€œ) as the spy and love interest Nakia. But the star performance for me, and one I found absolutely spot-on as a role model for young people, was Letitia Wright (โ€œThe Commuterโ€œ) as Shuri, the kingโ€™s chief scientist. She is absolutely radiant, adding beauty, rude gestures and energy to every scene she is in.

Man of the moment Daniel Kaluuya (โ€œGet Outโ€œ) also adds to his movie-cred as a conflicted courtier.

On the white side of the shop Andy Serkis has enormous fun as Klaue and I really wanted to see more of his character than I did. Martin Freeman feels rather lightweight and under-used, and I couldnโ€™t quite get past his dodgy American accent.

In terms of storyline, the film is a hotch-potch of plots from multiple other films, with โ€œThe Lion Kingโ€ featuring strongly (but almost in reverse!). But thatโ€™s no crime, when the Shakespearean-style narrative is good, and interpolating the strongly emotional story into the Marvel universe works well.

Where I felt a little uncomfortable is the element of racism โ€“ that is, racism *against* white people โ€“ reflected in the story. If there was a movie plot centred (basically) on the topic of whites killing blacks and taking control of every black-controlled country in the world (yes, I know, Iโ€™m British and we have historically been there!) then there would be justified uproar, and the film would be shunned.

In the technical department, I had real problems with some of the effects employed. Starting with a dodgy โ€˜aircraftโ€™ shadow, things nose-dive with an astonishingly poor waterfall scene with Forest Whitaker (โ€œRogue Oneโ€œ, โ€œArrivalโ€œ) as Zuri, green-screened against some Disneyworld cascades and hundreds of cut and pasted tribesmen randomly inserted onto the cliffs. Almost matching that is a studio-set scene in a jungle clearing, where if feels they could hardly have bothered to take the plants out of their pots. Think โ€œDaktariโ€ quality (kids, ask your parents/grandparents).

But overall, the film, directed by Ryan Coogler (โ€œCreedโ€œ), is a high-energy and uniquely different take on Marvel that absolutely pays off. And it is without doubt an important movie in moving the black agenda forward into properly mainstream cinema.
  
Cold Pursuit (2019)
Cold Pursuit (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, Thriller
I am so torn on how to review/rate this film. This film is a remake of a Norwegian film, and the setting is moved to Colorado. The director of this film is also Norwegian, and it is apparent that this is the case from the beautiful shots of scenery.
Basically, Liam Neeson's character is taking out a drug network after they OD his son. It is amusing when he's committing the crimes, which is a very weird thing to say.
I don't know if it's funny enough to be considered a black comedy, but there are amusing/awkwardly funny parts. Midway through the movie, another drug network is brought into the picture, and I'm not sure it was strictly necessary.
I have to give a shout out to Tom Bateman, who plays Viking. After I got over the weird/pretentious American accent he was rocking, he reminded me of a lot of the people I know with his... interesting... viewpoints and parenting habits. I can't figure out if I liked this film or not. I think the further removed I get from seeing it, the more I like it.
  
Sightseers (2012)
Sightseers (2012)
2012 | Comedy, Horror
8
5.8 (5 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Extremely offbeat study in British eccentricity works better as a very black comedy than a horror movie, but the level of gore suggests it really wants to be the latter; animal lovers may want to look away at some points, too. New-minted couple embark on caravan tour/erotic odyssey around northern England and manage to find time for a little light serial killing, too.


Attention to detail and atmosphere mean that this is a consistently funny film, with great performances from the two leads - it's really much more about their relationship than the campaign of bloody slaughter which ends up becoming a significant element of their holiday. This is excruciatingly well-observed and in some ways rather more disturbing than watching various characters get their heads smashed in. Micro-budget nature of the film is never in doubt, but also never really a problem. The ending is a bit arbitrary and abrupt, but not to the point where it's a major flaw in the film. By anyone's standards but Ben Wheatley's, this would be a fairly extraordinary little film, but for this director the extraordinary is actually fairly ordinary.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Parasite (2019) in Movies

Feb 14, 2020  
Parasite (2019)
Parasite (2019)
2019 | Drama
Dazzling Korean jet-black comedy-thriller lives up to the hype. A clan of Seoul low-lives insert themselves with ruthless ingenuity into the comfortable lives of a wealthy family. Soon they are living much larger than they could ever have dreamt - what could possibly go wrong? (Well, plenty, of course.)

Obviously this is a film about issues of wealth and class and all the tensions and resentments that come with them, and as such it has a universal resonance regardless of whether or not it has those little words at the bottom of the screen. However, it is also an exhilarating piece of pure cinema, written and directed with great skill and creativity and well-played by the ensemble cast. At first you are drawn into rooting for the hangers-on despite their dubious enterprises, but slowly the story becomes more and more ambiguous and fraught. (Possibly the only Oscar and Palme D'Or winning film where body odour is a key plot point.) Gripping, symbolically powerful (the invisibility of the poor to their wealthier compatriots is another central theme), tremendously entertaining: pretty much everything you want from a movie.