Delayed Reaction: Pet Sematary

The Pitch: "I just realized that this Stephen King story hasn't been made into a movie yet."

What Took Me So Long: I always thought it was a bad made-for-TV movie.

Why I Saw (Club 50) It: It turns out it was just a bad made-for-theaters movie. It's certainly an interesting concept, touching on some really powerful subjects like loss and hubris, and there are a few moments of legitimate suspense. 

Why I Wish I Hadn't: But, in the end, I can't figure out if it knows how bad it is. I suppose if it's intentionally kind of campy, then bravo, they made a campy movie that didn't do much for me. If it was all to be taken with a straight face (including the hilarious scenes of the baby trying to kill people) then this movie is either awful or does not hold up well over time.

Verdict (?): Strongly Don't Recommend

Delayed Reaction: Bean

The Pitch: British people love Rowan Atkinson. Let's see if America does too.

What Took Me So Long: British people love Rowan Atkinson. I can only enjoy him in a supporting role.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) I tend to know what I will and won't like, but occasionally I like to be sure of it. I didn't hate Johnny English as much as I expected (in large part thanks to Robbie Williams' "A Man for all Seasons") so I thought that maybe I appreciated Atkinson's schtick more than I thought. He is certainly skilled at physical comedy and he has mastered this Bean character. I can't help but smile at how much he revels in the juvinility of it all.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: Five minutes of Bean is pleasant. An hour and a half is exhausting. In general, I'm not as big a fan of squirm humor which a lot of this movie is.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend

Delayed Reaction: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of Dawn Treader

The Pitch: Well, there's still 5 books left in the series. Let's make another movie.

What Took Me So Long: I barely tolerated the one that was a box office smash, so this paltry third installment was not a priority.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) I saw the other two in theaters so I'm already partially invested in the series. As follow ups to the Lord of the Rings go, this is one of the better ones and Disney certainly put the money into it to look good. The production has the levity one would hope for in an adventure franchise aimed at children. It was also nice to see a movie about one of the books I hadn't read when I was young.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is clearly the best regarded book in the series and a great story for a movie. Prince Caspian is a natural sequel with similarly high stakes and finishes off the story well for movies. Dawn Treader just feels like they are trying to keep the machine going without the resources to do so. It's a big mistake for the Pirates studio to do another movie so heavily reliant on sea travel because it makes this look so much worse by comparison. Also, there the whole "subtle" religious angle which never helps me to like something, but even without that, there's plenty to be underwhelmed by.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend

DVR Purge 8/21-8/27

Yay! Breaking Bad. That is all.

Past Purges

The Bridge "Destino"
It's nice how even though there was a lot in this episode about the serial killer mystery, a great deal of the episode had nothing to do with it. I'm still trying to figure out which of the characters will be around long term and which are here for arcs (which could be fixed by paying attention to any of the credits, I suppose). That makes this fun to watch. I get the feeling that however things play out with Bobby Cobb, it won't be good, especially for him. We see a less slobby side of Fausto this week. Honestly, I found him less intimidating because of it. I have no idea what the long term plans are for Linder are but I'm still digging his Buffalo Bill voice considering that Buffalo Bill is on the show.
As for the shootout, I'm not sure where I stand on that. specifically, the perfect timing of the exploding head was a little irritating and convenient. And, when Sonya and Jack Childress shoot each other and go flying back, I can't decide if that was cheesy or cool. Perhaps both.

Burn Notice "Tipping Point"
I watched this in three sittings and honestly, I don't remember what happened too well. Michel is getting in deeper with Sonya and she is falling for him [we think]. The rest of the gang...is doing stuff to help him. I promise, I'll pay better attention next week, but isn't the fact that I don't have to pay attention the best thing about the show?

Wilfred "Stagnation"
I love the treatment of Wilfred around a dog in heat. While I've never spoke to a dog in heat, that seems pretty accurate. Then, the revelation about Ann-Drew. Omg! Does that mean some more Jenna soon? Kristen has definitely been more of a regular character which I'm starting to not mind.

Breaking Bad "Confessions"
There's no difference between Walter White and Heisenberg at this point, is there? I don't think there's a single person he didn't manipulate this week in some small way. He effectively shuts down Hank and Marie (for now at least) by proving how he could take them down with him. This was especially remarkable because I still keep hoping there's some goodness left in him. Stupidly, I thought that was going to be a real confession. It was not even close to that though. Then there's Jesse who finally gets something to do. Up till now, he's had his suspicions but lacked anything to back them up. As we see, all it takes is one lifted bag of pot to trigger a burst of fury. I fully wondered if this would be the last of Saul or at least Huell, just as he started getting some prominence too. Of course, they weren't going to be targets. Mr. White is first and foremost on that list. Jesse is going to focus all the energy on his anger toward him. I'm very curious to see how this plays out because I don't remember the White house having any fire damage in the flash forward, so does that mean next week will start with the long awaited Jesse/Flynn faceoff. I don't know if anyone is home when Jesse gets there. Walt even plays Skylar a little when getting a gun, but most of that has to do with her numbness to the whole situation rather than Walt's ability to play it cool. Things are moving so quickly now which is good, because it still doesn't seem like there's enough time.
-The waiter never did show up with that water, did he?

Delayed Reaction: The Dream Team

The Pitch: It's the comedy that One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest wishes it could be.

What Took Me So Long: There's only one Dream Team I care to see and it had Christian Laettner, not Stephen Furst.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) Michael Keaton always has a charm to him that I can't deny. Mostly, I find it fascinating how comedy has changed in the last 20 years. The equivalent of this now would probably be headlined by Zach Galifianakis and an old Chevy Chase and I assume would flop hard. The actual version kind of works though. Seen as a funny Cuckoo's Nest is probably the best light, especially considering Christopher Lloyd is in both.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: There is a reason why some comedies live for decades and others barely make it to video. There isn't any voice to this. It's tastes like something a studio put together because Michael Keaton said, "sure" and didn't have much more inspiration than that. A lot of movies get made that way, but few are any good. This one is not one of those few.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend

Delayed Reaction: Crimson Tide

The Pitch: A Few Good Men proved that people love military jargon, so let's do that, but on a submarine.

What Took Me So Long: You're kidding me. This isn't The Hunt for Red October? This even has crimson in the title. Wow. Didn't know both of these existed.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) Gene Hackman as a headstrong grump is essentially a wheelhouse that he invented so that's always fun. Denzel Washington is something between a valiant hero and pompous ass. Aragorn and Tony Soprano were way more prominent than I expected, although there was a surprising lack of orcs or snitches killed, which was odd. I get the feeling that people who find the military really interesting found this movie super tense and engaging.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: It turns out, this was all one big PSA. I mean, they bookend the movie with messages about how nuclear sub commanders had the power to fire nukes and that's a bad thing. There's two coups in this movie and ample cause for never letting Hackman or Washington step on to a submarine again. It's frustrating watching it since everything could've been avoided if anyone in command was remotely level headed.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend

Movie Reaction: The World's End

Formula: This is the End + Shaun of the Dead

Why I Saw It: I really liked Shaun of the Dead and thought I should've liked Hot Fuzz more.

Cast: Simon Pegg. I all hinges on him and his ability to play against character and be an complete jackass and he absolutely nails it. He's stupid but quick witted, an asshole who you can't turn away, the friend we never want to see again but wonder what he's up to. I can't say enough about how great he was in this. That's not to say the rest of the cast wasn't nearly as superb. Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, and Eddie Marsan may not have been as individually spectacular (ok, maybe Frost was) but they all fit in to this group of friends very well and were all rounded out by the end much better than I expected. Oh, and Rosamund Pike's in there too. It was nice of her to show up. The script wasn't too dense for her though, so she gets a pass for not sticking out.

Plot: It starts with a pub crawl and ends with The World's End. That's purposely vague wording because I don't feel like ruining how any of it plays out. I will say, however, the plot is not what will determine if you like it or not. What will get you is the writing and, much to my surprise, the actions sequences. The writing is what you expect from an Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg script: it's dense with jokes and brilliantly put together. I don't remember Shaun or Fuzz very well, but this struck me as being a lot more filled with punchlines. Now, the action, as I said, is quite good. For all the overt-Action movies out there that fuck things up, it's funny to see a Comedy-first movie staging some of the best planned and executed fight scenes I've seen in a while. One scene in particular when Pegg is trying to drink his beer in the middle of a fight was especially impressive (or at least it struck me).

Elephant in the Room: Wasn't there already an end of the world comedy this summer? Fuck you. Quit asking things you know the answer to. It makes you sound like a jerk. Both movies are about the end of the world and they are comedies. That's where the similarities end. Ok, both are about friendship too. I swear, they are very different though. I loved both and I'm not sure which, but the comedy comes from different places. The World's End is far more clever. That's for sure. There are numerous conversations that I imagine Pegg and Wright had to map out to make them work. This Is the End is much looser and pulls more comedy from that.

To Sum Things Up:
I've been on a streak of movies lately that I've liked, but this is the first one since, well, This Is the End that I've wanted to go up to people and tell them to see it now because 1) I want all of it to go into pop culture vernacular immediately and 2) it depresses me to think this won't be a bigger success that in will be. I can see how this may not be for everyone but I will judge you if you don't. It is so smart, funny, and fairly touching. I forgot to mention that. For all the jokes and fights, the core story of friendship and the dangers of living in the past is effective as hell and carefully handled.
Oh, so good.

Verdict (?): Strongly Recommend

Delayed Reaction: The Vow

The Pitch: Let's make a Nicholas Sparks movie without bothering to use Nicholas Sparks.

What Took Me So Long: I thought it was a Nicolas Sparks movie and I had an unspoken embargo on those movies until recently.

Why I Saw It: I like Channing Tatum. I like Rachel McAdams. It's simple math as far as I'm concerned. The story is nothing new but it is effective. I'm still not sure why I enjoyed this more than similar movies. I do think it's telling that most of the way through the movie, when I realize that I'm liking it more than expected, I checked the IMDB page and found Jason Katmis' (showrunner for FNL and Parenthood) name attached to the script. It started to make sense after that.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: While I think the movie does a wonderful job touching on the topic of how much our experiences define us vs. how much of us is inherent, I do think the ending is a tad hasty to make things better in time for the happy ending. It's a pretty small gripe though. This movie is quite deep for what could've been a standard romance movie.

Verdict (?): Strongly Recommend (And I'm surprised about it too)

Delayed Reaction: Eat Pray Love

The Pitch: Ms. Roberts wants a vacation and she doesn't want to have to pay for it.

What Took Me So Long: The title alone is nearly a punchline and I kept a healthy distance as a result.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) I came in as a fairly blank slate to this. I knew it was Julia Roberts visiting places around the world and eating, and I knew there was some sort of Eastern spiritual angle to it. There's a whole lotta mid-life crisis going on here. It's greatest potential strength is it's complete lack of traditional structure. It's like they said, "We have two hours to fill between three countries. Fill the time as needed". So, that was different.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: Unfortunately, I didn't find what they did with the lack of traditional structure all that interesting. The food wasn't nearly as enticing as I'd expect for that title. The prayer stuff inherently turns me off. The love part just got annoying because the movie wants a boy meets girl story and a story of Roberts' independence, tries to service both, and results in undermining each. Oh, and this movie was tortuously long. I didn't check the actual runtime, but if I had to guess, I'd say it clocks in at around 4 hours.

Verdict (?): Strongly Don't Recommend

Delayed Reaction: Black Widow

The Pitch: How can we make a female serial killer seem appealing?

What Took Me So Long: To say this movie was off my radar would be an understatement.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) As the #49th highest grossing movie of 1987, this is the fringiest of fringe movies to make my Club 50 list. Theresa Russell is intimidating in this and Debra Winger carries the movie well enough. Hey, is that a younger Terry O'Quinn?

Why I Wish I Hadn't: Scene to scene, I forgot what had happened. I thought about not writing about it at all since I have so little to say about it, but then I would have absolutely nothing to show for this complete waste of time.

Verdict (?): Strongly Don't Recommend

DVR Purge: 8/14-8/20

This is getting bad. I have no idea how I will keep up with all the shows this fall. Four a week has been a chore. In October, there will be nights when I have four in an hour. This is going to be rough. Then again, there will be few shows I'll ponder as much as Breaking Bad so perhaps it will all even out.

The Bridge: "ID"-Sonya interrogating anyone is awkwardly hilarious. I want more of it. Kruger gets a fantastic range in this episode, from the painfulness of the questioning to the frustration when Gina is killed. Her character is growing on me a lot.
-I love a good montage of someone getting rid of an ungodly amount of booze. In my mind, I always start doing the math of how much that would cost and instantly regret doing that.
-What happened to the weird guy? I can't remember his name. I miss his nearly unintelligible accent. He didn't die last week and I totally forgot, did I? I hope not. This show has been punishing me for my split focus more than most.
-Bobby Cobb! I can't say I've seen Brian Van Holt in a lot of roles before but he's basically saying Bobby in this, right? Does he not have range or is this a conscious choice?

Burn Notice: "Things Unseen"I'm not about to go back and count, but I'd wager that more people have died this season than in the rest of the series combined. I don't know how I feel about that. It's not the Burn Notice I signed up for. This is getting noticeably darker which is not in the Burn Notice comfort zone. I supposed since we moved past "who burned Michael" as the big question (by the way, who did? I completely forget) they have to find new ways to up the stakes. Perhaps I just always assumed this show with go out with a whimper, not a bang. I mean, how do you end a procedural, even one that's a procedural/serial mix like this?
-Who is surprised that Fiona and...fuck it - I'm not even going to IMDB his name - broke up? No, no, no. Not everyone at once.

Wilfred: "Distance"This is a weird show. I continue my weekly waffling between wanting more or less mythology with this episode. I think I'm fine with the answer being both. Bruce returns.Ryan discovers something new on the picture. We find out about Mr. Floppy Ears. Those all mythology. But, most of the episode is about an escalating prank was between Wilfred and Ryan, complete with jokes about dogs responding to door knocks, dogs eating just about anything, including dog testicles, and neutering. All less mythology. In short, a nice balanced episode.
-I have to say though, I have no idea what that was on the picture that he found under the crayon.

Breaking Bad: "Buried"Let me start by saying, I never thought I'd say the words "Oh good, it's the Aryans." I like Lydia is the only person who makes Walt look like less of a neurotic badass. Both are effective at what the do. She is still quite shaky about it. It's good to see her and Todd making such fast friends.
-I sure hope we get a lot of Jesse next week. Based on the ending, I assume we will get just that.
-Such a fast hour despite so many tense and quiet moments. I mean, the scene at the diner...so uncomfortable -and long. I think I heard it was 6+ minutes and so brutal to watch. Skylar is devastated. Hank is not sure of himself.
-I like how Marie kept back-tracking through time to discover how deep Skylar is in this. Then the slap. Oh boy. Tension!
-Any scene with a Scrooge McDuck reference is certainly going to be my favorite in a given episode. I love that the threw in the reasoning for why they wouldn't consider stealing the money. The thought did cross my mind, but yeah, being an enemy of Walt's doesn't end well for people.
-I don't want to harp on things, so I'm only going to say this once and never mention it again. There is no way Walt could've dug those holes in that time. Whatever.
-Skylar wins some badass points for wanting to keep the money.



 Past Purges

Delayed Reaction: The A-Team

The Pitch: Do you sort of remember that show The A-Team? Me too. Let's make a movie about it. Ok, not ABOUT it, but kind of similar with the same music and characters. Call it a reimagining.

What Took Me So Long: Would you believe that I've not had the best of luck with retro TV shows made in to movies? They can't all be as good as I-Spy (I'm not joking. I am quite fond of that one).

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) FX is making it hard to not eventually watch this. I like Liam Nesson is this current badass resurgence. I can never decide whether I find Bradley Cooper sly and charming or off-putting but he is certainly not a liability here. I certainly got a sense of the power of B. A. Baracus from Rampage Jackson. I still don't know what to make of Sharlto Copley as Murdock, but I think that's the point. This is the exact movie I expected it to be. Jessica Biel can only help this movie so much.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: I didn't expect a whole lot. There's a lot of this that I can tell is a nod to the TV show, but coming from someone who never watched the show, it doesn't quite work on its own. The biggest example of this has to be B. A. Baracus who spends a good amount of this saying he's not going to hurt anyone, which only works if it has been well-established what that character is normally like. Also, when he finally does get back to his bruising ways, it's not the Hulk-Smash moment it needs to be. I don't know, I was just thoroughly bored by everything this movie did.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend

Movie Reaction: Kick-Ass 2

Formula: Kick-Ass ^2

Why I Saw It: Are you kidding me? I loved the first movie, so this was a no-brainer for me.

Cast: They're all back. This time, with help. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a frightening specimen. In fact, I had a hard time seeing him as helpless at all. Maybe he worked out a little too much in preparation for this. Chloe Grace-Moretz doesn't have the shock value she did in the first both because we've seen it before and while it's still unexpected to see a 15 year-old girl be so lethal, it is less absurd than a 12 year-old. She's obviously had a good trainer in between movies as well. Christopher Mintz-Plasse is cartoonishly over the top and he did not hire a trainer in between movies. That's for sure, although I assume that was on purpose. There's a bunch of other smaller parts like Donald Faison, Jim Carrey, Clark Duke (of course), Morris Chestnut, and John Leguizamo. They are mostly filler for the core cast. This is a solid mix of people though to fill a very interesting world.

Plot: Too much. Definitely too much. A lot is happening here. A lot of new characters are introduced. A lot of emotional journeys for the main characters. A lot. Beyond that, no real issue. I could've done without the Mean Girls plot with Mindy though. That was mostly pointless. It got some laughs though. The movie tries hard to recognize the consequences of everyone's actions while still remembering it is mostly a comedy. It treads some really dark material and I'd say the first movie did a better job walking the tightrope. Occasionally, the carnage caused by these VERY damaged people is very casually and comically, while other times it is looked at somberly. The script never decides what it thinks about that.

Elephant in the Room: How does it compare to the comic? I don't know. Do I look like I read? Ok, I did a little Wikipediaing and the movie is virtually G-rated by comparison to the source material. What strikes me as off is some of the decisions they make to change it. Immediately, what comes to mind is introducing Night-Bitch instead of keeping Katie around (she literally gets one scene). Beyond the desire to introduce a new hot girl or Lyndsy Fosenca not being available, I'm not sure why they did this after how much of the first movie was based on that. John Leguizamos' character was stange too. I get that he added a needed emotional element for the Mother Fucker but introducing him and tying him to his dad's old mafia connections does very little for the central plot beyond reiterate things that we already understood.

To Sum Things Up:
I liked this. I really did. It is over crowded with a lot of unneeded plot-points though. The same dark humor is there. The same crazy premise. The same damaged, yet likable characters. Only they are going bigger. Sadly, no bazookas this time. The first movie is a very polarizing film and this one is the same. No one will be converted by this movie. The first movie does the work to bring it all together. The second movie has fun exploring it. I'd be curious what a third movie would even look like.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

Delayed Reaction: Meet Joe Black

The Pitch: Let's make a movie about life, death, love, and loss and make it long enough to beg for each.

What Took Me So Long: Every time I came across it in my Netflix queue, I saw that run-time and opted for something else.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) Honestly, because I always confused it with The Talented Mr. Ripley and I figured if I watched one of them, that would stop happening (It didn't). I liked this movie despite itself. Brad Pitt is good, except for a ridiculous Jamaican accent that he pulls out. Anthony Hopkins, Claire Forlani, Marcia Gay Harden, and even Jeffrey Tambor in a more dramatic turn, are all perfectly fine in this. The beginning, middle, and end are all satisfying. It feels wholly original (ok, 90%).

Why I Wish I Hadn't: It's just so damn long. Needlessly long even. It's 3 hours long. And, it's not like a Two Towers kind of three hours. It's a "we fired our editor" three hours. This is needlessly long and it pretty dull. I want to note that I am not calling it bad though. I liked it, warts and all.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend

Delayed Reaction: Barnyard

The Pitch: Hey, lets do Toy Story but with animals.

What Took Me So Long: I don't tend to like animated movies or Nickelodeon movies made since 2000 (for obvious aging reasons) so to say I was in no rush to see this is redundant.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) It was on and little else. I hate that I naturally dismiss animated features, so I'll give some a chance even when all signs point to me regretting the decision.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: This was awful, and not just in a "It's a kids movie" way. My jaw dropped when I saw that this was from 2006. Toy Story looked better than this movie over 10 years before. It's tough to go after the voice acting much because all the actors can offer is their voice, but they didn't offer much. The most shocking thing was how bad the one-off jokes were. Apparently, all reference jokes that kids are supposed to get are horribly broad caricatures. I know kids are basically the lowest common denominator comically, but this was painful to watch. Not that you would consider seeing this, but let me save you some time: Don't.

Verdict (?): Strongly Don't Recommend

Delayed Reaction: Nell

The Pitch: Jodie Foster really wants to win another Oscar but doesn't want to remember a lot a lines to do it.

What Took Me So Long: Feral humans are only fun in The Jungle Book. This didn't demand my interest.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) Because Donna said "Are you Nell, from the movie Nell?" and I wanted to get the reference. Jodie Foster is good in this, but it's such a transparent Oscar play that it's hard to see past. If watched the wrong way, this could be viewed [mean-spiritedly] as a comedy. So it has that going for it.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: I hate movies that exist only because the Oscars exist and this strikes me as one of those. It's like they knew the movie as a whole was lacking so they focused it more and more on how good Jodie Foster is in this and that couldn't overcome everything else.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend

Top Comedy Movies - Intro

Comedy movies get no respect. There is almost never a comedy on a top ten list for any year and the rare times there is, it's one that isn't particularly funny like "Sideways" or "The Kids are All Right". With that in mind, I'm making my list of best comedies of each year going to...1999. It was going to be a nice, round 2000, but 1999 was too good to leave out. Any further back and, frankly, I haven't seem enough of what's out there to consider myself an authority.*

* No, I don't really consider myself an authority from 1999-Present either, but I figure if you actually read my lists, then you value my opinion at least enough to disagree.

The break down, before I start.
It's a top 7 list, because not enough years warranted a 10.

Top 7: My top 7 comedies of that year. I am trying to stress comedy here. A movie may be more complete, often, but can get lowered due to a lack of comedic focus. And, maybe it won't. Another important factor. This is my list. It won't be objective, but it will be right**.
Honorable Mention: More than 7 good comedies come out most years. These didn't make my cut.
Bottom 5: Thanks primarily to bad parodies, there's always a few problem "comedies". Note that #1 I consider the worst, not the best of the 5.
Dishonorable Mention: Sadly, some years are filled with too much suck but not enough to break the top 5.
Incomplete List: I'm not perfect. There are movies I haven't seen. These are my best guesses of movies that could crack the list if I ever saw them.

** In my opinion.

So, this will be dominating this blog probably through the end of the year. I expect a considerable level of refinement going into them as time passes (or maybe less. Who the fuck cares?). Enjoy.

Top Comedy Movies of 1999

I really was going to start in 2000, but 1999 had such a strong crop I couldn't leave it out. Seriously, I don't know if there is a stronger year that I cover.

1. Office Space

Forget The Office. This was the original "my work sucks" movie [of this generation]. Endlessly quotable. Oddly, it made careers for almost no one. How happy is Jennifer Aniston though that she latched on to this project? That's given her years of goodwill for every Rumor Has It... she's made since.

2. Dogma

Arguably Kevin Smith's biggest experiment. Featuring a strong cast that has only gotten stronger since. Brilliant commentary without feeling forced and also manged to blend action into what still would've worked fine as just a pure comedy. Maybe my favorite Chris Rock roll ever.

3. American Pie

Can we say "game changer"? Basically everyone in this cast went on to have successful movie or TV careers. It also marked the return of the R-rated teen comedy of the 80s. And, let's not forget it introduced the world to the MILF.

4. Galaxy Quest

Where the hell did this movie come from? Screenplay by David Howard who has done nothing before or since. This was a brilliant parody of Star Trek but still managed to be a full movie in it's own right. It's also refreshing that it opted not to take the Mel Brooks style, absurd, in-your-face jokes. Alan Rickman's second movie on this list this year. Just saying.

5. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

I have never been a huge fan of the series, but it's quality is undeniable. And, I'm not overstepping to say this is the best of the series. It introduced the world to Verne Troyer's "Mini Me", which I'm calling a good thing. Heather Graham is a total upgrade from Liz Hurley. Make note of this because you won't be seeing many sequels on the Top list.

6. 10 Things I Hate About You

On the surface, what we have here is a standard teen movie, and in many ways, it is. Take a closer look and you have a terrific young cast (Yeah, there's an Oscar winner in the mix) surrounded by an extremely strong adult supporting cast in the background. And yes, dead Heath Ledger helps get this into the list.

7. South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut

Has it really been a dozen years since this came out? South Park is now in it's 15th season, determined to outlive the Simpsons. And let's not forget the Academy Award nomination. The movie made great use of the show's style and brand of humor in moving it to the big screen. Making it a musical added that little something extra it needed.


 HONORABLE MENTION


Notting Hill
The closer Hugh Grant stays to England, the funnier he is. Call it home court advantage, but this movie reaches a level that all his RomComs since have failed to reach.

Being John Malkovich
A great movie for "What the fuck?" laughs. It's not a movie that you laugh at the jokes as much as you randomly chuckle while watching as you reflect on how bizarre it is.

Big Daddy
Oh shit, Adam Sandler realized he is getting too old for the overgrown child schtick. Let's fix this by pairing him with an actual child. Phew, that was close...Still, funny in a much calmer manner than Sandler normally aims for.

Never Been Kissed
It's a shame Drew Barrymore spent her actual high school years high as shit, because her bubbly demeanor was made for a good high school comedy. Maybe a little too watered down, but this has just enough laughs to keep it from being a date night bust (Certainly more enjoyable from a man's perspective than The Notebook).

Life
Matrin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy, two stars that have spent the last 20 years going all out with their comedy and largely falling flat doing so. "Life" is not the funniest movie either man has done by a lot (ok, not Eddie's funniest), but it is a departure from either's standard fare and a breath of fresh air from both.

Bottom Comedy Movies of 1999

1-5 Wild Wild West
Not really a comedy and not really bad enough to deserve the entirety of the top 5 list. I had a hard time finding 4 more bottom feeders from that year (not that there aren't any). WWW is an abysmal movie. I'm still not sure whether the issue here was that there were too many cooks in the kitchen, not enough, or if the concept itself was never going to work even in the right hands.
On a side note: After watching An Evening with Kevin Smith, it makes me laugh to see that Jon Peters finally got his giant spider idea into a film.

 
DISHONORABLE MENTION
Obviously, I couldn't find five movies, so there's no overflow.


INCOMPLETE LIST
Analyze This
Good cast. Strong at the box office. It's stock has neither risen or declined over the years.Any time De Niro does comedy it is a risk with generally excellent payoff.

Election
I saw this movie years ago and knew I didn't get it at the time. All indications point toward a much better reception if I give it another chance. Besides, it takes too much effort to hate MTV Lifetime Achiement Award recipient Reese Witherspoon and Matthew "Save Ferris" Broderick.

Jawbreaker
Rose McGowan (Black hair, vintage version), Rebecca Gayheart, Julie Benz, and Judy Greer in a dark comedy in the vien of Heathers. Maybe I'm setting myself up for disappointment, but I could be very pleased if I ever get around to watching this.

Top Comedy Movies of 2000

Ahh, 2000. What a year.

1. Best in Show

Christopher Guest and Co. doing their thing. A true ensemble cast, filled with character actors who manage to be greater than the sum of their parts. The jokes are big but the delivery is grounded. The world is real and the characters fit in it, but not in the real world. Way to be cryptic, right? 

2. Meet the Parents

Beginning in the year 2000, Ben Stiller began a quest for total world comedic domination that began with this simple but hilarious movie. The idea of "what if a Robert De Niro type is the over protective ex-CIA father of the woman you want to marry" is funny enough, but they took the idea, fleshed it out, and ran with it until you had a romantic comedy concept, stripped of the most of the pitfalls of the genre. That said, De Niro isn't quite as imposing these days.

3. Almost Famous

Not the third funniest movie of 2000, but a great movie that is generally considered a comedy (I call it a light-hearted drama, but whatever). When will Cameron Crowe make another movie that works this well? It also launched Kate Hudson into stardom and introduces the world to Zooey Deschanel on her slow climb to notoriety.

4. Scary Movie

I have never liked this movie series and my enjoyment of the Wayans Brothers' comedy stopped with the end of their TV show. That said, Scary Movie was a fresh (at the time) take on movie parodies (largely dominated by Mel Brooks for years). It was Anna Faris' coming out party as well. It's still weird that they opted to do a parody of a movie series that was already aware of it "Scary Movie-ness", but it worked well enough.

5. What Women Want

The world didn't always hate Mel Gibson. Before Jew-hating and...The Beaver, he was Mel "Fucking" Gibson. Academy Award winner, Mad Max, The guy who wasn't "getting too old for this shit". "Women" was a funny concept with a charming lead, not being asked to do that much comedic heavy lifting (except maybe when he's singing his favorite Meredith Brooks song). And, this is a rare movie in that almost no one has to delivery her funniest lines while the camera is on.

6. Miss Congeniality

The name says it all. How can you hate this movie? Humorous concept and a role Sandra Bullock pulls off with ease. It went for a lot of easy jokes, but only because that's what was asked of it.

7. I could not decide on a 7th movie. One could make a case for any of the honorable mentions, but my arbitrary criteria made it impossible to settle on one.


HONORABLE MENTION

Dude, Where's My Car?
Is this movie brilliant or absolute garbage? When watching movies that know they are bad (relish in it, in fact), it is hard to determine what is funny and what is bad. I always want to side on brilliant, but can't pull the trigger.

Charlie's Angels
At some point in the late 90s, someone decided TV shows from the 70s would make great movies. Some cases turn out better than others. This is one of the better ones. Opting to take the concept and make it their own, the producers made a movie that was funny, sexy, and exciting with just the right balance.

Me, Myself and Irene
Say what you will, but Jim Carrey commits fully to his characters. I'll say, more often than not, that works in this movie. Like most Carrey comedies, it completely relies on him to be funny since he dominates any room he is in.

Road Trip
A good R-rated teenaged quest movie, made unique primarily by Tom Green's presence, which serves as both a strength and a burden. Let's just agree he works best when not the lead.

Bring It On
PG-13 teen comedy. It is what it is. The jokes are never able to hit too hard. The story doesn't break formula. But, it gives you attractive cheerleaders dancing around. No complaints here.


Loser
I've always loved this movie more than it has a right to be loved. Not particular funny. Not particularly hip. Not even properly soundtracked (Punk girl's favorite band is Everclear. Really?). The cast is enjoyable and the story, straight of of the Billy Wilder playbook.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Good movie, but whenever the soundtrack is more popular than the movie (looking at you Garden State), I have a hard time cutting any slack.

Bottom Comedy Movies of 2000

1. Ready to Rumble
How could this movie go right? It's a train wreck start to finish. I've watched it several times, not ironically.

2. The Ladies Man
It's a shame the Blues Brothers was so good (and to a lesser extent, Wayne's World), because the SNL track record has been largely full of duds ever since.

3. The Replacements
The movie is so forgettable I almost didn't rank it here, but then I remembered it stars my good friend Keanu.

4. Shanghai Noon
I own it. I like it. It's not a good movie. Cheap jokes. Lazy humor. It's a shame because Owen Wilson is probably the best person to play off Jackie Chan I've seen. A lazy movie and no one involved in making it would fight that claim.

5. Little Nicky
Does it deserve to be on a Bottom list? Probably not. Consider this my way of recognizing the end of Adam Sandler's streak of good movies.


DISHONORABLE MENTION
Didn't do enough digging to find more bad movies. I'm sure they're out there.


INCOMPLETE LIST

Chicken Run
This is one of those rare movies that I never heard any opinions of from anyone. Considering it's fairly unique nature [stateside], I'm leaving room to believe it could be a quality movie.

The Whole Nine Yards
This has the quirky appeal of something like "Analyze This". There's a relaxed humor vibe I always liked about it, but never got around to seeing in full.

Top Comedy Movies of 2001

1. Shrek

And this is beating out some heavy hitters. Ten years ago, Dreamworks came out with the first major computer generated movie not from Pixar. It was a family comedy with an edge that the Disney stuff never had. Considering its effect on the animated comedy landscape in the time since, I'm giving it my top spot this year. It's also pretty funny too.

2. Ocean's Eleven

The only reason this isn't number one is because I consider it a comedic heist movie rather than a comedy about a heist. Otherwise, superb cast, solid plot, amazing subtle jokes. Seriously, I still notice new things watching it.

3. Zoolander

I've found the movie increasingly grating over the years, but a great deal of that is from over-saturation. A good collection of Frat Packers before that was really a thing, and all playing different kind of roles than say, Old School. Over the top and wonderfully so.

4. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

Kevin Smith having perhaps the most fun he's ever had on a movie. This is all stupid humor, guest stars, and loose narrative. Somehow, excess causes a balance though. While not his best work, I give a lot of love when you can tell the people behind the scenes are enjoying making it.

5. Rat Race

2001 is apparently the year of the ensemble comedy. "Race" is certainly not the same caliber casting as the above entries, but it's an effective example of crazy premise demanding absurdity in all other regards.

6. Super Troopers

I can't keep a movie with such a cult following off my list. Despite the crazed love for this movie, the Broken Lizard comedy troupe hasn't been able to match the success of this one.

7. Wet Hot American Summer

Speaking of movies with cult followings... This one bombed in theaters and rightly so. It is so bad, but knows it. If you can embrace the summer camp camp, there is a good amount to enjoy here. The most amazing thing for me is looking at how good the cast is by today's measure.


HONORABLE MENTION
This is by far the most pack year for good comedies. A case could be made for any of these to be in the top 7.

Bridget Jones's Diary
Not my cup of tea (Get it? Because It's British), but a solid movie. A strong comedy from across the pond and certainly one of my favorite Hugh Grant as an asshole roles. Props to Renee Zellweger for doing Chicago between her two stints as chubby Bridget Jones.

Monsters, Inc.
Pixar's forth outing. As good as the movie is, this is one of the few years Dreamworks had a better product than Pixar.

Legally Blonde
A light, fluffy movie along the lines of anything Anna Faris does these days (eerily similar, in fact). Nothing notable about this except how easy it is to watch.

American Pie 2
Not quite as fresh as the original and inferior to it's follow-up (Wedding, that is. Not Band Camp). Solid on all accounts but too much rehashing of what worked in the first.

A Knight's Tale
If I could call this a comedy, it'd be ranked. Endlessly quotable (when I watch it) and very endearing. Bonus points for dead Heath Ledger.

Serendipity
Any other movie trying to pull this "right place, wrong time" shit would capture my ire, but the concept of the movie is flaunting that construct. As far as RomComs go, you could find worse.

Heartbreakers
Another non-challenging comedy that has a few strong sequences and many that fall flat. Ray Liotta made up a lot for the flat performances by Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Not Another Teen Movie
There was about a 2 year period when the Scary Movie generation of movie parodies appropriately walked the line between sincere satire and overly sophomoric. A lot of this movie goes too far although, compared to something like Meet the Spartans, it's The Shawshank Redemption.

Amélie

Quirky. Foreign. Distict Style. Upbeat. Subtitles. That sums it up.

The Princess Diaries
Introducing to the world, for the first time: Anne Hathaway. Cute movie full of cheap family-friendly laughs.

Joe Dirt
Enough of this movie works that I can't hate it. Really makes you wonder how different David Spade's career would be if he could still do a buddy movie with Chris Farley every once in a while.

Joe Somebody
I like this movie a lot and I don't know why. It's not particularly engaging or funny. Julie Bowen is always a plus. Otherwise, I can't say why.

Two Can Play That Game
Tyler Perry. Please take note. All black cast. Comedy movie. And, I don't want to tear my brain out.

Get Over It
Remember when teen comedies were rated PG-13 and attempted to get our interest by casting Sisqo and having modern Shakespeare nested plays with catchy songs? Me neither. It's probably for the best, although this one was better done than it should've been.

Bottom Comedy Movies of 2001

1. Scary Movie 2
From 1 to 2 the Wayans Brothers ran out of ideas fast, all the while running out of goodwill from audiences.

2. Dr. Dolittle 2
Eddie Murphy is funny. Why can't he pick films better?

3. Freddy Got Fingered
I am being kind only putting this at 3. This is one of the most [rightfully] panned movies of the past 20 years.

4. The Animal
It's a Rob Schneider movie and a forgettable one at that. Wasn't the female lead a contestant on Survivor?

5. Pootie Tang
I hate to rate something written by Louis C.K. so low, but it must be done.


DISHONORABLE MENTION
Five's enough.


INCOMPLETE LIST

Ghost World
A weird little movie. I've heard good things. It might be a little too quirky in it's humor though.

Monkeybone
I don't know a great deal about this. Mixed reviews mostly.

Made
I still don't know how this isn't Swingers, but I liked Swingers, so that certainly puts this under considerations. [Note: I've never seen the movie so I also don't know how it is like Swingers either]

The Royal Tenenbaums
I saw it once, but wasn't paying much attention. It lost my attention. Generally not my taste, but I will wait for a second viewing before making final judgment.

Top Comedy Movies of 2002

1. Orange County

Here's a movie that works better than it should. There's the pretty familiar inverted fish out of water storyline here, but there's such a good collection of supporting characters with Jack Black, John Lithgow, Catherine O'Hara, Schuyler Fisk, and a lot other small performances that crowd the movie with a variety of qualities and styles. It works well is what I'm trying to say.

2. My Big Fat Greek Wedding

The biggest sleeper hit of all time. In the vein of Meet the Parents, it reminded people how families can be funny. It's weird how, with all the good performances from B-list (or lower) actors, it didn't help anyone (especially Nia Vardalos) into the A-list.

3. Punch-Drunk Love

 Sure, this might be more of a drama. It is still pretty funny and Adam Sandler going extremely against character is a delight. I recommend it, but not to anyone expecting Happy Gilmore.

4. About a Boy

A pithy little British comedy. It features Hugh Grant in his asshole character rather than his [as Family Guy calls it] charmingly befuddled RomCom persona. Like a lot of British comedy, there a darker edge to it, but still greatly enjoyable.

5. Death to Smoochy

Zany dark comedy with a great cast. It examines the zany underworld of kid's shows. An excellent cast including Edward Norton, Robin Williams, Catherine Keener, and Danny DeVito. Although it isn't for everyone.

6. Mr. Deeds

Pretty standard fare for an Adam Sandler comedy. Not one of his best. Still better than a lot of things out there. A traditional fish out of water story (yeah, I know I'm using that phrase a lot), Adam Sandler plays a naive guy, Winona Rider tries not to steal anything on set, Peter Gallagher playing the asshole he plays so well, and a bunch of Happy Madison regulars doing their thing.

7. National Lampoon's Van Wilder

A 21st century attempt at Animal House. This is the blessing and the curse of the movie. National Lampoon got people noticing it, but the inevitable comparison hurt it. Ryan Reynolds plays the titular character (otherwise known as the Ryan Reynolds character). It also has Tara Reid when she was still hot and Kal Penn before he stopped getting cast as racist Indian stereotypes.


HONORABLE MENTION

Jackass: The Movie
I'm eternally on the fence about these movies. I respect physical comedy as being legitimate comedy, but I really hate their brand of it. Still, it is able to make me laugh despite myself.

Scooby-Doo
Retro and stupid. A children's movie with some humor for adults. A stronger cast than it probably deserved all pulled from the late 90s teen comedy circuit.

Two Weeks Notice
It's your prototypical Grant-ian Romantic Comedy, but I give it props simply for how enjoyable Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant are together, on or off camera.

The New Guy
I know people who swear by it. It's hurt in my book because I don't like Eddie Griffin. What we have here is a very standard movie. Nothing of note to hurt or help it's case. Considering how many movies fail to achieve even this, it's getting a mention.

Catch Me If You Can
Not really a comedy. I liked it though and it is an enjoyable 2 hours that I can't complain about.

I Spy
No one else would have this anywhere near a "best" list. I'm not everyone. I have always enjoyed Owen Wilson when he does his thing and Eddie Murphy embraced his tendency to play big without physically being being as he's been apt to do. Is the movie forgettable? Sure. Do I hate it? No.

Bottom Comedy Movies of 2002

1. The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course
I don't care if he's dead. It doesn't make the movie any better.

2. Stealing Harvard
Tom Green really is the kiss of death.

3. The Tuxedo
Jackie Chan works well with some. Not so much with others. One guess as to which list JLH belongs on.

4. The Banger Sisters
Here we have a sort of mid-life crisis movie for women with a rock-n-roll style. If that sounds lame, you are right.

5. The Sweetest Thing
I've described Bridesmaids as "The Sweetest Thing done right", which I think is pretty accurate. There's nothing wrong with lady-centric comedy, but this lacks the polish needed to make it a strong comedy.


DISHONORABLE MENTION

The Santa Clause 2
The first was good. Part 3 was awful. This one is closer in quality to the latter.

Big Fat Liar
Yeah, it's a kid's movie. That doesn't mean it should suck.

Undercover Brother
Speaking of my distaste for Eddie Griffin. I don't understand who found this funny.


INCOMPLETE LIST

About Schmidt
When in doubt, believe in Jack. The movie always looked pretty good. I'm always afraid it will be the depressing kind of funny though.

Analyze That
As I said for Analyze This: "Good cast. Strong at the box office. It's stock has neither risen or declined of the years.Any time De Niro does comedy it is a risk with generally excellent payoff."

Adaptation
Is this a comedy? I think it is. See? I know nothing about it. That's why I have to acknowledge it as a contender.

Secretary
I almost watched this once. It was 2am on a Saturday night or something. I spent most of the time half asleep and confused: Not a good way to watch it. There was a quirky potential for it to be pretty good though.

Top Comedy Movies of 2003

1. Old School

I'm labeling this as the beginning of the Frat Pack proper. Dynamite performance by Will Ferrell before he because a force as a lead actor. Vince Vaughn doing some of his best work. Luke Wilson is surprisingly good as a conflicted straight man for the odd characters around him. The humor may not be for everyone, but it sure is for a lot of them. 

2. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Most non-comedy movies I've snubbed in my rankings. I make an exception here because what is this movie without Johnny Depp's mostly comedic performance? Not much. That's what separates the movie from being, say, Kingdom of Heaven. And honestly, "Why is the rum gone?" alone was enough to put it on the list.

3. Finding Nemo

One of the best movies that year. One of the best Pixar movies ever. One of the best family movies of the past decade or two. Also, really funny. I notice Ellen Degeneres does something every few years just to remind people she is the funniest woman alive then keeps a lower profile until we nearly forget that and comes back again.

4. Bad Santa

This Christmas movie edges out another on my list, mostly because the list was getting too family friendly. Raunchy, wrong, and ridiculous. Billy Bob Thorton doesn't give a damn better than just about anyone and flaunts it here.

5. Elf

You have a little Will Ferrell acting silly, Zooey Deschanel when she was still being cast as that sarcastic girl, Peter Dinklage as an angry little man, and Bob Newhart, you know, in the movie. PG fare doesn't get much better.

6. Bruce Almighty

I like that Jim Carrey takes a break from drama every once and a while to remind us how great he is comically. Morgan Freeman as god is a stroke of genius. A project for Jennifer Aniston to put in the win column (she should have more of those). Also, this marks the beginning of Steve Carrell's prominent career in movies.

7. Lost in Translation

Hmm, Bill Murray can be funny and poignant. Honestly, it's been too long since I last watched this. I'm probably rating it unfairly. I remember it being good though and I'm rating it so.

8. The Room

A movie so special, I added a #8 the ranking. This is beyond ranking in actuality. It's heartbreaking, genre-bending, over the top, riveting, messy, wild, and perhaps ahead of it's time. Rightly, the successor to The Rocky Horror Picture Show.


HONORABLE MENTION

Big Fish
This isn't a very funny movie. It's shot in a way that you have to smile and makes you think it's a comedy. It is more ridiculous than anything, but sheer good-will alone gets it some consideration.

Love, Actually
I really love this movie. Not even ashamed to admit it. I went back and forth on putting it in my top 7. It missed it by virtually the flip of a coin. No movie I can think of, balances so many stars so well, with so much heart, without feeling heavy-handed. 2003 was a great year for Christmas movies.

Bringing Down the House
I never liked this much. I think it had something to do with some distinctions it made about acting "white" or "black". I don't fully remember because I watched it once, got bothered by that, and have had no desire to watch it since. Enough other people I know like it, and since I accept the possibility of my fallibility, here it is, getting some consideration.

School of Rock
Occasionally Jack Black gets it right. Problem is, never as the sole lead. This is as close as he comes.

Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star
I wish the best for David Spade in his endeavors. Enough worked that I didn't hate it. That's all I can say in it's favor. There was a good use of former childhood stars.

Stuck on You
Stupid as shit movie. Are Greg Kinnear and Matt Damon even the same age? It doesn't matter. Cher takes a surprisingly comedic turn, for some reason deciding to be in this. Overall it has that same Dumb and Dumber quality that makes it endearing when it shouldn't be.

Down with Love
Either a poorly made movie or a brilliant parody of a specific style of movie (possibly both).

National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze
I want to pan this movie. The acting is horrible, sure, but it has such an impressive script of intersecting stories, I must give credit where it's due.

Alex and Emma
Kate Hudson speaking in bad fake accents. Luke Wilson as an author in trouble with the mob and needs someone to dictate for him because...I still am not sure why. Flimsy at best. It's a cute movie and I enjoyed the telling of the story as different period pieces.

What a Girl Wants
This was going to be the start of a great movie career for Amanda Bynes. Who knew she'd never leave high school? Bummer.