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Franks, Beans, and Ho CakesApr 09 '01 (Updated Jul 09 '01) Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line As you can see, my list largely reflects my 80's upbringing during a time I was very impressionable. Hollywood Shuffle (1987) Robert Townsend plays a struggling, black actor who dreams of being cast as a hero but gets a part as a jive-talking street hood. The movie, dealing with black roles in Hollywood films, has many hilarious sketches like the Black Acting School where white guys teach black guys how to act black or a Siskel & Ebert spoof called “Sneakin into the Movies”. Hollywood Shuffle, also starring Keenan Ivory Wayans and Damon Wayans aims to make fun of movie stereotypes while delivering the message to keep one’s integrity amidst the Hollywood rat race. Top Secret (1984) Directed by Abrahams and Zucker (Airplane, Naked Gun), Top Secret stars a young Val Kilmer as Nick Rivers, an Elvis-like pop star touring in World War 2 Germany. Nick falls for Hillary, the daughter of an imprisoned scientist, and decides to help in her mission to free her father. There’s a lot of spoofing going on from spy movies to the Wizard of Oz to the Blue Lagoon. One sequence is filmed entirely backwards with English subtitles. Another scene of a western bar brawl is shot underwater. This is definitely a LOL movie. Evil Dead 2 (1987) This is the only movie to make it on my top horror and action lists. Sam Raimi (A Simple Plan, Darkman) directs this roller-coaster masterpiece of slapstick and gore. Bruce Campbell plays Ash, a supermarket clerk, who is trapped in a cabin in the woods and must fight an evil, conjured from an ancient text called the Necronomicon. You won’t have to see the first Evil Dead to make sense of the movie since they were made as separate entities. Evil Dead 2 is an inventive concoction of horror and cartoon-ish comedy. Poor Ash is subjected to all kinds of insanity. He violently fights off hallucinations, delirious corpses, and his possessed hand. If you can handle the gore, Evil Dead 2 should prove to be a wild, comedic ride. As Good as it Gets (1997) A character-driven comedy/drama stars Jack Nicholson as Melvin, a compulsive-obsessive writer painfully lacking tact. At the local eatery, Melvin berates customers dining at his usual table. He uses his own plastic utensils and is disgusted when a new waitress touches them. Only one waitress, Carol (Helen Hunt) can handle the mean, eccentric Melvin. Greg Kinnear plays Simon, the gay neighbor who endures Melvin’s rude remarks and odd behavior. The cynical, cold Melvin is somewhat ignorant of his behavior's hurtful effect until he gets to know Carol and Simon on a deeper level. The movie shows how each character is changed for the better through their interaction. Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) A Coca-Cola bottle thrown from an airplane is found in the Kalahari Desert by a Bushmen Tribe who thinks it’s a gift from the gods. At first they use it as a tool, but the bottle creates tension as people fight for the right to use it. One of the tribesmen, Xixo, decides to give it back to the gods, but must travel to the end of the world to give the bottle back. Xixo, during his travels, encounters for the first time white people and modern technology. The movie’s narration illuminates Xixo thoughts as he makes sense of white people and their ways. Gods is a light-hearted, harmless comedy suitable for the entire family. History of the World, Part I (1981) Narrated by Orson Wells, the film is Mel Brooks’ comedic world history lesson. Starting out with the “Dawn of Man,” History proceeds with the Biblical and Roman eras. Dom DeLouis is especially funny as a slob-like Cesear. Madeline Khan plays his wife who chooses her sexual partners with a yes and a no from a line of men. Also starring Sid Ceaser, Gregory Hines, and Mel Torme, the movie ends with a musical version of the Spanish Inquisition and the French Revolution. Be prepared for tasteless humor. During the ending credits, scenes from the never-released Part II are advertised like Hitler on Ice. Trading Places (1983) Two wealthy business moguls, Randolph and Mortimer, have a bet: to prove that money or the lack of can make or break a man. They decide to take every material possession from a business associate, Louis, (Dan Akroyd) and give it to the street bum, Billy Ray (Eddie Murphy). We watch as Louis, without his worldly goods, deteriorates into a thieving drunk, while Billy Ray rises as a professional. The Akroyd – Murphy duo are at their funny best throughout the movie. Ace Ventura, Pet Detective (1994) This is my favorite Jim Carrey movie because is showcases his unique, physical comedic talents. He has me laughing even when he isn’t saying anything. Carrey plays, Ace, an animal detective who is hired to track a kidnapped dolphin. In one scene, Ace’s landlord, inspecting the apartment, warns Ace that he better not have any animals. As soon as the landlord leaves, Ace’s hiding pets ranging from penguins to weasels greet him in an Animal Kingdom-like assemblage. Courtney Cox plays his love interest, Sean Young (Blade Runner) plays the corrupt police lieutenant obstructing his investigation. There’s Something About Mary (1998) Mary (Cameron Diaz) is the adorable object of affection for the men who encounter her. Ted (Ben Stiller), a high school friend and admirer, decides to hire Pat (Matt Dillion), a private investigator to find her nearly ten years later. Directed by the Farrelly Brothers (Dumb & Dumber), this movie has many irreverent scenes the most memorable being the flashback to prom night when Ted zips up his private parts after using the bathroom. Despite its irreverent moments, There’s Something About Mary is a sweet movie. The Wedding Singer (1998) Another sweet comedy about Robbie (Adam Sandler), a wedding singer who is left standing at the alter of his own wedding. He depressingly continues his singing occupation although he hates weddings now. A waitress (Drew Barrymore) for a wedding catering company befriends the distraught Robbie, asking him to sing at her wedding to the secretly unfaithful Glen. The movie takes place in the eighties so there’s a lot of nostalgia like Miami Vice and Michael Jackson wardrobes and the soundtrack including Culture Club and Spandau Ballet. Billy Idol who hasn’t aged well makes a cameo. Hardware Wars: May the Farce be with You (1978) "Hardware Wars is my favorite Star Wars parody," George Lucas said of this 20 minute film. It's really cheezy: instead of the Millennium Falcon there's appliances like a flying waffle iron and toaster suspended noticeably by strings. Ham Salad, Princess Anne-Droid, and Darph Nader are some of the character look-alikes from the original Star Wars. It's a lot of silly fun.  |
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