Airplane!

One line review: Airplane goes with the shotgun approach to comedy and gets quite a few hits.

Movie Title: Airplane!

Actors: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Julie Hagerty, Robert Hays, Leslie Nielsen, Lorna Patterson, Robert Stack, Stephen Stucker

Director: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker

Year: 1980

Genre: Comedy

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 98% – Though unabashedly juvenile and silly, Airplane! is nevertheless an uproarious spoof comedy full of quotable lines and slapstick gags that endure to this day.

My rating: ****

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): I’m surprised how much I enjoyed Airplane! Normally the shotgun approach to comedy turns me off as one joke after another falls flat. Not only did I enjoy the majority of the jokes that we’re performed but even when a joke fell flat it didn’t ruin the fun. I believe what sets this apart from most “shotgun” comedies are the running gags which keep building on one another until you have to laugh. This is the kind of movie that you could probably pick up at any point in the film and start laughing in a few minutes. Damn good movie.

National Lampoon’s Animal House

One line review: Crude humor, pointless scenes, and all around an empty movie.

Movie Title: National Lampoon’s Animal House

Actors: Tom Hulce, Stephen Furst, Mark Metcalf, Mary Louise Weller, Martha Smith, James Daughton, Kevin Bacon, John Belushi, Douglas Kenney, Chris Miller

Director: John Landis

Year: 1979

Genre: Comedy

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 90% – The talents of director John Landis and Saturday Night Live’s irrepressible John Belushi conspired to create a rambunctious, subversive college comedy that continues to resonate.

My rating: *

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): Animal House is a pretty basic film with a lot of one liners and gross out humor. I could notfind anything redeemable about this movie that would make me ever want to watch it again. Maybe I could understand if you watched this as a teenager and the concept of a boobie in a film was incredible then this movie could hold some nostalgic value. I did not enjoy watching this movie, did not laugh at any of the jokes, and I have no intentions of watching any of it’s sequels. Just a waste of time and energy all around.

Beverly Hills Cop

One line review: Beverly Hills Cop is a mix of comedic pranks and buddy cop action, and it’s average in both.

Movie Title: Beverly Hills Cop

Actors: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Lisa Eilbacher, Ronny Cox, Steven Berkoff, James Russo, Jonathan Banks, Stephen Elliott, Gilbert R. Hill, Art Kimbro, Joel Bailey, Bronson Pinchot, Paul Reiser

Director: Martin Brest

Year: 1984

Genre: Action / Comedy

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 82% – Classic ’80s Murphy vehicle; fun but foulmouthed.

My rating: ***

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): So apparently Dr. Dolittle made Action/Comedy movies before making a ton of family crap, and it didn’t impress me too much. A lot of this movie depends on your enjoying watching Eddie Murphy laugh at his own jokes and enjoying the same electronic music over and over again. The comedy was hit and miss, and I quickly got annoyed with Eddie Murphy, while the action was just slapped on at the end. This is at best an average movie, and I don’t see why it ended up being so memorable. Maybe other people appreciate Eddie Murphy’s antics more than I do.

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

One line review: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is a fun movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Movie Title: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

Actors: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin, Terry Camilleri, Dan Shor, Tony Steedman, Rod Loomis, Al Leong, Jane Wiedlin, Robert V. Barron, Clifford David,    Hal Landon Jr.

Director: Stephen Herek

Year: 1989

Genre: Comedy

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 82% – Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are just charming, goofy, and silly enough to make this fluffy time-travel Adventure work.

My rating: ****

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure manages to find the perfect mix between goofy comedy and annoying characters to come out as an absolutely fantastic movie. I can honestly not put my finger on what allows it to hit the sweet spot. Other movies have had annoying and obnoxious comedic duos and they sometimes fail horribly. It might be something their relative innocence that makes them endearing. One final note, the abuse of time travel logic in the final scenes in jail was the most hilarious thing I’ve seen in a while. This movie is just fun, silly, and a good time.

The Cannonball Run

One line review: The Cannonball Run

Movie Title: The Cannonball Run

Actors: Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Jack Elam, Adrienne Barbeau, Terry Bradshaw, Jackie Chan, Bert Convy, Jamie Farr

Director: Hal Needham

Year: 1981

Genre: Comedy

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 31% – Nonsense but fun nevertheless with a crazy ensemble cast of celebrities of the era.

My rating: **

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): This movie is just a series of crappy gags strung together in something vaugely resembling a plot. There is occasionally a joke or gag that can actually get a laugh, but for the most part this movie is a forgettable mess. I assume it was considered memorable for the big fight scene at the end, and honestly that scene alone is why this movie isn’t a one star. I have no intention of looking into the sequel and will probably even avoid looking at any other Burt Reynold movies. I just don’t know why anyone would enjoy this silly, stupid, movie.

Big

One line review: Big is a decent movie that actually provides some moments of entertainment, but overall the gag just doesn’t last the entire film.

Movie Title: Big

Actors: Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia, John Heard, Jared Rushton, David Moscow, Jon Lovitz, Mercedes Ruehl, Josh Clark

Director: Penny Marshall

Year: 1988

Genre: Comedy

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 96% – Refreshingly sweet and undeniably funny, Big is a showcase for Tom Hanks, who dives into his role and infuses it with charm and surprising poignancy.

My rating: ***

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): Big certainly gets credit for Tom Hanks’ performance, capturing childhood innocence and happiness, but eventually the movie started to wear on me til I was just waiting for the whole thing to end. I’d almost be more interested in a version of this cut in half. For the most part I simply enjoyed watching Tom Hanks rather than enjoying any specific joke or skit. Actually some of the sections with awkward moments were the sections I hated the most. I just wanted to watch Tom Hanks, and the movie kind of got in the way. An okay movie, not my favorite.

History of the World Part I

One line review: A handful of good jokes don’t make up for an overall boring film.

Movie Title: History of the World Part I

Actors: Mel Brooks, Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman, Ron Carey, Gregory Hines, Pamela Stephenson, Shecky Greene, Sid Caesar, Mary-Margaret Humes, Orson Welles

Director: Mel Brooks

Year: 1981

Genre: Comedy

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 62% – Mel Brooks’ The History of the World: Part I contains plenty of belly-shaking laughs.

My rating: **

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): This film was at it’s best when it was doing short and small jokes at the beginning. As the film tries to expand more into something resembling a plot the jokes become fewer, more vulgar, and overall less original. This is a film where you barely even need the audio as almost everything is a visual gag, with 50% of the gags being racist, sexual, or religious. After a while you simply get tired of crappy jokes and want the film to end. There is no need to watch this film again, nor much need to watch it the first time.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

One line review: A shotgun blast of random comedy bits loosely strung together to form something resembling a movie.

Movie Title: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Actors: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer, Ty Burrell, Michael Kelly, Kevin Zegers, Michael Barry, Lindy Booth

Director: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones

Year: 1975

Genre: Comedy

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: Family

Rotten Tomatoes: 94% – A cult classic as gut-bustingly hilarious as it is blithely ridiculous, Monty Python and the Holy Grail has lost none of its exceedingly silly charm.

My rating: ***

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): I’m honestly not quite sure what I’ve just seen. I suppose it was a movie, though a very strange movie that barely had a central plot or logical path. It was more a series of skits loosely strung together. Some skits were funny, some weren’t, but overall it was good. I don’t think I see this as a classic like other people do, so much as some harmless fun. The movie itself is hoping you’ll forget the lame skits and have good memories of the funny skits. Good enough for a single watch, but no need to watch it again.

A Fish Called Wanda

One line review: A strange but fun comedy that is helped by very strong characters.

Movie Title: A Fish Called Wanda

Actors: John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis , Kevin Kline, Michael Palin, Maria Aitken, Tom Georgeson, Patricia Hayes

Director: Charles Crichton

Year: 1988

Genre: Comedy

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: No One

Rotten Tomatoes: 96% – Although filled with clever twists and double-crosses, the film’s storyline is less important than the opportunities it gives the actors to exploit their goofy characterizations.

My rating: ***

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): A very odd, quirky, unusual, and awkward comedy. Despite all that, still enjoyable. You’ll have to turn your brain off for several of the plot twists and sillier parts of the movie, but once you do so you should have a fun time with it. I felt a bit too much of it’s comedy was focused on having the characters acting silly in public or just playing off of each other. At the same time, the strong characters and strong acting probably saved this movie from being just another mediocre comedy. While I can’t give it a high recommendation, it’s okay.

Johnny Dangerously

One line review: A brilliant little comedy that is a combination of spoof and celebration of gangster films.

Movie Title: Johnny Dangerously

Actors: Michael Keaton, Joe Piscopo, Marilu Henner, Maureen Stapleton, Peter Boyle, Griffin Dunne, Glynnis O’Connor, Dom DeLuise, Richard Dimitri, Danny DeVito

Director: Amy Heckerling

Year: 1984

Genre: Comedy

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: My Uncle

Rotten Tomatoes: 47% – I know I shouldn’t like this film, but dammit, it’s just so gloriously exuberantly silly that there’s no use condemning it.

My rating: ****

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): I have no idea how this movie got on my list of 101 films, but I’m glad it did. It doesn’t seem to be that well loved by any movie critics, but I’m telling you to give this movie a shot and you’ll find a wonderful, silly, and quirky film. You better not take this film too seriously, otherwise you might criticize it for some potty humor and some rather silly puns. However, as long as you don’t take things too seriously you’ll find a film that it full of heart, and certainly worth a shot. One of my favorite comedies.