Tag Archives: Jim Abrahams

Podcast

MOV042: “Latrine!”

What’s the top Spoof movies of all time? Is going crazy a good storyline? Can Jeff stand Danny McBride? This, Oscar Talk, Top Secret and more on this episode of COL Movies.

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News:

  • First real good look at the Red Skull? http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Witness-The-First-Real-Look-At-Captain-America-s-The-Red-Skull-23469.html
  • Blade Runner Reboot in the works http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Blade-Runner-Reboot-Close-To-Becoming-A-Reality-23453.html
  • Alcon Entertainment Quote “This is a major acquisition for our company, and a personal favorite film for both of us. We recognize the responsibility we have to do justice to the memory of the original with any prequel or sequel we produce. We have long-term goals for the franchise, and are exploring multi-platform concepts, not just limiting ourselves to one medium only.”
  • Help save “The Kings Speech” by not going to see it. http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Help-Save-The-King-s-Speech-By-Refusing-To-See-It-23385.html
  • Oscars talk.

The Past: Top Secret! (1984)

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Director: (s) Jim Abrahams;David Zucker;Jerry Zucker
Starring: Val Kilmer, Peter Cushing, Lucy Gutteridge
Rotten Tomatoes: 76% Fresh

Trivia:

  • The Latin spoken by the priest at Fleurgendorf Prison on the way to the execution room is just random phrases, borrowed partly from the religious, medical and legal professions
  • After receiving an order, one of the German officers replies with, “Ich liebe Dich, mein Schatz,” which translates to “I love you, honey.”
  • The surfing sequences were filmed at Holywell Bay, Cornwall, UK (a few miles down the coast from Newquay, a popular surfing town). The palm trees were fake, and the surf shack was in fact the actual lifeguard’s hut (which is still there). The beach is recognizable by the two large rock formations located at the left of the beach, approx 100 meters out to sea.
  • German dub version uses next to no Yiddish, opting instead on either Saxonian accent or High German. Several jokes are rewritten to spoof the GDR to make up for the fact that the script did not excel in research of GDR specifics. It also dispenses with the film’s notion of portraying the East German (GDR) regime as “born-again Nazis”
  • Val Kilmer’s first feature film
  • Cows Hate having things on their feet so the bottoms were cut out of the wellington boots, and are attached to the cows legs
  • The scene in which Lucy Gutteridge looks down from the balcony onto the street to see hamsters and mice was in fact a miniature from Superman (1978). The Zucker Brothers and Jim Abrahams stated in their DVD commentary that they found it in the old Shepperton studios and thought it would be a great idea to use it in somewhere in the movie.

Talking Points:

  • I love how Peter Cushing gets top billing in this movie.. for being in one scene

What We’ve Learned:

  • Never order the Ripple
  • Swedish is essentially English backwards.
  • The East Germans Hated the Montgomery Wards Catalog
  • Never use the “Anal Intruder” unsupervised
  • Remember European power outlets have a different voltage.

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: One of my favorite comedies. Subtle but silly, and absurd.
Ray: This is probably one of my least favorite spoofs… the movie just doesn’t work for me, I don’t find a lot of it funny, and I just don’t get the Nazi take on East Germany
Steve: Has it’s moments – like the East German women’s wrestling team – that just remind me of growing up in the 70s and 80s. Not the best, but not the worst.

Intermission: Top Spoof movies

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The Present: Black Swan

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% Fresh

Trivia:

  • The script took around ten years to make it to the screen
  • Darren Aronofsky offered Mila Kunis the role of Lily over Skype, without an audition
  • The soundtrack, composed by Clint Mansell is a variation on Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” ballet, but played backwards and in a distorted manner.
  • Nina’s cell phone ring tone is the Theme of the Black Swan.
  • The overhead shot of Nina in the bathtub is an exact replica of a shot in the Japanese anime thriller Perfect Blue (1998). Prior to Requiem for a Dream (2000), Darren Aronofsky bought the remake rights to the film just to use that one sequence.

Talking Points:

  • Was there a point this movie was trying to get across?
  • Holy cow! That’s Mila Kunis!?
  • Ballerina Fight Club!
  • Wynona Rider’s character/performance?

What We Learned:

  • Natalie did a convincing job as a prima ballerina
  • These Bitches Be CRAZY
  • Always make sure your mother is not in the room before you start masturbating

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: A definite thinking film. With the one viewing, I didn’t like it but kept me thinking after the show, I feel like multiple viewings will get me to like it better. Well done.
Ray: A Darren Aronofsky film that deals with a person who has an obsession/addiction in their lives that 4slowly causes them to self destruct? Never seen THAT before!
Steve: I got lost…but enjoyed the movie for it’s visuals and the performances. Maybe I’m just not smart enough for this one. 🙁

The Future: Your Highness (4-8-2011)

Starring: Danny McBride, Zooey Deschanel, James Franco, Natalie Portman

Trivia:

  • Although the film was written by writer Ben Best and actor Danny McBride, the dialogue is heavily improvised. Director David Gordon Green said there was never a script used on-set.
  • For the green band (appropriate audiences) trailer a shot of Natalie Portman’s back (that was also used unaltered in the red band trailer) was digitally altered to turn a thong into a more substantial and less revealing garment.

Talking Points:

  • I wouldn’t mind seeing Natalie Portman as Lara Croft after seeing this.
  • James Franco?

Summary:

  • When Prince Fabious’s bride is kidnapped, he goes on a quest to rescue her… accompanied by his lazy useless brother Thadeous.

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: Kill me.
Ray:Feels like “A Princess Bride” I’d go see it
Steve: Looks hokey, but enough interest for me to give it a shot on DVD.

Coming Attractions

The Past

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The Present

The Future

 

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MOV037: “Thank you Andre, I’ll have the Veal Picatta”

The boys review a wide variety this week. Does “Hot Shots!” still deliver on the spoof comedy front? Is “The Way Back” just too long to hold their attention? Will “Thor” hammer his way into their hearts or just be eye-candy? It’s also Oscar and Razzie nomination time, so the boys weigh in on their predictions. All this and more in this episode of COL Movies!

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The Past: Hot Shots! (1991)

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Director: Jim Abrahms

Starring: Charlie Sheen, Cary Elwes, Valeria Golino

Trivia:

  • Charlie Sheen (Topper), Jon Cryer (Washout) and Ryan Styles (Mailman) would all go on to work together on the TV show “Two and a half men”
  • Several of the Aircraft Carrier scenes were re-used stock footage from “Flight of The Intruder” and “The Final Countdown”
  • Valeria Golino claims the scene in which she catches an olive popped out of her bellybutton was accomplished without trick photography.
  • Lloyd Bridges replaced George C. Scott
  • The aircraft carrier on which the movie takes place is actually a wooden deck built on the edge of a cliff at a deserted Marineland facility. The film was shot at an angle that made the deck look like a ship at sea.
  • Topper Harley’s name comes from Harley-Davidson’s 1960’s motor scooter, the Harley Topper.

Talking Points:

  • Where would you say this movie rates within the genre?
  • Lloyd Bridges, nuff said.
  • Did you have a favorite character?

What We’ve Learned:

  • Always check your chair for chihuahuas before sitting down
  • Charlie Sheen would have possibly made a good superman
  • Not playing to win is like sleeping with your sister
  • You can’t be an admiral without your cap
  • Movie credits are a good place for recipes

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: Now this is the type of comedy I love.
Ray: Took me a while, but it had me laughing at the end of it.
Steve: Spoof classic. Clever from everything from visuals, writing, and delivery of lines. Surprisingly cerebral at times. I like this a ton more than Airplane any day.

The Present: The Way Back

Director: Peter Weir

Starring: Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, Colin Farrell

Trivia:

  • The film is based on a memoir by Slavomir Rawicz depicting his escape from a Siberian gulag and subsequent 4000-mile walk to freedom in India. Incredibly popular, it sold over 500,000 copies and is credited with inspiring many explorers. However, in 2006 the BBC unearthed records (including some written by Rawicz himself) that showed he had been released by the USSR in 1942. In 2009 another former Polish soldier, Witold Glinski, claimed that the book was really an account of his own escape. However this claim too has been seriously challenged

Talking Points:

  • Did anyone find the switching between subtitles and non-subtitles confusing
  • Escape was anticlimactic
  • Was the passage of time adequately conveyed?
  • Was the Prison sequence itself too long? Could this movie been about.. an hour shorter?

What We Learned:

  • In Siberia, kindness can kill you
  • Grateful is for dogs
  • Snake Tastes like Chicken
  • This is a great movie to watch if you need to fall asleep.

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: Great movie, just suffers from extreme lag.
Ray: “yaaaaaaaawn” I think there was more walking in this movie than The Lord of The Rings movies.
Steve: Although I liked it, I did take about a 15 minute nap in the middle. It did feel very “epic” and the settings/locations were very authentic looking and gorgeous. Definitely made me feel for the characters.

The Future: Thor (5-6-2011)

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman

Trivia:

  • Director Kenneth Branagh conceptualized this film as a Norse/comic-book twist on William Shakespeare’s ‘Henry V’, which was about a young king who underwent trials and tribulations: fighting a war, courting a girl from another land, and basic character development.
  • The Original Screenplay written in 2006 would have taken approx 300 million dollars to make
  • Sam Raimi had planned to direct this movie after the film “Darkman” (1990)
  • Jim Carrey was a long time favorite to play the Role of Loki
  • Daniel Craig, Brad Pitt, Channing Tatum, Triple H were all considered for the part of Thor
  • Natalie Portman took the role of Jane Foster because she couldn’t resist the opportunity to do a comic book movie with Kenneth Branagh “I was just like Kenneth Branagh doing ‘Thor’ is super-weird, Ive Gotta Do it”
  • Anthony Hopkins signed on as Odin despite never reading a “Thor” comic or knowing anything about the Thor mythology. It was the concept of the father and son relationship that intrigued him about the role
  • Stan Lee claims he’d always wanted to play Odin, but was happy with Anthony Hopkins’s casting and performance in the role.

Talking Points:

  • Costumes? Anyone else think they look like Stargate + Power Rangers?
  • Anyone else thing Tom Hiddleston looks like Johnny Weir?
  • Thor = Dickhead?

Summary:
The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: The trailer is actually making me excited. I’m still concerned for two words, “Kenneth Branagh”
Ray: Not doing it for me.. Can we have the Avengers now?
Steve: I fell for the trailer. I think it looks good and so does Thor himself! Sir Anthony Hopkins can lure me in anytime because he’s not going to be associated with crap.

Coming Attractions:
The Past

The Present

The Future

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MOV025: “Excuse Me Stewardess, I Speak Jive”

Jeff shows the love and Steve shows the Meh’s of Airplane! Why did Jeff walk out of Saw 3D? And are our sassy hosts interested at all with The Fighter? This and new on this brand new reel of COL Movies.

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The Past: Airplane! (1980)

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Director: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker

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

Trivia:

  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s role was originally to be played by Pete Rose, but he was playing baseball at the time of the filming, so the part went to Kareem. He was offered $30,000 to appear in the film, but he asked for $35,000 to buy an oriental rug
  • The film is mostly a parody of Zero Hour! (1957), a film that had a main character named Ted Stryker and such famous “not meant to be funny” lines like “We have to find someone who can not only fly this plane, but who didn’t have fish for dinner.”
  • “Stayin’ Alive” was sped up for the dance scene of the film. Permission from The Bee Gees had to be obtained to speed it up.
  • Nominated for 1981 Golden Globes Best Motion Picture – Musical/Comedy

Talking Points:

  • If this movie was made today, would it have gotten as good a reception post 9/11?
  • If this movie was released today as a new film, would it be well-received?

What We’ve Learned:

  • Don’t eat the fish on an airplane.
  • The white zone is for loading and unloading only. There is no stopping in the red zone.
  • The red zone is for loading and unloading only. There is no stopping in the white zone.
  • If you’re playing a guitar for a sick girl, watch where you’re swinging the guitar.
  • A polyester suit will always get you the girl on the dance floor
  • If the automatic pilot is failing, just blow him.
  • The doctor on the plane is the one with the stethoscope in his ears.
  • I like my coffee like I like my men.

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: If you don’t own this yet, what is wrong with you?
Ray: Mindless, you either dig this kinda movie or you dont.
Steve: Definitely a sign of the times it was made in. I find parts funny, but not the whole thing.

The Present: Saw 3D (2010)

Director: Kevin Greutert

Starring: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Dean Armstrong, Chad E. Donella

Trivia:

  • Kevin Greutert, along with writers Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, attempted a comprehensive rewrite of the script a week before filming.
  • Due to the slow 3D process, filming was completed in 9 weeks as opposed to the usual 6 weeks for previous installments
  • The garage trap was written for an earlier film in the series, but the producers felt it was “too disturbing” to show in a film. For an unknown reason they finally allowed it to be filmed.
  • Had to be submitted six times to obtain an “R” rating from the Major Motion Picture Association of America, to avoid an NC-17 rating.

Talking Points:

  • Why and When Did Jeff Walk out?
  • What was the point of the 3D in this film?
  • It is necessary to see previous movies to understand this one?
  • Do we really think this will be the “final” SAW?

What We Learned:

  • Plot, is pretty unnecessary apparently
  • Its apparently fairly easy for a known accomplice to a serial killer, and EX POLICE DETECTIVE, to sneak into a police station relatively unnoticed.
  • The makers of this film clearly wanted to go out with a bang.
  • Let’s hope this is the last Saw film.

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: First movie I ever walked out of. At least I had my pizza and beer.
Ray: Although I say skip it altogether, if you’re going to see it don’t pay to see it in 3D.
Steve: I actually cringed at times. The stuff spraying at the screen is annoying.

The Future: The Fighter (2010)

Director: David O. Russell

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo, Jack McGee

Trivia:

  • Matt Damon and Brad Pitt were previously attached to play Dick Ecklund, but the role went to Christian Bale.
  • Darren Aronofsky was previously attached to direct.
  • Michael Fassbender auditioned for a role.
  • Emily Blunt turned down a role.
  • Art Ramalho’s gym is the actual Lowell West End Gym and not a set. This is in fact where Micky trained and is still a functioning boxing gym to this day.
  • The big fight filmed in Lowell at The Tsongas Arena had over 200 “dummies” (props – not people) in the audience to help fill up the stands.
  • Christian Bale reportedly lost weight to achieve the very thin frame of Dickie Ecklund by eating very little. He even went missing for hours at a time in preparation for his role.

Talking Points:

  • Why would you go see this movie?

Summary:
Life story of boxer “Irish” Mickey Ward and his trainer brother Dick Eklund, chronicling the brothers’ early days on the rough streets of Lowell, Massachusetts through Eklund’s battle with drugs and Ward’s eventual world championship in London.

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: It’s a boxer flick. I’m a little intrigued.
Ray: Meh.. not my kinda movie. all i can think of is this “Who’s gonna train me!?”
Steve: Not really into biopic kind of movies. Wahlberg looks good, but not interested.

Coming Attractions – Jeff

The Past

The Present

The Future

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