Taika Waititi has always been a filmmaker that’s managed to challenge conventions and deliver tales that are always completely out of the ordinary. With “Jojo Rabbit,” it’s another in a long line of tales about the male ego and the weird world that they belong to. In Waititi’s case, it’s the briefly controversial “Jojo Rabbit,” a movie that received a lot of buzz for its depiction of Adolf Hitler. Once you got down to the meat and potatoes of the narrative though, you learn that it’s the destruction of Hitler and how he’s so uncomplicated that he’s reduced to an imaginary friend of a young child.
Tag Archives: Comedy
The Swan Princess (1994): 25th Anniversary [Blu-ray]
In the nineties, many American movie studios were trying to beat Disney at their game by basically—mimicking everything that made their movies a hit. They didn’t try to rewrite the rules until the early aughts; before then we had a bunch of movies that were basically D grade copies of Disney hits. Richard Rich is a once Disney animator who tries his best to riff on Disney, taking a classic fairy tale and adding about every trope from the Disney list you can imagine, right down to funny talking animals. What he forgets is entertainment and a sense of life.
Charlton Heston to the Rescue
He singlehandedly took on Pharaoh’s army, the Roman legions, the Moors, the Pope, King Herod, Laurence Olivier in blackface and, of course, those damn dirty apes. Whether he was a Mexican cop, Mark Antony or Long John Silver, Charlton Heston was always ready to rumble and no crisis – zombies, earthquakes or a Karen Black-piloted airplane – would scare him away. On this episode of “The Online Movie Show,” Facebook’s funniest man Anthony “Kingfish” Vitamia pays tribute to Charlton Heston, as well as some of his zany co-stars! Grab a bowl of soylent green and enjoy the show!
The Bootleg Files: The Halloween That Almost Wasn’t
BOOTLEG FILES 707: “The Halloween That Almost Wasn’t” (1979 TV special with Judd Hirsch and Mariette Hartley).
LAST SEEN: On YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: A VHS video release only.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Something is holding up a DVD and Blu-ray release.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not a priority.
So, how was your Halloween? If you wish the holiday could go on a bit longer, then you came to the right place because we are digging up one of the silliest productions centered around October 31.
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The Stuff (1985)
Larry Cohen’s “The Stuff” is one of those “so bad its good” horror comedies that’s managed to creep in to the collective consciousness of movie buffs since its release and for good reason. While much of the movie is so painfully ridiculous, it also kind of comes packed with a still very relevant message about consumerism and our obsession with junk food. You could mock it all you want, but when the credits roll, its message is a lot more sophisticated than bad green screen and horrendous sound design. Cohen’s film is wildly uneven in tone and never really decides if it wants to be sci-fi, horror, comedy, or complete satire.
Day of the Dead (2008)
This might stun you but “Day of the Dead” 2008 is not a terrible movie. In fact on some plane in some mysterious way I didn’t hate it. It may even become a camp classic somewhere down the line. Now before you bag on me, heed the advice I bided by before watching this. Forget it’s called “Day of the Dead,” forget it’s allegedly a remake, and just bow your head and power on through and what you’ll find is a zombie flick that’s so bad it’s… well, it’s quite good. If it had been called “Day of the Living Zombies,” or something else generic, I think the supposed purists would find it much more entertaining.
The Wizard of Oz (1939) [4K UHD/Blu-Ray/Digital]
1939’s “The Wizard of Oz” is and is still widely considered the definitive fantasy masterpiece that has barely aged after so many decades. Even film fans that don’t care much for older films still have a hard time turning down “The Wizard of Oz” and ignoring its indefinable charm, and sense of adventure. Victor Fleming’s “The Wizard Of Oz” remains one of the most influential and engaging masterpieces, one filled with awe, surrealism, and a healthy sense of mystery, even eighty years after its initial release.