57 replies to this topic

[Righty007]

This looks hilarious!

I'm looking forward to Davi as a terrorist and Bill O'Reilly's cameo.

[Conlazmoodalbrocra]

What a cast! The legendary Kelsey Grammar!!!

[Andrew]

I'm sorry but this looks absolutely dreadful.

[Gobi-1]

I agree it looks hilarious. Spoofs are one of my favorite forms of comedy, which lately has been unfortunate because of all those terrible Epic/Date/Disaster etc. Movies. This looks like a return to a classic style spoof. More Naked Gun less Meet The Spartans. Certainly has a great cast and an interesting spin on the Christmas Carol story.

Plus it's got Leslie Nielsen. He always bring the funny even if the film around him sucks.

[Safari Suit]

It looks mildly amusing, but giving a part to Bill O'Reilly was a huge mistake, and I think accepting it was also a mistake on his part. How can he claim to be in any way neutral now?

[Mr_Wint]

Wow, what a cast. This must be good!

[Safari Suit]

I suspect many of them are appearing for ideological reasons rather than for the quality of the script though.

[Mister Asterix]

It looks mildly amusing, but giving a part to Bill O'Reilly was a huge mistake, and I think accepting it was also a mistake on his part. How can he claim to be in any way neutral now?

When did he claim to be neutral? The man gives his opinion daily.

[Safari Suit]

OK, maybe "neutral" was the wrong word, but he claims to be an independent, I believe, and this film seems very much to me to be a "Hollywood's Republican minority fighting against the "Liberal media"" thing.

[Righty007]

Did anybody else notice that Robert Davi narrated the McCain bio montage at the Republican National Convention last night?

[Safari Suit]

First review
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/38199

I'm certainly intrigued, but I wonder how well a comedy that will play so much to one side will do. Then again the controversy or one-sidedness could be a big ticket seller. I wonder if it will reach the UK.

[Royal Dalton]

I wonder if it will reach the UK.

Hopefully not.

[dinovelvet]

Did anybody else notice that Robert Davi narrated the McCain bio montage at the Republican National Convention last night?

Yeah...I'm surprised the media hasn't flipped out about it - "OMG McCain had a Bond villain introducing him!"

[byline]

Did anybody else notice that Robert Davi narrated the McCain bio montage at the Republican National Convention last night?

Yeah...I'm surprised the media hasn't flipped out about it - "OMG McCain had a Bond villain introducing him!"

The usual quip about nobody remembering the Dalton years comes to mind.

By the way, I'm not one of those with selective amnesia, and I love Dalton's turn as Bond. But this seems to be a common refrain whenever the topic comes up.

[Mister E]

This actually looks like the best film David Zucker has directed in sometime. Still, he has had an atrocious record of films so I'll probably might rent this one. Even as someone who usually sides with the left, it's a bit of a relief to see a hollywood film leaning towards another side.

[A Kristatos]

This looks hilarious!

I'm looking forward to Davi as a terrorist and Bill O'Reilly's cameo.

Uh....eh....look, I'm a neo-con, and even I find parts of this trailer awful. But we'll see. Maybe it'll be good.

Interestingly, David Zucker started off as a Democrat decades ago, and gradually became a Republican (well, by gradually I think after 9/11 he made the switch according to some recent interviews that he's done).

His early work on Airplane, Top Secret, and The Naked Gun films all had jokes about the Republicans. But even when he was gently ribbing the Republicans, he was also spoofing Democrats. Zucker was an equal-opportunity satirist. One of my favorite lines ever in any of the ZAZ films was from Top Secret, when Hillary tells Nick she had an Uncle that was an American but 'he was one of the lucky ones. He escaped by hot air balloon during the Carter administration'.

Ha ha! That's good! I'm going to see this movie tomorrow, so I will let you know how it is. Not a good sign that this film was not given an advanced screening for critics, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will be bad. At the very least, Davi's character should be hysterical!

FYI, I'm a conservative as well, but one who has been frustrated by how the Bush administration has run things. This circus of a "bailout" bill was the last straw for me! But that's for another thread for another time. I'm still a conservative in the true sense of the term, and I for one am glad to see a film with a conservative lean for a change! I'm definately looking forward to it.

Edited by A Kristatos, 04 October 2008 - 03:20 AM.

[A Kristatos]

Well, I saw the movie today and I must say that Davi just about steals the whole movie as the leader of a terrorist cell! Actually Kelsey Grammer and Kevin Farley are great too as they take up a good portion of the screen time. The first five minutes are hysterical as the movie sets up the terrorist story line. While the movie does lag for about twenty minutes afterwards, the movie hits its stride once Grammer makes his first appearance as General Patton.

The movie is funny as one would expect from a Zucker produced (and written) movie. Despite a fair amount of jokes that fall flat, there are plenty of big laughs. However, for those who may get offended easily, there are quite a few racial jokes (done in a satirical manner of course), and Muslim extremeists are skewered quite a lot! But I believe that anyone with even a shred of intelligence should realize that Zucker is not going after Muslims in general, but the Muslim extremeists that still pose a major threat to the west (whether you agree with how the war on terror has been handled or not). And there are surprisingly even a couple of very poignant moments, which is rare for a Zucker produced movie. One of these moments makes reference to 9/11 while the other occurs during the predictable ending involving the transformation of the Farley character.

So in general, this is a typically very funny Zucker movie which differs from his past work in that he is one of the few in Hollywood that has actually had the guts to make the statements that he has made through this movie. What this movie says will probably offend some people. But the message this film portrays is one that needs to be said over and over again. It definately serves as a wake up call to a relatively complacient society, some of which I believe has already forgotten the significance of 9/11, or at the very least the danger that still exists since then. But, the message is delivered in a way that should be a lot of fun for most viewers!

[Stephen Spotswood]

I think this movie is a big mistake. You don't want directors attacking other directors over political positions as "comedy."

[A Kristatos]

I think this movie is a big mistake. You don't want directors attacking other directors over political positions as "comedy."

Why not? Just because he is a director, does that not give him the right to make a movie stating his own political beliefs? The real Michael Moore and Oliver Stone do it all the time. Besides, I think Zucker has been around long enough to make a political spoof even if many in Hollywood disagree with him.

[Safari Suit]

Now I haven't seen it, so I can't be sure, but I think part of the reason it's bombed is that from the trailers and pre-release hype it seems to suggest (through hilarious comedy) that the only decent people are fiercely patriotic Americans who are pro-WOT. That's alienating a huge chunk of people there.

[A Kristatos]

Now I haven't seen it, so I can't be sure, but I think part of the reason it's bombed is that from the trailers and pre-release hype it seems to suggest (through hilarious comedy) that the only decent people are fiercely patriotic Americans who are pro-WOT. That's alienating a huge chunk of people there.

Well, there have been movies in the past that have started slow at the boxoffice and have gradually gained some momentum ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding" comes to mind). Others, while not massive hits, have stuck around for many weeks grossing decent amounts of money. So I can't write this movie off just yet.

As far as alienating a huge chunk of people, I'm sure Bill Maher's movie "Religulous" will alienate a huge chunk of the religiously devoted population here and throughout the world as well. But that is his right to make this movie, and thank God that our free society allows Maher and Zucker to make movies in ways they want to, whether many people are offended or not.

I think there are a lot of people who will like this movie, which means there will be quite a few people who will find this funny and truthful. And whether or not this catches on in theaters, it still should sell quite a few DVD's. As we all know, many bombs in the theater go on to find a second life on the DVD rack at Walmart or Blockbuster.

Safari Suit, I'd give this movie a chance. There are some dead stretches in the movie, particularly during the first 20 minutes or so (sans the first five minutes) that don't produce more than a chuckle or two. And I'm in no way calling this Zucker's best work. But I do think it is still worth the price of admission because it still is hilarious overall, and it has the guts to make a statement that too many people are afraid to make. I think what the movie is trying to say is not so much that one is unpatriotic if they are against the war on terror, but rather that we need to remain vigilant against possible terrorism, and that the threat needs to be stressed from time to time in a truthful way. The cameo with Bill O'Reilly really brings that second point home during probably the funniest moment of the movie! So give it shot Safari, and I think you will enjoy it!

It bombed because the televison spots for the movie made it look awful. Whether it's actually any good is a different matter. A lot of tv spots ran on FOX-News, but it's a mistake to think that everybody that watches FOX News is a conservative. Probably half the viewers watch it because they hate the network. The network did its share of trying to plug the movie, but the distributor didn't pre-screen the film for critics, which is usually a sign that a film is no good. And though it was stacked with conservative talent in front and behind the camera, it's also another mistake to assume that conservatives will just go see any movie out there that reflects their beliefs.

Just to clarify, CNN also ran ads for "An American Carol", while Fox News ran ads for "Religulous" as well. So both channels took the "fair and balanced" route and gave both movies a fair shot.

Edited by A Kristatos, 09 October 2008 - 02:57 AM.

[Safari Suit]

To be honest, I do intend to watch this when I can because although there will be much I disagree with it certainly looks interesting if nothing else. And yes, it took guts for Zucker to make this instead of Scary Movie 5 or whatever. But I do think it's going to be a long time before this reaches the UK.

[Stephen Spotswood]

I think this movie is a big mistake. You don't want directors attacking other directors over political positions as "comedy."

Why not? Just because he is a director, does that not give him the right to make a movie stating his own political beliefs? The real Michael Moore and Oliver Stone do it all the time. Besides, I think Zucker has been around long enough to make a political spoof even if many in Hollywood disagree with him.

Michael Moore and Oliver Stone express their opinions, which I have no objections to, but they confine their targets to subjects like 9-11, the medical field in the case of the former, and pretty much the 1960's for the latter. He does have the movie W coming out soon though, that's more topical.

Do you want movies by Jerry Bruckheimer attacking say the director of the Bond movies? That's in-fighting, not art nor entertainment.


Besides, I'm a fan of the movie Team America, and although they turned Michael Moore into an inept terrorist, they seem to be spoofing everyone including the macho-warrior type movie.

My favorite character was the Colonel who led Team America.

My two favorite lines in the movie: Jeanine Garofalo saying, "It's our duty as celebrities to read the newspaper and express it's opinions as our own."

And "Oh no, Spottswoode's dead!"

Then there's the songs like Kim Jong ll's I'm So Lonely, and America, Yeah!

Edited by Stephen Spotswood, 09 October 2008 - 01:07 PM.

[Stephen Spotswood]

I was just checking the weekend box office today, and I'm happy to announce that American Carol is a bomb.

It cost 20-23 million dollars to make, and has only made a little over 6 million back.

Bill Maher's Religulous by comparison made a little less, still at least 6 million, but only had a budget of 2 million dollars, so it's 4 million in the black already, and making over $950.00 per screen.

Edited by Stephen Spotswood, 13 October 2008 - 05:24 PM.

[sark]

I was just checking the weekend box office today, and I'm happy to announce that American Carol is a bomb.

It cost 20-23 million dollars to make, and has only made a little over 6 million back.

Bill Maher's Religulous by comparison made a little less, still at least 6 million, but only had a budget of 2 million dollars, so it's 4 million in the black already, and making over $950.00 per screen.

Thank God.

[Stephen Spotswood]

I was just checking the weekend box office today, and I'm happy to announce that American Carol is a bomb.

It cost 20-23 million dollars to make, and has only made a little over 6 million back.

Bill Maher's Religulous by comparison made a little less, still at least 6 million, but only had a budget of 2 million dollars, so it's 4 million in the black already, and making over $950.00 per screen.

Thank God.

LOL! Does anyone else see the irony of Sark thanking God for Religulous being more profitable than An American Carol?

I thought it went without saying.

Like when George Bernard Shaw was at a dinner party, and the conversation turned toward religion. One elderly dowager asked him what religion he is, and he responded, "Madam, I am an atheist, and I thank God for it."

[Mr. Blofeld]

Still, An American Carol is such a massive turd, even its stars are going for Obama.

[coco1997]

Not Kelsey Grammar, Jon Voight, or Trace Atkins, the three biggest stars of the film.

[Stephen Spotswood]

I thought it went without saying.

Like when George Bernard Shaw was at a dinner party, and the conversation turned toward religion. One elderly dowager asked him what religion he is, and he responded, "Madam, I am an atheist, and I thank God for it."

Perhaps it was better left unsaid. Like when you blow your nose into a tissue, then you put the tissue into your purse but forget that you left it in there, and then later you reach into your purse for something and your hand brushes up against the tissue and gets dirty.

Why is it one puts a boogery tissue back into their pocket, but not the toilet paper they wipe their bum with?

[Mister E]

Anyone know where I can rent a hot air balloon? I may need to escape to Cuba if Obama becomes President.

If I could, I would move to Russia if Obama or McCain become president.