Hot Fuzz (2007)
PC Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is an exemplary Police Officer, with a strict adherence to the letter of the law. As a result of making the rest of the London Metropolitan Police look bad, he is transferred to the rural town of Sandford, Gloucestershire. On arrival, Angel finds that the local Inspector, Frank Butterman (Jim Broadbent), takes a far more laissez-faire approach to policing. His colleagues are incompetent and he is further hampered by the Neighbourhood Watch Alliance (NWA), who prioritise low crime statistics over law enforcement due to their desire to win the title of “Village of the Year”. Furthermore, Angel is partnered with the Inspector’s son, Constable Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), who is infatuated with “buddy cop” movies and is in awe of Angel’s London experience. “Have you ever fired two guns while jumping through the air?” However, a sudden spate of grisly accidents lead Angel to believe that there's more to the seemingly tranquil and picture-perfect community than meets the eye.
Bloodbath at the House of Death (1984)
During the early eighties Kenny Everett was one of the most popular comedians on UK television. His mix of “zany” characters, slapstick and innuendo filled the gap between traditional comedians and their sketch show format and the anarchy of the new alternative comedy scene. Therefore his foray into feature films in 1984 was a logical progression of his growing success. Bloodbath at the House of Death was conceived as a satire on the Hammer Horror genre, although the script by Barry Cryer and Ray Cameron touched upon everything from An American Werewolf in London, Alien, The Amityville Horror, The Legend of Hell House and The Entity. Featuring a solid cast of British character actors and a cameo appearance by the great Vincent Price, on paper the film had all the trappings of a potential box office success. Sadly, it failed to meet expectations and was savaged by the UK press who used it as a means to attack Kenny Everett for his perceived transgressions.
A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014)
You could quite easily lose thirty minutes from A Million Ways to Die in the West. Tighter pacing would certainly shorten the gaps between the genuinely funny material. As it is, the movie is somewhat baggy and surprisingly middle of the road. Yes it has all of Seth McFarlane's usual hallmarks as far as extreme humour but it lacks the occasional moments of satire and social commentary that you see in Family Guy and in Ted (his best movie to date). The movie is very much aware of what it is and focuses a little excessively on observational humour based on traditional tropes and memes of the Western genre. You frequently get the feeling at times that it’s trying very hard to be “funny” in a “Seth McFarlane” idiom but it smacks a little of “art imitating art”.
The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)
Written by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker and directed by John Landis, The Kentucky Fried Movie is an eclectic collection of skits, parodies and bogus commercials, lampooning what you’d see on seventies TV or in the movie theatres of the time. The sketches are fast paced and many feature well known faces from TV and cinema such as Bill Bixby, George Lazenby, Donald Sutherland and Henry Gibson. Some of the parodies may not “connect” with modern audiences who may not get the source references but for every skit that misses the mark, there are at least two others hit the target. Overall, it’s a litany of visual gags, stupid humour and endless puns and wordplay. Just what you’d expect from the team that went on to bring you Airplane! and Top Secret! The Kentucky Fried Movie is at its best when it satirises the movie industry, with such wonderful faux movies trailers as Cleopatra Schwartz; a blaxploitation action movie featuring a foxy African American vigilante and her devout Hasidic Jew partner.
The Big Bus (1976)
Being a child of the seventies I have a soft spot, cinematically speaking, for the various disaster films of that time. Iconic titles such as The Towering Inferno, The Poseidon Adventure and Airport franchise. The latter was superbly lampooned in the 1980 movie, Airplane! by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker. The team of writer/directors went on to make numerous other comedies in a similar idiom. However Airplane! was not the first major spoof of this particular genre. Four years earlier, director James Frawley made The Big Bus which similarly sends up the standard tropes of all major disaster movies. Where Airplane! was right on the money, The Big Bus is a little more scattershot in its approach and takes a while to find its feet. But James Frawley had a background in TV comedy, having worked on The Monkees TV show, and he does much within the limitations of the films budget. The films greatest asset is that it keeps up the pace. If a gag doesn’t work then don’t worry, there’s another immediately afterwards.
The Three Stooges (2012)
I had mixed feelings about whether The Three Stooges could be successfully re-imagined and revitalised for a modern audience. When the first trailer was released it seemed to highlight the major differences between the old school slapstick humour of the forties with the worldly adult style of present comedy movies. However, as more information came out regarding the production and it became clear that the Farrelly Brothers are consummate fans of the source material, I began to revise my expectations. After finally having caught up with the movie, six years after its theatrical release, I am afraid all my initial fears have proven true and that The Three Stooges falls into all the traps I anticipated it would. That is not to say that the film is not without merits, but overall it fails to deliver in a manner that pleases all parties.
Where's That Fire? (1940)
Until a copy was found by the BBC television in 1975, this was considered a lost film. Where's That Fire? is an often over looked comedy. Will Hay plays Captain Viking of the Bishop Wallop fire station in his usual seedy incompetent fashion. He and his trusty assistants Albert (Graham Moffatt) and Harbottle (Moore Marriott) run an antiquated Victorian fire tender but seldom put out any fires. After the Town Hall burns down they find that their jobs are on the line. Viking tries to solve their problems by inventing a new fire-retardant foam as well as renting the tender to a film production company, who may not be quite what they seem. It all ends in mayhem, with an attempted robbery of the Crown Jewels at The Tower of London.
Ask a Policeman (1939)
I was raised on old black and white films as a child. My parents age and personal tastes meant that I had exposure to a lot of material that people today may be oblivious to. This was especially true with regard to pre-war UK comic luminaries such as Arthur Askey, Old Mother Riley and Will Hay. I am very grateful in a way, as it has afforded me the opportunity to broaden my cinematic horizons and cultural references. Comedy is also an interesting social barometer of the times and can be quite a useful tool for historians. Its curious how something change there are certain comic tropes that are timeless. Often these are fundamental aspects of the human character but not necessarily the best ones.
Paul (2011)
Critics were somewhat split over Paul when it was released in the UK in spring 2011. The absence of director Edgar Wright from the production, was cited as a weakness. Critics also felt the film was generally too mainstream and did not play sufficiently to Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's strengths. There were the usual claims of the whole premise being a self-indulgence. However, rather than cross reference Paul against similar films or compare it to material from the stars back catalogue of work, it should be judged on its own merit. On reflection, it is nowhere near as week as some claim it to be. You don’t often get big studio comedies that happily explores what is still considered a niche market genre. If approached with the right outlook, then Paul can be an entertaining diversion with plenty of laughs.
Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988)
By 1988 Blackadder had run for three seasons in the UK and had seen the central character of Edmund Blackadder evolve from a seedy incompetent to a cunning, scheming, evil genius who was always frustrated at the last moment. Cleverly written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton and superbly portrayed by Rowan Atkinson, Blackadder was very much at the cutting edge of British comedy of the time. It managed to mix physical humour, with verbal sparring, sarcasm, dry self-deprecation and irony. It was popular with a very broad spectrum of viewers.
The Goon Show (1951-60)
The Goon Show is one of a handful of comedy shows that had a profound and unique impact upon the UK comedy scene, both at the time of its broadcast and over the preceding two decades. The creative and comic genius of its three main stars, Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe re-invented radio comedy and introduced a new form of audio slapstick through its surreal imagery. This concept was then taken further by the Monty Python team and The Goons legacy is still apparent today in artists such as Eddie Izzard and Tim Vine. Despite some aspects of the show that are a little dated, such as the musical interludes and cultural references, there is still much that is fresh and pertinent.