Showing posts with label abrahams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label abrahams. Show all posts

Hot Shots Part Deux (1993) Review

Hot Shots Part Deux (1993)
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Hot Shots: Part Deux! is an amazing rarity---a sequel that's actually superior to the first movie. (Not that Hot Shots! was bad; it was quite funny and enjoyable in its own right.) Like the second Star Trek film, this sequel gels all of the good elements from its predecessor and discards whatever didn't quite click. In this case, the supporting cast made the movie even more than Charlie Sheen as its troubled hero Topper Harley. Returning are the late great Lloyd Bridges, this time as the president, and Valeria Golino as the lovely Ramada. Joining Topper are his former CO (Richard Crenna), a no-nonsense tough-guy soldier (Miguel Ferrer), a cool blonde CIA operative (Brenda Bakke) and Ramada's hapless yet scornful spouse (the wretchedly hilarious Rowan Atkinson).
Abandoned for no apparent reason by Ramada, Topper seeks inner peace at an Asian monastery, kicking the crap out of whoever steps into the fighting arena with him. His former CO finds him and asks Harley to go on a mission to find the men who went to find the men who were sent to find the men---you get the idea. In a filmed spoof of both other films (Rambo, Terminator II) and real-life events (President George the elder Bush's unfortunate vomiting into the lap of a Japanese official), Hot Shots Deux is funny, fresh and at times even more insane than a Leslie Neilsen movie, without the tendency to bog down that usually plagues this type of sight comedy.
Sheen, of course, deserves plenty of credit for the movie's success, for he breathes life into the potentially cardboard lead role. Crenna does an excellent if off-the-wall reprise of his colonel character from Rambo. Bridges is sickeningly funny as the semi-lunatic president who's had more parts replaced than a '71 Volkswagen and may be a couple cards shy of a full deck. Gorgeous Golino and beautiful Bakke duke it out---literally, in an homage to American Gladiator. Ferrer, not known for comedic parts, is deadpan, Joe-Friday hilarious as the hard-bitten Harbinger, especially when he goes to pieces during a battle. Atkinson is acerbic and despicable as Ramada's self-absorbed and undeserving husband. Toss into this mix a dead ringer for Saddam Hussein (with a lisp!), and the result is one crazy ride, almost as insane as the one Topper endures with the CIA blonde on a squeaky bed. Some of the humor is risque but nothing is flat-out offensive; it's not a movie for young children, but teens and adults alike should enjoy it very much.
In summary, this is that rare sequel that stepped well beyond the confines of its previous version, and was much funnier. Highly recommended for an hour and twenty-eight minutes of viewing pleasure.

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In this hilarious "Hot Shots!" sequel, former renegade pilot Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen) is once again recruited for a secret mission.This time the country's incompetent president (Lyod Bridges) sends him to the Middle East to resue U.S. hostages and the countless men who have already been sent in to rescue them.Pining for his former lover (Valeria Golino) in a Buddhist temple, Topper manages to pull himself together and sets out on his laugh-laden, action-packed task.

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Top Secret (1984) Review

Top Secret (1984)
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Top Secret! - the Jim Abrahams/Zucker Bros.' follow-up to Airplane! - does for (or is that *to*) Elvis movies and WWII espionage films what the earlier feature did for/to the airborne disaster genre. The gags are slightly more immature (not necessarily a bad thing, but in some cases may have been better had they been allowed to age a little before being put into production), but some, like the forced-perspective oversize phone or saying farewell to the Scarecrow, rival anything the ZAZ team has ever done.
The music is a mixed bag. "Skeet Surfing" and the Macy's jingle are great. "Tutti-Fruitti" and "Straighten the Rug" are less so (not that every song in an Elvis movie was worthy of screen time, either). Kudos to Val Kilmer, though; even when he's camping it up, the musical numbers remain watch- and listenable.
The only thing I don't care for on the disc is the audio commentary. The production team really rips the movie apart as if they had tried to make a "serious" film that fell apart. In that case, learning why/how it failed would be interesting and instructive. To shred a spoof film, especially a sophomore and sophomoric effort like Top Secret!, is entirely unwarranted. Sure there are plot holes. Sure it makes no sense that submarine would crash into a prison dungeon. Sure some things are only mildly amusing. Drawing undue attention to them is doubly pointless. Sheesh! If you're a big fan, skip the commentary.
I really enjoyed this movie and really (mostly) enjoyed its presentation on the DVD. There aren't a lot of extras, but be sure to hunt for the Easter Egg - it's definitely worth finding.

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An American rock star teams up with a scientist's daughter to rescue her father before the enemy can force him to make a devasting weapon.Genre: Feature Film-ComedyRating: PGRelease Date: 1-MAR-2004Media Type: DVD

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Hot Shots (1991) Review

Hot Shots (1991)
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This kooky movie mainly parodies Tom Cruise's Top Gun, but pokes fun at Dances With Wolves, and many others. This is the story of Lt. Topper Harley (played by Charlie Sheen), who is trying to overcome the ghosts that haunt his life. But, the U.S Government needs Topper to fly in a secret mission to destroy a nuclear plant in Iraq. But, between evil capitalists, an insane admiral (Lloyd Bridges), and a band of strange and incompetent pilots, this is bound to be a far from normal mission! [Color, released in 1991, with a running time of 1:24.]
This is an extremely funny, extremely offbeat movie from that king of funny, offbeat movies - Jim Abrahams. If you are familiar with Mr. Abrahams' other movies, Airplane and The Naked Gun, then you know just what kind of zaniness he is capable of. Well, this movie lives up to the standards set by those other Abrahams hits.
The story is quite funny, with lots of slapstick, sight gags, and all around silliness. My daughter bought this movie with her own money, and enjoyed it immensely. In fact, the whole family did. We highly enjoyed this movie, and highly recommend it!


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Recruited to join a top-secret mission for the Air Force, a renegade pilot (Sheen) finds himself coping with an incompetent admiral (Bridges) and a carefully-selected squadron of flyers who are either inept or half-blind.He also winds up in competition with the corps' model of military perfection (Elwes) for the heart of the base's sultry psychiatrist (Golino)

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