Wierd/Bizzare=Funny?

[unclejack]

Hey yall, two things to post here...First of all, I love this site. I try posting stuff about classic movies and foreign movies on one other movie forum I subscribe to and no one knows what I'm talkin about. It's refreshing to run into people with a little good taste in movies.
The second thing is this...since I'm turning into such a critic of Hollywood and am growing increasingly tired of the unoriginal plots and cheap attempts at remakes that they keep churning out, I wanted to throw this thought out there. Has anyone noticed that Hollywood doesn't seem to know what's funny anymore? I've started noticin that in the past five or ten years..there have been a few truly funny movies released in the past and Hollywood keeps trying to live up to their status and keeps falling far short. The movies that have come out that I think have been a huge success and that I'm a fan of when it comes to comedy are: (to name a few) Dumb and Dumber, There's Something About Mary, Just Friends, Zoolander, and many more. I could name alot more but If I went further back but I'm really just speakin of recent movies.
I think Hollywood sees what a big hit that brand of zany, slapstick humor can be at times and they seem to think that wierd/bizzarre automatically translates into funny. No, from what I've seen Hollywood producin, I've found that wierd just equals wierd. Here are a few examples of movies that I don't think even stand in the shaddow of those epic comedies:
Anchorman, Dodgeball, Balls of Fury, and many more. Austin Powers is kinda middle ground for me, their funny the first time you watchy them but after a while they grate on your nerves. Anyway, granted there are a few good laughs in each of those movies but some of the stuff in those movies is shockingly bizzare just for the sake of being bizzarre and I don't react with laughter towards that kind of stuff. Anchorman is a perfect example of that. What in the world was funny about seeing Will Ferrel walkin around town dressed like a bum drinkin a carton of milk like it was booze or somethin? Dodgeball...a guy trying to make love to a piece of pizza...oh just hillarious..or not. Balls of Fury I haven't seen but the preview alone tell me it is just more of the same. Anyone else tired of these cheap attempts at comedy that come off as just lame and wierd?

 

[unclejack]

Wierd/Bizzarre=Funny?

Hey yall, two things to post here...First of all, I love this site. I try posting stuff about classic movies and foreign movies on one other movie forum I subscribe to and no one knows what I'm talkin about. It's refreshing to run into people with a little good taste in movies.
The second thing is this...since I'm turning into such a critic of Hollywood and am growing increasingly tired of the unoriginal plots and cheap attempts at remakes that they keep churning out, I wanted to throw this thought out there. Has anyone noticed that Hollywood doesn't seem to know what's funny anymore? I've started noticin that in the past five or ten years..there have been a few truly funny movies released in the past and Hollywood keeps trying to live up to their status and keeps falling far short. The movies that have come out that I think have been a huge success and that I'm a fan of when it comes to comedy are: (to name a few) Dumb and Dumber, There's Something About Mary, Just Friends, Zoolander, and many more. I could name alot more but If I went further back but I'm really just speakin of recent movies.
I think Hollywood sees what a big hit that brand of zany, slapstick humor can be at times and they seem to think that wierd/bizzarre automatically translates into funny. No, from what I've seen Hollywood producin, I've found that wierd just equals wierd. Here are a few examples of movies that I don't think even stand in the shaddow of those epic comedies:
Anchorman, Dodgeball, Balls of Fury, and many more. Austin Powers is kinda middle ground for me, their funny the first time you watchy them but after a while they grate on your nerves. Anyway, granted there are a few good laughs in each of those movies but some of the stuff in those movies is shockingly bizzare just for the sake of being bizzarre and I don't react with laughter towards that kind of stuff. Anchorman is a perfect example of that. What in the world was funny about seeing Will Ferrel walkin around town dressed like a bum drinkin a carton of milk like it was booze or somethin? Dodgeball...a guy trying to make love to a piece of pizza...oh just hillarious..or not. Balls of Fury I haven't seen but the preview alone tell me it is just more of the same. Anyone else tired of these cheap attempts at comedy that come off as just lame and wierd?

 

[TK-421]

Re: Wierd/Bizzarre=Funny?

Well, the history of movie-making is riddled with and not-so-funny films. You named a few of these in your post, unclejack. I would not call them weird (spelling) but really, Zoolander?

There are plenty of really good comedies. Unfortunately, most are not that funny, like the American Pie series of movies comes to mid as being quite unfunny (and humour that got old real fast). Anyway, I enjoy a good slapstick when it's well done. I'm a fan of Monty Python-type humour as well as some of the more dry humour. Two of the funniest films I have seen are The Royal Tennebaums and Little Miss Sunshine.

 

[Foxbat]

I have to say that the only truly funny film I've seen in the last few years is Team America. Every other (so called) comedy I've seen has been nothing but drivel. I have a particular hatred for those British romantic comedies which always seem to feature Hugh Grant. If that's the best the UK can do...no wonder the film industry is in a mess. I watched This Is England yesterday and, in my view, it is the best British film from the last twenty years (and most definitely not a comedy).

But as they say...another man's poison .....and all that jazz

As for the bizarre - check out Todd Browning's Freaks. Not a comedy but a very interesting little film from 1931.

 

[unclejack]

Re: Wierd/Bizzarre=Funny?

Yeah, I never saw little miss sunshine but I have Royal Tennenbaums on dvd and I love it. It's funny but I like it for the drama more than anything. I think it's a great story and has a great ending.
Anyway, maybe I didn't use the best examples but I was more talkin about movies that are wierd just for the sake of being wierd. I mean there has to be some sort of comedic draw to it. One tv show that I find to be intensely unfunny is madtv. Although I do like some of the skits, some if it is so freaky that I just have no interest. Many of the comedies I see comin out read like that to me. It's like they decided to make the most off the wall thing they could think of and thought it would be funny by itself. Anyway, maybe it's just me and the way my mind works. I'm quirky like that.

 

[unclejack]

FYI: I reposted this post in the general media section because I never get any responses on this section and I figured no one ever used it. Nevertheless, I'll respond to this here...I actually like british comedy, I mean, come on, you can't limit their comedy attempts to hugh grant, he really isn't a big comedy guy anyway. He does mostly drama, and yes, when it comes to drama, english movies and british movies are about as good for me as a fart in the wind. When you talk about british comedy, they haven't really made that many strides into moviemaking with the exception of Mr. Bean and the Monty Python films. To truly be a conissure of british comedies you really have to look at their sitcoms, sometimes called britcoms. A few titles that are really good are Mr. Bean, Keeping up Appearances, Are You Being Served, and Waiting for God.

 

[Foxbat]

Yes, British comedy can be quite good but most of the stuff you mention is pretty old and doesn't translate well into cinema (Mr Bean being an example). I still maintain recent attempts (barring The Office) are pretty poor.

An example of atrociously unfunny UK comedy is Two Lagers and a Packet Of Crisps......what a load of *&^%

I think we shall just have to agree to disagree on this one.

 

[roddglenn]

Re: Wierd/Bizzarre=Funny?

Little Miss Sunshine is one of the greats of recent years. Some other decent comedies of late were 40 Year Old Virgin, Wedding Crashers, Old School and Team America

 

[Memnoch]

I agree, Hollywood has seriously lost it's way in regard, what's funny, although I feel some of the classics you mention noteably, Something About Mary are largely to blame. It was succesful and had just the right amount of the weird factor set off against the good acting and dark and humourous moments it's a magical mix. Yet attempts at similar material, thanks I believe to the popularity of Jackass and that type of program, are weak plotted gross out films that aren't remotely funny.

 

[Memnoch]

FYI: with the exception of Mr. Bean and the Monty Python films. To truly be a conissure of british comedies you really have to look at their sitcoms, sometimes called britcoms. A few titles that are really good are Mr. Bean, Keeping up Appearances, Are You Being Served, and Waiting for God.

I'm sorry but Mr Bean as a youth was Ok, now I can't watch it, frustrates me and the film?!! . . . Python is class and more recently the office is genius. Blackadder from series 2 is timeless.

I agree with the Will ferrel comments, I find his films samey and his jokes are so off the mark it makes you cringe!! ALTHOUGH ONE BIG EXCPTION Blades of Glory, this is a funny film even though it has similar humour to his others I think the presence of Mr Nap Dynamite makes this a classic. Although he let himself down making the awful waste of talent that was the re-make of School for Scoundrels (truely awful)

 

[TK-421]

Re: Wierd/Bizzarre=Funny?

Sorry, roddglenn, but I did not find any of those movies were particularly funny. Although I busted a few ribs at South Park the movie.

Now, a classics like Planes, Trains and Automobiles; Animal House; these were very funny.

 

[unclejack]

Re: Wierd/Bizzarre=Funny?

I agree, the only movie you listed I've seen is old school and that was just ok, but not great. The rest I have no desire whatsoever to see.

 

[unclejack]

Foxbat, it's not that we necessarily dissagree, but the example you used of british comedy was Hugh Grant and the only comedies I can think of with him in them were the Bridgett Jones Movies and Mickey Blue Eyes, both of which were hillarious in my humble opinion. My point is that I really don't know of that many movies as far as british comedy that are out there. Granted I've only recently begun to delve into the foreign film arena, but I still don't know of much out there. My understanding of things is that there is more british comedy in the form of sitcoms than there is in the form of movies.
And yeah Memnoch, I agree. I think Somethin About Mary was a hit and Hollywood has been trying to copy it ever since and has been failing miserably. I don't know if I can say the movie is the cause of that, I think the fact of Hollywood being so unoriginal they can't come up with their own ideas but have to steal from other movies is the problem. I won't say never but I don't know of any examples of times when Hollywood has tried to give people the same thing in a different wrapper and it has come up with the same effect. Alot of those crappy unfunny comedies generate a few laughs but ultimately they don't measure up.

 

[Memnoch]

Foxbat, it's not that we necessarily dissagree, but the example you used of british comedy was Hugh Grant and the only comedies I can think of with him in them were the Bridgett Jones Movies and Mickey Blue Eyes, both of which were hillarious in my humble opinion.

I really agree Hugh Grant is quiet exceptional at what he does and is very funny and had great timing. Music and Lyrics I was dreading but I have an agreement with my girlfriend I pick two cimema flix to her one lol . . . this was her choice at the time, I thoroughly enjoyed it more than she did. She found my laughing more entertaining I think. Hugh (first name terms) is very subtle and can play the Cad as easily as the bumbling Englishman, he's truely underestimated I feel.

What are your thoughts on Adam Sandler? Jack Black?

 

[roddglenn]

Re: Wierd/Bizzarre=Funny?

I was talking about recent comedies. Planes Trains, Animal House, Blazing Saddles, Stir Crazy, Young Frankenstein etc are all fantastic comedies.

I'm surprised that you like Zoolander but not the likes of Old School etc - it's very much in the same vein. I found Zoolander to be too over the top stupid with Ben Stiller being even more OTT than he was in Dodgeball (far prefer Dodgeball to Zoolander).

If you haven't seen 40 Year Old Virgin I suggest you give it a go - it is a brilliant comedy with some great characters and a strong story. Team America is just a rip roaringly funny satire of the US in general. Wedding Crashers is good too, but not in the same league (Vince Vaughn is better than Owen Wilson in it).

 

[unclejack]

Re: Wierd/Bizzarre=Funny?

I actually have to differ with you on that one. I hated dodgeball and loved Zoolander. I know it's stupid but it's stupid in a way that is funny. Dodgeball was just stupid, no funny, just stupid.

 

[unclejack]

Yeah, I agree, and if you haven't seen Mickey Blue Eyes go rent it because it is hilarious. Hugh Grant is dating a girl who's father is in the mob and he ends up gettin wrapped up in the mob with him. You have this english guy with a heavy accent pretending to be a gangster, I don't really get tired of watchin that one. And yes, I love Adam Sandler movies, he's one of my favorites when it comes to comedy. He's made a couple that didn't really hit home for me like Little Nicky, but mostly I love just about everything he's been in. I also like the dive into drama that he's taken recently. Spanglish was really good and Click was actually more drama than comedy and was good too I thought. I haven't seen his latest one with Don Cheadle though. As far as me likin Jack Black...eh, kinda sorta. I find the whole stoner role to be pretty unfunny to me. His role in Orange County was good but ultimately I didn't like the character. He's been in other movies where he played similar roles, but I liked him in The Jackal, and even though I'm probably in the minority, I kinda liked the movie Shallow Hal also. I was kinda surprised by the drama of the movie, I thought it was just gonna be a bunch of cheap laughs but it actually has alot of heart to it and I liked it.

 

[roddglenn]

Re: Wierd/Bizzarre=Funny?

Well, I guess it's just down to personal taste then.

 

[littlemissattitude]

Re: Wierd/Bizzarre=Funny?

Count me as a big fan of Zoolander. It's very absurdity is what makes it so funny. On the other hand, Dodgeball was all right, but I won't go out of my way to see it again, while I will watch Zoolander any time I have a chance. And Wedding Crashers...eh. I just don't like Vince Vaughan that much, I guess. The other Ben Stiller/Owen Wilson collaboration I really enjoy is Starsky & Hutch...again, quite absurd but also quite funny (although that might be because I was such a fan of the original series back in the day).

Someone mentioned The Royal Tennenbaums...it took me several tries to see that one all the way through, but I found it rewarding in the end.

If you are looking for the weird/funny, however, I'd recommend an older film, Harold and Maude, from 1971 and starring Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon. I won't even attempt to describe it. Just see it.

 

[j d worthington]

Re: Wierd/Bizzarre=Funny?

If you are looking for the weird/funny, however, I'd recommend an older film, Harold and Maude, from 1971 and starring Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon. I won't even attempt to describe it. Just see it.

The thing about Harold and Maude is that it also had a lot to say about out attitudes toward a lot of things... it asked a lot of questions and was a very intelligent film... it also didn't avoid being poignant and tragic when it needed to be....