stuck on you Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Why You Can't Trust Critics on Comedies
Filed under: Comedy », New Releases »
As someone who watches most new releases, I wind up listening to critics on the margins. If the logline and advertising make a movie look brutal, and I'm not obligated to see it, I'll sometimes skip the screening (if there is one) and wait for the critics to weigh in. If the reviews are middling-to-decent, I'll bite the bullet and go. If they seem to confirm my initial impression, I might let that particular film pass.Except sometimes that method fails me. As I've learned over the years, and as an experience last week proved for me beyond a shadow of a doubt, the mainstream critical establishment is not to be trusted when it comes to comedies; in particular, when it comes to the type of comedy that conceals intelligence under a sophomoric facade. Time and again, I've seen comedies panned, gone anyway, discovered a smart and funny gem, and wondered what the hell everyone's problem is.
An example. James Berardinelli introduces Fired Up! with this horrifying line: "Move over, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer!" "No one in this movie has an idea in their bubbly little brains," moans Roger Ebert. The Detroit News' Tom Long calls it the latest in "a million-mile-long line of purposely dumb adolescent sex comedies" (though he does give the film a C+ for not being "painful"). On and on like that, to 30% on the tomatometer.
Cher's Coming Back to the Big Screen -- Opposite Johnny Knoxville
Filed under: Comedy », Casting »
Cher hasn't been seen on the big screen since her brilliantly self-effacing cameo as herself in the underrated Stuck On You. This is a shame, because despite being the butt of many jokes, Cher is actually kind of awesome. She just has that intangible aura of cool -- which may seem like a strange thing to say about someone who dresses like this, but what are you gonna do. The rumors that Cher was going to play Catwoman in Christopher Nolan's third Batman film were stupid as a factual matter, but it was by no means a bad idea.Well, Cher is finally returning to the big screen, co-starring, for better or worse, with Johnny Knoxville -- which has already prompted the ever-so-clever staff at The Hollywood Reporter to ask if you've heard "the one about the Cougar and the Jackass." (No, I haven't -- what's the one about the Cougar and the Jackass?) If the movie -- called Drop-Out -- goes into production any time soon, Cher will actually be playing right at her age, as a 62-year old woman who takes in a lazy, unemployed couch potato played by Knoxville. The movie will be written and directed by Ricky Blitt, who wrote Knoxville's The Ringer. Which was awful. Then again, it suffered from a distinct lack of Cher.
So yeah: Cher's back, bitches! Spread the word.
(P.S. Everyone's at Sundance, and I'm bored.)
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