wanda sykes Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Pootie Tang, the hallucinatory story of a "musician/actor/folk hero of the ghetto" who literally speaks his own language, is like a secret handshake among a certain subset of film nerd. Yes, possibly the stoner kind, but not necessarily – it's just one of those movies where maybe you're out for a drink with someone you don't know that well and you drop a Pootie-ism ("I'm gonna sine your pitty on da runny kine!" or even a simple "Sadatay!") and the other person is like, "You like Pootie Tang? I love Pootie Tang!" And suddenly you've bonded as deeply as if you just found out you were born at the same hospital.

Pootie Tang, which was written and directed by Louis C.K. (whose writing for "The Chris Rock Show" and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" earned him several Emmy nominations and who is also in The Invention of Lying), stars Lance Crouther as a sort of Ubermensch. He's a lady-killer whose magnetism makes women literally claw his clothes off. He fights evil with his awesome belt. He can sing, he can act, he hangs out with Missy Elliott, and he goes up against The Man who's trying to bring us all down, specifically by using Pootie's image to endorse products that would harm today's youth.

The movie is full of very funny people like Jennifer Coolidge, Andy Richter, David Cross, and naturally Chris Rock, but my favorite is Wanda Sykes, who plays Biggie Shorty. Biggie Shorty likes to wear outrageous outfits and matching wigs while jamming out to her headphones on the street, and she is madly in love with Pootie.

"Lighten up." That's what people say when you dare to criticize a big dopey comedy, especially a potential summer blockbuster. Didn't think the Shrek movies were that funny? Were you annoyed by the sexism in one of the guy-centric comedies that seem to be taking over the genre? Didn't crack a smile during Napoleon Dynamite? Then you need to lighten up, obviously, and stop complaining just because the comedy film wasn't very funny to you. And I predict that by the end of this review of Evan Almighty, people are going to tell me to lighten up, and will probably accuse me of having no sense of humor, because I didn't love the film unquestionably.

Evan Almighty, the sequel to the 2003 Jim Carrey vehicle Bruce Almighty, is in fact funny at times, because a cast like this with such superb comic timing and such charismatic screen appeal cannot help but entertain you. You're aware that the dialogue is dumb and the situation is lame and yet, thanks to the actors, you laugh anyway. And after the movie is over you feel almost like you've been conned, and you're not entirely sure what was so funny in the first place.

My Super Ex-Girlfriend is a fun little flick. It's not flawless and it sure isn't brilliant, but it offers a clever spin on some age-old rom-com conventions, delivers a colorful zing of flashy super-heroics, and showcases a pretty fantastic cast of comedic actors, all of whom are clearly having some fun here. Basically, if last summer's Sky High tickled your inner comic geek while offering a few unexpected chuckles along the way, there's no good reason you shouldn't find something to like in My Super Ex-Girlfriend. If you're looking for a light little confection for you and the boyfriend, you'll find unisexual chuckles aplenty. And if there's one faction of movie fans who should absolutely not miss this movie, it's those loyal members of the Uma Thurman Fan Club. Because she's pretty damn great in this movie -- even if she won't get much credit for the performance.

Imagine a comedic take on Fatal Attraction, only the jilted woman is a little less psychotic and a lot more superhuman. By day she's Jenny Johnson, a semi-frumpy Normal Jane who works in an art gallery. By night (mostly) she's G-Girl, the high-flying, sonic-booming super-heroine who's always there to save the day night!. But hey, even the most harried gal with two hectic careers needs a little romance, right? And that's where Matt Saunders (Luke Wilson) comes in.