The Kentucky Fried Movie.
1977 KFM Films & Anchor Bay Entertainment.
Featuring: Bill Bixby, George Lazenby, Evan C. Kim, Tony Dow, Donald Sutherland, Tara Strohmeier, Henry Gibson, Stephen Stucker, Branscombe Richmond, Leslie Nielsen (uncredited)
Written by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker & Jerry Zucker
Director: John Landis
Buy The Kentucky Fried Movie from Amazon.
"The popcorn you are eating has been pissed in. Film at eleven."
Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker wrote this sketch film that was rejected by every single Hollywood studio because apparently "audiences didn't like movies comprised of sketches". Well, it never stopped Monty Python, right? Eventually, the ZAZ crew decided to make the movie themselves, with director John Landis and financial backing from Kim Jorgenson, who literally fell out of his seat laughing after viewing the ten minute skit that Landis, the Zuckers, and Abrahams had completed as a "demo" which the studios also rejected.
The film, as you have probably guessed, is a collection of sketches. They are mainly parodies of TV commercials and programs, newscasts, film trailers, drive-in movies and mental hygiene films from schools. The longest sketch is the kung-fu parody "A Fistful of Yen", which runs slightly over 31 minutes.
The Anchor Bay DVD release also includes a commentary track from Landis, producer Robert K. Weiss, the Zuckers, and Abraham. I didn't use it tonight, but I have heard that it's quite funny. Maybe next time I watch this one, I'll have the commentary turned on, whenever that'll be.
Highly recommended.
Showing posts with label zucker abrahams and zucker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label zucker abrahams and zucker. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Ruthless People
Ruthless People. 1986 Touchstone Pictures.
Starring: Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Judge Reinhold, Helen Slater, Anita Morris, Bill Pullman, William G. Schilling
Directors: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker & Jerry Zucker
Available at Amazon as a single disc, or in a two-fer with Down and Out in Beverly Hills.
While having lunch with his mistress Carol (Morris), millionaire Sam Stone (DeVito) explains in great detail his plan to murder his wife Barbara (Midler) just to get her money. While he has made a small fortune himself, Barbara is the herress to a much larger one. Sam despises Barbara, and only married her for the money. Arriving home, Sam finds the house empty. He receives a call from an anonymous man who explains that "they" have kidnapped Barbara, and Sam must pay a small ransom, or she will be killed. Barbara's life is also in danger if Sam contacts the police or media, which naturally, he does immediately!
Barb's kidnappers are Ken (Reinhold) and Sandy Kessler (Slater), a poor couple eager for revenge against Sam. Sam "made his fortune" by stealing a fashion idea from Sandy, as well as the Kesslers' life savings to help produce it. Barbara gets locked in the Kesslers' basement, where she is more than a handful to the amateur kidnappers. Their problems only increase when it becomes obvious that Sam doesn't want his wife back, and is trying everything possible to goad the Kesslers into killing Barbara. The kidnappers may be desperate for money, but murder was never in the cards, despite the threatening message. Ken starts offering to drop the ranson, all the way down to ten grand, but Sam still refuses.
As for Carol, she and her boyfriend Earl (Pullman) believe Sam plans to throw his wife's body from the Hollywood Hills late at night. Earl lies in wait with a video camera, unwittingly capturing a rendezvous in a car between a prostitute and the chief of police. The woman screams a lot, and Earl mistakenly thinks the murder is happening right in front of him. Sam gets an anonymous copy from Carol, and after his reaction, sends another to the police chief. Thinking he's being blackmailed, the chief asks what Carol what she wants, and she says the answer is obvious: arrest Sam Stone. Planning to plant evidence in Sam's place, the chief is surprised when a bottle of chloroform and pictures with Sam and Carol are found. Sam is arrested, and he now faces the dilemma of having to get Barbara back to prove his innocence.
But...things are never that easy.
Recommended movie, although not as zany as the "normal" Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker movie.
Starring: Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Judge Reinhold, Helen Slater, Anita Morris, Bill Pullman, William G. Schilling
Directors: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker & Jerry Zucker
Available at Amazon as a single disc, or in a two-fer with Down and Out in Beverly Hills.
While having lunch with his mistress Carol (Morris), millionaire Sam Stone (DeVito) explains in great detail his plan to murder his wife Barbara (Midler) just to get her money. While he has made a small fortune himself, Barbara is the herress to a much larger one. Sam despises Barbara, and only married her for the money. Arriving home, Sam finds the house empty. He receives a call from an anonymous man who explains that "they" have kidnapped Barbara, and Sam must pay a small ransom, or she will be killed. Barbara's life is also in danger if Sam contacts the police or media, which naturally, he does immediately!
Barb's kidnappers are Ken (Reinhold) and Sandy Kessler (Slater), a poor couple eager for revenge against Sam. Sam "made his fortune" by stealing a fashion idea from Sandy, as well as the Kesslers' life savings to help produce it. Barbara gets locked in the Kesslers' basement, where she is more than a handful to the amateur kidnappers. Their problems only increase when it becomes obvious that Sam doesn't want his wife back, and is trying everything possible to goad the Kesslers into killing Barbara. The kidnappers may be desperate for money, but murder was never in the cards, despite the threatening message. Ken starts offering to drop the ranson, all the way down to ten grand, but Sam still refuses.
As for Carol, she and her boyfriend Earl (Pullman) believe Sam plans to throw his wife's body from the Hollywood Hills late at night. Earl lies in wait with a video camera, unwittingly capturing a rendezvous in a car between a prostitute and the chief of police. The woman screams a lot, and Earl mistakenly thinks the murder is happening right in front of him. Sam gets an anonymous copy from Carol, and after his reaction, sends another to the police chief. Thinking he's being blackmailed, the chief asks what Carol what she wants, and she says the answer is obvious: arrest Sam Stone. Planning to plant evidence in Sam's place, the chief is surprised when a bottle of chloroform and pictures with Sam and Carol are found. Sam is arrested, and he now faces the dilemma of having to get Barbara back to prove his innocence.
But...things are never that easy.
Recommended movie, although not as zany as the "normal" Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker movie.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Airplane!
Airplane! 1980 Paramount Pictures
Starring: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty
Also Starring: Leslie Nielsen, Peter Graves, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Lorna Patterson, Stephen Stucker, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, etc.
Written and Directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker & Jerry Zucker
Buy Airplane! (Don't Call Me Shirley edition) at Amazon.
Ted Striker (Hays), a traumatized ex-fighter pilot, has just been dumped by his stewardess girlfriend Elaine (Hagerty), but he ends up boarding a flight to Chicago that she's working on to try to win her back. It's up to Striker to take command, and to conquer his fear of flying when the flight crew and many passengers fall victim to food poisoning. With the help of Steve McCrosky (Bridges) and Rex Kramer (Stack) on the ground trying to talk him down, can Striker save the day and win back the heart of Elaine?
Airplane! borrowed its major characters and most of its storyline from a 1957 drama called Zero Hour! Directors and writers Abraham, Zucker and Zucker discovered that film while looking for late night commercials to tape, and they quickly bought the rights to it.
One of the truly great American comedies. You can thank Airplane! for Leslie Nielsen's career revival as a comedic actor. Surely I can't be serious about that one. Regardless, highly, highly recommended!
And stay away from the fish for dinner, 'kay?
Starring: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty
Also Starring: Leslie Nielsen, Peter Graves, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Lorna Patterson, Stephen Stucker, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, etc.
Written and Directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker & Jerry Zucker
Buy Airplane! (Don't Call Me Shirley edition) at Amazon.
Ted Striker (Hays), a traumatized ex-fighter pilot, has just been dumped by his stewardess girlfriend Elaine (Hagerty), but he ends up boarding a flight to Chicago that she's working on to try to win her back. It's up to Striker to take command, and to conquer his fear of flying when the flight crew and many passengers fall victim to food poisoning. With the help of Steve McCrosky (Bridges) and Rex Kramer (Stack) on the ground trying to talk him down, can Striker save the day and win back the heart of Elaine?
Airplane! borrowed its major characters and most of its storyline from a 1957 drama called Zero Hour! Directors and writers Abraham, Zucker and Zucker discovered that film while looking for late night commercials to tape, and they quickly bought the rights to it.
One of the truly great American comedies. You can thank Airplane! for Leslie Nielsen's career revival as a comedic actor. Surely I can't be serious about that one. Regardless, highly, highly recommended!
And stay away from the fish for dinner, 'kay?
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Top Secret!
Movie? What movie?
Top Secret! 1984 Paramount Pictures.
Starring: Val Kilmer, Lucy Gutteridge, Peter Cushing, Omar Sharif
Directors: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker & Jerry Zucker
Buy Top Secret! at Amazon.
Look out, Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker have returned, and they've found a new kid named Val Kilmer to unleash onto the world!
Kilmer, in his first role, plays pop singer Nick Rivers, who goes to East Germany to perform at a festival, and somehow ends up in a resistance movement, helping Hillary (Gutteridge) rescue her captive scientist father.
The film's most notable scene is one in a bookstore that was filmed completely in reverse.
Even though many of the jokes and pop culture references are now pretty dated (Pac-Man, anyone?), it's still a hysterical movie. Recommended.
Top Secret! 1984 Paramount Pictures.
Starring: Val Kilmer, Lucy Gutteridge, Peter Cushing, Omar Sharif
Directors: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker & Jerry Zucker
Buy Top Secret! at Amazon.
Look out, Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker have returned, and they've found a new kid named Val Kilmer to unleash onto the world!
Kilmer, in his first role, plays pop singer Nick Rivers, who goes to East Germany to perform at a festival, and somehow ends up in a resistance movement, helping Hillary (Gutteridge) rescue her captive scientist father.
The film's most notable scene is one in a bookstore that was filmed completely in reverse.
Even though many of the jokes and pop culture references are now pretty dated (Pac-Man, anyone?), it's still a hysterical movie. Recommended.
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