Category: Humor

“Stone Age Romeos” (1955) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Stone Age Romeos (1955)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Felix Adler, Zion Myers

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard and Emil Sitka 

Tagline:  Sanity takes to the hills, as The Three Stooges achieve new heights of buffoonery!

The Plot…

The boys have a plan to collect a $50,000 prize by proving that cavemen still live in the deepest unexplored jungles.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Stone Age Romeos is an adaptation of the Stooges short I’m a Monkey’s Uncle from 1948.  A new opening and closing was filmed with the middle using ample footage from the earlier film.

Stone Age Romeos earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Fubar” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger – The Teaser is Here!

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The teaser for Fubar starring Arnold Schwarzenegger is below.  Because it come from Nick Santora, stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and is on Netflix, checking it out will be a no-brainer.  I just hope it has the right mix of action and comedy.

ARNOLD. IS. BACK. MAY 25. And starring in his first series ever: FUBAR – Everything else is top secret, except for that ice pack he’s gonna need. To receive classified updates click here: https://netflix.com/FUBAR

Also starring Monica Barbaro, Milan Carter, Fortune Feimster, Travis Van Winkle, Jay Baruchel, Andy Buckley, Aparna Brielle, Barbara Eve Harris, Fabiana Udenio and Gabriel Luna.

From creator Nick Santora (Reacher, Prison Break): A CIA operative on the verge of retirement discovers a family secret. Forced to go back into the field for one last job, FUBAR tackles universal family dynamics set against a global backdrop of spies, action and humor.

“Gypped in the Penthouse” (1955) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Gypped in the Penthouse (1955)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Jean Wiles, Emil Sitka and Al Thompson

Tagline: Goofs vs. gold-digger!

The Plot…

The boys are all in love with the same gold-digger.  She’s playing each of them, and they are unaware of her other suitors.  But they’re about to find out.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Although Larry and Shemp are members of The Woman Hater’s Club, this 1955 short is not a remake of the Stooges 1934 outing Woman Haters.

In the scene where Moe is thrown out of bed he can clearly be seen hitting his head on the nightstand.  This wasn’t in the script.

Loco Boy Makes Good earns 4 of 5 stars.

“No Holds Barred” (1952) starring The Bowery Boys / Z-View

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No Holds Barred (1952)

Director:  William Beaudine

Writer:  Tim Ryan, Bert Lawrence, Jack Crutcher

Stars: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Marjorie Reynolds, Bernard Gorcey, Henry Kulky, David Gorcey, Benny Bartlett, Sandra Gould, Tim Ryan, Murray Alper and Ray Walker

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

When Slip (Gorcey) discovers that Sach (Hall) has different body parts that feel no pain and give him super-strength, he turns Sach into a professional wrestler.  Although the super-strength body part changes from time to time, they are able to take advantage of this.  Sach is winning all his matches and this draws the attention of a crooked manager and the former champ.  Soon Sach will have to face manager’s wrestler in the ring… what could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

No Holds Barred is a fun Bowery Boys outing.  The outfit Sach wears in his final match is actually Klaatu’s  (Michael Rennie) spacesuit from The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).

Each time the power would move to a different body part (head, elbow, toes, etc.) Slip would change Sach’s wrestling moniker.  When the power moved to the last body part Slip started to give Sach a new wrestling name, but Sach breaks the fourth wall and says, “You say it and we’re out of pictures!”

No Holds Barred earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Quiz Whizz” (1958) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Quiz Whizz (1958)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Searle Kramer

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Joe Besser, Greta Thyssen and Emil Sitka

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

When Joe is scammed out of $15,000 of quiz show winnings, the boys go to get back the cash.  The scammers convince our guys to pose as children for a rich couple.  What the Stooges don’t know is that the rich couple was in on the scam and plan to kill our guys!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Quiz Whizz features Joe Besser as one of the Three Stooges.  Many fans don’t appreciate his comedy, but I’m not one of them.  While I prefer Curly and Shemp, I don’t mind Joe Bessor joining the team.  I like that he had his own persona and didn’t try to copy what had been done before him.

Quiz Whizz earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Goof on the Roof” (1953) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Goof on the Roof (1953)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Clyde Buckman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard

Tagline: The Fix-It Boys…Out-Foxed Again!

The Plot…

When the boys learn their roommate is getting married, they decide to save him some money and install a television antenna themselves.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Goof on the Roof’s story has the boys destroying a house to install a tv antenna.  There’s not much we haven’t seen before and without a cast to interact with, it becomes a bit redundant.  My favorite part is probably the “glug-glug-glug” sounds made when a bucket of water ends up on a Stooge’s head.

Shemp, who had replaced Curly due to his declining health caused by strokes, suffered a mild stroke himself with two weeks of completed filming of Goof on the Roof.

Goof on the Roof earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Rhythm and Weep” (1946) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Rhythm and Weep (1946)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard and Jack Norton

Tagline: None

The Plot…

When the boys are unable to find work for their vaudeville act, they decide to end it all.  They go to the roof of a skyscraper prepared to jump.  Once there, our guys are surprised to find three woman dancers with the same idea.  It’s love at first sight.  The boys and the women decide to put together a comedy/dancing act.  And just like that a millionaire offers to sponsor the show.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Sadly, due to a series of strokes, Rhythm and Weep would be Curly’s second to last Stooges’ feature. Accommodations had to be made on set for Curly’s scenes due to his inability to remember lines.  That could also be one of the reasons there is an emphasis on dancing in Rhythm and Weep.  Despite his health, Curly still provides laughs, especially when he pulls a Michael Jackson Smooth Criminal move while on the ledge of a skyscraper.

Larry breaks the fourth wall with a funny comment when after hugging a girl, looks directly into the camera and says, “This I like! And I get paid for it, too!”

Rhythm and Weep earns 4 of 5 stars.

RIP: Richard Belzer

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Richard Belzer, the comedian, actor and author, died today.  He was 78.  No cause of death was given.

Richard Belzer began his entertainment career as a stand-up comedian.  He appeared in the low-budget film The Groove Tube in 1974.  He was also a featured comedian on the National Lampoon Radio Hour along with John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, and Harold Ramis.  Richard Belzer would go on to be the audience warm-up comedian for Saturday Night Live.  Mr. Belzer would go on to make three guest appearances on the show.  In addition to stand-up, Richard Belzer appeared in television and movies throughout his career.

Some Richard Belzer appearances in feature films include: The Groove Tube; Fame; Author! Author!; Night Shift; Scarface; Fletch Lives; The Bonfire of the Vanities; A Very Brady Sequel; Species II and The Comedian.

Some of Richard Belzer’s television appearances include: Sesame Street (2 episodes); Saturday Night Live (3 episodes); Moonlighting; Miami Vice; The Flash (10 episodes); Hart to Hart: Crimes of the Hart; Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (4 episodes); The Invaders (2 episodes); The X-Files; Mad About You; Homicide: Life on the Street (122 episodes); Homicide: The Movie; Law & Order (4 episodes); South Park; 3rd Rock from the Sun; Law & Order: Trial by Jury; The Wire; 30 Rock (2 episodes); Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (326 episodes) and American Dad.

Richard Belzer also wrote four books on conspiracy theories.

I first saw Richard Belzer in The Groove Tube.  Who could have imagined that the young comedian would go on to have a distinguished acting career, and author several books!

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Richard Belzer’s family, friends and fans.

“Horses’ Collars” (1935) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Horses’ Collars (1935)

Director:  Clyde Bruckman

Writer:  Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard

Tagline: The 3 lunatics are on the loose again!

The Plot…

Our guys are detectives in the wild west.  They are sent to a frontier town to help a young woman get her farm back from the ruthless killer Double Deal Decker.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Curly has a condition where every time he sees a mouse, he goes insane attacking anyone near him.  The only cure is for Larry and Moe to feed him cheese.  What brought about this condition, you ask?  “Because Curly’s father was a rat.”  Curly also has a unique way of getting through a boring meeting.

Horses’ Collars earns 5 of 5 stars.

“True Lies” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger & Jamie Lee Curtis / Z-View

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True Lies (1994)

Director:  James Cameron 

Writer:  James Cameron based on La Totale! by Claude Zidi, Simon Michaël, Didier Kaminka

Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Art Malik, Eliza Dushku, Marshall Manesh and Charles A. Tamburro

Tagline: When he said I do, he never said what he did.

The Plot…

Harry Tasker (Schwarzenegger) is a fairly boring computer salesman.  At least that’s what his wife, Helen (Curtis) thinks.  She’s a straight-laced secretary.  The reality is Harry is a United States secret service agent fighting terrorism.  And Helen, well, she’s a straight-laced secretary.

Things get turned upside down when Helen gets conned by Simon (Paxton) a used car salesmen, passing himself off as a secret agent to Helen.  Simon has Helen convinced he needs her help to save the country. In reality, Simon just wants to score with her.  When Harry learns Helen is going to meet Simon, Harry thinks she’s having an affair!

Things get worse when Harry learns that the Crimson Jihad plan to set off a nuke in the US.  He’s assigned to lead the team to find and take out the terrorists, but first there’s the thing with his wife…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

True Lies is sometimes referred to as an action/comedy.  A better description is comedy/action.  Fans of each are going to get plenty of both, but the emphasis is on comedy.  That’s not a bad thing.

Arnold is great as the ultra cool, always in control government agent.  Jamie Lee Curtis is perfect as both the straight-laced housewife and the sexy (yet still klutzy) wanna be secret agent.  This is probably Tom Arnold’s best role.  He makes a good sidekick for Arnold.  Bill Paxton has a small but impactful part as the smarmy used car salesmen who hits on the wrong guy’s wife.

True Lies is a fun ride.  Both the action and comedy hold up.  In some ways it’s like The Last Action Hero.  Where it differs is, Arnold plays it straight and those around him provide the comedy. This works really well.  Describe some of the scenes and most folks who haven’t watched the film would give you an eye roll…

“Arnold on horseback chases a terrorist escaping on a motorcycle through a crowded hotel.  Arnold on horseback rides an elevator to the roof of a hotel just as the terrorist rides off the edge of the roof to land in a pool several stories below.”

“Arnold is about to be killed by terrorists.  Jamie Lee Curtis drops an uzzi down steps and with each bounce it kills terrorists surrounding Arnold.”

“As a nuclear bomb goes off in the distance Arnold and Jamie Lee Curtis share a passionate kiss.”

“A terrorist jumps on Arnold’s Harrier Jet.  Arnold tilts the plane and the terrorist becomes tangled on a missile.  Arnold launches the missile (along with the man) into a helicopter full of terrorists.”

Surprisingly all of these scenes (and many more) play well.  True Lies is a fun, over-the-top action/comedy, er… comedy/action film that bears repeated viewings.  (And I didn’t even mention Jamie Lee Curtis’ very sexy, very funny seduction scene.)

True Lies earns 4 of 5 stars.

“One Body Too Many” (1944) starring Jack Haley & Bela Lugosi / Z-View

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One Body Too Many (1944)

Director:  Frank McDonald

Writer:  Winston Miller, Maxwell Shane

Stars: Jack Haley, Bela Lugosi, Douglas Fowley and Fay Helm

Tagline: You’ll SH-SH-SHIVER with SUSPENSE…and SH-SH-SHAKE with LAUGHTER!

The Plot…

Albert L. Tuttle (Haley), a nervous insurance agent arrives at Cyrus J. Rutherford’s mansion for an appointment to sell Rutherford life insurance.   Upon his arrival Tuttle learns that Rutherford recently died.  His family has arrived for the reading of the will.  The will states that until the body is buried in a vault on the property, the beneficiaries will not be known,  Further, if the body isn’t interred as directed, the order of the beneficiaries will be reversed with those scheduled to get the least amount now getting the most.

Since it is in the best interest of some to make sure the body isn’t buried as required, Tuttle is hired to guard the body until buried.  As the night progresses, the hijinks begin.  Expect hidden passages, secret wall panels, and Bela Lugosi as a creepy butler.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I wanted more from One Body Too Many.  There are many movies made with a creepy mansion, hidden passages, killers and comedy that find the right mix.  Sadly One Body Too Many isn’t one of them.  Haley and Lugosi deserved better.

One Body Too Many earns 2 of 5 stars.

“Lucky Hank” Starring Bob Odenkirk | Official Trailer 

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Honestly, Lucky Hank could go either way.  I don’t think it will be Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul great, but it could be good.  Then again, I’m not sold yet.  I’ll give it a shot.

Lucky Hank, starring Bob Odenkirk, premieres March 19.

From the executive producers of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Bob Odenkirk is Lucky Hank. An English department chairman at an underfunded college, Professor Hank Devereaux toes the line between midlife crisis and full-blown meltdown, navigating the offbeat chaos in his personal and professional life – oddly proving tantrums get better with age.

“You People” (2023) starring Jonah Hill, Lauren London, David Duchovny, Nia Long, Julia Louis-Dreyfus & Eddie Murphy / Z-View

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You People (2023)

Director:  Kenya Barris

Writer:  Jonah Hill, Kenya Barris

Stars:  Jonah Hill, Lauren London, Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Sam Jay, Nia Long, David Duchovny, Deon Cole, Andrea Savage, Elliott Gould, Rhea Perlman, Mike Epps and Yung Miami

Tagline: Opposites attract, families don’t.

The Plot…

A chance meeting between Ezra Cohen (Hill) and Amira Mohammed (London) leads to love.  Ezra is broker who wants to be a podcaster.  Amira is a fashion designer.  Ezra is Jewish and Amira is an African-American Muslim.  Despite differences and family issues with their relationship love finds a way… until it doesn’t… or does it?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

You People has a great set-up for comedy. Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Elliott Gould and Rhea Perlman should signal a chuckle-fest.  There are some good laughs, but much of the comedy is hit and miss.  Which is a shame.  It was cool seeing Andrea Savage (Tulsa King) in a small role.

The romance builds and builds and builds, then there’s an incident that changes everything.  And just as suddenly two supporting characters do a 180 and the movie ends.  My suspension of disbelief can only go so far.

You People earns 2 of 5 stars.

“The Golden Eye” (1948) starring Roland Winters & Mantan Moreland / Z-View

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The Golden Eye (1948)

Director:  William Beaudine

Writer:  Scott Darling based on the character by Earl Derr Biggers

Stars:  Roland Winters, Mantan Moreland, Victor Sen Yung, Tim Ryan and Ralph Dunn

Tagline: Death lurks at every step…as your oriental super-sleuth stalks a desperate killer — below the surface of the earth!

The Plot…

Mr. Manning, the owner of a gold mine wants to secretly meet with Charlie Chan (Winters). So Chan, his son Tommy (Yung) and valet, Birmingham (Moreland) pose as tourists at a nearby dude ranch.  Before they can meet, Mr. Manning is found murdered.  Charlie Chan aided by Tommy and Birmingham soon discover there are multiple suspects.  As they get closer to the killer, he plots their deaths.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Golden Eye is a typical Charlie Chan film.  It runs just over an hour.  Mantan Moreland provides comedy relief.  Charlie Chan has multiple suspects, but discovers the true murderer (and it’s not who you think)!

The Golden Eye earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Vengeance” (2022) starring B.J. Novak / Z-View

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Vengeance (2022)

Director:  B.J. Novak

Writer:  B.J. Novak

Stars:  B.J. Novak, Boyd Holbrook, Ashton Kutcher, Louanne Stephens, John Mayer, Clint Obenchain, Rio Alexander, Sarah Minnich and Ben Whitehair

Tagline:  Find the story before it finds you

The Plot…

Late one night, Ben Manalowitz (Novak) receives a call. Ben’s girlfriend, Abby has died.  As Ty (Holbrook) explains his sister died of a drug overdose, Ben struggles to remember Abby.  Just as it comes to Ben that Abby was a one-night stand months ago, Ty invites him to her funeral.  Ben tries to get out of going but Ty insists.

When Ben arrives to attend the funeral of a girl he barely remembers, he learns that Abby told everyone that she and Ben were in a serious relationship!  Ty informs Ben that he believes Abby was murdered. He and Ben will search out the killer(s) and get vengeance for her death.  Ben doesn’t think Abby was murdered, but believes that Ty’s search for the killers could mean ratings for Ben’s podcast.  He agrees to stick around and assist with the investigation.  Ben begins interviewing people about Abby’s death… he’s a fish out of water, but the deeper he gets, the more he begins to believe Abby may have been murdered.  If that’s the case, he could be next.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Ben is a New York City boy deep in the heart of Texas.  He barely remembers the woman that he was supposed to marry. Kudos to B.J. Novak for coming up with an interesting plot with tons of comedic opportunities.  The movie is well cast.  I was surprised in a good way by Ashton Kutcher’s performance.

Vengeance plays like a comedy and has plenty of laughs until it doesn’t.  There’s an unexpected 180 near the end that just didn’t work for me.  Your mileage may vary.

Vengeance earns 2 of 5 stars.