This hilarious bit was a great idea by AMC to promote "NYUK" - New Yuk University! With the professor of Stoogeology: Leslie Nielsen. He was great as the professor, and the guest appearances by Dan Lauria (famous for being the wonder years dad) and Carrot top were great. The Anna Nicole intros were not good at all but the various comedic bits that Leslie would lead were the best. And then the little things that those who study and appreciate comedy will find hilarious: The gorilla in the classroom, the constant calling on "Johnson" as a student, and the simple writing on the blackboard with notes, facts, and even "punishments" (Written over and over: I will watch the Stooges on AMC) !! The trivia bits were nice; I wish Leslie and Co. would have dolled out more trivia for a lot of the die hard fans who tuned in. I'm glad I recorded these from TV with a VHS tape back when this was on from 2000-2002, because they are a treat to watch whenever I want to see the stooges again! They did way more than just "ten" intros like stated in another review. They were very worth it, right down to the classroom set and classic Leslie antics. Enjoy!
Reviews
8 Reviews
Monday Night Mayhem
(2002 TV Movie)
Monday Night Football at it's best
7 May 2004
This is a great movie. After seeing it, one doesn't get the sense that it was made for cable (TNT originally aired it.... More than once!) John Tuturro plays Howard Cosell, and does a great job. The only minor issue is that it seems he was too young to portray Cosell, especially by the early '80s when the real Cosell looked quite a bit older. The voice, mannerisms, and dramatizations are worthy of noting as a great performance. Eli Wallach and John Heard were the best in this film. They were cast perfectly. Portrayals of Meredith and Gifford weren't bad. The man playing Pete Rozelle was adequate, but not memorable. It did a great job telling the story of how MNF was born. Roone Alredge from ABC truly revolutionized the game by adding flare, more cameras, more angles, and the three-man booth. One problem is that film lacks real game footage that was true to the era (1970-85). There seem to be re-creations of the games and their moments, and the uniforms are a bit "off" during some of the game highlights. (For example, take a close look at the Joe Namath shot. That's not the original shot of him. I don't think it's him at all.) Also, there are a few moments that were supposed to be taking place in the 1970s but some of the extras looked too present-era to pull this off. Overall, an excellent film. Football fans should definitely see this. MNF is still one of the greatest additions to the field of sports and entertainment.
Weekend at Bernie's II
(1993)
Not a great sequel, but some laughs are in store...
14 April 2004
Warning: Spoilers
***spoilers ahead*****
The first "Weekend at Bernie's" was an absolute hit. A cult classic comedy loaded with humor, crazy situations, and kept the audience involved the entire time. "Weekend at Bernie's Part II" had some great moments, but this movie seemed to go in the wrong direction. To make a sequel enjoyable, the viewers need more from the first film to make a connection. Only Richard, Larry, and Bernie were back. Where were many of the major characters from the first film?? The mob boss, the girlfriend who was fooling around with Bernie, and Gwen, who was Richard's love interest, should have been back to build the story. Even some of Bernie's beach pals (remember the nut who wanted his car?) could have made cameos. This time, however, things changed for the worse. Barry Bostwick was essentially the "new" Paulie (who was the hit man in part I) and did a horrible horrible job. Paulie should have returned in some way or form. Can you say prison breakout? Instead of Richard having a love interest or continuing things with Gwen, this time it was Larry trying to make it with the girl on the island. HUGE mistake, as there was no chemistry or any sense that the relationship might have worked. Larry seemed way to silly to even attempt date or romantic scenes!! Not even close to believable. I fully agree with one viewer who suggested that Terry Kiser (Bernie), who was hilarious when he was alive, should have been in Part II in a flashback mode or something playing the part of the living Bernie. He was great in the first one and had very little chance to improve the part this time. The two clowns who were chasing Bernie's body around and carried out the voodoo were terrible. The whole idea of voodoo was super silly, except for it giving Bernie a chance to move around a bit and not be a lifeless corpse the whole time. Also, the soundtrack for Part II was awful! The first one had great party/beach music. Why not capitalize on that? Who could forget the "some like it hot/cold/never know" song from the first one? WAB fans should still see it but true comedy happened in the first film.
The first "Weekend at Bernie's" was an absolute hit. A cult classic comedy loaded with humor, crazy situations, and kept the audience involved the entire time. "Weekend at Bernie's Part II" had some great moments, but this movie seemed to go in the wrong direction. To make a sequel enjoyable, the viewers need more from the first film to make a connection. Only Richard, Larry, and Bernie were back. Where were many of the major characters from the first film?? The mob boss, the girlfriend who was fooling around with Bernie, and Gwen, who was Richard's love interest, should have been back to build the story. Even some of Bernie's beach pals (remember the nut who wanted his car?) could have made cameos. This time, however, things changed for the worse. Barry Bostwick was essentially the "new" Paulie (who was the hit man in part I) and did a horrible horrible job. Paulie should have returned in some way or form. Can you say prison breakout? Instead of Richard having a love interest or continuing things with Gwen, this time it was Larry trying to make it with the girl on the island. HUGE mistake, as there was no chemistry or any sense that the relationship might have worked. Larry seemed way to silly to even attempt date or romantic scenes!! Not even close to believable. I fully agree with one viewer who suggested that Terry Kiser (Bernie), who was hilarious when he was alive, should have been in Part II in a flashback mode or something playing the part of the living Bernie. He was great in the first one and had very little chance to improve the part this time. The two clowns who were chasing Bernie's body around and carried out the voodoo were terrible. The whole idea of voodoo was super silly, except for it giving Bernie a chance to move around a bit and not be a lifeless corpse the whole time. Also, the soundtrack for Part II was awful! The first one had great party/beach music. Why not capitalize on that? Who could forget the "some like it hot/cold/never know" song from the first one? WAB fans should still see it but true comedy happened in the first film.
Leslie Nielsen's Bad Golf Made Easier
(1993 Video)
Hilarious!! A must see for any golfer
9 April 2004
This parody of golf instructional tapes is a classic. Leslie Nielsen is back, this time with funny man Archie Hahn (famous for being attacked in "Gremlins 2: The New Batch".) Nielsen's idea to "play bad golf but feel good" is perfect. All the antics shown in this film are dead-on, hidden truths that we as golfers can surely laugh at. Some of these crazy things may even work on a golf course!
Also, the "Behind-the-scenes/Making of" at the end of the tape was ahead of its time. Now a common thing on DVDs, this VHS version had "extras" on it. These extras are great and show some great stuff.
The only two downsides are: 1. No laugh track. When the jokes are made, silence follows.
2. Archie Hahn is great but clearly over-acts in a few situations and comes off as a little annoying.
Whether you just hit the driving range or play the course, any golfer can find humor in this! Snappy production with slapstick humor makes this great.
Also, the "Behind-the-scenes/Making of" at the end of the tape was ahead of its time. Now a common thing on DVDs, this VHS version had "extras" on it. These extras are great and show some great stuff.
The only two downsides are: 1. No laugh track. When the jokes are made, silence follows.
2. Archie Hahn is great but clearly over-acts in a few situations and comes off as a little annoying.
Whether you just hit the driving range or play the course, any golfer can find humor in this! Snappy production with slapstick humor makes this great.
City Hall
(1996)
A great film, very underrated, never outdated
9 April 2004
This is one of the best crime-drama movies during the late 1990s. It was filled with a great cast, a powerful storyline, and many of the players involved gave great performances. Pacino was great; he should have been nominated for something. John Cusack was good too, as long as the viewer doesn't mind his Louuu-siana accent. He may come off as annoying if you can't stand this dialect. The way that Pacino's character interacted with Cusack's character was believable, dramatic, and slightly comical at times. Danny Aiello was superb as always. David Paymer was great in a supporting role. Bridget Fonda was good but not memorable. There were times when this picture mentioned so many characters, probably too many. It may take a second viewing to remember, "which Zapatti was which?" After so many cross-references, one has to stop and think just to recap. The ending didn't have a lot of sting. It was built up for so long and then was a bit of a letdown. This was one of the few problems with the film. Since the movie wasn't billed as a "huge, blockbuster" big screen hit, it made some forget that this movie even existed. Pacino and Aiello were great but the film's lack of "splash" in the theaters may have accounted for no nominations. It was semi-successful in the home market, and viewers are still learning that this title is out there. Made in 1996, it still stands up today and will remain popular for many years to come.
So, make yourself some lemon pudding (you'll see) and see this movie!
So, make yourself some lemon pudding (you'll see) and see this movie!
Staying Alive
(1983)
Misfire sequel to a classic movie....
11 February 2004
Staying Alive needed more flare, a better supporting cast, more people, more connections to Saturday Night Fever (1977), and less dancing. It sounds funny to say less dancing but you'll see. Rumor has it that Travolta didn't have an interest in playing Tony Manero again, since many fans of the original probably weren't going to flock to this film six years later (1983). However, Sylvester Stallone recharged some interest by agreeing to direct this picture. John Badham, who directed SNF, did not return and may have busy with `Wargames' from the same year. The `Rocky' style of character that Travolta was playing wasn't bad, but the storyline and direction was lacking big time. Much of the supporting cast were terrible actors, except for the chain smoking bearded Broadway director and Travolta. If I have to hear that silly tune from Satan's Alley (the show in the movie) I'm going to lose it! `Dance..da da..Dance..da da...' Yeesh. A sub-par movie on it's own. Not even close to a great sequel.
Diagnosis Murder
(1993–2001)
A total joke of a program
28 January 2004
This has to be one of the all time worst hour-long crime-drama shows in television history. The acting is horrible, the plots are cheesy, most scenes do not even look real (which is the point.we know it's fake but this is too fake.) and the `trying to be dramatic' looks on people's faces are downright hilarious. Seriously, this show could be a comedy. It is laughable to see what kind of story lines they dug up from who knows where. It seems like they recycled stories from `Murder She Wrote,' `Columbo,' and `Father Dowling.' Dick Van Dyke looked out of place, the kid who played Jesse was forgettable and was very annoying, and the Amanda Bentley character was silly and a waste of space. The only thing saving this from a zero out of 10 is Scott `Chachi' Baio, who provided us with some light laughter during the first few seasons. All those older viewers who watched it like crazy probably were the ones who kept this running for as long as it did in prime time by boosting the ratings. Ugh. It makes us long for the good old days of television.
Caddyshack II
(1988)
A good movie, not as bad as many say it is.
14 January 2004
One of the most interesting things is that this 1988 film is highly touted as an `in-name only' sequel. There's nothing wrong with that except this: The return of Chevy Chase as Ty Webb. This connects the viewer to this character (from the original Caddyshack in 1980,) and makes fans thinking or wanting Caddyshack II to be similar to the first one.
There are rumors that Rodney Dangerfield was supposed to return. He carried a big part of the first film, so his return would have put Caddyshack 2 over the top. Jackie Mason is the `new' Rodney for this movie and does a decent job, even though their comic deliveries are way different. Dan Aykroyd was great but not in the film enough. He should have been involved to the tune of how much screen time Bill Murray got in the first one. Robert Stack (Airplane!) was good in the `new' Ted Knight/Villian role. (We miss you, Ted!) Danny Noonan should have been back. So many others could have returned to show us what happened to their characters eight years later. Bushwood should not have undergone the total makeover it did. Instead, the characters involved, rather than the club itself, should have been the main focus like they were in the first one. When you watch this film, keep in mind that it isn't a major sequel and you may think it's another good or bad eighties comedy. Fans of the first should see it but don't be shocked when the comparisons between the original and Part II are so far apart.
There are rumors that Rodney Dangerfield was supposed to return. He carried a big part of the first film, so his return would have put Caddyshack 2 over the top. Jackie Mason is the `new' Rodney for this movie and does a decent job, even though their comic deliveries are way different. Dan Aykroyd was great but not in the film enough. He should have been involved to the tune of how much screen time Bill Murray got in the first one. Robert Stack (Airplane!) was good in the `new' Ted Knight/Villian role. (We miss you, Ted!) Danny Noonan should have been back. So many others could have returned to show us what happened to their characters eight years later. Bushwood should not have undergone the total makeover it did. Instead, the characters involved, rather than the club itself, should have been the main focus like they were in the first one. When you watch this film, keep in mind that it isn't a major sequel and you may think it's another good or bad eighties comedy. Fans of the first should see it but don't be shocked when the comparisons between the original and Part II are so far apart.
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