The 5 Greatest Comedy Films

5. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, 1997

Mike Myers how he has never been seen before and never will be again - most likely. Written and performed by him and directed by Jay Roach, the parody of the early Bond films sees charming spy Austin Powers frozen in the 60s to be unfrozen 30 years later to chase his nemesis Dr. Evil who wants to take over the world. Original and crazy-daft comedy, there to not be taken seriously. Oh behave!

(picture source: haven4gamerz.com/)

4. Dumb & Dumber, 1994

The Farrelly brothers wrote and directed this crazy slapstick comedy with gross-out humour. Wacky duo Lloyd (Jim Carry) and Harry (Jeff Daniels) are sent on an adventure after their friend Mary's (Lauren Holly) husband has been kidnapped. They find a briefcase full of money and end up being chased by the kidnappers. A lot of nutty, loony fun which saw a devoted cult following and launched successful carreers for the directors and Jim Carrey.

(picture source: djrossstar.buzznet.com/)

3. Shaun Of The Dead, 2004

This British zombie comedy film hit a new cord with its audience. Directed by Edgar Wright, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and written by Pegg and Wright, the plot ia about a young man (Pegg) who deals with everyday life problems with his loved ones, friends and family, but then finds himself fighting zombies that are taking over his city and destroying society. A different kind of comedy, that very much goes along the line of Danny Boyle's post-apocalyptic sci-fi film 28 Days Later.

(picture source: allmoviephoto.com)

2. Airplane!, 1980

This American comedy film directed and written by the Zucker brothers and Jim Abrahams is a spoof of 50s B-movies and 70s disaster films. After the flight crew fall ill Ted Striker (Robert Hays), a traumatized ex-fighter pilot, has to conquer his fear of flying and land the plane quickly and in poor weather. It introduced the audience to Leslie Nielsen as a comedy actor and also starred Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lorna Patterson. And in this day and age of the Final Destination films, it is still more than relevant.



(posted by aheutohmaluko on 19th December 2006)

1. Monty Python's Life of Brian, 1979

The Monty Python team, consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin, made a controversial parody which tells the story of Brian Cohen (Graham Chapman), a young jewish man born when and where non-other than Jesus Christ was and is hence mistaken for the Messiah. When it came out it caused a lot of furore and protest but quickley won its fans back. Funded by ex-Beatle George Harrison, it established itself as a cult film and made comedy history. Controversy is just what made out Monty Python's series and films and their legacy.



(posted by vasova on 5th September 2006)

Film and TV fun for Christmas

A film about the antics of animated zoo animals lost in Africa may not appeal to everyone but Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa is full of fun and laugh for all ages this Christmas. The sequel to the hugely popular Madagascar, released in 2005, follows the story of Alex, Gloria, Melman and Marty as they crash land in an African wildlife reserve. Though the main storyline is not based around comedy the sub plot keeps the laughs coming.

The star’s of this film have to be the penguins who are hysterically funny throughout the film. A mention also has to go to the character of King Julien (voiced by funny man Sacha Baron Cohen) and his loyal sidekick Maurice, who just like in the first film, provide the laughs when at times the main storyline falls flat.

This sequel may at times disappoint with a Lion King based main plot of a corrupt lion named Makunga (voiced by Alec Baldwin) but there are plenty of laughs to make the trip to the cinema worthwhile, if you were a fan of the first installement then this latest adventure will not disappoint overall. Though this film may seem to only appeal to the under 10’s I would recommend it for family trips to the cinema and to anyone of any age who wants to see a funny and sometimes silly film.

If the cold weather or credit crunch keeps you inside this winter then Wallace and Gromit on the BBC is the perfect choice for comedy this Christmas. Creator Nick Park has returned to the popular show based on the antics of plasticine characters Wallace and Gromit to make a 30 minute film ‘A matter of Loaf and death’. The latest instalment comes after the success of films like ‘A Grand Day Out’, ‘A Close Shave’, ‘The Wrong Trousers’ and big-screen outing ‘The Curse of the Were-Rabbit’.

Just like Madagascar, the Wallace and Gromit films may seem to only be for the younger generations but the charming, witty and funny characters and plots can provide comedy for any ages. As a fan on the Wallace and Gromit series I cannot remember a Christmas where I have not sat round the television with my whole family to watch a Wallace and Gromit film, the series is a tradition of the BBC’s and many families’ Christmas schedule.

(Wallace and Gromit, A Matter of Loaf and Death premieres Christmas Day, 8.30pm on BBC1)

Image (Madagascar) from WildAboutMovies.com

Image (Wallace and Gromit) from Wallaceandgromit.com