Movie Walrus: LeVar Goes to the Pictures: The Reveal

Also Starring LeVar Burton

In 5th place with 9 points is

s1ippy

Catch-22 (1970)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065528/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiQSNT8VvV0

Have I Seen it Before: Yes

LeVar's Approval Rating: 87%

I had forgotten how good this was. Only saw it once before when I was in college. It's very funny, while also being pretty bleak in parts, but I enjoy dark humour, so it was an excellent choice. The cast are great, Alan Arkin is superb, and seeing a young Martin Sheen here really highlights how Charlie and Emilio are the spit of him. Not a whole lot else to say on this, aside from the fact that I should probably finally get around to reading the book at some point ; I know I have a copy of it somewhere, but it's always been one of the ones that sits staring at me from the shelf and never gets read as a new and shinier book get bought and read instead.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

In 10th place with 4 points is

Sawduck

A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095159/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xxdYfUvi9g

Have I Seen it Before: No

LeVar's Approval Rating: 57%

I know quite a few people who consider this one of the greatest films of all time, and fair enough if people love this one, its not a bad film by any means, its just not one I particulary enjoy. I will say that I was never bored, its perfectly watchable and has a decent plot, but overall I found it all a bit bland and unfunny. A lot of that comes down to how I feel about the cast. With the exception of Fawlty Towers, I really don't care for John Cleese in the slightest (I can take or leave Monty Python, it can be very hit or miss for me), and he tends to annoy me more often than not. I don't think I've seen anything else Kevin Kline has done, but I could barely stand him here to the point I'd probably avoid a film if I knew he had a big role in it. Don't mind Jamie Lee Curtis, sometimes I can find her to be very enjoyable, but it depends on who she's acting alongside at the time, and as I don't like Cleese or Kline she doesn't shine for me here either. Michael Palin is fine, I enjoyed his stuff the most. The most interesting thing about the film is actually that someone died "from laughter" while watching it in the theatre ; good to know someone enjoyed it that much anyway.

ShaneU

Kevin Kline is great in that movie

Also Starring LeVar Burton

ShaneU wrote: »

Kevin Kline is great in that movie

If you like that sort of performance he probably is... I didn't...

tusk

Not liking Monty Python probably doesn't bode well for me

JP Liz V1

ShaneU wrote: »

Kevin Kline is great in that movie

I believe he won an Oscar for it

Also Starring LeVar Burton

In 4th place with 10 points is

Irish Aris

Big (1988)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094737/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGDTNhHYJ94

Have I Seen it Before: Yes

LeVar's Approval Rating: 88%

Bam! Right in the Childhood! Nostalgia overload with this one. I think every single wish I ever made as a kid after seeing this was "I Wish I Was Big", and it's probably also a big reason Tom Hanks is one of my favourite actors. It's just a lot of fun, typical '80s, wholesome (as long as you don't think too much about how icky that relationship really is, and I tend to overlook) film. I've grown up to be a big kid myself, so it still really appeals to me and never lets me forget that life doesn't have to become dull and boring just because I'm now a thirtysomething. Also, the idea that a "kid" can become one of the top executives of a toy company just for asking basic questions and displaying childlike enthusiasm, is definitely something I've subconsciously applied to my own work ethic and strategies ; it's done me pretty over the years. Was a lot of fun watching this again, had been quite a while since I last saw it.

tusk

Big is great! Wonderful movie

Also Starring LeVar Burton

In 11th place with 3 points is

Necro

Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109254/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbP7Ptyr1sA

Have I Seen it Before: No

LeVar's Approval Rating: 54%

I had seen at least one, if not both, of the other two Beverly Hills Cop films many years ago and remember really enjoying them, and a quick google confirms that they are at least critically rated much higher to this one. The first hour was just a joyless slog ; there's a big ferris wheel set piece in there that with embarassing green and extras who are cringeworthingly awful that it actually annoyed me. Eddie Murphy seems to lack his usual energy and comes across like he just doesn't want to be making this film. The last forty minutes are much more enjoyable and saves the film for me enough not to absolutely slate it - it's still not funny at all, but enjoyable enough. The Axel F theme throughout gives this a boost in the ratings from me that it probably doesn't really deserve, but it made things more bearable so have to give it some sort of credit.

tusk

Ah love Beverly hills cop 3. Another nostalgia trip

fixXxer

God I hate Big. Tom Hanks is an insufferable twat.


Imho.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

In 3rd place with 11 points is

ShaneU

Central Intelligence (2016)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1489889/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FKctBraQj0

Have I Seen it Before: No

LeVar's Approval Rating: 90%

This was so much fun. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Kevin "The Pebble" Hart just have so much chemistry on-screen, you can clearly tell they're great mates in real life, and that's what makes this film great for me. I'm a big fan of Bromantic Comedies anyway and the action thrown in on top of that is very enjoyable. I hadn't watched this one because I heard at the time it wasn't great, but I thought it did a damn good job. I do think Jason Bateman was a bad casting choice, despite not having a massive part, his scenes just felt a bit off ; he's just not believeable enough as an asshole, and that part would've been suited better to a Gary Cole or Steven Weber type. A minor criticism in the grand scheme of things, but it was the only thing that didn't gel for me.

tusk

Also Starring LeVar Burton wrote: »

In 3rd place with 11 points is

ShaneU

Central Intelligence (2016)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1489889/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FKctBraQj0

Have I Seen it Before: No

LeVar's Approval Rating: 90%

This was so much fun. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Kevin "The Pebble" Hart just have so much chemistry on-screen, you can clearly tell they're great mates in real life, and that's what makes this film great for me. I'm a big fan of Bromantic Comedies anyway and the action thrown in on top of that is very enjoyable. I hadn't watched this one because I heard at the time it wasn't great, but I thought it did a damn good job. I do think Jason Bateman was a bad casting choice, despite not having a massive part, his scenes just felt a bit off ; he's just not believeable enough as an asshole, and that part would've been suited better to a Gary Cole or Steven Weber type. A minor criticism in the grand scheme of things, but it was the only thing that didn't gel for me.

Great movie too.

Expected it to be crap but it really surprised me

tusk

Jason bateman isn't an actor. He's just a guy that stars in movies as himself.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Hello 2D Person Below and tusk find themselves in familiar terrority, once again in the final four awaiting their fate to learn if they're Top 2 or Bottom 2, joined this time by JP Liz V1 and the purple tin

***tension building pause continues***

tusk

Also Starring LeVar Burton wrote: »

Hello 2D Person Below and tusk find themselves in familiar terrority, once again in the final four awaiting their fate to learn if they're Top 2 or Bottom 2, joined this time by JP Liz V1 and the purple tin

***tension building pause continues***

I've resigned myself to failure as usual hahaha

JP Liz V1

tusk wrote: »

Big is great! Wonderful movie

Shazam and 13 going on 30 are in the same vein also both good

Tom Hanks is so likeable

tusk

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Shazam and 13 going on 30 are in the same vein also both good

Tom Hanks is so likeable

Love 13 going on 30

Also Starring LeVar Burton

In 12th place with 2 points is

the purple tin

Silent Movie (1976)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075222/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DhJA73Ps5U

Have I Seen it Before: No

LeVar's Approval Rating: 40%

A big part of the charm of a silent movie for me is that it's also in black and white, and that they're very much of their time which transports me back to the early 20th century ; so this didn't really work for me being in colour and being made and set in the '70s. I can appreciate what Mel Brooks was trying to do and that he was celebrating the silent movie, but I just found it all a bit meh. Slapstick is far from my favourite type of comedy, and generally prefer it when used sparingly as part of something more. There were a few gags that I did genuinely like, but they were few and far between, with the majority falling flat. I'll give it some credit for how meta it was as a concept, and I did get a big laugh out of the fact that the only word uttered in the film comes from Marcel Marceau

JP Liz V1

Dwayne The Rock Johnson has so much charisma and does comedy very well no wonder he is the biggest movie star now 2 years in a row, been a fan since his WWE days

Also Starring LeVar Burton

In 2nd place with 12 points is

Deleted User

Bringing Up Baby (1938)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029947/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F25nzu6hh0Q

Have I Seen it Before: No

LeVar's Approval Rating: 93%

I really should watch more classic comedies from the '30s, '40s, and '50s, because the few I've seen I've always really really enjoyed. I have a soft spot for miscommunication comedies, so this was a lot of fun, and just a joy to watch ; was smiling from start to finish. Katherine Hepburn was an absolute delight and the film definitely lives or dies on her performance being good, but for me she nailed it. I was getting Clark Kent vibes from Cary Grant throughout, which makes sense, because I was reading some trivia about the film afterwards which said that Christopher Reeve based his Clark Kent on Grant's performance here. I wish they still made comedies like this, there's a real timelessness to it that I don't think recent comedy movies can pull off.

JP Liz V1

tusk wrote: »

Jason bateman isn't an actor. He's just a guy that stars in movies as himself.

Ozark proves he can act in more than comedies

Also Starring LeVar Burton

There couldn't be a film worse than White Noise right? Right?

Also Starring LeVar Burton

In last place and unbelievably still getting 1 point is

JP Liz V1

Happy, Texas (1999)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0162360/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh_d86E18RU

Have I Seen it Before: No

LeVar's Approval Rating: Nope. Can't Do It. Zero. Zilch. Nada. No Soup For You.

I claimed in my review of White Noise that it was the worst film I had ever seen, and it was… for a few days… until this. It wasn't funny ; I didn't laugh or smile once. It wasn't charming or even mildly amusing in any way. It was just bad. It was the only film in the category that I hadn't even heard of, which usually means it's a hidden gem or absolute tripe, and I was expecting it was probably be the latter, but thought it might at least have some redeeming qualities. It didn't. I can't stand the trope of straight men posing as a gay couple in order to cheat people or steal from them or just genuinely do bad things in some way, even if it's not intended to be offensive, I personally just find it exploitative and in poor taste.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Tonight's King of Comedy and getting the max 13 points is

tusk

Hot Rod (2007)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0787475/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yByhd7FAOug

Have I Seen it Before: Yes

LeVar's Approval Rating: 97%

Everything about this film is f**king ridiculous, and I find it hilarious. Surreal comedy is a sub-genre I thoroughly enjoy, and Hot Rod is up there with the best of them. I've seen it before, but probably not since it first came out, and I forgot how amazing it is. I just love the absurdity and randomness of the whole thing, the cast are all great, always been a big fan of Andy Samberg and Isla Fisher, and its my favourite Ian McShane performance. Many won't appreciate how fantastic Hot Rod is, its not a film that will appeal to the masses, but I like the fact that it's quite niche with a cult following rather than lowest common denominator stuff. Not much else to say, cracking choice altogether. Cool Beans!

ShaneU

William H. Macy doing a Texan accent is worth 1% surely

JP Liz V1

Even William Macy didn't make you "happy" LeVar not even a 0% rating

I should have nominated Spaceballs

Necro

LeVar has no soul not liking Beverley Hills Cop III :pac:

JP Liz V1

Isla Fisher is so natural in comedy and her start was in Home and Away

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Back to back 2nd place sees Hello 2D Person Below sit atop the leaderboard, while a bad night for Necro currently finds him with a loose grip on the wooden spoon, but still plenty of game to play and all can change in the final two rounds.

name Horror Comedy Documentary Soundtrack Total
Hello 2D Person Below 12 12 24
MicksJaguar 13 8 21
ShaneU 9 11 20
Irish Aris 8 10 18
fixXxer 11 5 16
s1ippy 7 9 16
tusk 1 13 14
Kolido 5 7 12
JP Liz V1 10 1 11
RasTa 4 6 10
the purple tin 6 2 8
Sawduck 3 4 7
Necro 2 3 5