Movies
I think few people suspected this film to be a critical success, but lo and behold. The reasons for that are twofold. Liam Neeson is a terrific cast (not an obvious choice, but those who watched his little cameo in Extra knew he was capable enough), and Akiva Schaffer's direction. A man who isn't afraid to go all-in on the comedy. There are references to the original, to the films the original parodied, and references to popular media from the past three decades. Everything's a gag, a pun, a joke. There aren't excursions to other genres, unless it's for comedic purposes. And despite some obvious misses and tired jokes here and there, there's way more material that hits the mark. It seems that comedies are making a hesitant return, and it's about time, too. Lots of fun!Read all
Even not knowing the real life characters, this spoof is pretty great. The mix of straight comedy and parody is fine, but what makes The Lonely Island stand out from similar acts is that their music is genuinely catchy and actually believable as pop music. It's a tad short, but there's plenty to laugh and the execution is truly spot on.
A hilarious mockumentary that suits The Lonely Island crew perfectly. It helps to be familiar with their particular brand of comedy, on the other hand this is without a doubt one of the best introductions into their work. Popstar is slick, dense and committed to a level you rarely see in comedy films. The film works on three levels. First of all, it is a pretty straightforward but effective parody of the pop documentary genre (think Justin Bieber's). Then there's the comedy of the songs themselves, which features some very nice stabs at the randomness and shallowness of pop music. But what really sets this apart is the fact that the songs are actual, bona fide, catchy pop songs. That's different from acts like "Weird Al" Yankovic or Flight of the Conchords, who get a bit doubty when the comedy element is stripped away. Taccone, Schaffer and Samberg are great, the supporting cast is ace too and many of the cameos are priceless, not in the least because many of them are not afraid to make fools of themselves. The only thing that keeps me from giving is a higher mark is that the second half doesn't feel quite as sharp, but that's just a minor glitch in an otherwise great film.Read all
Disney resurrecting Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers doesn't sound all that exciting, but they made a real effort with this one. In the hands of the Lonely Island gang the result is a film full of gags and references that reach well beyond the Disney stable, keeping the pace high from start to finish. The mix of animation styles is pretty cool, there are some fun gags (about as many hits as misses, but when the jokes come this fast, it doesn't matter that much) and the film keeps up the mad pace. It could've been a little edgier and the plot's a bit lazy, but I had a pretty good time, certainly better than expected.Read all
