If you ever wondered how Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining might work as a comedy, look no further than this parody movie trailer. Posted awhile ago on YouTube by jlgpyv1, the trailer of the film starring Jack Nicholson never fails to make me laugh.
Among other things, the lead up and then the start of Peter Gabriel’s oft-used “Solsbury Hill” is genius. Check out the trailer for the light comedy, Shining, a movie about a boy who wants to spend more time with his dad.
If you are like me, you may be or have been re-watching all or some of the Star Wars movies to get ready for Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). Of course, everyone loves Star Wars (A New Hope) (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983). And maybe you do not mind Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005). But what if you really do not want again to watch The Phantom Menace (1999), generally considered the worse of the lot?
Fortunately, we have a solution from Weird Al Yankovic, who summarized Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace in his song “The Saga Begins,” which appeared on his 1999 album Running with Scissors. Set to the tune of Don McLean’s epic “American Pie,” Yankovic’s parody song presents the story from the point of view of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
“The Saga Begins” is pretty funny in the way it rhymes all of the strange Star Wars locations like Boss Nass, Coruscant, Naboo, and Tatooine. More surprisingly, Yankovic does a really excellent job of covering the plot points. And of course there is that memorable “American Pie” tune that just makes us want to sing along.
Oh my my, this here Anakin guy, Maybe Vader someday later, now he’s just a small fry; He left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye, Sayin’, “Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi, soon I’m gonna be a Jedi”
Weird Al also made a cool video to go with the song. Maybe you do not want to watch The Phantom Menace because there is too much Jar Jar Binks or because that kid’s pod race goes on way too long. Maybe you just think the movie is irrelevant to the series or that the film is a “failure on every possible level.” Or maybe you loved the move. Either way, you probably will enjoy Weird Al Yankovic’s “The Saga Begins.”
What is your favorite Star Wars film? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Earlier this year, we saw a short preview of actor Tom Hiddleston as country music legend Hank Williams in the upcoming movie I Saw the Light. Now, we get a longer look at the Hank Williams biopic in a new trailer.
Hiddleston did all of his own singing in the film, so in the two-minute trailer, we hear Hiddleston singing Williams’s 1951 song “Hey Good Lookin’.” The clip also illustrates that the movie explores Williams’s turbulent love life and problems with alcoholism. Check it out.
I Saw the Light hits theaters in general release on March 25, 2016.
What do you think of the trailer for the Hank Williams movie? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Nerd Fest UK recently created a mashup pairing scenes from the Golden Age of Hollywood with the song “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson (featuring Bruno Mars). The old-time dance moves fit pretty well with the groove of the hit song.
The clips from various films include folks like Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Gene Kelly, and Judy Garland. Check it out.
What is your favorite scene in the video? Leave your two cents in the comments.
One of the recent movies that has made me angrier than I have been in a long time is Merchants of Doubt, a 2014 documentary directed by Robert Kenner. The film delves into how for decades people have been peddling doubt to citizens to protect corporate interests on topics ranging from tobacco to climate change.
The movie is based on a 2010 book by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway with the full title Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming. In some ways, many of the revelations may not be surprising. By now, we know that tobacco corporations lied to us, but the movie gives us fresh perspective on how much they lied and how many of the same people are still lying to us today about other things.
For example, I was surprised to learn of the connection between tobacco interests and the use of dangerous chemicals added to furniture to allegedly make the furniture resistant to fire. But the chemicals did very little besides put our lives at risk.
A theme running through the film is the way hired experts use “doubt” as a method of undermining science. When legitimate scientists make conclusions contrary to corporate interests, these “merchants of doubt” appear to convince the public that there is still some doubt about the scientific findings. While doubt and questions are generally good things, these experts are raising questions not for the purpose of finding truth but for the purpose of undermining truth and promoting corporate interests.
Merchants of Doubt illustrates how these techniques have been used for decades, used in the past by those who wanted to attack scientific findings about tobacco and used today by those who wish to undermine the science of global warming. The movie may not change your mind about what you believe, but it will make you question the “experts” you often see on TV. And maybe, like me, it will make you mad.
Conclusion: If you are looking for a fascinating documentary that may change the way you look at the information you receive, check out Merchants of Doubt. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an 85% critics rating and a 75% audience rating.
“Mad Movies” (or “Movies that Make Us Mad”) is a Chimesfreedom series about movies that expose information that we might not otherwise know about, revealing misinformation, lies, and hidden stories that make us angry.
What movies make you mad? Leave your two cents in the comments.
One of the recent movies that has made me angrier than I have been in a long time is Merchants of Doubt, a 2014 documentary directed by Robert Kenner. The film delves into how for decades people have been peddling doubt to citizens to protect corporate interests on topics ranging from tobacco to climate change.
. In some ways, many of the revelations may not be surprising. By now, we know that tobacco corporations lied to us, but the movie gives us fresh perspective on how much they lied and how many of the same people are still lying to us today about other things.