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There is No God: Friedberg and Seltzer are at it again

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There is No God: Friedberg and Seltzer are at it again

Old 04-28-08, 11:56 AM
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There is No God: Friedberg and Seltzer are at it again

Variety has the unfortunate news.

Apparently, Fox has grown tired of Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer's unfunny parody canon, arguably the Uwe Boll of the comedy genre. Now, Lionsgate is taking on the burden of the whole "Let's reenact entire scenes from recent popular movies made in the past year and throw in a few tasteless jokes to make it look like a spoof" genre that they've ungodly harvested.

This time, the cast includes Vanessa Minnillo, Carmen Electra, and Kim Kardashian. I wish this was a satirical newsbyte.

And honestly, there's no rudeness in saying these movies are bad. The jokes in these movies are extended to the most unbearable points of tolerance and never manage to succeed because, as I said earlier, all these movies do is reenact scenes and throw in tasteless humor to make them comedic.

I hope to ZAZ that this won't be my idea for one of these movies (that I hope never happens), Prestige Picture (spoofing elements from No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Juno, The Departed, and other critically-acclaimed pictures), or perhaps we'll get another round of big-budget riffs on I Am Legend, The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Speed Racer, and other event movies. Either way, let's hope these guys end up with Brett Ratner and Paul W.S. Anderson in a Phantom Zone sooner than later.

Oh, and did I mention this movie is being fast-tracked at ludicrous speed for a release Labor Day weekend (August 29th)? Yeah, we're screwed.
Old 04-28-08, 12:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Zen Peckinpah
Yeah, we're screwed.
Not if you choose to not see it.
Old 04-28-08, 12:57 PM
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Old 04-28-08, 01:11 PM
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You know, I wouldn't mind seeing the guys from Funny Games repeatedly kicked in the nuts.
Old 04-28-08, 02:34 PM
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I believe this is gonna be called Goody 2 Shoes and is gonna spoof Big Budget summer Comedies like Sex And The City, Superbad and Hancock
Old 04-28-08, 02:40 PM
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But... you know these movies make good bank, right? So if you made something that made a lot of money and had a market, would you stop making it because a group of people think it sucks?

I'm not going to go, but it's not like because this and Meet the Spartans get made that David Fincher's going to get thrown in jail. Relax...
Old 04-28-08, 03:01 PM
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Originally Posted by JJE-187
I believe this is gonna be called Goody 2 Shoes and is gonna spoof Big Budget summer Comedies like Sex And The City, Superbad and Hancock
Spoofing comedies is a ridiculous idea.
Old 04-28-08, 04:04 PM
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Actually spoofing something would be a step in the right direction for these guys. They don't spoof anything. They simply dress people up like they are in 300 and then try to throw in pop culture references.
Old 04-28-08, 04:19 PM
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Originally Posted by BravesMG
But... you know these movies make good bank, right? So if you made something that made a lot of money and had a market, would you stop making it because a group of people think it sucks?

I'm not going to go, but it's not like because this and Meet the Spartans get made that David Fincher's going to get thrown in jail. Relax...
No, he might not get thrown in jail, but studio execs could give him a harder time making a flick the way he wants to make. "Yeah, this "Se7en" sounds like a good flick, but could you make it more like "Meet the Spartans"? Or at least have Mills fart a few times?"

These "ignore it and it won't affect you" comments always amuse me. Because, it always seems to end up affecting in one way or another.
Old 04-28-08, 04:33 PM
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Originally Posted by JJE-187
I believe this is gonna be called Goody 2 Shoes and is gonna spoof Big Budget summer Comedies like Sex And The City, Superbad and Hancock
When you spoof a comedy, everyone loses.
Old 04-28-08, 04:34 PM
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Epic Movie failed on so many levels:

Most of the movies it spoofed weren't epics.
The movie itself was only about 80 minutes long, including ridiculously long end credits which started around the 69 minute mark.
It was shot in 1.85 instead of 2.35.
Old 04-28-08, 06:15 PM
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Obviously, you guys are all very sophisticated types.

So I have to ask, just what does make you guys laugh out loud?

Don't get me wrong... I don't consider any of these movies to be comedic works of art, but I really fail to understand all the animosity. Are significant others/friends/the mafia twisting your arms/breaking kneecaps to get you to see them?

Let go your hate. :^)
Old 04-28-08, 06:21 PM
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Originally Posted by Jon2
So I have to ask, just what does make you guys laugh out loud?
Anything Judd Apatow, The Naked Gun, The Big Lebowski, Airplane!, Woody Allen in the 70's, Mel Brooks movies (Spaceballs and earlier), 80's Eddie Murphy, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Animal House, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters (anything with Bill Murray for that matter)...all of these are comedies and not necessarily "sophisticated" at all.

Wes Anderson...that's sophisticated comedy, and I love his stuff.
Old 04-28-08, 06:35 PM
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^if you must know Jon2:
(my opinion)
Bad Comedy: Tyler Perry, Eddie Murphy (1998+), Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans, any of these shitty parodies, Hot Rod, Bill Hader and the SNL that has aired the past 6 years, movies in which black male actors appear as obese elderly black women, White chicks, little man, direct to video "National Lampoon presents:...." titles, etc.

Good Comedy: Judd Apatow (knocked up, 40 year old virgin, freaks and geeks, the TV set, Undeclared etc.) , Will Ferrell (sometimes like with Talladega Nights..., Anchorman and a few others.), Woody Allen (sometimes), Sacha Baron Cohen, 30 Rock, The Smpsons, South Park, Sideways (and other Alexander Payne films), Love, Actually, David O Russell films, Weeds, Ferrelly Bros. films, Broken Lizard films, Todd Solondz films, some Kevin Smith films, Wes Anderson films, Hot Fuzz/Shaun of the Dead, Anything with Bill Murray, Some like it hot, ...
These are good examples I enjoy. I know some others wont like everything I listed but come on the pont is who n there right mnd find these "_____ Movie" movies humorous in the least....I guess some do and good for them but to those who have experienced good comedy films I dont see how one can go and look at these spoof flms with any humor at all.
Old 04-28-08, 06:56 PM
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Originally Posted by Rogue588
No, he might not get thrown in jail, but studio execs could give him a harder time making a flick the way he wants to make. "Yeah, this "Se7en" sounds like a good flick, but could you make it more like "Meet the Spartans"? Or at least have Mills fart a few times?"

These "ignore it and it won't affect you" comments always amuse me. Because, it always seems to end up affecting in one way or another.
Seriously?

Hasn't the idiotic (and obviously, bad) comedy been around for many years prior to the junk that these specific two have created? And yet good movies still find their way out...

It may not be in yours or my taste, but the plain fact is that these flicks generate cash, period. The idea that we should get all high-and-mighty and declare that "good" films are suffering because these get made is ludicrous to me. Are we supposed to believe that critical darlings like NCFOM and TWBB aren't going to get made anymore, despite the fact that their profits are usually not robust? And if their profits are low enough that it eventually does occur that critical "epic" type of films aren't generating enough cash, we're going to blame it on the release of Scary Movie 48 9/16?

I just don't have it in me to bash the studios or get all upset because they're producing films targeted only with the goal of making money, and not producing a quality film. Hence, I'll just ignore it and it will go away .
Old 04-28-08, 08:19 PM
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I wish they would spoof movies that haven't come out yet. That would just be awesome.
Old 04-28-08, 08:35 PM
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I thought the thread title was the title of the movie and it was a spoof on Tyler Perry/Expelled/Left Behind/Etc... but that takes actual balls, not the Neuticals these doofs possess.
Old 04-28-08, 08:43 PM
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Originally Posted by BravesMG
Seriously?

Hasn't the idiotic (and obviously, bad) comedy been around for many years prior to the junk that these specific two have created? And yet good movies still find their way out...

It may not be in yours or my taste, but the plain fact is that these flicks generate cash, period. The idea that we should get all high-and-mighty and declare that "good" films are suffering because these get made is ludicrous to me. Are we supposed to believe that critical darlings like NCFOM and TWBB aren't going to get made anymore, despite the fact that their profits are usually not robust? And if their profits are low enough that it eventually does occur that critical "epic" type of films aren't generating enough cash, we're going to blame it on the release of Scary Movie 48 9/16?

I just don't have it in me to bash the studios or get all upset because they're producing films targeted only with the goal of making money, and not producing a quality film. Hence, I'll just ignore it and it will go away.
I started to type something up, but then the drugs kicked in and I lost my train of thought. Here's what I had (hopefully it makes sense) ...

Yes, seriously.

Ya know, I don't mind people liking what they like. They don't like the same things as me, no skin off of my back. However, it's when the popularity of stuff that there was obviously no thought put into becomes the norm (and the standard) that bothers me. Or better yet, when those things start to affect my viewing/listening habits.

Here's a hypothetical:

Say i'm a fan of the Office, Law & Order, Las Vegas, etc..

Deal Or No Deal debuts and is a "smash" hit.

The braintrust at NBC decides "Hey, this show doesn't cost us anything to make, there's no creativity whatsoever and J6P is obviously captivated by watching people pick numbers to open briefcases. We need more of this!"

So they, in their infinite wisdom, decide "We should have Deal on three more days and cancel "the Office", "L&O" and "Las Vegas"" - which leaves me with three less shows to watch that I like.

Granted, that's an extreme example, but it's the best way I could sum it up.

I'm not an comedy elitest. Well, I guess I am. I mean, I don't understand dick & fart jokes - I don't understand what was so great about "Knocked Up" - I never understood the appeal of "Dumb & Dumber".
Old 04-28-08, 09:25 PM
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I agree. But Knocked Up and Dumb & Dumber are on 2 different ends of the comedy spectrum at least to me. I like The Office.
Old 04-28-08, 09:34 PM
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Originally Posted by JJE-187
I believe this is gonna be called Goody 2 Shoes and is gonna spoof Big Budget summer Comedies like Sex And The City, Superbad and Hancock
Nope. Goody 2 Shoes is scheduled for April 2009.

This is an entirely new idea that just got fast-tracked less than a month ago.

May be one of the first times in mainstream, studio-system Hollywood that a film went from being greenlit to release in less than five months.
Old 04-29-08, 07:36 AM
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Haven't their movies made less and less at the box office each time?
Old 04-29-08, 07:54 AM
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Originally Posted by The Bus
Haven't their movies made less and less at the box office each time?
The point is that they turn a tidy profit (don't forget all those "UNRATED!" dvd sales) with minimal investment of money or production time. They could crank these out once a month if they wanted, and the chimps would snap it up.
Old 04-29-08, 09:41 AM
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Originally Posted by Rogue588
I started to type something up, but then the drugs kicked in and I lost my train of thought. Here's what I had (hopefully it makes sense) ...
And I'm not trying to champion the cause for these guys or their movies, they suck and suck really, really hard.

I completely agree with your point in theory, but I don't see why we should be mad at the studios for making more of these cash grabs. I don't want to retread the whole profit vs. integrity argument, but these are so cheap to produce and so easy to market that we will keep seeing them released until they stop making cash.

My wife and I are huge 30 Rock and Office fans, but if the ratings suck and replays of L&O or According to Jim or 2.5 Men are what people are watching, sucks for us. I guess the complete helplessness of the situation for people outside the market for the equivalent of movie swill is why I always think that the "ignore" it track is the way to go.

Additionally, I get less worked up about movie production than TV because movies are only limited to budget, not the amount of primetime TV hours of programming in a week. The A/B/C(?) list filmmakers and actors aren't anywhere near this junk usually, so it's not taking resources away from other films, other than overall budget. And since these are usually really cheap to make, I just don't think it's a trend worth worrying about too much.
Old 04-29-08, 10:09 AM
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are these movies really that profitable?


I would think that they dont make their money back - I wonder what they do in other markets?
Old 04-29-08, 11:41 AM
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I hate seeing these guys keep cranking films out as much as anyone else, but I understand why studios keep doing it. Sure the movies are complete crap, but movies that consistently turn a profit, no matter how small, are still viable for studios to produce. Meet the Spartans is a good example. Total piece of shit. I don't even need to see it to know that, yet it opened at #1 over Rambo, which kicked unholy amounts of ass. I might hate these movies, but I at least understand why they continue to be made.

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