HyperWeather

For the first time ever I've been focusing on trying to complete the checklist and I'm actually really enjoying it, watching a bunch of things I never would have before, but I had a few questions.

I've never watched anything with a riff before and I know there are a ton of Mystery Science Theater's on netflix streaming.. are there some that are better then others? I'm not really sure where to even begin. Also I'm assuming The Sex and the City movie counts for a sitcom/reunion movie check?

BobO'Link

Completing a list can be a challenge. I'm attempting to do this one without any duplicates while also not duplicating anything in the Theme Night list. It's more difficult than you might think. Good luck on your quest!
You can also use a "RiffTrax" or "Cinematic Titanic". I'm not a fan of any of them but have purchased enough RiffTrax variants to do the checklists in the challenges. Of the three I own, Plan 9 from Outer Space, Night of the Living Dead, and Missile to the Moon, only the one for Plan 9 is humourous at times. The other 2 fall flat for me but it's probably because I like those films and feel the "riffs" on them are generally mean spirited. Although Missile is (unintentionally) funny without needing the RiffTrax. Overall I feel it's just a bunch of "smark allec", "cheap shot" type remarks. Overall I prefer the MST3K stuff I've seen over RiffTrax (never seen a Cinematic Titanic) although they never did much for me either. The silhouettes over the film drive me to distraction! That said, the MST3K episodes where the guys take on the Gamera films are considered by many to be a high point of the series. There's a review of those here on DVD Talk. I'd probably start there.
Yes.

BobO'Link

It sometimes amazes me when watching older films to see people famous for other roles, especially when I've only seen them in a TV series and didn't know they'd done films. I just watched Not So Dusty (1956) and found myself thinking "that bloke looks very familiar... where've I seen him before..." when all of a sudden it hits me. It's Bill Owen - Compo of Last of the Summer Wine and he sang a song! It was quite interesting to see him much younger than the Compo character. He had the same mannerisms and vocal inflections so that once I realized who it was I had some trouble not thinking of him as a young Compo (he was 42 when this film was made) before retirement and Nora Batty came along!

HyperWeather

Good luck with your checklist, in the past I have tried doing checklists without dupes and that's when I would quit, so figured I should just focus on finishing one before I make it harder on myself. Also thank you for the riff suggestions, I went ahead and added Gamera to my netflix list

BobO'Link

Thanks! I'm currently 100% on target to complete the checklist with no duplicates and *all* items completed (every decade and every rating) tomorrow once I watch "something with a major holiday theme". I have several titles that qualify but haven't yet picked one. I've held off on that one so it'll count on both the Comedy Challenge *and* the Holiday Challenge.
You're welcome! I hope you enjoy the film!

davidh777

The fashion is outdated, but Tootsie is still damn funny. Great dialogue, great cast. My teen was sort of watching while doing something else, and missed a lot of reaction shots etc. that couldn't be caught in the dialogue. Just grateful to have kids willing to watch an older movie, I guess. Love the soundtrack too--I bought this on LP back in the day.

Greg MacGuffin

I watched To Be Or Not To Be with Jack Benny and Carol Lombard for the first time last night. Very funny, irreverent comedy made shortly after the United States had entered World War II. It's on Netflix Instant, but only for a few more days. I really recommend it, maybe my favorite discovery of the challenge so far.

BobO'Link

^That's an excellent, almost forgotten, film. One of my favorite Lubitsch films. The Mel Brooks remake is also good but the Benny/Lombard/Lubitsch is the better of the two (and is OOP).

KaBluie

What's everybody watching for 80's Night? I need ideas!

I've already watched Lost In America, Splash, Risky Business, Stripes & Vacation.
Plus The Wedding Singer from the 90's that spoofs the 80's a little.

I think next year the 80's should be left in the Decade section of the checklist. It isn't really a "Theme".

davidh777

Maybe it should be '80s period pieces only...?

popcorn

Something I haven't seen since VHS days: Adventures in Babysitting with a young Elizabeth Shue.

BobO'Link

I'm probably going with Airplane II as it's in my unopened pile and I've been making major efforts to use that as a primary source for *anything* watched.
Sure it is. That's why that Airplane II title is in a "I love the 80's" style box. Doing a quickie IMDB search on 80s comedies I was a bit surprised at the number of good comedy films from that decade. Here are some more for you:

This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
The Princess Bride (1987)
The Goonies (1985)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Ghostbusters (1984)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Christmas Vacation (1989)
Beetlejuice (1988)
The Blues Brothers (1980)
Airplane! (1980)
Coming to America (1988)
Sixteen Candles (1984)
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
A Christmas Story (1983)
Porky's (1982)
When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
Police Academy (1984)
Uncle Buck (1989)
¡Three Amigos! (1986)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Trading Places (1983)
Weird Science (1985)
Spaceballs (1987)
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Big (1988)
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
Caddyshack (1980)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Revenge of the Nerds (1984)
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
Evil Dead II (1987)
The Cannonball Run (1981)
Vacation (1983)
Scrooged (1988)
Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
Major League (1989)

You should be able to find a good one from that list...

BobO'Link

With the watching of Deck the Halls (2006) I completed the checklist! Zero duplicates and *every* item checked off. I even managed to not duplicate a checklist item with the daily theme titles.

KaBluie

Why is the 80's a theme and not the 60's or the 30's? The comedies of the 60's (or 30's) fit together in a theme just as well as (if not better than) the comedies of the 80's. (All three of them and more fit just perfect into the Decade section of the Checklist!)


I can come up with 36 (or 20 anyway) great comedies from any 10 year stretch. Doesn't make it a theme.

wishbone

Probably since most of the participants watched '80s comedies as teenagers (moi) or as young adults.

BobO'Link

True, and frankly I've often wondered the same thing about "the 80s obsession". As wishbone says:
So it could be (probably is?) something that was self-generated by that group (I'm far outside it). You hear of all types of 80s things but other decades don't seem to get the same respect. I tend to just "go with it" for no other reason than it seems to exist regardless of what my personal feelings towards it are. In retrospect, the 80s *was* not a bad decade although at the time I felt like everything was just coasting and couldn't wait for it to end. That somewhat explains my surprise about the number of "good" movies from that decade. If asked I'd also say music pretty much sucked then too as we *were* on the downhill slide of Disco - Punk and Rap reared their ugly heads along with the beginnings of Techno. But I have *lots* of "good" rock 'n roll from that decade in spite of my gut feelings at the time. Anyway, we have the theme this year and I'm cool with it going away next.

davidh777

Nicely done

BobO'Link

I watched a couple of the Hope/Crosby "Road" films for the checklist and Theme night - that got me on a kick to see 'em all so I did (well - not Road to Hong Kong... yet). Then I watched one of the Ma & Pa Kettle films for a checklist item. Since I'd just purchased the new set with all 10 films I, again, got on a roll with them. I only have the 2 without Percy Kilbride left to watch. It's been several years since I'd seen any of either series and I'd forgotten just how fun and funny these are.

KaBluie

Tonight's Theme:
"I take my comedy like I take my coffee – Black comedy"

What's everybody watching for this?

BobO'Link

^I'm leaning toward Novocaine (2001 - Steve Martin, Henela Bonham Carter, Laura Dern) but am also considering The Witches of Eastwick (1987 - Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon), and There Was a Crooked Man (1970 - Kirk Douglas, Henry Fonda). One of my favorite black comedies is Eating Raoul which I watched for the Horror Challenge (I believe I used it for the "cannibal" checklist item).

KaBluie

What's everybody watching for "Ladies Night – films staring female comedians"?

I'm watching The Matchmaker starring Janeane Garofalo!

BobO'Link

^Hanky Panky - Gilda Radner, Gene Wilder

For tomorrow night - "Memorial night – film featuring deceased celebrity" I'm watching Stage Door with Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, and Adolphe Menjou.

KaBluie

For "Memorial Night" I'm gonna watch Hot Stuff.

With:
Dom DeLuise (1933–2009)
Suzanne Pleshette (1937–2008)
Jerry Reed (1937–2008)
Ossie Davis (1917–2005)
Marc Lawrence (1910–2005)
Bill McCutcheon (1924–2002)
Sydney Lassick (1922–2003)
Barney Martin (1923–2005)
Pat McCormick (1927–2005)
Sid Gould (1912–1996)
Mike Falco (1931–2006)
Mel Pape (1912–1995)
Sid Raymond (1909–2006)
Al Nesor (1911–1999)
Shirley Cowell (1923–1997)
William Fuller (1944–2004)

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

For the most part, my strategy for this challenge has just been to go through my unwatched comedy DVDs/BRs alphabetically but I'll skip over stuff that I plan to watch with kids and/or wife until I have time with them. So far I have one 'A' left to watch with my wife and A Bug's Life, to finish off the Bs.

I've hit a handful of Cs but I'm nowhere close to having it done by the end of the month.

Ash Ketchum

Earlier this month, I watched three Doris Day movies and one Hong Kong comedy with Josephine Siao called PLAIN JANE TO THE RESCUE. I should have saved one of them for the theme night.