Zoolander 2001
This should NOT have worked. Ben Stiller as a vain and stupid male model, with a oddly coifed Will Ferrell running around trying to get him to assassinate a foreign Prime Minister in the name of fashion. Somehow, through a mix of slick production, deliciously corny writing, stellar line delivery, and an overall willingness to let down your guard, Zoolander succeeds admirably. Ben Stiller, starring, writing and directing, is at his height here, taking the character of Derek Zoolander, created for brief skits during the VH1 Fashion Awards, and sketching out a hilarious hour-and-a-half of events for the spiky-haired numbskull. With Owen Wilson (he’s so hot right now!) present to exploit his looks, the two "models" give the audience a treasure chest of memorable scenes, from the David Bowie-refereed walk-off to "the files are IN the COMPUTER!" The videos played at the VH1 Awards are top-notch production, followed soon after by a low-tech gas fight set to Wham!, a one-two punch that few films can deliver. The plot is silly, but that works to the film’s advantage since it fits in better with the madness. Stiller’s wife Christine Taylor is along as dead-serious Time Magazine reporter Matilda Jeffries, and gives Zoolander the air of seriousness it needs when the plot, alas, just has to be furthered in order to get to the next gag. Cameos abound, and the film takes itself seriously, aiding the fun as the oddball moments and one-line gags stand out from the point-to-point plot. Stiller is at his best when he’s playing a unrealistic character rather than acting "normal" in such films as the horrible, vapid Meet the Parents, and the hilarious Zoolander is no exception.
Harold and Kumar 2004
I have nothing against stoner/gross out films that only work on a "Oh, I can’t believe they DID THAT!" level. Nothing at all. Receiving a positive review from yours truly simply requires that you give me characters I can care about and something, anything original. A slight bit of insight doesn’t hurt, either. Harold and Kumar go to White Castle achieves this, as the two leads (John Cho, Kal Penn) bring a level of seriousness to their characters that allow us to relate to them; unlike most other characters in similar modern yuk fests (including Penn’s Indian university student in Van Wilder,) these are real life people, not movie stereotypes, so although their adventures are straight out of Hollywood the characters aren’t. Here the flick takes its cues from Cho’s American Pie, where the plot and dialogue may be dominated by lurid and crude behavior, but the players are realistic and sympathetic so we tolerate the filth. Some of the jokes are cheap, and the cinematography is standard fare, but the film moves enough to keep you entertained and laughing on a regular basis, especially when the title duo keep running into a somewhat extreme group of enemies. It’s hard to believe this film came from the director of Dude, Where’s My Car; Harold and Kumar is everything that film isn’t, with loveable leads on a journey we care about, big laughs awaiting us at every turn. Plus, they rode a fucking cheetah. A CHEETAH. That’s gotta count for something. FULL REVIEW
Batman 1989
No one else could play Bruce Wayne, the oddball millionaire obsessing over crime and justice…and bats. Michael Keaton, fresh off a rather loud turn as the title character in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, joined the helmer’s next project as Batman burst onto the big screen for the first time since Adam West ran for mayor of Quahog and the results, at least on his end, were spectacular. Keaton, like Spider-Man’s Tobey Maguire today, hardly looks like a rough and tumble superhero, especially one who, unlike Superman, doesn’t have super powers at his disposal. It’s all brain, biceps and a stacked utility belt. What he brought to the role was a nervous intelligence, keeping Vicky Vale (Kim Basinger) and Alexander Knox (Robert Wuhl) on their toes in Wayne Manor and The Joker (Jack Nicholson) dancing in circles on the streets of Gotham. Usually smiley-faced and bursting with energy, Keaton balances his performance between sedated, precision superhero justice and bouncy, eccentric Wayne family life, creating the most real alter-ego until the aforementioned Peter Parker surpassed him a decade later. Nicholson is great as Joker, but not up to Keaton’s level nor the thespian’s own; though few others could bring the energy he did to the role, it’s hard to forget his performance as Satan in The Witches of Eastwick, and the off-kilter, maniacal supervillain portrayed here fails to match up against his turn as Lucifer. Batman’s plot (involving pharmaceutical tampering amongst other fascinating items) isn’t as good as it could be (nor as good as the sequel’s,) but Keaton and Nicholson win the day and the novelty of Burton’s dark Gotham City and Danny Elfman’s haunting score (along with Prince’s amazingly relevant soundtrack) make this the Batman flick that shines over all others.