"CATCH YOU FUCKERS AT A BAD TIME?"

Posts Tagged ‘Chris Farley’

Airheads

Thursday, August 8th, 2024

August 5th, 1994

It seems kinda crazy now, but AIRHEADS was a movie I was excited for ahead of time. Other than a couple of bit parts, it was the first time I saw Steve Buscemi after RESERVOIR DOGS made him an icon. Adam Sandler was still on Saturday Night Live, his biggest movie role having been in THE CONEHEADS, so it seemed novel for him to be a co-star. And I wasn’t really familiar with Brendan Fraser so I hadn’t had a problem with any of his performances yet. More importantly, director Michael Lehmann’s HEATHERS is an important movie to me, he’d since done MEET THE APPLEGATES and HUDSON HAWK, both weird and interesting if not great, so he was a director I followed. And the premise of a rock band taking a radio station hostage to try to get their song played seemed like it had potential for, like, satire or something. I don’t know.

Then I saw it and forgot everything about it. I don’t think I was impressed, but I was sure now it would at least be more interesting as a time capsule. Yeah, I guess, arguably. (read the rest of this shit…)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Reviews, Comedy/Laffs | 40 Comments »

Dirty Work

Monday, June 25th, 2018

June 12, 1998

DIRTY WORK doesn’t look like it comes from the same era as these other movies in this series. I remember noticing that at the time, too. It’s not that it’s visually simple and unadorned, it’s more that Norm Macdonald, with his loose fitting plaid shirts over plain t-shirts, looks like a schlub from a low budget ’80s frat comedy or the cover of an old Home Improvement DVD. (I’m not sure what I thought of Artie Lange’s more late ’70s/early ’80s style polos, which play as kind of stylized now, like SUPERBAD.)

I remember wondering, has this thing been sitting on the shelf for several years? Or do things just look different in Toronto, where it was filmed? Or is it because it’s directed by Bob Saget? Yeah, I know, even back then, pre-THE ARISTOCRATS, he made sure everybody knew he was actually real edgy, man, he told jokes about penises and buttholes and you name it, everything. Nevertheless he was still the dude from Full House and America’s Funniest Home Videos. That is an incontrovertible fact. It’s the same guy. He did those things. (read the rest of this shit…)

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Comedy/Laffs, Reviews | 34 Comments »

Coneheads

Monday, June 12th, 2017

a survey of summer movies that just didn’t catch on

July 23rd, 1993

Dan Aykroyd was the mastermind behind two of the most beloved comedies of the ’80s: THE BLUES BROTHERS (possibly my favorite comedy of all time) and GHOSTBUSTERS (male version), so what could be more of a no-brainer than to have him turn his most famous Saturday Night Live sketch into a movie?

Like GHOSTBUSTERS, CONEHEADS teams him with an ensemble of great comedic talents from SNL and elsewhere to build on a comedy premise about an intersection between the regular world and a fantastical one. Instead of a supernatural element it’s an extra-terrestrial one. The Coneheads are an alien couple who crash their Remulakian space cruiser outside New York and while waiting for extraction decide to live as earthlings, first in a motorhome, then in the New Jersey suburbs, raising a daughter, owning a house, golfing, etc. (read the rest of this shit…)

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Comedy/Laffs, Reviews, Science Fiction and Space Shit | 39 Comments »

  • Hey bud, thanks for reading.

    Don't feel obligated, but here are some

  • WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT THE SHIT OUT OF VERN & OUTLAWVERN.COM

    if that's your thing:

  • 1. Patreon

    Toss me a couple bucks a month, support the good shit, also get access to a bunch of exclusive writing. This is my primary source of writing money that has allowed me to cut down to part time at the day job. Thank you!

  • 2. Buy my books from your local bookseller or somebody

    click here for my Amazon author page

    (NOTE: My ten year contract has passed on the Titan books, so I don't get residuals on them like I do WORM ON A HOOK and NIKETOWN, but I would love for you to read them because I'm proud of them)

    EXTRA CREDIT: Review them on Amazon! That would really help me out. Unless you didn't like them, in which case forget I said anything.

  • 3. If you ever buy from Amazon, go through my links or search engines



    (you pay the same amount you were gonna pay anyway they cut me a little slice)

  • I also have an Amazon UK one:

    (I can't get the search box widget to work anymore, so click on MOONWALKER and then search for what you want.)

  • 4. My exciting line of fashion and leisure products

    (I get a couple bucks per item, you get a cool t-shirt, mug or lifestyle item)

  • 5. Spread the word

    Tell your friends about my reviews and my books and everything. Only cool people though please, we don't need a bunch of suckers and/or chumps around here.

    THANKS EVERYBODY. YOUR FRIEND, VERN

    * * * *

  • Recent commentary and jibber-jabber

    • Wes on The Ogre/The Church: “I’m glad to see Vern reviewing some Italian horror! I’d also love to read Vern’s takes on some stuff from…” Oct 24, 18:15
    • Skani on Sick: “Finally caught up with this one. All the Hyams-i-ness here is great. Good suspense, stalk, slash, and excellent close quarters…” Oct 24, 17:52
    • Skani on Abigail: “Finally getting around to watching this one, and I had a ball. It’s a great, handsome cast, chewing the scenery…” Oct 24, 17:43
    • Glaive Robber on Demons 2: “BTW, can we talk about how gorgeous these screencaps are? Firstly, it’s just a great looking movie. But secondly, Vern…” Oct 24, 14:19
    • Glaive Robber on The Ogre/The Church: “Been a very long time since I’ve seen “The Church”. I do remember it plays like its own movie until…” Oct 24, 14:14
    • Adam C aka TaumpyTearrs on Demons: “Thanks for the suggestions Majestyk. A lot of those were on my list, so an additional endorsement shows I am…” Oct 23, 21:08
    • Glaive Robber on Demons 2: “Yes. I would say this review accurately captures how awesome this movie is.” Oct 23, 12:41
    • Mr. Majestyk on Demons 2: “This was my very first Italian horror movie. Not that I knew it was an Italian horror movie at the…” Oct 23, 12:39
    • Charles on Demons: “Glad you enjoyed this one Vern! its great fun. Part 2 is also fun and includes a number of homages…” Oct 23, 12:13
    • Charles on Demons: “Majestyk, great list. I would throw more Sergio Martino on there. He made four classic giallo each with their own…” Oct 23, 11:58
    • CJ Holden on Demons 2: “That it takes place in an apartment building makes the whole thing IMO a bit scarier. It’s one thing to…” Oct 23, 11:30
    • Mr. Majestyk on Slasher Search Presents action-horror double feature: HELLKAT / SHADOW: DEAD RIOT: “Okay, here are some slasher suggestions. I don’t think any of these are great, but I’ve watched a LOT of…” Oct 23, 11:10
    • VERN on Demons: “Raul – I thought she was his daughter, and I found some sources saying she was his daughter, others saying…” Oct 23, 10:05
    • Mr. Majestyk on Demons: “I’ll just throw out the most obvious Italo-horror recs to get you started: Bava: PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES, BLOOD &…” Oct 23, 09:03
    • CJ Holden on Demons: “I think Lamberto Bava’s biggest mainstream success (at least in Germany and I guess other parts of Europe) is the…” Oct 23, 06:59

  • Recent Commented on Posts

  • Most Comments