The Ice Pirates (1984) - MGM chaos results in space nonsense

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Several merits of Stewart Raffill's The Ice Pirates are pointed out in tiny lettering on this teen-targeting poster for it

A 'space pirate' knocks out a farting alien.

 

The Ice Pirates is written by Stanford Sherman (Shalimar (1978)) and co-writer/director Stewart Raffill (The Tender Warrior (1971)).

The purple outline above gives a sense of the small and bewildering plot of The Ice Pirates, which is hard to recount as something that makes sense, (probably because it doesn't), but which also includes such elements as a factory that castrates men, an evil, fat dictator who is surrounded by women in bikinis, a beheading, (and the head then tickled under his nose with a feather.) Also a sort of sex scene with the line spoken; "It's so stiff. Your belt I mean". 

Popular sci-fi originals Mad Max (1979), Alien (1979) and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) are here attempted copied in a haphazard way without much in the way of ideas or skills involved, and the result is the (colorful, sure, but little else) disaster that is The Ice Pirates. 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 9 mil. $

Box office: 14.2 mil. $ (North America alone); projected 19.2 mil. $ total gross

= Uncertain but likely a flop (projected return of 2.13 times its cost)

[The Ice Pirates was released 16 March (USA) and runs 91 minutes. It was reportedly envisioned first as a serious sci-fi movie with a 20 mil. $ budget. The indebted studio lowered this to 8 mil. $ (apparently it went over-budget by a million), and it was turned into a sci-fi comedy. Shooting took place around March 1983 in California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #3, behind holdover hits Splash and Footloose, to a 4.3 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent one more weekend in the top 5 (#4), grossing 14.2 mil. $. Its performance in a small list of foreign markets that only counts West Germany, Spain and Australia is not listed online and may likely have been limited, perhaps to 5 mil. $, which would result in a total gross of 19.2 mil. $, which would make the film a flop. Raffill returned with The Philadelphia Experiment (1984). Robert Urich (Clover Bend (2002)) returned in 4 TV credits prior to his theatrical return in Turk 182 (1985); Mary Crosby (Queen of the Lot (2010)) in 12 TV credits prior to her theatrical return in Johann Strauss: The King Without a Crown/Johann Strauss - Der König ohne Krone (1987). The Ice Pirates is rotten at 17 % with a 4.50/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of The Ice Pirates? 

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000) - Murphy brings down the house

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Star Eddie Murphy as five laugh-inducing Klump characters on the poster for Peter Segal's Nutty Professor II: The Klumps

Sherman has fallen in love with another professor, but he is still haunted by the uncouth, harassing voice of Buddy Love. To gain momentum in his endeavor to score, he invents an elixir for rejuvenation.

 

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps is written by Barry W. Blaustein (Coming 2 America (2021)), David Sheffield (Boomerang (1992)), and Paul and Chris Weitz (Antz (1998), both), with Steve Oederkerk (Smart Alex (1987)) contributing story elements, and directed by Peter Segal (Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)). It is the sequel to The Nutty Professor (1996), itself a remake of The Nutty Professor (1963) with Jerry Lewis.

There are many loosely connected and barely comprehensible plot elements here in this colorful sequel, but the main thing is that it results in many laughs and a once again very enjoyable time in the company of Eddie Murphy's (Metro (1997)) wacky-vulgar Klump family. His multiple performances here are incredible; Janet Jackson (Poetic Justice (1993)) is sweet; and the film is a genuine shot of low-brow great spirits.

The buffet scene is priceless. There seem to possibly be less (but still funny) fart jokes here than in the predecessor, as well as some good fantasy sequences. This is for the silly-minded comedy fans.

Related posts:

 

Peter Segal: Get Smart (2008) - Segal presents another commercially mandated rehash

The Longest Yard (2005) - A few laughs register in shallow, overlong MTV-produced sports comedy remake

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 84 mil. $

Box office: 166.3 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.97 times its cost)

[Nutty Professor II: The Klumps premiered 24 July (USA) and runs 109 minutes. Murphy was paid 20 mil. $ + reportedly 20 % of the gross for his performance in the film; Jackson 5 mil. $. Murphy's deal may have made it the most profitable film for him in his career, possibly netting him more than 60 mil. $. Shooting took place from October 1999 - February 2000 in California, including Los Angeles. It opened #1 to a 42.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weekends in the top 5 (#2-#5), grossing 123.3 mil. $ (74.1 % of the total gross). Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Segal returned with Anger Management (2003). Murphy returned with a voice performance in Shrek (2000) and physically in Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001). Nutty Professor II: The Klumps is rotten at 26 % with a 4.50/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Nutty Professor II: The Klumps?

The Golden Child (1986) - Get silly with this!

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With its star in a shiny black jacket and drenched in 1980s colors, this delightful poster for Michael Ritchie's The Golden Child also teases the film's fantastic dual California-Nepal settings

Chandler Jarrell is a social worker in Los Angeles, when he becomes the Chosen One, who is to rescue a divine Tibetan boy child from an evil rat monster-demonic man with the help of a good-looking local woman.

The Golden Child is written by Dennis Feldman (Just One of the Guys (1985)) and directed by Michael Ritchie (Downhill Racer (1969)). Eddie Murphy (48 Hrs. (1982)) is the 'Chosen One', and Charles Dance (The Great Fire (2014, miniseries)) is the rat monster villain, who also naturally has a British accent.
Everything in The Golden Child is as super silly as this summary makes it sound like, and I fall hard for it. It seems like it has about a million drum solos awkwardly wedged into its soundtrack, and The Golden Child is a 1980s film that has 1980s kitsch quality going through the roof.
Murphy is intermittently funny, although it seems involuntarily so in this unusual mix of fantasy, action, adventure, comedy and romance. The effects are funny, and the film's detour to Nepal is handsome and thrilling as another unusual feature in a big mainstream Hollywood comedy. Some may argue that The Golden Child is so bad that it's good, and there's definitely something to be said for that argument.

Watch clips of a body double walking around wit his back to the camera in real Kathmandu, Nepal and Murphy on a Nepalese backlot set in LA in a 5-minute clip from the film here

Cost: 25 mil. $
Box office: 79.8 mil.$ (North America only)
= Uncertain - but certainly a big hit (returned 3.19 times its cost domestically alone and reportedly more than 4 times its cost worldwide)
[The Golden Child was released 12 December (North America) and runs 94 minutes. Feldman's spec script was bought by Paramount in a bidding war for 300k $. Shooting took place in Nepal, including Kathmandu, and California, including Los Angeles, from February 1986 - ?. The Golden Child is played by a 7 year-old girl actress. Composers Alan Silvestri and John Barry walked away from the film, with Michel Colombier's synth-pop score instead being made for the film. It opened #1 to an 11.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed in #1 for another 4 straight weeks and spent another 2 weeks in top 5, grossing 79.8 mil. $. Its international total is not known, only that it is above 100 mil. $. Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch higher than this one. Murphy called the film "a piece of shit" in a 1989 Rolling Stone interview and reportedly involved himself in the writing of the screenplays for his starring movies after it. Ritchie returned with The Couch Trip (1988). Murphy returned in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987). The Golden Child is rotten at 26 % with a 3.89/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Golden Child?

Groundhog Day (1993) - Rubin, Ramis and Murray's irresistible comedy masterpiece

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+ Best Comedy of the Year + Most Deserved Hit of the Year + Best Pennsylvania Movie of the Year

Star Bill Murray is literally caught inside a clock on a beautiful morning - with attractive co-star Andie MacDowell looking sweetly skeptical in the right corner, on this poster for Harold Ramis' Groundhog Day

A weather man with big city egocentric proclivities, - which is understating the fact, - is sent to cover the annual Groundhog Day phenomenon in the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. He hates it there. And his loathed day then mysteriously repeats itself the next day. And the next day ...

Groundhog Day is written by Danny Rubin (Stork Day (2004)) and Illinoisan master filmmaker, co-producer/co-writer/director Harold Ramis (Caddyshack (1980)).
Bill Murray (Cradle Will Rock (1999)) is wonderfully sarcastic and at the same time touchingly real as Phil Connors, on the cusp of another chapter of his career here. Andie MacDowell (Happiness Runs (2010)) adds sweetness, and Stephen Tobolowsky (Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous (2005)) is hilarious as hearty local Ned 'Bing!' Ryerson.
Groundhog Day is a perfect film, which shows the potential height for a high-concept fantasy comedy and is both really funny and equally thought-provoking. The movie's main idea is that life is what you inject it with personally on a daily basis; a simple dictum that is nevertheless rendered highly evocative and with a depth that is normally not found in a mainstream comedy. This is also why Groundhog Day rightly ranks among the absolute best comedies of all time.

Related post:

Harold Ramis: 1993 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Top 10: Best fantasy movies reviewed by Film Excess to date

Caddyshack (1980) - And you thought golf was boring?

Watch an original trailer for the film here

Cost: Reportedly 14.6 mil. $
Box office: 70.9 mil. $ (North America alone)
= Big hit with domestic gross, but overall more likely a huge hit (returned 4.85 times its cost in North America alone)
[Groundhog Day premiered 4 February (California) and runs 101 minutes. Rubin and Murray attended Groundhog Day in secret to prepare for the filming. Shooting took place mainly in Woodstock, Illinois, some distance from the real Punxsutawney, as well as in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and in California from March - June 1992. Murray was bitten by groundhogs twice during shooting, requiring him to get a rabies shot. He was going through marital problems at the time and continued working on the script with Rubin while alienating himself from long-time friend and director Ramis. The two broke their relationship after the movie and didn't speak again for over 20 years; not until Ramis was on his deathbed did they reconcile. Murray was reportedly paid 10 mil. $ for Groundhog Day, an overwhelming share of the film's cost. Several religions have embraced the film and claimed it for their beliefs. The length of Connors' repeated Groundhog Day has been calculated by one Internet site to last around 34 years. The film opened #1 to a 12.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed #1 for another 2 weeks and then managed another 5 weeks in the top 5, grossing 70.9 mil. $. The international gross numbers are not public information, but even if the film was met with a very muted international reception (15 mil. $ for instance), it would rank the film as a huge hit. Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, but later elevated it to his list of Great Movies. The film won a BAFTA but otherwise went under the major awards radar. IMDb's users have voted it in at #248 on the site's Top 250, sitting between Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Drishyam (2015). The film was adapted into a musical for the London stage in 2016 and later Broadway. Ramis returned with Stuart Saves His Family (1995). Murray returned in Mad Dog and Glory (1993). Groundhog Day is certified fresh at 96 % with an 8.05/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Groundhog Day?

The Incredible Story of the Giant Pear/Den Utrolige Historie om den Kæmpestore Pære (2017) - A high-spirited, charming, family-friendly animation adaptation

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A light-hearted, wild adventure is promised by this colorful poster for Amalie Næsby Fick, Jørgen Lerdam and Philip Einstein Lipski's The Incredible Story of the Giant Pear

In Sun Town, popular mayor J.B. disappears inexplicably one evening. When friends Mitcho and Sebastian receive a message in a bottle from him containing a seed, an adventure to a mysterious island for his rescue soon begins!

The Incredible Story of the Giant Pear is a family-friendly adventure comedy animation written by Bo Hr. Hansen (Speed Walking/Kapgang (2014)), based on the same-titled 2012 children's book by Jakob Martin Strid (Vi Hader Alting!! (1997)), and directed by Amalie Næsby Fick, Jørgen Lerdam (Hugo the Movie Star/Jungledyret 2 - Den Store Filmhelt (1996)) and Philip Einstein Lipski (Ronal the Barbarian/Ronal Barbaren (2011)).
The adventure is a classic Strid creation of untamed imagination and a healthy dose of humor, featuring pathetic pirates, a bureaucratic, power-hungry vice-mayor villain, a strange, lonely dragon-ship captain, ghosts and giant pears. It is never too dramatic for little children and still has the ability to entertain and make bigger children and adults laugh as well.
The original Danish voice cast do very well, and Peter Frödin (Motello (1998)) as the absentminded professor is especially funny. The animation of Sun Town is cute and funny, and the storm portion, ghost section and mysterious island also have well-made looks. The characters, including leads Mitcho and Sebastian, who are a kiddie cat and an elephant without that fact ever raising any eyebrows, are sweet and well-defined, and the film's showing the insides of vessels as cut open in the middle may be inspired from Wes Anderson films like The Darjeeling Limited (2007) and probably especially his oceanic adventure The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004).
The 'camera' is mostly fixed low near the leads' perspective and don't move around much, even when it would have been exciting. Budget restraints and Danish animation custom may have had a say in this. There's just one small song in the movie, (by the pirates), and it could have been a real kicker, but isn't really, unfortunately.
SPOILER In the film's most dramatic moment, of course towards the very end, Mitcho and Sebastian are caught together far underwater, and Mitcho helps swim her friend to the surface. They are clearly really in danger, but the scene as they surface strangely doesn't reflect this, perhaps made so with the youngest audiences in mind, - but it is a bit of a strange conclusion.
These minor drawbacks don't change that The Incredible Story of the Giant Pear is a delight and enormously recommendable cinema fare for the whole family.

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: Unknown
Box office: Unknown
= Unknown
[The Incredible Story of the Giant Pear premiered 12 October (Denmark) and runs 78 minutes. The film has received support from the Danish Film Institute. It opened #1 in Denmark, its only market to date, where it sold 138k tickets in the 12-22 October Autumn break period, more than 60k more tickets than the #2 film, The Snowman. The film only has one foreign release scheduled yet, in Hungary on 8 February 2018. The film's budget has not been made public. 61 IMDb users have given the film a 7.3/10 average rating.]

What do you think of The Incredible Story of the Giant Pear?

Elf (2003) - Favreau and Ferrell supply belly laughs and Christmas magic

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+ Best Christmas Movie of the Year + Best Huge Hit of the Year 

Will Ferrell is strapped for hijinks inside a Christmas ball on this poster for Jon Favreau's Elf

Buddy is a human who is raised in the elf world, who now discovers his different origin and decides to travel to New York to find his father. - But life is hard in the big city for an elf!

Will Ferrell (Semi-Pro (2008)) lights up every scene like a Christmas lantern in the title role here in this wonderful family comedy. Elf flies high on his spirited performance, the strange and creatively accomplished elf world on the North Pole, and a great sense of absurd comedy coupled with genuinely sweet moments.
Ferrell receives enthusiastic backup from Zooey Deschanel (Our Idiot Brother (2011)), Michael Lerner (The Mod Squad (1999)), Peter Dinklage (Human Nature (2001)), James Caan (Viva Las Nowhere (2001)) and Mary Steenburgen (I Am Sam (2001)) in supporting parts.
Elf is written by David Berenbaum (The Haunted Mansion (2003)) and directed by great New-Yorker director Jon Favreau (The Jungle Book (2016)). It is handsomely produced, funny, thrilling and has Christmas magic in spades. It is a favorite with just about everyone.

Related posts:

Jon Favreau: 2016 in films - according to Film Excess
The Jungle Book (2016) - Favreau's great, widest appealing movie to date
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess   
Iron Man 2 (2010) - Favreau and Theroux's boisterous, entertaining sequel

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

Cost: 33 mil. $
Box office: 220.4 mil. $
= Huge hit
[Elf premiered 9 October (Austin Film Festival) and runs 97 minutes. Jim Carrey was offered the role, but turned it down, and Terry Zwigoff was offered to direct but turned it down in preference for his Christmas movie, Bad Santa (2003). Shooting took place in Vancouver, Canada and in New York from December 2002 - March 2003. Buddy's (Ferrell) singing in Gimbel's' Santa-land wasn't scripted; Ferrell reportedly made it up on the spot. The film opened #2, behind The Matrix Revolutions, to a 31.1 mil. $ opening weekend in North America, where it rose to #1 in its second week (a substantially quieter week at the box office) and spent a total of 6 weeks in the top 5, grossing 173.3 mil. $ (78.6 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 28 mil. $ (12.7 %) and Australia with 6.1 mil. $ (2.8 %). Roger Ebert gave the film 3/4 stars, equal to a notch harder than this review. It has since its release been listed as one of the best Christmas films of all time by several respected publications. The film has spun a 2010 Broadway musical and a 2014 NBC special, with Jim Parsons playing Buddy. Elf is certified fresh at 84 % with a 7 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Elf?

Evan Almighty (2007) - Shadyac's monumentally miscalculated sequel/professional gravestone (hope not)

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+ Most Expensive Flop of the Decade: 105.7 mil. $ range

+ Most Expensive Flop of the Year (lost approximately 105.7 mil. $) + Worst Poster of the Year + Biggest Career Killer of the Year: Tom Shadyac 

 

This poster for Tom Shadyac's Evan Almighty is a fine example of a grotesquely manipulated copy-paste poster graphics job that's gone awfully wrong

 

Following the funny huge hit Bruce Almighty (2003), spin-off Evan Almighty focuses on news anchor-turned-congressman Evan (Steve Carell (The Big Short (2015))). One of his colleagues gets contacted by God, who - for reasons that seem beyond our comprehension, - make Evan into a modern day Noah.

- As his hysterical wife leaves him, and the political job becomes harder and harder to keep, Carell trots around in more and more wacky costumes and hair jobs in Evan Almighty, which must surely rank among the craziest and most outlandish comedies in recent history. It is a very bizarre film built around a poor idea, which is also very badly constructed from there. It is also a huge effects feature, which is amusing in small glimpses, - mostly those in which Carell seems to laugh inwards in earnest at the whole absurd situation he has put himself in here.

Morgan Freeman (Oblivion (2013)) is, however, good as God, and, believe it or not, so is the message of the film.

Evan Almighty is written by Steve Oedekerk (Bruce Almighty), with Joel Cohen (Toy Story (1995)) and Alec Sokolow (Garfield (2004)) contributing story elements, and directed by Virginian master filmmaker Tom Shadyac (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)), whose directing career fell into a black hole, probably as a result of the costly failure of Evan Almighty. (Shadyac has only directed a documentary since.)

 

Related posts:

 

Tom Shadyac: The 2000s in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Bruce Almighty (2003) - Carrey makes laughter in well-made what-if-you-were-God-comedy

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) - 6th gear Jim Carrey smacker

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 175 mil. $

Box office: 173.4 mil. $

= Huge flop

[Evan Almighty was released June 22 and runs 96 minutes. Its script is a reworking of the spec script The Passion of the Ark, which Sony Pictures bought in a bidding war for a huge 2.5 mil. $ in 2004, beginning the hugely expensive and difficult production of Evan Almighty. Jim Carrey, the star of Bruce Almighty, declined to star in the sequel, which thus became a spin-off. Shooting took place in Virginia, Washington and California, including Universal Studios, from March - August 2006. The budget ballooned from 140 mil. to 175 mil. $ due to the effects-heavy, animal-heavy shoot. Shadyac had an environmental focus during production, getting thousands of trees planted to make up for its CO2 emissions, and had a fall-out with the producers towards the release of the film. The film opened #1 with a 31.1 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weeks in the top 5 (#3, #5) and grossed 100.4 mil. $ (57.9 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 12.1 mil. $ (7 %) and Australia with 6.7 mil. $ (3.9 %). The film additionally made in excess of 27.6 mil. $ on home video sales in North America alone, which, if added to its gross, changes its statues to merely a big flop. Evan Almighty is rotten at 23 % with a 4.5 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Evan Almighty?

Wreck-It Ralph (2012) - Original story gets lost in benign but overly flashy animation

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The festive poster with kapow value for Rich Moore's Wreck-It Ralph

 

Ralph (John C. Reilly (Chicago (2002))), the arcade computer game character of the game Wreck-It Ralph, is tired of being a lonely outsider in his world, who only gets to smash things to smithereens. So he leaves his game to win a medal. - But his decision lands everyone else in the arcade game world in deep trouble!

 

Wreck-It Ralph begins as a fresh, original and really funny idea. But it later turns out to have some real problems: Sarah Silverman's (Masters of Sex (2014-16)) girly character and the villain King Candy (voiced by Alan Tudyk (Wonder Boys (2000))) are both boring, and it is as though Wreck-It Ralph gets lost in the candy world which much of it plays out in. It indulges in flashy animation for its own sake and attempts to pull an edifying story out of the mess in the end, which as a result feels cheap.

Before this meltdown, though, Wreck-It Ralph provides enough lavish and computer game-enthusiastic fun to make it worth seeing. Jane Lynch (Rio (2011)) and Jack McBrayer (Bad Night (2015)) are both fun, with the latter building on his Southern-charm trademark.

The film is written by Phil Johnston (Zootopia (2016)) and Jennifer Lee (Frozen (2013)) and directed by feature-debuting Rich Moore (Zootopia).

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 165 mil. $

Box office: 471.2 mil. $

= Box office success

[Wreck-It Ralph premiered October 29 (El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood) and runs 101 minutes. The concept for Wreck-It Ralph was developed first by Disney in the late 1980s, and was redeveloped and reconsidered several times before the film that came to be. Moore was hired based on his previous work directing animated TV-series such as The Simpsons (1990-93)) and Futurama (1999-01)). Wreck-It Ralph contains an estimated 188 individual character cameos from a wide variety of real and imaginary computer-games. The film opened #1 to a 49 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed in the top 5 for a total of 3 weeks and grossed 189.4 mil. $ (40.2 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 36.1 mil. $ (7.7 %) and Japan with 29.6 mil. $ (6.3 %). Wreck-It Ralph was the 14th highest-grossing film and the 4th highest-grossing animation of the year. Roger Ebert gave it 3/4 stars, equal to a notch better than this review. The film was Oscar-nominated for Best Animated Feature, which it lost to Brave, and for the same Golden Globe, also lost. A sequel is in the works for a 2017 release. Wreck-It Ralph is certified fresh at 86 % with a 7.6 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Wreck-It Ralph?