Latest news with #Airplane
Boston Globe
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
‘The Naked Gun' reboot is as funny as it is unnecessary
After three successful films, Nielsen was so inextricably tied to the role that no one in their right mind would consider rebooting the franchise. Until now, that is. Director Akiva Schaffer (of The Lonely Island, alongside Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone) and his team of co-writers, Doug Mand and Dan Gregor, bring us a new case from the files of 'Police Squad.' As Frank Drebin, Jr., son of Nielsen's hero, they cast Liam Neeson. You may remember him from the 1988 Justine Bateman star vehicle, 'Satisfaction.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up From left: Eddie Yu as Detective Park, Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr., and Paul Walter Hauser as Ed Hocken Jr. Photo Credit: Frank Masi/Frank Masi Advertisement With his gruff demeanor, and penchant for having a particular set of skills in numerous action movies and dramas, Neeson seems like an inappropriate choice for an absurdist comedy. But it helps to remember that, before the ZAZ team cast him in 'Airplane,' Nielsen was mostly known for dramatic and bad guy roles. The fun of watching 'Airplane' back in 1980 was seeing serious actors make complete fools of themselves while keeping a straight face. The allure of that situation made the ZAZ movies even more hilarious. So, casting Liam Neeson continues that fine tradition of hiring people audiences wouldn't expect to be funny. Advertisement At least that's what the filmmakers want you to believe. If you ask me, I say they cast him because Liam Neeson sounds a lot like Leslie Nielsen. Say it with me: 'Nielsen, Neeson, Neeson, Nielsen! Neeson, Nielsen, Nielsen, Neeson!' Confusing, isn't it? I digress. Either I continue to do that, or I make my word count by spoiling all the gags and jokes this reboot crams into its 85-minute runtime. And I'll do it, too, if you complain. Journalistic integrity requires me to be serious, so like Liam Neeson, let me be Frank: Despite being so paint-by-numbers faithful to the first 'Naked Gun' movie's plot beats that you can point them out, this is still pretty damn funny. Schaffer and his team generate enough laughs for you to forgive this film's trespasses. 'Surely, you can't be serious!' you gasp in surprise. I am serious! And you're quoting the wrong movie. 'The Naked Gun' begins with a nod to the Spike Lee-Denzel Washington heist movie, 'Inside Man.' A bank robbery is in progress, and while there are guns and drama in the lobby, the real theft is occurring in the safe deposit box room. An unnamed robber blasts a hole in one of the drawers and steals a contraption that's been conveniently labelled 'P.L.O.T. Device.' Meanwhile, a Girl Scout enters the bank and proceeds to take out all the other bank robbers. Turns out she's Frank Drebin Jr. in disguise! Drebin is so brutal in his violence that the criminals sue Police Squad. The current Chief of Police Squad (CCH Pounder) yells at Drebin, interrupting a ceremony honoring the capture of his 1,000th criminal. Left to right: Paul Walter Hauser, Liam Neeson, and CCH Pounder. Frank Masi Turns out that the robbery has something to do with tech billionaire Richard Cane (Danny Huston). Cane's company makes driverless cars covered with so many lights that they look like rejects from 'Tron.' He's also a stand-in for a certain person whose website's name begins (and ends) with X. Advertisement When Cane's top employee Sam Davenport is killed in one of Cane's driverless cars, Police Squad closes the case as an accident. But Drebin's mind is changed by a slinky blonde name Beth (Pamela Anderson) who may or may not be this film's femme fatale. She is most definitely Sam's sister, and quite possibly a love interest for Drebin. Beth thinks her brother was murdered by Cane, and she's going to do her own investigation—and her own singing. Pamela Anderson as Beth Davenport and Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr. Frank Masi Convinced of Cane's evildoing, Drebin teams up with his partner, Ed (Paul Walter Hauser) to solve the case, despite the fact that Drebin keeps getting thrown off of it due to his antics. Ed is the son of Drebin Sr's partner, Ed (played by George Kennedy in the original films), and Hauser and Neeson inherit a similar buddy cop chemistry from Neeson and Kennedy. Through my laughter, I kept noticing how neatly this film parallels its predecessor. The plot involves mind control, for starters. Both films have cold opens that highlight Drebin's heroics. And they both have inappropriately comic romantic montages set to perky songs: In the original, the scene is set to 'I'm Into Something Good' by Herman's Hermits and features a nod to 'Platoon.' This one uses 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now' and has an homage to the dreadful Michael Fassbender cop mystery, 'The Snowman,' that must be seen to be believed. Advertisement Danny Huston as Richard Cane. Paramount Pictures To his credit, Neeson remains suitably deadpan. The film makes the occasional mistake of spoofing the actor's persona rather than cop movies, but that's forgivable. Anderson has a goofy charm that reminds us that this isn't her first comedy rodeo (she was on 'Home Improvement,' remember?). And Huston leans into the evil that techbros do, never breaking despite the ridiculous things Cane is forced to endure. As the old WWII ads used to say, 'Was this trip really necessary?' It isn't. However, Neeson and his partners in crime makes the journey pleasant enough. The filmmakers even pay tribute to ZAZ by inserting crazy credits into the end credits scroll. (Be sure to read them!) Plus, there's a post-credits sequence that features a well-known celebrity. Nothing will replace the original in your hearts and minds. But you'll still have a good time here. To paraphrase good old Frank Drebin Sr., 'The Naked Gun' has real laughs — without utensils. ★★★ THE NAKED GUN Directed by Akiva Schaffer. Written by Schaffer, Doug Mand, Dan Gregor. Starring Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Danny Huston, CCH Pounder. At AMC Boston Common, Landmark Kendall Square, Alamo Drafthouse Seaport, AMC Causeway, suburbs. 85 min. PG-13 (guns aren't the only naked things on display) Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
Washington Post
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
‘The Naked Gun' hits the target, which might test your gag reflex
Among its other attributes, the 1980 movie 'Airplane!' was responsible for a pioneering pop-culture discovery: that non-comic actors playing it straight in a comedy could be insanely funny. Leslie Nielsen — up until then known as a stone-faced dramatic actor — was the prime beneficiary, parlaying his 'Airplane!' turn as Dr. Rumack ('Don't call me Shirley') into an entire second career as a deadpan farceur in TV's 'Police Squad!' and three 'Naked Gun' movie spin-offs.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Hollywood Flashback: Before ‘The Naked Gun,' ‘Police Squad!' Took Its Shot
Four decades ago, Police Squad! didn't log much time with viewers but still lined up an impressive legacy. Following the success of 1980 spoof film Airplane!, which made $78 million at the box office ($214 million today) co-directors David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker hoped to make a similar comedy about police officers inspired by the 1950s Lee Marvin drama series M Squad. Then-Paramount exec Michael Eisner, who had championed Airplane!, offered them six episodes on ABC and promised that the process would be free of network meddling. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'South Park' Removed From Paramount+ Outside the U.S. Ex-'60 Minutes' Correspondent Steve Kroft Calls $16M Trump Settlement a "Shakedown" 'Ice Road: Vengeance' Review: Liam Neeson Returns for a Forgettable Sequel to an Already Forgotten Action Flick Police Squad! centered on bumbling officer Frank Drebin as played by Leslie Nielsen, known for dramatic roles before his crackup part in Airplane! 'Leslie never let on that he was in a comedy,' David Zucker tells The Hollywood Reporter of the late star's knack for deadpan humor. Co-starring Alan North, each episode kicked off with the murder of a notable guest, followed by Drebin cracking the case. Among the guests were William Shatner and Florence Henderson; John Belushi filmed a death scene, but when the actor passed away a day after the pilot aired, his appearance was shelved. Police Squad! premiered March 4, 1982, and had critics in stitches — THR's review praised the show for 'hitting the bullseye with uncanny accuracy' — but had trouble locking up ratings, leading to the series' cancellation after four episodes. The Police Squad! team had the last laugh, as Nielsen's Drebin returned for Paramount's 1988 film The Naked Gun, which David Zucker helmed. After two sequels, a Naked Gun reboot hits theaters Aug. 1 with Liam Neeson playing Drebin's son. Zucker feels burned to not be involved but is proud that the show has been rediscovered: 'It has really gained a following.' This story appeared in the July 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
41 years later, the movie sequel I've always wanted is looking like a comedy masterpiece
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Quick Summary One of the greatest comedies of the 1980s is finally getting a sequel, with Spinal Tap II: The End Continues hitting cinemas this September. We can now see what to expect too, with a few production stills having been released by the studio. If you're of a certain age, there are a handful of comedy movies made in the 80s that were absolute must-sees (usually on VHS). Airplane, The Blues Brothers, The Naked Gun and Spaceballs near the top of that list for sure. However, there's another that's arguably even more fondly remembered. This is Spinal Tap was released in 1984 and almost instantly became a cult hit. Directed by Rob Reiner (When Harry Met Sally, A Few Good Men), its mockumentary style and exemplary performances by Christopher Guest (Saturday Night Live), Michael McKean (Better Call Saul) and Harry Shearer (The Simpsons) made stars of the cast and even enabled them to go on tour as the fictional band they portrayed. Even today I laugh whenever I drive past Stonehenge, and was turned into a giddy mess when visiting Marshall's UK headquarters where I saw and touched the actual fabled amp that goes up to 11. So the fact that, 41 years later, the trio are back (along with their 12th drummer) is the stuff of dreams. And newly released images of the movie give me hope that it'll be everything I've hoped for. Image 1 of 3 Image 2 of 3 Image 3 of 3 Spinal Tap II: The End Continues will be released in cinemas on 12 September 2025 and reunites the main cast with Reiner. It once again focuses on the band as they get back together for one final concert before permanent retirement. Cue the hilarity once more. We're yet to see a full trailer (beyond a brief teaser released earlier this year), but the images show at least one extra special guest will be joining Tap on stage – Elton John. There are also some visible nods back to the original, with the crowd in one shot holding up their homemade 'Henges. I cannot wait and will certainly be watching the first film again in preparation. Thankfully, it's also been remastered in 4K HDR for a new release. So if like me you fancy a trip back in time, or you've never seen it before, you can catch the new version of This is Spinal Tap on the likes of Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV – having been released in the US this week and hopefully elsewhere soon. I guarantee a fair few laughs ahead.
The Standard
19-07-2025
- Business
- The Standard
US judge sets August hearing on bid to end Boeing criminal prosecution
Airplane fuselages bound for Boeing's 737 Max production facility await shipment at Spirit AeroSystems headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, U.S. December 10, 2024. REUTERS/Nick Oxford/File Photo
