Tag: Billy Zane

2020 is a weird year, for life, for cinema, for you, likely, in all aspects.

And through the ashes of this year, despite how high they pile up, is this the year that Pauly Shore rises through those ashes? The great phoenix, often spoken about in hushed tones as a relic from the 90’s.

He has been missing from cinema for some time, with the occasional cameo, or playing himself, or documentary series, but as a lead? The last time he was the lead or co-lead in a film was in 1997, something called The Curse of Inferno, which I also never heard about before in my life until typing this up a second ago.

That doesn’t mean he cannot come back and be a force to be reckoned with, for the new movie Guest House. It isn’t like he was just lying dormant in a basement somewhere waiting for a time to strike. Hell, we had Bill and Ted Face the Music just last week, and that was surprising in that it wasn’t terrible, unlike many comedy sequels that have been coming out decades later.

So. There. Is (was?). A. Chance.

“‘Never Tell Me The Odds’ – Han Solo” – Pauly Shore

Sarah (Aimee Teegarden) and Blake (Mike Castle) are not newlyweds, and they aren’t even engaged, but they are looking to get a house together. A big commitment, and something that is only doable because of Sarah’s dad (Billy Zane) helping out, even if he doesn’t approve much of Blake because of his slacker and party past.

After a long search, they find nothing good in their price range, until they found the perfect house. Lots of space, a big yard, a pool, and a guest house! So what is the catch? Oh, there is someone living in the guest house. Randy Cockfield (Pauly Shore), a user of drugs and alcohol, a loud mouth, a exhibitionist, and all together strange person. He was there from the previous owner and totally “about to leave” so that is why the main house is cheap.

They end up taking the deal, because he will be gone soon. And the rest of the movie plot sort of writes itself. Is he actually trying to leave? You know he isn’t. And with squatter rights in California as they are, it would be a long and lengthy and expensive battle to even get him out of that place, so it looks like they will have to go to war.

Also starring Lou Ferrigno, Erik Griffin, Steve-O, Liz Katz, and Chris Kattan.

How excited am I to see Chris Kattan in a movie? Well…

Okay, it turn out this is not Pauly’s time to rise out of the ashes.

Guest House was certifiably not a great film. Right away, the cinematography leaves a lot to be desired, feeling like it is a made for TV film. It doesn’t go for interesting anything with the camera, and it just feels so dreamy, I guess is a way to describe it.

The main characters? None of them are people we care about. The couple is bad to each other and bad people in general who clearly shouldn’t be together. The husband’s job feels so unimportant, with bad coworkers, so we don’t end up caring about that either.

As for Shore, the third main character, he is playing a meaner and more lewd character than he ever played. It isn’t an R-rated Weasel, it is just a not fun person. I can’t even imagine them having friends that would want to stop by and do drugs? It is hard to believe that level of king party animal.

The events that happen are just contrived, and even the lessons learned at the end are not how I would take it away in real life. It is a miserable situation for miserable people to be in, and we are all losers for having to watch it.

Zoolander Zoolander Zoolander!

Fifteen years ish ago, I remember being a young impressionable teenager watching it for the first time. I laughed so much, so long. I quoted it so far for the rest of my life. It is probably one of my favorite comedies of all time and I am always in the mood for it. Hell, I remember putting in the DVD just to watch the Special Features Menu, because it was also hilarious. THE MENU!

The idea of a sequel has been kicked around for a long, long time. And yes, it has been delayed. But in this case, I am glad. If they forced a sequel, it would probably be shit. I expect they waited for a good script. I hope they waited for a good script.

Because it is clear that Dumb and Dumber To wasn’t waiting for the right script. They just got the idea, ran with it, and gave us a pile of shit. Please Zoolander 2, don’t be a pile of shit. Pleaaaase.

Bamblesport Cunnilingus was in it, so it can’t be completely shit!

Fifteen years ago, Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) saved the Prime Minister of Malaysia with his Magnum look and changed the world of fashion forever. Mugatu (Will Ferrell), Katinka Ingabogovinanana (Milla Jovovich), and Evil DJ (Justin Theroux) went to jail! But bad stuff started to happen almost immediately.

Without spoilers, Zoolander soon found himself without his wife (Christine Taylor) and son (Cyrus Arnold), with Hansel (Owen Wilson) refusing to speak to him, and a laughing stock again in the world. So he left to become a Hermit, living alone in a cabin on a mountain.

Now, in 2016, he receives an invitation to Rome, by Alexanya Atoz (Kristen Wiig), the new big fashion person. Derek, along with Hansal, are to star in a new campaign and revitalize their careers. Derek wants to do it to get his family back. Hansal wants to do it to run away from his problems, from being part of a family.

Also, a whole bunch of celebrities are being killed. Including Justin Bieber! When they die, they seem to have Zoolander’s classic look on their face. This investigation is being led by Interpol’s Fashion Police division, Valentina (Penelope Cruz).

And featuring Kyle Mooney as a fashion designer, Sting, Kiefer Sutherland and Susan Sarandon as themselves, Fred Armisen as an 11 year old boy, and the return of Billy Zane and Nathan Lee Graham as Todd.

Zoolander’s hands are being played by Jerry Stiller.

Sure enough, Zoolander 2 is not as good as the first film, but in reality that was impossible. Humor was a different beast in the last 90’s and early 2000’s. If they went for a film with the exact same tone, it would most likely feel just dated.

But damn it, this sequel gave me Zoolander and Hansel back, and they are acting like they never went away. These felt like the characters, the movie was true to them, and they didn’t become warped caricatures. Well, maybe a little warped. But not terrible. I believed everything they did and said.

The film had a few unique laugh moments that had me in stitches. They rehash a lot of the old jokes, but it thankfully isn’t a majority of the film like how it felt for Anchorman 2. They come and go, sometimes they stick, some time they don’t. For instance, the Hansel being so hot joke? It was poorly placed and made it completely shit.

I would probably have given this a higher grade, for enjoyability and nostalgia, but the plot is almost incomprehensible. Looking back on it, trying to figure out character actions, none of it seems to make sense. I can’t even tell if Billy Zane is supposed to be a bad guy. It has a large conspiracy element like the first film, but this one is so badly done I can’t imagine how they thought it was a good idea.

And for the most part, the cameos were disappointing. The only two that had a large presence were Bieber and Sutherland. Everyone else was one joke and done, quite a shame.

Overall, you should definitely watch the film if you want more Zoolander. But you might not have to see it in theater.

So the first thing anyone would notice about the title is the N in Love N’ Dancing. What the heck is that shit? That better have significance to the story somehow, and not just some dumb way of doing ‘and’.

You will be disappointed.

Look at that. True love and shit. Maybe.

Turns out wikipedia doesn’t always do a good job of explaining the plot! Here is the full outline via wikipedia:

Love N’ Dancing is a 2009 dance film about a couple who take part in a dance competition.

Yeah, sounds a bit like a shitty book report from someone who didn’t read the book.

Jessica Donovan (Amy Smart) is a school teacher, kind of nerdy (glasses!) and is upset that the speaker about to talk seems to be ignoring her, and her fellow teacher (Caroline Rhea) just laughs at her. Why? Dude is deaf! Has hearing aids for something or another, but gets most of his speech through lip reading. It was a gradual deafness, so he can talk and everything correctly.

Jake Mitchell (Tom Malloy) used to be a professional dancer, mostly swing, with his partner Corinne Kennedy (Nicola Royston) . He thought too many people focused on his upcoming hearing loss and eventual deafness, and he was winning events unfairly because of it. So he has quit, put that behind him, now a motivational speaker about disabilities and runs a dance studio. Dance studio!?

Jessica wants to dance. Preferably at her wedding. She is getting married to super rich, always busy Kent Krandel (Billy Zane), and money is no option with this guy. Paying for lessons for their wedding? Sure, if he can ever make them. Obvisouly their relationship isn’t too good, but the one between Jake and Jessica is growing. He wants to enter her in a beginners dance tournament, where she’d dance with her trainer.

But after he gets jealous of his partner, he says fuck all that shit. He wants to try a real competition anyways, with Jessica even if she is a beginner. They might not be as talented, but what they have is that chemistry! So they do that sexy stuff (don’t worry, she already dumped Kent eventually) and go for the gold! Also there is a very strange side story involving the other (lesbian) trainer, Danielle (Leila Arcieri), and their secretary (Rachel Dratch).

See? Now that she has contacts, she can be free!

Gah. No one had a first or last name in this movie that began with an N! No reason at all. Booo you title, boo!

The acting in the movie is pretty bad. No one felt like they cared. Felt like the most effort was put into it by Zane, on trying to be a big asshole. Was still super stereotypical in the role as “guy always on the phone and not caring about loved ones”. Did have a weird scene later at another persons wedding, where he danced a lot, as part of a competition, and didn’t make much sense to me at all, based off his earlier reactions to dancing.

Also how deaf the main guy is seems to change throughout the film. No real standards are set. Also the dancing never swept me off my feet, always just seemed okay. Also blah.

Heck yes. Straight to video, Scorpion King 3: Battle For Redemption. This is clearly the movie you have been looking for.

In fact, here is a real piece of “Trivia” on IMDB about it, and possibly the best trivia I have ever read for a movie:

This film is a sequel to the second film The Scorpion King: Rise of a Warrior. So this is a sequel of a prequel The Scorpion King, which is a prequel to The Mummy Returns, which is a sequel to The Mummy which is a remake of 1932’s The Mummy.

Get all of that? I linked to the links they provided. So don’t worry, I didn’t miss one.

The last picture on page 1 for SK3 is this, and the first one of the actual main characters. Go figure.

I wish I could say the guy on the left (Bostin Christopher) is there for comic relief. I mean. He is. But to me it seems that everyone is there for comic relief. I don’t think I single character is really that serious in the movie. Not campy, like a lot of The Mummy’s characters, but mostly just dumb. The main guy is played by Victor Webster, and for some reason he is a mercenary.

Ron Perlman! A king of some blah place hires them to go and fuck up another guys place. That other guy being Billy Zane with hair. Probably a Tyrant. Also is getting the Book of the Dead to cast some spells, get some ghost warriors, and become a god. Something like that. And they have to stop him!

Ron Perlman just wants the area to rule though. So he also might be bad.

He also has crazy hair!

So, this movie is a mess. Not only does it never grasp your attention (since everything seems like a Joke, despite the “Serious tone”) but it is also boring (Reader: “Didn’t you imply that with never grasping your attention?” No. No I did not). Plot is stupid, no one acts good, and not even funny.

WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME RON PERLMAN? YOU CAN DO GREAT THINGS. YOU WERE HELLBOY!

But he must have money problems or something. Because he seems to take every movie that comes his way.

Or maybe he is just bored, and realizes life is short, why not make some (a lot of) shitty movies?