Humor District

Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are the stars of the latest buddy cop movie, The Other Guys, and it looks hilarious. This is the next in a long line of buddy cop movies, and The Other Guys will have a hard time living up to some of them. Of course with Mark Wahlberg playing the straight man against Will Ferrell, I don’t think we have to worry about this movie providing laughs. The only question is if it will provide as many laughs as some of the great buddy cop movies that came before, and how the comedy will be balanced with action. No buddy cop movie is complete without a bad guy meeting justice at the end of a bullet. Or fist. Or bullet fist.

Lethal Weapon

Lethal Weapon is the standard that all buddy cop movies are judged by. When this movie came out, Mel Gibson was still a lovable sort of crazy who played perfectly against Danny Glover. As Sergeant Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh, Gibson and Glover made the perfect team. Just picture an old bickering married couple that can kick an extreme amount of ass. While they got on each other’s nerves, Mel Gibson and Danny Glover came together to defeat the bad guys and become best friends. They don’t call them buddy cop movies for nothing after all.

Rush Hour

Before I start talking about Rush Hour, has anybody seen Chris Tucker recently? He has been getting a little chunky, he needs to start hanging out with Jackie Chan again. Speaking of hanging out with Jackie Chan, the main appeal of Rush Hour was the interaction of Chris Tucker’s Detective James Carter and Jackie Chan’s Inspector Lee. The culture clash between the two provided many laughs, and Jackie Chan used the fact that he was Jackie Chan to kung fu bad guys into oblivion. Chris Tucker helped with that a little bit too.

Bad Boys

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence bickered almost as much as Mel Gibson and Danny Glover throughout Bad Boys. Will Smith is the Mel Gibson type character, willing to break rules and take chances to get the job done. Martin Lawrence is the Danny Glover type, often complaining about being too old for this poop despite his relatively young age. Will Smith was definitely cooler. when things got down and dirty though, both Smith and Lawrence were ready to unleash a fiery hail of lead based justice. If only the chief would get off their backs and let them solve crimes their way, at a very high cost to the city!

Hot Fuzz

When it comes to pure comedy, Hot Fuzz is one of the best buddy cop movies around. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost of Shaun of the Dead fame starred as cops in a small town with an unusually high rate of accidents. Nick Frost plays the big innocent dumb guy very well, and Simon Pegg plays the top cop type, although one who doesn’t approve of the tactics often shown in buddy cop movies. Many of the other movies on this list are actually referenced throughout Hot Fuzz. In the end, Simon Pegg realizes there is no better way to rid a small town of corruption than removing the corrupt people with violence. Lots and lots of gratuitous violence. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

Cop Out

Cop Out was Kevin Smith’s recent attempt at a buddy cop movie. While the story wasn’t great, the main characters Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan did a great job saving the movie. The action scenes weren’t very good, but they made up for it with a lot of comedy, which is what Kevin Smith does best. Hopefully The Other Guys takes some pages from the comedy side of Cop Out, but also greatly improves upon the action. A buddy cop movie cannot be considered complete until the amount of violent justice can be described as excessive.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Alright, so maybe this wouldn’t be the 56th installment in the Police Academy franchise, but it sure feels like it. Unfortunately, the more recent installments have not lived up to the success of the first three. Then again, the last Police Academy movie, Mission to Moscow, was made back in 1994, so perhaps this is an opportunity to bring in some new actors. As of right now there is no director or writer attached to the project, so this is very much in the early stages. Nonetheless, it is never too early to speculate who would be a good fit in a new Police Academy movie. Tracy Morgan was quite an entertaining police officer in Cop Out, he might be a good fit. Who would you like to see in a new Police Academy?

Popularity: 5% [?]

30 Rock has consistently proven itself to be one of the funniest shows on television. What makes it funny time after time is the fact that it doesn’t rely on outrageous things happening, but rather on a varied cast of outrageous characters. Every week involves a clash of overinflated egos, comic misunderstandings, and eccentric behavior. Oh yes, there’s plenty of eccentric behavior, and these 5 characters are the ones most often involved in that behavior.

Cerie Xerox, played by Katrina Bowden, is the resident eye candy at 30 Rock. She does it very well. Her appearance on the show definitely makes the guys pay attention, especially when she wears revealing outfits. That means always. She is more than a pretty face though, her interactions with Liz are hilarious, as she remains convinced that Liz must have been married with several kids to look like she does. Cerie isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, and is fairly naive, but I would love to make her dream of marrying a rich guy and designing handbags come true. Now I just have to get rich.

Kenneth Parcell (Jack McBrayer) is the best page NBC has ever seen. He is ridiculously dedicated to his job, doing anything anyone asks him to, and seeks no advancement. He is also always smiling, even when running dangerous errands for Tracy or breaking into houses for Jack. It can get a little creepy at times. Jack, who can read everyone, has no idea what Kenneth is ever thinking. So while seeming like a wide eyed child marveling at what goes on around him, I am convinced there is something more sinister about Kenneth. As Jack said, in 30 years Kenneth will either have his job or have killed them all.

Liz (Tina Fey) is the driving force behind everything at 30 Rock. She has the unenviable job of resolving conflicts between everyone else. She is essentially the mom of the show. Unfortunately for her, she is still struggling on finding somebody to support her, although she does have a good relationship with Jack. All too often Liz finds herself insulting people while eating fatty foods and buying wedding dresses to wear when she dies alone. Yes, she definitely has some problems of her own. Luckily Liz is a problem solver, and comes up with some unique solutions to some pretty crazy problems. She’ll make it.

Jack Donaghy is played by Alec Baldwin. There isn’t much more that needs to be said. He is absolutely hilarious. Jack knows pretty much all there is to know when it comes to business, and seems to have connections to everyone who is anyone. He has also read so many market studies that he can take a glance at anyone who isn’t Kenneth and identify their age, weight, specific interests, and seemingly their thoughts. At the same time, Jack doesn’t have an abundance of common sense and is a bit of a romantic at heart despite the many actresses and models he has bedded. This leaves him in some vulnerable positions, but Liz always comes to the rescue.

Tracy Morgan really is Tracy Jordan. He is Tracy Jordan in everything I’ve seen him in and that is fantastic. He is most commonly described as a loose cannon, but I prefer off the walls insane. I mean that in a good way. Tracy is so lazy he uses white guilt against Liz to convince her he can’t read, and uses that as an excuse to show up to work late. He threw a giant party on a yacht he didn’t own. He hallucinates about little blue people when he doesn’t take his medication. He is constantly making sure he does outrageous things so the public doesn’t get bored with him, but he needn’t worry. We will love him until his medication actually starts to work.

Popularity: 3% [?]

How do you make a remake worth while?  You take a film classic, add a black cast…stir…wait 2 hours and presto!  You’ve got a fresh new look on an old Hollywood favorite.  Sometimes it doesn’t work out (see the Honeymooners), but other times it’s movie gold.  These are such times.  Happy Black History Month!

5) Death at a Funeral

Original movie: A British version.  Nothing against our neighbors in language, but a lot of the humor just went over my head.  Still a hilarious movie, but lacking that Apple pie feel.

The black version: And so enter these proud Americans:  Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Danny Glover, James Marsden, Tracy Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Luke Wilson, Regina King…okay stop, stop, stop.  We’d be here all day if I named all the great actors.  The point is, black funerals are crazy enough as is…if you put this many all-star comedians together, the only Death at a Funeral is going to be of laughter.

4) The Princess and the Frog

Original movie: Technically it was called the Frog Prince, but it was still about a Frog and the Princess.  I don’t recall any movies made about the Frog Prince, but it certainly was a popular fairy tale.

The black version: A mildly successful Disney flick moved out of the forest and into the magical swamps of New Orleans.  I haven’t seen it yet, but The Princess and the Frog does inspire that southern comfort feeling.  No not that southern comfort.

Original movie: Kung-Fu theater.  Pretty much anything with Bruce Lee in it was the inspiration for the Last Dragon.  Bruce Lee was one of the greatest martial arts actors of all time and I don’t know anyone in a urban neighborhood that isn’t a fan.

The black version:  Which gives birth to Bruce LeRoy!  Sho’nuff!  I know this isn’t exactly a remake of Enter the Dragon, but the Last Dragon pretty much put a African American spin on the entire kung-fu genre so I’m adding it anyway.  And the soundtrack?  Killer.

2) Bad Boys

Original movie: Bulletproof Hearts.  Most people don’t realize that Bad Boys was written for Jon Lovitz and Dana Carvey.  I think I speak for all parties involved when I say, I’m glad this version never got made.

The black version: Will Smith and Martin Lawrence were obviously the more hilarious choices. And the more cop-ish choice.  But considering Bad Boys is my absolute favorite movie of all times, I don’t think I need to elaborate anymore.

So what could be a better black-casting (I just made up a new adjective) than my favorite movie of all times?  Well…

1) The Wiz

Original movie: The Wizard of Oz.  A definite classic.  I can’t speak ill of the Wizard of Oz at all.  But wasn’t it a little juvenile?

The black version: Are you freaking kidding me?  I’m sorry but Judy Garland — as wonderful as she was — don’t got nothing on Michael Jackson and Diana Ross.  The music was phenomenal.  Seriously sick.  Even though the Wiz scared the bejesus out of me when I was younger and I used to have nightmares about those motorcycle riding monkey birds, I still can’t stop easin’ on down the road.

Beaze and all his crazy antics, featured articles and random thoughts are now on twitter @Beazewriter

Popularity: 4% [?]

The Redband trailer for Kevin Smith’s Cop Out with Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan is out, and really, thank God for redband trailers. Theres swearing and Tracy Morgan punching a kid in the nuts. Looks like a damn good movie. The only problem I see it having is the Kevin Smith factor, OK fan boys settle down and hear me out. When I think “Kevin Smith” first thing that comes to mind is “Clerks” and I let out a little smile, and then I think “Jersey Girl” and I dry-heave. Zack and Miri Make a Porno — smile, Clerks II — dry heave. Here’s hoping Cop Out comes out punching with the smiles, and not lying on the canvas in a pool of last nights carrots.

What you guys think, hit or miss?

[via FSR]

Popularity: 2% [?]