Splitting Heirs

Splitting Heirs

Prominent Features

2 April 1993

Comedy

DVD
C-

The premise is promising, but the execution weak, with the only laugh out loud moment in the first quarter hour being "Introducing John Cleese."  Eric Idle wrote and stars, while the Robert Young who directed is not the American actor of the 1920s through '80s.

Spaceballs

Spaceballs

MGM etc.

June 24, 1987

Sci-Fi, Parody
DVD
B-

I'd of course heard of this movie since the time, and had several of the jokes spoiled, but I never actually sat down and watched it before.  Like most Mel Brooks movies, it's uneven, but on balance it's funny and amiable, especially the much missed John Candy as a mog (man-dog).  The very '80s music, (including the title song) aside, the movie doesn't feel as dated as it should, with even jokes about Rambo and early-release VHS (and key-cards!) still accessible, at least to someone my age and over.  I've tagged everybody I could.

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

Honey,  I Shrunk the Kids

Disney

June 23, 1989

Sci-Fi, Children's, Comedy

DVD
C

This is another one I of course heard of at the time but didn't then see.  It is very '80s and very cliched, but not enough for me to stick with it.  Joe Johnston directed, over twenty years before Captain America.

Big Bully

Big Bully
Warner Bros.
January 26, 1996
Comedy
DVD
C+

Well, this is better than you might expect-- it was a box office bomb and earned Tom Arnold a Razzie Award for Worst Actor*-- which is not to say it's good, but I found it mildly entertaining.  There are a bunch of plot holes (like why does a tiny little town have such a huge middle school?), and certainly Carol Kane could've been used more effectively.  (Don Knotts's age of 71 is used to good effect though.)  But the movie held my interest throughout and I did want to see what would happen next, despite the odd twists and turns.  And that's more than I can say about most of the movies on this blog.

Steve Miner directed.


*I may be wrong, but I think that Tom Arnold is the first performer to appear in four movies on this blog, not counting people who have a collection devoted to them, like Alec Guinness.