“The Twelve Chairs”

My tweet: The Twelve Chairs-Mel Brooks made a movie between “The Producers” and “Blazing Saddles” that no one ever talks about. This is it. 5.5 (out of 10) I never heard of this movie before. But even Brooks’ less successful films are usually a good time. “The Twelve Chairs” certainly opens on a good note. It’s post-revolutionary Russia and an old lady, a one-time member of the aristocracy, makes a death-bed confession to hiding a fortune in jewelry inside an old dining room chair (one of 12) that has since been lost. That sends orthodox priest Father Fyodor (Dom Deluise) and her son-in-law, Ippolit Vorobyaninov, (Ron Moody) on a race to find the chairs and ultimately the jewels. I was expecting a madcap treasure hunt akin to “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.” But “The Twelve Chairs” never rises to that film’s level of slapstick and certainly not to the inspired lunacy of “The Producers” or Blazing Saddles.” It’s not all bad though. Frank Langella, as a larcenous beggar who teams up with Vorobyaninov, is a dashing presence. And both Dom Deluise and Ron Moody have their moments. But unless you’re a hardcore Mel Brooks fan who wants to see everything in his catalog, I think you can better than “The Twelve Chairs.” Brooks certainly did.

“The Twelve Chairs”

Released: 1970

Rating: NR

Length: 94 minutes

Cast: Ron Moody, Frank Langella, Dom DeLuise, Mel Brooks

Director: Mel Brooks

Genre(s): Comedy

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (1966)

I know this isn’t a movie. But it is available on Netflix, so it’s worth a word. I have to admit, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is my must-see Christmas cartoon. Chuck Jones of Warner Brothers/Bugs Bunny/“What’s Opera, Doc?” fame lends his hand at bringing Dr. Seuss’s story about the fall and rise of the green grouch to life. And frankly, this animated TV show manages to pack more entertainment into a half hour than Ron Howard and Jim Carrey had in their bloated, live-action version. Partly because the story hews closely to the book – the only major addition are the musical numbers (including, “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch,” sung by Thurl Ravenscroft, a.k.a. Tony the Tiger in the Frosted Flakes commercials) – and Boris Karloff’s pitch-perfect narration. Seuss manages to teach a Dickens-worthy lesson about the spirit of Christmas without being preachy or syrupy, while Jones manages to add his special touch without getting in the way. The result of their collaboration is a cure for even the biggest holiday grump. My tweet: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)-Dr Seuss & Chuck Jones believe even hardened cynics can be redeemed. Dick Cheney, are you watching? 10 (out of 10) Unfortunately, I couldn’t get my hands on a trailer or promo for the show, so here is one of my favorite scenes:

Other holiday movies worth watching: “A Christmas Story” and “Elf”

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas”

Released: 1966

Rating: NR

Length: 26 minutes

Cast: Boris Karloff, Thurl Ravenscroft, June Foray

Director: Chuck Jones

Genre(s): Children's Fantasy, Fantasy Comedy, Holiday

“Elf”

Around this time of year, there’s an endless parade of saccharine-sweet holiday movies trying to tug at your heartstrings. Fortunately “Elf” is one of the few that won't leave you with sugar shock. Most of credit for that goes to Will Ferrell’s charming portrayal of Buddy the elf. (More on that later) As a baby, Buddy crawls into Santa’s (Ed Asner) sack unnoticed and ends up at the North Pole. Raised by Papa Elf (Bob Newhart) as his own, Buddy grows up to be a misfit who towers over the other elves and doesn’t have their knack for building toys. When he’s told that his real father (James Caan) lives in New York City, Buddy sets off to find his roots. And that’s where the real fun begins. As an actor, Will Ferrell excels at playing clueless characters and Buddy provides him with the perfect conduit to channel his inner doofus. There’s such a wide-eyed innocence about Ferrell’s performance, that you truly believe Buddy is experiencing the City’s “charms” for the first time. And after a rough start in the Big Apple, Buddy manages to win over his stepbrother (Daniel Tay), get the girl (Zooey Deschanel), change his father’s heart and save Christmas. All that earns “Elf” a place on the nice list. Not just because of what the movie does, but because of the way it does it. My tweet: Elf-Hollywood retelling of SNL alum Will Ferrell’s first visit to New York City. 7.5 (out of 10)

Another holiday movie you might enjoy: “A Christmas Story”
Another Will Ferrell movie you might enjoy: “Blades of Glory”

“Elf”

Released: 2003

Rating: PG

Length: 97 minutes

Cast: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Bob Newhart

Director: Jon Favreau

Genre(s): Comedy, Fantasy, Holiday

“Office Space”

Talk to anyone who works in a cubicle farm about “Office Space” and chances are they'll be able to quote it chapter and verse. Mike Judge’s workplace comedy pokes fun at almost everything that sucks the soul out of office staff -- clueless bosses, pointless procedures and ineffective “improvement” initiatives. Ron Livingston is the worker bee who, with the aid of a hypnosis session gone wrong, decides that the corporate life isn’t for him. And it’s precisely his “I couldn’t care less” attitude that starts to get him noticed by management. Which can be either good or bad, depending on your point of view. My 140-character review on Twitter: Office Space-A celebration of corporate America’s embrace of the human spirit and refusal to let go until it’s been crushed. 8.5 (out of 10)

Another Mike Judge movie you might enjoy: “Idiocracy”

“Office Space”

Released: 1999

Rating: R

Length: 89 minutes

Cast: Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, David Herman, Ajay Naidud

Director: Mike Judge

Genre(s): Comedy, Romance

“August Rush”

I tweeted: August Rush-Young runaway Freddie Highmore is a musical prodigy with a gift for playing the heartstrings. 7 (out of 10) because I’m not a big fan or tearjerkers. They make me feel like I’m being played. This one is no different. But I feel I can (almost) recommend because of the music. “August Rush” is the story of Evan Taylor (Freddie Highmore), the lovechild of Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell), a concert cellist, and Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a rock musician. Louis is out of the picture before Lyla realizes she’s pregnant. And within minutes of Evan’s birth, he’s given up for adoption without Lyla’s knowledge. Eventually Evan ends up on the street. His genius, and my reason for the recommendation, is that Evan hears the music in everything around him. He also has an intuitive affinity for musical instruments. He just picks them up and plays – brilliantly. At first this talent is discovered and exploited by a street musician (Robin Williams). And later it’s nurtured by a kindly pastor (Mykelti Williamson) who helps the young genius get into Julliard. Even still, Evan’s big dream is to reunite his family. And that’s really the narrative backbone of this movie. So if you’re looking to shed some happy tears, August Rush delivers. But for me, the real reward was in the music that goes along with it.

“August Rush”

Released: 2007

Rating: PG

Length: 113 minutes

Cast: Freddie Highmore, Robin Williams, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Terrence Howard

Director: Kirsten Sheridan

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Music

“Blades of Glory”

Will Ferrell adds another character to his Mount Rushmore that already includes such greats as Ron Burgundy and Ricky Bobby. In “Blades of Glory” Ferrell is Chazz Michael Michaels, the boozing, sex-addicted bad boy at the top of the figure-skating heap. When he and his prissy archrival Jimmy MacElroy played by Jon Heder, are banned from men’s figure skating for fighting on an awards platform, they find a loophole in the rules that allows them to enter the pairs competition as the first all-male team. Despite a bumpy start, they manage to put the bad blood behind them and forge a bond as Chazz, the clueless, self-centered clod, ends of having a heart while Jimmy, a regimented germophobe, learns to loosen up and grow in more Chazz-like ways. Now the only thing that can stop them from getting the gold medal is the Van Waldenbergs, a creepy brother/sister team played by real-life married couple Will Arnett and Amy Poehler. And, oh yeah, a potentially fatal skating move called the Iron Lotus. My 140-character review on Twitter: Blades of Glory-Will Ferrell & Jon Heder bring their special brand of grace & elegance to the world of competitive figure skating. 7.5 (out of 10)

“Blades of Glory”

Released: 2007

Rating: PG-13

Length: 93 minutes

Cast: Will Ferrell, Jon Heder, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler

Director: Will Speck, Josh Gordon

Genre(s): Comedy, Sports

Coming Soon: The Future, Part 2

Continued from “Children of Men”

For a comedic take on the future, try Mike Judge’s “Idiocracy.” It has Luke Wilson as a volunteer for a one-year hibernation experiment who accidentally sleeps for 500 years. He wakes up to discover what happened while the world’s greatest minds were focused on curing male-pattern baldness and E.D. Now, as the film's title implies, the idiots are running things. Monster Truck Rallies are used to mete out justice and they’re watering crops with sports drinks. But Luke figures it all out in the end. After all, he is the smartest man in the world. My review from Twitter: Idiocracy-In the future, the dumbest people in American rise to power and prominence. Haven’t we have learned from the past? 7 (out of 10)

“Idiocracy”

Released: 2006

Rating: R

Length: 87 minutes

Cast: Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, Sara Ruer

Director: Mike Judge

Genre(s): Comedies, Sci-Fi, Period

Christmas in July - Part 1

Every block has one guy who does it up at Christmas. In “Deck the Halls,” Matthew Broderick is not only that guy, he wears it as a badge of honor. So when Danny DeVito moves in across the street and threatens his standing, it’s war. And they practically go nuclear when Danny articulates his Christmas wish – to have his house be visible from space. “Deck the Halls” isn’t a great movie. But it’s goofy fun, especially if you have kids. And just might cool you off during the dog days of summer. Unless you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, in which case, the winter motif will fit right in. My review from Twitter: Danny DeVito & Matthew Broderick try to outdo each other's Xmas displays & unwittingly save the local electric utility. 6

"Deck the Halls"

Released: 2006

Rating: PG

Length: 93 minutes

Cast: Danny DeVito, Matthew Broderick, Kristin Chenoweth, Kristin Davis

Director: John P. Whitesell

Genre(s): Comedy, Holiday

Jim Jarmusch & Me: Mystery Train

Continued from “Coffee and Cigarettes”

Then “Mystery Train” arrived in my mailbox. From Twitter: A Japanese couple goes to Memphis. A liquor store is robbed. The ghost of Elvis appears. The film does have its moments. But it never comes to any conclusions. I’m not looking for everything to be wrapped neatly in the final reel. I just want a point.

Continue with “Night on Earth”

“Mystery Train”

Released: 1989

Rating: R

Length: 110 minutes

Cast: Masatoshi Nagase, Youki Kudoh, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Cinque Lee

Director: Jim Jarmusch

Genre(s): Drama

"Employee of the Month" (And it's not Dane Cook)

My Twitter review of "Employee of the Month," Matt Dillon gets fired from his bank job, so he pulls one. More unexpected plot twists than the Wall Street bailout. 8 (out of 10) If you like movies that keep you guessing, 2004’s “Employee of the Month” is a thoroughly enjoyable black comedy/heist film. Matt Dillion’s life looks as if it’s on a perfect trajectory until he’s fired from his job at a bank. That sets a series of events in motion. Or were they planned all along? Just when you think you have it all figured out, you don’t.

“Employee of the Month”

Released: 2004

Rating: R

Length: 97 minutes

Cast: Matt Dillon, Steve Zahn, Christina Applegate, Peter Jason, Andrea Bendewald

Director: Mitch Rouse

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy