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3 articles from 2009

6 August 2009 11:30 AM, PDT | MTV Movies Blog | See recent MTV Movies Blog news »

Buckets of blood, violence, foul language and mother-lovin' Danny Trejo aside, "Machete" boasts some serious assets in the form of its impressive ensemble cast. Some of the actors lining up for the Robert Rodriguez-produced "Grindhouse" spin-off include Robert De Niro, Lindsay Lohan, Don Johnson and Steven Seagal. Seriously -- Steven Seagal! The same martial arts genius that brought you "Above the Law," "Hard to Kill" and my personal favorite, "Under Siege 2: Dark Territory"! Not to mention this little gem...

Assuming that all goes as it should, "Machete" is in a position to become one of the most enjoyable ensemble films of all time. The giddier I get about the news, the more and more I think about other classic ensemble movies that "Machete" will one day measure up to. For your reading pleasure, here are five slices from the never-ending ensemble movie pie.

Clue: Based on the »

- Josh Wigler

22 June 2009 4:45 PM, PDT | Cinematical | See recent Cinematical news »

Lionel Twain (Truman Capote) has invited the five greatest detectives to a "dinner and murder." How can they resist? Included are a blind butler, a deaf-mute maid, screams, spinning rooms, secret passages, false identities, and more plot turns and twists than are decently allowed.

When you see a plot summary like that, how can you resist? It's pure ridiculousness. Nine years before Clue, there was Neil Simon's Murder By Death -- a most excellent spoof on the classic literary detectives: Peter Falk as Sam Diamond (Spade), Elsa Lanchester as Jessica Marbles (Marple), David Niven and Maggie Smith as Dick and Dora Charleston (Charles), James Coco as Milo Perrier (Poirot), and Peter Sellers as Sidney Wang (Chan). Rounding out the cast, there's James Cromwell as a ridiculous French chauffeur, Eileen Brennan (of later Clue fame) as Spade's dame, Alec Guinness as the butler Bensonmum, Nancy Walker as the deaf-mute maid »

- Monika Bartyzel

5 April 2009 10:00 PM, PDT | JustPressPlay.net | See recent JustPressPlay news »

Welcome to another edition of Movies That Deserve a Second Life. If you need a refresher on what I’m referring to by “second life,” check out the Action/Adventure Edition. If you’re caught up, read on to see what funny flics I felt were unfairly ignored/disliked upon its release or have been forgotten in the years since its release.

Comedy is almost certainly the most subjective of all genres. What makes one person laugh is guaranteed to make another yawn or wrinkle his/her brow. Some find juvenilia in poor taste while others bust a gut. Everyone claims to have a sense of humor, but almost no one enjoys every type of humor there is, from dry wit and pungent satire to bodily fluid gags and intentionally groan-worthy puns. Therefore, I think it’s safe to say that no one (besides myself) will be satisfied with every choice. »

- Matt Medlock

3 articles from 2009