Dre Rivas,
Jun 14, 2009
When the small screen meets the big screen, we have been met with mixed results at best. Where most have failed, however, these chosen 15 have prevailed.
1. The Addams Family Values
I just wrote about this movie not long ago for another piece and here I am again, singing its praises. I love Joan Cusack's work as a black widow dominating Christopher Lloyd's Uncle Fester. Still, I kind of wish this movie focused entirely on Pugsley and Wednesday's adventures in trying to murder the baby and (eventually) dealing with the happy madness of Camp Chippewa.
2. The Brady Bunch Movie
In the '90s there was this never-ending TV-to-movie adaptation kick to appease baby boomers from here to the far ends of the Earth. McHale's Navy, The Flintstones, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Avengers, Lost in Space, and of course, Wild Wild West. We even had Car 54, Where Are You? Car 54, Where Are You? I tell you! IT. DID. NOT. STOP. It didn't matter how many of the films bombed. It was too late. There were just too many baby boomers and too many stupid studio executives. In other words: The perfect storm. Years later, we're still paying the price for the occasional successes. When I heard they were making The Brady Bunch into a movie, I remember being extremely angry. "They are not relevant at all in today's world!" I shouted from the rooftops, causing many people to stare and others to dial 911. Thankfully, the filmmakers were very aware of this fact and that's what makes this adaptation so glorious, not to mention very funny.
3. The Blues Brothers
Jake and Elwood and their "mission from God" is probably the most successful example of an SNL skit making it to the big screen (apologies to Wayne's World). We don't get many musical comedies like this these days.
4. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Sacha Baron Cohen turned my favorite character from his sketch comedy, Da Ali G Show, into a wild surprise hit. With its successful box office take and critical notices, it also opened up that sorest of topics for comedians: Why isn't enough comedic work honored by the Academy? You often hear about how "brave" an actor is for taking this or that role. But this is one of the few times where I think it's an accurate description. It really was brave of Cohen to go full-throttle here because I can see at least a few times where he could have been killed.
5. Charlie's Angels
I think McG is kind of a butthole for not quite nailing what should have been a very cool Terminator film, but I really do dig this crazy little movie. Here the style truly is the substance. It helps this film click, and makes it funny, sassy, and entertaining. Crispin Glover made for a great silent villain. Glover is kind of like Forrest Gump: He keeps popping in and out of cinema history and I think he's due for another significant sighting, no?
6. The Fugitive
To this day I've never seen one episode of the popular television show but this 1993 mega-hit remains one of Harrison Ford's best. It's a pretty straightforward film and the sort only a big star like Ford could have made great. This is the second movie in a row Harrison Ford stepped into once Alec Baldwin stepped out (the first one was Patriot Games). I guess it all works out in the end. Baldwin is grabbing Emmys left and right and spending his days with Tina Fey while Harrison is chained to Calista Flockhart. Checkmate, Mr. Ford.
7. Mission: Impossible
I loved the show and I really like this franchise. DePalma made a skillful (albeit at times, confusing) little thriller. John Woo blended Notorious (Hitchcock, not Biggie) and Superman in the ridiculously over-the-top second film which is a guilty pleasure of mine. And in the third film J.J. Abrams executed an efficient, exciting popcorn film. Even if Abrams's film is probably my favorite, I think Brian DePalma's entry is the best overall film. It kind of turns the show's premise on its head when everyone gets murdered in the beginning (SPOILER!!!!), but the bit of thievery at the midway point was Mission: Impossible through and through.
8. The Muppet Movie
How could I deny my Muppets? I'm not saying my parents let the TV babysit me, but if they had, I would say Sesame Street and The Muppet Show acted as in loco parentis. Kermit playing his banjo in the swamp just gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling and it took me years to accept Charles Durning as anything other than the evil Doc Hopper. This movie is completely bonkers, the way all kids films outta be.
9. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
My friends and I walked unsuspectingly inside a movie theater expecting some goofy comedy to keep us busy. When we left our lives had changed. This was one of the funniest movies we'd ever seen. Priscilla Presley was a babe. Leslie Nielsen was a genius. Hell, these were the days when OJ Simpson was funny and lovable. People could even call him The Juice or Odge! I haven't seen this movie since, you know, The Trial, but I can't help but wonder how much of the comedy now gets sucked out of the room when he's on screen. I liked the first sequel to this franchise but the third is something awful. There have been rumors of a fourth on the Internets. Mercy rule, please.
10. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
The Simpsons is the better show, but South Park wins the big-screen battle. This movie came out of a good draft class: 1999, the year of Magnolia, American Beauty and The Insider, to name only a few. It's saying a lot that this was one of my favorite movies of that year and it still holds up. 1999 is sort of like the 2003 NBA draft where LeBron, Carmello and D. Wade (to name a few) walked onto the court. This flick does exactly what it should have done: It took the show to another level.
11. Speed Racer
It was in my top 4 for last year so it had to be doing something right, right? Here's the nutty thing: I'm not even a big fan of the original series. But this movie just captured the spirit of the show so well, blending it with some very nifty narrative techniques, a great Michael Giacchino (probably the most exciting composer working today) score, perfectly calibrated performances and exciting visuals. This unapologetic family film had a lot more heart than most people cared to give it credit for, methinks.
12. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
I feel like I've been writing about this movie for months now. I made a rule that I would only include one representative from a franchise, so here it is. Despite the box office success of the first film, this is the one that got the franchise really moving. And it has the dubious honor of continuing a story from the small screen as well.
13. Traffic
Steven Soderbergh, Stephen Gaghan and Benicio Del Toro brought home the gold statues for this theatrical take on the critically acclaimed British miniseries. I wasn't floored with this movie when I first saw it but it's grown on me quite a bit since. It didn't help that the theater I watched it in had a broken air conditioner. It was a colder night and I had a jacket on ... throughout the film I would peel something off, layer by layer. By the time Don Cheadle had to convince himself he accomplished something by bugging the house in the end, I was down to a wife-beater and my tighty-whities. What an image, eh?
14. The Untouchables
Costner's untouchable era. De Niro packing it on again and bringing it. Connery delivering Oscar-winning work. A sizzling and fun Mamet script with all the cheesy dialogue in just the right places. Ennio Morricone's classic score. And Brian De Palma on a leash, delivering some of his best work.
15. Wayne's World
Despite being a pretty big SNL fan I was never a huge fan of Michael Myers and Dana Carvey's comedy sketch. I thought it was kind of amusing and that's where it ended. Suffice to say, this movie took me by surprise. I was a big Dana Carvey guy but it wasn't really until I saw this movie that I became a fan of Myers. But neither actor is responsible for my favorite two scenes of the film. That weight falls on Ed O'Neill and Alice Cooper.
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Dre writes for Film.com. As you can see. Email him!
