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AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME review
I just got back from AUSTIN POWERS 2: THE SPY
WHO SHAGGED ME... and I’m juiced to write
about the film... and how it fits into the scheme of
things.
First.. a confession, I wasn’t a real big fan of the
original. In AUSTIN POWERS, I felt that Austin
was cool, Dr Evil rocked, but Ms Kensington... well...
she just didn’t float my boat baby.
Don’t get me wrong, Elizabeth Hurley is a
monumental babe of epic tower erecting proportions,
but... it was her character. For me, in the first film,
every time Austin got going... began having fun, some
friggin constraint of the modern world and it’s
repressed sensibilities held him back from being the
swinger he really is. And Ms Kensington was the
chief brick wall to swinging.
Sure... yes, I understand that was the whole premise...
Fish out of water, discovers that everything he held
dear has changed and has to adapt to the world
around him. It was Conneticut Yankee in King
Arthur’s Court with a half twist and a minus the yank.
But this would kinda be like making a movie about a
great athlete after he did what he did, and was just
growing... domesticated. Screw that. I want to watch
WHEN THEY WERE KINGS. I wanted to see
Austin at full steam.
And in AUSTIN POWERS 2, that’s what I get. Sure,
he’s got problems... but then I think Austin always
has a problem to deal with, thus is the life of a secret
agent, eh? This time out Austin is in his environment.
He’s not in a zoo behind plexi for a study. Instead
he’s in his happening jungle with a wanton willing
babe just awaiting for a good wiley roll in the hay...
or the satin sheets.
However, the single greatest improvement over the
original film is the amount of focus on... the dark
side. Like the difference between STAR WARS and
EMPIRE STRIKES BACK... First time out the focus was on the light side, this time... the dark side
has center stage... and it’s delicious.
The various characters introduced... are note perfect
for me. Mini-Me is one of those character creations
that is... just so damn perfect that you can’t help but
stare and be in awe.
Mini-Me is fantastic. And it kinda makes me think...
hmmm... imagine having your own Mini-Me... The
derogatory nature of the relationship between Dr Evil
and Mini-Me... where Dr Evil treats him like a
spoiled pet... and everybody else sees him as the
vicious chihuahua that he is... is wonderful. The
visual gags... the action... the dance numbers... the
sexual innuendoes... the implication of cannibalism...
the ... Well, let’s just say that Mini-Me will become
an icon. I want a Dr Evil toy with a Mini-Me two
packed with him.
And then there is Fat Bastard. Ahhh... Fat Bastard is
everything that the talk back bastards wish they could
create to make fun of me. Mike nailed it... I now
have a very real vision of what my personal time with
Felicity Shagwell would look like. Thank you Mike
Myers... my hallucinatory fantasy life is now
complete.
Another aspect of the comedy that I enjoyed further
because of the twist is....
In the first AUSTIN POWERS, they spent so much
time making fun of the swinging sixties with the
‘higher morality’ of the nineties... I felt this was a
tired joke. Something I had been doing with my
father for a long time. Making fun of his hippie
world, through my next generation eye sockets. Ho
Hum.
Well... In AUSTIN POWERS 2, that’s reversed, and
it’s that generation and age laughing at our new
fangled ideas and beliefs. A-friggin-Men. Laugh.
Because we are the most damn uptight society around
right now. And as a result... we laugh... and laugh
hard.
There were 4 separate points in Austin Powers 2
where I had to remove my glasses for fear of laughing
them off my face.
So there ya have it. This is a film I prefer because of
the further science fiction elements... the issues of
mojo stealing... the whole ‘Star Wars’ having fun
with nature... THE VILLIANS... making fun of small
tiny people and giant fat people... making fun of the
injured... the fantastic take on several Bond tricks and
moments... and... for Mike Myers who really does
deserve a big clap on the back and a hearty thank you.
This is a movie to have a lot of fun with. Afterwards
Dad began thinking about some of the historical
inaccuracies and curiousities that were thrown in.
HELLOOOOOO!!!! This is a fantasy. Austin
Powers and his universe unfortunately exists outside
of our own. Don’t bring your world in the theater,
because that’s not where Austin lives. He exists on
that movie screen... And I plan on visiting him a few
more times this summer. He’s got a happening pad
dontcha know....
ADDED ON DUE TO TALKBACK REQUEST OF Princpl Kahotec
How Hot Is FELICITY SHAGWELL aka Heather Graham?
Remember the fantasies you had about Rollergirl after watching BOOGIE NIGHTS? Remember how you were always messed up by seeing how the porn industry really affected her, and by the scene in the limo? Well... That's all gone. Felicity Shagwell wants to do the deed with randy not quite right men, and as a result... Well, she'll soon become your wet dream of choice. SHe's soooo hot that she makes you want to hop up on screen, take a sip of Dr Evil's container of Austin Mojo and Shagwell into the night. Her constant change of outfits, exposed thigh, bottom halves of asscheeks, bare abdomens... AND THAT LOOK IN HER EYE! Yes, you know the look. It's the one you dream of having in her eyes when she looks at you. She wants it, she's tired of talk, and she wants somebody (especially Austin) to give it to her. But on top of that, she'll do anything and anyone for the betterment of the human race, god and country. She's a woman after your own sweaty fantasies. And if you thought she was hot in the film, wait to you see what she does to Austin's anus.... I've never seen a woman do that before. Drove me crazy baby!
Oh.... And lest I forget.. let me talk about the trailers
I saw... AFTER the movie in the lobby of the theater.
DEEP BLUE SEA... I don’t like this trailer. It starts
off well enough with Renny Harlin’s traditional use of
music with his trailers... incorporating no sound
effects... just cutting the trailer to the music. But as
soon as the trailer drifts from this path... Yuck. I
hope this movie is more than it seems based on the
trailer.
THE SIXTH SENSE... Fantastic trailer. Between
this and Stigmata and The Haunting and The Blair
Witch Project... well... I’m dying to be shaking in the
theater this summer. Forrest Gump Jr just looks
great, and those hand prints on the table just spook
me. Excellent use of editing during the kids little
hush breathed speech. Eager as hell to see this one.
TOY STORY 2... BRILLIANT TRAILER! The way
they ought to be made! Trailers made for the movie,
not movies made for the Trailers. From this trailer...
you don’t learn a thing. You just know it’s Toy Story
2 and you’re going. It first features them damn cool 3
eyed Aliens... then a Woody and Buzz brief bit
recorded especially for the trailer and... it’s dead on
perfect. Can’t wait to see this trailer on the big
screen. God I love the first film, and Pixar will not be
letting us down... I don’t know if you folks remember
my review of the script way back when, even though
it was an early draft... I can tell you this. I felt it was
a stronger geekier story, and I’m eager to see more on
this one!
ARLINGTON ROAD.... The nomination for Worst
Trailer of the Year goes to ARLINGTON ROAD and
the folks that cut this... disgrace. Why see the
movie? I mean, LITERALLY, the entire film is in
the trailer. Every twist... every turn... They don’t
leave anything for you. I’ve seen the film. I’ve
reviewed it. It’s fantastic, but... this is the laziest
most non-creative trailer I have seen in a very very
long time. It does a disservice to the film and the
audience. Shame on them.
And that’s all for now...
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Just Had to chime in and get my two cents read, personally Im very excited to see this film, but I had to say that this movie for me is the third most anticipated next to Star Wars and Eyes Wide Shut. Thats it, thats all, thats everything, oh and also note to self: take care of skinner and that boy Bart of his.
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Oh how I loathe trailers. They used to be one of my favorite things about going to the movies but now I feel like I am ruining a movie I really want to see just by watching a trailer. Pretty sad. All trailers should be teasers. I'm not just talking about when they show scenes from the end, I'm talking about showing any scenes where they are taking away any element of surprise. I haven't seen Arlington Road yet but since I'm convinced there are no surprises left, I don't really want to anymore. Maybe they should shoot special scenes for the trailer for all movies.
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Well now that I have actually looked at the review, I think I really want to see this movie. And might I add Harry that you did a stand up job with this review, it was to say shagadelic! If only because you really talked about the film, the story, the elements of the idea the film and the characters themselves were the topic of this review, not your experience or memories of something related to this movie, just a review of the movie itself. Thanks a lot. One thing you seemed to be a little quiet about, how hot was Felicity Shagwell!? In the previews and ads she is soooooooo hot, I mean sooooo hot, so how does her character live up to her name and her concept from the ads, if it's anything close I think most guys will be finding pictures of her for their new pin ups. Thats all for now, can't wait to see the flic, great review Harry, and now Im going back to reading up on the rest of that LOTR interview. Later.
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...my nake is Bob and I'm a Dr. Evil-aholic. *Hi Bob* I love everything about this sick bastard and even his nemesis, I can hardly wait to see them on the big screen again. That's all!
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Jun 08, 1999 3:14:05 PM CDT
No shit, Arlington Road is just like the Snake Eyes trailer, the
by paragonian
They need to stop playing golf and tennis at the country clubs and start living in this world, they're like the computer made people in The Matrix with no idea what's really going on. I guess all filthy rich people are like that though, the people at Sony better shape up or else those golden parachutes are gonna get holes in em. By the way, I'll rent Austin Powers 2.
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Movie ads are about the only ads that are all editing and no creation. Why not have all trailers be (mostly) original footage? Remember Wayne's World's trailer, the one that ran before Addams Family? It was mostly Wayne and Garth on the couch, talking about their movie. Or The FACE/OFF ad, that was John Travolta, giving a soliloquy, and then the camera revolved around until suddenly he was Nicholas Cage? Both unique, memorable ads that obviosly got folks into the theaters. And neither gave a thing away except the basic premise. Why haven't more trailers copied this style, since it obviously works?!?
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I just got the new PREVIEWS last week and there
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I can't wait for The Spy Who Shagged Me! I love Heather Graham and Boogie Nights sucked! What a piss ass poor peice of crap. Maybe I should watch it when I am not so tired. But for now it's crap. But Heather stood out to be sure! Anyways I personally can't wait as I said for TSWSM! It looks to be a good one. Long live Dr. Evil!!!!
I wanna see Toy Story 2 trailer! I wanna see Toy Story 2 period. End of story. I'm a toy geek and I hope that there are many more witty references in the new movie. After all it's about rescuing Woody from a toy collector. LONG LIVE TOYS!!! -
Its true that most trailers do give away the whole movie. One of the worst was Consenting Adults with Kevin Spacey and Kevin Kline. One of the best trailers ever was the one for Cliffhanger- that ran with Sniper- it was so good that they wrote aboout it in the papers. It still gives me a rush to think about it.
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Yeah, it is funny. I saw th film out on the West coast last week. Still, it gets real fucking old real fucking quick. How many times can you do the same lame jokes over and over before they get too fucking lame to stand on their own? Not many. I saw thefilm with a pretty packed cinema and there were a few laughs in the beginnng, that scene with the penis shaped rocket was rather great. Yeah, Heather Graham is a piece of ass. Still, this is a sequel to a film that was not all that funny. I hope there is no third one!
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My good friend just left the 4:00 in NYC....
God fricking damnit... I hear it was HORRENDOUS. Heather Graham isn't even sexy. bad all around. Such terrible, terrible news. Oh well. Premiere is tonight in LA.... I hope the party is fun... -
Much as I loved the first Austin Powers movie and look forward to seeing the sequel, I'm sorry to see how smaller films like ELECTION are being crushed. ELECTION is an absolute knock-out of a film and deserves to seen! Don't wait for the video! Support smart, funny films like this one! ELECTION is by far the best film of the year -- and it is DYING at the box office because of all the Austin Powers vs. Star Wars hype.
Don't miss out! Support ELECTION!
Read Harry's review for it! -
Has anybody seen the Lenny Kravitz video with Shagwell in it? Man, she looks fiiine! Hope they include that and the Madonna one on the DVD.
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I saw this film this morning and I think it was definitely better than the first one... Fat Bastard and Mini Me rocked... I must say some of the gags were rather on the sicko side, but very funny nonetheless. Well worth the price of admission.
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Heather Graham's finest and most enduring moment as a starlet was not her nude scene in Boogie Nights, but her cover shot for Vanity Fair ( or some such magazine. ) I'm surprised it didn't get more attention than it did -- it was far more sexy than a knocked-up Demi Moore or Janet Jackson with her bubbies being squeezed. Graham was stretched out naked on her belly like a haughty feline, a come-hither smile on her face, ankles crossed in the air, slathered head to foot in glittery gold paint a la the ill-fated heroine of a certain James Bond film ( one that ISN'T called Goldeneye. ) This ad was hovering prominently above Sunset Blvd. in early '98 and nearly caused me to crash my rust-streaked Honda Civic into a patioful of disdainful yuppies. I sort of wish I had, come to think of it. But the paint, to paraphrase Mae West, "covered a multitude of shins." Study the full-frontal Rollergirl shot closely ( as if you haven't already ) -- can you say "pasty"? Her thighs look a little bit too ample for my tastes as well. That being said, I wish I was at UCLA when she was an English major there in the early 90's. I have the perfect pick-up line: "Jane Austen died a virgin. I'd hate to see that happen to you." ( As if there was even the remotest of possibilities. Last I heard, she was shagging the director of Lost in Space. Stomach-turning, I know. )
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This article made me think of some great trailers I remember seeing in the past, and present..... I can't believe no one said a word about the short but positively eerie trailer for the "Blair Witch Project". Another great trailer from the past was the original teaser for "Strange Days".... the close-up of Ralph Fiennes giving the "Santa Claus of the sub-conscious" speech..... I think I saw it with "Crimson Tide", and from the second it ended I wanted to know more. And hey, what about the original teasers for the new "Austin Powers" movie? Where they led you to believe it was a TPM trailer, and the audience cheered..... then the chair turned around, it was Dr. Evil... and they cheered LOUDER! At least they did every time I saw the trailer in a theater, the first time being with "Very Bad Things" I think. Can't believe no one mentioned any of those..... or another one I liked, the "Truman Show" teaser that ran with "Titanic" that was mostly Harry Shearer setting up the movie, and the one scene they did show was partially cut from the final movie.
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The best trailer is the one for the original Psycho. Hitchcock walks through all the sets and right before he's about to actually tell you something he says oh no i can't it's to terrible to say. Rent the dvd and watch it
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I saw the film this morning too and it was better than the first in many ways. More jokes fall into the category of "that's funny because it's very awkward and/or horribly, horribly wrong" this time out. This is a good thing. Also Myers threw in lots of referential jokes that will have us film geeks squealing with glee. "The Power of Christ compels you!" Hehe! Fat Bastard is truly awful and brilliant, with Mike doing his Scottish Guy voice (a la So I Married an Axe Murderer, an underrated film that's worth a rental if only for the scenes involving Mike's character's parents). Yes, I want a Mini-Me action figure, yes Heather is sexy, and yes go see this with a big group and have a blast.
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END OF DAYS is the PERFECT teaser trailer: It doesn't give away anything, it doesn't even tell the audience what the plot is (we don't hear a narriator). You have to guess that the film involves Satan because of the 666 flying down and turning into 1999. Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn't even speak on this trailer. We don't see Gabriel Byrnes as Satan, all we hear is his COOL voice say" for thousands of years you have awaited my return, behold you have failed." I can't wait to be scared with EOD and see the kick ass fight scene between Arnold and Satan. I even heard that EOD is really a horror film and alot of the HUGE ending was cut down. EOD will RULE November. Even the poster for END OF DAYS gives nothing away...
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I hope all you people seeing
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...it's mostly the same old gags. I didn't think Myers was nearly as funny as he was in the original. Attention was not payed to the writing or the characters at all, only the gags. (you can't make a decent movie solely out of gags) I've heard that a lot of the film was improvised, and it shows. Don't get me wrong, I thought some of the film was very funny but, Myers and Jay Roach didn't know when to quit...jokes ran past their humor points and got really old, quickly. This film should have been much better, but, in the end, it was simply not well made from any standpoint. Heather rocked!! Go see a matinee.
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I sat in Election with my girlfriend trying to figure out why the hell I was there. It was a crappy movie with a few funny parts but for the most part I was laughing because I was so dog tired after grad ceremonies. It tried to be "Ferris Beuller's Day Off" and failed miserably. If I could have done it again I would have gone to see something with a little more taste. I don't mind sex in a movie but let's put some point to it. Not sex for sex sake. If I wanted that I would rent porn. So get a life. Election is no jem. It's pointless with no real meaning. And to those who like it:
"Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It's 5am. Somebody shut those fucking chickens up." Or get a life. -
Heather Graham is too pasty, and her thighs are too ample for your taste? Are you f-ing kidding? The fact that you are "closely studying" her full frontal shot indicates that you should probably take what you can get, my friend, cause you certainly ain't getting anywhere near anyone that looks like Heather Graham.
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heather fizzucks ed burns. lost in space directore thing is over. hey, she could do a lot worse than ed burns. he's a pretty talented guy. his movies are great even that one with bon jovi. (this message brought to you by ed burns, who gets to shag heather while you only get to masturbate)
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whatever you may have thought of the movie 'twister' you have to admit they had one hell of a good trailer.
Im talking about the one that shows the drive in scene. the one where the screen keeps going blank over and over, and they hold it blank for just a half a second long enough for a bit of paranoia to set in, damn good trailer
(btw if I hear the 'aliens' music in one more trailer Im gonna ralph, GET SOME NEW DAMN MUSIC) -
The General's Daughter trailor is one I think gives away too much of the movie. Like a quick look at the movie from beginning to end in just a few minutes. Also can't stand hearing that Aliens music still being used in some trailors. Enough is enough.
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The General's Daughter trailer is one I think gives away too much of the movie. Like a quick look at the movie from beginning to end in just a few minutes. Also can't stand hearing that Aliens music still being used in some trailers. Enough is enough
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Alright, first of all what the hell are all these retards who post here simple to say "This film will suck and the first one sucked anyway." I'm glad you feel that way... Now what the hell are you doing posting here? I mean honestly if you didn't like Austin Powers part one don't see the goddamn sequel! Great! It's that simple. Do you feel a need for validation? I just don't understand people who show up in Talk Backs to rag on something they already know they're not interested in just to tell people THEY'RE NOT INTERESTED. Big Fucking Deal.
As far as Election goes, that was indeed a dynamite little film that deserves blockbuster success (if only I could swap the grosses between Election and The Mummy) but it's not exactly getting creamed at the box office. It was in the top ten this weekend, has pulled in 12 million so far, and remember this film cost nothing to make and has been in the can for over 2 years. Not to shabby. Plus it's the type of film that builds and even bigger following on video to its already burgeoning word of mouth success. -
I have just recently heard talks on work being started on AP3. Does anyone have anymore info on it? And why did the US cut of Austin Powers have much less scenes in it than the English version? Even on the dvd extras there are none of the scenes with Christian Slater. Why is this always being done. I'm from the UK myself so in this particular instance I'm not that peeved 'cause usually it's the other way around. You should see the English release of "Evil Dead". They might as well have called it plain "Dead" 'cause there's nothing Evil about it. Peace folks...
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Is the reviewer of the new Austin Powers movie high? I'll make this short and sweet.
The reason why Hurley's performance was so much better than Graham -
What about the TITANIC trailer?? Whether you liked the film or not, how about those first shots of the boat boat gettin' vertical and all the acreaming and falling and what not? Also, have to admit, that first ID4 teaser was pretty cool. As for AUSTIN...can't wait. I've found the original gets better each time I see it, it's so charming charming and bubbly and fun. Heather Graham is killer, and the dud who said BOOGIE NIGHTS sucked NEEDS to watch it again! I swear, it's one of the few masterpieces to be released this decade. PT Anderson can sit on his ass and watch ESPN until the end of time, if he wants. His legacy is clicnched.
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What about the TITANIC trailer?? Whether you liked the film or not, how about those first shots of the boat boat gettin' vertical and all the acreaming and falling and what not? Also, have to admit, that first ID4 teaser was pretty cool. As for AUSTIN...can't wait. I've found the original gets better each time I see it, it's so charming charming and bubbly and fun. Heather Graham is killer, and the dud who said BOOGIE NIGHTS sucked NEEDS to watch it again! I swear, it's one of the few masterpieces to be released this decade. PT Anderson can sit on his ass and watch ESPN until the end of time, if he wants. His legacy is clicnched.
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Yeah, trailers are a mixed bunch. They're either brilliant, and give away little or none of the movie, or on auto-pilot where the whole movie is unspooled in two and a half minutes. The best trailers, of course, are the ones that show no footage of the movie at all. Two great examples have already been posted: PSYCHO and FACE/OFF. The trailer for PSYCHO is Hitchcock on the Universal backlot, taking the viewer on a tour of the Bates motel from office to the creepy house on the hill to Cabin One where the ill-fated Marion Crane spent her last night getting acquanted with Mother. Hitch gives two major plot points away without giving them away. He SAYS something horrible happens here, whetting the audience's appetite for the real shocks to come when they see the film. This six-minute trailer has to be one of the top ten of all time. I found the FACE/OFF trailer more creative and entertaining than the movie itself. It begins with John Travolta and ends with Nicholas Cage. Brilliant. Other classic trailers include the one for CITIZEN KANE (which also didn't feature footage from the movie--it was basically the voice of Orson Welles introducing the cast, most of whom were making their film debuts), PULP FICTION (which, as I recall, was basically a two-minute music video with "Misirlou" playing over while quick scenes from the movie were shown--I wish I could see this one. The PULP FICTION DVD I own is the only one in my collection that DOESN'T feature a theatrical trailer...the hell?) The first TRUMAN SHOW trailer with Harry Shearer was great, but the one that followed gave away EVERYTHING! I knew months in advance that Truman's life was being televised twenty four hours a day. Apparently this was supposed to be a secret, but the trailer spoiled everything. This one ranks with the worst of the trailers that give away the whole movie. Sadly, these are the majority that are released today. Scene after scene, plot point after plot point flashes by so the viewer knows almost everything that's going to happen, prompting him or her to say, "I'll wait for the video." Huh?
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What the hell? Oh sure - we get a good solid couple paragraphs on hot hot Heather is in the movie but do we ever get a review of how hot any guy is? Nooooo. I don't care what you write or think or dream of what you care about whatever femme de jour you are writing about - hell write about whatever you want - but if you are going to do it - I demand it both ways baby. I want a lengthy review on Tom Cruise or Pierce Brosnan in their next movies - and if you need volunteers - pick me. It's only fair.
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I think the new Mike Myers flick is goin
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Is it?
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If you
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Not that I've seen Shagged yet, but it wasn't even funny as a South Park gag... Hell, the chimp with four asses was funnier!!
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Did anyone see Madonnas Austin Powers video-great video and song--Madonna looks great and her and Mike Myers belong together.
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It's horrible how badly Mike Myers is hyping The Spy Who Shagged Me. I was in my car listening to the radio the other day and Mike Myers came on and said, "This is Austin Powers, and you're listening to WRAX, baby."
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It does matter if your first or last!
I -
FINALLY!! Someone as fed up with Austin Powers as I am! How refreshing. I can't tell you how many times I've seen that damned Heinekin commercial ("I was just admiring your Heinie.") I laughed the first time I saw it. Two hundred and fifty times later, I have to change the channel whenever it comes on. Bring back the one with the flying mouse!!
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If I'm some director with a kick ass thriller on my hands, I'd film brief 'outtake' versions of scenes with completely bogus lines and action. Then I'd help the marketing team slap together a B.S. trailer made up of those outtakes just to mess with the audience. Have the bad guy seem like a good guy, have a false twist, etc. Give the audience the impression they've seen the film, then tell them none of what you just saw is in the movie. Or is it? Then have the producers and director talk up the trailer in the press rounds, about how only maybe half of the footage was real. Provided you made it look good enough, I'm sure you could reel in a decent sized group of the curious. And if it fails, blame it on some on-line dumbass.
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BEES LOUISE! What a fantastic movie Arlington Road seems to be shaping up to be. Action, Adventure, Romance, Drama, and Austrian Midgets to boot. I am truly thrilled at this muther fucker! By the way, what did everybody think about Jar Jar in the new Star Wars movie? I figured that Chewbaca would have made an appearance at some point. And what happened to Lando. Somebody respond to my Jar Jar question please. SHAG ME BABY, SHAG MY RAW ANUS WITH YOUR THROBBING ORGAN!!!!!
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I hate to be a box office quoting bitch, but it kinda ticks me off that Austin will knock TPM outta #1 this weekend after only 3 weeks. Oh well, me still gonna see it anyway. Dr. Evil rocks and Mini-Me looks like a piece of freakin' genius. Hmmmmm, maybe its just that AP knocks JarJar's half-assed attempts at comedy out after all. . .
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Loved the trailer for Naked Gun 33 1/3 a few years back, I think it was originally with Wayne's World 2..... anyway, it was the one that started off looking like a total Merchant-Ivory/Jane Austen sweeping period epic, with the girl in antique garb running through the field, and then being kocked off of the cliff by Frank Drebin. Laughed my ass off every time I saw it. And yeah, the Twister teaser was great, thought it's debatable which was better: the quick cuts during the storm that the other pwerson wrote about, or the infamous "tire shot". And on a slightly realted note, a pox on Universal's house for re-editing the American Pie trailer to get a green band..... boo, hiss. The red band trailer was excellent, giving the perfect taste of what the movie was all about and getting appropriately nasty. When I saw the red band trailer with Life (with a predominantly African-American audience), the crowd's enthisiastic reaction was the surest sign I've seen for a surprise breakout hit since the There's Something About Mary trailer blew 'em out of their seats before The X-Files last summer. Why they went and recut a perfectly good trailer (besides maybe to pull in the young crowd that sees movies like Austin Powers) instead of getting theatre owners to be more creative with the red band trailer is beyond me. *sigh* Ahh well. I'll just go download it off www.firstpiece.com.
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I just saw the film ELECTION for the second time and I TELL YOU it just gets better with each viewing! The casting, the script itself, the actual blocking and direction is ABSOLUTE PERFECTION!
For those of you who like cute little Disney-ish computer animated characters -- maybe the new Star Wars re-hash is for you, but if you refuse to be taken in by all the hype of Austin Powers and Star Wars, then this film -- Election -- is absolutely for you!
Make your own choice, of course! But don't let the big Hollywood PR machine snow you! ELECTION stands as the best film of 1999 -- bar none! See it. Judge for yourself! Before it's too late! Don't support the Hollywood toy factory -- support great films! -
Great movie...despite the weird subject matter...
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Jun 09, 1999 11:40:47 PM CDT
If you guys all like Election so much, SEE RUSHMORE!!!
by martin q blank
Why wasn't that brilliant film as much as mentioned at AICN? Sheesh. Once again, if you like quirky original funnny teenager films (like Election) see 'Rushmore'!!!! I think the video/DVD comes out late June.
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I just got back from seeing AP2 at the place I work, and dispite the number of great scenes I found myself highly let down by the movie as a whole. Let me start with a lot of my problems. FIRST: TOO MANY MUSIC PIECES. This is not so say that there aren't a few good ones, but they drug on forever, it seemed. Case in point, most of the musical scenes with Austin in them were way too long and did very little. Also, I found the second Dr. Evil tune carried the joke on too long and ruined a great moment that the first song captured (So unexpected that I laughed my ass off, but lost the power with his second song.) SECOND: REHASH OF AP1 MATERIAL. This movie in many ways played out just like the first film, with the same punchlines at times. THIRD: LACK OF EMOTION. This isn't really a failing, since we saw how Austin felt being unhip in the nineties and so on in the first film. However when he showed emotion a few times in this film, it seemed tacked on. Dr. Evil and his connection however with Minime was spooky and funny at the same times.
GOOD POINTS! The running gag with AP1 was the fish out of water (60's mentalities in the 90's). On the same token, the best points in this film was when they used 90's ideas in the 60's. The only bad point to this was that it was used very little (but mostly entirely by Dr. E., the only character who (IMO) could pull it off convincingly.) Some classic scenes with this effect were: Presidental Ultimatum, Moon Base Planning Stages, and the above mentioned first Dr. Evil Piano song. MiniMe was also a classic, a character that I see becoming the cult figure of AP2 along the lines of Darth Maul (I only wish Minime hadn't been shown in the commercials. I think I would have gotten more enjoyment out of him if I hadn't seen him until the moment he appeared on screen. (NOTE: When I first heard about Minime, I assumed it would look like a Ken Doll-Dr. Evil, all blue screened and all. The movie's Minime was simply perfect). One of the greatest scenes however: the description of Dr. Evil's ship. This will be the scenes that everyone will take from the movie with them. This was the only 'dragging' scene that I couldn't get enough of, just to see what would be said next. As for Shagwell, I didn't get the same vibe from her as I did Eliz. Hurley. Where as Hurley's character had a sexual "forbidden fruit" quality about her, Graham's Shagwell was just too flirty.
The best way to sum up AP2? In some ways AP2 is like WW2, but better. Dr. Evil and his cohorts were much more fun than Austin and his allies, and would have prefered more of them because they WERE funny while Austin was only amusing. I'll probably see it again, however, because I did think several moments were good, it just lacked the unexpected elements of the first film. I think it would have been a better film without the Mojo story, but it did help to set up a great Dr. Evil scene.
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On a simular subject regarding the Arlington Road trailer, don`t you just hate it when they place competitions at the beginning of videos for the film you are just about to watch.
The usual format is to run all the important snippits in the background while some dried up old actor whines on about how you could win a car by answering three (VERY) simply questions.
Lets see an end to these film spoliers - isn`t it enough to sit through half an hour of trailers without having the film ruined in the process.
Andy. -
C'mon Harry, women read this stuff too! Ok, so Heather Graham is hot (anyone else think her and Elijah Wood look like Anime characters?), but what about the other people. Who plays Robin Swallows? Does Rob Lowe suck or is his acting ok?
In reference to trailers I think the lenght of the trailer is directly proportional to how much it sucks! End of Days looks awesome, I'm just disappointed b/c I was hoping that was Tim Roth's voice in the background and I'm not a huge Schwarzeneggar fan.
oh well -
Ski School rocks but it's still not as good as Ski Patrol, a far superior movie. I think they should do spinoff Ski Patrol TV series that will be just like Baywatch except on the ski slopes. They can cast lots of hot chicks, but they will bundled up in winter clothes the whole time. Guaranteed ratings!!!
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Along with the creativity of the Face/Off and Wayne's World trailers, do any of you remember the teaser for 'Strange Days', the Ralph Fiennes/Juliette Lewis sci-fi flick that came out 3-4 years ago? To this day, it was one of the coolest and most compelling trailers I've ever seen. Just a close-up shot of Ralph giving his slick, drug-dealerish sales pitch for a virtual reality machine. I don't remember his pitch, but Ralph sold his character perfectly before we even knew who the hell he was. Unfortunately, the actual movie didn't do much for me, but I guarantee that this trailer put my ass in the seat when the movie came out. I don't know if that trailer will be included on the upcoming DVD version, but it's a textbook example of great advertising. Come on Hollywood... be creative. No more Cliff's Notes trailers, please.
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Why did the Phantom Menace suck so much? Tell me, GRUNTER. $250 million mark or not, Austin Powers will be the better movie, even if you think it's being overly hyped. How else do you think Myers is gonna get your attention from all these fucking Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, Pepsi commercials. I don't know what's more disturbing... the image of Colonel Sanders with a light sabre, or that annoying alien crashing into a theater to watch the movie. You see one Austin Powers Heinekin commercial, and you get upset. Then you say that your gonna see Phantom Menace for the 15th time, hopefully without the hassle of any teeny boppers in the theater. Listen, GRUNTER, if the movie sucks... it SUCKS!! It doesn't matter who's sitting two aisles in front of you... turning around and laughing at you cuz you went to see the movie alone. GRUNTER. Sounds like your not giving into one movie's excessive hype... but it's obvious that you completely fell for the other's! What a completely wasted antisocial dufus!
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Well I saw Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me last night. It was truly a great comedy. The storyline was kill. Mini Me was absolutely hilarious. I especially liked his fight with Austin on the "Death Star." Very slick. Heather Graham was very shaggable, thank you very much.
If I have any complaints is that it was not long enough and Fat Bastard. I thought he was for the most part a waste of space. He had a few good lines but otherwise sucked.
Yeah to Woody Harrelson doing the cameo. That sequence was absolutely hilarious.
Overall I would give it 4 outta 5 stars. Well worth checking out.
"Vanessa. You're a fembot!?" -
That is certainly the most clever post I've ever seen in an AICN Talk Back. Very well-thought-out. Sherman runs the length and breadth of all the fan idiocy surrounding "The Phantom Menace", and his post is something all those so-foolishly-and-ignorantly-sensitive-whenever-you-question-The Phantom Menace-they-remind-you-of-when-you-told-the-Amish-there-was-no-God fanboys should read.
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I loved the first one, but this one blew, quite frankly. There are some funny jokes, but nine out of ten "attempted" jokes fall flat. The only really funny ones were either ruined by the trailer or just rip-offs of stuff from the first film. Instead of being funny, the Austin character is now just plain annoying. While in the first film Myers and Co. seemed daring and on-the-edge, they just seem to be coasting here, knowing this is going to be a hit no matter what. A bigger disappointment than The Phantom Menace. Dr. Evil, though, is still entertaining.
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Tonghts Austin 2 screening went off fairly well but I got the feeling it won't be around Labor Day weekend. Essentialy its the same film as #1 abet a bigger budget . Was Meyers unintereresting performance due to multiple roles or has he just gone as far as he could with this charactor? Also, this film appeared very choppy with many charactors and subplots left unresolved. Hopefully we will get to see more in the interactive DVD to be released around Christmas.
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I went to this movie hoping for a good time, but 85% of it was unbearably boring. Dr Evil had some chuckle worthy lines but the only laugh out loud scene was in the beginning with Hurley and the remote control. The audience I went to see with was very quiet for much it. Only potty humor connoisseurs (i.e. 6 year olds) are going to get a kick out of this. Too bad, I enjoyed the first one but I'll be very suprised if this one is stil around in another 2 months. Heres hoping Tarzan lifes up to the hype.
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Um it really wasn't as good as he said it was. The first one was so much better. Austin was just adorable. In this one he walks around, and says Yeah Baby! every 5 seconds, and Heather Grahm practically goes FUCK ME NOW DAMMIT! I guess they put him in there so there would be a plot, but the evil dudes were funny, with the exception of Rob Lowe, he had no point in the film. He plays the young Number 2, and Robert Wagner was better. Um, what else? Oh, Elizabeth Hurley was much better. She did not hold Austin back in the first one, I don't know what HK was talking about, but it was sweet how she smiled at his little jokes. And she only got mad when he had sex with the Pussy chick. And she didn't act like a bitch or anything. Heather Grahm was kind of flat (not her boobs for all you men, don't worry, I heard the guys next to me referring to their boners the whole time). She and Austin didn't bring any laughs to the film. It was pretty predictable. the evil stuff was funny, but the rest was just blah. There were only like 20 people in the theater, so you could hear everybody, and there was this one lady who laughed like a hyena, and she laughed at everything, and she was the loudest, so she made the dull parts funny. It didn't blow, but it wasn't better than the first one.
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Did anyone catch Mike Myers on the MTV Awards last night? (If not, be sure to catch it any of the next 78 times it is rebroadcast this weekend.) Watch for him, standing off to the side of the podium while Jim Carrey is accepting his award. He is visibly gnashing his teeth at not being the center of attention. His "look-at-me! look-at-me!" brand of humor always seemed grating to me but in that brief moment, as he attempts to distract the audience from Carrey, I saw him for what he really is: a 10-year-old boy, desperate for attention. (Why hasn't success and shitloads of money cured him of this?) Its sad really. The poor guy just can't shut up and eventually his camera-mugging and repetative nature drive every gag into the ground. I'm not a huge Jim Carrey fan, but at least this guy can grow and maintain his appeal and ability to get laughs. In comparison Myers looks like...well, a tired SNL alum. I liked So I Married An Ax Murderer okay- but the more I see of Myers...the less I like him. But the kids do seem to love him. If I want real laughs I'll rent Waiting for Guffman again. You can have your Mike Myers.
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I saw the movie last night, and overall I thought it was good. But - they definately tried to use some of the same material over and over again. I haven't seen any of the Mini-Me commercials, so those seens w/ him chewing on the cat ear were great.
I also like that they had Vanessa be a fembot and that she didn't just disappear from the film w/o an explination. The part w/ Frau being Scott's mother was great too. I thought that after the first film, and I think they worked those things in well, and they weren't out of place.
As for trailers, there were about 10 of them in the theatre I was in. I have to admit that some of the movies they are coming out w/ look like they just plain suck, and the "list of movies to see after star wars" is getting old too. They used that line on the American Pie trailor, and I have to admit that it looks pretty funny and I want to go see it. I just hope the scenes they used for the trailer isn't all the good material in the film. -
And, oh yes- we need more poster's like Jay Sherman.
AND- Election IS by far the funniest movie so far this year. That's all. -
Saw Austin last night and its great (in the comedy sense, not The Godfather sense). I would rate it just a notch below the 1st one (due to the family counciling sequence from the original, my fave part). It has lots of hilarious movie references, Empire, The Exorcist, "10", and a bunch of funny cameo's that I won't ruin. I had several laugh so hard I hurt moments. Oh, and since nobody has mentioned it Rob Lowe is GREAT!!! His Robert Wagner impersonation is just perfect, though unfortunately they didn't give him a whole lot to do.
It does have a few problems. This one is all about Dr. Evil, Austin is pretty weak, except for the musical number and the camping sequence. Heather is super shagadelic, but I don't think she does as good a job as Liz Hurley. But hey, who goes to Austin to see great acting.
Arlington Rd. Trailer blows, Fight Club trailer sucked (though I think the movie will be good. But Eyes Wide Shut is just incredible. I wish I had the trailer on DVD and could just play it over and over. The Haunting (though I don't know if this will be any good) and End of Days are also good trailers.
Election is definitely the funniest movie so far this year. It was everything I wanted Rushmore to be, but wasn't (Am I the only one disappointed by Rushmore, and who feels Bottle Rocket is superior). It is the most perfect replication of high school since Welcome to the Dollhouse. But the best movie I've seen so far is a Chinese film called "King of Masks" (I know this is 2 years old, and I don't know what year it was originally released in the US, so I don't know if it qualifies as a '99 movie). Anyway if this comes to your town don't miss it. It is intelligent, warm, and touching, without pandering to the audience or having characters extend their arms heavenward. It's about family, loyalty, and sacrifice. -
I'd say that about 65% of the jokes in Austin II fall flat on their face. The film doesn't succumb to the depths of Waynes World II, but generally speaking it's a disappointment. The elements don't click like the did in the original. Fat Bastard is so unfunny it's scary, and Heather Graham couldn't hold a candle to Liz Hurley (Ms. Graham is a total fox, but Austin had much better charisma with Ms. Kensington). Dr. Evil is a complete pimp, and Mini Me is a welcome addition to the cast. Not a total loss, but the advance word of mouth that proclaimed this to be light years ahead of the original was ludicrous. Die hard Austin fans will be letdown. Who knows, maybe I'm too picky...
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I started scanning the posts after a while, one ABSOLUTELY GREAT trailer some of you may have forgotten...
JAWS.
The Jaws 2 trailer was great as well, -
Dr. Evil's best scene was cut from AP2! It was the equivalent of the "family counseling" scene from the original and was AWESOME! I don't know why this was cut, but they felt the need to repeat TONS of other scenarios & even lines all throughout this movie. You be the judge...I'll include it below in the next post.
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JERRY SPRINGER
Dr. Evil, we've seen a lot of the fathers here today open up to their sons,
sons to the fathers. Is there anything you'd like to share?
DR. EVIL
Share?
JERRY SPRINGER
Yes, don't you have any secrets?
DR. EVIL
OK. I have a vestigial tail.
Everyone is a little grossed out.
DR. EVIL
It's more of a nub, really. The spine just goes on a little longer than it
should. Also, I've dabbled. I mean, perform fellatio once and you're a poet,
twice and you're a homosexual. I remember once I was being fisted by Sebastian
Cabot- but here's where the story gets interesting. He was
lactose-intolerant. He could eat red meat all night long, but one sip of milk
and it was gastric hell. And I remember we were caught in fragrance delicto
by Henry Kissinger, and you can imagine my humiliation at having Hank hear me
say, "Mr. French, no teeth." One of my greatest disappointments is that I never
became a song and dance man. I could have been a quadruple threat, kind of
like a despotic Ken Barry. Dancer, singer, actor, and I would possess nuclear
weapons, the latter being the most threatening of the four. I once sat on a
bus and tried to will myself a menstrual cycle. All I ended up with was a
sense of failure and a mild neuralgia in my incisor teeth and perhaps a
grudging respect for the weaker sex. I love toe cleavage. For the most part I
distrust dogs. I slept in a horse once. It was quite roomy. On second
thought, it was the Ritz. I named my left testicle 'piss' and my right
testicle 'vinegar'. I wrote "It's Raining Men", or so the Christmas babies
told me. Oh yes, I also made a Marzipan voodoo effigy of The Fonze while I was
in coma after smoking some Peruvian prayer hash, but who at the end of the day
can honestly say they haven't done that?
The Springer audience is stunned, slack-jawed and for once quiet. -
The original script before the 40% on-set improvisation. You be the judge:
http://members.tripod.com/rankostome/ap2tswsm.html -
Sorry, but Felicity Shagwell didn't hold a candle to Elizabeth Hurley in the original. There was a real chemistry between EH and MM which was totally absent in the sequel.
Hate to say it guys, but Heather Graham's performance was wooden...
MM does an admirable job spoofing other movies... with the "globe as a balloon" scene he does a double spoof on Chaplin's "Great Dictator" and Duvall's "The Great Santini."
The sequel sorely lacked an effective comic foil for MM, as Miss Hurley had provided in the original AP. -
Did I miss something? Not only did I find Austin Powers:TSWSM completely hilarious, it is THE FUNNIEST movie I've ever seen. My Friends and I laughed for the entire first reel to the point of not being able to breath. SPOILERS AHEAD>>>The opening titles gave us tears in our eyes, Dr. Evil going mental on Springer was PERFECT! Frau Fabissina spraying the water on MiniMe after he goes for Scott. There are so many new and completely original things in this movie that I can't even remember them all. Here's where I think most peoples disappointment originates from. This is a completely different type of movie than the first. It is so out-there that most people don't know what to think. After talking to people today that have seen it, the common link in people disappointed is, "It wasn't what I was expecting" GOOD!!! If I wanted the first film rehashed, I'd watch the first film again. Anyone who says that all the first movies jokes are just recycled here obviously wasn't paying any attention. There are very few direct repeats of jokes from the first. I liken this to the differences in Babe and Babe:Pig in the City. Austin 2 is much edgier than the first. The sequence after Dr. Evil goes to the moon in his rocket and everyone on Earth has something to say actually got cheers, but this is the problem with comedy. It all depends on your sense of humor. What I found funny not everyone does. Bottom line, similar to TPM, don't be scared off of this film because what everyone says, you may sense it differently.
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Austin Powers 2 was fun, but dissappointed and sqaundered some opprotunities. Vanessa a throwaway fembot? A satisfying climax (couldn't resist)? Fat bastard got old quick. General repetiveness of penis humor which even the most inclined might tire of.. The upsides, MiniMe and Dr. Evil rocked. Heather Graham has a bod to be worshiped, shagged. THE BEST SCENE: Mini Me burrowing into Austin's spacesuit, et al. As for Trailers, and trailer music, will someone please tell James Horner to plead with Hollywood to restrain from overusing his music. (the alien music is his, isn't it?) By the way, ever since Wrath of Khan, he's been using the same percussive sound, well mostly. Who would like John Williams' scores for other movies to be remincent of Star Wars all the time? Not miniMe!
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I must say, the movie itself was a bit of a let-down, but it's trailer (which I think is on Heavy Metal) is one of the best and coolest I've ever seen. Standing alone, it was absolutely brilliant.
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I've noticed the term "true fan" used in several Talk Back forums, and usually as a jibe at any one who might be the least bit critical of their favorite film or character. As an extreme I was wondering what Mr. True Fan might say if the next Star Trek film opened with an obviously fake Enterprise dangling on a string (ala Saturday Night Live & Jim Belushi). Would Mr. True Fan find some rationalization for the bad effects: If you were a TRUE FAN you'd see how the director was making a statement on the fact that true Star Trek fans will pay to see any sort of drivel and put more money in the Paramount coffers. And that's good, because then Paramount can make even more lousy films to take more money to make more...and it goes on an on.
So, is The Spy Who Shagged Me a perfect film? Nope. It WAS funny in spots. But the jokes, both visual and verbal (not all of course) were as old as "Who was that lady I saw you with last night?" And the scene of the coffee pot right next to the shit pot (for lack of a more descriptive term), was so obvious in telegraphing the coming punchline that they really didn't even need to show it cuz we ALL KNEW what was going to happen. Thankfully Mike Myers saved it with the "brown" mustache. I loved Mini-Me and Fat Bastard. Just the name Fat Bastard had me chuckling, thinking of it as a come back to every film I've ever seen (or real life for that matter) where some one says, "You fat bastard! And I weigh in at 290, so I'm not offended at the name or the size. And I liked the music. But even with a spoof, nothing takes the place of a good story, which TSWSM lacked. Even Animal House had a better story, and made me care about what was going to happen to the characters. Did I laugh though: The True test of a comedy? Yes. I laughed out loud several times, and yet left the film like I've left the dinner table after a meatless meal, feeling not quite satisfied. I guess that I'm not a True Fan, but then I refuse to leave my brains at the boxoffice along with my hard earned and sometimes scarce cash. -
you are dead-on, Cliffhanger was the best trailer i have ever seen. as far as the worst recently, did anyone see the crap of a trailer for The 13th Warrior? i just can't describe how aful it was.
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Just saw this flick last night, and I nearly died laughing. I love this movie because of the combination of dumb and smart humor. Smart humor? Well, let's just say about 5 people in the audience got that Alan Parsons Project joke. Not being afraid to take a joke too far, as well as having moments where they know that something is not funny and are not afraid to push it until it is, make this movie priceless. If you loved the first movie, you will love the 2nd one. I did.
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Ok, I did laugh out loud several times during Austin 2. Mostly near the beginning. But MAN did this movie go downhill fast. They took not-so-funny to begin with jokes and BEAT THEM INTO THE GROUND. I mean, how long did that TERRIBLE pulling-things-outta-your-ass scene go on? Or how long did it take Dr. Evil to tell Scott to 'zip it'? Fat Bastard was not funny. He just wasn't. Basically he was Chris Farley. He only wore a kilt once, what was with that? I know each and every one of you expected him to be in full Scottish regalia through this entire movie, don't deny it! And the people that said there was no chemistry with Heather and Mike, well, you're right. All she did was run around and look hot. Yes, Austin 2 had its moments. But how can you honestly call it a 'great' comedy when he's drinking liquified crap, pulling gerbils out his ass, and basically extending every scene to 5 fives the length it should be. I thought Phantom Menace needed every scene to be longer, well Austin 2 needed every scene to be shorter. ONE LAST THING. People rip on Tomorrow Never Dies for having product placement. I think Austin 2 set a new record. Just from memory... Volkswagon, Starbucks, Virgin, Heinikin, Chili's (that one was LAME), Diet Coke, AOL (that one was STUPID!! 'You've got mail' but it's a video-phone call????) Jaguar (I'm sorry, SHAGuar. Wasn't it lame how they VO'd him saying SHAGUAR as he pulled away) and of course more Star Wars and Jerry McGuire plugs than you can shake Mini-Me at. One last LAST thing. Austin 2 came to a screeching halt in several places. Like the 'Just the 2 of Us' number, or when Dr. Evil says "I am your father." Or when Dr. Evil used all the 90's terms back in '69, what was with THAT? Ug. Ok, sure, laugh a little at it, but don't support it (or Phantom Menace) too much, or we'll just get more crap. REMEMBER SCREAM???? Oh, one more thing. I heard the Tarzan soundtrack, and I have to say, the 'Trashing the Camp' song is more memorial and catchier than ANYTHING in Prince of Egypt. GO DISNEY!
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I looked forward to this movie almost as much as I looked forward to Episode One.
Episode One did not disappoint. This movie, however, disappointed in the worst way.
I didn't find myself rolling in the aisles like so many weak minded critics did (sorry Harry). Instead, I found myself cringing at a collection of incredibly obvious jokes and sad rehashes from the original. I will admit that there are some scenes that made me laugh, but they were so few and far between, I actually found myself looking at my watch more than the movie for the last half.
To add further insult to injury, and I won't include any spoilers, the movie even rehases it's own scenes in places, repeating a joke or gag that only took place 10 minutes earlier. This made me feel uncomfortable in the same way as hearing an amateur comedian desperately trying to milk a largely unimpressed audience would.
In all, I felt that this movie totally lacked the spirit of the original and felt more like a direct-to-video sequel than a theatre worthy release. It just didn't have any effort put into it.
Worst of all - I left the movie feeling cheated by Michael Myers, and I don't like that feeling because in the past I had a lot of respect for him.
Afterthought - this movie has had a lot of good press, especially up here in Canada. I will sleep better under the assumption that the understated likeability of Myers himself has lulled many of the critics into a state of giddiness that made this movie seem somehow impressive to them.
Otherwise I will have to assume that most critics are either under the payroll of the studios or on really powerful crack.
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Funny to see you guys across the pond talking about this trailer when we had the picture on general release a couple months ago in bonny Scotland. One of the best thrillers in years. Tension you can chew. And if you thought Seven was a downer.........
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I love the original Austin Powers movie so much, so I had high hopes for the sequel. Sadly, it turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. There were so many re-cycled jokes from the first movie it was almost embarrassing to watch. (There were many an awkward silence during the packed out showing I saw, most notably during the "dumb guard falls into lava/dumb guards head eaten by shark" reprisal). And the product placement/advertising scattered throughout the movie was simply nauseating. So how much did Voltswagen pay for their cutesy little Beetle to take part in this ad fest? Not to mention Heinekin and Starbucks.
What happened, Mike? Why did it take you 2 years just to xerox the first movie script? Please, for the love of God and all that is sacred, PLEASE DO NOT MAKE A THIRD AUSTIN POWERS MOVIE. You will regret it. The "yeah baby YEAH" routine is sadly growing
tired.
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What was up with the "Just the Two Of Us" video thingy? It was like, the writers started with an idea for AP2 but then the Movie Company said, hurry up and finish. I'm sorry but I was looking forward to seeing this movie and I walked out about 3/4ths into the movie. Fat Bastard was disgusting, drinking his poop was disgusting and the ghetto coloquialism were the worst. Not one person laughed during that, it was this really awkward silence in the theater. The chemistry b/w Shagwell and Austin was lacking to say the least.
I wonder how this film is going to do next weekend? If it will be another Godzilla.....hum.... -
Whether u like it or hate it, this movie is blowing up, more in its first week than the first's entire run. Good on you Mr. Myres, you've delivered onto yourself a success. I ain't seen it but when I get the chance, it will have made 54m, $9.50.
Oh yeah is Star Wars ep2 going to be called "The Mystery of the Sith" -
The post name was unashamedly borrowed from the LA Times the other day... seems like Yoko is continuing to cash in on her Tarot and Dakota archival material.
New Line, you should be quite happy with your weekend's take. Great Stuff. But really, does anyone think that this film is superior in any way to the original? Twice the budget, one eighth of the the charm... (Heather Graham, an essential 90's Val, but a 60's CIA agent? Oh please...) Mike Myers should be well compensated because he's damn talented. Mini Me = good. Dr. Evil = good. Fat Bastard = who the flip knows. Cor blimey!
And please, please, PLEASE, don't let "Felicity" read any more cue cards to hype the movie. She only spoils the suspense, and "Hooked on Phonics" just might be a better start. -
I was burned out on Austin Powers before I ever saw the first movie. When I finally saw it, I chuckled occasionally and admitted that it was better than I expected. Therefore, I was a little more willing to be convinced when a friend invited me along with some others to go see AP2. I found it a lot more original and much funnier than the first one.
The audience was laughing non-stop throughout the movie, which always enhances the experience. People were nearly falling out of their seats during the rocket ship sequence, and the tent-shadow sequence. I even laughed at the gross-out humor, which is unusual for me...and I never expected to find Fat Bastard as funny as I did. Mini-Me was great...
Despite all the people who have taken the time and effort to point out how horrible they thought AP2 was, I couldn't help but notice that it's currently enjoying a 7.6 rating on the AICN poll. Fitting, since that's right about where I rated it...
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Gorgar, I agree with you. I can't believe that you people are writing 2 or more paragraphs to describe the flaws of this movie. Get a life, it's a comedy!!!! Pull the collective sticks out of your asses and lighten up! And remember this.... this exceeded expectations. Star Wars didn't, you geek losers.
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I held off on seeing the first one, largely because all the outtakes I had seen, the MTV specials, and Mike Myers film work since Waynes World 1 were disappointing to awful. I caught Austin Powers on cable, and didn't regret missing it. The movie was funny at points, but I spent most of it watching Mike Myers all but shout "This is FUNNY!! YOU WILL LAUGH, YOU WEE AMERICAN BASTARDS WHO DIDN:T GET THE UNBELIEVABLE HUMOUR OF SO I MARRIED AN AXE MURDERER!" Every routine was dragged out till you forgot what you laughed at, everytime any momentum was built- the joke was dragged on. Plus, like the Woody Allen "Casino Royale", we deal with the problem that the lead character is supposed to be Sexy, but isn't that charming at all. I'm not talking about the physical appearance, just the fact that Austin Powers is a sex crazed chihuahah, not particularly funny, so why would a with it chick like Miss Kensington fall for him?(Well, I can't say for those who haven't seen the second movie..)
I like the Austin Powers character more then the film, and was willing to give two a chance. The back in time aspect was cool, the mini me, and it was the only movie a friend wanted to see on a Sunday afternoon, I needed to get over the disappointment of Limbo ( John Sayles- WHY DID YOU FORSAKE ME?!?!), so I thought this would be appropriate. But the warning signs were there.. the unfunny commercials, fat bastard, Dr. Evil talking like Fran Drescher..
SO, the movie ended up sucking. There was a wit there, I laughed some, but the same problems that dragged throughout AP1 were there, plus Fat Bastard and all the shit jokes, and the need to say.. look.. a penis.. isn't that funny..LAUGH YOU DAMNWEE AMERICANS WHO DON"T SEE I WANT TO BE PETER SELLARS BUT CAN"T MAKE WEAR BROWNFACE AND PRETEND TO BE AN INDIAN BECAUSE I'M IN THE PC 90's.. SO ILL BE THIS DISGUSTING FAT GUY, OH., LAUGH AT ME NIPPLES AND INCONVENIENT BODY HAIR!!LAUGH
DAMN YOU!!
It gets tiresome. I don't need to be told "This is funny. I don't need to be told "Look, this is so not funny it's funny." If the Myers would just relax, make another film that doesn't rely on another film's formula ( At least he didn't use the escalator/stairs/elevator behind the chair again), maybe he'll be funny.
As for Election, I thought it was a great movie. The characters inability to take responsibility for their actions, the way the Quarterback and his sister were changed for the better.. he, actually gaining the sense that he could bave been something more than just a dumb friendly jock gaining something of a soul, she, finall finding happiness, really highlighted the tragedy of the story. -
... why waste time debating this movie's flaws when you can sum it all up with one word: 'sequel'. Or, if you insist, here's a few more: 'uninspired', 'boring', 'pathetic', 'rehash' and 'rip-off'. This movie has more in common with the new Star Wars movie than I'd have ever guessed in that regard - both are all 'style', er - I mean, 'marketing' - and no substance. Do yourself a favor - go out and rent the first Austin Powers, laugh your ass off, and be glad you didn't blow $7.50 at the box office on this absolute piece of crap. Myers, you just guaranteed yourself a place in the lowest levels of artistic hell for this piece of narcisstic, self-indulgent garbage - I hope you know that. I used to think you were quite a talent. Now I just think, "What a jerk..." Lame.
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I have a complete list of movie references in AP2 going at my website at http://www.frankwu.com/AP2.html. Check it out.
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Harry, Harry, Harry! When will you learn? Does everything have to relate to the "holy trilogy" to you? Relating AP to Star Wars and AP2 to Empire? What the hell? Crap! AP2, yes had a lot of big laughs, but it lost a lot of the satirical edge that made the first one so enjoyable. I'm not saying that AP2 was a bad movie at all, just pointing out the fact that in your attempt to justify why you didn't get/like the first one (and probably didn't get the Flint joke in the second), you could only justify it with the fact you related to Fat Bastard. Saying AP2 is more like Empire because it was "darker"? What the hell?! Where did that come from? AP2 was just a series of dick and fart jokes strung together around "Oh behaves!" (albeit funny), but it lacked so much of the originality of the first. To say AP2 is superior in ANY respect proves you're getting even more full of your own Fat Ass -- Remember Godzilla?
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Well, I went to see Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me this weekend. While the audience I saw it with all seemed to dig it, it just didn't satisfy nor even meet my somewhat low expectations. I'm not saying the first film was the best thing since key lime pie, but at least it had a quiet, infectious charm that left you with a few chuckles and appreciation of Mike Myers' genuis as an absurdist comic performer. The new one is just lazy, lazily written with lazy regurgitated, recycled gags--and it is no longer a spoof; instead the world has now accepted Austin in his element, so there is no need to lampoon his "fish out of water" antics. So the film goes for cheap, 'lowest common denominator" toilet humor and unfunny slapstick gags. Hmmm, there is a coffee cup full of liquified stool sample next to the regular coffee pot..will Austin drink it...hooh boy how funny is that. On the plus side, Heather Graham is extremely sexy and pleasing to look at, but she is so wooden in her role that she makes you long for Eliabeth Hurley's refined grace playing off of Austin as the 'straight woman' to his over the top antics. And Mini-Me rocks a bit, at least--and Dr. Evil has some decent bits paying homage to film classics with lines that seemed to go over all the teenyboppers in the audiences' collective heads (ie, as Dr evil gets trapped on his out-of-control reclining chair, he chants "the power of christ compels you, the power of christ compels you" from 'The Exorcist", etc.). Unfortunately, most of the film just plays like an overlong Saturday Night Live skit going nowhere fast but taking forever to get there.
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Need I say more?
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Harry, I don't mean this as a poke per se, because your own comments made me think of this.
Take the glasses from the Austin Powers action figure and put them on the Fat Bastard action figure! You now have the top secret HARRY KNOWLES ACTION FIGURE!!!
And after reading your review, I enjoyed the scene with Felicity and Fat Bastard even more than I would have otherwise. -
Austin Powers 2 sucks! It`s not nearly as funny as the first one and the film`s tone has changed completely. It tries to outdo the first by making the jokes and scenes more wackier and over the top and it just doesn`t work. It`s not a spy spoof film like the first film. Austin isn`t the joke at all in this one,he`s a supporting character. The gross-out humour is "Naked Gun" like. Another summer dissapointment!
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First time I saw the trailer for ID4, I was completely blown away. SPOOKY MOMENT #1: It begins with Robert Loggia examining satellite pix and asking if it's a meteor shower or something, and the assistant says deifnately not because "well, sir, they're umm... slowing down." SPOOKY MOMENT #2: Then different parts of New York City get covered by the gigantic shadows of the ships. Everyone in the streets is stunned. ULTIMATE SHOCKING MOMENT IN A TRAILER EVER: The White House gets impeached from Earth by an alien cannon. Am I the only one that completely lost his/her shit when you saw that shot for the first time?? "Now that's what I call a close encounter..."
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This talkback feature is great. I hope you actually read them and at the same time can't see how you possibly do.
Anyway, I too, loved AP2, I've seen it twice. I don't know if you know this but MacFarlane Toys issued six action figures with computerized voice chips in the bases. AP in velvet suit and also in underwear, Felicity, Dr. Evil
Mini Me and Fat Bastard. So you can get the toys you referenced in your review!! Re: your review, I guess people get quite defensive about films huh? The only thing I'll add (which every reviewer except you mentioned) is that the one detraction from this film for me was there was MUCH more gross-out humor. In my opinion gross-out humor isn't humor because there's no comic premise, it's just gross. And I wonder why Myer's does it when he's so obviously brilliant. He's got a lot of fecal and anus issues to resolve, as Freud would say.
Thanks for letting me post,
Mazzy -
I find it hard to believe that so many critics went ga-ga over this sophomoric piece of celluloid drivel. I enjoy a good, raunchy comedy as well as the next filmgoer, but the jokes and innuendos were just so gratuitous and so ridiculously telegraphed that the whole experience was one of boredom and disappointment.
Myers is a Saturday Night Live flunkie who shoots for the crotch and hits his target every time. I WANTED to enjoy this spy spoof badly, but couldn't find a shred of originality or wit to sustain my interest.
Moviegoers are DESPERATE for a good comedy, but this doesn't come close. The only saving grace in the film is the presence of Heather Graham, and she's effervescent and cute, but not that funny. I'd like to see her in a much better movie.
I am by no stretch of the imagination a prude, but I did find the humor in this flick so low-brow and unoriginal, that I was offended on the most basic level.
Of course, I feel the same way about Adam Sandler. Not funny.
Oh well, I'm sure there's a Frenchman somewhere who finds both Mike Myers and Adam Sandler hilarious. End of discussion. -
This was possibly the worst "hyped" movie of all time and definetly the worst sequal ever made. In fact it was more a special edition than a sequel, take the first and add the scenes from the commercials and thats the whole movie. The few jokes that were new were funny for about two seconds, but they kept going on for another ten minutes: zip-it and the rocket joke. Anyone who enjoyed this movie should be beaten if they say they don't like Jar-Jar Binks. This movie was a Jar-Jar marathon. Actually I would rather sit through 10 straight days of Jar-Jar's antics than sit through this movie again. (not Epi. 1, just Jar-Jar)
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Hey eddie... fuck you eddie. I want half eddie. That's all I hear from my fans these days. Me and Mike Myers just want a break. If you don't like us or our movies then SHAG OFF
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My all time favorite trailer has to be Jurassic Park. I remember a long time ago the first time the audience saw the trailer. We were shaking in our seats. It really scared the crap out of you and made you want to see the movie.
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The new Austin Powers sequal is
quite simply nowhere as funny as
the original.I was watching the
audience's reaction during the
course of the movie,and while some
parts got people howling(myself
included)there were TOO many parts
where no one was laughing.The dif-
ference between the two is that in
the first movie,people couldn't
stop laughing.This one,parts were
you couldn't get people to laugh
at all. -
This movie isn't as good as the first one. These are famous last words about (almost) any sequel.
It did have its funny moments, granted, but the difference here is that this movie came in feeling like a "bloated champion" that would be guranteed success. Hmmm... wait a minute! Deja vu! I have writen these words before! Oh yeah, that was when TPM came out!
Anyway, you know you are in some trouble when they bring back some of the same exact jokes and scenarios from the first one and then they reduce Austin to drinking literal crap and several other really old and juevenille "body humor" jokes.
In the first one, they had to "earn their keep." They were underdogs with a limited budget. There was more "sincerity and effort."
Don't get me wrong, I had a semi good time with this thing, but at best, I guess it makes an interesting companion piece to the first one. My two cents... -
Yes, Heather Graham is the finest woman working in movies today. Yes she was hot in both Austin Powers and Boogie Nights... but what about Two Girls and a Guy. Her sex scene with Robert Downey Jr. is the most realistic sex scene I've seen in a movie in the past 10 years, maybe ever. It was more real and felt more voyeuristic than any porno or straight-to-video erotic thriller. That is just how it happens half the time... spur-of-the-moment, loud music in the background, do it standing up against a wall, clothes half on, grunts, and groans... it's not pretty and airbrushed, it's more primal. There weren't any strategically placed sheets, pillows, or legs. Just a great great scene that moved the plot along and added depth to the characters... not sex for titillation's sake. And to think her first boyfriend when she was just 20 or so was the 40-something James Woods!
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I'd love to see a Zero Effect 2. Man, that was a good movie. It had a great and complex detective with a great sidekick solving a good mystery. I'd love to see those characters in another mystery. Anyone agrees???
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I was pissed when I saw the trailer for "The Negotiator" because It gave away what WOULD have been a cool plot development and AWESOME line. YOu know, the "now you'll have to deal with both of us" line.
I''m even wary of reading reviews nowadays, because as an avid movie fan and review-reader, I figure out more of the plot from what the critic "thinks" he's not telling me or "hints" at. You know lines like "you'll be surprised by the ending" or "it was a bold move" tells you oh, so they're not going to get together or , okay this person's going to die. etc.etc. I could go on and on.
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I was pissed when I saw the trailer for "The Negotiator" because It gave away what WOULD have been a cool plot development and AWESOME line. YOu know, the "now you'll have to deal with both of us" line.
I''m even wary of reading reviews nowadays, because as an avid movie fan and review-reader, I figure out more of the plot from what the critic "thinks" he's not telling me or "hints" at. You know lines like "you'll be surprised by the ending" or "it was a bold move" tells you oh, so they're not going to get together or , okay this person's going to die. etc.etc. I could go on and on.
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First off, I must say how great this site is. Now to what I have to say about AP2. I thought it was a much better movie in terms of a comedy than AP. I laughed hard enough 3 or 4 times that I could barely breath. I know I'll get some flack for saying this, but those people who didn't enjoy this movie, at least for its comedic value, try realizing that sometimes you need to watch a movie and just laugh, not worrying if the humor is derogatory or offensive. I may be still in my hormone driven youth, but even my parents and older relatives enjoyed this movie. And in the medium sized movie theatre I saw it in, only 30 seats were empty and it was rare that no one was laughing. I'm anxiously awaiting another sequel, and I can only hope it makes a similar leap in hilarity AP2 took from the original.
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It was the opening day of Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me. I was never a huge fan of the first, but the movie instantly grows on you over time. I was so anxious about seeing the next AP movie that I was having nightmares for months about seeing it and ending up hating it (Yeah, as psychotic as this sounds, it happened). By the time the release day came around, I made sure to see the earliest showing. The theatre was pretty empty, with maybe 12 people there at most. Usually, in most really good movies, a single audience member can ruin the whole experience with his obnoxious laughing and loudness. Being a constant movie-goer, I had seen plenty of these people, and I certainly had a major grudge against them. Well, as soon as the "DR. EVIL" song began playing, I became that irritating asshole that wouldn't shut up. Throughout the majority of the movie, my voice was the only one that made a sound in the theatre (With the exception of two teenage girls that talked aloud most of the time and laughed a couple of times). As embarrasing as it was being the only one in the theatre making loud laughs, it definately shows that I really did love this movie. The first Austin Powers had me laughing maybe 2 times really hard. The sequel, despite the disgustiness (is that a real word?) of Fat Bastard, had me acting like a real dick. Well, the movie finally ended, and the 12 people left with no emotion on their face whatsoever. I felt dirty after making such a dick of myself, but I felt satisfied that after months of torment I finally proved my worst fears wrong. To see if that just wasn't denial kicking in, I decided to see the movie again that same day, and well... the audience reaction was incredibly high this time, and I enjoyed the movie twice as much.
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The first Austin Powers movie was better. It had better comic timing--luxuriously long pauses in fact--and it also had a heart. The second seems chopped up, hurried, overstuffed, and overly short, to boot! And it has no heart, killing off Austin's wife in the first 2 minutes. In that last respect, this is the "Alien 3" to the first Austin Powers' "Aliens", if you know what I mean.
Heather Graham is no good in this. She can't act. Her line deliveries were so flat. Only a randy heterosexual could forgive her, which I ain't. Painful moments watching her I had. Mmmmmmm.
I won't be buying this one on tape and watching it repeatedly like I did with the first one. In fact, having seen it once, I don't ever need to see this latest one again. -
I saw the first austin powers and I thought it was a lot better than your average "The Naked Gun" type humor. Austin Powers 2 however just about put me to sleep. I was more distracted about my popcorn not having enough butter on it than the movie. Although I think Mike Myers deserves a lot of credit for playing roles of 3 characters in a single movie, the story sucked and I hope that they can leave the ending go and not release a 3rd. I rated this movie 3/10 and strongly suggest that you save your money for something else like if you haven't seen "Matrix" or wait until "Lake Placid" is released.
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I think AP2 was funny and cool. The Jerry Springer scene was the best, folks! And who along with me thought the first time Vanessa "rewound" and said her line was actually a projection error? Reply to this one.
Anyhoo, I thought the second Episode One trailer was the best in history. It started out with the Lucasfilm logo, a helluvalotta of bass, and slowly built up. Then at the end, it let everything fall down. Who didn't get chills when Sidious said "Wipe them out...all of them.."? Then Obi Wan screamed "Noooooooo" and then virtually all of the explosions and crashes from the movie were played in a fast-paced sequence. Beautiful. -
**SPOILIER IN PARTS***
ok. picture yourself as mike myers. we all know, based on his past work, he is VERY, VERY funny, funnier than you or I could ever hope to be, no matter how we may pick the whole apart. now picture yourself faced with reproducing Austin Powers, a hilaroiusly original filled with satire on a whole genre of movies. what do you do? do you do the same exact thing again, only try to do better and likely face sequel failure, or do you extend your satire to include your own actions and sequels in general? I think he chooses the latter, the smart choice escaping from his own hype. In short, I think that most everything ya'll have cut the movie down on he is laughing at you about. i think he made the movie untouchable to critics by intentionally parodying himself and making certain parts of the movie (the reproductions) delibrately unfunny.
think about the sellouts, the product placements. he did it shamelessly, and had fun with it, and made a buttload of money and kept his integrity. that is the beauty of comedy. now to those who have seen it, remember those many uncomfortable silences when a joke fell so flat, often because it was a bad re-hash of pervious stuff (the most blatant i can remember is the lava-trap-dumb-guard scene "He was hot for you.." excuse me? mike knows better than this. even every dumb movie goer knew better than this). i think he made this more obvious by rehashing jokes even within this movie, like austin's "sexy bitch" and the penis slang montage that everyone i talked to agreed was wittier the FIRST time.
and to those paying attention, there was more evidence of subtle satire of ripoff action movie plots ( an extension of the acknoledged time-travel and other incongruencies) like when dr. evil and mini-me blast off to the moon, and then they're all together again next scene (note: i didnt really pay attention to this, only noticed it later and have only seen it once.)
think of the ending with the two austins, a-little-dumber-but-still-funny character names of uni-brow and fat bastard (whose scene w/ the unsettling feeling, the way jerry springer turned to the cmaera during the credits and made some humanity-appeal that left you a little uncomfortable. now think of those utterly hilarious points in the movie. have any of you seen a comedy improv group that loves to make the audience uncomfortable, unsettled? THAT is true control of the audience, that is taking the reins away from them, that is maintaining your integrity, even if only you and your friends understand. people wh ohave reached the end of comedy sometimes do this. i can see how they'd get tired of pandering to the masses, and/or of constant success, not that that's what mike has enjoyed. but he knows damn well this is the peak of his "powers", his moment to cash in. and maybe he did this becasue he was scared of an honest attempt, or was just lazy, and smart. but he is smart. and after the movie was over, i sat there trying to figure out what he did in leaving us in conflict and this is the best i could come up with. call it over-analysis, b.s., i don't know.
it's a long shot. but watch it again, and tell me.
but if I'm right, i think he's raised the bar somehow, and if we've all been duped, it's great. but still, it doesn't satisfy me the way a greater comedy would have. thought is weird like that. i think he dumbed it down a degree, made fun of his own attempt to make a sequel based on static characters, but still threw in enough so that it will and has made a ton of cash. maybe he lost some money doing this. but maybe his integrity's worth more, and all those corporate gigs im sure paid off. i will FINALLY stop now, and await the machetes.
p.s. i think on video it'll have the same appeal as the first.
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Aug 15, 1999 11:41:05 AM CDT
If you like Austin Powers 1- rent it again and forget the sequel
by star me purple
I still haven't gotten over how disappointed I was by this movie,as I loved the first one. Myers obviously couldn't be bothered coming up with new jokes, so the favourites were rolled out again - only this time they weren't nearly as funny. The plot was patchy, the characters much more one dimensional and the product placing was shameless. Is Mike only in it for the money now? The only good thing was the development of Dr Evil, who really is a hilarious creation. I hope to God there isn't a third instalment - by that stage they probably wouldn't bother writing a script at all. R.
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I think they were GrOoVy! YeaH BaBy YeAh! I Can't wait for a 3rd.
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