Tag: "Weird Al" Yankovic

Film Review: The Naked Gun (Paramount Pictures)

By: Jesse Striewski

After laying dormant for over three decades, The Naked Gun has finally been resurrected with Liam Neeson in place of the late legend Leslie Neilsen. It’s not easy to bring back something once held with such regard though, and that’s surely proven here.

Nesson plays Frank Drebin, Jr., the son of Neilsen’s original character. He meets the beautiful bombshell Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson) after her brother is suspiciously murdered, and a rather uninteresting plot to uncover some shady corporate cover-up (headed by Danny Huston) ensues.

The two leads do work together well, resulting in some humorous moments (the montage with the snowman played to the tune of Starship’s “Nothing Gonna Stop Us” was rather amusing), and there’s even a couple of cameos from series regulars like Priscilla Presley and “Weird Al” Yankovic (blink and you might miss the former). But the laugh-out-loud jokes are way to widespread, and viewers were already given a quarter of the film via trailers prior to ever even stepping foot in a theater.

The original Naked Gun film series was comic gold, and it speaks volumes that the producers of this film did not even reach out to either of the Zucker brothers behind it for this one. But I can remember going to see Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult when it came out in 1994 (I think even on opening night if memory serves correct) and thinking “this isn’t that good in comparison to the first two films.” I got that very same feeling again while watching this one.

Rating: 2/5 Stars

Film Review: This is GWAR (Shudder)

By: Jesse Striewski

If any band deserves an in-depth, career-spanning documentary, it’s everyone’s favorite shock rockers/Scumdogs of the Universe, GWAR, and I was a bit surprised by just how invested in This is GWAR I found myself becoming while watching it.

Beginning with the band’s early roots as a collective art outfit founded by Hunter Jackson and the late Dave Brockie in the mid-80s, the film goes through the band’s evolution and entire history in great detail (the way a proper documentary should). Along the way there’s copious amounts of interesting tid bits and fascinating footage that should delight even the most casual fan.

The only real downside is the rapid pace that sometimes speeds through certain eras of the band faster than desired. Personally, I would’ve liked a tad more emphasis on the making of lesser-received albums such as Ragnarok or We Kill Everything. Still, aside from including interviews from several past and present members of the band, there’s a number of celebrities that lend their thoughts and help the story along as well, including Alex Winter, Thomas Lennon, and even “Weird Al” Yankovic himself.

It’s safe to say that my interest in GWAR was put firmly back in place since viewing the film, and I’ve found myself falling down a rabbit hole of sorts and revisiting a lot of the band’s music again; hopefully it will have the same effect on you as well.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars