GB84 and GB89 were my first favorite movies, and I could quote them extensively before I turned 10 years old. I am in the prime demographic to feel "betrayed" by a reboot, but I adored this movie. Paul Feig and Katie Dippold have written for two of the shows closest to my heart (Freaks & Geeks, Parks & Recreation), so it makes sense that they would ace this seemingly impossible challenge: Make a film that both honors and respects the original, but is also fun and original in its own right. The homages - cameos, quotes, similar scenes - are an absolute joy for their nostalgia AND imaginative reinvention; this is a film that only a die-hard fan could make. Like its source, it expertly blends silly, scary, and the genuine triumph of four friends bringing out the best in each other to save the best city on earth. The leads are terrific, they have their own wonderfully weird humor and rhythm, with only superficial similarities to the characters who came before. This film clearly exists not to replace the original, but to celebrate it and bring something new to the universe. Well-freakin-done, you guys! I have the 80's cartoon action figures, the film figures that (finally) came out in the 2000's, and I will proudly display Abby, Erin, Jillian, and Patty beside them!
Reviews
2 Reviews
Prop 8: The Musical
(2008)
Shaiman is the Maestro
8 January 2009
Celebrity soap-boxing can be annoying, but I don't think you can say "mind your own business" when a gay person in California writes a piece that protests a measure against...gay people in California.
Anyway, Marc Shaiman's music is the star here. Whether writing songs for movies or for the Oscar telecast, he is the master of blending humor and note-perfect parody of musical conventions. The music is rollicking fun and the enthusiasm of the performers is infectious.
If you enjoyed this, go back to the 2007 Oscar telecast and watch "A Comedian at the Oscars," also written by Shaiman and also starring Jack Black and John C. Reilly (plus Will Ferrell.) Here the target is the Academy's dreary taste in melodramas over comedy, and it's a hoot.
Anyway, Marc Shaiman's music is the star here. Whether writing songs for movies or for the Oscar telecast, he is the master of blending humor and note-perfect parody of musical conventions. The music is rollicking fun and the enthusiasm of the performers is infectious.
If you enjoyed this, go back to the 2007 Oscar telecast and watch "A Comedian at the Oscars," also written by Shaiman and also starring Jack Black and John C. Reilly (plus Will Ferrell.) Here the target is the Academy's dreary taste in melodramas over comedy, and it's a hoot.
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