Max, Mike; Movies!

Today, the laughter has died. Yes, we’ve come to the end of our “What’s So Funny?” series; we’re all sorry to see it end, as it means nothing will ever be funny again but we urge you all to stiffen that upper lip, square those shoulders, and do your best to carry on. We’re closing this out with another listener suggestion, the recent “Barbie” movie! This movie was immensely popular but as we’ve seen recently, not without controversy, and I think we all know what the issue is: where are the most significant iterations of Barbie?! Why were they left out of this tribute?! Where’s Kaiju Barbie, with Realistic Trample-able City? What happened to Soccer Hooligan Barbie (with Broken Beer Bottle^tm and life-like facial scars)? What about Shinsengumi Barbie with her Sparkle-Katana, attempting to bring law and order to Edo-period Japan? Ok, it’s possible I just imagined that last one. Ok, maybe I imagined all of them, but that’s not the point! My hallucinations should be canon and I know none of you will rest until this has been made right! Delusion Enabling Barbie told me so! Anyway, slip into something pink, grab a brewski-beer, and give a listen!

Poll question: what movie do you think SHOULD have won the Oscar for Best Picture but didn’t?

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Welcome to our penultimate “What’s So Funny?” episode; this week we’ve got a Neil Simon-penned (or more likely typewritered) little number, the spiritual sequel, sort of, to a movie both Mike and I really enjoy, “Murder By Death,” another Neil Simon creation. This one focuses more on one genre: the hard-boiled detective movie, more specifically, the hard-boiled Humphrey Bogart detective movie. I mean, the detective in the movie is hard-boiled, not Humphrey Bogart. Hard-boiling Humphrey Bogart would be horrible. Really. Everyone knows that you should pan-sear your Humphrey Bogart for optimum flavor and mouth-feel. Mmmm . . . delicious first-half-of-the-twentieth-century-acting flavor . . . Oh, um, sorry, where was I, why am I drooling . . . anyway, give a listen and see if Mike and I think this one lives up to its predecessor or if it’s a case of cinematic . . . muuuuurrrrrrddderrrrrrr.

Poll question: what’s your favorite musical moment in a movie, either a staged number or spontaneous playing or singing?

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Well now, homefellows. I must suggest that you “step off”, lest you find yourself labeled a “jive turkey.” I am not funning with you, my siblings. I would deeply appreciate it if you would each and every one of you pick up what we are “laying down,” as it were; Max and Mike are our names and discussing movies is indeed what you might in fact refer to as “our game.” As you can no doubt deduce, Mike and I are most assuredly “down” with “the street”. (What do you mean, “Sesame Street, maybe”?! Shut up, Bumpy! Nobody asked you! Don’t make me stick out my tongue at you!). This week’s entry in our series “What’s So Funny?”, we’re “taking a look at” an Eddie Murphy “movie” from “2019,” a “biopic” (sorry if I’m losing you with all the hip lingo) about a comedian named Rudy Ray Moore who created one of the most legendary (some might say infamous) Blackspoitation characters: Dolemite. Does the movie do justice to this cinematic pioneer? Does it have production values? Am I crying? Give a listen, or we might, I don’t know, muss up your cravats! Don’t make us do it!

Poll question: who is your favorite film director?

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YEE HAW! Howdy, pardners! I’m Big Max and that there is Big Mike and we’re “Big Max and Big Mike’s Big House O’ Psychopaths”! And we’ve got so much inventory this month that we’ve gone PLUM CRAZY! Come on down and see what we’ve got! We’ve got masked vigilantes tossing playing cards! We’ve got bald Vietnamese guys dressed as Catholic priests! We’ve got dog nappers! We’ve got gangsters! Heck, we’ve even got us Colin Farrell! Now who don’t want a Colin Farrell on their front lawn? And our prices can’t be beat! How many psychopaths do you think you get for $99.99? Two psychopaths? Hell, no, pardon my French! Four psychopaths? Partner, don’t make us laugh. Hold onto your propellor beanies because this week only you’ll get SEVEN, count ‘em, SEVEN psychopaths for $99.99! Great balls o’ fire! You better take advantage of these prices before our medication kicks in! Come on down this weekend to “Big Max and Big Mike’s Big House O’ Psychopaths” and as a special offer, one of our psychopaths will personally punch you in the head! And if you bring the kiddies . . . well, you’re a TERRIBLE PARENT and someone should call Social Services on your ass! YEE HAW!

Poll question: who is your favorite cinematic bad guy?

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Welcome back to our “What’s So Funny?” series. And you know what’s funny? The blood-sucking undead. Oh, my sides! Yes, the 70’s brought a resurgence of Dracula movies (not that he ever really went away) and 1979 brought us one! Two! Three! Four! Five! Five Dracula movies! Ah ah ah! {sound of thunder}. And of all of them, “Love at First Bite” was certainly one of them. A rare attempt (if not the first attempt) to make Dracula funny (because what’s wackier than a humanoid apex predator who rips open peoples’ jugular veins and turns them into thralls? Forget Oscar Wilde, forget the Marx Brothers, we’ve got a guy with an unquenchable thirst for human blood! Oh, my sides! We do have Tanmaster Supreme, George Hamilton as Dracula, Arte Johnson giving us a hilarious Renfield, and Susan St. James doing a creditable job impersonating a blonde woman. Sadly, we also have . . . disco. Disco. We must never forget the horror that came before us . . . Give a listen and see if the humor holds up! Join us, master! I mean, mister!

Poll question: what is your favorite vampire movie of any era?

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Our entry in our series “What’s So Funny?” this week is the third in the famous (or infamous) Cornetto Trilogy from Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright. Sadly, we’ve skipped right over “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz” (for now) but we’re focusing on this rather odd, surprisingly emotionally complex comedy. This film starts as a High-School-Friends-Reunited-in-Bittersweet-Circumstances story and then very suddenly veers into . . . well, let’s just say: some other sorts of stories. Featuring a stellar cast and sharp writing, this is still probably the most divisive of the Cornetto Trilogy: some folks loved it, some really didn’t. Give a listen and see what we thought. Barkeep! Two pints of bitter, over here! Mike, you want anything?

Poll question: What film has the best final or ending scene?

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Guten jour, me old mates-comrades! Welcome to our wonderful country of Europe! Yag shamash! Here in Europe, we Europeans so much like to see Americans come here to enjoy our foodthings, purchase our geegaws, and desecrate our many famous monuments and landmarks! Do we mind? Nyet! As long as it is for funny Tik Tokking or Instafacing, we of Europe are oh so much good sports! Come to our capitol, Europe City! Enjoy our ancient confusing traditions, customs, and language that you have not bothered to learn anything about and feel free to have many sexings on all of ancient historical sites! Don’t bother learning European; everyone everywhere speaks American! Salud, merci, gesundheit! Hello Europe!

We’re continuing to ask “What’s So Funny?” with this week’s entry “Eurotrip.” Is it funny ha-ha? Funny strange? Funny uh-oh? Or funny not-so-funny? Give a listen and become edumacated!

Poll question: What is your LEAST favorite comedy movie? One you just found really unfunny, even if everyone around you was laughing?

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The movie’s one hundred fifty-one minutes long. We’ve got a full box of Bumpy Pux, half a quart of YooHoo, it’s broad daylight and we’re wearing rainbow-sequined lederhosen. Let’s roll.

Welcome to another in our series “What’s So Funny?” The movie that tries to answer that question this week is John Landis’ “The Blues Brothers,” which may have one of Max’s favorite soundtracks of any movie ever, not to mention some of the greatest musical cameos and guest stars (in a movie?) of all time. So strap in, slip on some Ray-Bans, don’t let any Penguins smack you with a ruler (our man Vince knows all about that!) and join us on our righteous quest. After all, we’re on a mission from Pod(cast)! Give a listen!

Poll question: what movie soundtrack made you go “I’ve got to listen to more of this person’s music or this genre of music”?

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Heeeyyy! Wakka wakka wakka! We’re DONE being hard-boiled and detective-y, so now we’re going to lighten up with a new series we’re calling “What’s So Funny?” Howaya, howaya, howaya? Saying things three times is funny! Hey, Mike! Bring that tray of priceless crystal goblets over here but watch out for that banana peel . . . OH GOD, MIKE! No! Are you . . . no, no, don’t try to move! Oh god, there’s so much blood . . . let me try to get you on your feet . . . AAAHHH! The glass punched right through my shoe!! I’ve never known such pain! AHHHH! I fell on patch of broken glass stems! It’s like a thousand daggers! Mike, Mike, don’t close your eyes! Stay with me now! Oh no . . . why, god, whyyyyyyyyy?!

Yes, we’re obviously masters of comedy here at Max, Mike; Movies . . . not! Oh, my sides! But we do love us some comedy ha-ha type movies, so we’re going to watch a bunch of movies by actual comic thespians doing actually funny things . . . or trying to, in some cases. We’re going to mix it up with some new, some classics, and a bunch of suggestions from YOU, our witty and elegantly-manicured listeners. We’re starting off with a pretty recent flick from Andy Samberg and his fellow Lonely Island denizens: 2016’s “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping,” a recent take on the rocku-mockumentary genre. Join us for many giggles, chortles and guffaws . . . or prolonged “huuuuhhh?”’s! Enjoy!

Poll question: What is your favorite cinematic fake band? Include movies, TV shows, cartoons . . .

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