John Candy: Comedy Favorites Collection
I don't even know how I came across it or why, but one of my favorite movies of all time is John Candy's 'Going Berserk'. I'm sure not many people remember this one since it probably got limited release, but it's packed with non-stop comedic genius.
John Candy, along with fellow SCTV alumni, Joe Flaherty and Eugene Levy star in this 1983 comedy centered around 'regular joe' John Bourgignon,(Candy)who's about to marry Nancy Reese, a congressman's daughter. Days before the wedding, John, who makes his living between drumming and limo driving, is hypnotized by one of his fare's, a big time cult leader, Rev. Sun Yi Day. The reverend plans to have John kill his 'would be' father-in-law, Ed Reese, on his wedding day, but John doesn't take to the mind control and begins to act like a moron whenever subliminally prompted to kill.
Despicable Me (Single-Disc Edition)
Despicable Me is a compelling animated comedy about an aging supervillain's falling popularity at the hands of a younger supervillain and three young orphan girls. Gru is a true, bad-to-the-core evildoer who's earned the title of the world's No. 1 supervillain. But when young upstart Vector steals the Pyramid of Giza, Gru's status suddenly sinks to No. 2. Gru counters his fall by speeding up his plan to shrink and steal the moon, enlisting the help of his army of minions and the elderly Dr. Nefario, but a lack of funding and the difficulties involved in stealing the needed shrink-ray gun threaten to derail everything. Adopting three young orphan girls is an unlikely, but seemingly effective means to further Gru's evil mission, but Gru quickly discovers that caring for three young girls is more work, and distraction, than he could ever have anticipated. What unfolds is an unexpected shift in attitude that will forever change the lives of Gru, Vector, and all three young girls. A visually appealing film produced by Chris Meledandri (Ice Age, Ice Age 2: The Meltdown, and Horton Hears a Who), Despicable Me is full of weirdly shaped characters and settings that are somehow a perfect fit for Sergio Pablos's story. What's especially refreshing is that in this film, 3-D effects are used skillfully and effectively: even when the effects are exploited for comic reasons, they don't become a distraction, as is all too common in many recent movies. The film is full of corny banter and silly antics that inspire plenty of spontaneous laughter, and the minions, while not the best-developed characters, sure are comical. Ultimately, there's also a wholesome message about following one's heart. Steve Carell is the perfect villain-gone-soft in his role as Gru, Jason Segal is quite funny as Vector, and Julie Andrews makes a surprising appearance as Gru's very un-motherly mom. The story isn't new, the humor is relatively juvenile and somewhat forgettable, and it's no Toy Story 3, but Despicable Mecelebrates silliness in a way that's satisfying and highly entertaining. (Ages 6 and older) --Tami Horiuchi
