Dance Flick (2009)

Genre: Spoof/Comedy/Drama/Musical

Starring: Shoshana Bush, Damon Wayans Jr., Essence Atkins, Affion Crockett. Shawn Wayans, Amy Sedaris

Spoof movies are usually the kinds that you would want to watch once and forget for the rest of your lives. A sudden out-break of dance movies (High School Musical, Step Up, You Got Served) has prompted this hilarious break dance that intends to laugh at every other musical movie there is. Megan White (Bush) is an amateur ballet dancer who moves to the inner-city from the suburbs. She finds it difficult to adjust to the new life and has a lot of misadventures. She befriends Charity Uncles (Atkins) who is a single mother with very bad parenting skills. Her boyfriend and the father of the child, Baby Daddy (Wayans) has abandoned the child and spends very little time with him. Thomas Uncles (Wayans Jr.) the younger brother of Charity, is stuck for a street gang lord to whom he owns a lot of money. Thomas and Megan fall in love with each other and Thomas intends to teach her how to dance on the street and forget about ballet. This review itself might sound outrageous but that is because the movie is just like it. Stupid humour and a plot that can harldy be called a plot forms the basis and foundation of this movie. If you have seen one spoof movie, you have seen them all. It would be good fun for those who have seen the movies in question and can do with a bit of humour, but everyone else might feel a bit out of place.

Thumbs up: Good spoof

Thumbs down: Random scenes that are only created to spoof some movie

Rating: 5.0/10

The Great Dictator (1940)

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Spoof/History

Starring: Charles Chaplin, Jack Oakie, Reginald Gardiner, Henry Daniell, Billy Gilbert, Paulette Goddard, Maurice Moskovitch

Charlie Chaplin was known to be the greatest comedian that walked the face of the Earth and who revolutionised cinema's and gave the people of the silent era something to laugh at. Spoofing one of the most notorious dictators of all time, Hynkel (Chaplin) (read 'Adolf Hitler') the Dictator of Tomania (read 'Germany') has come into power and wishes to rid the country of the filthy Jews that tarnish society. A simple Jewish Barber (Chaplin) has returned from hospital when he underwent a memory loss while fighting for his country during the First World War. When he returns to his shop, he is shocked to find how the Ghetto has transformed and the Storm Troopers brutally beat him until Commander Schultz (Gardiner), a man whose life he previously saved, comes to his rescue. The movie humorously showcases Hynkel and his war plans along with the struggles of the Jews to escape from the clutches of the Storm Troopers. The movie shows raw comedy, much different from the slapstick version that is found in movies of today. It might seem bland and unappealing to many, but one needs to be a true appreciator of cinema to enjoy one of Chaplin's finest.

Thumbs up: Sir Chaplin at his very best

Thumbs down: May not be funny enough for the modern audience

Rating:7.7/10

Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)

Genre: Crime/Action/Drama/Comedy/Spoof/Adventure

Starring: Mike Myers, Seth Green, Beyonce Knowles, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Mindy Sterling, Verne Troyer, Michael Caine

The James Bond with obscenely high testosterone levels is back once more to make the ladies shiver with excitement and save the world. Austin Powers (Myers) has learnt that his father has been kidnapped and is stuck back in time in the '70s. He must go and save him from the clutches of Goldmember (Myers) an obnoxious Dutch who loves Gold and equally loves eating his dead skin. He encounters an old acquaintance Foxy Cleopatra who is working undercover as a part of Goldmembers team. Austin meets Dr. Evil (Myers) who too has travelled back in time to take Goldmember to the future and help him destroy the world. Austin along with Foxy must prevent Dr. Evil and Goldmember from accomplishing their evil deed and save the world from ultimate doom. The movie series were famously known to spoof various spy movies, especially the James Bond movies which provide the basis for all jokes and story. Myers exceeds expectations but increasing his role from 3 to 4 by executing the character of Goldmember apart from Austin Powers, Dr. Evil and Fat Bastard. Its an insane laugh riot which might seem very similar in humour to its previous movies but is still a very fun movie to watch.

Thumbs up: Mike Myers

Thumbs down: Overdone humour in the series, lacks freshness

Rating: 6.9/10

Scary Movie 4 (2006)

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Spoof/Adventure

Starring: Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Craig Bierko, Bill Pullman, Anthony Anderson, Leslie Nielsen, Conchita Campbell, Beau Mirchoff, Kevin Hart

The Scary Movie series of movies can be attributed with the revolution of spoof movies where the plot never really mattered and all that counted for was the ridiculous humour derived out of current events, TV shows and mostly movies. The fourth installment of the series decides to take on The Village, The Grudge and War of the Worlds, all in one go. Cindy Campbell (Farris) has taken up a job as nursing an old-aged woman and finds that her house is haunted by a Japanese child who predicts the destruction of Earth and tells Cindy that only she can stop the alien invasion. Tom Ryan (Bierko) is a divorcee who has to take care of his children Rachel (Campbell) and Robbie (Mirchoff). Tom and Cindy are new neighbours and fall in love with each other just as catastrophe strikes Earth with a deadly alien invasion. Cindy along with Brenda (Hall) and Tom must use the Japanese kids advice and stop Earth from ultimate doom. The movie has derived its core plot from a non-horror movie and hence failed to live up to the brand name to an extent. The jokes are only moderately funny and the full extent of the humour can only be absorbed if one is familiar with the movies/personalities that are being spoofed on. You can watch it but you wont miss out on anything if you chose not to.

Thumbs up: Its not easy to make good movie spoofs

Thumbs down: Not very funny

Rating: 5.6/10

Hole in One (2010)

Genre: Comedy/Sport/Drama/Romance

Starring: Steve Talley, David Ellison, Dean Cameron, Christopher Showerman, Sandy Modic

Sex sells? At least that is what the makers of this movie believe in. Here is our recipe; get a young famous actor, get some gorgeous skimpy clothed woman, add some considerable nudity, sprinkle some slap-stick humour and if you really wish, add a plot to it. Eric (Talley) is an amateur golfer who hustles people at golf and makes a living. His best friend Tyler (Ellison) runs a store that sells golf apparel and the two are enjoying their life the way it is. On one eventful day, Eric makes a bet with two plastic surgeons at golf and loses, or rather gained, something he wish he never had. Steve Talley has emerged as the new god of sex-comedy movies after his success with American Pie and Van Wilder and is poised to become the next Sean Williamson Scott of the industry. The movie is a mindless comic with no laughable humour or entertaining plot outline. If loads of topless woman is what defines your style of entertainment then this movie is definitely up to the mark else it is a pure waste of precious time. Watch at your own risk.

Thumbs up: Does the moon have water?

Thumbs down: Bad plot, worse humour

Rating: 4.8/10

Scary Movie 3 (2003)

Genre: Comedy/Spoof/Drama

Starring: Anna Faris, Charlie Sheen, Simon Rex, Drew Mikuska

The third installation of the very famous movie that spoofs on horrors and thrillers. A strange video tape is doing the rounds of the city and whoever watches the tape dies in seven days. Cindy (Farris) a reporter, tries to investigate the strange deaths. Tom (Sheen) a farmer and his younger brother George (Rex) find mysterious crop circles on their farm. George aspires to be a rap artist but doesn't really make it very far. Most of the movie is a spoof of The Ring and just like any other spoof movie, there is no sensible or logical plot but just random spoofs from a whole lot of movies brought together. The movie is not hilarious or roll-over funny but its stupid and funny enough to entertain you for 80-odd minutes. The only reason to watch this movie is because you have nothing to watch and your simply getting the urge to kill time. The movie makes more sense if one has watched all the various movies it spoofs about. Else, one might not understand the joke or the hidden sarcasm. Anna Faris puts on a very realistic performance by being stupid and typically blond throughout. The lesser said about the movie, the better it is.

Thumbs up: Short and stupid

Thumbs down: Not amazingly funny

Rating: 5.8/10

Kick-Ass (2010)

Genre: Action/Crime/Drama/Spoof/Comedy

Starring: Aaron Johnson, Lyndsy Fonseca, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong, Nicolas Cage, Chloe Moretz

Dave Lizewski (Johnson) is a low-life, good for nothing youth. Neither a math geek nor a sports hero, he gets absolutely no attention in college and is pushed around by everyone. He suddenly wonders why nobody has ever considered being a super-hero as a profession and decides to become the first one, naming himself Kick-Ass. His first crime-fighting stint lands him up in the hospital, naked, and he is pronounced gay by the entire college. The good side being that the college beauty Katie (Fonseca) starts taking pity on him since he is gay. Meanwhile, Damon Macready (Cage), an ex-cop is seeking revenge from Frank D'Amico (Strong) for killing his wife and framing him wrongly for dealing in narcotics. Once out of jail, he starts training his very young daughter in weapon wielding and crime-fighting. Together, they become Big-Daddy and Hit-Girl and plan to avenge D'Amico. In order to get even with this new found rage in  becoming a super-hero, D'Amico makes his son Chris (Mintz-Plasse) the Red Mist. The movie is a spoof of Spider-Man with most of the plot being borrowed from there. The movie may not be outright hilarious but its still a fun watch. Nicolas Cage's performance is quite wasted and the same role could have been done by a lesser known actor without hampering too much of the movies outcome. A mix of humour and crime fighting conjures a good combination which is worth a watch.

Thumbs up: Great mix of almost everything

Thumbs down: Should have had better humour

Rating: 7.5/10