Random Movie: Armed and Dangerous

Hey folks. What's going on? Decided I needed some comedy to review for a change. A bit of John Candy. So some organized mob, gunfires and maybe even some drag. This is Armed and Dangerous.

Divine never looked so saucy

Officer Dooley (The late and great John Candy of SCTV, Who's Harry Crumb?, Uncle Buck, Home Alone, Nothing But Trouble, Only the Lonely, Delirious and Once Upon a Crime) a decent guy gets caught with a stolen TV courtesy of his fellow boys in blue pinning the theft on him. Right Dooley. Next you'll tell me the Rodney King verdict was unjust. But instead of going to jail, they take his badge and end his career. At the same time, nervous defense lawyer Norman Kane (Eugene Levy of SCTV, Club Paradise, Splash, Father of the Bride, Stay Tuned, Maniac Mansion, Multiplicity, Waiting for Guffman, Almost Heroes and Holy Man) is at his wit's end defending murderers, psychos and tweakers. He desperately needs a career change. No sooner are these two roped into the exciting wondrous world of guard duty, the pharmaceutical company they are guarding is robbed.

Whaddua mean I have less sex appeal than Steve Guttenberg?

Funny how the robbers sound exactly like two thugs from the Union. Wonder if there could ever be corruption in a union job. Nah. Their boss, Captain O' Connell (Kenneth McMillan of Salem's Lot, Partners, The Clairvoyant, Blue Skies Again, The Pope of Greenwich Village, Dune, Runaway Train and Cat's Eye) reams their asses, slaps them with a hundred dollar fine because the whole fiasco was explained...a little piss poorly. With heated tempers, crucial evidence to how the robbery went down was ignored.

With their butts on the line and their jobs looking bleak what with guarding a dump and a toxic landfill, the guys decide to check out the robberies themselves.

With a collective of talent in this film it is really hard to dislike it. Helmed by director Mark L. Lester (Firestarter, Commando, Class of 1984, Class of 1999, Showdown in Little Toyko and The Dragons of Camelot) and screenplay by the late and great Harold Ramis (Meatballs, Stripes, Ghostbusters, Caddyshack, Back to School, Groundhog Day and Analyze This) this film is not politically correct, there will be ethnic slurs and sexist content of bimbo women. Hmm I might be putting folks off. Okay...starting anew. There is slapstick, drag humor and more gun play than an Eastwood movie. This is really that stint in comedy where they wanted some action to go with the humor. A rash of theft makes Dooley believe that there is more going on and the very company he is working for is directly involved with it. Maybe not most of the guards but some of the higher ups. 

Man, that orgy got out of hand, right?

With the union being so tight lipped about why they need close to $4 million a year to keep them in the black and yet no actual explanation to what this $15 a week in 1986 timeline that is a fair chunk of change. By inflation status, think $50 a week. Now that has your attention. Besides, most union charge by the month not weekly so already something is off. Plus half of their staff look like gunsels.

With their accountant rep trying to wash the dough (ill gotten gains from illegal sales plus making only 80 cents on the dollar in laundering) the big boys decide he is a loose end and are gonna take him for "a little drive".

At this point the crooked cops must also be on the unions' dollar as Dooley and Kane are being chased by syndicate, bent cops and hell, why not the fire department now.

With Kane's mental stress levels and Dooley's dishonorable discharge from the police, they are plump pigeons ripe for the blame.

Can the boys get themselves out of this jam? Will Meg Ryan a.k.a. Maggie have feelings for Kane? Will Brion James play YET another loopy?

With some decent crane shots, dolly track and some substantial car crash stunts, this is as action as possible. Hell the Texan in the big rig smashing down the L.A. Freeway to Born to Be Wild is enough excitement as it is.

Goodfellas?  Geddoutta here!

Podcast # 5: Comedy Found in Action

Howdy folks!!!  This week is being cut short due to a flight to Texas of which I will be writers AWOL so with that in mind I invite you all to enjoy the latest podcast of Rotten Ramblin' On.


https://soundcloud.com/jake-peck-2/rotten-ramblin-on-5-comedy-in-action-films

Hey, why are we all dumb?

Jake and Shawn dare to ask... why are there some many comedy based folk ending up in action?

Why do the heroes get the one liners while the villains get the nice suits and a legion of easily led automatons with assault rifles?

Did you beef or was that the dog?

Blog 225!!! Burt Reynolds Week

Hey folks I thought this week we would pay a bit of homage to an actor who paid his dues from Westerns, Action, Comedy and serious Drama.  A man that stands at 5'11" and for many ladies appreciation did a near nude in Cosmopolitan in 1972 on a tiger skin rug.  So this week will be focused none other than Burt Reynolds.

So ladies try to not swoon, Fellas don't be haters.  I hope you all enjoy.

Little cheesecake for the ladies.

70's TV Week: Barney Miller

Hidey ho boys and girls and welcome to day 4 of 1970’s TV Week.    Today I feel like some comedy oh but we also need a little action. Hmm, maybe combine the two.   So fill out those shots fired reports, grab a doughnut and wash it down with some on the burner coffee.  This is Barney Miller.

Now we invade Poland!

Spoilers drank all the coffee...AGAIN!

Comedy writers Danny Arnold (Rosemary Clooney Show, That Girl and Bewitched) and Theodore Flicker (The President’s Analyst, Andy Griffith, The Man from U.N. C.L.E.  , Night Gallery and The Streets of San Francisco) combine their backgrounds of humor and devise a comedy that casts off the mundane shackles of police drama.   The crank calls, confused eyewitnesses and other such walks of life is what the one two has to contend with.    With two to three subplots per episode Captain Barney Miller (Hal Linden of Destroy All Monsters, The Love Boat, Blacke’s Magic, Jack’s Place and The Boys Are Back) get to deal with crackpots, budget cuts and the odd stakeout or two. 

Paperwork of the day. Poor Fish.

His ace team consists of: Detective Fish (Abe Vigoda of Dark Shadows, The Godfather, The Devil’s Daughter, The Godfather: Part II, Fish and Joe Versus the Volcano) a crotchety senior detective who constantly is dealing with his wife on the phone who I can only assume suffers from dementia at that point, Det. Stan Wojo (Max Gail of D.C. Cab, Whiz Kids, Heartbreakers, Intimate Strangers, Normal Life and Gary Unmarried) archetypical Polish American and rife with jokes aimed there, Sgt Ron Harris (Ron Glass of The New Odd Couple, Mr. Rhodes, Teen Angel, Firefly ,All Grown Up and Serenity) an African American obsessed with his wardrobe and hair that eventually he gets to his paperwork,  Sgt Nick Yemana (Jack Soo of Valentine’s Day, Flower Drum Song, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Police Story and Return to Witch Mountain) a Japanese cop known for sloppy or delayed paperwork and makes the very worse coffee in the department,  Sgt. Miguel “Chano” Amangual (Gregory Sierra of Soap, The Towering Inferno, Hill Street Blues, Zorro and Son, Miami Vice,  Hot Shots! Part Deux and Murder, She Wrote) a passionate latino that gets haggard with horrible jokes at his expense.

This is before the age of political correct and frankly it was enjoyable seeing everyone ripping on each other.  The writing had not swayed and while they went through a few characters the buddy cop and family jokes were just enjoyable.  We had plenty of reoccurring characters aplenty.  

Portrait of the perplexed.

  

Marty Morrison a gay man constantly brought in for snatching purses or brought in for complainant and yes this character is over the top flamboyant.   Mr. Cotterman, owner of the continuously robbed Cotterman’s Liquor Store.  How this made any money at all I have no idea.  Ray Brewer the bum was hilarious at every turn and he drops by for talk and to snag the coffee.  As the series progressed he later joined up with the Salvation Army.  Those poor people cannot even arm their soldiers.   Arnold Ripner is a sleazy ambulance chaser always visiting the holding cells for potential clients and they always have a rap sheet longer than my arm.  This covered almost every walk of life imaginable and frankly I enjoyed looking back.