Pamela Anderson hails Liam Neeson for putting her at ease during The Naked Gun shoot
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Tom's Guide
9 minutes ago
- Tom's Guide
Love 'The Naked Gun'? 5 best spoof movies to stream right now
Hollywood loves making fun of itself, and movie spoofs are a great way for filmmakers to mock the conventions of a particular genre while also paying tribute to classic films in that genre. Although the 1980s are often regarded as the heyday of the spoof movie, there's currently a resurgence, with sequels/reboots on the way for multiple entries on this list. Like a lot of people, I started watching silly spoofs as a kid because they were funny, even though I often had no idea what they were parodying. The best spoof movies stand on their own, but get funnier with the more references that viewers understand. With the Liam Neeson-starring reboot of 'The Naked Gun' now playing in theaters, here are five of the best spoof movies to stream right now. Spoof kingpins David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker turned their short-lived 'Police Squad!' TV cop-show parody into perhaps the most famous spoof movie of all time, starring Leslie Nielsen as the bumbling Lt. Frank Drebin. Drebin foils a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Los Angeles, although he often succeeds in spite of his own ineptitude. There's a reason that 'The Naked Gun' launched two sequels and the current reboot, and it remains one of the most expertly constructed joke-delivery machines around. Nielsen expands on his work in the ZAZ spoof movie 'Airplane!,' bringing deadpan seriousness to his role as Drebin. The ridiculous puns and bits of slapstick work because Nielsen and his co-stars deliver them with straight faces, sometimes leaving the audience to catch up with the densely packed humor that rewards multiple viewings. Watch on Paramount Plus Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Filmmaker Rob Reiner elevated the mockumentary with this parody of self-serious rock documentaries, which has only grown more relevant over time. The current proliferation of artist-endorsed bio-docs is at times indistinguishable from Reiner's spoof, starring Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer as the buffoonish heavy metal band. It helps that the songs (written and performed by the cast members) sound entirely authentic, and some of the humor is so dry that it fooled initial audiences into thinking Spinal Tap was a real band. The hilariously pompous behavior of the musicians and their hangers-on is only a slight variation on the antics of real-life rock stars. It's amazing to think of how many iconic lines ('These go to 11') were improvised by the actors, making 'This Is Spinal Tap' an enduring classic with a highly anticipated sequel 40-plus years later. Rent/buy at Apple or Amazon There's real affection for the grubby sex comedies of the 1980s in this spoof created by members of comedy troupe The State. Filmmakers David Wain and Michael Showalter dig so deeply into the minutiae of the movies that they're parodying that 'Wet Hot American Summer' baffled many early viewers, but it's since become an enduring cult classic, with two spinoff Netflix TV series. Set on the last day of the season at a rural summer camp, the movie perfectly captures the mix of raunchiness and sentimentality that defined vintage summer-camp films, with a cast of comedy ringers (Molly Shannon, Michael Ian Black, Janeane Garofalo) and future superstars (Bradley Cooper, Elizabeth Banks, Amy Poehler). 'Wet Hot American Summer' is deeply weird, with admirable (or foolhardy) commitment to its most bizarre jokes, and that makes it more distinctive and more memorable than most of its inspirations. Rent/buy at Apple or Amazon Mel Brooks is such a master of the spoof that many of his movies could make this list, including classics like 'Blazing Saddles' and 'Young Frankenstein' (which is frustratingly unavailable to stream). This 'Star Wars' parody is probably his most famous, in part because it's mocking what has become the biggest franchise in film history. Brooks' sense of the ridiculousness of 'Star Wars' is spot-on, and his skewering of 'Star Wars' marketing has aged especially well. Bill Pullman and Daphne Zuniga are entertaining as the movie's Han Solo and Princess Leia analogues, but the supporting players steal the show, including Rick Moranis as petulant villain Dark Helmet and John Candy as lovable dog-man Barf. Although it received mixed reviews, 'Spaceballs' now takes its proper place among Brooks' best films, and it's set for a belated sequel next year, with most of the cast returning. Watch on HBO Max It might be too easy to make fun of the low-budget scrappiness of Blaxploitation movies, which were often produced by fledgling filmmakers with limited resources. But the creators of this Blaxploitation parody never seem like they're condescending to their source material, even when they lovingly mock the technical ineptitude of some early Blaxploitation films. There's a level of verisimilitude to 'Black Dynamite' that could only come from true fans of the genre. Michael Jai White plays the title character, a badass hustler/pimp/former CIA agent who's out to avenge the death of his brother and take down The Man in 1970s Los Angeles. White and director Scott Sanders mix clumsy martial arts, convoluted conspiracies and sexual escapades with goofy jokes and perfectly calibrated 'errors' in continuity and blocking. Like Blaxploitation filmmakers themselves, White and Sanders turn their limitations into assets. Watch on Tubi
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Elaine Hendrix remembers Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson's love for one another amid Pamela Anderson rumors
Elaine Hendrix is reflecting on Liam Neeson's loving marriage to the late Natasha Richardson amid rumors he's dating his Naked Gun co-star Pamela Anderson. The 54-year-old actor recalled working with Richardson on their hit 1998 film, The Parent Trap — which starred Lindsay Lohan — during an interview Thursday with the New York Post. According to Hendrix, Richardson's refrigerator in her trailer on set was covered with pictures of Neeson, whom the Maid in Manhattan star married in 1994. Anytime someone mentioned Richardson's family, 'she would swoon with love,' according to Hendrix. 'They were madly in love, and she was crazy about her kids,' the actor added about the former couple. Richardson and Neeson were married for 15 years and welcomed two children: Micheál, 30, and Daniel, 28. In 2009, Richardson died from an epidural hematoma after a skiing accident. Hendrix told the Post that Richardson's devotion to family made her death 'all the more tragic.' She added that Richardson's love for her children made her role in The Parent Trap — where she played twins Hallie and Annie's mother, designer Elizabeth James — more special. 'I'm so glad that her being was captured in this movie,' Hendrix, who played the evil girlfriend of Annie and Hallie's father, Nick Parker (portrayed by Dennis Quaid), explained. 'It's such a fitting memory of her, such a fitting tribute to her.' Hendrix emphasized how 'warm and sweet' Richardson was. 'It's no wonder she was cast as Elizabeth. I mean, really smart move, Nancy [Meyers] and Charles [Shyer],' she said, referring to the writer of the film, Meyers, and the producer, Shyer. Hendrix's comments about Richardson and Neeson come as the Taken star is rumored to be dating Pamela Anderson. A source told People Tuesday that the actors, who are starring in the new filmThe Naked Gun, have 'a budding romance in the early stages.' The source also claimed that 'it's clear they're smitten with each other.' Before the dating speculation started, the pair posed together at the London premiere of The Naked Gun on July 22. While on the red carpet, Anderson sweetly kissed Neeson's cheek as the Schindler's List actor wrapped his arm around her back. Days later, they attended the New York premiere of their film together with Neeson's sons, and Anderson's sons, Brandon, 29, and Dylan, 27, whom she shares with ex-husband Tommy Lee. While neither actor has publicly confirmed the romance, Anderson previously gushed about the friendship she has with Neeson. 'I think I have a friend forever in Liam,' she said during an interview for her Entertainment Weekly cover story, published earlier in July, 'We definitely have a connection that is very sincere, very loving. He's a good guy.' However, months before the red carpet kiss, Neeson declared his love for Anderson. 'With Pamela, first off, I'm madly in love with her,' the Oscar-winning actor told People in October 2024. 'She's just terrific to work with. I can't compliment her enough, I'll be honest with you. She's funny and so easy to work with.' Anderson has been married six times; twice to the same man. She was married to Tommy Lee from 1995 to 1998 and Kid Rock from 2006 to 2007. She was married to Rick Salomon from 2007 to 2008, before remarrying him in 2014. However, they split again the next year. From 2020 to 2022, The Last Showgirl star was married to Dan Hayhurst. Solve the daily Crossword
CNET
39 minutes ago
- CNET
This Bird ID App Has Helped Me Practice Mindfulness More Than Any Meditation App
Mindfulness is grounding ourselves in the present moment, which means paying attention to our inner feelings and thoughts as well as what's going on around us. Easier said than done. Like many, I struggle to keep my mind stationed in the present and often turn to meditation apps for assistance. Yet, what has helped me practice mindfulness the most came in the form of an unexpected app -- not one for breathing exercises or mental health, but one for identifying birds. Merlin Bird ID was created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in 2014 to help people identify the birds they see and hear. Thanks to eBird, the world's largest database of bird sounds and photos based on 800 million global sightings, the app allows you to record a bird, answer a series of questions or upload a photo to name your winged friend. Or, you can simply use the app to explore the different birds in your area, no matter where you are on the planet and even if you're offline. The app's homepage, with three avenues for identification. Anna Gragert/CNET One of my favorite features of Merlin Bird ID is that you can use it to keep track of your bird sightings and, like an IRL Pokemon GO, "collect 'em all." The first time I used the app, I sat out on my balcony, clicked the green "Sound" button and watched as the app identified the birds chirping and singing in all directions. You can see the different sound frequencies as they appear on a real-time spectrogram, a visual representation of the audio world. The next time I checked the clock, I was shocked to see that an hour had passed. Then, I dug out my binoculars and let even more time fly. What a spectrogram on the app looks like. Anna Gragert/CNET As any Merlin Bird IDer knows, there is no thrill quite like pressing the "This is my bird" button for the first time, although it never gets old. From there, you can record your location and the app, in turn, will save your report to improve its performance. Before long, I had different bird sounds memorized. In the morning, I would wake to the sound of a California Towhee's alarm-like and frankly, yes, annoying cheeping from a tree outside my window right as the sun started to rise. On walks around my neighborhood, I'd auditorially part the sound of cars and distant construction to hear the melody of House Finches mixed with staccato chirps of Lesser Goldfinches and the droning coos from a pair of Mourning Doves religiously stationed on electrical wires. It was the song that had been the soundtrack of my world but I hadn't noticed until now. By sight, I'd recognize Red-Whiskered Bulbuls with their black crests and fire engine cheeks, a blush color waiting to be replicated in powder form. Black Phoebes made themselves known with their fluffy soot-black heads, statue stillness and ivory bellies. At the hummingbird feeder on my balcony, there is a never-ending line of customers with iridescent throats in sunset colors: Anna's Hummingbirds (my favorite, as you might guess), Allen's and even the uncommon Rufous, who spend all day fighting over sugar water when not watching the feeder from their magnolia tree perches. A customer at our feeder. I think they're an Allen's Hummingbird. Anna Gragert/CNET What's most thrilling is when the Merlin Bird app hears a bird that you can't see, making it feel as though it's your mission to treasure hunt your way to it. This is often a lesson in patience, as it may take you several tries to find the songbird you seek. Recently, while sitting in a new-to-me park, the app told me a Mountain Chickadee was nearby and I spent the next 45 minutes trying to spot it with my binoculars. It ended up on a branch directly above my head, and when I got up to leave, it flew down right by my face as if in on the joke that it was there the whole time. I've yet to find the Red-Winged Blackbird who always seems to be just out of reach, no matter where I am in my city, but I console myself with the seemingly all-knowing flock of Common Ravens (also unjustly called an "unkindness") evermore on my street and the surprising number of noises they can produce. Birds I've heard, but haven't seen yet. Anna Gragert/CNET I also often listen back to the comforting hoo-hoos of a Great Horned Owl singing a 9:30 p.m. lullaby right before the start of spring. I like time-travelling to these moments, though I have come across some retrospectively hilarious conversations I unintentionally recorded in between birdsong. With that being said, Merlin Bird ID does save your audio recordings but only on your device in the app. To share the recordings with eBird, you have to manually export and upload them. I now seek out unexplored wooded spaces to meet new feathered friends, an excuse for forest bathing, which has led me to see the shade of blue unique to a Ruddy Duck's bill. After a rainstorm, I've come across a group of Acorn Woodpeckers with impressive red mohawks excitedly pecking wet, softened wood while calling to each other. Like a conversation between punk besties over dinner. My area is known for its large flocks of Amazon parrots (and their persistent screeches), whom I've now had the pleasure of seeing up close as they use their light yellow bills to climb trees and collect their berries. And once, just once, I caught the backside of a Yellow Warbler in a nearby watershed park. The Acorn Woodpecker Anna Gragert/CNET Because of this app, I've spent more time listening to the world around me and less time in my own head, bobbing between the past and future. I've found myself surrounded by and in conversation with nature more than ever before. It may be the closest thing we have to magic here on earth. Now, perhaps that is the key to grounding yourself: Getting your butt on the ground and taking the time to listen to those who are singing around you.
