Review: Liam Neeson's ‘The Naked Gun' is the funniest film of the year
Co-writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, the team behind 2022's magnificently meta Chip N' Dale: Rescue Rangers, serve up a laugh-a-minute script, bursting with the sort of sight gags, non sequiturs and wordplay that made the cop parody such a defining addition to the comedy genre. Yet there's a more hard-boiled tone, with Neeson's Drebin introduced early as a gruff detective who violently dispatches a group of bank robbers – stealing a literal 'plot device' – while dressed in a schoolgirl uniform that could give Britney Spears a run for her money.
His brutal methods put him and the Police Squad in jeopardy, and as he investigates the murder of the brother of Pamela Anderson's blonde bombshell Beth Davenport, he discovers a bigger conspiracy involving Danny Huston's corrupt CEO. The plot isn't that compelling, but that's no bad thing when it's in service to this many gags – all delivered with the utmost sincerity by the excellent cast.
Neeson's casting was an inspired choice by executive producer Seth MacFarlane, whose Family Guy humour is keenly felt throughout the film, especially in a cutaway love sequence between Drebin and Beth that escalates hilariously when an enchanted snowman comes to life.
You'd be hard-pushed to find a funnier film this year
Anderson's casting proves just as rousing. Alongside Neeson, her commitment to every bit shows just how suited they are to comedy, from Drebin referencing Sex and the City in a Miranda rights gag and the actor throwing himself into a whole bodycam diarrhoea scene, to Beth's scat singing and taking Drebin's offer of 'take a seat' literally.
Paul Walter Hauser, playing the son of George Kennedy's gormless Captain Ed Hocken, and CCH Pounder, bringing her Claudette-Wyms-in- The-Shield energy to her police chief, add even more witty conviction in their supporting roles. Director Akiva Schaffer's gusto for the ridiculous has a great track record, from Brooklyn Nine-Nine to Hot Rod, and here his deadpan direction makes the comedy sing.
In the thick of reboot culture, The Naked Gun is a prime example of filmmakers taking a nostalgic piece of cinema and making good on its legacy. It honours the humour above all, and you'd be hard-pushed to find a funnier film this year.
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The Herald Scotland
6 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Film-maker who played pivotal role in the Scottish industry dies
Died: February 12, 2025 Laurence Henson was one of the key figures in Scottish documentary film-making and its transition to fiction films. Born in Mosspark in Glasgow, he attended St Gerard's Secondary School, where one of his classmates was Eddie McConnell (1936–2018) with whom he would go on to form a very successful partnership in movie-making. Following his national service, including a spell with the RAF in Borneo, Henson reunited with McConnell, who in the meantime had graduated from Glasgow School of Art, and as amateurs, they made Broken Images (1957), in which a drunk man wakes up in Glasgow's George Square to be confronted by the noble statuary of famous people. The film won one of the ten best amateur films of the year and thus came to the attention of the great John Grierson. The result was not only encouragement for the pair to turn professional, but to establish an important and lasting relationship with Grierson, 'the Father of the Documentary'. A job as a film editor at STV, including cutting the first football programmes, led to Henson becoming Grierson's assistant on This Wonderful World, the documentary film series, which became required viewing for anyone interested in movies. When the programme relocated from Glasgow to Cardiff, Henson moved with it, as did Grierson's PA, Rachel Collins. She and Henson married in Glasgow in 1961 and had two sons, Stephen and Peter. Sadly, the marriage did not last. In the early sixties, Henson accompanied Grierson to the Cork Film Festival, where he discovered an affection for Ireland. He also forged a life-long friendship with the late Irish broadcaster, Kevin O'Kelly. Reunited in film again with McConnell, the pair worked for Robert Riddell Black's Templar Films in Lynedoch Street, Glasgow. The company had just achieved the astonishing feat of winning a Hollywood Oscar for Seawards the Great Ships (1962), the stylish documentary on Clydeside shipbuilding directed by the American, Hilary Harris. Seawards was one of 16 films made by Templar for Films of Scotland, run by Forsyth Hardy whose mission was to gain commercial cinema releases at a time when it was conventional for there to be a short documentary (and often a newsreel) to precede the screening of the main feature. For example, Henson's Why Scotland, Why East Kilbride was screened with The Sting. A promotional New Town film, it was Henson's least favourite work while, as he pointed out, it was viewed by many more people than any of his other films. Directed by Henson, with McConnell as cinematographer, The Big Mill (1963) celebrated the steel works at Ravenscraig and Gartcosh. It was a classic high-value Griersonian documentary, and it too won international awards. Henson would say that it was the favourite of his works. Two years previously, he had made his directorial debut with The Heart of Scotland (1961). Again, Grierson was his mentor – he provided the outline treatment – and there was yet more support from the great man when Henson and McConnell were setting up their own independent film company. Grierson's Canadian company was International Film Associates; he permitted the new outfit to be called International Film Associates (Scotland). It was under the banner of IFA that Henson was to make the next major move: to add features to his documentary output. Forsyth Hardy had always wanted Films of Scotland to migrate from documentary to fiction. Perhaps he knew that the life of cinema documentary was nearing its end and that the rising Scottish talent, led by such as Henson, needed a new challenge; so Flash the Sheepdog (1967), from the story by Kathleen Fiddler, was directed by Laurence Henson, who also wrote the screenplay. Read more Tributes to Dundonian who became eminent director of the stars | The Herald 'First-class' producer at BBC Scotland and promoter of Gaelic dies | The Herald 'He never gave up': tributes to patriarch of Scottish undertakers | The Herald It concerned a London boy who comes to the Scottish Borders and learns the local ways. Made for the Children's Film Foundation, which catered for Saturday Morning matinees, it was an excellent way to learn the trade and led to further commissions for IFA – The Big Catch (1968) and Mauro the Gypsy (1973). The Duna Bull (1972), however, was Henson's pitch to an adult audience, with the whimsical story (based on a real event) of an island community which needed an appropriate beast to sustain their way of life. Henson's trajectory from amateur via television and documentary to features, was remarkable. He had been fortunate in his association with Grierson and Hardy, and in his partnership with McConnell. But it required character and determination to capitalise on the opportunities that had been presented to him, and the sense that he had benefited from the encouragement of others translated into his own desire to help the next generation of aspiring film-makers. However, in the late 1980s, Henson's life changed direction in a remarkable way. He had met Ruth Jacob who was visiting Scotland from Dublin, and the upshot was they became partners and moved to Ireland, first to Bray in County Wicklow, and then to Strokestown in County Roscommon, where they became very much part of the community, thus reaffirming his connection with Ireland. Another change for Henson was that now he was able to pursue his love of language by becoming a poet and being involved with local poetry groups and publications, even though he never lost his desire to make movies, which remained his motivational passion. His profound sense of place, and how the land shapes the people, always shows through in his films. Though a project on the Highland Clearances was an ambition that attracted well-known actors but not the requisite finance, a decades-long scheme did come to fruition in 2014 with Documenting Grierson, thereby completing the circle of his work. In that context, too, Henson ran occasional seminars in Dublin on screenwriting, under the title Writing Movies. Henson's poetry reveals a man of wit and warmth and of considerable ability with words, but his role in the development of the Scottish film industry was pivotal. He was ahead of most of his contemporaries in the progress to feature films and in the nurturing of talents such as Charlie Gormley and Bill Forsyth, who would go on to make it perfectly natural for Scots to create movies that reflected our culture. For paving that way, and for making excellent films in both documentary and feature, Laurence Henson deserves our overdue recognition and gratitude. DAVID BRUCE AND STEPHEN HENSON At The Herald, we carry obituaries of notable people from the worlds of business, politics, arts and sport but sometimes we miss people who have led extraordinary lives. That's where you come in. If you know someone who deserves an obituary, please consider telling us about their lives. Contact
Scottish Sun
15 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Katie Taylor's dad CONFIRMS legendary daughter's relationship status after pics emerge of her wearing ‘wedding ring'
Pete opened up on their reunion in an exclusive interview with The Irish Sun Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) KATIE TAYLOR'S dad Pete has confirmed that the Irish boxing legend is married. In pics ahead of her trilogy bout against Amanda Serrano, the Wicklow fighter appeared to be wearing a ring on her left hand. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Katie Taylor wore a ring on her left hand in the week before her win over Amanda Serrano Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile 2 Pete Taylor confirmed his daughter was married Credit: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile And during an appearance on the Anything Goes podcast with James English, her dad Pete confirmed that she had indeed tied the knot. He said: "Ever since the fight there with Katie, people are seeing the two of us back together, even some of the s*** you hear about that. "I was reading somewhere that Katie Taylor never got married because of her father, he wouldn't let her. "Katie's married, you know, and I'm thinking, 'where are you getting this s*** from?'" Dad and daughter reunited to work together in the lead-up to the 39-year-old's sensational trilogy win over Amanda Serrano on July 11. Pete had coached her during her amateur career, peaking with her winning an Olympic gold medal in London in 2012. However, they parted ways after Pete split from Katie's mum Bridget. Taylor controversially lost her title at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and turned pro later that year, and has been trained by Ross Enamait ever since. In an exclusive interview with the Irish Sun a week on from her victory over the Puerto Rican, Pete sought to dispel preconceptions concerning their relationship. He said: "We posted online that we were training together, but we were still very close. I was still over visiting her. Pete Taylor opens up on training with Katie Taylor "This is a media thing that me and Katie got back together for the fight. It's not true. "We've always been close, and we've been talking for the last five or six years. It was just that I didn't get involved in the training. "We were always talking boxing. That's just natural. When I call over to her, we go to the gym together. "She just asked me to help out in this camp, and that was it - but it wasn't that we rekindled this relationship. "We were close all the time. "People love these stories. I think they must have boring lives or something, because they're so interested in other people's lives. "I don't post anything about my own personal life on Instagram. Katie's the same, and then, when we put it up, you could say it went viral. "We've always been close. I was actually shocked that it went so viral, to tell you the truth."
Daily Mirror
16 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Mrs Brown's Boys viewers left in utter disbelief as controversial show returns to BBC
Fans have reacted sharply to the return of Mrs Brown's Boys, with many on social media branding it unfunny and questioning why it was ever commissioned BBC sitcom Mrs Brown's Boys returned to screens tonight for the start of its fifth full-length series, despite enduring a turbulent few years marked by falling ratings and a high-profile racism controversy involving its creator and star, Brendan O'Carroll. First aired in 2011, the comedy became a holiday fixture and enjoyed huge popularity in its early years. Its 2013 Christmas Day special drew 11.52 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched festive programmes of the decade. However, viewership has steadily declined. The show last appeared in the top ten on Christmas Day in 2020, attracting 3.8 million viewers. It comes after Brendan, 69, finally announced the future of Mrs Brown to fans. The series has long divided audiences and critics, and was recently labelled the 'worst ever BBC show' by some viewers on social media. Comments on X during tonight's broadcast included: 'Worst programme in human history should've never been commissioned' and 'Just speechless… I honestly don't know one person who thinks this show is remotely funny.' Another insisted: "This show needs to be axed asap. It's not one bit funny." Someone else fumed: "I actually hate this show with a passion and I'm Irish and from Dublin and I GET that kind of sense of humour." In 2023, Mrs Brown's Boys faced further scrutiny after O'Carroll made a racial slur during rehearsals for the Christmas special. Crew members were reportedly 'shocked' by the remark and lodged complaints with BBC bosses. The broadcaster suspended production and launched an investigation. O'Carroll later apologised, expressing 'deep regret' over what he called a 'clumsy attempt at a joke.' Speaking publicly about the incident for the first time on Irish YouTube programme Conversations With Gerry Kelly, O'Carroll claimed his words had been 'completely taken out of context.' He also argued that the episode ultimately had a positive impact. 'The one thing that that incident did is give great awareness about racism, and great awareness about the BBC, they don't take any messing… However, I think in the long run it was a good thing, because it got people talking about it.' O'Carroll, who has won the National Television Award for Best Comedy six times for Mrs Brown's Boys, has made it clear he is unfazed by negative feedback. 'The ones that love me, I love them, and the ones that don't, f*** them,' he told Kelly, adding that those who dislike the show should simply 'pick up the remote and change the station.' Despite its dwindling audience, the series maintains a loyal fan base and continues to be a fixture in the BBC's comedy line-up. The new series, which began tonight, marks a fresh chapter for the show as it seeks to recapture some of its former success in the face of ongoing criticism.
