Piers Morgan on Biden decline: 'Not about age, it's about competency'
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Digital Trends
20 minutes ago
- Digital Trends
I liked the Naked Gun reboot, but the original movie is still better
Having premiered in theaters to near universal praise, Liam Neeson's The Naked Gun has met many people's expectations as a reboot of Leslie Nielsen's iconic comedy film franchise of the same name. In true Naked Gun fashion, the new movie sees Neeson playing the buffoonish Frank Drebin This legacy sequel effectively replicates many of the elements that made the first Naked Gun movie so funny and beloved. Nevertheless, the film that started the entire franchise still retains some key qualities lacking in the reboot, still making it the best Naked Gun movie ever made. The level of comedy in the reboot still falls behind the original 2025's The Naked Gun thrives thanks to the leadership of two of modern comedy's brightest minds, director Akiva Schaffer (Saturday Night Live) and producer Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy). Thanks to them, the new Naked Gun provides viewers with a large, steady supply of clever comedy. The movie even revitalizes many of the original's best running gags (i.e., Frank's comedic voice-overs, his bad driving, and the characters misunderstanding each other's dialogue). Recommended Videos However, the original Naked Gun film is packed with even more hilarious surprises and jokes. There were some bits of comedy in the reboot that seemed a little too drawn out. There were also times where another joke could've been squeezed in. The classic opening credits sequence is (mostly) missing In its first few minutes, the new Naked Gun film broke a beloved tradition of the franchise by not featuring a new version of its classic opening credits sequence. The first three Naked Gun movies would open with a police car driving through the city and all sorts of bizarre settings, including a roller coaster, a water slide, a women's locker room, and even a T-Rex pen at Jurassic Park. This gag has become one of the most popular trademarks of the franchise, so it seemed like the reboot would've kept it going. Though the reboot does reuse the first film's opening credits sequence at the end, it doesn't add anything new to this running gag. It seems to appear there only to invoke the audience's nostalgia. Overall, it seems like the reboot missed the opportunity to create some incredible new laughs by bringing back this iconic gag. At least we still have Stewie's homage to this sequence in Family Guy. The first Naked Gun film has no age The Naked Gun reboot sets itself apart from previous films by having its story take place in 2020s America. It's tailored for a specific era, given the inclusion of the Internet and electric cars in the narrative. While the original Naked Gun is set in the 1980s, there is a timeless aura to its story and humor that still appeals to modern audiences. The story hardly feels old-fashioned, and the jokes haven't aged a day. Though the world's opinion of star O.J. Simpson has changed a lot, it's even more hilarious and enjoyable to see him getting hurt left and right as Officer Nordberg. The reboot is missing the iconic original score Nothing beats composer Ira Newborn's musical score for the 1988 film. Whenever one hears the trumpets and saxophone play in the film's music, they would immediately know they were listening to the sounds of the original Naked Gun. Meanwhile, the reboot doesn't draw from the franchise's iconic score until the end credits start to roll. Though this also helps the new film distinguish itself from its predecessor, the score ends up being far less memorable. On the plus side, Neeson does record a hilarious, rambling love song to Pamela Anderson's character, which audiences can hear during the credits. Nielsen still surpasses Neeson as Frank Drebin Liam Neeson did a fantastic job playing the role of Frank Drebin's son in the Naked Gun reboot. The actor gives a hysterical performance thanks to his deadpan delivery and his character's dimwitted antics, which successfully invoke Nielsen's own character from the original Naked Gun movies. However, Nielsen still carries an 'everyman' aura that makes his character even more hilarious and compelling. Neeson is well known for portraying vengeful, ultraviolent action heroes in movies like Taken, and that persona shines through in his performance as Frank Drebin Jr. In the end, Schaffer and MacFarlane's The Naked Gun did a fine job forging its own identity as a comedy film while living up to its predecessors. The reboot features an excellent brand of comedy and quick wit that should appeal to veteran Naked Gun fans, as well as newcomers to the franchise. The movie doesn't reach the high caliber of the first Naked Gun, but it still sets a very good example for the franchise going forward.
Forbes
21 minutes ago
- Forbes
ABT's Giselle At The Segerstrom: Love, Death And Dancing
Chloe Misseldine as Giselle in Giselle. Photo by Laura Sukowatey, Courtesy ABT 'Youth is wasted on the young,' the old saying goes. But it is not wasted on Chloe Misseldine, 22, who danced the lead role of Giselle at last Saturday's matinee American Ballet Theatre (ABT) performance at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Orange County. Misseldine brought to Giselle a rarely seen youth, freshness, and innocence. She combined the charm and naivete of a Disney princess with the precision and technique of a star ballerina, which she is quickly becoming. Giselle, one of the oldest story ballets, has two parts: In the First Act, Giselle, a young peasant girl is seduced by Albrecht, a nobleman in disguise. When Albrecht's true identity is revealed by Hilarion, the peasant boy who loves her, and that Albrecht is already engaged to a countess, Giselle dies of heartbreak. The Second Act takes place at night at Giselle's grave where spirits called Willis dance, led by their Queen. Hilarion appears and the Willis entice him into the underworld. Albrecht also visits Giselle's grave and the same threatens to happen to him. However, Giselle appears in spirit form and dances with him until daybreak, saving his life. Chloe Misseldine as Giselle in Giselle. Photo by Laura Sukowatey, Courtesy of ABT Giselle has been performed as a woman enraptured, swept up in a passion, blinded by it and betrayed. Over the years, ballerinas, most often older than Misseldine, have rendered Giselle as intense, passionate, erotic, even psycho. However, the story itself is about a young innocent, and that is how Misseldine animates her. Giselle is unique in that its two acts are so different. The first act is as much theatrical performance as ballet with the dancers in their costumes signaling their social status as peasant or part of the noble retinue – there are even two beautiful Borzoi dogs that take the stage (and behaved perfectly). The first act requires a good amount of acting, pantomime really, and Misseldine was delicate in her gestures but broadcast them convincingly to the audience. There are a few set pieces in the first act that give the dancers their moments to shine. Yoon Jung Seo and Paulina Waski were stand outs in their pas de deux. Aran Bell as Count Albrecht was convincingly noble, romantic, and paired well with Misseldine. However, the second act, which is total fantasy, was where the great strength of this ABT cast was on full display. First of all, when you are watching ABT you are seeing a corps de ballet with such a deep bench of talent. Their talen brings the production to a higher level of excellence. Also, Ingrid Thoms playing the Queen of the Willis had a commanding presence and was excellent. Patrick Frenette as Hilarion demonstrated great passion and powerful technique as he came under the Willis' power. And in the second act, Misseldine and Bell were so well matched and really let fly, bringing a poignancy to love, death, and dancing. Giselle has been continuously performed since its debut in Paris in 1841. Successive generations have adapted or restaged it, but its appeal to dancers and audiences remains, and will continue to be performed because, as Misseldine told me in a recent interview, Giselle is 'about forgiveness, about resilience, and about love.' That never goes out of style.
Washington Post
21 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Smithsonian to restore Trump to impeachment exhibit ‘in the coming weeks'
The Smithsonian said on Saturday that it would restore information about President Donald Trump's two impeachments to an exhibit in the National Museum of American History 'in the coming weeks.' The Washington Post reported on Thursday that in July, the museum removed a placard describing Trump's impeachments and reverted the exhibit to how it looked in 2008. That display says that 'only three presidents have seriously faced removal' — Andrew Johnson, Richard M. Nixon and Bill Clinton.
