Comedies Archives - Silver Screen Riot

“Anchorman 2”
Directed by Adam McKay
Starring Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carrell, Christina Applegate, Kristen Wiig, James Marsden, David Koechner, Greg Kinnear
Comedy
119 Mins
PG-13

Following up a comedy classic like Anchorman is no easy task. In order to achieve a modicum of success, this sequel was already tasked with paying tribute to its predecessor while also setting itself far enough away so that it doesn’t seem like a play-by-play rehashing of the original. In this pursuit, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is a success. But while the first film had me in a constant state of stitches and continues to be a go-to favorite in the comedy stable, Anchorman 2 is far more spotted. Attempts to capture the comic vibrancy of men let off the leash fizzles with some performers more than others, revealing gags sautéed in randomness that come across as definitively hit-or-miss. And while more jokes land with a thud than you’d hope for, when it shines, it shines like the sweet diamond-crusted grills of Flava Flav. Read More

Coming from someone who has never seen 21 Jump Street, the new red band trailer for its sequel 22 Jump Street kind of makes me want to watch it. Starting off with a very self-aware speech by their captain, played by Nick Offerman, which winks at the audience, as if to say, “We know comedy sequels are a little ridiculous,” the trailer explains the arbitrary reason for the new title. This time they have to infiltrate a college, instead of a high school, but the premise is more-or-less the same as the first.

Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are set to return, accompanied by Ice Cube, to relive their glory days and search out a drug dealer of sorts. The intriguing thing about the perspective these films take is looking at the college or high school film genre, through the eye of someone older. It serves as a deconstruction that we take part in, as people who have been through those institutions and know that their Hollywood representations are mostly bullshit. A fish out of water story, mixed with action, mixed with a meta-genre commentary, will hopefully make this an enjoyable sequel, as long as they don’t fall into the Hangover trap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06rvPK8ydZo

22 Jump Street is directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller and stars Channing Tatum, Nick Offerman, Jonah Hill, and Ice Cube. It hits theaters on June 13, 2014

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