MOCKUMENTARIES
You�ll probably enjoy the latest by director Christopher Guest �A Mighty Wind� (2003), a satirical send-up of the folk music scene. Guest is also the director of the amusing yet poignant �Waiting for Guffman� (1997) and the hilarious canine comedy �Best in Show� (2000), and�of course�a cast member of Rob Reiner�s classic �This is Spinal Tap� (1984). If for some inexplicable reason you�ve missed any of Guest�s other three mockumentaries, they are definitely worth renting.
I�d like to suggest for rental one of my favorites in this burgeoning genre. �Bob Roberts� (1992), which Tim Robbins wrote and starred in, marked Robbins� directorial debut. Ironically, the title character Bob Roberts is a folksinger. However, he�s also a right-wing politician running for senate in Pennsylvania. Twenty years prior to �Bob Roberts,� Robert Redford starred in a film called �The Candidate,� an insightful (and perhaps prophetic) commentary on the campaign machinery that promotes personalities above principles in elections. The mock documentary style of �Bob Roberts� gives a contemporary feel to this political premise.
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POLITICALLY INCORRECT COMEDIES
You probably have a more difficult time turning off your PC filters than I do. This is not to say I haven�t been offended by movies that never met a stereotype they didn�t like. It would be disingenuous of me to tell YOU which politically incorrect movies are okay to find funny and which are not. I can only tell you what I find funny.
�Bringing Down the House� (2003) will probably not be held in the same esteem as a movie about the misadventures of mistaken identities as the classic �Some Like It Hot� (1959); however, if you can turn your PC filters down to -1, you might find this film entertaining. Queen Latifah, who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar in �Chicago� (2002), showed her comedic side while holding her own with Steve Martin and Eugene Levy (also in �A Mighty Wind�). Although I laughed a lot during this movie, I can see how the black-and-white nature of the comedy and its simplistic plot turns off many moviegoers.
�Undercover Brother� (2002) is another movie that I enjoyed but should probably be avoided by those who didn�t like �Bringing Down the House.� If you thought Queen Latifah played the hyperbole of an African-American character, you�ll probably object to Eddie Griffin�s portrayal of Undercover Brother in this film based on Urban Media�s popular website series. And if you were offended by the whitey-white lawyers played by Steve Martin and Eugene Levy, I�d love to see your reaction to Chris Kattan as Mr. Feather. Personally, I�d like to see Missi Pyle�s bitter ex-sister-in-law character Ashley from �Bringing Down the House� and Denise Richards� secret weapon of The Man character Penelope Snow (a.k.a. White She Devil) from �Undercover Brother� in a cage match.
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Landmark Theatres nationwide show independent and foreign films. The San Francisco edition of the weekly e-mail newsletter provides information on current and upcoming films showing in local Landmark Theatres and a weekly contest. At times, the contest asks for a response to an interesting thematic question.
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