Revisiting Hours: MacGruber, The Greatest American Zero

Every Friday, were recommending an older movie thats available to stream or download and worth seeing again through the lens of our current moment. Were calling the series Revisiting Hours consider this Rolling Stones unofficial film club. This week: Amy Nicholson on Will Fortes 2010 SNL-sketch-turned-cult-classic MacGruber.

Will Forte dreaded playing George W. Bush on Saturday Night Live. The Commander-in-Chief had been Will Ferrells job until hed left the show to make movies, and Forte, the wiry weirdo whod interrupt his castmates at the urinal by putting his hand in front of their stream, never liked obeying a template. His Dubya was a sad child who just wished he could go out to play, something to keep Forte visible while his bizarro original sketches got buried in the back end of the show.

But even though the comedian lost that skirmish to capture the aura of the Bush presidency, MacGruber, his mulleted secret agent who got promoted from SNL bumper sketch to possible next-Waynes-World movie franchise, won the war. When the film came out in 2010, this feature-length goof on TVs MacGyver just looked like a spoof of retro action flicks where good guys kicked ass. Eight years later, MacGruber now looks like a lampoon of Americas own certainty that we were the good guys. Its still hilarious even its now clear the joke is on us.

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On SNL, a typical MacGruber skit ran between 30 seconds and a minute and a half just long enough for him to do something dumb and explode. The set designers never even changed the same gray bricks. Youd need to stack at least a hundred sketches together to make a movie, so Forte and co-writers John Solomon and Jorma Taccone (who also directs) let the character stretch, which was easy since he had zero backstory. Instead of a riff on Richard Dean Andersons highly inventive secret agent, movie MacGruber is more like the macho men of the 1980s, who pumped up America to get over the pain of the Vietnam War and convinced us we were winners.

Between the first Rambo film and the sequel, Sylvester Stallone mutated from a traumatized Vietnam vet to an unkillable super-brute; every other swole jock in Hollywood was suddenly inspired to form a whole football team of roided out action stars who mumbled catchphrases about freedom and liberty ass-kicking while mowing down hundreds of faceless foreigners. (A newspaper clip in MacGrubers opening credits hails him for killing 200 people in Israel.) Even our presidents believed the hype. When Ronald Reagan invaded Cambodia in 1985, he referenced Rambo: First Blood Part II: In the spirit of Rambo, let me tell you were going to win this time.

Yup, U.S.A. won that time, and it kept winning until 2001. Luckily for Fortes hero, he got to ignore that loss and the thousands of American lives lost since. The movie reveals he faked his own death on July 4th, 1999, and spent the next decade hiding in Ecuador. Powers Boothes Colonel Faith drags him out of retirement to avert a plan by the evil Dieter Von Cunth (a ponytailed Val Kilmer) to aim an atomic bomb at the State of the Union. MacGruber emerges from the jungle like a time capsule of American confidence. If Forte played Bush like a man who lost by winning, this guy is a fool who wont admit hes losing until he miraculously wins.

Look, Im not good with plans and Im not good with clues, he boasts to his straight man sidekick Piper (Ryan Phillipe). What I am good with is kicking ass and ripping throats. Ripping throats, yes. Otherwise, for the rest of movie, MacGruber mostly strips off his pants, kills his friends, tries to kill his other friends, desecrates corpses, under-tips baristas, blows up innocent peoples cars, ruins every mission, takes credit for other peoples kills and finally, almost off-handedly defuses the missile. Oh, and has grunting, repulsive sex with a ghost. En route to victory (if victory is what you call peeing on his enemys dead body after hes already been shot, pushed off a cliff and set on fire), MacGruber blows up Americas self-image of the cant-lose hero, the safety net that encouraged Bush to invade Iran and Afghanistan, comforted people that the War on Terror would end and allowed voters to imagine a Trump presidency would just be a harmless gag reel.

When MacGruber hit theaters in 2010, it was a bomb itself the lowest grossing SNL wide release ever. It was pulled from theaters in just three weeks; Parade magazine deemed it the second biggest flop of the year. With its ejectable CD players and yacht-rock soundtrack, it bore an unfortunate resemblance to the other lazy retro 80s reboot that summer, The A-Team. Critics checked out. (Per the New York Times: The law of diminishing returns is enforced so stringently that the movie succeeds not only in negating its own comedy, but its very being.) Audiences never even checked in.

But after the smoke cleared, the film was declared a cult hit. Comedys funny like that. The genre works on surprise did he really say, Pound some Cunth?! but, ironically, audiences have a paranoid need to know what the joke is first, as though everyones afraid theyll laugh in the wrong place. And in MacGruber, every joke is wrong. The whole movie is booby-trapped. Taccone refuses to cue the audience when its safe to smile: Are we really allowed to laugh when MacGrubers homemade C4 explosives kill a van full of his friends, each just lovingly introduced in montage? Or when he uses Piper as a human shield? Or when a distraught MacGruber offers to suck the Colonels dick to stay on the Cunth case?

Am I Leslie Nielsen? asked Powers Boothe before they shot that last scene, wondering if he should bug out his eyes or do an over-the-top double take. Oh no, Taccone replied, When hes offering to fellate you, its heartbreaking for you. Its the worst thing imaginable. And Forte matches his costars agony. Hes terrifyingly committed. No wonder Alexander Payne scooped the actor up for a dramatic leading role in his Best Picture nominee Nebraska and no wonder Forte then gravitated toward fully exploring a complicated character for three seasons of The Last Man on Earth.

Action movies are easier to anticipate than comedies. You can make a checklist: dramatic score, dramatic glares, sepia lighting and some text at the bottom telling the audience if theyre in D.C. or the Dzhugdzar Mountains. MacGruber proved Taccone could direct a blockbuster, if he bothered. But hes devoted himself to comedy with more sincerity than the exiled MacGruber devoted himself to non-violence, even though the Lonely Islanders later films like Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping basically got the same reception a critical shrug, abysmal box office sales and instant ascension into the cult of under-appreciated gems. Classic MacGruber.

Maybe the movie would fare better today, now that were farther away from the Judd Apatow dominance of comedy, where audiences were trained to want two dick jokes and a hug. (And an all-white cast and one gay panic joke, which MacGruber at least attempts to balance out in the closing credits.) Unlike Apatows toxic bros, Fortes bumbling James Bond-wannabe admits hes a bad boyfriend, cutting from the gauzy, candle-strewn cinema fantasy of the Grubes taking his teammate Vicky St. Elmos virginity. The camera lingers on Fortes bellybutton and chest hair as if to reassure us it would never ask Kristen Wiig show her boobs, with the sweaty, spasming reality of MacGruber selfishly pumping her like shes a blow-up doll.

Wiig shot that scene on her birthday. She was one year away from Bridesmaids proving she was a full-on movie star. Audiences should have known here. Wiig trills half of Vickys lines in bird song and rocks a pair of high-waisted trousers with such conviction, they came back in style. And shes at the center of the best scene in the movie when MacGruber sends her to rendezvous with Cunths goons at a coffee shop dressed up as him while he cowers in the van. The actress has to play the scene as though shes got a split personality, dropping change in the baristas tip jar and then apologetically scooping out the coins when MacGruber yells through an earpiece that hed never do that. Among all his sins, hes cheap. (In real life, Forte donated his entire per-diem to the films crew. Oh, while were separating man from legend, Fortes high school voted him Best Personality.)

Everybodys pretty flawed, said Forte when the film came out. Thats America. MacGruber is you, and MacGruber is me. Thats an empathetic reading, if you take the stance that he really was our nations greatest hero up until the minute he man-slaughtered his friends. After that, he drops the ego shtick and blubbers, Im so fucking stupid! I dont know what Im doing and everybody hates me! Maybe he really was brave once upon a time, and its the trauma of his own near-death that makes him cower in the van. Or, leaping back further still, perhaps hes been broken since Cunth murdered his wife Casey (Maya Rudolph). MacGruber bleats out his need for vengeance like a get-out-of-jail free card and it usually works. Like America after 9/11, hes acting like the attack was an out-of-nowhere first strike, instead of linking it to decades of less-than-heroic behavior. Like, for example, the fact that Casey used to be engaged to Cunth until MacGruber lured her to cheat on her fianc and abort his baby.

And right now, it feels like every Republican in Congress still believes in the exact same heroism that MacGruber mocks, that all their sins will be forgiven if they brandish a toothpick with the American flag. The anonymous senior administration official scribbling secret notes to the New York Times is fighting the machine gunning of the Constitution with a clothes pin. Like Vicky and Piper, the whole world is stuck on the sidelines seeing how close the nuclear countdown clock can get to zero before the GOP powers finally pull the celery out of their ass and do something. Even Paul Ryans beefcake workout portraits look like hes auditioning to play sidekick No. 4. But only MacGruber can explode and live. America might not.

Previously: Burn After Reading

Celebrity Apprentice Recap: Its All Just Window Dressing

Weve said it before. Well say it again. Reality TV is a dish best served dramatic. And after the women unleashed a fangs-out melee in last weeks boardroom brouhaha ultimately, mob daughter Victoria Gotti got shelved we can now rest assured that Celebrity Apprentice has reclaimed its patented Ill-stab-you-in-the-back-to-get-ahead mojo.

Having suffered two straight losses to start the season, the womens team is in dire need of a victory entering the third week of competition. It was not fun, says Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza, having just escaped Trumps wrath in the boardroom. Comedian Lisa Lampanelli, after going all psycho-chick on Gotti, spells out the womens teams objective going forward: Weve gotta kick those mens asses.

Magician Penn Jillette, the mens project manager on their last task, delivers a $20K check to his charity, Opportunity Village, a non-profit serving those with intellectual disabilities, after which the two teams convene and are given their next task. Trump explains: The men and women are going to be designing and staging a live window display, a.k.a. window dressing. The displays, which will be located in the Fifth Avenue windows of department store Lord & Taylor, are to showcase Trumps daughter Ivankas clothing and accessory line. Window dressing seems like a foreign concept to comedian Adam Carolla, who has now returned from his mysterious absence last week. I thought it was somewhere between ranch and Thousand Island, he says. Ivanka and Lord & Taylors Scott Devine will be judging the task on creativity, brand messaging and overall presentation. And who will be project managers this week?

Meet the 2012 Celebrity Apprentice Contestants

On the womens side, Mendoza steps up and accepts the challenge. Jerseys finest lady, Teresa Giudice, having hoped to lead the team, is hardly pleased. The girl from Jersey cant get a chance, she says. The men decide to go with absurdly slow-spoken Star Trek alum George Takei. Why? Because, well, as Carolla says, hes gay. We will boldly go where we havent gone before, Takei says in a Trek-ian intonation.

The teams break off to plot out their displays. Despite Mendoza being project manager, its once again reality TV star Aubrey ODay who takes a vocal role. ODay suggests a timeless theme, whereby the womens displays will follow a day in the life of a woman in power, like Ivanka Trump. Not all the women are pleased with ODays assertive nature. It was the Aubrey show, says Eighties pop princess Debbie Gibson.

The men arent all that cohesive, either, and it seems to be stemming from Takeis unassertive demeanor. George is a little bit slower to process information, says American Idols Clay Aiken. The men ultimately decide to go with a Day and Night idea, which will include Jillettes genius idea: Twins. Ive seen smoke, Ive seen wind, Ive seen robot movement, Jillette says, flexing his window-display knowledge guns. But I havent seen twins. The men aim to show Ivankas clothing line as adaptable to both a business and nightlife setting. Naturally, identical twins partaking in both activities makes sense, right?

The women, meanwhile, decide that Mendoza and ODay will serve as models in their window displays. Gibson wants to get in on the action, but Mendoza politely tells her she doesnt fit the brands 25-35 demographic. (Translation: shes too old). At this point the women must split up. Half go to Brooklyn to help construct the physical sets, while the other half pick out the clothing and help style the models theyve hired. Once in Brooklyn, Lampanelli points out that the sets are much smaller than the women had initially thought. The womens grand ambitions must be scaled down. Donald Trump Jr. visits the womens squad to check in, but hes a bit puzzled by what he sees. The ladies think they have a theme, but I have no idea what it is, he says.

The mens team is also split into two halves. Carolla, who apparently is a former carpenter, is in Brooklyn cranking out the set building while Arsenio Hall, along others such as Aiken and Takei, has been tasked with styling the models. Rocker Dee Snider is not in either place. Hes at the hospital getting his finger assessed; it was damaged during last weeks Medieval Times challenge. As it turns out, he needs immediate surgery. This is your fault, Trump, he says before being put under. He does return later, in a full sling. Hall wonders how Snider will be able to do the show with one hand.

We now interrupt this recap for a MAJOR announcement: Amanda, Trumps gloriously underrated secretary, makes an appearance. Yes, contain yourself. Its true. Trumps assistant Amanda, who apparently lurks in the shadows and doubles as Ivankas clothing line employee, helps the men with their styling. Dont worry, however. She barely even gets a word in; her mystique remains intact. The men, however, are having some trouble not even an Amanda sighting can cure. Takei is all over the place, lacking any ability to delegate. As Hall says of Takei and Aikens lack of fashion sense, our gay teammates arent that genre of gay.

The next morning both teams put the final touches on their displays. American Choppers Paul Teutul Sr., who was tasked the day before with making Ivanka Trump signs, apparently messed up in his technical execution. Yet when the displays are finally put into action, they look quite sharp.

The women are also scrambling. Theyd planned to display sketches of Ivankas clothing in one window and pictures of models in the other. However, the model pictures were never printed. ODay responds by reacting on the fly, coming up with a concept where shell act as a designer, blowing kisses to the street audience. Hey, it was last minute. Cut the girl some slack.

As the displays rise hydraulically from the bowels of Manhattan to street level and the curtains are pulled down, both squads hard work is finally on public display. Ivanka, along with Lord & Taylors Devine, assesses both teams work. Takei fumbles through his explanation of the mens windows. The women are far more polished in their presentation. What do the finished displays look like? The mens two windows see Aiken and three models in an office setting in one window and Hall and three models on a red carpet in the other. The womens, comparatively, have Mendoza looking model-y in one and ODay blowing the aforementioned kisses in the other. Ivanka vaguely indicates she doesnt love the mens clothing choices, but that the womens displays look a bit amateurish.

And were now in the boardroom. The women, typically quick to bite each others heads off, are surprisingly civil. Neither Mendoza nor O Day hell, none of them, for that matter will speak badly about their teammates. And the men are equally kind to one another, though there does appear to be some consensus that Takei may have been a bit too hands-off in his leadership approach. After Trumps two sons explain Ivankas assessment of both displays she liked the womans attention to detail but didnt like some of their displays aesthetics, while she felt the men had solid brand messaging but didnt pick out stylish clothing Trump reveals that the womens team has won its first challenge.

The women file out feeling giddy, and for the first time the men must go to battle. But the word battle assumes theres conflict. Its not to be found. For a bunch of strong-wllled dudes, the men come across as tough as a plush teddy bear. Trump starts by announcing that due to his injury Snider is getting a pass this week. The men soon start complimenting one another. What gives? In between the steady stream of man-love being thrown around, it appears that most of the men are in agreement that Takei wasnt a strong leader but that Hall was also to blame for making poor styling and fashion decisions. One of them has to go. Because he has to pick someone else besides Hall to join him back in the boardroom, Takei chooses Lou Ferrigno. Apparently the Hulk-of-a-man misunderstands directions and got in the way.

Back in the boardroom, Takei lies down and lets the bus that is Donald Trump run him over. Yes, it was Hall who made all the awful fashion and styling choices, but Takei essentially concedes. Before giving Takei the verbal sledgehammer to the head, Trump throws in one last compliment. You know who else has the most respect for you, Trump asks after both Hall and Ferrigno profess their undying love for the man. Donald Trump. He may have gotten fired, but at least Takei knows a sleazy billionaire likes him. That has to make the pill at least a bit easier to swallow.

Next Week: As if the product placement isnt already shoved down our throats, next week both teams will be hawking cars more specifically, the new Buick Verano. Prepare for the womens teams boardroom bickering to resume: Debbie Gibson is project manager, and the singer is taking no prisoners.

Erik Bauersfeld, Voice of Star Wars Admiral Ackbar, Dead at 93

Erik Bauersfeld, the actor who provided the voice to the belovedStar Warscharacter Admiral Ackbar in a pair of films, died Sunday at his Berkeley, California home. He was 93. Bauersfelds manager confirmed the actors death to The Hollywood Reporter.

Although bestremembered for voicing Ackbar his exclamation Its a trap! in Return of the Jedi has been reborn as a popular meme Bauersfeld also voiced the character of Bib Fortuna in Jedi. Bauersfeld later lent his vocal talentsto Steven Spielbergs A.I.: Artificial Intelligence as well as Guillermo Del Toros Crimson Peak. In 2015, he reprised his vocal turn as Ackbar for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The fans who write say theyll never forget Its a trap! I dont even remember how I said it, Bauersfeld, a longtime Bay Area radio dramatist, told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2011. At that time, the actor revealed hed never seen the original Star Wars and hadnt watched Return of the Jedi since 1983. Its not that I dont like it or dont respect it. I just dont have time to be a fan and see it 10 times or 20 times.

Despite the small role, Bauersfeld said he still received weekly fan mail from diehard Star Wars fans asking for autographs. For the role of Ackbar, Bauersfeld said he received no direction from sound technician Ben Burtt and simply based his voice on the characters odd, crustacean-like appearance. I went over, he showed me the picture of Admiral Ackbar, and I did it, Bauersfeld said. I saw the face, and I knew what he must sound like. The whole Ackbar role took him less than an hour to record.

Bauersfeld is the third minor yet major contributor of the original Star Wars trilogy to pass away in recent months, following Boba Fett voice actor Jason Wingreenand R2-D2 creator Tony Dyson.

20 Movies You Cant Even Believe Are 20 Years Old

Do you still quote Dazed and Confused? Or roll your eyes whenever someone mentions Sleepless in Seattle? We hate to break it to you, but both films turn 20 this year. You may remember 93 like it was yesterday, but humor us anyway with this welcome trip down memory lane.

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Jurassic Park
Remember the jaw-dropping awe you felt when you first watched Michael Crichtons prehistoric visions come to life on the big screen? This Steven Spielberg-directed movie was a game-changer with its use of computer-generated imagery (its held up well, too). We also have Park to thank for putting the velociraptor on the map. Crichton passed away in 2008, but his legacy lives on with two sequels, a 3-D re-release of the original and talks of a fourth installment in 2015.

Mrs. Doubtfire
It has indeed been two decades since Robin Williams donned some frumpy frocks and set his breasts ablaze to play estranged father-turned-nanny Euphegenia Doubtfire. While it may not be everyones cup of tea, it was the second-highest-grossing film of the year behind Jurassic Park and won an Oscar yes, an Oscar for Best Makeup. Men in drag certainly wasnt new to Hollywood (see: Some Like It Hot, Tootsie), but the flicks $440 million haul opened the floodgates for a seemingly endless stream of cross-dressing comedies, both good and bad from To Wong Foo and The Birdcage (also starring Williams) to Madea and Big Mommas House. Believe it or not, a Mrs. Doubtfire sequel may soon be added to that list.

Groundhog Day
Ever get the feeling youre experiencing dj vu? You know, like youve already been reminded that its not 1993 anymore? At least youre not Phil Connors (Bill Murray), who re-lives Groundhog Day over and over and over again. What seemed like a silly premise that saw moderate success at the box office has grown into a beloved cult classic thats moved into the cultural lexicon and become one of Murrays most memorable roles. It was written, directed and produced by Murrays Ghostbusters co-star Harold Ramis, who originally wanted Tom Hanks to play the role.

Free Willy
Ah, the tale of a boy and his killer whale. Who can forget this films famous finale of the captive black-and-white whale leaping out of the water, miraculously clearing a peninsula of rocks to reach the freedom of the deep blue sea or Michael Jacksons close association with the flick, for which his hit single, Will You Be There, was the theme song. The movie was loosely based on Keiko the Orcas real-life saga, and there was much controversy surrounding his on-screen use and continued captivity after being featured in the film and its sequels (though an animatronic whale was eventually used). Sadly, Willy died in 2003 at the age of 27, and the documentary Keiko: The Untold Story was released in 2010.

The Nightmare Before Christmas
Its an enchanting amalgam of a horror film, a musical and a love story, smashing Halloween and Christmas themes together under the mad-genius guidance of Tim Burton, the spidery Pumpkin King character Jack Skellington and flesh-and-blood composer Danny Elfman you either get it or you dont. At the time, Rolling Stones Peter Travers called it 74 minutes of timeless movie magic that explodes the notion that animation is kid stuff. And indeed, the genre has skyrocketed since then with across-the-board blockbusters like Toy Story, WALL-E and Wreck-It Ralph. Over the years Nightmare has grown into a generation-defying cult hit, leaving Burton to shut down the idea of a computer-animated sequel proposed by Disney. May Jack and Sally rest in peace.

Rudy
This biographical sports drama follows the title character as he chases his dream of playing football at the University of Notre Dame. It stars Sean Astin as the five-foot-six Rudy, exactly eight years after the actors big-screen debut in The Goonies and eight years before The Lord of the Rings trilogy began. But of perhaps even greater significance, the movie captures the very beginning of the 20-year bromance between Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau. Hard to believe its already been 17 years since the two became part of Hollywoods elite with 1996s Swingers. Or that the real-life Rudy is 64 years young these days.

Tombstone
Cue coyote howl, clomping cowboy boots and epic staches, cause justice is coming. So said the movie posters, anyway. This loosely biographical western stands as a veritable whos-who of hunks and manly men, past, present and future: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Charlton Heston, Jason Priestley, Billy Bob Thornton, Billy Zane, John Corbett, Terry OQuinn. . . you get the point. 20 years is an eternity in popular culture, so heres some reference points: Kilmer made women swoon, Heston was seven years away from his cold, dead hands speech, and neither Sex & the City (Corbett)nor Lost (OQuinn) would exist for another five and 11 years, respectively.

The Fugitive
This adaptation of the 1960s TV series of the same name was box-office gold, earning seven Oscar nominations (including Tommy Lee Jones first and only win to date). Harrison was a nimble 51 when the action-thriller was released, a solid 10 years out from Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. It was part of Fords tour-de-force as an aging action star outside of his Han Solo/Indiana Jones characters, starting with 1992s Patriot Games and effectively ending with Six Days, Seven Nights in 1998. Now in his 70s, Ford is rumored to be reprising his role in updated versions of Star Wars.

Dazed and Confused
We doubt Richard Linklater knew what kind of celebrity pay dirt he hit while filming this throwback, coming-of-age stoner comedy or did he? The slow-burn, blink-and-you-missed-it-in-theaters cult fave features Hollywood titans Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck and an uncredited Renee Zellweger in some of their very first roles. (They were literal nobodies when the film debuted.) Instead, the movie banked on stars like Jason London, Joey Lauren Adams and Milla Jovovich, who have all but essentially disappeared into the night. The title is derived from the 1969 Led Zeppelin song of the same name and prominently features Alice Coopers 1972 single Schools Out. Since its set in the summer of 76, arent we really looking at a 37-year gap here? Dont bring us down, man.

A Bronx Tale
As the directorial debut of Robert De Niro, A Bronx Tale won lots of critical acclaim but brought in few bucks at the box office, grossing just $17 million domestically. Yet the coming-of-age crime drama, set in the turbulent New York of the 1960s, left a lasting impression. It was based on the childhood of De Niros co-star Chazz Palminteri, who adapted the screenplay from his one-man, off-Broadway show of the same name. (The show was revived on Broadway in 2007 and was followed by a national tour.) There was a 13-year gap between De Niro-directed films, his only other directing credit so far being 2006s The Good Shepherd, starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie, which did exponentially better with a $100 million worldwide haul.

True Romance
Brad Pitt smoked a honey-bear bong. (Does the guy ever age?) Perfect Strangers Balki Bartokomous (Bronson Pinchot) turned into a Hollywood stereotype. James Gandolfini (R.I.P.) had his big-screen breakout as a leg-breakin tough guy. Patricia Arquette stepped out of big sister Rosannas shadow, becoming what can only be called a trailer-chic style icon. And screenwriter Quentin Tarantino solidified himself as the go-to guy for gutter poetry, as Rolling Stones Peter Travers put it, one year before Pulp Fiction made him a household name. If all that doesnt put it into perspective, heres something that will: Clarence (Christian Slater) and Alabama (Arquette)s kid Elvis (played by Arquettes biological son Enzo Rossi) is now 24. In a fetal position yet? If so, just keep repeating these three words: Youre so cool.

Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Were men. Were men in tights (tight tights!)Admit it, you can still sing along to the theme of this Mel Brooks-helmed spoof of Kevin Costners 1991 adventure film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves that poked fun at the classic tale and even Costner himself. Unlike some Robin Hoods, I can speak with an English accent, British star Cary Elwes says with a smirk, referencing Costners lack of even attempting one. Although the legendary Brooks has since written and produced other movies, like 2005s remake of The Producers, Robin Hood was his second to last directorial effort. The very last? 1995s Dracula: Dead and Loving It. On the flipside, its the very first film comedian Dave Chappelle ever appeared in, as the character Ahchoo at the ripe old age of 19.

Searching for Bobby Fischer
Long before anyone was Searching for Sugar Man, they were searching for this child chess player. Actually, the biographical film isnt directly about the mysterious and controversial Fischer at all; instead, hes used as a metaphor for how main character Josh Waitzkin (Max Pomerac) is taught to play the game. The all-star cast includes Joe Mantegna, Joan Allen, Ben Kingsley and Laurence Fishburne, among others. Then-elementary-school-aged Pomerac, now 29, gave up acting in 1995 after a handful of films, becoming a mystery himself (the real Fischer died in 2008). Maybe someday therell be a film named Searching for Max Pomerac.

Last Action Hero
Two decades ago, no one would have wagered a bet that Arnold Schwarzenegger would spend two terms running the state of California. No one and if you claim you saw that coming, you just might grow a nose like Pinocchio. Especially after the fiasco that was Last Action Hero. Long considered one of Ahnolds biggest flops, the flick parodied the genre that made him a mega-star with such hit films like The Terminator, Predator and, everyones favorite, Kindergarten Cop. (Yes, those are all even older than 20.) But people just didnt want to see the Austrian actor biting the hand that feeds: despite it flopping, the muscle-bound future governator barely skipped a beat, quickly recovering with blockbusters like True Lies (1994), Eraser (1996) and Batman & Robin (1997). Always believe him when he says, Ill be back.

So I Married an Axe Murderer
Sandwiched between Waynes World movies, this quirky comedy starring Mike Myers totally flopped. Still, who could ever forget such a title and premise? For those who dont remember: A commitment-phobe (Myers) falls for a woman (Nancy Travis) who works at a butcher shop and just might be a serial killer. Like many of the other movies on this list, the now-cult fave gained a following over the years as VHS tapes saturated the market yeah, remember those? They were still popular back in the 90s then DVDs took over. Axe Murderer came out four years before a guy named Austin Powers turned Myers into a superstar, way back in 1997. Yeah, baby, yeah!

Whats Eating Gilbert Grape
Another small but mighty film, Grape put 19-year-old Leonardo DiCaprio on the map, earning him his first Oscar nomination for his role as a mentally challenged boy in a dysfunctional family that includes the title character, played by Johnny Depp. The movie also stars Juliette Lewis, who briefly dated Depp in 1993 after breaking off her engagement to Brad Pitt (yes, that Brad Pitt); John C. Reilly, in one of his first roles; and Crispin Glover, playing a coroner eight years after his role as George McFly in 1985s Back to the Future. Phew, thats a lot to take in, right? Well, heres some more: Darlene Cates, the morbidly obese mother, lost 250 lbs. by 2012, taking her from 575 to 331 lbs. And Depp? He turned 50 in June 2013. Let that sink in.

Sleepless in Seattle
Love it or loathe it, this romantic comedy was inescapable in 1993. Starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan and directed by Nora Ephron, Sleepless was inspired by the 1957 film An Affair to Remember, and follows two would-be lovers who have yet to meet. The Hanks-Ryan duo had previously paired up in 1990s Joe Versus the Volcano and then worked together again on 1998s Youve Got Mail. But 1993 was really a banner year for Hanks, as this and his Oscar-winning role in Philadephia represented a seismic shift in his career, moving him from comedic goofball to serious actor. Still, sometimes we just like to kick back and laugh at his roles in The Money Pit and The Man With One Red Shoe.

Alive
They ate the bones. Sorry, we couldnt resist, because basically what most people will remember about this film is that Ethan Hawke and the rest of the cast chowed down on each other. But in all seriousness, this biographical flick chronicles the harrowing two-month ordeal a South American rugby team endures when their plane crashes and theyre forced to turn to cannibalism. Alive features John Malkovich in an uncredited voiceover role, and came out one year before Hawkes big 1994 Gen X dramedy Reality Bites, which just so happened to introduce the world to one Ben Stiller. Like how we didnt make this one a total Debbie Downer?

Benny & Joon
Young, warped love at its best and an early glimpse at the oddball acting genius that is Johnny Depp. Before this, he had starred in a mish-mash of titles that included A Nightmare on Elm Street, Platoon, Cry-Baby and Edward Scissorhands, all equally classic in their own right. But there was something about Benny & Joon that showed just how kooky and brilliant he could be. While it was the end of an era of sorts for co-star Mary Stuart Masterson, who had previously starred in Fried Green Tomatoes and Some Kind of Wonderful, it signified the beginning of Depps high-profile trajectory. His game-changing portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean is already 10 years old, if you can believe that.

The Firm
One of the biggest films of 1993 came in the form of this Sydney Pollack-directed legal thriller starring Tom Cruise, which banked $270 million worldwide. Based on the John Grisham novel of the same name, it follows a promising young lawyer (Cruise) who lands his first big job at a firm where two associates die under mysterious circumstances. The Firm ushered in a new era for then-30-year-old Cruise, who soon launched his action-star franchise Mission: Impossible. Back in 93, Cruise was still married to Nicole Kidman and had just joined the Church of Scientology. 20 years later, though, he still flashes that million-dollar smile and has barely aged a day. If only we could all be so lucky, right?

Blinded by the Light Director, Screenwriter Talk Bringing Springsteen to 80s England

Rolling Stone, in partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures, hosted a special screening and panel discussion for Blinded by the Light which opens in wide release in the U.K. on August 9th and in the U.S. on August 16th in New York City on Tuesday night. Following a screening the upcoming 1980s period drama featuring the music of Bruce Springsteen, Rolling Stone senior writer Brian Hiatt sat down with director Gurinder Chadha and screenwriter Sarfraz Manzoor. Hiatts book, Bruce Springsteen: The Stories Behind the Songs, tells the tales behind every officially released studio recording of Bruce Springsteens career so far.

Manzoor wrote Greetings from Bury Park, his 2008 memoir on which the film is based, and that detail his teenage years in the British small town of Luton. The movie follows 16-year-old Javed, son of Pakistani immigrants, who amid the political and economic turmoil of the U.K.s Thatcher era, discovers the music of Springsteen and feels a powerful connection to its lyrics. Chadha noted that, when production began on the film, most of its young cast members were unfamiliar with the rock & roll icons work.

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Theyd either never heard of Bruce Springsteen or theyd never listened to Bruce Springsteen, she said. A lot of people who Ive talked to say, I knew who Bruce Springsteen was, but I never really understood who he was.' Several key scenes in Blinded by the Light feature Springsteens lyrics being projected onto the background while his music soundtracks the characters lives; Chadha said that she hopes this will lead audiences to really note the themes of economic downturn, personal turmoil, and strained optimism that pervade Springsteens work.

In addition to its existence as a love letter to Springsteen, Blinded by the Light undeniably portrays the immigrant experience during a particularly tumultuous political era, punctured by widespread job losses at places like the factory where Javeds father works as well as rising white nationalist factions that the film doesnt hesitate to draw parallels to today. Chadha referred to the film as timely and talked extensively about a neo-Nazi march scene that occurs during the wedding of one of Javeds sisters. Springsteens Jungleland overlays the scene and, most heartbreakingly, the Clarence Clemons sax solo underscores the moment where Javeds father is attacked by a group of skinheads.

When I was shooting that scene, all I was hearing was that sax, Chadha explained. The sax is very spiritual, and transcending everything. When Chadha met with Springsteen before shooting started, she had the idea in her head and asked for his permission to use Jungleland over the scene. He looked at me and he went, I think Clarence would really like that.'

Oscars 2019: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper to Perform Shallow at Ceremony

The Academy Awards confirmed Friday that Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga will perform their A Star Is Born hit Shallow at the February 24th ceremony. The duet is nominated in the Best Original Song category.

The Oscars announcement comes less than a week after Gaga and Cooper performed the song together as themselves and not their Star Is Born characters Ally and Jackson Maine for the first time with a surprise rendition at Gagas Enigma show in Las Vegas.

Cooper. Gaga. "Shallow." #Oscars

The Academy (@TheAcademy) February 1, 2019

Contrary to rumors that this years Academy Awards would scale down the ceremony to only feature Shallow and one other Best Original Song-nominated performance (most likely Kendrick Lamar and SZAs All the Stars), the Oscars Twitter stated that the other nominees will also take the stage on February 24th.

Jennifer Hudson has been recruited to perform the Diane Warren-penned RBG song Ill Fight, while Gillian Welch and David Rawlings will sing When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.

The Mary Poppins Returns song The Place Where Lost Things Go will be performed by a surprise special guest; that films star Lin-Manuel Miranda previously tweeted he was disappointed by the Oscar producers decision to cut down the Best Original Song performances before the ceremony reversed course.

The only performance that Academy has not yet confirmed: Lamar and SZAs All the Stars.

Watch the Eye-Popping Trailer for Tim Burtons Big Eyes

UPDATE: Lana Del Rey has shared a 60-secondlyric videoteaser forBig Eyes, the title track from Tim Burtons upcoming film.

Tim Burtons upcoming drama,Big Eyes, now has an eye-popping debut trailer. The film, out on Christmas Day, tells the true story ofMargaret Keane (Amy Adams), whose striking portraits of children with massive eyes became a sensation in the Fifties and Sixties though her husband, Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz), took all the credit for her work, claiming no one would buy art created by a woman.

The trailer, released by The Weinstein Company, establishes the films engaging arc from Margarets early development as a painter to her husbands marketing ruse to the eventual legal battle that resulted from that exploitation. Burton, known primarily forhis gothic-tinged work infantasy and horror, is navigating more traditional period-drama waters with Big Eyes. But a few fleeting moments in the trailer like Margaret seeing real-life humans with surreally enormous eyes suggest the director hasnt totally downplayed his visual expansiveness.

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The Big Eyescast is rounded out by Danny Huston, Jason Schwartzman, Krysten Ritter and Terence Stamp. ItsBurtons first live-action film since the 2012 horror-comedyDark Shadows, which starred his frequent collaborator Johnny Depp and earned mixed reviews.

In other Burton news, rumors continue to swirl about a possible sequelto the filmmakers 1988 classic,Beetlejuice. Back in February, Beetlejuice himself, Michael Keaton, toldMTV that the project is inching closer towardreality.

Ive emailed Tim a couple of times, talked to the writer a couple of times, but all really, really preliminary stuff until relatively recently, Keaton said. I always said that [Beetlejuice] is the one thing Id like to do again, if I ever did anything again. But it kind of required Tim to be involved some way or another. Now it looks like he is involved. And without giving too much away, weve talked to each other, and emailed each other, and if hes in, its going to be hard not to be in.