Spoofs
The wide wonderful world of film lends itself splendidly to the 'spoof' or parody as most genres have conventions and unwritten rules that are very easy to twist and undermine. It's all about messing with audience expectation - and nobody is safe - from TV cops ('Police Squad') to zombies ('Shaun of the Dead'); disaster flicks ('Airplane') to westerns ('Blazing Saddles'); Alfred Hitchcock ('High Anxiety') to Arnold Schwarzenegger ('Last Action Hero'). Sit back and have a laugh, at someone else's expense.
Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)
Director: Terry Jones
Starring: Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idl...
Highly original madness from the Monty Python gang, 'Life of Brian' follows the woes of poor Brian born the same night as Jesus, repeatedly mistaken b... Read more
Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)
6.7/10
Director: Mel Brooks
Starring: Cary Elwes, Richard Lewis, Roger Rees, Amy Yasbeck, Dave Chappelle, Isaac Hayes,...
The once brilliant Mel Brooks provides further proof that his comedic well ran dry some time ago with this inane skewering of the legend of Sherwood F... Read more
Flying High! ( aka Airplane! ) (1980)
6.5/10
Director: David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams
Starring: Julie Hagerty, Robert Hays, Robert Stack, Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges
A funny spoof of 'Airport'-type disaster movies with non-stop hilarity that holds up to the end. Starring Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Lloyd Bridges, R... Read more
Hot Fuzz (2007)
7.9/10
Director: Edgar Wright
Starring: Bill Bailey, Jim Broadbent, Olivia Colman, Paddy Considine, Steve Coogan, Kennet...
The lads that brought us zombie spoof 'Shaun of the Dead' turn their attentions to the British bobby in this cameo-packed mickey-take of the cops-and-... Read more
Galaxy Quest (1999)
7.3/10
Director: Dean Parisot
Starring: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, Daryl Mi...
Years later, the stars of the classic TV sci-fi series "Galaxy Quest" are still making appearances at sci-fi conventions. During one, they are whisked... Read more
Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery (1997)
7/10
Director: Jay Roach
Starring: Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York, Mimi Rogers
A hilariously goofy spoof of James Bond and other 60's spy movies. Mike Myers plays both the English superspy Powers and his nemesis the nefarious but... Read more
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story (2004)
6.7/10
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Starring: Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Vince Vaughn
When his rundown gym is threatened with foreclosure, owner Vince Vaughn has 30 days to come up with $50,000. His solution: assemble a ragtag team of f... Read more
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)
6.8/10
Director: Carl Reiner
Starring: Steve Martin, Rachel Ward, Reni Santoni, Carl Reiner
Carl Reiner's comic salute to the gumshoe noirs of the 1940s stars Steve Martin as Rigby Reardon, Private Eye and a scene-stealing Rachel Ward as a ha... Read more
Evil Dead II (1987)
7.8/10
Director: Sam Raimi
Starring: Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Bruce Campbell
Aka "Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn". Ash (Bruce Campbell), the survivor of the first film, continues to battle demons in a cabin deep in the woods. With h... Read more
John Cleese: The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It (1977)
6.6/10
Director: Joseph McGrath
Starring: John Cleese, Arthur Lowe, Stratford Johns, Connie Booth
John Cleese is the descendant of Sherlock Holmes while Arthur Lowe plays the 'bionic' grandson of Doctor Watson in this hilarious send up where nothin... Read more