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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.

Kung Fu Hustle ( Blu-ray ) (2004)

7.8/10
Director: Stephen Chow
Starring: Stephen Chow

Charismatic Hong Kong comedy legend Stephen Chow's ('Shaolin Soccer') frenetically paced martial arts spoof is a delirious mix of quickfire gags, surr... Read more

Last Action Hero (1993)

6.3/10
Director: John McTiernan
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, F Murray Abraham, Art Carney, Charles Dance, Frank McRae,...

Schwarzenegger's 'Heaven's Gate'. Big, loud, expensive ... but with plenty of satire which was missed by many first time around. Worth re-assessing in... Read more

MacGruber (2010)

5.5/10
Director: Jorma Taccone
Starring: Powers Boothe, Ryan Phillippe, Val Kilmer, Maya Rudolph, Will Forte, Kristen Wii...

Only one operative has been awarded 16 Purple Hearts, and only one guy is man enough to still sport a mullet. In the 10 years since his fiancee was ki... Read more

Machete (2010)

6.6/10
Director: Robert Rodriguez, Ethan Maniquis
Starring: Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Jeff Fahey, Lindsay Lohan, Robert De Niro, Steven Sea...

A bad-ass, star-studded action-thriller from Robert Rodriguez (Desperado), Machete is an over-the-top homage to 1970s exploitation movies, starring D... Read more

Magnificent Butcher (1979)

7.5/10
Director: Sammo Hung, Yuen Woo Ping
Starring: Yuen Biao, Sammo Hung, Hoi San Lee, Wei Pei, Tak-Hing Kwan

An action-packed martial arts spoof with Sammo Hung as a plump kung fu student of legendary master, Wong Fei Hung. Two rival schools end up in an all... Read more

Maid Marian and Her Merry Men: Series 1 (1989)

8/10
Director: David Bell
Starring: Kate Lonergan, Wayne Morris, Tony Robinson, Danny John-Jules

Imagine that The Merry Men are as thick as one short plank, Robin Hood is a vapid, fashion-conscious air head from the village of Kensington and Maid... Read more

Man of the East (1972)

6.7/10
Director: Enzo Barboni
Starring: Gregory Walcott, Harry Carey Jr, Terence Hill

'He's a fun-of-a-gun!' or so the tagline promises. Terence Hill ("They Call Me Trinity") is back in his classic genre of comedy/western, this time as... Read more

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1974)

8.3/10
Director: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
Starring: Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idl...

King Arthur meets Monty Python in this irreverent, insane, funny film with Graham Chapman as King Arthur convening his knights to seek the Holy Grail.... Read more

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Special Edition) (1974)

8.3/10
Director: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
Starring: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, John Cleese, Graham Chapma...

King Arthur meets Monty Python in this irreverent, insanely funny film with Graham Chapman as King Arthur convening his knights to seek the Holy Grail... Read more

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