Films/DVD Asylum

The Lady Eve. Can't believe no one's mentioned Preston Sturges!

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This Post Has Been Edited by the Author

In Reply to: RE: Comedy: far more difficult than drama, obviously: note how posted by tinear on February 27, 2008 at 17:56:38

The Lady Eve, plus Sullivan's Travels and Palm Beach Story, are three of my favorite comedies of all time. Sturges was one of the wittiest, most original and sophisticated comic minds ever turned loose in Hollywood. His string of films from 1940-48 is one of the great runs in cinema history.
Also worthy from Sturges...The Great McGinty (required viewing in an election year), The Miracle Of Morgan's Creek, Hail The Conqoring Hero, Christmas In July and Unfaithfully Yours (Probably the least of a great bunch, interferred with by the studio).
There were at least two comedies in 2007 I laughed my head off at - Death At A Funeral and Juno. There's also two recent ones from Brit director Mike Winterbottom - 24 Hour Party People and Tristram Shandy: A Cock & Bull Story. And check out the early ninetys Cold Comfort Farm with a stellar cast of Brit actors. It was made for TV in Old Blighty but released as a feature films here. Very funny. The classic Ealing Studio comedies have already been mentioned.
I also can't believe no one's mentioned This Is Spinal Tap. Thee mock that started it all, and still brilliant. I think Best in Show did get a nod below, and I'll add Waiting For Guffman and A Mighty Wind.
I love classic silent comedies.
Chaplin: City Lights, Modern Times, The Gold Rush, The Kid, Easy Street, The Pilgrim etc etc etc.
Keaton: The General, Sherlock Jr, Seven Choices, Steamboat Bill Jr, The Cameraman
And classic talkies comedies.
Cary Grant is a HUGE favorite...HUGE:
In addition to Philadelphia Story and Bringing Up Baby there's the classics Arsenic & Old Lace, The Awful Truth, My Favorite Wife, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dreamhouse and His Girl Friday. A favorite from late in his career is Father Goose. He certainly livens up Mae West's I'm No Angel. (And Let's not forget Mae's classic She Done Him Wrong.) Then there's W C Fields It's A Gift & The Bank Dick. The Marx brothers have already been mentioned.
I adore Myrna Loy. She was in a great comedy called Libeled Lady with Jean Harlow and William Powell, and of course she was unforgettable as Nora Charles with Powell in The Thin Man series. While we're in the thirties and forties, Powell was perfect with Carole Lombard in the underrated comedy gem My Man Godfrey. And for my money, Capra's best movie is You Can't Take It With You.
Moving over to France, there's Renoir's Boudu Saved From Drowning (remade much later into Down & Out In Beverly Hills).
Modern French: Delicatessen
Let's see moving up the time line...
Paper Moon
A Wedding (I think I'm probably alone on this one)
Tootsie
Back To The Future
Impromptu (With Judy Davis, Hugh Grant is actually good in this)
John Cusack - yeah...he's had a good run:
The Sure Thing
Say Anything
Gross Point Blank
High Fidelity
Bullets Over Broadway
Speaking of Woody:
Annie Hall
Manhatten
Sleeper
Am I the only person here that was tickled by The Freshman?
Election
The Price of Milk
Oops...Does A Hard Day's Night qulaify? How 'bout Lester's The Three & Four Muskateers??
I'm sure I've left something off but this could keep you awhile ;-)

Edits: 03/01/08

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