When it comes to movies, my favorites are comedies that make me laugh out loud. Two of them are playing in local theaters right now: "22 Jump Street" and "A Million Ways to Die in the West."
With Channing Tatum, a dreamboat for many women, and Jonah Hill portraying undercover cops, "22" is getting most of the publicity and is roaring at the box office. But I got more laughs out of "West," starring Seth MacFarlane and the gorgeous Charlize Theron. It had me laughing right from the start and reminded me of Mel Brooks’ "Blazing Saddles." MacFarlane was director and co-screenwriter for "West."
Both pictures have situations that are insanely funny. The biggest laughs for me came from a surprising discovery that involves Ice Cube‘s character, the police captain, in "22." The rapper-turned-actor is outstanding.
Tatum and Hill starred in "21 Jump Street," in which they played the same undercover roles but posed as high school students. This time around they play university students trying to put a stop to a new designer drug on campus. They become pledges in a fraternity whose members run wild. That gave the writers plenty of room to come up with goofy and berserk stunts — and they did.
In "West," MacFarlane plays Albert, a cowardly sheep farmer. Theron (Anna) is the new babe in town who is quite proficient with a gun. She and the farmer hook up. Only problem is she is secretly married to a notorious gunslinger, Clinch (Liam Neeson), who is really a bad cat. This puts the farmer in a dangerous position, and Anna teaches him how to shoot to protect himself. Sarah Silverman portrays the town hooker. Giovanni Ribisi plays her boyfriend who waits outside her room after each of her assignations. He is a virgin. Neil Patrick Harris portrays a shopkeeper who steals the farmer’s girl (Amanda Seyfried) before Anna comes to town. It’s a mixture of characters that makes for loads of fun.
Life is cheap in MacFarlane’s old Wild West. Among the killings: Gunslinger Clinch kills an old prospector who had a gold nugget, Ryan Reynolds is a cowboy who is shot dead in a cameo role, and Jamie Foxx is Django Freeman in his cameo and he guns down the owner of a shooting gallery that features offensive targets. Others in cameos are Bill Maher, Christopher Lloyd, Ewan McGregor, Alex Sulkin, Tait Fletcher, Jimmy Hart, Dennis Haskins, John Michael Higgins and Gilbert Gottfried as Abe Lincoln …
SWINGING ON: The Hawaii Pops winds up its first season June 28 with guest singer Anita Hall, conductor Matt Catingub, Grammy Award-winning drummer Steve Moretti and the Pops orchestra at 8 p.m. at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. Catingub is a versatile conductor who can sing and play sax, piano and keyboard. Hall has been working with him both when she was a Hawaii resident (for 20 years) and when she moved to Indiana two years ago to care for her dad. There will be two dance floors at the concert.
"I’m so honored to be working with Matt and Steve," Hall said Monday by phone. "It’s nice traveling with people that have their priorities straight. As soon as we touch down in a new city we seek out the best coffee shop and sushi restaurant."
Hall said they were scheduled for a show on the East Coast when a sax player called to say he was having car problems. "A young stagehand jokingly said she played sax. Matt told her to grab it and join us for rehearsal. She was so good that he let her play the show. We all joyously lived vicariously through her that night."
Tickets for the Hawaii Pops finale start at $35 for theater-style seating and are $60 and $75 for table seating. Call 550-8457 …
Ben Wood, who sold newspapers on Honolulu streets in World War II, writes of people, places and things. Email him at bwood@staradvertiser.com.
