From award-winning author Mark A. Rayner, The Fatness is a contemporary satire of socialism, capitalism, and the so-called “obesity epidemic”. This is #Catch22 for a new generation http://blog.booklikes.com/post/1622363/mark-a-rayner-about-his-newest-novel-the-fatness-giveaway-a-guest-post #giveaway #newbooks #authors #writers #satire #interview #writing

Dieting at Christmas? I THINK NOT! #HUMOUR #SATIRE

On this day:
At 10th December of 1982, "Airplane II: The Sequel" premiered in US theaters. This is the sequel to David and Jerry Zucker's "Airplane!," written and directed by Ken Finkleman. Instead of jet liner, a space shuttle is featured. It is booked with passengers and sent to space on a first ever voyage, and also on board are the stars from the previous film: Ted Striker (Robert Hays), Elaine (Julie Hagerty) and Captain Oveur (Peter Graves). Probably not as popular or as funny as the first movie, but jokes, absurd humor and slapstick comedy are still in abundance.

It's understandable, given the success of the hilarious spoof "Airplane!" in 1980, that producers would want to milk the idea for all that it was worth. This sequel isn't about to mess with a winning formula, so the basic idea is the same.

Ace pilot Ted Striker (Robert Hays) is no longer such a neurotic mess, although he still has his moments of self-doubt as he's forced to take over the controls to the first manned space shuttle to the moon, which has been colonized. Fortunately for him, also along for the ride is old girlfriend Elaine (Julie Hagerty).

The absence of the Zucker - Abrahams - Zucker filmmaking team is palpable as new writer / director Ken Finkleman tries his best to both revisit previously used jokes and come up with some of his own. He doesn't do too bad a job, there are some genuine laughs to be had, as movies such as "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" and "2001: A Space Odyssey" are parodied, but the review in the annual Maltin paperback guide to movies is actually spot on when it says that the quality of the jokes just isn't the same, nor are the laughs quite as frequent.

The cast tries hard with the material, and they're still fun to watch. One good thing is that Finkleman is able to keep up the tradition of having things happen in both foreground and background so that viewers are required to pay attention to catch all the gags.

Hays and Hagerty are just as endearing as they were in the first film, and are supported by Chad Everett (as the slimy Simon) and returning players from "Airplane!" such as Peter Graves (continuing with the inappropriate questions), zany Stephen Stucker as the character Jacobs, Al White as the jive talking witness, David Leisure as one of the Transcendental Air guys, Lee Bryant as Mrs. Hammen, and Lloyd Bridges as the harried Steve McCroskey.

Robert Stack, Leslie Nielsen, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are sorely missed, but Finkleman does pack his film with cameos: Chuck Connors, William Shatner (doing some priceless Shatner style over acting), Raymond Burr, John Vernon, John Dehner, Rip Torn, Sonny Bono, Richard Jaeckel, Jack Jones (singing the 'Love Boat' theme), Art Fleming, etc.

There's enough good stuff here to make for pleasant if not hilarious fare. Among the best bits: the trial sequence, the dealings with omnipotent computer R.O.K., and the outer space scenes with Shatner. This may not be in the same league as its predecessor, but for a sequel it's not bad at all.

#Airplane #AirplaneIITheSequel
#80sMovies #Movies
#ComedyFilm #Comedy
#Parody #Satire
#Onthisday #MovieReview
#AirplaneII_35ThAnniversary

#Volkswagen #DieselEmissions #Cars #Drugs #Prison #Satire #Motoring

Self-Affirmation - Selbstbestätigung #punchline #satire #pointe
We all seek self-affirmation where we can believe and do not have to doubt. Interesting link: Insider Dossier ;-) Wir alle suchen Selbstbestätigung, wo wir glauben können und nicht zweifeln müssen. Interessanter Link: Pressebericht ;-)