Movie #415 - Life of Brian

Life of Brian

1979 - Rated R - 1 hr 34 min
Director: Terry Jones
Starring: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin

It's always a welcome change of pace to pop a Monty Python movie into my DVD player.  We don't have many of them, for now at least.

And this one has always been a fan favorite.  It's no Grail, which is coming up in the M's, but the whole ordinary guy caught up in extraordinary circumstances in the time of Jesus is pretty clever.  From the misinformed magi who praise Brian at birth to the Latin grammar-correcting centurion, the off-beat comedy of the Monty Python troupe is very much alive and well here.  It's a great testament to their versatility as well, with most of the actors picking up several roles throughout, sprinkling quotable one-liners here and there.

Granted, this has to be your kind of humor to appreciate it.  But I love a good skit by these guys, so a whole movie is fantastic.

Movie #205 - A Fish Called Wanda

A Fish Called Wanda
1988 - Rated R - 1 hr 48 min
Director: Charles Crichton
Starring: John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin

I love this movie for so many reasons.  Kevin Kline eating live fish, John Cleese speaking Russion in an outrageous accent, poor stuttering Ken... Not to mention Hollywood's best steam-roller "accident."

The premise is kind of nuts, but it's so much fun to watch and it's so expertly done that you have to love it.  Two criminals plan a robbery with two Brits, turn one of the Brits in only to find he's moved the loot, then have to cozy up to his lawyer to get the information... And obviously, Jamie Lee Curtis spends much of her time trying to keep Kevin Kline on his leash.  Not easy.

This was fun to watch again and it reminded me how talented this entire cast is.