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John Cleese Will Star In New Batman Film, Justice League


John Cleese Ben Affleck

Fawlty Towers legend John Cleese is to appear in the new Batman film, Justice League. The comedy icon will star alongside Batman and Superman themselves, Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill in addition to Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg and Jeremy Irons.

John CleeseJohn Cleese is set to join the cast of the next Batman film

The Sun reported that the Monty Python actor was first linked to upcoming DC movie when he started following both Ben Affleck and director Zach Snyder on Twitter.

Continue reading: John Cleese Will Star In New Batman Film, Justice League

Michael Palin: "The Pythons Will Rally Round Terry Jones"


Michael Palin Terry Jones Monty Python John Cleese Eric Idle

Michael Palin has said that Terry Jones can count on his fellow Pythons to rally around him following his diagnosis with dementia and speech-limiting aphasia.

Last month Jones revealed he had been diagnosed with the devastating disease and on Sunday he appeared at Bafta Cymru to accept a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to film and television.

Terry Jones and Michael PalinTerry Jones and Michael Palin

Continue reading: Michael Palin: "The Pythons Will Rally Round Terry Jones"

John Cleese "In Talks" For New BBC Sitcom


John Cleese

John Cleese is reportedly in talks to make a surprise return to the BBC, in a sitcom specially written for the comedy legend. His return to the BBC would be a shock to fans as last year he said he would never work for them again, because the corporation’s commissioning editors had “no idea what they’re doing”.

John CleeseJohn Cleese is “in talks” to return to the BBC

But speaking to The Telegraph, the BBC’s head of comedy Shane Allen said Cleese was considering a return. “We’re in discussions about a piece that he might be in. It’s a sitcom and it’s very early days,” Mr Allen said.

Continue reading: John Cleese "In Talks" For New BBC Sitcom

John Cleese Considering Legal Action Against Australian Theatre Company For 'Fawlty Towers' "Rip Off"


John Cleese

John Cleese is reportedly considering taking legal action against an Australian theatre company for what he believes is a “brazen, utterly shameless rip-off” of his legendary ‘70s sitcom ‘Fawlty Towers’.

‘Faulty Towers the Dining Experience’, operated by Interactive Theatre International since 1997, has been hosted in London, most Australian cities and other locations around the world. It offers a three-course meal and two hour interactive theatrical show, in which many of the calamitous scenes from the sitcom are played out.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Cleese has known about the production for nearly a year but was only recently informed about the show’s massive financial success. The paper says that he claims that the people behind the production have not sought permission from either himself or co-creator Connie Booth.

Continue reading: John Cleese Considering Legal Action Against Australian Theatre Company For 'Fawlty Towers' "Rip Off"

Monty Python And The Holy Grail - 40th Anniversary Trailer


The comedians behind Monty Python have turned into household names and The Holy Grail is potentially their most loved piece. Having been commissioned by the BBC in 1969 Terry Gilliam, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Graham Chapman began shooting scenes for a sketch show under the name of Monty Python's Flying Circus. The 45 episodes were full of surreal comedy which each and every one soon became cult classics.

Continue: Monty Python And The Holy Grail - 40th Anniversary Trailer

They're Very Naughty Boys: Ofcom Probes Monty Python Swearing


John Cleese Michael Palin Terry Gilliam

Communications watchdog Ofcom is investigating the Monty Python live show after bad language was broadcast before the watershed. Many of the complaints about the farewell show on 'Gold' concerned offensive language though some fans had aired their dismay that other areas of swearing were cut.

Monty PythonThe Monty Python live show has come in for criticism

An Ofcom spokesman said: "After receiving complaints about the broadcast of the most offensive language before the watershed, Ofcom is investigating a live performance of Monty Python on Gold."

Continue reading: They're Very Naughty Boys: Ofcom Probes Monty Python Swearing

A Week In News: Sheeran's 'x' Ed, 'Transformers' Schools Rivals, Monty Python Class Reunion, A 'Hundred-Year-Old Man' Breaks All The Rules


Ed Sheeran Bobby Womack Dolly Parton Michael Bay Nicki Minaj John Cleese Iggy Azalea Robin Thicke Lily Allen

Arcade Fire at Glastonbury

Glastooo!: You'd have had to have been living under 17 rocks on the other side of the world to avoid the constant Glastonbury Festival coverage. As well as hundreds of thousands of punters, Somerset's Worthy Farm played host to one of the strongest line-ups seen in recent years, including Metallica, Arcade Fire, Kasabian, Jack White and Elbow.

Pop star Lily Allen raised a few eyebrows but more cheers with her foul-mouthed rant, whilst country rock superstar Dolly Parton was the biggest crowd draw ever seen and Rudimental were reduced to tears when their set was cut short due to the stormy weather.

Continue reading: A Week In News: Sheeran's 'x' Ed, 'Transformers' Schools Rivals, Monty Python Class Reunion, A 'Hundred-Year-Old Man' Breaks All The Rules

Recent James Bond Films Have Been Geared Towards Asian Audiences, Says John Cleese


John Cleese Daniel Craig Sam Mendes James Bond

John Cleese, who played James Bond’s gadget man Q in 2002’s Die Another Day, has claimed that filmmakers are more interested in the Britsh Spy’s action sequences than the witty one-liners and quintessentially British themes that made him so popular.

John CleeseJohn Cleese pictured outside BBC Radio 1's studios

"I did two James Bond movies and then I believe that they decided that the tone they needed was that of the Bourne action movies, which are very gritty and humourless," he told the Radio Times.

Continue reading: Recent James Bond Films Have Been Geared Towards Asian Audiences, Says John Cleese

Michael Palin: "A Lot Of Monty Python Was Crap, It Really Was"


Michael Palin Monty Python John Cleese

Michael Palin, 70, has claimed that much of his pioneering comedy show Monty Python's Flying Circus was "crap". The comedian, writer and broadcaster conceded there had been some "gleaming moments" such as the Dead Parrot and Spanish Inquisition sketches but ultimately admitted that a lot of other material was "not really that good."

Michael PalinMichael Palin Has Called Much of Monty Python "Crap"

"People forgive you the things that don't work. A lot of Python was crap, it really was," he told The Daily Telegraph. "We put stuff in there that was not really that good, but fortunately there were a couple of gleaming things that everyone remembers while they've forgotten the dross."

Continue reading: Michael Palin: "A Lot Of Monty Python Was Crap, It Really Was"

Monty Python Live Tickets Sell Out In Just 43 Seconds, More Shows Announced


John Cleese Michael Palin Eric Idle Terry Jones Terry Gilliam

The eagerly-awaited Monty Python stage show has been extended from one to five days, scheduled for early July next year. The move to add more live dates to the list came as organisers announced that the first show at London's O2 Arena sold out in 43.5 seconds, according to Sky News, giving modern pop bands a run for their money.

Monty Python Photocall
Tickets For The Monty Python One-Off Show Sold Out Almost Instantly.

However, it's easy to see why there was so much clamouring for tickets when they went on sale early this morning; the shows at the O2 will be the first time the comedy unit have performed together since 2009 when they celebrated their 40th anniversary with a special show in New York.

Continue reading: Monty Python Live Tickets Sell Out In Just 43 Seconds, More Shows Announced

Monty Python Back Together For Stage Show - Just In Time For Christmas


Michael Palin John Cleese Eric Idle Terry Gilliam Terry Jones

They say timing is everything when it comes to comedy, although that logic applies to more then a well-delivered joke, it would seem. The cast of Monty Python, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, and Michael Palin, 70 – otherwise known as Monty Python – are reuniting for a stage show, The Sun reports.

The announcement comes just before Christmas, with tickets no doubt going on sale in time for many dads to see an envelope under the tree come December 25th, but Jones isn’t coy about why he wants to get the gang back together for the show.

"We're getting together and putting on a show - it's real," Jones told the BBC. "I'm quite excited about it. I hope it makes us a lot of money. I hope to be able to pay off my mortgage!"

Continue reading: Monty Python Back Together For Stage Show - Just In Time For Christmas

John Cleese Furiously Lashes Out At British Press As He Mourns Ex-Wife


John Cleese Teri Hatcher Barbara Trentham

Less than a fortnight after the passing of his ex-wife of nine years, actor John Cleese has decided to vocalise his opinions about the UK press. Cleese was married to model Barbara Trentham until 1990 and the pair remained friends until she died at age 68 after suffering with Leukaemia. Having described his second wife and mother to his daughter, Camille, as "wonderfully kind," the Fawlty Towers star was back at work on the interview circuit for his new movie.

John Cleese
John Cleese Is Mourning The Passing Of His Ex-Wife, Barbara.

Whilst on tour to promote his new film, Disney Pixar's Planes, actor John Cleese told The Guardian exactly how he felt about modern British media, indicating he thought a prison sentence was on the horizon, probably as a reaction to the phone-hacking scandal. The full interview will be released tomorrow 15th Aug), ironically on the newspaper's website, but apparently Cleese did say the The Guardian, The Independent and The Mirror were exempt from his ill-wishes.

Continue reading: John Cleese Furiously Lashes Out At British Press As He Mourns Ex-Wife

Planes - Sneak Peek


Dusty is a super swift cropduster whose horsepower would be a force to be reckoned with for many aircrafts were he to compete with them for speed. However, there's just one problem; Dusty is terrified of heights. Cropdusting allows him to skim the ground as he flies so he never has to face to fears. But his dreams of contending at the legendary aviation races means he is desperate to reach the clouds and, with the help of his best friend Skipper - a former Navy plane - he looks set to finally conquer his anxieties. Alongside his tank truck coach Chug, he prepares for the flight of his life as he tackles the likes of the Great White North star Rochelle, the legendary Bulldog and the egotistical Ripslinger for a place among the worldwide aviation champions.

Continue: Planes - Sneak Peek

Lightning McQueen's Aeroplane Incarnation Dusty Crophopper To Hit Theatres In 'Planes' (Pictures And Trailer)


Dane Cook Stacy Keach Brad Garrett Cedric The Entertainer John Cleese Roger Craig Smith John Lasseter White Zombie Disney

Disney's Planes poster

Here is your first taster of the upcoming 'Cars' spin-off 'Planes'; an equally endearing animated movie about determination and achieving your dreams set to hit screens on August 16th 2013.

DisneyToon Studios brings us this fantastic new interpretation of the Pixar animated 2006 'Cars' movie and it's 2011 sequel 'Cars 2'. The teaser trailer gives away little about the plot, but introduces our soon-to-be favourite animated character of the year with the pounding drums of 'More Human Than Human' by heavy metal band White Zombie. 'Planes' has been directed by Klay Hall of 'King of the Hill', who is a huge aviation enthusiast - and with that you can guarantee not only rib-cracking humour, but remarkable accuracy. We see Dusty, a nervous cropdusting aircraft with a phobia of heights and the voice of Dane Cook, take on some of the biggest plane racing champions in the world as he vows to conquer his fears and fulfil his dream as a successful air racer despite formidable competition. Beside him are his friends Skipper, an old Navy Corsair voiced by Stacy Keach, and Chug, a fuel tanker who doesn't for a second doubt Dusty's capabilities and is played by Brad Garrett

Continue reading: Lightning McQueen's Aeroplane Incarnation Dusty Crophopper To Hit Theatres In 'Planes' (Pictures And Trailer)

Planes - Teaser Trailer


Dusty may be a super speedy cropdusting aircraft but there's a reason why he spends his days skimming fields; he is terrified of flying. Nonetheless he is determined to conquer his phobia of heights and fulfil his dream of competing in the famous aviation races and with the help of his devoted friend Skipper, an introverted former Navy warplane, and a variety of supporters including his coach, tank truck Chug, he has all he needs to become a formidable racer like the Great White North star Rochelle, the legendary Bulldog and the highly arrogant but nevertheless impressive Ripslinger. Dusty knows that he must outstrip the cheating Ripslinger if he has any chance of becoming a worldwide champion, but with his sabotaging cohorts at his side, the challenge seems impossible.

Continue: Planes - Teaser Trailer

A Liar's Autobiography Review


Good

Subtitled "The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman", this outrageously colourful animated movie certainly can't be pigeonholed as a documentary or a biopic, even though there are elements of each. The filmmakers use recordings of Chapman reading the book about his life, then hire teams of animators to create a stream-of-consciousness 3D tribute. It's not particularly easy to follow, and the absurdly Pythonesque approach isn't always successful. But the film is such an oddity that fans won't want to miss it.

Whatever it is, this isn't a straightforward retelling of Chapman's life story, although it does loosely fill in the details, with each chapter animated in a distinctly different style. It begins with his rather odd childhood, followed by his years at Cambridge, where he met Cleese, Palin, Gilliam and Jones and formed Monty Python. Their TV sketch show was launched in 1969, an unexpected hit that propelled them to stardom. Along the way, Chapman determines that he's 70 percent gay, and indulges in all the alcohol and sex he could find. He died at age 48 of throat cancer in 1989.

The film is a riotous collection of animation styles, from stop-motion to paper cut-outs. Woven into these segments are TV clips, movie scenes and interviews from the archives, and the surviving Pythons supply the voices along with special guests like Stephen Fry and, yes, Cameron Diaz. It feels oddly rambling, going down random sideroads and indulging in moments that cross lines of taste and propriety. Some segments are sharp and pointed, while others take too long to get to their punchlines. But maybe these are inside jokes we simply don't understand.

Continue reading: A Liar's Autobiography Review

A Liar's Autobiography Trailer


The 'Monty Python' group are returning to our screens once more with 'A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman'. It is not a Monty Python sketch, merely the uncensored screen product of Chapman's 1980 nonsensical autobiography that has been re-published three times so far. It includes the voices of the Pythons playing themselves and various characters as well as Chapman himself who conveniently recorded himself reading the book prior to his death in 1989. A number of special guests also make voice appearances as characters in the film.

'A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman' is a bizarre animated comedy that has been directed by documentary masterminds Bill Jones and Ben Timlett ('Monty Python: Almost the Truth - Lawyers Cut') and Jeff Simpson ('The Strictly Come Dancing Story'). The writing is credited to Graham Chapman and David Sherlock who co-wrote the fictional autobiography, but alongside extracts from the audio-book are various soundbites from other Monty Python TV appearances and pays tribute to his untimely death. It is due to his cinemas everywhere from February 8th 2013 with a DVD and Blu-Ray release date of February 18th. It is also available on demand from February 11th.

Starring: Graham Chapman, Philip Bulcock, John Cleese, Carol Cleveland, Cameron Diaz, Margarita Doyle, Terry Gilliam, Andre Jacquemin, Terry Jones & Michael Palin

Continue: A Liar's Autobiography Trailer

BBC Accused Of 'Airbrushing History' In Fawlty Towers


John Cleese

One of the UK's most popular comedy moments, The Germans episode in Fawlty Towers, was censored to avoid racist language. Instead of the positive reaction the BBC probably expected, there has instead been mass criticism levied at the national network for 'airbrushing history', the Daily Mail reports.

The episode includes John Cleese's Basil Fawlty mocking Hitler by mimicking his walk and affecting a moustache in his style. However, that's not the problem. In the original, full episode an exchange between Basil Fawlty and 'The Major'. The Daily Mail remembers the scene: "The major tells Fawlty about the time he took a woman to see India play cricket  at the Oval. He then says: 'The strange thing was, throughout the morning she kept referring to the Indians as niggers. "No, no, no," I said, "the niggers are the West Indians. These people are wogs".' The BBC removed the Major's offensive words, but in a similar vain to the outcry against the censorship of the word 'injun' in a recent publication of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. 

Taking to the pages of the BBC's 'Points of View', viewers aired their thoughts on this censorship. "You can't airbrush history away and I doubt if anyone but the terminally thin-skinned could be offended by the major, a character we're clearly supposed to laugh at rather than with," said one responder. Another asked the BBC to trust its audience, saying 'It's about time you grew up BBC, and trusted your audience. We know what is acceptable and what is not and what is funny and why, and the fact it is of a time which is now long past. We understand context, the major is a figure of fun, he doesn't whip up hatred." The Guardian agrees, writing: "Cleese and Booth, when they wrote the character of Major Gowen, were clearly not being unthinkingly racist; rather, they were satirising an English upper-class bigot."

Continue reading: BBC Accused Of 'Airbrushing History' In Fawlty Towers

Tributes For Michael Winner Roll In


Michael Winner John Cleese

British film director, actor and food writer, Michael Winner, died aged 77 today after battling a long illness. Such was his influence, both at work and away from it, the tributes are both heartfelt and ample.

His wife Geraldine confirmed his death at their home in Kensington today. Mrs Winner paid tribute to him in a statement: "Michael was a wonderful man, brilliant, funny and generous. A light has gone out in my life."

Actor John Cleese paid tribute to his friend in a statement on his website: "He was the dearest, kindest, funniest and most generous of friends. I shall miss him terribly." Restaurant critic Jay Rayner wrote on Twitter: "RIP Michael Winner. He could be absurd and made some lousy films. But he could also be a rather lovely man. Winner made life more interesting." Piers Morgan tweeted: "Very sad to hear Michael Winner has died. Hilarious, often proposterous, always generous, highly intelligent man. And terrific writer. RIP." Andrew Lloyd Webber said: "True originals come rarely in a lifetime. Madeleine and I will deeply miss you. ALW"

Continue reading: Tributes For Michael Winner Roll In

Robbie Williams, David Beckham And John Cleese Among 150-Strong Shortlist To Feature On The New £10 Note


Robbie Williams John Cleese David Beckham Diana Princess Of Wales

Robbie Williams, David Beckham, Princess Diana, and a few people actually deserving of the honour, have all been included in a 150-strong shortlist of potential replacements for Charles Darwin on the back of the £10 note.

The Bank Of England has released a list of more than 150 great Britons that have been suggested by members of the public for the honour when the new notes are printed. Currently, the Bank of England £10 notes are Series E, but are due to be replaced with the new Series F notes next year, which means a change to the person on the back of the note too.

Whilst the thought of having someone like Becks or Robbie on the English currency may have caused a series of face-palms to occur up and down the country, fortunately it is looking as though someone of genuine historic significance may take the honour instead. Phew!

Continue reading: Robbie Williams, David Beckham And John Cleese Among 150-Strong Shortlist To Feature On The New £10 Note

Monty Python Stars Sued For As Much As £1m In Royalties From The Musical Spamalot.


Monty Python John Cleese Terry Gilliam Eric Idle Terry Jones Michael Palin

An enigmatic, mysterious man dubbed the 'seventh Python' is suing the stars of Monty Python for the cash they made while performing in the musical, Spamalot, a spin off from Monty Python And The Holy Grail, Sky News reports. 

Mark Forstater - who is much less enigmatic now we know his name - is the man behind the case, which is to be heard over 5 days. He - the producer of the 1975 comedy hit - claims that he is due more money from the musical spin off. The court heard that "for financial purposes" Mr Forstater should be treated as "the seventh Python". Posters for the musical call it "a new musical lovingly ripped off from the motion picture," and due to its fantastic success, the brand has been subject to numerous merchandising opportunities, which has boosted the Python's finances considerable, with Michael Palin describing it as his "pension plan". Mr Forstater is suing all five Pythons but John Cleese and Terry Gilliam, who live abroad are not expected to give evidence. The sixth member of the team, Graham Chapman, died in 1989.

The suit will cite an agreement made back in 1974, which will entitle Forstater to a great deal more money from the recent success of the brand. This enlarged figure is thought to be able to swell to £1m. 

The Big Year Trailer


Brad Harris is having what he calls a 'no-life crisis'. He is stuck in a soul destroying job and he is still living with his parents, despite him being in his mid-thirties. The one thing that holds any interest for him is bird watching. When he discovers that this year is known to 'birders' as 'The Big Year' - one year where birders set out to find as many birds in the country as possible - Brad is determined to beat the record previously set by Kenny Postick.

Continue: The Big Year Trailer

Time Bandits Review


Extraordinary
History belongs to the victors, and Terry Gilliam takes his rightful ownership of Western history in this timeless romp through the ages. Writer and director of some of Monty Python's most enduring and foolish productions, Gilliam reaches the top of his form with Time Bandits.

Young Kevin (Craig Warnock) is a history buff trapped in the household of his shallow, materialistic parents. While they sit mindlessly in front of the television, absorbed in an insanely morbid game show, Kevin explores his history books enthusiastically, fantasizing about a more meaningful world than the one in which he lives. But when his parents finally send him to bed, his world gets a lot more interesting.

Continue reading: Time Bandits Review

Shrek 2 Review


Very Good
When Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) pulls off his helmet to reveal a hairnet in the first minute of Shrek 2, it's clear the sequel intends to match the wit and style of its predecessor. Fortunately it succeeds, finding new targets for its fairy-tale bashing humor. The result is the kind of summer escapism you don't need to lower your expectations to enjoy.

The sequel begins where part one left off. Ogre Shrek (Mike Myers) and his now equally ogre-rific wife Fiona (Cameron Diaz) embark on a hilarious honeymoon montage, complete with mermaid-tossing. They return to find Donkey (Eddie Murphy) still fulfilling his role as "annoying talking animal." Before they can kick him out, however, they receive an invitation from Fiona's parents, King Harold (John Cleese) and Queen Lillian (Julie Andrews), who want to meet their daughter's new husband. Unfortunately, they didn't see the first film, and have no idea that their daughter is now permanently of the green persuasion, as is their new son-in-law.

Continue reading: Shrek 2 Review

The World Is Not Enough Review


Weak

The honeymoon is over for Pierce Brosnan's incarnation of James Bond.

Just as Brosnan has begun to clearly distinguish his own bent on the character -- less loquacious than his predecessors, with an artful but well-bred smirk, quick to resort to lethal measures, yet an acute vulnerability when it comes to his bed mates -- most everything else that made the 1990s 007 renaissance such a smartly balanced mix of classic Bond and modern action has already been turned into a tired, caricature-like shadow of itself in "The World Is Not Enough."

The new, sassy and independent Miss Moneypenny (Samatha Bond) has been relegated back to desk duty and her banter reduced to a routine of spiritless double-entendres. Coming off her "Shakespeare In Love" Oscar win, Judi Dench's delightfully dour M has been laboriously humanized, given a conscience that doesn't suit her.

Continue reading: The World Is Not Enough Review

Die Another Day Review


OK

Until director Lee Tamahori blasts right past a perfectly good ending, only to burn a superfluous 20 minutes on an all-action, all-gimmick epilogue that leaks suspension of disbelief like a sieve, "Die Another Day" is as stimulating and heart-rate-raising as any James Bond thriller.

It has fresh new stunts (Bond goes surfin' surfin' MI6) set to energetic renditions of the Bond theme. It has an exhilarating sword fight (things get out of hand at a fencing club) and an awesome gadget car chase across a vast frozen inlet in Iceland (Bond drives an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish with missiles, pop-up machine guns, ejector seat and invisibility). It has a slithering, credibly psychotic bad guy (Toby Stephens, "Possession") who literally never sleeps, and a henchman (Rick Yune, "The Fast and the Furious") whose face is scarred by diamonds that became embedded in his skin when Bond almost blew him up with a briefcase full of jewels and C-4.

"Die Another Day" also has a modicum of success updating the series' style (slick, kinetic cinematography with swing-perspective camera tricks works well but virtual reality sequences and rock tunes on the soundtrack do not), and it takes risks with 007's invincible image. Bond is captured in the film's requisite action-packed pre-credits sequence and his torture by North Korean interrogators is blended into the sexy title song (a throwaway rave-mix tune from Madonna).

Continue reading: Die Another Day Review

Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets Review


Good

In his second big-screen outing, adolescent wizard Harry Potter is blessed with enough cinematic magic to overcome several of the very same problems that left last year's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" feeling a little protracted and rambling.

Sure "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" spends twice as much screen time on atmosphere and adventure scenes than on plot and character. But this time around every episode seems relevant, which is a vast improvement over last year's film, bloated as it was with Quidditch matches and monster moments that didn't advance the plot one iota.

Returning director Chris Columbus retains the enchanted ambiance as Harry heads to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his second year of instruction in the black arts. But nothing is ever easy for our young hero, as unseen forces seem to be conspiring against him -- not the least of which is some kind of elusive beast that's loose in Hogwarts' halls, turning students to stone.

Continue reading: Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets Review

Rat Race Review


Weak

After a generation on hiatus, the crazy, ensemble-cast chase comedy is back with an MTV vengeance in "Rat Race," a cornball marathon between a dozen second-tier stars vying for a $2 million booty.

The gimmick: To entertain his high-rolling clientele, a Las Vegas hotelier -- played by John Cleese with a slightly insane, toothy-dentured grin -- recruits an oddball assortment of zealous casino tourists to dash across the desert to New Mexico in search of a bus station locker where the loot has been stashed. The runners think it's all a zany promotion for Cleese's resort, but in the penthouse billionaires from all over the world are placing high-stakes bets on who will get there first, just for rich-guy kicks.

The players: Jon Lovitz is an chintzy, unemployed soccer dad who red-lines his minivan while dragging his family along, on the pretense of a job offer so he doesn't get chewed out for ruining their vacation. He catches hell anyway when the car breaks down outside a "white power" roadside attraction and they steal Hitler's limo to complete the pilgrimage.

Continue reading: Rat Race Review

Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone Review


OK

Overly self-indulgent director Chris Columbus could have cut out the entire middle hour of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and if you hadn't read the popular children's book, you'd never know the difference.

A good 70 percent of the picture consists of showy set pieces that don't service the plot (which we'll get to in a minute) so much as obligingly recreate unrelated passages that would be missed by the boy wizard's enthusiastic and possessive fan base had they been omitted.

One 10-minute episode is spent watching a sport called Quidditch, sort of a flying-broom version of field hockey with more than one puck and incredibly intricate rules that go largely unexplained. It's a lot like the pod race scene in "The Phantom Menace" -- irrelevant but spirited -- although with 1/10th the special effects budget. (Oh, that blatant blue-screening!)

Continue reading: Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone Review

Around The World In 80 Days Review


OK

Jules Verne might have a hard time recognizing his source material in the Jackie Chan action-comedy adaptation of "Around the World in 80 Days," but for non-purists, it's easy to forgive the many liberties taken in this funny, fleet-footed summer-matinee romp.

Although the ostensible main character is still screwball Victorian inventor Phileas Fogg (lanky Steve Coogan) -- who wagers against the stuffed shirts of the English scientific establishment that he can circumnavigate the globe in the titular time period -- this version of the story more literally revolves around Passepartout (Chan), Fogg's valet who has his own reasons for traipsing across continents.

Passepartout has stolen a jade Buddha from a Bank of London vault in order to return it to its rightful place: his native village in China. Fogg is his ticket to safe passage -- or so he thinks.

Continue reading: Around The World In 80 Days Review

John Cleese

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John Cleese

Date of birth

27th October, 1939

Occupation

Actor

Sex

Male

Height

1.96




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John Cleese Movies

Trolls Movie Review

Trolls Movie Review

Almost pathologically buoyant, this brightly colourful animated comedy is so cheeky that it's impossible to...

Monty Python And The Holy Grail - 40th Anniversary Trailer

Monty Python And The Holy Grail - 40th Anniversary Trailer

The comedians behind Monty Python have turned into household names and The Holy Grail is...

Absolutely Anything Movie Review

Absolutely Anything Movie Review

Simon Pegg continues his rollercoaster career, alternating between superior blockbuster franchises (Mission: Impossible and Star...

Absolutely Anything Trailer

Absolutely Anything Trailer

If you could change absolutely anything in the world, what would it be? This is...

Planes Movie Review

Planes Movie Review

Disney takes over Pixar's "World of Cars" with this spin-off that no-one really asked for...

Planes Trailer

Planes Trailer

Dusty is a super swift cropduster whose horsepower would be a force to be reckoned...

Planes Trailer

Planes Trailer

Dusty may be a super speedy cropdusting aircraft but there's a reason why he spends...

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A Liar's Autobiography Movie Review

A Liar's Autobiography Movie Review

Subtitled "The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman", this outrageously colourful animated movie certainly...

A Liar's Autobiography Trailer

A Liar's Autobiography Trailer

The 'Monty Python' group are returning to our screens once more with 'A Liar's Autobiography:...

The Big Year Trailer

The Big Year Trailer

Brad Harris is having what he calls a 'no-life crisis'. He is stuck in a...

Winnie The Pooh Trailer

Winnie The Pooh Trailer

Hundred Acre Wood is home to a very special group of friends, Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore,...

Shrek 2 Movie Review

Shrek 2 Movie Review

When Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) pulls off his helmet to reveal a hairnet in the...

Die Another Day Movie Review

Die Another Day Movie Review

Until director Lee Tamahori blasts right past a perfectly good ending, only to burn a...

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