Laugh-a-lot: My 10 best comedies of 2008

The inspiration for this post is actually two-fold, from one thing that made me laugh and one that just made me cringe.

The former comes courtesy of the surprisingly great MTV movies blog, which currently has an interview with David Fincher in which he discusses plans to take "Fight Club" to Broadway as a musical. I just have to assume he was playing the prick with them, but it was delivered as straight news, with him saying he had talked with Julie Taymor and others about what it would involve. Simply bizarre.

The second was something I saw on Variety, and I'll have to take their word for it because I'll never, ever - under penalty of torture, even - tune into anything on my TV featuring Frank Caliendo (I got way more than enough of that during the baseball playoffs anyways.) I mean, does anyone in the world think this guy is actually funny? To me he's just extremely annoying.

He did, however, apparently last night host a special about the funniest movies of 2008, or at least I think he did, since I didn't tune in. Well, if this seriously unfunny guy can say he knows funny, I can too, so here goes: My votes (simply in alphabetical order) for the 10 funniest movies of 2008 (I considered including M. Night Shyamalan's "The Happening" here, which indeed made me just laugh out loud and often, but it is the holidays after all, so I'm trying to be civil.)

Be Kind Rewind
Michel Gondry's movie just didn't charm me too much at all the first time I saw it, but I've seen it twice since on DVD and it's now quickly moving up the charts. Silly? Sure. Extremely. But the movie re-creations are almost uniformly funny, the last half hour is a sweet tribute to making movies and Mos Def's explanation of why he doesn't want to do "Driving Miss Daisy" is just priceless.

"Burn After Reading"
This is another one that I think will grow in my estimation once I watch it for a second time, but on the first go-round it still has plenty to laugh about in what is certainly one of the Coen brothers' slighter films. I'm not convinced there's any kind of real commentary about our current state of constant surveillance, but Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt and my new favorite Richard Jenkins still bring the funny.

"Hamlet 2"
Steve Coogan throws himself so completely into this portrait of a serious loser that you'll either cringe or laugh along with his misery in spite of yourself. I was often in the latter category when this flick made it to my little corner of the world for exactly one week. It's worth it for that "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" finale alone, but Coogan, Elizabeth Shue (yes, that Elizabeth Shue) and Catherine Keener also were all just a delight to watch.

"In Bruges"
I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, but writer/director Martin McDonagh's flick just keeps getting crazier and crazier until a finale that will just leave you scratching your head. Along the way, however, he gives hitmen Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell easily the funniest dialogue of 2008, and they just run with it.

"Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist"
I certainly don't mind crude or even occasionally cruel comedy, but to me it still works best when a director has affection for the subjects he's poking fun at, as Peter Sollett clearly did here with New Jersey's bridge-and-tunnel kids. When I hit the IMDB to make sure I was spelling his name right I found out he was unfortunately now writing a remake of "Footloose," but don't let that stop you from watching Michael Cera and Kat Dennings in this sweet little flick that soon will find a home on my list of the 10 best flicks of 2008.

"Pineapple Express"
Of all the movies on this list, I suspect this stoner comedy will have the shortest shelf life (not unlike even the best buzz, I suppose.) Even so, it's well worth watching for James Franco's performance as the happy-go-lucky dealer, just a comic hoot, and the most painful looking amateur fight scene I've seen in years.

"Soul Men"
I don't know exactly why I was so convinced that the late great Bernie Mac and Sam the Man Jackson palling around as aging "Soul Men" wouldn't be funny, but I'm glad I finally got over that barrier before it left the theaters (though it's still, somehow, playing at our Regal branch yet again in the coming week. Amazing.) When it's crude, director Malcolm Lee's flick is too often also just stupid, but when it's just the Mac man and Mr. Jackson riffing it has a definite appeal, and it's a fitting if way too early way for Bernie to leave us.

"Tropic Thunder"
This was the flick in which Jack Black just reached the saturation point for me, and he'll have to do something really funny (and a lot less annoying) to win me back. That said, Ben Stiller still managed to craft an almost razor sharp satire on Hollywood action flicks, and if you haven't seen Robert Downey Jr. in black face yet, I have to wonder if you even like to laugh at all.

"Vicky Christina Barcelona"
Though there are a lot of heavyweight contenders coming in the next week as I hit NYC with my parents, I'm still fairly certain Woody Allen's lighter-than-air flick will also find a home on my 2008 top 10 list. Even with the thoroughly unnecessary narrator, Rebecca Hall is enchanting, Scarlett Johansson is a lot less annoying than usual and Penelope Cruz is just manically entertaining in every bit of the brief time she gets on screen.

"Zack and Miri Make a Porno"
It's been far too long since Kevin Smith showed up on a list like this, but he certainly deserves it for this mostly satisfying flick. Like, I suppose, an actual porno, it loses it charm before the finish, but along the way Elizabeth Banks and Seth Rogen make a great comedy duo, the high school reunion is very funny and the money shot (sorry, I had to) comes with an anal sex joke that will make perhaps even the most prudish comedy fans laugh out loud as they are simultaneously blushing.

So, there you have it. Please feel free to add any 2008 comedies I may have missed, and have a perfectly passable Tuesday. In an effort to make that more attainable, here's a shot of the simply stunning Carla Gugino in the upcoming "Women in Trouble," which certainly doesn't need to be spoiled by any more words from me. Peace out.

When it comes to comedy, the Golden Globes get a whole lot right

Since it's all about comedy here today, I was initially very happy to see that very-funny-lady Lauren Graham is finally coming back to primetime TV (and only seven years after "Gilmore Girls" left the air, what the hell's up with that?) Once I found out what her show was going to be, however, most of my excitement quickly disappeared.

I'm not sure when this would ever try and make the air, but ABC has given a production commitment to a new comedy which would star Graham as a self-help guru who teaches women how to live a stress-free life, but struggles to follow her own advice when her boyfriend dumps her. Just in case that doesn't sound "meh" enough for you, this comes from "Will and Grace" writer Alex Herschlag, so even if we don't get real laughs there should at least be a laugh track in stitches.

However, if you had told me that a show about a single mom and her teenage daughter would be my favorite thing on all of TV for six years or so (let's just forget the final season), I never would have believed you, so I'll at least give this one a chance for Lauren Graham alone if it indeed ever makes it onto the air.

But, like I said, it's all about comedy here today, thanks to the Golden Globes, which will be handed out Jan. 11 on NBC. Though I really wish they wouldn't lump musicals and comedies together in the same together, it's enough to get me to tune in for some of the broadcast that they bother to recognize comedy at all, and this year's they've tapped some real winners in the comedic actress and actor categories.

Starting with the Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical, I was very happy to see they recognized two of my favorite flicks of the year, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and - surprisingly - "In Bruges." Woody Allen's flick is just lighter than air and a ton of fun, and "In Bruges," despite it's truly head-scratching WTF ending, contains the funniest dialogue of the year and great performances from Colin Farrell, Ralph Fiennes and most of all the fantastic Brendan Gleeson. I would have liked to have seen "Tropic Thunder" and, even more, Peter Sollett's seriously satisfying "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" make the cut, but some good choices all the same.

But, with this being a musical/comedy category and the roster being rounded out by "Burn After Reading," "Happy-Go-Lucky" (which I can't wait to see at the end of the year in NYC) and "Mamma Mia!", I'd have to imagine the award will go to the only musical on the list. Sheesh.

And it was great to see the love for Woody's thoroughly fun flick continue in the best actress/actor comedy/musical lists. Rebecca Hall carried the movie as Vicky, and she's landed a well-deserved best actress/comedy nomination up against some real heavyweights: Sally Hawkins in "Happy-Go-Unlucky", Frances McDormand in "Burn After Reading", Meryl Streep in "Mamma Mia!" and Emma Thompson in "Last Chance Harvey." If I were a betting man, which I no longer am, I'd say it will come down to Streep and Hawkins, with Hawkins pulling an upset.

Also from "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," Javier Bardem gets a nod in the best actor comedy/musical category for his portrayal of the Lothario Juan Antonio, and he's up against easily some of the best comedic performances of 2008 (and one I haven't seen yet): Both Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson for "In Bruges", Dustin Hoffman for "Last Chance Harvey" and, in the real surprise, James Franco for "Pineapple Express." As much as I love the guys from "In Bruges," I'd give my vote to Franco's portrayal of the thoughtful stoner, but put my money on Hoffman.

Comedy shines through in the supporting categories too, if not as bright. Since I'm determined to mention "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" in every paragraph of this post, and perhaps convince anyone who hasn't done so already to watch it when it finally hits DVD, I have to add that the best thing of all about it was Penelope Cruz's manic turn as Juan Antonio's estranged wife, the thoroughly crazy Maria Elena. She's at her best in her natural Spanish, and here it just comes flying fast and almost always very funny.

I actually think she might win this one, in which she's up against Amy Adams and Viola Davis for "Doubt", Marisa Tomei for "The Wrestler" and Kate Winslet for "The Reader." Though my heart's with Cruz, I'd put my money in a very close vote on Tomei.

(As the final word on Woody Allen, I'll just add that he's returning to New York City this year with grumpy and very funny old dude Larry David as his leading man in "Whatever Works." That should just be a treat.)

And, finally, in the supporting actor category they've tapped what for me was the best comedic performance of 2008, Robert Downey Jr.'s turn in "Tropic Thunder." Even if you somehow haven't seen the movie yet, you've surely seen the photos of him in black face to play actor-extraordinaire Kirk Lazarus. A gimmick, sure, but along with Brandon T. Jackson as Alpa Chino (yes, that's right) he gets all the movies best lines and just makes the most of them, especially in the flawlessly offensive "full retard" speech.

His competition in the supporting actor category includes another turn in "Tropic Thunder," Tom Cruise's seriously overrated drop-in as movie mogul Les Grossman, plus Ralph Fiennes in "The Duchess", Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Doubt" and the late Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight." I have to think Ledger will rightly take this one, as he will on Oscar night too.

As a final word about supporting actors and comedy, the globes snubbed one other performance that just combined the two perfectly, Brad Pitt's turn as Rusty in "Burn After Reading." The movie was only good at best, but he was a dimwitted delight to watch.

And speaking of Pitt, I'll leave you with this photo from the set of Quentin Tarantino's World War II flick "Inglorious Basterds." Though he looks more like someone you might find standing on the corner in a trench coat, he's apparently the ring leader of the "Basterds," who will also rather incredibly include B.J. Novak of "The Office" and Samm Levine, a k a Neal Schweiber from "Freaks and Geeks." Peace out.