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By the time Coming to America rolled around in 1988, Eddie Murphy had already conquered the world—or at least Hollywood’s paycheck machine—with 48 Hrs., Trading Places, and Beverly Hills Cop. He seemed unstoppable. So it must’ve sounded like gold-colored alchemy when someone whispered, “How about playing not one but seven characters, including a queen and … Read More “Coming to America (1988): Eddie Murphy Takes a Royal Dump on Good Taste (And Somehow Gets Richer for It)” »

There are movies that try too hard to be funny. Then there’s ¡Three Amigos!, a film that wears its stupidity like a bedazzled sombrero—and somehow makes it look good. John Landis, riding the tail end of his hot streak and nursing a hangover from Spies Like Us, somehow wrangled Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin … Read More “¡Three Amigos! (1986): When Three Idiots Rode into the Desert and Took Stupidity to Glory” »

There’s a special kind of disappointment reserved for comedies that star two legends and still manage to suck the air out of the room like a black hole in a tuxedo. Spies Like Us is that kind of disappointment. Directed by John Landis, who at this point had already played fast and loose with tone … Read More “Spies Like Us (1985): A Cold War Comedy So Cold It Froze the Jokes” »

There’s something about Into the Night that feels like waking up in the wrong motel room with someone else’s pants and a new sense of purpose. It’s a comedy. It’s a thriller. It’s a noir. It’s also possibly the most disoriented movie ever made about a man trying to catch some sleep and ending up … Read More “Into the Night (1985): Goldblum, Pfeiffer, and the Midnight Hangover You Didn’t Know You Needed” »

Ah, the ‘80s—when Reaganomics was hot, cocaine was diet-friendly, and Eddie Murphy could light up a room just by laughing. Trading Places is a relic of that particular time capsule. It’s a Wall Street fairy tale covered in caviar and Reagan sweat, served with a smirk and a little too much casual bigotry. Directed by … Read More “Trading Places (1983): Capitalism, Cross-Dressing, and the Curious Case of the Dukes’ Coked-Up Moral Compass” »

“Coming Soon” is not a movie. It’s a 55-minute clip show in a cheap tuxedo, puffing on a cigar made of celluloid, leering at the golden age of Universal horror while picking popcorn kernels out of its dentures. Directed by John Landis and stitched together like Frankenstein’s Monster on a discount budget, the film is … Read More “Coming Soon (1982): John Landis’ Nostalgic Dumpster Fire in a Tuxedo” »

John Landis’ The Blues Brothers is like a drunk uncle at a wedding reception—it starts off entertaining, maybe even charming, but by the third hour of slurred speeches and sweaty dancing, you’re wondering if someone should cut the mic and drive him home. It’s part musical, part chase film, part SNL-sketch-gone-feral, and depending on your … Read More “The Blues Brothers (1980): Mission from God or Just a Mission That Took Too Long?” »

Animal House didn’t just change comedy—it nuked it from orbit, danced on the ashes, and hosed the remains down with stale keg beer. Directed by John Landis with all the discipline of a rabid raccoon in a fraternity sweatshirt, this is the film that declared war on good taste, declared victory, and then mooned the … Read More “Animal House” (1978): The Film That Stuck a Middle Finger Up at Decency and Made It a National Pastime” »

You ever walk into a truck stop bathroom and find a stained, dog-eared comic book duct-taped to the urinal? That’s The Kentucky Fried Movie—a patchwork of absurdity, filth, and genius, produced with the grace of a drunken mime stumbling through a fireworks warehouse. And like that bathroom comic book, it’s offensive, it’s weirdly arousing in … Read More “The Kentucky Fried Movie” (1977): Greasy, Offensive, and Gloriously Stupid” »

By 1977, Mario Bava was like the aging lead singer of a once-great band playing to half-empty nightclubs, crooning past hits to disinterested drunkards. Shock—his final film as a director before cashing out of this mortal coil—is the cinematic equivalent of a farewell tour that forgot the setlist. It’s not so much a horror film … Read More “Shock (1977): Mario Bava’s Final Flick Is a Paranormal Faceplant” »