Airplane! ushered in a golden age of movie spoofs, but formulaic modern examples threaten to destroy the genre, says Alex Godfrey Vampires Suck, a parody of the Twilight saga, opened in America this summer to predictably diabolical reviews. Predictably to a) anyone who saw the trailer, seemingly a two-minute exercise in whatever the opposite of comedy is, and to b), anyone who's seen any prior work by the co-writers/directors Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg. These two are the poster boys for a recent spate of spoof movies which, in a very short space of time, are being held responsible for the perceived downfall of the entire genre (despite, to critics' dismay, their astonishingly healthy profits).
It's something of a surprise that this latest one has a title that might have taken more than half a second to come up with - usually these things have titles generic enough to let the culturally lobotomised teenagers who watch them know immediately what they'll be watching. If you've seen Disaster Movie, Date Movie or Superhero Movie, you know what you're in for. Although parodies are almost as old as cinema, taking in Buster Keaton, Abbott and Costello and Mel Brooks, the spoof genre as we know it came into its own with the release of Airplane! in 1980. Written and directed by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker (aka ZAZ), Airplane!, now 30 years old, kick-started the whole movement. The ZAZ team came up with the idea after stumbling across the airplane disaster movie Zero Hour (1957), used it as a jumping-off point to parody the entire genre, and struck gold by stealing non-comedic actors (Leslie Nielsen, Robert Stack, Peter Graves) from that genre and getting them to deadpan lines such as "I am serious... and don't call me Shirley." Police Squad, a classic but short-lived TV series in the same vein, followed, in turn leading to the Naked Gun trilogy, making a comedy superstar of Nielsen, who never looked back.
Maybe he should have done. Despite some inventive spoofs in the late 1990s such as Galaxy Quest and Austin Powers, which brought fresh air to the genre, the turn of the millennium gave birth to an ugly new breed. Scary Movie was produced by the Weinstein brothers, directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, and written by a whole host of people, including two more Wayans brothers... and Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg. Scary Movie and its first sequel, parodies of Wes Craven's Scream (somewhat redundant, as Scream was, in some ways, a sideways parody of Craven's own slasher films), lacked the wit, invention and charm of Airplane! and TheNaked Gun, and took cheap pot-shots at the big films of the day, including The Blair Witch Project, The Matrix, and The Usual Suspects. They also made very healthy profits - the first one cost $19m (Dh70m) and grossed $277m. Naturally, Hollywood went nuts.
What happened next was less predictable, and a little disheartening to Airplane! fans. The Wayans brothers jumped ship, and the Weinsteins drafted in none other than Airplane!'s David Zucker to spearhead Scary Movie 3. Despite claiming that he wasn't interested at first, Zucker says Bob Weinstein's idea to spoof The Ring and Signs appealed to him, and by the time the film was finished it contained references to anything and everything that was going on in American pop culture, from 8 Mile to American Idol.
Zucker brought along Nielsen, whose mere presence provides a connection to the golden era, and almost gives the film some weight. But the material gets the better of him. Scary Movie 4 followed suit, taking on The Grudge, War of the Worlds, TheVillage, and even Tom Cruise's sofa-jumping Oprah appearance. What Zucker didn't know was that this new approach would pave the way for the oncoming slew of films that would threaten to destroy the whole genre. Friedberg and Seltzer's directorial debut was 2006's Date Movie, a cretinous romcom parody that set their formula in stone, and Epic Movie, Disaster Movie, Meet the Spartans and Vampires Suck quickly followed - five releases in as many years. Their films feature little in the way of plot, and are more a compendium of loosely stitched together pop-culture references - even Meet the Spartans, a period film that spoofs 300, manages to shoehorn in Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and The Apprentice. Whereas Airplane!'s comedy was timeless, these new spoofs are made for the moment, the risk of being outdated within months of little concern. Critics have called Friedberg and Seltzer signifiers of the decline of western civilisation, but it makes little difference, with each film recouping almost its entire budget on opening weekend alone.
Explaining the success of his own spoofs a few years ago, Mel Brooks cited "the hatred that the rednecks have for the black sheriff" as the "engine" that ran Blazing Saddles. "That's the explosion behind it," he said. "You can't just do spoofs, you've got to have a point of view." Superhero Movie, out in 2008, was another poor addition to the genre, and although it might not have had much of a point of view, it at least attempted to stand on its own feet. Produced by David Zucker, it was written and directed by Scary Movie 3 and 4's co-writer Craig Mazin. Lighter on the pop-culture references (although not substantially so), it was originally planned to be more of a conventional comedy than an out-and-out spoof, with its own plot and characters.
Mazin says he and Zucker "got about halfway there" before the studio process got the better of them. "Over time there was some pressure," he said, "and I understand this because spoof has evolved somewhat from the days of Airplane! and not evolved like it's gotten better." The powers that be insist "on loading these movies with pop-culture references," he said. "That was something we always struggled with."
Still, all hope is not lost. There are people working independently of the new guard and producing good work. Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan's fantastic Walk Hard lampooned the whole rock biopic genre - not just Walk the Line - and, echoing Brooks's school of thought, Apatow said what he was really getting at was "movies that feel like they want Oscars". This month sees the US release of Black Dynamite, a lovingly crafted take on blaxploitation films, as much a homage as it is a parody. While not nearly as funny as the likes of Airplane! and The Naked Gun, it displays a real affection for the films it spoofs, as well as impressive attention to detail.
The filmmakers have said they want viewers to almost think they're watching a real blaxploitation movie, the only difference being, according to the co-creator/lead actor Michael Jai White, is that it's "10 per cent a little too extreme". Compared with most of the spoofs being churned out today, Black Dynamite's craftsmanship is a revolution.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
VERSTAPPEN'S FIRSTS
Youngest F1 driver (17 years 3 days Japan 2014)
Youngest driver to start an F1 race (17 years 166 days – Australia 2015)
Youngest F1 driver to score points (17 years 180 days - Malaysia 2015)
Youngest driver to lead an F1 race (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest driver to set an F1 fastest lap (19 years 44 days – Brazil 2016)
Youngest on F1 podium finish (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest F1 winner (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest multiple F1 race winner (Mexico 2017/18)
Youngest F1 driver to win the same race (Mexico 2017/18)
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How they line up for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix
1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2 Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
4 Max Verstappen, Red Bull
5 Kevin Magnussen, Haas
6 Romain Grosjean, Haas
7 Nico Hulkenberg, Renault
*8 Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull
9 Carlos Sainz, Renault
10 Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
11 Fernando Alonso, McLaren
12 Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren
13 Sergio Perez, Force India
14 Lance Stroll, Williams
15 Esteban Ocon, Force India
16 Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso
17 Marcus Ericsson, Sauber
18 Charles Leclerc, Sauber
19 Sergey Sirotkin, Williams
20 Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso
* Daniel Ricciardo qualified fifth but had a three-place grid penalty for speeding in red flag conditions during practice
The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
Why are you, you?
Why are you, you?
From this question, a new beginning.
From this question, a new destiny.
For you are a world, and a meeting of worlds.
Our dream is to unite that which has been
separated by history.
To return the many to the one.
A great story unites us all,
beyond colour and creed and gender.
The lightning flash of art
And the music of the heart.
We reflect all cultures, all ways.
We are a twenty first century wonder.
Universal ideals, visions of art and truth.
Now is the turning point of cultures and hopes.
Come with questions, leave with visions.
We are the link between the past and the future.
Here, through art, new possibilities are born. And
new answers are given wings.
Why are you, you?
Because we are mirrors of each other.
Because together we create new worlds.
Together we are more powerful than we know.
We connect, we inspire, we multiply illuminations
with the unique light of art.
Ben Okri,
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Abandon
Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay
Translated by Arunava Sinha
Tilted Axis Press
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
