FRIDAY 30 OCTOBER, 2015
TENACIOUS D IN THE PICK OF DESTINY (2006)
ears before he reached his cinematic breakthrough, Black Ycaught the eye of discerning HBO subscribers through Tenacious D, a series based around the fake musical exploits of the real-life “mock rock” duo he’d co-founded with fellow actor-musician Kyle Gass. The pair filmed a trio of episodes with Mr. Show’s David Cross and Bob Odenkirk, and although the first episode didn’t set the world on fire when it aired in 1997 - HBO neglected to broadcast the other two until 2000 - Tenacious D’s act contributed to the steadily growing cult around the “band’s” brash frontman, and when they finally got around to releasing their debut LP in 2001, it cracked the Top 40 and paved the way for their big-screen debut, 2003’s Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, co-starring Ronnie James Dio as himself and Dave Grohl as Satan.
BE KIND REWIND (2008) KING KONG (2005) or film fans of a certain age, the phrase “be kind rewind” Fwill forever conjure memories of the stickers affixed to lack’s obviously quite adept at getting laughs, but his gift VHS rentals begging customers not to return their tapes Bfor playing creeps also lends itself to drama - as director without rewinding them first - but by 2008, VHS had been all Peter Jackson obviously recognized while casting his big-bud- but consigned to the format graveyard, making Be Kind get remake of King Kong, tapping Black to play Carl Denham, Rewind the perfect title for a movie about a hapless video the financially tenuous (and morally bankrupt) filmmaker store clerk (Yasiin Bey) whose knuckleheaded friend (Black) whose quest for a hit sets in motion the chain of events that accidentally erases every single tape in stock right after the brings a certain giant gorilla to New York and unleashes a hail owner (Danny Glover) leaves town. Forced to act fast, the of CG-assisted destruction. The original Kong remains a tower- duo set about remaking (“swedeing”) movies on the fly, ing classic, and Jackson’s version was destined to remain in its inadvertently sparking a neighborhood craze for their unin- shadow long before cameras rolled, but it still acquitted itself tentionally hilarious low-budget attempts to recreate films fairly admirably; in fact, as far as some critics were concerned, like Ghostbusters and Rush Hour 2 - and single-handedly it might even deserve to be considered a classic in its own reviving the financial fortunes of the store just as it’s set to right. meet the wrecking ball at the hand of a heartless building owner intent on gentrifying his property.
KUNG FU PANDA FRANCHISE he humor potential inherent in casting a husky funnyman BERNIE (2012) Tas an unlikely martial arts enthusiast is as obvious as it is deceptively tricky to unlock - witness Chris Farley in Beverly Hills Ninja - so DreamWorks Animation casting Jack Black to nder the right conditions and parceled out in the voice a rotund panda who becomes a kung fu master might Uproper doses, Black’s stereotypical on-screen per- have seemed a little on the nose when Kung Fu Panda was sona can be irresistible, which is probably why he’s so announced. Sometimes the obvious choice is the best one, rarely been asked to step outside that box over the however, and that’s clearly been the case for Black in the role years - but when he does, the results can be extremely of Po, the panda whose journey from noodle shop to prophe- gratifying, as he proved with his starring turn in Bernie. cy-fulfilling glory has expanded to fill three theatrical features, A uniquely twisted, fact-based drama that reunited a TV series, animated shorts, a video game, and even a Black with his School of Rock director Richard Linklater, planned live show - not to mention critical acclaim and more Bernie led viewers through the incredibly odd story of than a billion in box-office receipts. a Texas mortician whose surprising friendship with a cantankerous widow (Shirley MacLaine) comes to a very bad end - and opens one of the odder chapters in modern small-town American jurisprudence. TROPIC THUNDER (2008) (www.rottentomatoes.com) en Stiller’s experiences as a bit player on Empire of Bthe Sun inspired him to write this barbed Hollywood satire about a group of pampered actors (led by Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey, Jr. in blackface) whose entitled behavior leads their exasperated director (Steve Coogan) to try using a little cinema verite on their war movie, with decidedly unintended results. Each of the stars embodies a particular type of stereotypical Hollywood excess; for Black, portraying the drug-addled comedian Jeff Portnoy offered an opportunity to lam- poon the self-serious efforts of lowbrow (and filthy rich) comics who try to prove their depth by “going serious.”