Shrek :: Mike Myers :: Austin Powers - International Man of Mystery

Seems like recently on this blog I'm spending a lot of time realizing that a lot of the stars in these movies have really fallen off in quality.  Enter: Mike Myers.

But I'm going to try something different on this entry.  I won't be bagging on Mike for making crap like The Love Guru.  There are lots of other places on the web where you can find that.  Instead I'll keep it positive for as long as I can.

I was in college when Austin Powers came out.  I always remember when a bunch of guys from my floor in the dorms went to see it.  Jorge from across the hall came in afterward and said that the bald guy was really funny... you know... Telly Savalas. Unfortunately for Jorge, he was referring to Mike Myers' second role as Dr. Evil.  We gave him shit for that for a long time.

But he was right.  In the case of this film, Austin Powers is funniest because of Dr. Evil.  As with most great franchises, the hero can only be as cool as the villains he's fighting.  James Bond was at his best against over-the-top villains like Goldfinger and Jaws.  The action figures on G.I. Joe's team were boring.  Give me Destro's silver head over Leatherneck any day of the week.  He-Man's allies sucked (I'm looking at you, Man-At-Arms).  Give me Trap-Jaw with moving jaw piece and interchangeable arm-weapons, Tri-Klops with the spinning eye piece, Kobra Khan who squirted water when you pressed his head down, or even Stinkor, the figure that smelled like a skunk (I think my parents threw that one away because of the smell... though I'll never be sure).

But I digress.  Austin Powers' best scene: Dr. Evil and his son, Scott Evil, in group therapy.

Coming To America :: Eddie Murphy :: Shrek

Moving on through my DVDs, I get more Eddie Murphy. This time in voiceover form as Donkey, the talking donkey, from Shrek.

There are some movies I own because they are incredible films that I can watch over and over and over again.  There are other movies I own because I liked the movie one time I saw it, and the DVD was on sale for less than five bucks.  Shrek definitely belongs in the second category.

I originally saw Shrek in the theater and was thoroughly entertained.  It just doesn't hold up for me on multiple viewings. I'm not sure if the jokes just weren't that funny to begin with and I was brainwashed by viewing with an audience, or if they're the kind of jokes that are really funny the first time you hear them and then get annoying upon repetition.  I'm sure, "Why did the chicken cross the road?  To get to the other side," was really funny at first.  Just like "Orange you glad I didn't say banana?" and people who, when asked if they got a haircut, say, "No, I got them all cut."

I loathe those people.

But then again, I annoy the hell out of people with my dumb jokes from the Naked Gun (You: "Gum?"  Me: "Yes, it is."), candy bar commercials (You: "Hungry?"  Me: "Grab a Snickers."), and Simpsons quotes ("Where's my burrito! Where's my burrito!").  So maybe I should just give Shrek a break.