‘Land of the Lost’ Ridicules False Scientific Consensus Claims

The new Will Ferrell comedy, Land of the Lost, based on an astoundingly bad mid-1970s children’s show produced by Sid and Marty Krofft, is typical of Farrell’s films–it’s funny, imaginative, action-filled, nonsensical, and essentially well-meaning. Unlike most of his comedies, however, it didn’t get a very good start at the U.S. box office, and it received very poor reviews.

Certainly there isn’t even a pretense at a coherent narrative or interesting, complex, plausible characters in Land of the Lost. Given that those are among the things critics tend to praise, it’s hardly a surprise that the film has gotten awful reviews.

Nonetheless, Land of the Lost is quite enjoyable. Despite the claims of some critics who seem disposed to hate everything about it, the movie is quite funny, with many instances of Ferrell’s usual blustering and amusing comeuppances as well as numerous funny comments by Danny McBride as Ferrell’s reluctant and cowardly sidekick. Jorma Taccone’s performance as Chaka is also very risible at times.

Moreover, there is actually a very good, important, and timely thought in Land of the Lost. In a very amusing way, the film satirizes the current-day perversion of science in which claims of consensus are used as a blunt instrument to shout down opposing ideas. (more…)

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Tags: consensus, Global warming, Land of the Lost, science, Will Farrell
Posted Jun 10th 2009 at 8:28 am in Politics, Reviews | 155434One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/stkarnick/2009/06/10/farrells-land-of-the-lost-ridicules-false-scientific-consensus-claims/%27Land+of+the+Lost%27+Ridicules+False+Scientific+Consensus+Claims2009-06-10+15%3A28%3A55S.T.+Karnick

On the Wisdom of an Eleven Year Old Boy in ‘Land of the Lost’

A review, in which a father takes full responsibility for not reading the reviews before entering the theater.

This past Friday, my wife and I picked up the kids from their Catholic grade school in Alexandria, Virginia.  As the two girls were being dropped at a friend’s house for the day, we decided (on the spur of the moment) to surprise the boy with a trip to the movies.  We figured “Land of the Lost” would be harmless enough for an eleven-year-old boy and might provide a few laughs for the adults.

All you need to know is that I was compelled to ask, “What the heck is this rated?” within the first five minutes of the movie.  Kids, this was not your father’s “Land of the Lost.”  I might have only been about my son’s age when the Sid & Marty Krofft TV show was a Saturday morning staple 30 years ago, but I am 100% sure that I would have remembered it if one of the characters had dropped the F-Bomb.  (more…)

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Tags: "F-Bomb", Land of the Lost, PG-13, sexism, will ferrell
Posted Jun 9th 2009 at 5:03 am in Featured Story, Politics, Reviews | 15466610 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mcorallo/2009/06/09/on-the-wisdom-of-an-eleven-year-old-boy-in-the-land-of-the-lost/On+the+Wisdom+of+an+Eleven+Year+Old+Boy+in+%27Land+of+the+Lost%272009-06-09+12%3A03%3A29Mark+Corallo

Land of the Left

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Tags: Fox News, Land of the Lost, Megyn Kelly, Obamerica, will ferrell
Posted Jun 7th 2009 at 2:14 pm in Entertainment, Political Humor | 153870No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cmuir/2009/06/07/land-of-the-left/Land+of+the+Left2009-06-07+21%3A14%3A23Chris+Muir

Summer Movie Season: The Good, the Bad and the Maybe — Part II: Those We Dread

Last week was a look at 5 summer films worthy of both ten-bucks and clock watching, next go-round will be those we’re unsure about, but today there’s no doubt a beating’s in store for anyone foolish enough to drop the jing. We will though, because during summer a cool poster promising explosions is all we ask.

May 1st:  X-Men Origins: Wolverine – X-Men represents the most forgettable superhero franchise ever.  To be fair, the only reason I remember those “Fantastic Four” flicks more is because of how hard they sucked, but over three films and 6-plus hours the only “X-Men” scene that made any kind of impression was Magneto’s escape in the first or second one. The Wolverine trailer promises more of the same: obvious special effects but no “moment,” and Hugh Jackman remains a phenomenon all too common these days: a television-level talent working on the big screen. (more…)

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Tags: ghosts of girlfriends past, GI Joe, Land of the Lost, star trek, Summer Movie Season
Posted Apr 17th 2009 at 6:39 am in Entertainment | 107946No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/04/17/summer-movie-season-the-good-the-bad-and-the-maybe-part-ii-those-we-dread/Summer+Movie+Season%3A+The+Good%2C+the+Bad+and+the+Maybe+--+Part+II%3A+Those+We+Dread2009-04-17+13%3A39%3A56John+Nolte