Watch Bad Movies with Great Comedians @ CCA, Glasgow
The bloke at the ticket office was smiling tonight as people asked where they could see the bad movie. For every so often a show comes along with an idea that just makes you want to shout 'YES!' Creators Joe Heenan and Billy Kirkwood have one of those shows here. Anyone familiar with Screen Junkies' Honest Trailers YouTube series should take to this night – only rather than just the trailer there's a whole film. Kirkwood and Heenan have chosen the "anti-classic" to screen and then, as we all watch on in horror, provide the film's antidote with their anti-commentary.
Back in March, the two comedians premiered this format at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival and didn't shy from bringing He-Man down to size. How though would they follow Masters of the Universe? Their film choice tonight didn't disappoint. With guest Stu Murphy our hosts were soon ripping the guts out of Jaws, or specifically Jaws 4: The Revenge. If the original Jaws is the definitive man vs nature movie, number 4 is an inadvertently surreal sequel. As it was put tonight, "This is Mum v Shark."
All three took particular delight when discussing Michael Caine's character Hoagie – not Caine's finest hour – and in addition to the humour provide some nice trivia to satisfy film buffs as much as the comedy crowd. "At this time Michael Caine won an Oscar", we're informed, before our commentators add, "though not for this film". Towards the end of the movie, as the shark goes to take a bite out of a plane Caine has just landed on water, Kirkwood does his civic and comedic duty with the shout, "You're only supposed to chew the bloody doors off," eliciting an enormous roar from the audience.
There are now plans to bring more anti-classics back to the big screen, with Batman and Robin the next bad movie lined up for the titular Great Comedian treatment. If Heenan and Kirkwood can curate these movies with the art they have started with, it's difficult to see what can stop this becoming a favourite and regular night for comedy and film fans alike.