When "The Aristocrats" was released last year, it was released unrated because they didn't want the NC-17 rating, and the MPAA said it was too strong to be rated R. The movie had absolutely no violence, nor did it have sex or nudity, but what it did have was a whole bunch of different comedians telling the same joke; a very vile, disgusting, vulgar joke. From the right comedian, though, the joke is pretty damn funny. The problem is that no matter how funny the comedians may be, the movie is little more than a gimmick, and it's pretty exhausting to watch. "The Aristocrats" also examines the origin of the joke, and the affect it's had in the comedy industry over the years, but none of that is very interesting. The movie does have a whole lotta talented comedians, including George Carlin, Pat Cooper, Lisa Lampanelli, Bill Maher, Kevin Pollak, Don Rickles, Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, Robin Williams, Steven Wright and many others. Out of all of them, the ones whose versions of the joke were the funniest to me were Bob Saget (that's right, the guy from "Full House"), Sarah Silverman, and Gilbert Gottfried. The documentary was put together by Paul Provenza (an actor/comedian making his feature film directorial debut) and Penn Jillette (from Penn & Teller), and although I think they did a good job, I don't think that the subject is enough for a feature-length documentary. Yes, it was funny at times, but there were also moments that felt tedious. Also, I didn't laugh nearly as much as I thought I would. The DVD is a good one, it comes with some cool supplements, but after watching the movie, I felt like I had enough of it, and felt no desire to watch any of the supplemental material. However, just so you know, it includes director commentary, a couple of featurettes, and additional footage. That's right, even more footage of comedians telling the joke. I like vulgar comedy ("blue," as it's said in the industry), so I didn't find "The Aristocrats" shocking or offensive. I just found it kinda boring.

Here are the movies being released this coming weekend...

 

"THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING" - This movie opens on Wednesday rather than Friday. I'm a big fan of the original 1974 film, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." When it was announced that a remake was being made, I was really annoyed. Why remake such a classic? Then the teaser came out, and I was impressed. Then the full trailer came out, and I was even more impressed. When the 2003 version of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" finally hit the theaters, I actually wanted to see it, and when I did, I loved it. It even made my list of Top 10 Films of 2003. Three years later, we get the prequel, which is a pretty good idea, since the sequel of the original film was kinda lame. "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning" was directed by Jonathan Liebesman (he directed "Darkness Falls"), and it stars Jordana Brewster (if she bulked up, she'd be a good "Wonder Woman") as the woman in peril. R. Lee Ermey is back as the creepy sheriff, as is Andrew Bryniarski as "Leatherface." It looks like it might be pretty good! "THE DEPARTED" - Hell yeah. Martin Scorcese made another gangster film. Is there anyone better than him at this sorta thing? I think not. I really wanna see "The Departed," and the rumors of it being extremely violent only make me wanna see it more (no one directs violence more masterfully than Scorcese). Leonardo DiCaprio, who has become Scorsese's new De Niro, stars in this film, which is a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong crime flick, "Internal Affairs," which I've never seen. Starring alongside DiCaprio are Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga (who was so good in "Running Scared"), Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Anderson, and Alec Baldwin. What a cast! Hopefully this will be the movie that will finally give Martin Scorsese's long overdue Best Director Oscar. The fact that he hasn't gotten it yet is a crime. "EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH" - Jessica Simpson is really, really hot, but not enough to make me wanna see this movie. Sure, I'll probably rent the DVD, but I won't pay to see this in the theater. As for Dane Cook, well, he was funny in "Waiting" (a movie I really liked), but I think he's overrated as a standup comedian. Dane Cook is really popular right now, everyone loves him, but I just don't see it. I've seen his standup work, and he's okay, but that's about it. In a world that gave us Richard Pryor, Don Rickles, Chris Rock, Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, and so on, Dane Cook is practically invisible to me. But like I said, he was funny in "Waiting." "Employee of the Month" was directed by Greg Coolidge, and this is his feature film directorial debut. He wrote the movie "Sorority Boys" and he helped write this one. Blah. Whatever.

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