| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| BaftaBaby |
Posted - 08/18/2008 : 17:23:21
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
Oh, no - don't tell me I'm going to end up an Adam Sandler fan! Well, I dunno, the films are suspect, deeply suspect. But after Chuck and Larry I had to admit he was taking the ersatz Jerry Lewis sad-sack persona and not only making it his own, but actually using it to say things.
It's sad that the things he wants to say are aimed at a slice of society who can only accept them wrapped up in crassness. It's in the same ballpark I guess as Till Death Do Us Part [All in the Family in its US remake], or Loadsamoney or Al Murray the Pub Landlord.
So when Sandler wants to say something about homophobia he's been around comedy long enough to know his target audiences can only accept the message if he appears to be one of them. He captures them because they identify, and then they can't escape the transition.
I'm not sure there was anything else in the films he did before that, except Anger Management and Punch-Drunk Love, and especially Click .
Zohan is far more dense tackling, as it does, racial stereotypes as embodied in the Middle East conflict. Teaming up again with Chuck and Larry director Denis Dugan, Sandler - who also co-produced and co-wrote with Judd Apatow - plays a legendary Israeli Special Forces agent whose exploits against Palestinian terrorist The Phantom keep him from his real dream to become a famous hair-stylist.
The fact that The Phantom is played by John Tuturro - with all the comic expertise he displays in The Big Lebowski - or that other Palestinians are played by Filipinos and Moroccans probably says more about Hollywood than politics. One thing about Sandler, he's really loyal to his friends and has built the kind of repertoire that puts him in a creative comfort zone.
That audiences agree can be quantified - he reputedly received $1,700,000 for one of his early hits, Billy Madison. For Zohan he got $25,000,000 against a quarter of the gross.
To get to the message of hey, shmucks, we're all the same, we're all in this mess of a world together -- you do have to wade through a lot of crotch action, several shots of Sandler's naked shakin' booty, ludicrous trivialisations of lonely old women getting shtupped and blow dried, and some fine comic action parodying Bond-to-Bourne. The real villain of the piece turns out to be the new Satan - property moguls.
Lucky Sandler's not in that game, eh -- he could buy a lot of hair salons for $25million.
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| 14 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| randall |
Posted - 10/10/2008 : 22:02:51
At least we have the world's yummiest bagels.
I am not a particular Sandler fan, but he can pluck the odd laugh from me out of sheer audacity. However, I'd wager those few moments in ZOHAN for me must have come from the co-writer who hasn't yet been mentioned, Robert Smigel [creator of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and a big factor behind the current DAILY SHOW]. As in the concept-similar and far funnier THE HEBREW HAMMER, I'm sure lots of jokes went over my head [this is by you a joke?], but just the fact of Jews writing about the possibility of Arab-Israeli relations is worth enduring a less smiley film. I didn't laugh all that much [enough with the hummus!], but I'll take this one over the oleaginous CHUCK & LARRY any day. |
| BaftaBaby |
Posted - 08/28/2008 : 07:52:49
quote:
Originally posted by ChocolateLady
With all due respect, making it from canned chick peas just isn't the same as if you take them, soak them, cook them and then do all the rest.
Yeah, I've done both and of course you are right. It's just that many people don't have the time, and a good quality organic tinned chick pea tastes pretty nice and the end result is pretty yummy, too! 
PS - BiggerBoat's garnish is good too  
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| ChocolateLady |
Posted - 08/28/2008 : 06:40:35
With all due respect, making it from canned chick peas just isn't the same as if you take them, soak them, cook them and then do all the rest. |
| BiggerBoat |
Posted - 08/27/2008 : 17:08:20
quote:
Originally posted by BaftaBabe
So easy to make if you have a good food processor.
1. Drain a tin of chick peas into the processor.
2. Add large dollop of either light or dark tahini [mix well if oil has separated].
3. Smush as many peeled garlic cloves as you like and bung them in too.
4. Add some freshly squeezed lemon juice. A bit of seasalt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
5. Optional - add some olive oil.
6. Blitz together at high setting until it forms a smoothy smooth paste.
7. Scrape out of processor into suitable container and store in fridge - if it lasts long enough. It will keep for quite a while.
You can experiment with quantities of ingredients - you want a balance of chick pea and tahini flavour. Some people like it rough - if that's you, stop mixing before it gets too smooth.
Enjoy
7. Taste
I always add a *little* parika/cayenne pepper on top when serving for some added zing and to make it look deeee-licious.
I have to say, I thought the whole hummus thing in the film just got annoying after a while. Then again, that might be because I found the whole film annoying after a while. |
| Salopian |
Posted - 08/27/2008 : 16:53:30
Yes, I really should try to make it sometime as it would be much better value, if we have a food processor (no idea). However, I don't cook at all, like at all (I don't even heat things up), so I'll really have to shake off the cullinary inertia in order to manage it! |
| BaftaBaby |
Posted - 08/27/2008 : 16:44:06
So easy to make if you have a good food processor.
1. Drain a tin of chick peas into the processor.
2. Add large dollop of either light or dark tahini [mix well if oil has separated].
3. Smush as many peeled garlic cloves as you like and bung them in too.
4. Add some freshly squeezed lemon juice. A bit of seasalt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
5. Optional - add some olive oil.
6. Blitz together at high setting until it forms a smoothy smooth paste.
7. Scrape out of processor into suitable container and store in fridge - if it lasts long enough. It will keep for quite a while.
You can experiment with quantities of ingredients - you want a balance of chick pea and tahini flavour. Some people like it rough - if that's you, stop mixing before it gets too smooth.
Enjoy
7. Taste
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| Salopian |
Posted - 08/27/2008 : 16:35:25
I'm jealous! |
| ChocolateLady |
Posted - 08/27/2008 : 06:14:26
Actually, there's something about how it is made about a billion times better here than anywhere else in the world that makes it more enjoyable here. And because it is so good, we eat a whole lot of it. And perhaps that's part of the reason why it tastes so good - because we eat it when it is fresh and don't let it sit around. |
| Salopian |
Posted - 08/26/2008 : 15:06:48
quote:
Originally posted by ChocolateLady
Oh, yes, Israelis eat humous a great deal. Go to any supermarket here and you find one kilo tubs of the plain stuff and a variety of special kinds in tubs up to 500gr.
That's interesting, isn't it? All people in their right minds love houmous, but supermarkets don't sell tubs of it anywhere near 1kg here. Something about the climate must make it particularly enjoyed there! |
| ChocolateLady |
Posted - 08/26/2008 : 06:17:22
quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
I laughed a lot, considerably more than I expected to. The houmous gag continued to amuse me all the way through, when one could have expected it to tire quickly. (Do Israelis particularly eat houmous? I thought it was Lebanese. I guess it just adds to the gag if it's not a particularly Israeli thing.) Various other little moments also hit the spot perfectly, such as the soup-carrying goat.
Oh, yes, Israelis eat humous a great deal. Go to any supermarket here and you find one kilo tubs of the plain stuff and a variety of special kinds in tubs up to 500gr.
(You gotchyr pine nuts, and yr hot sause, and yr za'atar, and yr coarsly ground, and yr...)
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| Salopian |
Posted - 08/25/2008 : 23:32:10
I laughed a lot, considerably more than I expected to. The houmous gag continued to amuse me all the way through, when one could have expected it to tire quickly. (Do Israelis particularly eat houmous? I thought it was Lebanese. I guess it just adds to the gag if it's not a particularly Israeli thing.) Various other little moments also hit the spot perfectly, such as the soup-carrying goat. |
| MisterBadIdea |
Posted - 08/19/2008 : 13:48:07
Better than "Chuck and Larry," Sandler's other tolerance comedy, largely because it gets rid of the conceit of having its brave, persecuted gay heroes be fraudulent straight guys. Much more optimistic, friendly, and devoid of Sandler's usual mean-spiritedness.
On the other hand, it's an absolute fucking mess. There's a scene with Henry Winkler that makes no sense at all, clearly a part of an excised subplot that was only included because Winkler was in it. Somehow I wonder if it would be funnier too if it were not so nice. |
| ChocolateLady |
Posted - 08/19/2008 : 08:14:18
I'm no Sandler fan either, but my younger son saw this one and liked it. Interestingly enough, he actually did say himself that there's more to it than the usual Sandler fare (and he's not the kind of kid to notice these things). However, I think he was most impressed at all the Israelis in this cast and I have a feeling he might not have liked the film as much if they hadn't been there for him to pick out! |
| w22dheartlivie |
Posted - 08/18/2008 : 20:08:19
I haven't seen this yet, but I will confess to a guilty pleasure. I have mostly liked Sandler's films, and it's got a lot to do with how he imbues the most ridiculous or boobish characters with a good heart and a child-like simplicity and places them in fish-out-of-water settings. An underlying theme is often the growing up process.
That he is loyal to his friends and uses them in films as much as possible is icing for me. John Turturro was funny in Mr. Deeds and O, Brother Where Art Thou? I'm glad to see him popping up in more comedies. He manages to keep Rob Schneider in work during his down times (and the sentiment is reversed for Schneider), leans heavily on other SNL alumni such as Jon Lovitz, Kevin Nealon, and Dana Carvey, and manages to work in cameo roles for about everyone he ever admired, either in his own films or those produced through Happy Madison. He's worked in roles for Steve Buscemi (who doesn't need the work or salary) a lot, and he is usually a highlight in the films. Sandler has said that fame and power have their perks. Handing your buddies a career is one of them, and he has been more than loyal to Peter Dante, Allen Covert, and Jonathan Loughrin. More power to him. |
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