Mae's Top Picks for Funniest and/or Most Awesome Scenes of 2014

It's proving to be harder than expected to come up with my picks for the best movies of 2014. It's been even harder coming up with the top funniest scenes of 2014, because there are so many choices to sift through. But finally (finally!), I've narrowed it down to six funny scenes which made me crack a smile, laugh outright, or were executed so well that a grin couldn't help but appear stupidly on my face. 

And now I give you my picks for the top funniest and/or awesome scenes of 2014 (including clips where applicable!). After reading through this post, there might be a small song and dance theme going on. Huh. Who knew? 


"If You've Only Got a Mustache" (A Million Ways to Die in the West) - Many critics didn't like Seth McFarlane's Blazing Saddles-esque western (I thought it was mediocre at best), but we can't deny that when it comes to random songs, McFarlane is the king (remember the "Thunder Buddies" song from Ted? Yeah, exactly.) So what happens when you put a down on his luck McFarlane against an arrogant and mustached Neil Patrick Harris? Well, you get a manly showdown where you can only win a girl by sporting a mustache. It's so ridiculous and random that you can't help but shake your head in amusement. 

Quicksilver gets creative in the Pentagon kitchen (X-Men: Days of Future Past) - With Bryan Singer back at the helm of the X-Men films (where he belongs), Xavier's team of mutants is back in tip top form. And the franchise wouldn't be anything if we didn't get new characters popping in and out occasionally. One of the best additions to Days of Future Past, and something Marvel will have to compete with when Age of Ultron comes out next year, is Quicksilver, the ultra fast-moving mutant who helps get Magneto out of his plastic Pentagon prison. Let me not speak on this anymore, but rather let these GIFs explain this scenes awesomeness for me. 

"Agony" by Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen (Into the Woods) - I've loved Into the Woods for years. Its a great story and the music and lyrics by Steven Sondheim are extremely clever. And while there are fun songs and dramatic songs in the musical, "Agony," sung in the film by Cinderella and Rapunzel's princes, and is basically about the melodramatic pain they're going through because they can't get the women they want (along with a bit of sibling rivalry), takes the cake. I have no GIFs to explain since the movie only just came out, but have a listen to the song and then try and go see the movie so you know what I'm talking about! Until then, here are some stills of the over the top princes singing about their supposed agony. 

Channing Tatum laughs hysterically (22 Jump Street) - There's nothing funnier than getting a sequel that knows its a sequel and uses that fact to its advantage. And while there are many really funny moments in 22 Jump Street, the one that immediately jumps out (no pun intended) is the scene where Ice Cube finds out that Jonah Hill has been sleeping with his daughter. Channing Tatum starts laughing hysterically and it goes on for a good two minutes, all while Ice Cube is death glaring at Jonah Hill. Ice Cube's expression and Tatum's ongoing laughter is just too amusing for words. 

Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig dance and lip sync together (The Skeleton Twins) - The movie does well in mixing drama and comedy and gives us great dramatic performances by SNL alums Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig. And the greatest and most memorable scene from the film is when the two of them lip sync and dance to the song "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" by Jefferson Starship. There are not enough words to explain how awesome this scene is. As you can see, GIFs are my best friend. 

Peter Quill (AKA Star Lord) gets desperate (Guardians of the Galaxy) - One of Marvel's most successful movies, Guardians of the Galaxy has a lot going for it, most especially the duo of Groot and Rocket Raccoon, but one of my personal favorite scenes comes right in the midst of the grand finale in the most random and unexpected ways. Peter Quill and his team find that Ronan the Accuser is in possession of the Infinity Stone and what does Quill do? He starts singing. "O-O-H Child" as a distraction, cutting off Ronan's monologue. One word: Awesome! 

              

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Win 'A Million Ways to Die in the West' on Blu-Ray!

We're offering our readers a chance to win Seth MacFarlane's follow-up to Ted, the comedy-western A Million Ways to Die in the West on Blu-Ray/DVD! SYNOPSIS: When Albert Stark (Seth MacFarlane) loses his fickle fiancée (Amanda Seyfried) to a mustachioed dandy (Neil Patrick Harris), he rebounds hard with Anna (Charlize Theron), a gorgeous gunslinger new to his Old West town. What he doesn’t know is that Anna’s ex, Clinch Leatherwood (Liam Neeson), is the most dangerous desperado on the horizon and he’s on his way to reclaim his gal—whatever it takes. With MacFarlane’s bold and bawdy humor and a host of surprise celebrity cameos, A Million Ways to Die in the West will have audiences splitting their britches! 

To enter, simply follow the instructions in the Punchtab widget below. Winners will be selected on Monday, October 13th. 

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Box Office: 'The Fault In Our Stars' Takes Down Tom Cruise with $48M Debut

1. The Fault In Our Stars- $48.2M
Shailene Woodley kicked Tom Cruise's ass this weekend as The Fault In Our Stars opened to $48.2M after a huge $26M Friday night.  The film had a huge built-in audience thanks to author John Green's ubiquitous social media presence, and that the book has been a best-seller for months, but I think how well the film did will come as a bigger surprise to older audiences who might have expected Cruise to rule the day. Only a handful of films into her career and Woodley has established herself as a critical and box office darling. She already has a franchise in Divergent to call her own, and the dramatic credentials to possibly contend for awards down the line.
2. Maleficent- $33.5M/$127.3M
Angelina Jolie's Maleficent held on well enough, slipping only 52% from last week. That's not bad considering the competition from two new films targeting its core audience. Disney has to be pleased, especially with an additional $208M overseas giving the film $335M in only two weeks.
3. Edge of Tomorrow- $29.1M
 On the other hand, sci-fi continues to not be Tom Cruise's friend at the box office, at least not domestically. Edge of Tomorrow opened at $29.1M, trailing the $37M debut of Oblivion, which didn't do so hot either. At this point Cruise is more of a global star than he is here in America as the film racked up an impressive $60M on the international scene, and should help put a dent in the $175M+ budget, the most expensive of Cruise's lengthy career.
4. X-men: Days of Future Past- $14.7M/$189.1M
5. A Million Ways to Die in the West- $7.1M/$30M
6. Godzilla- $5.9M/$185M
7. Neighbors- $5.2M/$137.8M
8. Blended- $4M/$36.5M
9. Chef- $2.6M/$10.3M
Bolstered by strong reviews and a lot of help from his celebrity pals, Jon Favreau's Chef continues to be an art house sleeper, jumping up 36% in expanded release.
10. Million Dollar Arm- $1.8M/$31.3M

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Box Office: 'Maleficent' Casts $170M Spell Over the World

1. Maleficent- $70M
Angelina Jolie doesn't star in as many films as she used to, but when she does they tend to be huge. And that looks to be the case with Maleficent, Disney's latest attempt to rebrand their animated classics as live-action tentpoles. The $70M debut is bolstered by an additional $100M overseas, putting a good sized dent in the budget that some estimate was around $175M. This still comes in under the opening weekends of Disney's Oz the Great and Powerful and Alice in Wonderland, both of which had visual effects by Maleficent director, Robert Stromberg. He has to be feeling pretty good right about now and this probably puts him high on Disney's list for future reimaginings after next year's Cinderella. Before now Jolie hadn't been in a live-action film since 2010's The Tourist, which banked $270M even though it was awful. She also starred in the random action flick, Salt, which further proved her box office mettle with $290M. It'll be interesting how Maleficent plays down the line as the reviews have been mixed and some of the material a little dark for kids.
2. X-men: Days of Future Past- $32.6M/$162M
More destructive than the Sentinels was the 64% skid for X-men: Days of Future Past, which is somewhat to be expected considering the strong competition. The film has now earned $383M worldwide and should have 20th Century Fox feeling pretty good about 2016's sequel, X-men: Apocalypse. 
3. A Million Ways to Die In the West- $17M
The only thing more uncertain than a western movie at the box office is a comedy-western, and now Seth MacFarlane knows that fact intimately. A Million Ways to Die in the West opened to a flat $17M, and it's not as if we can blame the star-studded cast of Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, and Neil Patrick Harris. Part of the problem was the marketing which pushed a bunch of sight gags but not much more, and generally poor reviews (I thought it was okay) couldn't have helped.  There wasn't a tumbleweed's chance in Hell that it would come close to matching the $50M+ debut of Ted, but the expectations were much higher given MacFarlane's past successes. Fortunately the film only cost $40M and has a earned an additional $10M internationally, so when all is said and done it will make a few bucks.
4. Godzilla- $12.2M/$174.6M
5. Blended- $8.4M/$29.6M
6. Neighbors- $7.7M/$128.6M
7. The Amazing Spider-Man 2- $3.77M/$192.7M
8. Million Dollar Arm- $3.7M/$28M
9. Chef- $2M/$6.9M
10. The Other Woman- $1.4M/$81.1M

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Cinema Royale #64- Maleficent; A Million Ways to Die In the West

On this week's Cinema Royale, Angelina Jolie shows her villainous side in Disney's Maleficent! Leslie "The Cinema Siren" Combemale will join us to talk about Jolie's performance as the infamous Disney villain. Also, we'll take a look at Seth MacFarlane's comedy-western, A Million Ways to Die in the West, starring Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, and Amanda Seyfried.

On the indie front, Jason Ritter calls in to discuss his new ensemble dramedy, The Big Ask, starring David Krumholtz and Melanie Lynskey.

All this plus news on Marvel's Ant-Man, Daredevil, Justice League, and much more!

Cinema Royale is part of the Hashtag Studios Broadcast Network and brings you movie reviews and news straight from the Nation's Capital! Go to www.cinemaroyaleshow.com and subscribe, and while there consider signing up for the premium service for more content and to be entered in our monthly prize drawing!

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Review: Seth MacFarlane's 'A Million Ways to Die in the West'

It's nearly impossible not to mention Mel Brooks' classic comedy, Blazing Saddles, in any discussion of Seth MacFarlane's A Million Ways to Die in the West. MacFarlane was clearly inspired by the film, one of the rare comedy-westerns that brilliantly used modern sensibilities (modern for 1974, anyway) to reflect on the stupidity of the Old West cowboy mentality. And that's the approach MacFarlane is taking, combining sophomoric gags with his usual brand of wit to make for a funny but uneven jaunt into tumbleweed territory.

MacFarlane is like a big league slugger batting .250 but with 50 home runs. When he connects it hits hard, and A Million Ways to Die in the West peppers you with enough jokes that some are bound to be worth a big laugh. Unlike his smash hit, Ted, MacFarlane steps in front of the camera and makes for a serviceable if unspectacular leading man. He plays Albert, a meek know-it-all sheep farmer wildly out of place in the Wild West of 1882. Albert is like a man out of time, speaking in modern cultural references and recognizing the absurdity of the time period of which he lives.

"The American West is a terrible place in time. Everything that’s not you, wants to kill you. Angry drunk people, hungry animals, outlaws… the f**king doctor!"

And he's right. People die in ridiculous, and often hilarious fashion in the Old West (a fart can kill you!), so the film more than lives up to the title. But Albert's forward-thinking and anti-violence stance make him a wimp in those days, and after he backs down from a gunfight his shallow girlfriend Louise (Amanda Seyfried) up and ditches him for a the mustachioed Foy, played by Neil Patrick Harris.  Albert doesn't know how to deal with the loss, turning to his best friend Edward (Giovanni Ribisi) and his prostitute girlfriend Ruth (Sarah Silverman) for answers, but they've got their own issues. MacFarlane gets great mileage (and takes a few swipes at Christians) out of Ruth's willingness to have sex with men for money while holding out on Edward until marriage.

An already dangerous town gets more lethal with the arrival of Anna (Charlize Theron), the gunslinger wife of notorious outlaw, Clinch Leatherwood (Liam Neeson). While Clinch is off hiding out until things calm down, Anna is stuck in town and quickly befriends Albert who saves her from a ridiculously over-the-top barroom brawl. She agrees to pretend to be his new girlfriend in an effort to make Louise jealous, but when Albert mistakenly challenges Foy to a duel, she has to save his bacon by teaching him how to fight. Cue the perfect opportunity for them to fall in love, done through hurried montage of Albert and Anna laughing over their mutual hatred for the Old West.

It's charming enough, and Theron proves to be the real comedic heavyweight as the tough-as-nails Anna, knocking down preconceived notions of a female's place in that society. MacFarlane dabbles in exploring deeper themes but more often than not gives way to an endless stream of fart and poop jokes, profanity, and labored racial humor. Can't forget the racial humor, as ill-fitting and somewhat desperate as it seems to be in this case. MacFarlane and co-writers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild run into problems when balancing the need for story with their desire for constantly offensive jokes. To fill in the gaps MacFarlane dials up some of his celebrity pals for cameos that reference other famous Westerns in very clever fashion. Those are really smartly done, and they remind you how much funnier MacFarlane is when he's being intelligent and goofy rather than just appealing to the lowest common denominator.

Basically, A Million Ways to Die in the West is exactly what fans of Ted and Family Guy would expect from MacFarlane, and if that puts a bur in your saddle then this isn't the film for you.

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Red Band Trailer for Seth MacFarlane's 'A Million Ways to Die in the West'

After banking $540M on Ted, an R-rated comedy about a talking teddy bear, Seth MacFarlane could have done pretty much anything he wanted. A Ted sequel? Sure, that'll come later and probably earn a ton. But how about taking on the deadly comedy-western drama and casting himself in the lead role? Not such an easy road to travel, yet that's what MacFarlane has done with A Million Ways to Die in the West, so saddle up for the latest red band trailer.

MacFarlane is joined by a slew of heavy-hitters that include Charlize Theron, Giovanni Ribisi, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Liam Neeson, and Sarah Silverman in the story of a wimpy goat farmer who backs out of a gun fight and loses what little dignity he has. He also loses his girlfriend, and in an attempt to win her back he's toughened up by a new beauty in town.

It looks like some of the best sight gags are being spent on these trailers but hopefully MacFarlane is keeping plenty more under his cowboy hat. A Million Ways to Die in the West opens May 30th.

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Green Band Trailer for Seth MacFarlane's 'A Million Ways to Die in the West'

After saddling up for the red band trailer just a few days ago, Seth MacFarlane took to the airwaves during the Super Bowl to tease the all-ages trailer for A Million Ways to Die in the West. MacFarlane stars as a a wimpy sheep farmer who backs out of a gunfight and loses his girlfriend in the process. While trying to stay alive in the exceedingly dangerous Old West, he must also reclaim his manhood with the help of mysterious, beautiful woman played by Charlize Theron. The red band trailer is more effective at capturing MacFarlane's sense of humor, but this version shows he doesn't need to rely too hard on vulgarity to be funny. The sight gags of the many ways one can be slaughtered in the "tumbleweed era" are worth more than a few laughs on their own.

Co-starring Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Giovanni Ribisi, and Sarah Silverman, A Million Ways to Die in the West opens May 30th.

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Red Band Trailer and Posters for Seth MacFarlane's 'A Million Ways to Die in the West'

The comedy Western is a tough horse to break, which is why so few attempt it. For every one that gets it right like Blazing Saddles, there's a Wild Wild West that's aim is off the mark. So Seth MacFarlane has his work cut out for him with A Million Ways to Die in the West, the follow-up to his unexpected hit, Ted. Chances are it won't be able to match Ted's box office, but the first red band trailer suggests it may be able to keep up in laughs and raunch.

MacFarlane's gathered an aces ensemble including Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman, Liam Neeson, and Neil Patrick Harris for a film that follows a sheep farmer who loses his girlfriend after backing out of a gun fight. In order to get her back he'll need to prove his mettle, and he gets help from a sexy gunfighter until her outlaw husband comes looking for revenge. I'm interested in seeing how the proper storyline gels with the constant gags over the many ways the Old West can kill someone ("People die at the fair"), and hopefully Silverman gets more to do than just rattle off sexual acts. Overall this looks pretty funny, and I'm happy to see that MacFarlane is tackling it from a contemporary perspective, like he would in an episode of Family Guy.

A Million Ways to Die in the West opens May 30th 2014. Check out the trailer and a bunch of new character posters below.


A Million Ways to Die in the West (Red Band Trailer) by tvPRIME

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