Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The original head-bangers, July 29, 2009
Wow. Apparently you either love this movie or you hate it. I'm definitely amongst those that loved it.
As a fan of classic comedy by the true classic film comedians (Marx Brothers, Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, and more recently Jim Carrey), I think Adam Rifkin's cinematic offerings deservedly have a place with them. Like the movies of the above-mentioned comedy stars, "Stoned Age" is packaged and presented as zany, numb-skull entertainment, but executed with true wit and life-long knowledge of how to conjure up a laugh.
Like Allen and Brooks, Rifkin places his protagonist ("Ishbo", played by Rifkin himself) in a foreign setting (prehistoric time) as if he were a modern day, overly-analytical nebbish that was suddenly transported back in time and is awkwardly left to deal with his dangerous and illogical new surroundings. When offered the bar-b-qued foot of a fallen tribesman, Ishbo refuses the disgusting extremity under the excuse that he's on a diet, to which the chef replies "What's a diet?". And we don't even question how cave man Ishbo came upon a pair of glasses. And it's great that Rifkin doesn't feel his audience is clueless enough to have to have it explained to them. Rifkin uses modern banter sparingly enough that when it happens, it seems as foreign to us as it does to his spear-chucking contemporaries, and the results are effectively funny.
There's a crazy quilt of a cast in "Stoned Age" which includes the late David Carradine, Tom Arnold, Talia Shire, porn star Ron Jeremy, Gary Busey, and a very, very competent (and gorgeous) Ali Larter who proves to have some amazing comedy timing. I don't know if Rifkin hired her mainly for her curves, but he got a true comedienne in the deal.
Granted you have your gratuitous gay cave man and Mastodon turds routines, but most of the movie is fraught with hysterical parody that really would be at home within the pages of National Lampoon Magazine. My favorite bit is the faux acid trip Ishbo experiences which finds him laughing at the dancing drawings on the cave walls and results in a helacious hangover and the discovery that the wild jungle sex he had that night was not with the cave girl of his dreams as he imagined. I also laughed my rocks off at the scene where a bevy of beautiful bare-breasted lesbian amazons wash Ishbo in the pond in preparation of impregnating the entire tribe. It's filmed exactly live a booty-shaking pool side hip-hop video with a hilarious original rap song to go with it.
Oh, and there's tons of DVD extras including Penthouse and Maxim Magazine photo shoots of the movie's cave girls. As much as I appreciate a well oiled cave girl booty, I didn't think the shoots had much relevance to the movie and it kind of dumbed the package down for me. But I have a sinking feeling I'm in the minority of that opinion. :)
As I said, you either love it or you hate it. At the price this DVD is selling for, it seems to be a better deal than actually renting it (I should have waited for these cheaper prices). For two or three bucks I guarantee you'll either laugh your butt off or you'll find a friend to give it to who will appreciate the wit and whackiness of "Stoned Age".
With better distribution there's no doubt this movie would be considered at home next to the works of Mel Brooks and The Marx Brothers. Hell, they even killed off the funnier original title ("Homo Erectus") because the DVD distributors probably assumed the more conservative and less educated video store dwellers would be offended.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
STONED AGE BRINGS THE AWESOME!!, May 16, 2009
There's been some strong buzz about this film for a while on line thanks to a whole bunch of trailers and funny little videos. I really wanted to check this film out for a host of reasons, not the least of which are Ali Larter (who's hot as Hell), Miles Dougal (Star of many a Giuseppi Andrews epic) and Rifkin, who I've been a fan of since DETROIT ROCK CITY. Having only seen the web trailer and a couple of viral vids I could only hope that it wasn't the type of film that tries to show you so much of the funny gags in the trailer, then while your watching it you're sitting there saying to yourself, "wow I should have just watched the trailer for 88mins".
THIS IS NOT ONE OF THOSE FILMS! From the opening scene, a reference to 2001, to the closing scene, an obvious homage to Buster Keaton, this film delivers! NATIONAL LAMPOON'S STONED AGE is about a prehistoric Einstein named Ishbo whose tribe believes that both his inventions and the fact that he doesn't believe in clubbing women, is completely insane!! Ishbo (Played by Rifkin) is a caveman with some great ideas! Ideas that will help man evolve, but his father Mookoo (David Carradine), brother Thudnik (Hayes Macarthur), and friends Zig & Zog (Giuseppe Andrews and Miles Dougal) just don't understand why he isn't content living the life that the tribe has come to know and love. The film also features Ali Larter, Tom Arnold, Talia Shire, Bill Tyree (another Giuseppi regular), Gary Busey, Ron Jeremy, & Lin Shaye.
Now don't get me wrong, this isn't GODFATHER PART 2, but it's obviously not meant to be. It's just a funny little caveman movie that's smart, silly and really well done. And the cave babes are sexy as hell! From the opening scene with Miles Dougal (Zog) all the way to the very last frame tight on Adam propped up in a neanderthal man display in a history museum, this little film keeps it in 5th gear and doesn't slow down. From clubbing chicks to Mastodon hunts gone awry, Thudnik shows us what it would've been like (more so how easy) to become the Alpha-Male. While Ishbo is busy inventing things like bikes, fishing nets, and pants... his buddies Zig & Zog are busy finding things to smoke their funny grass out of. Meanwhile the love of Ishbo's life Fardart (Ali Larter) is trying to set him up with his lovely cousin, who just so happens to be an ape. Ishbo really can't catch a break, especially the night of his brother's bachelor party before he marries Fardart and he has one to many drinks with his cousin. Ishbo ends up screwing the chimp. Gross! Rifkin said that Woody Allen was a big inspiration to him and you can definitely see the influence. Not in a copy cat way, but the film shows obvious reference to his idol.
The DVD is LOADED with extras like bloopers, deleted scenes, outtakes, music videos, and "old fool raps". Also is the lovingly produced "GAY-vemen" featurette. The disc has a HILARIOUS commentary track, not your standard directors track, but done knowingly poking fun at themselves and each other. All you "dirty caveman" be sure to check out the "STONED AGE PENTHOUSE PHOTO SHOOT" & "STONED AGE MAXIM PHOTO SHOOT". This DVD is sure to become a cult classic and a must have for all DVD collectors. --- Jeremy Morrison
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Zero, April 28, 2009
I don't usually write reviews for anything, but this movie was soooo bad I felt compelled to let others know NOT to watch this movie.
I'm pretty open-minded when watching movies and like all kinds. I didn't find this movie at all funny or interesting, or even slightly amusing. My husband is an even bigger movie buff than I and he found this movie worthless.
It was the worst movie I had ever seen... worse than House of 1000 Corpses. If I could, I would have rated this movie a big, fat ZERO.
If I were a guy, I'd say that the only good thing about this movie are the scenes with the nearly naked women fondling each other. Can't say I was that surprised since it was a National Lampoon movie.
Do. Not. Watch.
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