Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Stop! Or the Kindergarten Nanny Will Pacify You!



I nudged my way into the AW Blog Chain Round 6 pretty quickly this time. It's the closest I've ever been to the top of the list. My posts tend to end up in the bottom five (makes me sound like a contestant on American Idol).

Over at Mad Scientist Matt's blog, he wrote about Vin Diesel as inspiration.

Stop laughing.

I admit it. I am a Vin Diesel fan. So what if he can't act his way around a brick wall? The man his seventeen-inch biceps and a deep, sexy voice! What more does a girl need?

A couple of days ago, I watched The Pacifier. Definitely not an award winner, but clever enough. Who didn't laugh at the sight of a muscular man dipping a naked, poop-covered baby into a toilet? Or doing the Peter Panda dance? It's a new take on an old concept that I've enjoyed for a long time: action hero forced to look after children.

Stop laughing. XXX and A Man Apart were no worse than some of Ah-nold's early stuff.

Anyway, The Pacifier is just the last entry into this sub-genre of the family comedy. Way back in 1993, we got to see Hulk Hogan dance around in a tutu in Mr. Nanny. It's been a long time since I've seen this one, but I seem to remember the kids causing Hogan to fall down the stairs (a tried and true staple of the genre, so what is it with kids and stairs?). And in a shocking twist….okay, kidding. Typical ending: kids melt his heart, and he saves the day.

Let's go back a few more years to 1990's Kindergarten Cop. There's just something hilarious about a former body-builder-turned-governor who makes a room full of five year-olds cry. Granted, I was ten when I first saw this one, so some of the more adult humor was completely lost on me (kind of like watching Spaceballs at age nine, I just didn't understand what it meant to "give good helmet").

So we've got Schwarzenegger, Hogan, Diesel.... Hey, how did Stallone manage to avoid falling into this genre? Oh yeah, he got Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. Never mind.

Next up is At Home, Writing
Enjoy the Chain!


TaliaMana.com
Peregrinas
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Southern Expressions
Mad Scientist Matt
Organized Chaos
At Home, Writing
Writing From Within
Pass the Torch
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Fireflies in the Cloud
Sounds of Serenity
Kappa no He
Infinite Vanity
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Of Chapters and Reels
Curiouser and curiouser
The Road Less Traveled
Livien

15 comments:

Bk30 said...

LOL, some how I managed to miss MR. Nanny :)

Kelly Curtis said...

Hahaha! Very funny. Yeah, Stallone slipped in there too. I've seen all those flicks.

I can imagine why they were never nominated for anything;) But my kids loved 'em.

Unknown said...

I won't argue with you, I'll take a guy with seventeen-inch biceps and a deep sexy voice. Vin's the man. LOL Loved Pacifier but I missed Mr. Nanny too.

Hey, speaking of American Idol, (since you mentioned it) did you know there is an Indian Idol too?

Bhaswati said...

LOL. Although I haven't watched any of the films you mention, I can imagine how funny the must be.That idea (of muscular men being clumsy handling babies) definitely makes for good comedy.

cesarcarlos said...

Who'll be next I wonder. Maybe The Rock :P Or John Cena, lol.

Maybe a sequel to Mrs. Doubtfire starring Triple H :))

Kappa no He said...

Didn't Vin used to be in Third Watch? I don't get to watch much American TV, but I remember seeing that years ago. When he went to movies I remembered the bod...um...face.

Anonymous said...

Summer is i-cumen in and that row of movies would make a perfect movie session when the weather gets hot and lazy. All I need to do now is find some friends who can be persuaded...

Kelly Meding/Kelly Meade said...

Simran: I do recall hearing about an Indian Idol program. Just wait, soon every country will want a reality clone. Look for Survivor: Mongolia!

cesarcarlos: Rumor is that a sequel to Mrs. Doubtfire is in the works. And yes, I nominate The Rock for the next film in this particular sub-genre. ;)

kappa no he: I would have been in heaven if Vin had been on Third Watch. I adore that show, and keep hoping it will come out on DVD soon. Alas, Vin wasn't on it. Not even as a guest star.

My Third Watch heartthrob was Jason Wiles. As yummy in person as he is on TV.

Mad Scientist Matt said...

Vin Diesel may not be the best actor, but he was a lot more convincing than Paul Walker. At least he can get "confident tough guy" right.

I've always gotten a kick out of the "macho action hero can't manage children" genre of comedy.

Sounds of Serenity said...

I will watch anything with Vin Diesel in it... at least once. But then again, you know that. Although the 'Peter Panda Dance' scene definitely showed us that he shouldn't be crossing over into the realm of pop music... ever. :P

Anonymous said...

Okay, you're really really young. I boggle at watching those movies at nine or ten. Or is it just that I'm really really old? *eek!*

Sri Lanka also has its own version of American Idol. I've seen it once, bits of it, and, being very very nice, it was enough. If I was going to be mean, I'd make references to burst ear drums, screeching noises leaving the high end of the audible scale, plastic facial expressions, blood pouring from my eyes and ears...

Kelly Meding/Kelly Meade said...

Well, I'm older than twenty-five, but younger than thirty. ;) But don't worry, Laurie, you're only as old as you allow yourself to be.

Dama Negra said...

Those are always hilarious :D

Talia said...

Vin Deisel I get. Yup he's yummy but I never "got" Arnie. To me he will always be the terminator


okzyrot - why indeed?

(word verification for those not clued in)

jennifersando said...

I always manage to catch various scenes from Kindegarten Cop. Have never seen the film from start to finish. I think that's a good thing. :)