cult film freak: police academy

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Written by James M. Tate / 4/03/2011 / No comments / comedy , cop , franchise , police academy

POLICE ACADEMY 5

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHY70FJwsGrcxVGY3zzocFW58SIYBvEr3ApErs3aK15hPAG9lvIcIH9v2a8zh3hw1coVXN7Ud8Ip3XbDW8Yx03x453EASpr-NdPWmL41stv2wrVvlP1iG21QpBkZhXjoVZ0DqYXdIVtaU/s1600/police_academy_5_debarquement_a_miami_beach_police_academy_5_assignment_miami_beach_1988_reference.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591601170134235954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHY70FJwsGrcxVGY3zzocFW58SIYBvEr3ApErs3aK15hPAG9lvIcIH9v2a8zh3hw1coVXN7Ud8Ip3XbDW8Yx03x453EASpr-NdPWmL41stv2wrVvlP1iG21QpBkZhXjoVZ0DqYXdIVtaU/s200/police_academy_5_debarquement_a_miami_beach_police_academy_5_assignment_miami_beach_1988_reference.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 152px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">title:</span> POLICE ACADEMY 5: ASSIGNMENT MIAMI BEACH<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">year:</span> 1988 <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><br />cast:</span> Bubba Smith, Michael Winslow, G.W. Baily, Lance Kinsey<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">rating:</span> **1/2<br /><br />With the departure of franchise star Steve Guttenberg, it seems the other characters would take the lead. Nothing doing. Instead there's a busy subplot (what Hitchock called a "McGuffin") of diamond thieves in Florida, where the lovable cops have assembled to celebrated Lassar's retirement; while G.W. Baily and scene-stealing sidekick Lance Kinsey strive to, once again, screw things up. Doughy-eyed Matt McCoy is a weak replacement for Guttenberg, but the main problem is that Bubba Smith, David Graf, Leslie Easterbrook, Marion Ramsey, and Michael Winslow get lost in the shuffle. As for the last two POLICE ACADEMY films, they're not worth mentioning, much less, reviewing.

comedy, cop, franchise, police academy

POLICE ACADEMY 5

title: POLICE ACADEMY 5: ASSIGNMENT MIAMI BEACH year: 1988 cast: Bubba Smith, Michael Winslow, G.W. Baily, Lance Kinsey rating: **1/2 Wi...

Written by James M. Tate / 4/01/2011 / No comments / comedy , eighties , franchise , police academy , steve guttenberg

POLICE ACADEMY 2: THEIR FIRST ASSIGNMENT

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QeLB2QkQftX5sb6S219FU-8_-BuM2OJCEKTO21ybF8RnZT9RuCY-HoiRo8hrdWAeqyXuxVVu_xyqbNfd1dvxLOZzsM6FeVqUq9FrveuJ9NyCVqd1YjmCus2GNbR9aYfsaomgyMuOJMlG/s1600/600full-police-academy-2--their-first-assignment-screenshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QeLB2QkQftX5sb6S219FU-8_-BuM2OJCEKTO21ybF8RnZT9RuCY-HoiRo8hrdWAeqyXuxVVu_xyqbNfd1dvxLOZzsM6FeVqUq9FrveuJ9NyCVqd1YjmCus2GNbR9aYfsaomgyMuOJMlG/s640/600full-police-academy-2--their-first-assignment-screenshot.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1985 cast: Steve Guttenberg, Bubba Smith, Howard Hessman Bobcat Golthwait rating: ***1/2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Better than the original, and (arguably) the best POLICE ACADEMY overall.<br />
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The cast is narrowed down to the essentials (although missing Leslie Easterbrook): those include the Steve Guttenberg, Bubba Smith, Marion Ramsey, David Graf, and Michael Winslow, whose parody of Kung Fu flicks might be the funniest scene. And for some reason, the spectacle-wearing accident-prone Bruce Maher returns. He's a nice guy but has little purpose herein. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYO9ORdGMIEdDtRtXnDaMCDjcKaKv5iPO2-GOP8AhqFkd7JZyAy2bD8cOtcUSBvaaugvJy2FOLcCQLKn2ii0v4hyxEYjIZQNO2Sppbin8LAlNc6hU07mvUXI69JQtpQkmdJgiot4q7MKFq/s1600/bobcat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYO9ORdGMIEdDtRtXnDaMCDjcKaKv5iPO2-GOP8AhqFkd7JZyAy2bD8cOtcUSBvaaugvJy2FOLcCQLKn2ii0v4hyxEYjIZQNO2Sppbin8LAlNc6hU07mvUXI69JQtpQkmdJgiot4q7MKFq/s200/bobcat.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
The recruits hit the streets of a crime ridden city, ruled by gang leader Bobcat Goldthwait's Zed. The gargly voiced comic provides a comic relief even though this is already a comedy. He's crass and mean and tough and puts the city through hilarious hell. Yet it's Bob's real life best friend Tim Kazurinsky, as an extremely nerdy store owner, that becomes Zed's main target. <br />
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Other worthy new additions include Coleen Camp as Tacklebury's tough girlfriend, who's suburban family are far from normal. While some domestics are into kissing and hugging, her dad and brother punch each other out like extras in a cowboy saloon scene, and the late David Graf's expressions are priceless. Camp's tough chick fits him like a glove. The gung-ho giant finally meets his match.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6D_wpF96h_jmvS4xvCaCerrUa5GUeVjG2L4Lj6ey7wny0gTMow3n_yeQMzU3YFAqdpDkUCr931pXjHhZqUdEfudEOjUAPOQc_FGgocM_cZzrTEx4amBrgzs8hXi15oPooguNLML4wXMs/s1600/police-academy-2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590804794237762050" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6D_wpF96h_jmvS4xvCaCerrUa5GUeVjG2L4Lj6ey7wny0gTMow3n_yeQMzU3YFAqdpDkUCr931pXjHhZqUdEfudEOjUAPOQc_FGgocM_cZzrTEx4amBrgzs8hXi15oPooguNLML4wXMs/s200/police-academy-2.jpg" style="float: right; height: 172px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a> Howard Hessman is in charge of the cops, and is the brother of spacey leader George Gaynes. And replacing G.W. Baily's villain is Art Metrano, playing like a serious heavy within the hijinks and - along with dimwit sidekick Lance Kinsey - making a perfect foil. Kinsley, a very underrated comic actor, is the perfect victim of practical jokes. But it's Metrano's menace that bares the real brunt. The stocky actor plays it straight while the humor abounds around him. Okay, so G.W. Baily had better comedic chops; but Steve Guttenburg's prankster wrath greets a much more deserving victim with the greaseball curmudgeon.   <br />
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All in all good stuff most of the way through, but the end, when the cops and robbers clash, gets tedious. But the flaws matter not. This is a terrific sequel.

comedy, eighties, franchise, police academy, steve guttenberg

POLICE ACADEMY 2: THEIR FIRST ASSIGNMENT

year: 1985 cast: Steve Guttenberg, Bubba Smith, Howard Hessman Bobcat Golthwait rating: ***1/2 Better than the original, and (arguably) ...

POLICE ACADEMY

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6w1RF4vsrnsczSDM7donRcuz7NXiXA2j6V6uhsZav8YXirxF82R7rnQmp1ZkLXNBcVpNukUGvRVciNkv0nwvlLt7X00nUreyvXANc6GFUay12cNJY0ZvkElFr7HdowX7zBkXWOGIFIzs/s1600/police%252Bacademy.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590665527856460978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6w1RF4vsrnsczSDM7donRcuz7NXiXA2j6V6uhsZav8YXirxF82R7rnQmp1ZkLXNBcVpNukUGvRVciNkv0nwvlLt7X00nUreyvXANc6GFUay12cNJY0ZvkElFr7HdowX7zBkXWOGIFIzs/s200/police%252Bacademy.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 196px; height: 200px;" /></a><strong>title:</strong> POLICE ACADEMY<br /><div><div><strong>year:</strong> 1984</div><strong>cast:</strong> Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall, G.W. Baily, Bubba Smith, Michael Winslow<br /><div><strong>rating:</strong> **1/2</div><br /><div></div>One would assume, since this is the original, it's the best. Far from it. Most of the beloved characters, who'd return in the franchise, are merely periphrial; while others (like a ladykiller Spanish guy) are so weak, it's no surprise they never returned. Steve Guttenberg is a relucant recruit at a low standard academy, and has to put up with jerky sarge G.W. Baily and two kiss ass recruits. There are many one-liners and hijinks, but few are all that funny. Guttenberg, with his rubber ducky charm throughout, seems too alone: rarely does Jones (Michael Winslow), Hightower (Bubba Smith), or Tackleberry (David Graf) have any worthwhile input. A few of the proceeding films not only get better, but with the addition of Bobcat Goldthwait and Lance Kinsey, funnier too: and most importantly, they rely on teamwork. </div>

comedy, eighties, franchise, police academy, steve guttenberg