“Mother Nature just pissed her pantsuit!” – Danny McBride in Tropic Thunder

Okay, so maybe it’s not exactly the perfect transition into my mother’s day weekend post I was hoping for, but what better actor to ring in the holiday with than Danny McBride? After Dazzling audiences with his stunning performance of Rico in Hot Rod, McBride stepped away from his independent roots (All the Real Girls; The Foot Fist Way) into more serious roles, working with such Hollywood royalty such as George Clooney and Julie Andrews. Now at the top of his game, you can expect to see McBride in future classics Despicable Me, Your Highness, and more. Looking to fill in the gaps in your McBridefest 2010? Well, grab your mother and get on down to Moviecycle to find one of these fine cinematic McBride rides! And hey, if it’s sold out, ask us about special ordering or getting on the reserve list!

1. Hot Rod. Truly a cinematic masterpiece. By far the best comedy of 2007. McBride shines in this break-out role of Rico, the mechanic to stunt-superstar-wannabe Rod (Andy Samberg). Will Rico help Rod achieve his dreams? “I’m freakin pumped! I’ve been drinking green tea all goddamn day!”, Rico shouts excitedly.

2. Pineapple Express. Another stunning performance, this time with McBride tackling the diverse role of Red. Will Red be a saving grace to on-the-run innocents Dale and Saul (Seth Rogen and James Franco)? Or is Red pumping some dangerous iron up his sleeves (not a drug reference)? “I’m like the nerd at the sleepover who fell asleep at nine,” Red blushes.

3. Tropic Thunder. Cast along comedy heavyweights Jack Black, Ben Stiller, and even Robert DJ, McBride shames his A-list counterparts with his portrayal of Cody, the special effects specialist for the fictional film the characters are shooting on location in Vietnam. “Damian, what’s the dealie dude? Are we gonna blow up this tree line or what?”, Cody inquires.

4. The Foot Fist Way. Back from McBride’s independent days, The Foot Fist Way is both a gripping and harrowing look into the industry of childrens’ karate instruction. McBride is explosive in his role as Fred Simmons, whose goal is to be the best karate teacher this side of America. “Dentistry? I can’t even believe that’s something that’s real,” Simmons defends.

5. Eastbound & Down. McBride collaborates again with frequent collaborator Jody Hill (The Foot Fist Way, Observe and Report) in this gripping look into fictional baseball star (and ex-Seattle Mariner) Kenny Powers, whose efforts to raise his career from the dead are both fascinating and lovely. Airing on HBO, the show’s first season can be found on DVD for the rest of us. “I honestly just feel that America is the best country and the other countries aren’t as good. That used to be called patriotism,” Kenny swoons.

I’ve always been a fan of sketch-comedy.  Loved it.  When I was a kid, sometimes on a Saturday or Sunday, if a t.v. movie ended early and the station needed time to fill, I remember them showing “Best Of SNL” 30-minute blocks.  Channel 9 would show Monty Python’s Flying Circus & its juvenile brother The Benny Hill Show. As a young teenager I also discovered SCTV (SNL’s Canadian Cousin).  And later, when I was in college (or at the age where I should be in college as it were) I had MTV’s The State.  The Fox network gave us the short lived The Ben Stiller Show….I watched ‘em all.

Anyways…one of the best, and one that holds up really well to this day is HBO’s Mr. Show with Bob & David.  This mid-90’s late-night Cable laugh-fest was the brainchild of Bob Odenkirk & David Cross (Arrested Development) & ran for four seasons before being canceled in 1998.

Besides Bob & Dave, you get a soon-to-be-star-studded cast, including Tom Kenny (The voice of Sponge-bob), Jay Johnston & Brian Posehn (The Sarah Silverman show…she shows up too!),  Mary Lynn Rajskub (24) and appearances from folks like Ben Stiller & Jack Black.

The show follows a Monty-Pythonesque sequence, in that all the sketches flow together or are linked somehow.   It’s also pretty pop-culture heavy, so if you can’t “Ride The Reference Train” you might want to skip it.   Religion, Kid’s Shows, Brit-pop, Sid & Marty Kroftt,  Phone Sex, 80’s Films, Brian Wilson….yeah.  It’s good stuff.

The cast made a movie…”Run, Ronnie, Run” Which they hated and disowned. But it’s not that bad. Trust Me.

We have the second two seasons of “Mr. Show” in stock.  I’d rush in and get them, as they won’t last.

Peace…I’m out.

Geoffrey.

…And the time has come for Gary to pick his 5 guilty pleasure movies. This was super hard, because… Well just read the post.