Amazon.com: UHF - 35th Anniversary Edition 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray [4K UHD] : 'Weird Al' Yankovic, Kevin McCarthy, Michael Richards, David Bowe, Victoria Jackson, Jay Levey, Gene Kirkwood, John W. Hyde, 'Weird Al' Yankovic, Jay Levey: Movies & TV
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large bubble wrap envelopes are not a great idea for fragile Blu Ray cases
The movie is a classic, but the Blu-Ray case was smashed-up upon arrival. Again, large bubble wrap envelopes are not a great idea for fragile Blu Ray cases. This Blu Ray+- also came in a card stock sleeve but it didn't help much.
“Weird Al” Yankovic has had an unpredictably successful career. His parodies have proved to be massively popular (including a Star Wars spin on the song “American Pie” ). A lot of fans may or may not be aware that he has a Hollywood production movie that was released back in 1989, possibly because it was a box-office failure. Granted, it was released in the summer, running up against real blockbuster successes as Lethal Weapon 2, Ghostbusters II, Batman, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (among many others) so that probably contributed to its flop.
However, in the years since, this film has achieved a massive cult following, prompting MGM to finally release a DVD Special Edition in 2002, which was out of print for a few years after that. Now here we are, 25 years after the film’s initial release, and UHF has finally received the home video release it deserves: in glorious, high-definition blu-ray, complete with tons of bonus features to boot. Before I get too technical about this, let’s get into the film itself.
*Minor Spoilers Ahead*
George Newman (played by Weird Al himself) is an avid daydreamer whose imagination seems to get him fired from every job he gets, along with his best friend Bob (David Bowe). He also seems to have trouble being on time to dates with his girlfriend, Teri (Victoria Jackson), always an hour late to each meeting. Soon after, he attends a party where his well-off Aunt Esther and Uncle Harvey Bilchik (Stanley Brocl.) Harvey wins the rights to a UHF station called U62 in a high-stakes poker game, and Aunt Esther offers a job to George to manage the station.
George and Teri arrive at the station and meet an eccentric engineer named Philo (Anthony Geary), who lives at the station, constantly testing new gadgets for no obvious reason. The station secretary, Pamela Finklestein (Fran Dreschner) tells George that the mailman accidentally delivered a package that was meant for Channel 8, and George insists on delivering the package to the owner, Mr. R.J. Fletcher, who turns out to be a cynical maniac who kicks George out of Channel 8’s station almost immediately.
As George and Bob begin to manage the station, their ratings quickly decline, due to the fact that they have no interesting shows on television (including the supposedly kid-friendly “Uncle Nutzy’s Clubhouse”) and George almost gives up hope, offering the Clubhouse show to the station janitor, Stanley Spadowski (Michael Richards). Minutes later, Stanley turns the kids of the show into excited little tykes, and “Stanley Spadowski’s Clubhouse” is an instant hit.
As the ratings begin to rise for the station, George and Bob create bizarre, new shows to air on their station (including “Bowling for Burgers,” “Wheel of Fish,” and “Conan the Librarian.”) This only makes the station’s popularity even more massive, peaking the station at number one, above Channel 6- which catches the unforgiving eye of R.J. Fletcher.
Later, Uncle Harvey receives a call notifying him that none of the horses he bet on recently had won the race, and that he owes $75,000 to a mob boss named Big Louie. Mr. Fletcher offers to buy U62 from Harvey to turn into a parking lot, and Harvey instantly accepts. When Aunt Esther hears of it, she convinces Harvey to give George two days to raise the $75,000 needed to save the station, and Stanley hosts a telethon to sell shares so they can reach their goal to pay Harvey’s debt to Big Louie.
Unlike other comedies that try to be funny through stupidity, this film actually is quite successful at its attempt to do so. Of course, that may be in part to my fandom of Weird Al’s music, but it makes one wonder how popular this film would be now if he hadn’t become a musical success. The film is just so quotable, and I cannot stop from bursting out with laughter at almost each and every quotable moment in the film. “UHF” also succeeds at parodying many famous portions of scenes from classic films, including Gone with the Wind, Rambo, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Of course, my favorite aspect about this comedy is how quotable it is. I could fill up pages of quotes from this film that I laugh at no matter how many times I hear them. From combining a mortuary with “Toys-R-Us,” to an entire warehouse store dedicated to selling only spatulas, “UHF” is filled to the brim with comedic references and running jokes that it makes some of the most classic comedies look like droll, boring dramas. The plot can become so hilariously ridiculous that you almost forget about it, simply laughing at the stupidity of it all. If you haven’t seen this gem of a cult classic, I highly recommend it: just try not to take it too seriously.
More fun than a Twinkie-wiener sandwich, “UHF” is a lost gem that deserves recognition as one of the funniest parody films ever made. Weird Al Yankovic is simply brilliant in this film, and the supporting cast makes it that much better. Some of the jokes and references are so stupidly hilarious, I guarantee that if you watch the film, you will never forget it, nor regret it.
For anybody out there who had heard of this feature film starring the legendary Weird Al and wondered if it was an insaney, zany, all around crazy as his music, let the Indiana Jones spoof that starts this movie put your mind at ease. Al fills the fedora once worn by Harrison Ford, only instead of whipping the gun out of the hand of the man who attempts to shoot him like in the original, Al whips his entire arm off. The rest of the dream sequences sees Al's character George Newman (Al) outrunning the giant boulder through various locations after trying to steal an Oscar, which is sadly the closest this movie will ever get to an Academy Award. Well screw the Academy, this movie is a hilarious joy ride of creative comedy with that 90s flavor akin to Wayne's World.
The rest of the movie includes commercials for wacky Morticians, Twinkie Weiner Sandwiches, a trailer for Ghandi II, a rock ballad for the Beverly Hillbillies, Fran Drescher (yes, that Fran Drescher) reporting the News (still more reliable than Fox), a librarian warrior named Conan, depressing descriptions of the eternal feud between a certain cartoon coyote and roadrunner, a Wheel of Fish, flying poodles, lesbian Nazi hookers, the voice of Figment, aliens, a Rambo-style rescue scene complete with bad-guys incapable of aiming, badgers, they've got it all! Including that slimy corporate douchebag villain you all love to hate, especially since they've become all too realistic these days, and a girlfriend who could've been cut from the movie without really changing a thing.
What's really surprising about this movie is Al himself. You'd think he'd be hamming it up like a yodeling porkchop wrapped in bacon, but the title of Ham Master actually goes to Michael Richards, who plays Channel 64 star Stanley Spadowski. Instead, Al is surprisingly restrained while still having his ingeniously goofy moments. It actually helps make the character super relatable. Overall this movie is insanely hilarious, insanely clever, insanely quotable, insanely well casted, and just flat out insane. If you're tired of what's on the TV right now, then don't touch that dial! They've got it all on UHF!
Oh yeah, and the soundtrack's awesome too! But, c'mon, it's got Weird Al. That's just kinduv' a given.
I haven't watched this DVD yet but hope to on a Night when TV choices are not very much, looking forward to seeing this Movie & that's the Reason I bought it on DVD.
Un film per gli amanti del surreale e del grottesco. Sicuramente non per tutti i palati. Un umorismo graffiante fatto di citazioni e di dissacrante ironia politically scorrect.
Have loved this movie since the days of VHS, was thrilled to find it on Blu-Ray so I can see it once again in my region. Now it's my son's favorite movie.