'Snavely Classics': SNL Cast Members and Val Kilmer': 'Top Secret', 'Real Genius' and 'Neighbors'

'Snavely Classics: SNL Cast Members and Val Kilmer: 'Top Secret', 'Real Genius' and 'Neighbors'

Watching the terrible "MacGruber" movie that stars a "Saturday Night Live" cast member and a talented Val Kilmer, I looked back at better movies that are some of my favorites. They contain a much better comedy with SNL cast members and much funnier Val Kilmer movies.

'Top Secret' (84) (PG) (3 1/2 stars)

Writers: Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker and David Zucker
Directors: Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker and David Zucker
Starring: Val Kilmer, Omar Sharif, Lucy Gutteridge, Peter Cushing, Christopher Villiers

"Top Secret" was another hilarious and neglected Zucker Brothers, Jim Abrahams classic. This is the team behind two of the best spoofs in comedy history in "Airplane" and "The Naked Gun". They also made a very clever and funny movie with Danny Devito and Bette Middler called "Ruthless People". "Top Secret" was a spoof of Elvis movies and the spy film genre. This was not two genres that were begging to be spoofed and it should have come off as lame. Leave it to the Zuckers and Jim Abrahams to pile on more smart jokes that hit then miss. This movie should have got better love and a better reception from moviegoers and critics. I think it stands up to "Airplane" and "The Naked Gun" in pure insanity and hilarious, outrageous comedy. It also gave us a very talented actor in Val Kilmer whose first major Hollywood movie this was. The movie bombed but Kilmer got more roles and his work here is perfect for the job. The performance has to be taken serious as the jokes bounce off of it and Kilmer is perfect here being the straight man. I laughed a lot during this movie and I appreciated that they tried to throw a lot of jokes at us and that they made it work so well. It takes very smart men to write and direct a movie like this and most have failed since. Except for a few writers since their heyday, Abrahams, Zucker and Zucker were the masters and "Top Secret" is a neglected classic.

'Real Genius' (85) (PG) (4 stars) (Highest Rating)

Writer: Neal Israel
Director: Martha Coolidge
Starring: Val Kilmer, Gabriel Jarret, Michelle Meyrink, William Atheron, Deborah Foreman, Ed Lauter, Jonathan Gries

I knew watching Val Kilmer in "Real Genius" that I was seeing someone special, smart and funny. Not many before or since have owned a movie like Kilmer does here. Along with Michael Keaton, this is one of my favorite comedy performances by actors who were just starting to make a name. What also helps is that besides Kilmer this is a very smart, funny and charming comedy that is one of my favorites. Many did not see this movie and Kilmer's performance was neglected but I think it is a brilliant movie and Kilmer's performance is Oscar caliber. This has a smart story with some of my favorite characters ever. It takes place at a fictional college for geniuses called Pacific Tech. Val Kilmer plays a slacker but also a very brilliant student named Chris Knight who takes under his wing one of the youngest kids ever to attend a college like this. The kid's name is Mitch Taylor and he is totally corrupted by Chris which might be a good thing. There are also a lot of assorted oddballs who I absolutely loved including a very fast talking and funny girl who goes without sleeping for weeks. The girl is played by Michelle Meyrink and she almost steals the movie with her very funny line delivery. The director here is Martha Coolidge who two years earlier directed one of my favorite high school movies in "Valley Girl". She was on a major role for a little and was making very good movies in the age of John Hughes. There is also a very smug and perfect bad guy played by great character actor William Atherton. Atherton was the go to guy for a smug, jerk bad guy and he was best known for his smug reporter in the "Die Hard" movies. There is also one of the best and most brilliant sight gags that ranks up there with the classic "Ghostbusters" ending. Val Kilmer is so great here that I would rank this comic performance up there with a Bill Murray type performance. He owns this movie which turns out to be one of the best and smartest comedies of the 80's. Many haven't seen it and they should!

'Neighbors' (81) (R) (4 stars) (Highest Rating)

Writer: Larry Gelbart
Director: John G. Alvidsen
Starring: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Cathy Moriarty, Kathryn Walker, Tim Kasurinsky, Tino Insana, Lauren-Marie Taylor

There is always that movie that someone loves and can see over and over and others just hate the movie. I hate "Dune" from 1984 and it is probably my least favorite movie of all time but others have gotten mad and say they love it. "Neighbors" was a very twisted and black comedy that I absolutely love. I have to see it when I can because I miss John Belushi more than anyone I have ever missed on screen. "Neighbors" actually proved that Belushi could play the straight man just as well as he played the wild man. Sadly this was his last movie and he also proved that the World would miss out on a comic actor that would have given serious performances. Before Bill Murray and Jim Carrey proved they could do drama or straight men performances Belushi was the king of it. Of course there is the classic "Blues Brothers" and "Animal House" which are wonderful. Then there was the very great Chicago based romantic comedy "Continental Divide" which was as good as a Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn romantic comedy. He was proving he could do that kind of genre but in the dark comedy "Neighbors" he plays the straight man flawlessly.

Belushi plays Earl Keese who is a business man who commutes to the city to work and comes home to a humdrum life. He doesn't have many friends and his wife doesn't treat him as well as she does the dog. In to his life comes Vic and Ramona who are the new neighbors and they are very strange like in an Addams Family kind of way. Vic is played by Dan Aykroyd who changes places with Belushi in playing the crazy guy. I think Aykroyd is outstanding and very funny here and proof that I think he is one of the most under rated actors we have. Ramona is played by Cathy Moriarty who gives a very sex, hilarious and finally sweet performance. Ramona and Vic pretty much torture, mess with and heckle poor Vic and I think what they do to him is cruel but yet dark and hilarious. At first we think this is a crude and mean comedy and that it is just about Earl being picked on. Then something wonderful happens and the movie grows a heart without losing the wonderful weirdness. Vic and Ramona need friends just as much as Earl does. They all need to find something new in their life and that might include close friends and a sense of belonging. This turns out to be one of the best movies ever about friendship.

The writing is smart and the writer is Larry Gelbart who wrote fro the television show "Mash" and many other brilliant comedies. It is adapted from a novel and the jokes, sight gags and humor are very dark and twisted and I am a huge fan of dark and twisted. This is one of my cult classics and favorite black comedies. I would say it was a guilty pleasure but it is not to me, I think it merits as a classic comedy that is smart and has a heart. Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel were the only ones besides me that love it so I am not the only one. It is unfairly blasted, contains brilliant performances by the cast and it is damn funny. I also love the weird Spike Jones type musical score and I love the dark and gloomy look. Tom Hanks tried to rip this off later with "The 'Burbs" and that also proves how great "Neighbors" is. It is John Belushi's last movie and it makes me very sad through the laughs. We lost a brilliant actor who could do hilarious comedy and drama and I think would have received an Oscar nomination had he lived.