parody http://www.cinemaroll.com/tags/parody New posts about parody Something is Funny in the State of Denmark: Five Hilarious Hamlet Parodies http://www.cinemaroll.com/Cinemarolling/Somethings-Funny-in-the-State-of-Denmark-Five-Hilarious-Hamlet-Parodies.100190 William Shakespeare's Hamlet has been called the greatest work of literature of all time, and it's a story that nearly everyone recognizes even if they haven't seen or read the original play. It (along with the rest of Shakespeare's writing) is among the top three most alluded-to works in literature.

So, it's no surprise that the tale of the vengeful prince is so widely familiar-and so widely made fun of. After all, the original is both difficult to understand, in terms of language, and excessively long.

An uncut version of the play runs around four hours, and let's face it: that's way more than the average person's attention span. The solution? Shorten it! Of course, abridging a work of literature solely for entertainment is often done with less than total concern for the original's integrity… resulting in delightfully irreverent abbreviations. Here are five of the best humorously shortened Hamlets, guaranteed to make Shakespeare cringe and you laugh out loud.

  1. The Simpsons' Hamlet


    Who doesn't love The Simpsons? I've been a fan since I was too young to understand most of the jokes, but some of my favorite episodes have to be the literary parodies, making fun of everything from The Odyssey to Lord of the Flies. This approximately six-minute version of Hamlet, from an episode featuring three classic stories, stars Bart as the Danish prince and bartender Moe as his murderous uncle. It doesn't quite follow the real storyline, but the hysterical ghost encounter and play-within-a-play scenes more than make up for it.

  2. The Animaniacs on Hamlet



    Okay, this one isn't exactly an abridged version of the play, but it's too entertaining to leave out. This little cartoon “translates” Hamlet's “Alas, poor Yorick!” speech into modern English-and not very respectfully, at that. It's a little bit cutesy (it is a kids' cartoon, after all), but there's still plenty for us grown-ups to laugh at.

  3. Seamus Kennedy's “Three Minute Hamlet”


    Seamus Kennedy is an Irish singer and comedian, and one of my favorites among his pieces is his quick version of Hamlet (which is actually a little less than three minutes!) Some of the vocabulary's a bit odd, at least to this young American, and you'll probably want to look up the lyrics to make sure you catch everything, since he has to talk pretty fast to fit the whole story in so little time. But it's well worth it, especially the end! You can listen to the song on Seamus Kennedy's MySpace, and it's available for download on iTunes.

  4. The Reduced Shakespeare Company



    The Reduced Shakespeare Company, which observes that “The comedies aren't as funny as the tragedies”, is famous for its show featuring ALL of Shakespeare's plays in extremely condensed versions infused with silly British humor. Their Hamlet is actually quite long (It's in four parts on YouTube; the link here is to the first), but certainly worth it. I'd also recommend the rest of their Shakespearean “reductions”, particularly Romeo and Juliet.

  5. Hamlet in 60 Seconds


    No, that's not a typo. 60 seconds. If you watch only one of these five Hamlets, make it this one. It's absolutely hilarious. I can't think of a better way to spend a spare minute. (Thank God for subtitles, though.) Oh, and I recommend using the “pop-up” video option; it tends to work better.
]]> Thu, 27 Mar 2008 05:22:53 PST A Comical Version of The 15 Best of the Worst Villains http://www.cinemaroll.com/Cinemarolling/A-Comical-Version-of-The-15-Best-of-the-Worst-Villains.65981

  • Norman Bates from "Psycho"



    A true maniac from a cult movie who will not think twice about spying and then brutally killing you. On Sundays, he can be seen doing the rain dance in a Pocahontas dress while listening to Britney Spears latest album, backwards.

  • Dr. Hannibal Lecter



    You won't want to cross this guy, if you get on his bad side you might become his supper; gave a completely new meaning to Chianti. Unfortunately, when he ran out of people to eat he started going at himself. All that remains of him is his lower jaw and three gold capped teeth.

  • The Doom Cyber-demon



    Wow if this thing were real we would be dead, beyond dead, and there would be very little we could do to stop him, unless we get a hold of that BFG… He is currently developing a new Tic-Tac that will freshen your breath too rotting corpse level.

  • The Alien from “Aliens”

    These bug-like things are truly something to watch out for. First off, bug spray will not work on them and if you get too close when you shoot them their acid blood will melt your skin, watch out for that tail. He was last seen working at the postal office complaint department. Oddly enough, there has never been a single complaint

  • Predator from “Predator” Hunters from a galaxy far far away



    Yep that is where it is, far far away. Apart from being able to turn invisible and partially disintegrating you with their superior weapons, they could also tear you to shreds in less than a second. I wonder if they could be the new spokesperson for Maybellen's new luscious lipstick. On Sunday he can be seen selling “Crazy Beaver” Girlscout cookies.

  • The Headless Horsemen from “Sleepy Hollow”



    I always wondered how this person managed to ride on a horse without being able to see where he went. Obviously, no one can catch him as he always gets a head start (yes, I know it is a terrible joke, bla bla bla…)

  • Darth Vader from the “Star Wars” saga



    Well this person is the big boss of "Star Wars", can probably choke you to death without touching you and slice you in two with that nifty little sword of his.

  • Those disgusting little things from the “Critters” movies



    I always hated these ugly little things from space. They are little ugly gremlin like creatures with a certain taste for human flesh. Could they be Dr. Hannibal Lecter's long lost relatives? Who knows……

  • The Joker from the first and upcoming “Batman” movie



    This is an incredibly complex character. Apart from wearing way too much makeup, he also invented a nifty little potion that would make you laugh hysterically until you drop dead….. Better that than the electric chair, in' nit?

  • Michael Meyers from the “Halloween” saga



    This guy is incredibly disturbed, has been since he was a young toddler. Rumor has it he killed the preschool teacher because she smelled funny. Currently works as a courier. Do not make too much of a scene if your mail looks damaged.

  • Dr. Doom from “Fantastic Four”



    This guy has serious problems whenever he has to pass through customs at the airport, not only that but his armor has never come off, he has never taken a shower and currently owns a ball-of-string factory somewhere in the north

  • Jason Voorhees from the “Friday 13th” saga



    This person just will not stay dead, you can do anything and everything has been done to him but he will not die. Shooting, cutting, stabbing, exploding nothing works. Not even forcing him to listen to a 10-hour cello concerto works. Last seen selling wacky inflatable waiving arm tube men.

  • Freddy Krueger from “Nightmare on Elm Str.”



    He cannot seem to want to stay dead either, he haunts your dreams by convincing you to buy rental property. Freddy enjoys long walks on the beach, sunsets, puppies, maiming people, decoupage, making collages from his victims bones and flesh but his personal favorite, buying rental property.

  • Hal9000 from “Space Odyssey 2000”

    This is the most feared machine of all time, not only is it responsible for countless deaths but it is also responsible for leaking out the end to the Harry Potter movie, the one responsible for convincing George Lucas to remake his movies and yes he and he alone is the one behind the invention of Jar Jar Binks. Fortunately, the Y2K virus got to him and he currently believes that he is a condom-dispensing machine working in a Tijuana airport.

  • Barney the Dinosaur.



    Lastly, la crème de la crème, the most horrific creature to ever be spawned on the any screen, his name alone strikes fear and rage in the minds of those who hear mention his name. The one creature responsible for the destruction of countless planets, galaxies, and entire civilizations past, present and future. The one being that alone could use Vin Diesel as a bat to beat up Chuck Norris. The only creature strong enough to be able to eat a mountain of Mexican food and Indian food and not have to sit on the toilet for a weekend...

    The destructor of worlds.
    • ]]>     Tue, 11 Dec 2007 11:19:50 PST