Scary Movie 3.5

Currently in making Scary Movie 4, this series of spoofs is really going the distance, even after its creators — the Wayans brothers — jumped ship after the second instalment. As far as sequels go, SC3 was a smash hit that well surpassed its predecessor and nearly matched the original, largely in part to the well-played celebrity cameos and the return of Zucker (Airplane!, Top Secret!, The Naked Gun) to the parody genre. However, even in its uncut form (which like most uncut versions, is difficult to distinguish), this film's quality only matches its box office receipts, bettering the first sequel but not the first film. Spoofing the likes of The Ring, Signs, The Matrix, 8 Mile and The Others, the film still holds up surprisingly well, considering these films rely on freshness like you do with your milk. There are some funny moments — the infamous Pamela and Tommy Lee video gets poked fun of, Regina Hall's Brenda character fighting with "Tabitha," Brenda's wake, and even the jab at Michael Jackson — but the constant cheapness of the gags wears much thinner here than Zucker's work in the '80s. The extras are a plenty and fulfilling for fans. Deleted scenes for once are worthwhile and feel like they were just cut in the last hour of post-production. Cindy's horse fighting scene forces a few chuckles, as does Charlie Sheen's sex scene with wife Denise Richards, which is too twisted to get into. And the disturbing Subway regurgitation scene will make you look at Jared in a whole new light. The "making of" featurettes, yes, there are two, reveal the work that goes into parodies, such as the difficulty in keeping it fresh and even spoofing films that weren't yet available to view, but there is some value in watching the cast and crew make fun of Zucker's sheltered life, whiteness and intelligence. The alternate ending drags on way too long, revealing a Hulk joke, an absolutely humiliating senior diaper moment with Leslie Nielson and drags on into more Matrix territory, which was wisely cut from the actual film. Plus: commentary, bloopers/outtakes. (Alliance Atlantis)