Shagadelically
Speaking: The Words and World of Austin Powers -- Lance Gould;
Paperback
Austin
Powers: How to be an International Man of Mystery -- Michael
McCullers, Mike Meyers; Paperback
Austin
Powers - The Spy Who Shagged Me - DVD
"I put the grrr in swinger, baby!" a deliciously randy Austin Powers
coos near the beginning of The Spy Who Shagged Me, and if the imagination
of Austin creator Mike Myers seems to have sagged a bit, his energy surely
hasn't. This friendly, go-for-broke sequel to 1997's Austin Powers: International
Man of Mystery finds our man Austin heading back to the '60s to keep perennial
nemesis Dr. Evil (Myers again) from blowing up the world--and, more importantly,
to get back his mojo, that man-juice that turns Austin into irresistible
catnip for women, especially American spygirl Felicity Shagwell (a pretty
but vacant Heather Graham). The plot may be irreverent and illogical, the
jokes may be bad (with characters named Ivana Humpalot and Robin Swallows,
née Spitz), and the scenes may run on too long, but it's all delivered
sunnily and with tongue firmly in cheek.
Myers's true triumph, though, is his turn as the neurotic Dr. Evil,
who tends to spout the right cultural reference at exactly the wrong time
(referring to his moon base as a "Death Star" with Moon Units Alpha and
Zappa--in 1969). Myers teams Dr. Evil with a diminutive clone, Mini-Me
(Verne J. Troyer), who soon replaces slacker son Scott Evil (Seth Green)
as the apple of the doctor's eye; Myers and Troyer work magic in what could
plausibly be one of the year's most affecting (and hysterically funny)
love stories. Despite a stellar supporting cast--including a sly Rob Lowe
as Robert Wagner's younger self and Mindy Sterling as the forbidding Frau
Farbissina--it's basically Myers's show, and he pulls a hat trick by playing
a third character, the obese and disgusting Scottish assassin Fat Bastard.
Many viewers will reel in disgust at Mr. Bastard's repulsive antics and
the
scatological bent Myers indulges in, including one showstopper involving
coffee and--shudder--a stool sample. Still, Myers's good humor and dead-on
cultural references win the day; Austin is one spy who proves he can still
shag like a minx. --Mark Englehart - Amazon.com
Austin
Powers: International Man of Mystery - DVD
If you don't think Austin Powers is one of the funniest movies of the
1990s, maybe you should be packed into a cryogenic time chamber and sent
back to the decade whence you came. Perhaps it was the 1960s--the shagadelic
decade when London hipster Austin Powers scored with gorgeous chicks as
a fashion photographer by day, crime-fighting international man of mystery
by night. Yeah, baby, yeah! But when Powers's arch nemesis, Dr. Evil, puts
himself into a deep-freeze and travels via time machine to the late 1990s,
Powers must follow him and foil Evil's nefarious scheme of global domination.
Mike Myers plays dual roles as Powers and Dr. Evil, with Elizabeth Hurley
as his present-day sidekick and karate-kicking paramour. A hilarious spoof
of '60s spy movies, this colorful comedy actually gets funnier with successive
viewings, making it a perfect home video for gloomy days and randy nights.
Oh, behave! --Jeff Shannon - Amazon.com
Austin
Powers - The Spy Who Shagged Me -VHS
Austin
Powers: International Man of Mystery -VHS
Austin
Powers - The Spy Who Shagged Me, Widescreen - VHS
Austin
Powers: International Man of Mystery, Widescreen - VHS
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