What's This? The Winter Comedy FIlm Series!

I don't know about you guys, but January's always been one of those "meh" months. What starts as a hangover (literally) sloshes into a malaise of returning Christmas gifts, dealing with holiday bills, beginning to worry about a looming tax season and contending with the cold and wet weather. Heck, if you're one of the lucky ones, you may even have to battle with a cold or... the flu. I say lucky because you then have an excuse to stay bedridden and sleep some of the month away. And when I finally make the time to buy a clearance-priced 2012 calendar, I always make sure it's about 30 days in, just so I can flip right past the first month.

Yes, I can get right ornery this time of year.

But wait... what's this I see?

My, my, my. Isn't this a pleasant surprise?

The Paramount Theatre is hosting a Comedy Film Series during the last week of January, and all of a sudden things look to be a little better. It's a little something to help lift us out of the doldrums, and will be very much appreciated. Comedic hijinks will flow due to the likes of Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy, Woody Allen and Richard Pryor. There's something for everyone, as long as you're ready to get your laugh on.

The fun begins with a Will Ferrell double feature, who has come one heck of a long way from Night at the Roxbury (as an aside, remember when people thought Chris Kattan was going to be the successful one of that duo?). He's catapulted into one of the more prolific comedic actors working today. His unique brand of "everyman idiocy" combined with a boyish charm is evident in all of his performances, no matter how big or small his role is.

Everyone has their favorite Will Ferrell role, but I''m willing to bet that most can agree that his most iconic may well be the title role in 2004's film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy. He was "like a god walking amongst mere mortals. He had a voice that could make a wolverine purr and suits so fine they made Sinatra look like a hobo." With a solid comedic cast including Christina Applegate, Fred Willard, Paul Rudd, David Koechner and Steve Carrell (and some truly great surprise cameos), it has over the years grown in stature as one the most quotable comedies in the past decade.

Step Brothers has Ferrell reunite with his Talledega Nights co-star John C. Reilly in this unlikely buddy movie. Farrell and Reilly star as two 40-something men who refuse to grow up. But when their single parents (Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen) get married to each other, the two are forced to confront the fact they now each have a new step brother. And needless to say that, for these spoiled men, the news does not go over well.

Is Will a tad too silly for you? Is your sense of humor more of a sharp sword than a blunt hammer? Than surely you can appreciate the next double feature by legendary film director Woody Allen. I know some people have taken issue with the celebrity, but regardless what you think of the guy... it's never a bad thing to take in some of Allen's brand of humor. If all you know of Woody Allen is Annie Hall or this year's Midnight in Paris, this wouldn't be a bad place to start.

Bananas is a crazy story about Fielding Mellish (Allen), a neurotic average Joe who gets embroiled in a comic series of events to become the leader of a small Latin American country. Sure it sounds nutty, and when the plot involves Allen becoming the leader of a banana republic, you have to expect a bit of the Marx influence. No, I don't mean Karl. I'm thinking more of Groucho, Harpo, and Chico. Yep, it's that level of zaniness.

Love and Death is Allen's spin on Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. Full of literary references and foreign film allusions, Allen also peppers the film with a self-aware attitude that is funny but never pretentious. In fact, although a historical comedy, Allen uses a clever awareness of anachronisms to make it a classic movie of absurdity.

Progressing from these early Woody Allen films of the 1970s, The Paramount shifts into the following decades with a double feature of modern classics. One is a genuine mega-hit blockbuster and the other is a cult classic.

In the comedic world, the undisputed champ of the 1980s was Eddie Murphy. His leap from standup to Saturday Night Live was but a precursor to a dominance at the theatrical box office. Ask around, and you may get differing views on which Murphy movie is a personal favorite, but from a purely financial point-of-view, none was bigger than Beverly Hills Cop. Although originally envisioned as a vehicle for Sylvester Stallone (?!?), it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role of Axel Foley, a Detroit cop who ventures to Beverly Hills to solve a friend's murder. Part action movie, part comedy, part fish-out-of-water story, it most importantly acts as a showcase for the charm of Eddie Murphy.

Fan fact about Beverly Hills Cop: It remained the highest grossest R-rated comedy of all time for 25 years. Years later, it still stands as a comedy classic. I don't mind if you forget about the sequels. In fact, I pretend the third one doesn't exist at all. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the movie that unseated this as the number one R-rated comedy was The Hangover in 2009. Coincidently, that also has a sequel I pretend doesn't exist.

Now from a box office giant to a movie that took time to find it's audience...

Office Space made a very minor splash when it was originally released in theaters in 1999. I guess more people were interested in seeing Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and that's a shame. Fortunately, as more people discovered it on home video, it become a cult classic. The depictions of frustrations in a work environment are pitch perfect, and it's satirical views has the light touch of genius that can only be found in creator Mike Judge ("Beavis and Butthead," "King of the Hill," Idiocracy). You know, they say you laugh at comedy either because it's funny or because it's true. Alas, if you've ever had an office job... this is one of those situations where both apply.

The trailer looks silly, but don't jump to conclusions... it's gold. I've never looked at fax machines the same ever since. Not to mention, I've also developed an affinity for red Swingline staplers.

The Winter Comedy Film Series winds down with a look at one of the true masters of the genre. Richard Pryor was a trailblazer in the realm of standup comedy, and is revered by nearly every comedian working today. Pryor often had a profane tone, but possessed a vulnerability that is unmatched to this day. There was often a palpable sense of sadness in his performances, and he often danced on the line of comedy and drama.

The double feature is of his standup film Live at the Sunset Strip, often considered the finest standup comedy film ever made. The second is a more personal story, and the only film Pryor directed himself. Jo Jo Dancer: Your Life is Calling is a semi-autobiographical tale about a comedian who has overcome long odds to experience success... as well as self-destruction.

Take in the double feature and see why so many hold Richard Pryor in such high esteem. Heck, when a man's this good, I can forgive him for the likes of Superman III.

Man, is it going to be a good week. It's just what the doctor ordered for those who are (like yours truly) suffering through this first month of the year. Heck, I may go buy a calendar earlier this year just so I can circle the dates. Then I can look at the red circled dates and bring to mind two things that can lift us from being down in the dump: Comedies and The Paramount Theatre? YAY!!

Showtimes for the films:

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy
Sunday, Jan 22nd
2:00
6:00
Monday, Jan 23rd
9:10

Step Brothers
Sunday, Jan 22nd
4:00
Monday, Jan 23rd
7:00

Bananas
Tuesday, Jan 24th
7:00
Wednesday, Jan 25th
8:55

Love and Death
Tuesday, Jan 24th

8:55
Wednesday, Jan 25th
7:00

Office Space
Thursday, Jan 26th
7:00

Beverly Hills Cop
Thursday, Jan 26th
9:00
Sunday, Jan 29th

2:00

Richard Pryor: Live at the Sunset Strip
Friday, Jan 27th
7:00
Sunday, Jan 28th
6:05

Jo Jo Dancer: Your Life Is Calling
Friday, Jan 27th
8:55
Sunday, Jan 28th
4:05