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Title: National Lampoon’s The Legend of Awesomest Maximus Directed by: Jeff Kanew Starring: Will Sasso, Ian Ziering, Kristanna Loken, Sophie Monk, Tony Cox, Ludacris and Rip Torn Running time: 91/minutes, Unrated, Available on DVD Will Sasso is Awesomest Maximus, a stocky General who is more concerned with eating, drinking and trying to bang his wife Hottessa (Kristanna Loken) who despises him, than leading an army. When Hotessa’s younger brother Orlando convinces King Erotic’s wife Princess Ellen (Sophie Monk) to travel with him be her Gay-bff, they unwittingly start a war. King Erotic (Khary Payton) enlists the great warrior Testiclees (Ian Ziering) and the little Minoritees (Tony Cox) to attempt to [ Read More ]...

Owing equally to a skin-tight body suit and unnerving thousand-yard stare, Kristanna Loken made quite an impression in 2003′s “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.” While she didn’t quite skyrocket up the ranks of Hollywood demand from there, she’s nevertheless worked steadily – including in a fair amount of genre material, as with Uwe Boll’s “BloodRayne” and “In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale.” Her latest movie is “The Legend of Awesomest Maximus,” a decidedly bawdy, National Lampoon’s-minted spoof of “300,” “Gladiator” and other mythology-laden, sword-and-sandal action epics. Loken co-stars opposite Will Sasso and Sophie Monk, playing the former’s gold-digging, politically-minded wife Hotessa, who, while trying to goad her [ Read More ]...

Blending elements of Zack Snyder’s 300 and Wolfgang Petersen’s Troy together, National Lampoon’s The Legend of Awesomest Maximus presents comedy that only Hollywood comedy hacks like Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer could be proud of. Surprisingly, this Awesomest Maximus wasn’t written by them, but you’d never know it as it offers the same brand of immature humor where, in the absence of actual punch lines, we’re treated to lines that will involve testicles, boobies, gay bashing, farts, sex, or whatever else a fifth grader thinks would be hilarious at a slumber party. Really, this is just a poorly written, 90-minute excuse to show off Kristanna Loken and Sophie Monk’s breasts. And they’re great breasts, sure, but it seems like Will Sasso and Rip Torn didn’t get the memo, as they attempt to make something out of the worthless script.

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This week: Rooney Mara deservedly earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of gothic computer hacker Lisbeth Salander in David Fincher's English-language remake of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," which co-stars a very un-Bondlike Daniel Craig.

Also new is Kermit's comeback in "The Muppets," Jonah Hill in the comedy "The Sitter," Gary Oldman in the spy thriller "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," and the Blu-ray debut of the violent Japanese phenomenon "Battle Royale."

'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' (2011)

Box Office: $102 million

Rotten Tomatoes: 87% Fresh

Storyline: Disgraced investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is hired by a wealthy industrialist (Christopher Plummer) to solve the disappearance of a family member decades ago. Blomkvist enlists the help of unconventional researcher Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) to help him find a killer of women in David Fincher's riveting remake of the Swedish film based on the popular Stieg Larsson novel.

National Lampoon is moving forward with its next in-house production, "National Lampoon's The Legend of Awesomest Maximus," a spoof of sword-and-sandal flicks such as "Gladiator," "300" and "Troy."

"Mad TV's" Will Sasso will lead a cast that includes Kristanna Loken ("Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines"), Ian Ziering ("Beverly Hills, 90210"), Sophie Monk ("Date Movie"), Tony Cox ("Bad Santa") and Rip Torn ("Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story"). The script was written by Jason Burinescu, and "Revenge of the Nerds" helmer Jeff Kanew will direct.

Dan Farah and Burinescu are also producing. Sasso and Dale Rosenbloom are executive producers; Lampoon executive Justin Kanew is overseeing production.

"We're excited to embark on another National Lampoon original production, especially with a cast of this caliber," stated National Lampoon Chief Executive Officer, Daniel Laikin. "'National Lampoon's The Legend of Awesomest Maximus' is a hilarious spoof of some of the classic films of our generation, and...