It's a real shame that John Landis hasn't been able to recreate the success he enjoyed throughout the 1980's. Looking at his back catalogue - Spies Like Us, Trading Places, The Blues Brothers - it's hard to imagine this is the same director who did The Stupids or Burke & Hare. Don't watch them. They're both awful. Here's five of his best scenes.

5. Spies Like Us - "Are there any Paraguayans here?"

John Landis was a strong enough director that he knew how to work with improvisation. In fact, he fully encouraged it. He regularly based his casting choices on their ability to think on their feet. In Spies Like Us, Landis cast Chevy Chase as the slick-talking Emmet Fitz-Hume, a press agent for The Pentagon who is embroiled in an international plot involving the Soviet Union. It's the eighties, it's always about the Soviet Union. This scene, however, demonstrates how quick Chevy Chase was on his feet. The entire scene was improvised - he was told to stand up, deliver a press conference and deflect questions however he saw fit.


4. Trading Places - "PRAISE JESUS! LOOK AT ME!"

As previously mentioned, Landis' ability to allow actors to improvise can't be overstated. Most directors, especially comedic ones, will do their best to encourage it and Landis was no different. Like Chevy Chase, Eddie Murphy was able to take a simple scene and make it more than just a filler. Landis would work with Murphy again in the not-as-bad-as-you-remember Beverly Hills Cop 3.


3. Animal House - Cheering up Flounder

Although Blues Brothers is seen as the film that put John Belushi on the map, he first gained notoriety in Animal House as Bluto, the man who put the 'animal' in Animal House. Loud, crass and always up for a (toga) party, Belushi and Bluto were one and the same. But it's here in this brief scene with young pledge Flounder that we get why Belushi was a fantastic comedic actor.

2. An American Werewolf In London - The London Massacre

Depending on who you ask, An American Werewolf In London is either a comedy, a horror or a gore film. Whatever it is, it's damn entertaining. Watching the film, you can tell why Michael Jackson asked Landis to direct the music video for 'Thriller'. Sure, the effects now seem dated but it's how Landis cuts the whole scene together that makes it so over-the-top and hilarious. And what's more, it was done with half of the audience not knowing what was happening next. If you look at some of their reactions, they're all genuine.

1. Blues Brothers - "This place has got everything!"

Blues Brothers was the joining of two of John Landis' great loves - soul music and insane stunts. In fact, Landis began his career as a stuntman in central Europe. Fun fact about this scene - everyone in this scene was a trained stuntperson except for John Belushi and Dan Akyroyd. That's actually them driving. The stuntpeople didn't know which way they were going to drive, they had to react accordingly and hope for the best. Ballsy when you think of it like that.