Back...to the Future!

Everything old is new again it seems.

For years it always has seemed that Hollywood has run out of ideas for new movies as there are constant remakes and sequels to many popular movies. Some of the more recent remakes include Halloween, Friday the 13th and (going back to 1998) Psycho. The latter was a movie which should have never been thought of, cast, created, distributed, etc. as Alfred Hitchcock was a filmaking genius in my opinion. Remaking Psycho is like doing a re-recording of say The Beatles White Album. For goodness sakes you just don't mess with perfection.

Some of the remakes are good, some are bad but most seem to be generally be a introduction of a popular movie title to a new generation. This brings me to the point of today's posting.

I recently rented two movies from the corner Redbox (so convenient!) and didn't think about the fact that I picked up two remakes. One title was a movie I had wanted to see since it's release in later March, the other was a movie my daughter saw in the theatre and loved so I picked that one up for her.

First the movie I had wanted to see was Clash of the Titans. 

This is a remake of the 1981 film that starred Harry Hamlin, Sir Laurence Olivier, Burgess Meredith and many others. I had looked forward to this movie since I saw the commercial during the NFL playoffs earlier this year.

I thought this remake was very entertaining. From stars like Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes it was very impressive. I read some message boards commenting on it and many didn't care for the CGI effects along with the lead character's poor acting. But I overlooked all of that and took the movie for what it was--a guilty pleasure. One thing that bothered me was how terrifying the 2010 Kraken was. I thought the '81 claymation version was better probably because of how cheesy it was which added to the enjoyment of the movie. Add to that a mechanical owl and other "unspecial" effects. 

In the original movie the infamous "Release the Kraken" line has to be the most funniest (not intentionally) funny lines ever. I know I'm a guy and toilet humor never gets old. Also Harry Hamlin's white guy afro was impressive! See for yourself with all of the images below. 

1981 Kraken (looks like Godzilla mated with King Kong :))

2010 Kraken (scary eh?)

C'mon, did they have hair product in those days?

 

Next we have The Karate Kid remake starring Jaden Smith (Will and Jada Pinkett Smith's son) and Jackie Chan as Mr. Miyagi. My daughter saw this movie this past summer and loved it.

 

 

 

I decided to pass at that time as I wasn't interested because I refused to see any of the original Ralph Macchio Karate Kid movies from the '80s (believe it or not!). I know all about the original movie that also had Elisabeth Shue, Pat Morita and Billy Zabka(!). I know all of the memorable lines ("sweep the leg", "get him a bodybag"). And I know all of the songs ("You're the Best Around" and "Glory of Love"). But I refused to see it back then or any of the multiple sequels. It was just one of those movies I avoided in the '80s (along with E.T.--wow!).

 

Anyway, this movie was over 2 hours long, which I'm amazed kept my daughter's attention span. However I have to say wasn't incredibly noticeable. The images of China that many of us in America don't get to see on a regular basis were pretty amazing. I thought Smith also did well in a starring role. He obviously has received talent from his famous mom and dad.

 

To summarize, some things can be remade well while others cannot. Its always a crapshoot with these remakes that Hollywood continues to churn out. But sometimes there are gems hidden among all of crap that has been redone.

Little Giggler

Chase of base with smiles on his face

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Scooby Doo Remix

I came across this remix while pumpkin shopping at the Kirkwood Farmers Market. I enjoy remixes that incorporate lines from the show like this one does especially from a TV show that I loved (and still do). Although the video is from the movies, the lines are from the TV show at least.

Great job Messy13!

Iconic TV Mom and Dad passed away

It wasn't a very good week for pop culture as two iconic TV characters died this week.

First Barbara Billingsley (aka June Cleaver) passed away on Saturday the 16th at the age of 94(!). While the show she's most known for (Leave It To Beaver) is very popular it wasn't one of my favorite shows. I watched episodes of this '50s show when I was younger and admit I was entertained by Beaver and Wally's hi-jinks. And I can see the show's appeal when it was on, but I don't think this show has stood the test of time. That's probably why you can no longer catch reruns of this show.

Then Tom Bosley (aka Howard Cunningham) died on Tuesday the 19th at age 83. His show Happy Days still remains a TV staple particularly because of the wildly popular character The Fonz. While Mr. Cunningham had great presence in the show and had many funny lines and banter with "Mrs C.", it was The Fonz who defined this show.

In fact a term "jump the shark" came from an episode of Happy Days and is used by many people today. This refers to an episode where The Fonz jumps over a shark on his water skis. The meaning of the term comes from a belief that a popular show gets to a point where it has peaked and it then goes on a downhill slide before it is cancelled or ends its run. There was a website jumptheshark.com which chronicled all of the elements involved when a show "jumped the shark". These elements include things like births, a new kid, singing, live audience and my favorite--Ted McGinley(!). I had not visited the site in awhile and now it looks like it has been sold to tvguide.com. But it still has some of the interesting tidbits and facts about many popular shows.

Anyway, back to Happy Days. My fondest memory of this show ironically is something that never happened during its run. Weezer's video for "Buddy Holly" featured some of the characters from the show particularly The Fonz and the dance he does. What a great homage to the show.

And my fondest memory of Barbara Billingsley wasn't from Leave It To Beaver, it was her classic scene from the movie Airplane. Enjoy the clip below. If you haven't seen it, it is one of the best parts although there are so many crazy scenes throughout the movie.

For the record my top three favorite TV moms are (in no particular order): Clair Huxtable (The Cosby Show), Louise "Weezie" Jefferson (The Jeffersons) and Edna Garrett (The Facts of Life) who technically wasn't a mother but was a housemother to the Eastland girls.

My favorite TV dads would be: Cliff Huxtable, Steven Keaton (Family Ties) and Red Forman (That 70s Show).

Goodbye Mrs. Cleaver and Mr. C.

Barbara Billingsley: "Stewardess, I Speak Jive"

Goodbye to MM...way too soon

On September 13 a tragic event happened that affected many people's lives. A friend of mine was killed in an awful accident that is still incredibly surreal. Witnesses claim a driver was texting and lost control of his vehicle while the driver claims he blacked out and struck her. I know the justice system will sort out what exactly happened but none of that matters as she is now sadly in another place.

She was a friend of one of my Mizzou buddies and I got to know her as well within the last few years. I have since found out many things I didn't know about her sadly after the fact. Everything I did get to know about her was great. She was always very nice to me and to others and always seemed to have a smile on her face. 

While at her celebration of life services I kept thinking about one of the last times I saw her. It made me smile because it made me think about how much she helped my daughter on a night that we both attended a children's show at The Fox Theatre.

She was sitting with her two daughters a few rows in front and to the left of my family. We spotted each other during the show and talked during the intermission. At a later point in the show balloons were dropped from the ceiling. Since our seats were under the balcony we missed out on all of the balloons.

Needles to say my daughter was very upset and I felt there wasn't anything I could do to help the situation. What happened next was truly awesome as she had nabbed multiple balloons enough for her daughters and one for mine. This of course helped me out as my daughter was now once again happy after being extremely upset just a little bit before this. I was very appreciative of this gesture at the time, but now that she has passed it made me realize how unselfish a person she was.

During her celebration ceremony all of the speakers more than confirmed her willingness to help out others. Her childhood best friend (S.D.) and her husband were particularly inspiring with their words. Personally I feel extremely lucky that I witnessed her helpfulness firsthand and am forever grateful to have known a wonderful person like she was.

Rest in peace M.M.

Hola Amigos! Como Esta?

Finally!

Here is the first entry into my long overdue contribution to the blogosphere. This is something I have been meaning to do for quite some time. I've wanted to get back into writing again as it has been awhile since my high school and college newspaper staff days. I just needed to find the time and then motivate myself to do it.

Originally I had planned my first blog entry to be something humorous in my life but I'm going to set that aside for future writings. Now that I have finally jumped right in, here's what is on my mind.

Enjoy!