Blog Archives

Dude is Going to Look Like a Lady Again

Normally, there isn’t so much news about sequels made within the same 2-week period, especially when it concerns follow-ups to beloved ’80s and ’90s classics.

Strangely, the latest scoop of a man dressing up as an old Scottish nanny has the potential to revive Steiner Street to its 1993 golden presence.

It was recently announced that famed scribe and director Chris Columbus put his hands up in the form of an “L” and reverse “L” and joined his thumbs together for a vision of a Mrs. Doubtfire sequel in the joyfully eccentric northern California city of San Francisco.

Oh, and this is happening with the wonderfully crazy, wild and spontaneously hilarious Robin Williams.

It’s impossible to doubt the comedic fire he’ll surely bring to this sequel.

While we’re not experiencing hot flashes at this news, we’re all experiencing flashes of our favorite scenes from this story of a marriage and family of three children broken up by divorce in a funny, yet very real fashion. And the fact that the 1993 original was funny, sweet and painfully real with the tugging of our heart strings throughout was a defining dynamic that perfectly complemented the unforgettable comedic one-liners of Robin Williams and, of course, a stellar cast.

There is no release date, but that shouldn’t stop our cautious optimism of what will eventually be projected on the silver screen for multiple generations to enjoy.

Thankfully, somebody boxed the trailer from Mrs. Doubtfire and then shipped it onto the Internet (that process can get confusing).

“Could you make me a woman [again]?”

“Honey, I’m so happy!”

And Uncle Frank, maybe make an extra mask or two…just in case.

P.S. I’ll never forget when my family and I were at a cafe in Kauaʻi several years ago and my sister and I were ordering food just feet from somebody who looked very familiar…

007

Yes, he was 007. And yes, he was super nice. But, he was also the hapless Stu Dunmeyer.

Incredibly, I believe he was driving a Mercedes!

An Epic Return for the Rocket Man

While this inquisitive thought was born from almost complete randomness, it does actually make logical sense. Bear with me.

Remember, “The Rocketeer” from 1991?

First of all, could a remake or sequel work after all these years? Second, if so, what if Christopher Nolan directed and wrote it with his team of A-list writers and producers?

This could be his team’s chance to tell the story of a hero as opposed to a deeply conflicted anti-hero. The hero, Cliff Secord, would still have internal dilemmas, but he would fit more with a traditional hero within the Nolan-world of cinema.

“Man of Steel” and “Gravity” took flying in cinema to new some new heights this year with memorable sequences, like when Superman puts his fist to the ground seconds before he blasts up into the sky. Watching him burst through the clouds was an utterly fantastic sight. The realism was sublime. The sequences between these two films alone beg the question of what would “The Rocketeer” look like in this “epic age” of film making?

Christopher Nolan is currently making a film about space travel called, “Interstellar.” Is it too far a stretch to transition from this scenario to filming a man with a flying rocket?

Part of what makes this daydreaming idea so intriguing is knowing how successful the original movie was more than two decades ago, before IMAX and 3D became virtually mainstream tools in the movie industry. Imagine sitting in a movie theater surrounded by a pulsating soundtrack scored by Hans Zimmer that tracks Cliff Secord flying in the biggest aerial playground ever conceived with a powerfully engaging back story, enemies of “Dark Knight”-caliber and perfectly injected, mind-blowing plot twists.

The possibilities…

Christopher Nolan has proven his directorial and storytelling forte and magic for re-imagining a popular franchise with his new, modern take on Batman and Gotham City. He then helped Zack Snyder produce, “Man of Steel.” Both the Batman trilogy and the first of at least a two movie franchise for Superman achieved surreal success at the box office worldwide.

Back on September 5th, Entertainment Weekly’s Grady Smith reported the soaring success of, “Man of Steel,” with a global box office that exceeded $650 million.

Of course, “The Dark Knight” trilogy easily surpassed the billion dollar mark in the global box office.

Simply crazy success.

Again, this is merely a random vision. The reality of this Nolan-Rocketeer partnership happening may be just as impossible as a man flying through the skies with a personalized golden rocket pack…

Still, when listening to songs from the “Dark Knight” and “Man of Steel” soundtracks and then listening to the soundtrack from “The Rocketeer” by James Horner, it’s almost impossible not to dream about the surreal treatment given to Cliff Secord by Hans Zimmer and Christopher Nolan/Syncopy Inc.

Watching a potentially epic partnership on an IMAX screen in a movie theater. Well, I don’t know about you, but that’s already got my attention.

If a sequel or remake to, “The Rocketeer” ever does happen, then hopefully movie theaters will be fully stocked for selling gum.

Beemans anyone?

Happy Monday!

There were several highlights at this year’s Comic Con in San Diego. For instance, “The Big Bang Theory’s” Johnny Galecki disguised himself as a, “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” character and asked a question in front of, “The Big Bang Theory” panel on a main stage area. Once he removed his mask, the crowd erupted in cheers. Galecki then joined the panel on-stage.

Awesome!

However, there was one announcement that flew above the rest. With regard to superheroes, this paring absolutely takes the cake.

For those of us who have been following the subsequent moves of the super hit, “Man of Steel” and for those of us who love, “The Dark Knight” trilogy, Saturday morning was the day we had been waiting for…

We’ve all heard the news, but now it’s time to watch it: 

http://youtu.be/m05YaiPnRHU

What does this all mean exactly? While director Zack Snyder has said the sequel will not be an adaptation of, “The Dark Knight Returns” comic from which the quote was taken, it does offer an initial clue about the story. A few of the initial and prominent questions will nonetheless include the following:

Will we get the lighthearted jokes between Clark Kent and Lois Lane? How about some playful flirting between Superman (“that’s what they’re calling him”) and Lois Lane? Will we see more Superman rescues a la Christopher Reeve in 1978’s, “Superman?” Who will play the new Bruce Wayne/Batman? What will his personal story entail? What characters will surround Bruce Wayne/Batman? Will Superman and Batman have a common enemy/enemies? How will Metropolis and Gotham City merge?

We’ll all just have to wait and see. Unfortunately, the first teaser trailer won’t be released until well into the future. For now…

Have a Super Week!

It’s a Super Monday!

Today is a special, super Monday!

Experiencing the return of the, “Man of Steel” on an epic IMAX screen was the perfect stage for this character’s epic re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere from Planet Krypton.

As a result of our spoiler-happy culture, I purposefully avoided search engine terms such as, “Man of Steel,” “Henry Cavill,” “Amy Adams” and anything related to this movie for the past couple weeks. The internet has no filter. However, it’s apparently been a well-known fact that a sequel has been in the works for some time now. Still, I wanted to know as little as possible before watching 2013s, “Man of Steel.”

This new development (for me anyways) definitely changes some of the dynamics and reflections for, “Man of Steel.”

The confirmation of a sequel with writer David Goyer instantly put, “Man of Steel” into a new perspective (like “Batman Begins”) concerning Clark Kent/Superman’s character arc. Realizing this, “Man of Steel” represents more of an origin story and a damn good one at that!

And as mentioned in an earlier post, the chemistry between Super- the Man of Steel and Lois Lane, which is a pivotal relationship, was engaging, palpable and entertaining.

The countdown has begun for the Super Sequel!

P.S. Go See, “Man of Steel!”