William Goldman once wrote that all sequels are whore’s movies. I tend to agree with him for the most part — after all, how many sequels are made from box-office bombs? The bottom line obviously dictates whether or not to rehash the original material as a sequel. However, that doesn’t mean that all sequels are poor movies: The Godfather, Part II, Evil Dead 2 (and Army of Darkness), The Empire Strikes Back, and Aliens are all very good and entertaining sequels. Perhaps Mr. Goldman would call them courtesan movies.
Summertime is prime sequel-pimpin’ time, and this has been a better summer than most for enjoyable sequels. Spider-Man 2 was a lot of fun. I didn’t see Shrek 2 (I disliked the first one) but many people felt it was better than the original. The Bourne Supremacy is supposed to be a good solid action film.
It’s difficult to pick the ideal illustration of Goldman’s definition—either the Friday the 13th flicks (eleven if you count Freddy Vs. Jason, plus a TV series) or the recent Star Wars redux would normally seem like the best candidates, but this week’s top movie may be an even better one.
And next week, we get another fine illustration: Exorcist: The Beginning. I know we’ve all been waiting for this one, right? Urgh.
New movies in Austin this week:
Alien Vs. Predator—The title says it all. No press screenings were scheduled before the movie opened on Friday, which generally is a sign of a real stinker. But no one is going to care. The lure of the title premise should pull in giant gobs of money this weekend. It does tempt me to rent the first Alien movie, though.
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement—Yeah, you go ahead and laugh off this film. I would have, and then my sister told me that when she saw it on Wednesday with my niece, the screenings were all sold out in advance and there were huge lines around the theater. Apparently a lot of people loved the first movie and can’t wait to see more. Also, this is the first G-rated movie to hit theaters in a long time, and that has a certain allure for many parents. I’ll be interested to see how this measures up against the humongous monster-battle movie.
My sister told me that my niece got restless before the movie ended and wanted to leave, but then she is only three years old and can’t sit through any movie without a break. My sister, however, was so engrossed in the movie that she refused to leave and made my niece behave until the movie ended. So if you have the same taste in movies as my sister, you will probably like this movie. (We both like George Clooney movies, but her favorite is One Fine Day, which should tell you all you need to know about her taste in movies.)
Riding Giants—This is the only movie premiering in Austin this weekend that I might be tempted to see. It’s a documentary about surfers from Stacy Peralta, who directed Dogtown and Z-Boys, the highly acclaimed documentary on skateboarding. Sounds like a great alternative summer movie.
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie—I’m not sure I should even dignify this feature-length commercial by mentioning it in a list of movies. I suspect they had to put “The Movie” in the title or people really would think it was an exceptionally long ad stuck in with the rest of the pre-movie commercials. However, some parents will take their children to see any lump of crap that’s deemed family-friendly, so I’m sure it’ll do well enough.
Notable revivals in Austin:
El Mariachi—Playing Saturday (8/14) at 10 pm at the Paramount. I’d go see it tonight, but trying to find parking downtown at 9:30 pm is rather daunting.
The Jerk—Playing Wednesday and Thursday (8/18-19) at the Paramount. Do you know I have never seen the original unedited version of this movie all the way through? I have it in my rental queue, but I would love to see it in the theater. However, I have such a weird schedule next week that I doubt it’s going to happen. Unfortunately. It’s a double-feature with Planes, Trains & Automobies, a movie I have absolutely no desire to see again.
Outfoxed—Playing Tuesday night at Alamo downtown. I saw this on DVD and I was less than impressed. I should write a full review, but let me at least say that I don’t think all the problems with the mainstream media in the past 20 years can be blamed on FOX, which is what this propaganda-ish documentary implies. As a former journalism student, I was very disappointed in this movie, although it did contain one or two good segments.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)—Alamo’s Rolling Roadshow is doing a big event for this movie next Saturday (8/21) near the house where the original movie was filmed. Again, it’s something I’d love to do but next weekend is impossible for me. I haven’t ever seen the original movie (I know) so I’ll just have to rent it soon.
What am I watching this weekend? We have three rented DVDs in the house: Gregory’s Girl, The Exorcist (the original one, natch), and The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946). Also, if I would stop having stupid sinus headaches, I could go see the remake of The Manchurian Candidate. Funny, though, I don’t seem to have any sequels on my list.