Delayed Movie Sequels

This column was originally published in the Central Western Daily on Tuesday 5th October 2010.

The recent cinematic release of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps comes twenty three years after the release of the original iconic eighties movie, which spawned the much misquoted line, “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.” Directed again by Oliver Stone, with a returning Michael Douglas as greedy corporate raider Gordon Gekko, the film is set on the brink of the global financial crisis.

Whilst a plotline placing a recently released from jail Gekko in today’s financial climate is appealing, one has to wonder whether there is actually a demand for a follow-up movie so long after the original. Of course, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is only one of many much delayed sequels, all with mixed fortunes financially and critically.

The Blues Brothers 2000 dropped on audiences in 2000, eighteen years after the original. With director John Landis back at the helm, and Dan Aykroyd reprising Elwood Blues, the movie was hamstrung by the fact that the other Blues brother was dead. John Belushi passed away in 1982 from acute cocaine and heroin intoxication. John Goodman stepped in as new lead singer Mighty Mac McTeer, however, despite being on a new “mission from God”, lightning didn’t strike twice and the film grossed US$26 million from a budget of US$28 million.

Sylvester Stallone recently revived two of his franchises after lengthy hiatuses. Following a series of flops in the nineties, including Judge Dredd and the painful Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (it should’ve been titled Stop the Film or I Will Shoot Myself), Sly brought back Rocky Balboa for the imaginatively titled Rocky Balboa in 2006, sixteen years after Rocky V, and John Rambo for the even more imaginatively titled Rambo in 2008, twenty years after Rambo III. That was the one where Rambo single-handedly freed Afghanistan from the Russians.

The thoughtful and bittersweet Rocky Balboa was a critical and box office success grossing US$155 million, however, the return of Rambo was less successful, drawing much criticism for its grisly depiction of the titular character’s record breaking 236 kills.

Personally, I quite enjoyed Rambo. If you are going to depict violence on-screen, you should also show the consequences of that violence, although perhaps not over two hundred times. On a per exploding head basis, Rambo is great value.

2008 saw the return of whip cracking adventurer Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, nineteen years after the last instalment, the somewhat falsely titled Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Starring a geriatric Harrison Ford, the film was a huge success, becoming the 29th highest grossing movie worldwide. Unfortunately, most Indy fans were left cold by the George Lucus penned story and the film is regarded as a disappointing sequel.

Whilst I think any Indy is good Indy, I must admit that the alien storyline, the ending ripped off from the original X-Files movie and the surviving a nuclear blast by hiding in a fridge scene are cringe worthy.

Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace was released with much fanfare to huge anticipation in 1999, sixteen years following Return of the Jedi. Although technically a prequel, the origin story of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader went on to become the thirteenth highest grossing film ever, despite much fan derision for the annoying Jar Jar Binks and a silly storyline involving intergalactic trade disputes. That’s right, trade disputes. One of my most cherished films has its origins in a trade dispute. That’s like making a prequel to Romeo and Juliet that sees the Capulets and Montagues first go into conflict over bin night.

The record holder for the longest ever delayed sequel is the direct to DVD Bambi 2 which was released 64 years after the original. Strangely, this film is actually a “midquel” with its plotline taking place within the story of the original. Whilst I am not particularly excited to see the return of Gordon Gekko, the nerd in me is getting excited about the December 2010 release of Tron: Legacy which follows 28 years after the original Tron.

Published in: on October 19, 2010 at 11:11  Leave a Comment  
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Comedy comes to our shores

This column was originally published in the Central Western Daily on Tuesday 12th October 2010.

Comedy enthusiasts are set for a memorable couple of months ahead as several comic legends hit our shores for tours. With average ticket prices easily over the $100 mark, none of the tours will be a cheap night out, however, the calibre of the comedians almost certainly justifies the cost of a ticket or three.

Robin Williams will embark on his first ever stand-up tour of Australia in November. The Weapons of Self Destruction tour has already sold out three nights at the Sydney Entertainment Centre with a fourth show now on sale. Considering the modest set-up costs for a comedian as opposed to say, a Pink concert, Mr Williams is set for a decent payday.

No stranger to our shores, having visited Australia numerous times to promote his films, Robin was most recently in Sydney in February to record the voice of Ramon and Lovelace for Happy Feet 2. During this time, he made an impromptu stand-up appearance at The Sugarmill Hotel, much to the delight of the surprised audience members.

Whilst Mork’s recent films have been awful, in particular RV, Old Dogs and Licence to Wed, there is no denying his filmography, which includes his Oscar winning turn in Good Will Hunting, as well as memorable performances in The Fisher King, Mrs Doubtfire, Dead Poets Society, Insomnia and er, FernGully: The Last Rainforest. Of course, my favourite Robin Williams performance is as the titular spinach loving sailor is Robert Altman’s bizarre megaflop musical Popeye. I yam what I yam.

The Big Yin, Billy Connolly, will perform three shows at the Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House and then two nights at the Hordern Pavillion in February / March next year. It has been six years since Connolly graced our stages so The Man tour will be an absolute treat for fans.

With a career in stand-up spanning over thirty years, Billy is at his most interesting to me when he extends his range to dramatic roles. Recent memorable turns include a priest with a dark past in The X-Files: I Want to Believe and Noah MacManus in The Boondock Saints movies.

Hopefully Billy will stick to comedy during his shows and not be flogging ING financial management products as he can so often be found doing on Australian TV.

 Star of the Deuce Bigalow movies, Rob Schneider, was set to tour Australia for the first time in November, however, due to “unforseen scheduling conflicts” will now play in February for two nights at the Enmore Theatre. With a filmography mostly based on supporting and character roles for Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison productions, Rob’s brand of comedy may not be to everyone’s taste.

Princess Leia herself, Carrie Fisher will be bringing her Wishful Drinking show to Sydney this month. Based on her memoir of the same name, this one woman show is a self-deprecating look at her life so far. With a history that includes electroshock therapy, celebrity parents, scandal, addiction, bipolar disorder and Ewoks, this intimate look at a life lived in the spotlight will be hilarious and sobering at the same time.

Unfortunately for local comedians and fans, The World’s Funniest Island event which was to be held over two days on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour this coming weekend has been cancelled due to a “sponsorship shortfall”. With over 200 acts now left in the lurch, including Michael Winslow, Will Anderson, The Umbilical Brothers and Kath and Kim, this may well be the death knell for the comedy festival in Sydney.

With a strong Aussie dollar against the greenback, touring Oz is even more financially profitable and profitable for international artists. Let’s hope the favourable exchange rate will entice other comedy legends such as Sam Kinison, Richard Pryor, Bill Hicks, George Carlin and Peter Sellers to our shores. Boom boom.

Published in: on October 19, 2010 at 11:07  Leave a Comment  
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Les Miserables: 25 years of revolution

This column was originally published in the Central Western Daily on Tuesday 19th October 2010.

One of the world’s most successful musicals celebrates its twenty fifth anniversary this year and plans are already underway to mark the occasion.

Les Misérables is based on the classic 1862 novel by Victor Hugo. It was originally written as a French language production in 1980 by composer Claude-Michel Schönberg and lyricist Alain Boublil. Produced by theatre impresario Cameron Mackintosh, the English adaption opened in October 1985 at the Barbican Centre in London. Initially receiving largely negative reviews, the production was warmly embraced by theatre goers and the show was a major box office success.

Twenty six years later, that original London production is still running at the Queen’s Theatre, where it celebrated its ten thousandth performance on January 5 this year. Hundreds of musicians and performers have passed through the London production. Only one musician, the drummer from the original London cast album, Peter Boita, remains with the production.

Of course, the show soon spread worldwide. On Broadway it ran for 6680 performances over sixteen years. In Australia, the original production, which starred Normie Rowe, Debra Byrne, Anthony Warlow and Philip Quast, ran between 1987 and 1989. In the early nineties, the production was made available to amateur companies and Orange Theatre Company was one of the first to produce the show in 1994, and again in 2002.

On October 3 this year, Les Misérables set another record, with an amazing three productions being performed at different venues in London. Besides the standard West End production, a UK touring 25th Anniversary Tour production was also playing at the original home of the London show, the Barbican Centre. At the immense O2 Arena (formally the Millennium Dome), which seats 23000 people, a 25th Anniversary Concert was also being staged.

The concert was certainly an all-star affair with a cast that included Filipino singing sensation Lea Salonga as Fantine, Nick Jonas of Jonas Brothers fame as Marius, current Phantom in Love Never Dies Ramin Karimloo as Enjolras and Little Britain’s Matt Lucas as Thénardier. With a cast of over three hundred performers and musicians, the concert also featured appearances from the original 1985 cast, the 25th Anniversary Tour cast and the current West End production cast.

Australian Les Misérables fans will also be able to participate in the celebrations with the 25th Anniversary Concert being shown on the big screen in cinemas this Thursday, October 21. Shot in high definition, the concert version should be spectacular, in particular the second encore which features four Jean Valjeans leading the ensemble in One Day More. If sitting in the cinema for three hours is not appealing, the concert is also scheduled for release on DVD and blu-ray disc in the UK in November with a subsequent Australian release also very likely.

Whilst Les Misérables may not be my favourite show, it was recently voted the UK’s favourite musical, receiving forty percent of the vote. There certainly is something embedded in the show which is very powerful thematically and musically. It has a strange way of rousing the human spirit in an audience. The longest running musical in history shows no sign of ending.

Published in: on October 19, 2010 at 11:03  Leave a Comment  
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