Trailer for Lost Boys Sequel Promises to Raise the Stakes

Sleep all day.  Party all night.  Never grow old. Never die.

Every child of the ‘80s knows this tag line.  It’s from the cult hit The Lost Boys – one of my favorite guilty pleasures.

For the last 20 years, I have enjoyed the tale of Sam Emerson (Corey Haim) partnering with Edgar (Corey Feldman) and Alan (Jamison Newlander) Frog to save his brother Michael (Jason Patric) from becoming a vampire and joining the likes of David (Keifer Sutherland) and his bloodsucking friends.

So when I heard about a sequel last April, you’d think I would have been ecstatic.  But then I read that it was going to be a direct-to-DVD release and involve surfing vampires.

Since I can’t recall ever being impressed by a direct-to video sequel and the thought of surfing vampires (I thought they couldn’t be in the sun) seemed absurd, I put The Lost Boys 2:  The Tribe out of my mind.

That is until I saw the trailer for the new movie.

The trailer looks like a second-generation of the first movie, complete with the Frog brothers to the rescue.  Sure the movie doesn’t look it’s going to score high in the originality category with blood being substituted for wine again and more vamps on motorcycles, but it still looks like a fun movie.

Besides the movie stars Autumn Reeser who I came to love as the chatty, but insecure Taylor Townsend that eventually wins the heart of Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie) on The O.C.  I would enjoy seeing her again.

The Tribe picks up 21 years after its predecessor.  Feldman and Newlander reprise their roles as the Frog brothers, who have embraced their life as vampire slayers, becoming the leading authorities in their field (I’m not sure Buffy would agree).  In addition, word is that Haim will return as Sam, although he is not seen in the trailer. 

Recycled plot aside, the film links itself back to the original through character connections.

In the sequel, Sam’s niece and nephew lose their parents in a car accident.  Would that make Chris (Tad Hildenbrink) and Nicole (Reeser) Emerson Michael’s children?  I wonder if Star (Jami Getz) was their mom.

Needless to say, as orphans they are sent to live with their Aunt Jillian (Gabrielle Rose) in Luna Bay, another small seaside town.  I’m not sure who Jillian is – Sam’s wife or a maternal relative.  But either way, you can expect the brother-sister duo to run into an undead problem.

And who’s the big bad in this movie?  A vamp named Shane (Angus Sutherland, Keifer’s younger half-brother).  When Nicole falls under his spell, Chris turns to the Frog brothers for help.

Although the movie continues to be listed as direct-to-DVD, Feldman said in an interview with MTV that it hasn’t yet been decided whether it will be a theatrical or a DVD release.

If the movie does go to the theaters, although I think Feldman is just being optimistic, I’ll be shelling out my nine bucks.  I’m not really buying into the tag line “Raising the Stakes” and I know I’m probably in for a let down, but the thought of a Lost Boys franchise is so appealing.

The movie is currently scheduled for a July 2008 release.

So what do you think?  Is the movie worth seeing?

A Look at the new Speed Racer Trailers

I grew up around cars.  My father used to lull me to sleep as a child with a trip around the block in his dragster.  I spent many weekends during my youth at the racetrack.  So it’s no surprise I like television shows with great cars and, as a kid, liked a cartoon about a boy and his car – Speed Racer.

But in reality, I haven’t watched a Speed Racer cartoon in ages.  In fact, I’d forgotten all about the Mach 5 and Speed, Trixie and the gang until I heard that the Wachowski brothers, the duo behind the Matrix trilogy, were bringing the ‘60s Japanese anime to the big screen in a live action feature in May.

At the time, I was intrigued by the resurrection of a childhood favorite.  After seeing the two new international trailers just released, I am a lot more that intrigued.  I am eagerly anticipating the May 9 release date.

At let me tell you, from what I saw in the trailer, this movie isn’t the cartoon of my youth.  Wow!  If the trailers are any indication this movie is going to be action packed with a Mach 5 that will blow your mind.

And the characters are not stuck in the ‘60s either.  In fact, the Racer universe seems a bit futuristic and very colorful.

I’ve followed the casting news for the movie, but wasn’t sure how the actors where going to fill the shoes of the cartoon images.  Let’s just say, hats off to the casting and wardrobe because I was blown away the resemblances.

Emile Hirsh is perfect for the role of Speed, right down to the spit curl on his forehead.  Although Speed is a little older than I remember in the cartoon.  And Christina Ricci looked great as Speed’s loyal girlfriend, Trixie.

The Speed family is rounded out with John Goodman as Pops, Susan Sarandon as Ma and Paulie Litt as little brother Spittle.  Although we didn’t get to see him in the trailer Scott Porter will play Speed’s older brother, Rex and Kick Gurry will fill the shoes of the quirky mechanic, Sparky.

But we did get a look at Speed’s one-time nemesis, Matthew Fox as Racer X.  (Loyal fans of the series might have a question here.  But I don’t want to spoil the movie for newcomers, so let’s just say you’ve got to watch the movie to understand).

In the movie, Speed is going to team with Racer X to win the Crucible, a dangerous cross-country race that took the life of Rex.  But Speed has to do more than avenge his brother; he must defeat the rich and powerful Royalton (Roger Allam) who is behind the fixing of races and the plan to stop Speed at all costs.

This summer is going to be a very popular summer at the theater.

Are you looking forward to the Speed Racer movie?

Footage of New X-Files Movie Leaked

The new X-Files movie, due in theaters on July 25, might not have a title yet, but a teaser of footage from the movie was shown to fans this past weekend at WonderCon in San Francisco.

Here’s a look at the footage.

Even after watching the teaser several times, I’m no closer to guessing what the plot will be of the X-Files sequel.  And apparently Chris Carter provided no revelations in his interview with SciFi Wire.

Instead he reiterated that the film is a stand alone story that will not pick up where the last movie let off.  From the teaser, we know that Billy Connolly has joined the cast as a guy with really long hair and that Amanda Peet is an FBI agent who according to Carter has “gone missing.”

Carter does added that the movie will reflect the passage of time.  Apparently Fox Mulder (David Duchovany) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) have changed since when last saw them in 2002.

“The truth is, after all that time, Mulder and Scully were different people, and we were different people, so the ‘X-File’ we came up with five years ago is still the X-File in the movie, but their personal lives – the state of their relationship, all those things – have changed over time, and that was kind of interesting,” Producer/Writer Frank Spotnitz said.

I’m glad to see that Carter and Spotnitz are acknowledging the passing of time. 

While I’ve been monitoring the progress of the movie, I haven’t really been excited about it yet.  Six years is a long time to have been without X-Files.

But after watching the teaser, I’m ready to break out the DVD of the last movie and rent some of the series.  The countdown to July has begun.

Trailer for ‘Kingdom of Crystal Skull’ says Indiana Jones is Back!

The trailer for the new Indiana Jones movie The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has me counting down the days until its release.

On May 22, the adventure will continue when Harrison Ford reprises his title role and teams up with Shia LaBeouf as Mutt Wiliams (Mutt?  Really?) in search of what else, the Crystal Skull.

What is the Crystal Skull?  Your guess is as good as mine.  But according to Wikipedia, as models of the human skull made entirely of quartz, crystal skulls are believed by some to have supernatural powers, including healing.  

While the trailer gives us little insight into the plot of the movie, it is no less exciting.  I, for one, am looking forward to seeing Jones swing back into action (literally if you watch the trailer) regardless of the specific plot.  After all, I haven’t been disappointed by Indiana Jones to date.

Also returning for the fourth installment in the Indiana Jones franchise is Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, Jones’ squeeze from the first movie. 

Joining the cast is Cate Blanchett as Agent Irina Spalko.  Could she be a love interest for LaBeouf or a force to be reckoned with?  Also making an appearance is John Hurt as Abner Ravenwood.  Isn’t that Marion’s dead dad? 

Missing from the film are Jones’s dad Henry (Sean Connery) and curator Dr. Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott), according to imdb.com.  Let’s hope the additions can make of for these absences because Henry and Brody will be missed.

Although the parentage of LaBeouf’s character is still being debated (a Variety article says yes, a Vanity Fair article says no), you have to wonder if the name Mutt is a reference to Indy being named after a dog.

I just recently rewatched the trilogy with my aunt who had never seen the movies.  The Last Crusade remains my favorite film.  But after seeing the trailer, I have hopes of Crystal Skull.  May can’t get here soon enough.

Review: The Buzz on Jerry Seinfeld’s Bee Movie

Does Jerry Seinfeld’s Bee Movie live up to the buzz that he and NBC have been generating for what seems like months?  This Queen Bee decided to leave the hive and take my little bees to their first premiere to see just how sweet Bee Movie really was?

Fresh out of college, Barry Benson (Seinfeld) has the whole world in front of him, or at least a single job making honey in his hive.  But unlike his best buddy Adam Flyman (Matthew Broderick), Barry is unwilling to settle for a life of honey production.  When Barry sets out on an adventure to discover the rest of the world, he meets Mooseblood (Chris Rock), a mosquito heading to Alaska, and ends up befriending a human.  Vanessa Bloome (Renee Zellweger), a New York florist, becomes an unlikely companion sharing her passion for nature with Barry.  Together the pair must rescue the world’s flowers.

The Bee Movie brings life in the hive alive.  Who knew a bee’s life could be so much like a human’s — cars, parents, school, jobs?    The movie starts with Barry leaving the hive for the first time on what is literally a high flying adventuring.  The animation during the opening sequence is so great you get a bee’s-eye view soaring through the air with Barry and the Pollen Jocks (What can I say?  Every society has its class structure.)

My two-year-old twins were especially delighted during this first third of the movie.  I heard little cries of “weeeee” from my son as he stalled with a handful of popcorn midway to his mouth to watch Barry’s adventure in the big city.

My daughter was just as mesmerized as she peeked through her fingers covering her eyes exclaiming during on of Barry’s less majestic moments of flight “Mommy, he fall.  No Look.” (translated: Mommy, he’s going to fall.  I can’t look.)

Things slow down a bit during the middle of the movie as Barry sets his plan to change the world in motion.   This portion of the movie is filled with an array of star cameos and one-liners that resulted in laughs disproportionally from the adults (don’t worry; nothing inappropriate for the kids).

At this point the twins each moved to a parent’s lap and concentrated on their twizzlers.  Although not nearly as captivated as in the beginning of the movie, to my delight, my little ones were still buzzing with interest.  It takes a lot to keep a toddler’s interest for 90 minutes.

After Barry learns the consequences of his success at changing the world, the story gains momentum as Barry and Vanessa set out to save the day with a little help from his friends (the advantage of living in a hive — lots of friends). 

As a big fan of the Disney animation, I’m used to being hit over the head with the morale lesson.  But I’m not sure what the lesson was from this film.  My two guesses — be careful what you wish for or take care of the environment.

Either way, I did learn one new fact about bees that I didn’t know — they can’t fly in the rain.

Overall, a good tale, nicely done.  For me, Patrick Warburton, the only other Seinfeld alum (Putty) in the movie stole the show as the narcissistic Ken, Vanessa’s boyfriend who is edged out of her life by Barry.  And although his screen time is minimal, Chris Rock was hilarious as the blood-sucking Mooseblood.

I have to admit that I’m not a huge Jerry Seinfeld fan.  If I hadn’t been given free tickets, I probably would not have gone to see this movie and that would’ve been a shame.  I highly recommend the movie especially if you have little ones.  This movie will definitely be added to our collection when it comes out on DVD.

The twins’ verdict?  Two thumbs up.