I’m pretty sure Logan and I have mentioned the movie Hard Ticket to Hawaii on the podcast at some point. Suffice it to say that it’s one of the best, awful, borderline pornographic, low budget spy/action drama/comedies of its day. Oh, and it’s got a scene where a dude is killed by a Frisbee with razor blades taped to it.
Well, a group of brave YouTubers have recreated this classic scene on digital video and fed it to the internet. Now, normally I’d encourage you to watch the original before the remake, but I’m going to make an exception. First, take a look at the fan version:
Pretty great, right? But surely, they cheesed up the acting for comedic effect. And obviously the real movie’s special effects were more convincing, right? Let’s see for ourselves…
Yes, it turns out that the fans got it pitch perfect. If anything, their version is somehow less absurd than the one that hit theaters. Well done. For added fun, try starting both clips at the same time.
So many things to learn. But we’ll enjoy each lesson. Problems don’t worry us. When half the fun is guessing. REVIEWED: Brothers (2004), Brothers (2009). CHRISTMAS RETRO PICK: It’s a Wonderful Life.
Remember Death at a Funeral, that Frank Oz sleeper comedy from two years ago? While I didn’t think it was an amazing film, I did enjoy it as a fun British farce, which is really all it set out to be. Well, less than two years later somebody in Hollywood thought, “You know what? I think we should remake that funny little British film…but with black people.”
Needless to say, this REALLYpisses me off. Not only is the original film close to still being on the “New Release” wall at Blockbuster, but was there something in it that really screamed “Martin Lawrence, Chris Rock, and Tracy Morgan vehicle!”?
I’ve decided to put the trailer on here, but let me just save you the trouble of watching it: It’s literally, and I really, really, REALLY want to stress literally, exact scenes from the original film but with Asian jokes, “Daaaaaaaammmnn”‘s, and Tracy Morgan.
I hear that train a’comin’ / It’s comin’ round the hill / I hope that is my train / I’d better check my schedule / Oops, that was the train to Appleton / but it’s going to Circle Pines / And I’ve got about another 20 minutes to kill / It’s a good thing I brought some magaZINES. REVIEWED: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009). PLUS: Singing?
It’s hard not to like Joe Dante’s 1978 film Piranha. Sure it was just a lame Roger Corman produced rip-off of Jaws, but in Dante’s hands it became a cult classic. How can you not like a film that’s got mutated killer fish eating a group of elementary school kids, Dick Miller in a huge cowboy hat, and one of my favorite horror movie lines, “Terror, horror, death. Film at eleven.”
But enough about how much I love Joe Dante and how some day he’ll have all my little Logan Jr.’s. You see, Hollywood is remaking Piranha…in 3D…with Elisabeth Shue. Some of you may recall that it was already remade in 1995 as a made for TV movie (which was completely forgettable except for the fact that it starred a young Soleil Moon Frye AND Mila Kunis), but it seems that what Hollywood really thinks it needs is a gory 3D update from that loony French guy who made the pretty bland High Tension. What was his name? Alexandre Aja or something. Crazy French and their crazy…Frenchness. As far as the remake goes, I feel like it could work. We’ll have to wait to find out, so until then why not rent the original this summer?
Anyway, what I really want to talk about is span style=”text-decoration: line-through;”>Joe Dante some more the recent news I read about Richard Dreyfuss shooting a cameo in the new remake. It turns out that the cameo will be an homage to his role in Jaws. So, if I’m understanding this correctly, Dreyfuss is doing an homage to his classic character in a film that is a remake of a rip off of the original film that featured his classic character. Does that sound about right? I was never great at math.
Logan’s hand-written notes for this episode say it all: “Intervention, Abortion, AIDS.” Just keep repeating to yourself: It’s only a podcast… REVIEWED: The Virgin Spring, The Last House on the Left (1972), The Last House on the Left (2009) PLUS: Even more ragtime piano than usual.
Is it weird that the Friday the 13th series has nothing to do with bad luck? I mean, besides the bad luck implied by a knife-wielding maniac? This question and others ignored on this week’s retrospective of the first three Jason films and review of the highly anticipated remake. PLUS: Silly voices.
Ah, the old “review the Asian horror film and then review the American remake” gag, eh? I’m on to you, Critical End! (The Podcast) Episode 3…I’m ON to you… REVIEWED: A Tale of Two Sisters, Uninvited. PLUS: Hat-wearing advice for the socially flummoxed.
