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Now in our seventh calendar year! PCR #319. (Vol. 7, No. 18) This edition is for the week of May 1--7, 2006.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE? I DIDN'T MEAN ME! DAY WITHOUT IMMIGRANTS OK, NOW I UNDERSTAND HEY, WHO DO I HAVE TO SLEEP WITH MOVIE NOTES Jan De Bont, the director of "Speed," has acquired the rights to "The Un-Dead," the authorized sequel to Bram Stoker's "Dracula." The story begins 25 years after the original story and has been approved by Stoker's family. Taking lessons from Rush Limbaugh, George Lucas, who swore that he would NEVER release the original "Star Wars" films in their pre-Special Edition state, announced this week that Episodes IV, V and VI will hit stores on September 12. Of course, you have to buy a copy of the Special Edition film as well, as they will come together in a 2-disc set. Great, just what I need. Another copy of "Jedi" without the Ewok's "Yub" song at the end. Speaking of changing a classic: MY FAVORITE FILMS - CHAPTER 18
FIRST SEEN: Twin Bays 4 Theatre, Tampa, Florida I was in Germany when "ET" was originally released, so I didn't see it until I returned to the states in late August of 1982. I was, as you can imagine by it's inclusion in this series, blown away. The film is actually the blue print for many of Spielberg's more personal films - the child in a fractured family that has a great adventure. It started with "Close Encounters" and is also present in "Empire of the Sun" and "Hook." The story of Elliot and his new friend captured the imagination of the entire world and overtook "Star Wars" as the most successful film of all time (since surpassed, of course, by "Titanic"). Written by "Black Stallion" screenwriter Melissa Mathison, "ET" was the ultimate "fish out of water" story. Conceived by Carlo Rimbaldi and voiced primarily by Pat Welsh (with help from Debra Winger), ET came to life on screen. Henry Thomas gives one of the greatest child actor performances off all time and Drew Barrymore shines as little sister, Gertie. That both of them are still working steadily after almost a quarter century is a true testament to their talents. Of course, with all films comes some great trivia. The husband of screenwriter Mathison filmed a scene but when the film was shown only his shoes were shown. Of course, her husband was Harrison Ford, and Spielberg thought his appearance might distract the audience. During the scene where ET gets drunk and Elliot feels the effects, the young girl Elliot kisses in class grew up to appear on "Baywatch" and in the films "Under Siege" and "The Beverly Hillbillies," among others: Erika Eleniak. In 2002, "ET" was reissued to theatres with a few changes. A new scene of ET taking a bath was added. But the biggest change concerned the removal of all guns from the film. In scenes where government agents are holding guns, hand held radios were digitally inserted instead. This looked especially bad because many of their trigger fingers were still extended. When the time came to release the film on DVD, Spielberg originally planned to release the "new" version. However, fan uproar convinced him to release both versions in the same package. Smart man.
Next week I hit the ice as I highlight one of the greatest sports films ever, "Slap Shot."
Well, that's all for now. Have a great week. See ya!
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