TOMB OF NOSTALGIA: GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH (1990)

GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH (1990)

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Sequel takes place a few years later in NYC where Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) and now fiancé, Kate (Pheobe Cates) have gone to work at the high-tech Clamp Tower owned by billionaire entrepreneur Daniel Clamp (John Glover). At the same time, Gizmo’s keeper Wing (Keye Luke) dies and Clamp seizes the Chinatown property for a development project. The Mogwai is brought to Clamp Tower’s genetics lab where they are quite unaware of the rules…which are again broken, unleashing an army of gremlins inside the skyscraper who are awaiting nightfall to spread out into the Big Apple.

Written this time by Charles S. Haas and Looney Tunes creator Chuck Jones, Gremlins 2 takes on a lighter and more cartoonish tone with the previous film’s darker and more violent elements all but gone. Director Joe Dante still gives us a good time and the new setting and expanded budget freshen things up a bit and give us creatures with far more individual personality, especially when they hit the Splice Of Life genetics lab and start experimenting on themselves. Flying gremlins, spider-gremlins and even a gremlin with a genius IQ (voiced by NYC acting legend Tony Randall). It may be a lot goofier in tone, but Dante and his writers find new ways for the gremlins to cause havoc and amuse us. There are still a lot of clever bits, even if it has lost a good deal of it’s edge  and while I prefer the darker tone of the first, there is still enough of a devious sense of humor to keep it fun. Obviously, there are a ton of movie references and in-jokes for movie fans to giggle and veteran composer Jerry Goldsmith returns to score, as does frequent Dante cinematographer John Hora return to lens.

Dante again has assembled a good cast. The returning Galligan and Cates reprise their roles complete with plenty of charm. John Glover is very funny as the goofball, eccentric billionaire Clamp. His almost oblivious reaction to everything is constantly amusing. Haviland Morris is fun, sexy and seductive as Billy’s boss who has plans for him that extend beyond the office. There are a lot of fun cameos from some Dante regulars with Dick Miller returning as Mr. Futterman and Dante regular Robert Picardo as a jerk of a security chief. There are also small parts from character actor Robert Prosky as a horror show host, a hilarious Christopher Lee as the head of the genetics lab, Dr. Catheter and wrestler/actor Hulk Hogan cameoing as himself.

Gremlins 2 may not be quite as good or unique as the first flick, but is still a lot of fun and Dante brings the chaos and anarchy with a devious smile…though with far less dark a tone. The cast are all having a blast and the FX people really take advantage of a much larger budget to deliver a horde of various versions of the title creatures. Not quite an equal, but a fun sequel that sadly underperformed at the box office and ended the series till talk of a Gremlins 3 started up again recently.

-MonsterZero NJ

3 Gremlins

 

 

 

 

TOMB OF NOSTALGIA: GREMLINS (1984)

GREMLINS (1984)

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Gremlins is a fun Christmas set comedy/horror about a small town that comes under siege by a group of nasty little creatures. The story finds a down on his luck inventor (Hoyt Axton) buying a strange little furry creature called a Mogwai in a back-alley Chinatown shop for his son Billy (Zach Galligan). There are three rules given to insure safe care of the critter named Gizmo…keep him away from bright light, don’t get him wet and don’t feed him after midnight. Of course all the rules are broken along the way and Gizmo reluctantly spawns a group of horrid little creatures with a diabolical…and lethal…sense of humor. Now the sleepy little town of Kingston Falls is under attack and Billy and his sweetheart Kate (Phoebe Cates) must find a way to stop the little devils.

Created by the triple threat of producer Steven Spielberg, writer Chris Columbus and director Joe Dante, this is a really entertaining movie that has become an outright classic. While it appears to be a kid friendly family film on the outside, there is a devious sense of humor bestowed upon the flick, which has always been Dante’s trademark…and it works exceptionally well here. The film has some fun moments and some cartoonish characters, like the Scrooge-like Mrs. Deagle (Polly Holliday), but it also has a definite mean streak as the title creatures ‘humor’ can be quite painful or deadly against it’s recipient. This keeps Gremlins from sliding into the sappy, sentimental level of Spielberg’s own E.T. and gives it a much needed and appreciated edge…though it grew criticism for some of it’s violence back in the day. The creatures themselves are well rendered with practical FX and one scene of model animation and this makes the story work all the better. Dante adds his usual movie nods…such as a doctor named “Moreau” and there are appearances from his regulars like Dick Miller and Belinda Balaski. There is also a fun score by legendary composer Jerry Goldsmith and some crisp cinematography, highlighting the holiday time of year, by John Hora.

Dante has a good cast here, too. Galligan is solid as the nerdy bank teller turned hero and he has a naive and down-to-earth charm that makes his character very likable. Cates does well playing the girl-next-door with a dark Christmas past. Cates had been know for sexier roles, but pulls off the all American girl very well. Folk singer Axton is surprisingly fun as the Billy’s inventor/dreamer father Randall Peltzer. Dante regular Dick Miller has an amusing part as one of Billy’s neighbors and Polly Holliday is perfectly Cruella Deville-like as Mrs. Deagle. A good cast that get the tone of the material perfectly.

Gremlins is a lot of fun and with the added nostalgic charm is even more endearing. It has a good cast, a director who adds just the right amount of dark humor and some very well rendered special FX to make our creatures believable. A fun movie recognized as a classic. Also stars comedian Howie Mandel as the voice of Gizmo.

-MonsterZero NJ

3 and 1/2 Gremlins

 

 

 

 

TOMB OF NOSTALGIA: LEGEND: DIRECTOR’S CUT (1985)

LEGEND: DIRECTOR’S CUT (1985)

In 1985 when Ridley Scott tested the 113 minute cut of his fantasy epic Legend, it didn’t test well with audiences and it was deemed that it took far too long to get to the action. The film American audiences finally saw was 89 minutes but, the film was a box office failure anyway. Now the film has been restored to Scott’s original 113 minute cut and has been beautifully presented on blu-ray for fans to finally see the film Scott intended. But, is it a better film then what I originally saw in a theater in 1985? I think so. I will agree it does take a lot longer to get to the questing and rescuing but, a lot of the fairy tale elements and atmosphere have been restored with this edition of these removed sequences and a lot more story and character interaction does enrich the film and make it less a music video and more a fantasy film. The restoring of Jerry Goldsmith’s score also changes the atmosphere and gives it more of an epic fantasy feeling. I like Tangerine Dream’s work on the theatrical cut, but, it does give it more of the before mentioned music video vibe. Remember MTV was still new and a big thing when this was released so, I wouldn’t doubt that was what they were going for. Legend tells the story of lone woodsman Jack (Tom Cruise) who is trying to woo a princess named Lili (Mia Sara). He decides to take her to see the last pair of unicorns whose magic keeps the sun rising and good and light in this fantasy world. But, the evil Lord Of Darkness (Tim Curry) plans to destroy the unicorns and bathe the world in darkness so he and his minions may rule. When the unicorns are distracted by the innocence of virginal Lili, one is poisoned and it’s horn stolen by Darkness’ goblins. Soon they capture the last remaining unicorn and Lili as well and Darkness plans to kill the magical animal and wed the girl. Now it is up to Jack and an assortment of Wood Elves, Brownies and Fairies to rescue Lili and save the unicorn from within Darkness’ lair. Whether it’s the director’s cut or theatrical cut, Legend is an amazingly beautiful and sumptuous visual fantasy feast under Ridely Scott’s lens. The visuals are stunning and without benefit of CGI and they, even by today’s high-tech standards, are breathtaking. There is plenty of action and a lot of strange creatures both good and bad and all rendered with some fantastic make-up FX from The Thing’s Rob Bottin. Tim Curry’s Darkness has become an iconic character and is truly remarkable to see. Again, no CGI. As for the acting, Cruise and Sara are fine but, it was early in both careers and the performances are not as strong as they would be today, now that both are veterans. Curry on the other hand, radiates both evil and malicious charm through the layers of latex and even though he looks completely inhuman on the outside, he gives the Dark Lord a vivid personality and makes him a threatening villain worthy of such an epic fantasy film. Overall, we have a lot more moments with all these characters together with the expanded cut. To me it adds a richness to the film that wasn’t there in the theatrical version, especially in Jack and Lili’s relationship, their feelings for each other are far more explored and we get a better idea of why Jack risks so much for her. I feel this Legend is far more a fairy tale in this version then fantasy themed action movie and like Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings films decades later, it’s worth sitting through more of these little moments to emotionally enrich the film as it only gives the action scenes more depth. I still think the theatrical cut has it’s merits as a fun, breezy 90 minutes of fantasy action but, if you want more depth and don’t mind spending a bit more time reveling in Ridley Scott’s beautiful fantasy world, then the director’s cut is for you.

3 and 1/2 Lords of Darkness!