Sunday, February 10, 2013

The Great (film) Debates vol. 70

Sometimes you just need more... more cowbell, more beef, more movie.

What movie do you most want to see a sequel/prequel to?


Panelist: Tennessee Jed

I would like to see a sequel to the movie Tai Pan in which a young Keira Sedgewick played the young Tess Brock. She marries Cullam Struan who dies and she becomes "The Hag" one of the early and most critical Tai Pan's of the Noble House. This story was never developed in any of James Clavell's Asian series of novels. Kyra is the perfect age to do that story :)

Panelist: ScottDS

It was actually rumored for a long time but I'd like to see James Cameron return from Pandora and make True Lies 2. There is certainly plenty of material to work with, especially now in our post-9/11 world and I'm sure Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Tom Arnold would be game to return. They could even take advantage of Arnold's age and make more of a Cold War thriller-type of film about a retired agent called in for one last mission. Or maybe he's the chief (replacing the late Charlton Heston) and he has to train a new agent. Cliched? Sure. Potential? You bet!

Panelist: T-Rav

Probably The Incredibles. It was such a good (and conservative) movie, and there is such potential for a sequel there, or maybe even a franchise; given Pixar’s general history, I have to believe they’d do better with such a thing than the usual studio bigwigs. Here’s hoping.

Panelist: BevfromNYC

I really, really want to see The History of World, Part II which Mel Brooks never made. I mean, Jews in Space? How can you NOT want to see that?

Panelist: AndrewPrice

Hands down, Ronin. That film had everything -- great chemistry between the actors, a great story, great atmosphere, and characters you really wanted to see more of. I would love to see a prequel with the same cast or even an alternate story that lets them repeat what they achieved.

Comments? Thoughts?

80 comments:

Commander Max said...

Sequels I would like to see?

None, except for History of the World Part 2.
Bev you forgot "Hitler on Ice". Only Mel Brooks could pull off that sort of humor. I don't think they could do it today.

Mel did do a bit of Jews in Space with Spaceballs,
"May the Schwartz be with you", "She doesn't look Drewish".

An Incredibles Sequel? Now way, I've said it before and I'll say it again.

That movie screams series.

Anonymous said...

I'd like to see some prequels to Star Wars that deal with the rise of the Empire and Anakin turn into Darth Vader. That would be cool.

And to be greedy, how about a 4th Indy movie? That would have to be cool.

Scott.

Anonymous said...

Dam, how could I forget the Matrix? That movie screams for a sequel.

How could it go wrong?

Scott.

BevfromNYC said...

Sequels and prequels I never ever want see...GWTW. yeah I went there!

Tennessee Jed said...

All together now..... "great choices everyone!!!!!" No, seriously, they actually are. True Lies 2-- Intriguing, although I think it might just be time for Arnold to exit the stage. Maybe do it with their son??

Rav - The Incredibles is my favorite movie of the newer animation series. I always wondered why they never made another.

Bev - "Jews In Space...who wouldn't want to see that?" Wow, Mel Brooks can probably make a great sequel about anything, but what I'd really like to see is the PREQUEL to history of the World Part 1.

Andrew - excellent though. One truly does say "so what next?" for those guys at the end. I'd leave Katerina Witt out of this one, though.

Tennessee Jed said...

"thought"

Tennessee Jed said...

I thought of a film, also adapted from a novel, that is one of my all time favorites. Eventually, the author caved in (he may not have thought of it in those terms) and wrote a sequel. In many ways, the sequel as a novel was extremely good. Even though the two actors in the film version are great in their respective roles (Harrison Ford and Bonnie Bedalia) I am glad they never brought the sequel, "Innocent." Some stories are so good on their own, they cry out to be left alone.

By way of example, the Led Zeppelin reunion tour was released not long ago as a CD and concert video. Lots of people have been angry at Robert Plant for being the lone hold out to do a lucrative "reunion" tour. Plant, in an interview feature explains that he felt like it was a huge gamble as to whether they would end up being a parody of themselves. It turned out the concert was great, but if they did a full tour, would it have stayed the same legendary reunion show?

Anonymous said...

I think Bev wins this one. :-) But like Max said, at least we got Spaceballs.

A few more sequels I'd like to see...

-another Master and Commander (seriously, how am I the first person to mention this?!)

-a sequel to Star Trek: The Motion Picture that isn't Star Trek II... I assume if the film made more money - or at least cost less - the studio would've kept Roddenberry instead of kicking him upstairs and we may have gotten something a little more "hard sci-fi"... but in any case, I'm glad we got Star Trek II

-Blues Brothers 2000 done the right way, without Aykroyd and Landis selling out - Jim Belushi was supposed to be in it, and the studio forced them to add a kid and make it PG-13... I doubt it would've been any good but it would have to be better than what we got

-Buckaroo Banzai Against the World Crime League - 'nuff said :-D

Tennessee Jed said...

I can only assume that the money wasn't right for "Lucky Jack: Near Side of the World." Otherwise, there is no reason on earth not to make a sequel. Anyone wanting a treat has to see and hear the opening attack on Blu-Ray.

T-Rav said...

So Bev, you weren't a fan of that second movie, Scarlett? :-)

I don't know why they haven't made an Incredibles sequel yet. I understand them not wanting to crank out movie after movie without a good storyline, but they did just fine with the second and third Toy Story, and it's going on ten years now. Shake a leg, people!

Floyd R. Turbo said...

A prequel to Dark City perhaps and The Matrix... I know they give brief glimpses as to how the world got that way in each.

As someone who's read each of the Aubrey/Maturin novels I am disappointed there were no sequels. in a just world it would have been one of the great franchises of the last decade, but I realize Peter Weir isn't that kind of director perhaps... too bad. The stories are there and there's a lot of great intrigue, exotic locales and running gun battles... oh well.

AndrewPrice said...

Max, A series would be good for the Incredibles.

AndrewPrice said...

Scott, Good thinking! I'll bet some sort of prequel to Star Wars about the rise of the Empire would be great! But Hollywood will never make a film like that. :P

Actually, I wouldn't mind see a real set of prequels.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, What's GWTW? I don't think you've ever mentioned that one before? It sounds vague familiar. Didn't it star Scarlett Johanson?

AndrewPrice said...

Jed, I'd love to see more of Ronin. The only problem is that everyone is dead, so they'd need to a prequel or a sort of "alternate" universe story. I'd be fine with that though. :)

BevfromNYC said...

ScottD - do I get a prize?? ;-)

T-Rav - Ggrrrr at the writer of "Scarlett"! It bordered on criminal. However someone wrote a novel a few years later called "Rhett" that was kind of interesting backstory of Rhett Butler's life.

AndrewPrice said...

Jed, Presumed Innocent is my favorite legal thriller by far - both as a book and as a film. It's also one of the most realistic legal thrillers you'll ever read.

AndrewPrice said...

Scott, Believe it or not, none of those films actually called out to me as needing to be made. Star Trek was perhaps the only one, but frankly I would have preferred a return to the television format where I think they had a better grasp on what they were doing.

AndrewPrice said...

Jed, The other problem is that I don't get the sense that Russell Crow does sequels. He seems to be much more finicky than that.

AndrewPrice said...

T-Rav, It could just be that the people who would do it are busy and they have other ideas they want to do first? One of the great things about Pixar is that they seem to understand that there is a lot to be gained by teasing people and delayed gratification.

AndrewPrice said...

Floyd, Great call! Both Dark City and the Matrix would absolutely use prequels. I'd love to know more about how things got the way there were.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, Of course you win a prize! Help yourself to one of our invisible t-shirts! :)

I never bothered with Scarlett because it struck me that there was no way it could win. It struck me that it would have been impossible to capture the spirit or feel of the original film and there was no really good way to continue the story.

Tennessee Jed said...

great to see all the outpouring of love for James Clavell's Asian series from you guys. No, really, I mean that ;) Hey, it's o.k. Probably most of you have either never heard of him or know of him only through Richard Chamberlain and the Shogun mini-series. (actually, it might not be a bad idea to re-visit that one given Obama is in his second term and would prefer a lifetime appointment without separation of power.) All the books were great, though, and the films for "King Rat" and "Tai-Pan" were both excellent.

Tennessee Jed said...

I'm off to see the wounded Lady Vols take on Old Miss down at Thompson-Boling Arena so will check back in late this afternoon.

P.S. check out the t.v. show Nashville this Wednesday. My grandson has been in a few episodes, and I think he has a speaking line this week :)

Floyd R. Turbo said...

Isn't telling Bev to wear an invisible T-shirt sexual harassment? lol

AndrewPrice said...

Jed, Yes, the Clavell series was right on the tip of my tongue! :P

AndrewPrice said...

Floyd, No, it's only harassment if she does it. :) Unless of course, she claims she was only breast feeding at the time.

Kenn Christenson said...

A decent sequel to "The Guns of Navarone" would be cool. Maybe follow Col. Andrea Stavros and Maria Pappadimos as they go back to wage a guerrilla war against the Nazia.

BevfromNYC said...

No, it's only harassment if she does it

Hey!!! What do mean by that?? ;-/

:-)

K said...

ScottDS - -Buckaroo Banzai Against the World Crime League -

With ya, Bro!

Sequels I wish they'd never made (the short list):
Matrix 2,3.
Jaws 2 through 400
Lethal Weapon 2-4
Superman 4
Pyranha 3dd
Peter Pan 2 and all Disney classics
sequels.


Anonymous said...

K -

Well said. :-)

Actually, Lethal Weapon 2 is almost as good - if not better - than its predecessor. It's just a lot of fun, literally from the first frame.

And Jaws 2 is pretty good in its own right. It can't compare to the first film but I wouldn't call it "bad."

Outlaw13 said...

Big Trouble in Little China. I want to see more of the Pork Chop Express.

Ford Fairlane...shake me Jaz!

What happened to Top Gun part duex?

I'm already getting IronMan 3, what else do you want?

Anonymous said...

Outlaw -

A week before Tony Scott committed suicide, reportedly he had been talking to Tom Cruise about a Top Gun sequel. [sigh] For now, though, we're getting a 3-D Blu-Ray release of the original.

BIG MO said...

I'd like to see Last Full Measure, Jeff Shaara's sequel to his father's magnificent The Killer Angels. The son penned a prequel of sorts, called Gods and Generals, which was made into a decent movie of the same name about 10 years after the father's novel was filmed as Gettysburg (though I wished the original title had been kept).

Gettysburg was the all-around better film, but Gods and Generals, though uneven, was good as well (especially with Robert Duvall as R E Lee). I'd love to see U.S. Grant depicted on screen as more than just a "supporting cast member." Grant, like Frederick Douglass, is one of the great Americans who truly needs a top-notch film made about him.

T-Rav said...

Andrew, I get that, and I'm not demanding a new Incredibles movie every two or three years. Rush them out too fast and they deteriorate--just look at Cars 2. But after eight years or so, I'd think they had enough time to put together a solid story and give the audience some payoff for waiting. I haven't even heard any concrete plans for a sequel.

AndrewPrice said...

Kenn, Technically, there were Navarone sequels. I kind of liked Force Ten from Navarone.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, Nothing. I don't mean anything at all! LOL!

AndrewPrice said...

K, Good list, though I do like Lethal Weapon 2.

AndrewPrice said...

Outlaw, More Big Trouble In Little China would have been great.

AndrewPrice said...

Mo, Gettysburg was great.

AndrewPrice said...

T-Rav, Maybe they all moved on to other projects?

As an aside, Disney used to release their videos every ten years, which gave them a kind of mystical quality and made people desperate to buy them when they did come out.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

I second Big Trouble In Little China, only IF Carpenter directs again.

I also second True Lies.

Serenity too.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Howzabout Soylent Green 2? Of course, it'll need a different shock ending...

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Lonesome Dove, The Golden Years. Hey, as long as Robert Duvall is in it I'll watch.

Sequel I definitely DON'T wanna see: The Outlaw Josey Wales 2, Electric Boogaloo.
Okay, maybe if Clint is in it.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

"Soylent Green 2 is kittens! It's kittens!"

AndrewPrice said...

Ben, "It's polysaturated fats!! Solyent green is made from polysaturated fats!!"

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Galaxy Quest 2 would be fun...if it was at least half as good as the original.

They Live 2 but again, only if Carpenter directs.
Actually, it feels like we are actually living that one. Talk about scary!

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Andrew, LOL! Bloomberg can play the evil tyra..., um, himself.

Anonymous said...

Re: The Incredibles - if Brad Bird said right now that he wanted to do another one, I guarantee Pixar would make it their top priority. But in the meantime, he has bigger fish to fry.

Re: Galaxy Quest 2 - there are so many things they can do with this one. They can do a parody of sequels... they can do a knock-off of Wrath of Khan (who could play their version of Khan?)... they could even poke fun at the idea of reboots, with the cast meeting their "young, hip" counterparts.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Is it too much to hope for a Tropical Thunder 2? With Robert Downey Jr. of course. Have him play a Scotsman playing a Muslim terrorist or something, jest as long as it's not PC.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Scott, that would be so cool! Excellent ideas! LOL!

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

I mean, it would be comedy gold just to see how Rickman's character responds to a younger version of himself!

Anonymous said...

BIG MO- I'm also a fan of the books and "Gettysburg" was, IMO, an excellent film. I thought "Gods and Generals" was lackluster. Not because of the performances. Robert Duvall and Stephen Lang were great. I just think because of the scope and time period the book covers, it probably would've made a better miniseries. And personally, I think "The Last Full Measure" would need that treatment as well.

I'd like to join the crowd in calling for "Big Trouble 2." I'd also prefer Carpenter directing again, but only if he has nothing to do with the story idea or script.

And while I'm on this thread:

Dear Toho,
The ten-year hiatus is almost up. When are we going to see the Big G smashing through downtown Tokyo while battling King Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla again? The wait has been too long!

-Rustbelt

AndrewPrice said...

Rustbelt, I love Godzilla films! :)

On Carpenter, yeah, his writing has gone downhill for a while now. His direction is still good, but his writing isn't nearly what it used to be.

AndrewPrice said...

Ben, Bloomberg definitely belongs in films as a villain. I wonder if he understands that?

AndrewPrice said...

Scott, Wrath of Khan has been too parodied already, they would need to do something based on the Next Gen crew taking over.

Anonymous said...

Anon -

It looks like WB is prepping a new Godzilla for 2014. More here.

AndrewPrice said...

Scott, Not WB, TOHO -- the makers of the real Godzilla films.

BevfromNYC said...

BTW, have any of you ever seen the this website

http://www.angryalien.com/

For all of you film buffs you may like the 30 sec. remakes made with bunnies...

Sorry, T-Rav, no kitties :-(

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, That's cute! Here's the link LINK

Anonymous said...

Oh, no. Oh, no. A thousand times NO! NOT AGAIN!

Has Toho learned nothing from their first Hollywood mistake? Geez, I'd take a 48-hour marathon of 'Godzilla vs. Megalon' (even if it's not the MST3K episode) over this.

As if that article wasn't soul-sucking enough, according to Wikipedia, the whole thing started on the whim of Yoshimitsu Banno, the environmentalist zealot who gave us "Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster." (Think of it as
'Avatar' for the 70's and just as subtle.)

First, the '98 abomination, then Lucas' prequel trilogy, and now this. What else from childhood is about to get ruined? Transformers?

(memory suddenly starts working again)

Ohh......the pain.

-Rustbelt

AndrewPrice said...

Rustbelt, I feel your pain. Hollywood in particular seems to love destroying people's childhood memories.

And yeah, that Hollywood Godzilla film was an atrocity.

Anonymous said...

I didn't think the 1998 Godzilla was that bad when it was first released - come on, I was 15! - but then I saw bits and pieces of it on TV last year and I take back my initial reaction. :-)

Of course, 2012 (also by Emmerich) makes it look like Citizen Kane by comparison.

There were also the bus ads that said "SIZE DOES MATTER." When Lucasfilm/Fox were promoting Phantom Menace, there were parody bus ads that said "PLOT DOES MATTER."

If they only knew... :-)

T-Rav said...

Heck, all I ever saw was bits and pieces and that was enough to convince me Godzilla was terrible.

Bev, I'm really disappointed there are no kittens in that clip.

Anonymous said...

Andrew, ScottDS-

At least Toho tried to make up for their (first?) mistake.

In "Giant Monsters- All-Out Attack" (2001), it's mentioned there was a recent monster attack in New York. A Japanese officer says that "American scientists think it was Godzilla, but our guys here have their doubts."

And in "Godzilla: Final Wars" (2004) the over-sized iguana makes a cameo appearance. I should note that since 1998 he's been known either as GINO (Godzilla In Name Only), or Zilla (because he took the 'god' out of 'Godzilla.') Anyway...
Aliens are trying to take over Earth (now THERE'S a Godzilla plot!) and one of the beasts they use is Zilla. He runs into the real deal (the suit version) in Sydney, Australia. Godzilla promptly knocks the CGI bum into the Opera House and fries him in classic 'death by breath' fashion.
The DVD, by the way, refers to this scene as 'Pretender to the Throne.'

And Bev, thanks for the link. I needed that.

-Rustbelt

Commander Max said...

A thought, we have been so conditioned to expect sequels to movies. That the idea of a series doesn't even come to mind.
If you really want more of a movie, a series makes more sense than another film. We are talking about 2 hours vs. 13-26 episodes(half hour-hour). These days the series might be much cheaper than a film.

AndrewPrice said...

Max, I've become a big fan of series, especially on something like HBO. If I had a choice, I would much rather have 13/26 hours to tell something than 98 minutes, especially if it's the least bit complex -- like the next installment of Star Wars.

AndrewPrice said...

Scott, Who was using the parody "Plot does matter"? That sounds like a parody of both films.

AndrewPrice said...

Rustbelt, That's funny. So they were basically disclaiming the Hollywood version of Godzilla? LOL!

Anonymous said...

Glad you liked it, Andrew. Gotta go now. But I heard some other sequel news of the funny/terrifying? kind. Tell you when I get back. -Rustbelt

BevfromNYC said...

It's even better in with bunnies!!

GWTW

;-)

BevfromNYC said...

I think I actually posted with a link!! YEY!

Anonymous said...

Andrew -

Lucasfilm and Fox were using the phrase "PLOT DOES MATTER" to promote The Phantom Menace. I'm not joking! It was a play on Godzilla's "SIZE DOES MATTER" poster campaign.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, You did indeed pull off a link! :)


Scott, That's hilarious. Some other film should have used that line and then said, "Mr. Lucas, you use that word... I do think it means what you think it means."

BevfromNYC said...

Andrew! I did it!! I can't tell you how proud I am at this moment! It really is the small things in life, isn't it?

Anonymous said...

I know this thread was supposed to be the sequels/prequels we want to see the most. But I just don't think this will fit in anywhere else.

My brother and I found out about this last month when we went to see the "Best of Rifftrax Live: Manos, the Hands of Fate." Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy (Servo #2), and Bill Corbett (Crow #2) re-riffed the dreaded piece of celluloid...and during the performace, 2 guys dressed as Torgo and the Master performed a brief skit. (It seems the Master has expanded his pizza chain.)

Anyway, after that, Mike announced the two were part of an independent group of filmmakers/fanboys/nerds making a sequel to Manos. Yes, a sequel to Manos. And just to show what a nerd/geek I am, I found the link to their site:

"Manos: the Search for Valley Lodge"
http://www.torgolives.com/

-Rustbelt

AndrewPrice said...

Rustbelt, LOL! I loved Manos. What a horrible, horrible movie... but a great MST3k!

Torgo... yikes.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, It is the little things. :)

T-Rav said...

Now just remember how you did that. If you forget now, double the fail.

PikeBishop said...

Do all the Fennimore Cooper novels after Last of the Mohicans as Hawkeye heads west "to escape the sound of axes felling trees" having adventures and f**king Madelaine Stowe the whole way west.

Post a Comment