Hello, all.
Only two days left... time flies, indeed! I'm guessing that some may well be a little surprised or disappointed by today's recommendation, given that it's a relatively unconventional pick... and a sequel, at that.
Don't worry, it isn't CADDYSHACK II. Nope, it's a film about a pair of slackers with visions of musical stardom dancing in their heads. And it isn't WAYNE'S WORLD 2, either. If you haven't guessed yet, it's a dynamic duo that is about to be seen again on the silver screen in yet a third iteration of the series. No more hinting, tho'... today's film is:
BILL & TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY
From the IMDb, the plot of the film is about how "A tyrant from the future creates evil android doubles of Bill and Ted and sends them back to eliminate the originals."
There aren't an awful lot of sequels [save perhaps those under the umbrella of sci-fi or action films (ALIENS, SUPERMAN II, and LETHAL WEAPON 2 come to mind, respectively] that are better than the original... that's even more the case with comedies. Classics like CADDYSHACK, GHOSTBUSTERS, and BEVERLY HILLS COP somehow were dragged down by their profoundly lousy sequels or "reimaginings." Not so here with the second round of the misadventures of Bill S. Preston, Esquire... and, of course, Ted "Theodore" Logan. It makes me a little wary of the third film in the series, especially since the late, great George Carlin won't be able to reprise his role as Rufus. Can they recreate the goofy charm of the series this far removed from the first two films? Will they? There are certainly lots of narrative threads to follow when BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC, but I hope that they don't get too bogged down in the conceit of their being older. That seems a rather narrow path to follow... but, I guess we'll see.
Enough about that, tho'. For now, it's probably best just to give a glimpse of the film vis-a-vis its trailer, which is embedded below:
Whether or not you like the movie, you've got to give credit where it's due for the pretty clever riff on the end of THE SEVENTH SEAL. I'm sure that Ingmar Bergman is kicking himself for not playing off the "duel with death" the same way our heroes do in this one. Of course, Primus wasn't around to be featured in film at that point like they were in this one, either, so that's two strikes against the classic already.
It's just a goofy, fun flick, although it's one that manages to be a little bit more clever than you'd expect from a film like this one. Besides, it's got one of the more interesting cinematic depictions of hell that I've seen since THE BLACK HOLE [which is probably the creepiest, really, and in a Disney STAR WARS rip-off, to boot]. Maybe that's why Keanu Reeves would go back in CONSTANTINE. But I digress...
Assuming you're willing to give this film a shot, I think you're going to find yourself pleasantly surprised. Who knows? Maybe it will make you look forward to the third one whenever it's released. Even if not, this one is deserving of your time on its own merits... an Easter Bunny from Hell, an evil robot Bill and Ted, and the bad guy from the aforementioned LETHAL WEAPON 2 being the bad guy all over again.
After his diplomatic immunity was revoked, apparently. Trust me, this one is one of those that you probably thought was a little too dumb to be good. And while it's dumb, it's also quite surprisingly good. It reminds me of Weird Al Yankovic's UHF... which, by the way, is also absolutely worth your time.
Enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - GROUNDHOG DAY, Day 2 - KINGPIN, Day 3 - TRADING PLACES, Day 4 - FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF; Day 5 - MODERN TIMES; Day 6 - AIRPLANE!; Day 7 - CHEECH AND CHONG'S NEXT MOVIE; Day 8 - STRIPES; Day 9 - I MARRIED A STRANGE PERSON!; Day 10 - STRANGE BREW; Day 11 - CLERKS; Day 12 - GHOSTBUSTERS; Day 13 - MONTY PYTHON'S THE MEANING OF LIFE; Day 14 - DUMB AND DUMBER; Day 15 - THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN; Day 16 - THE NAKED GUN: FROM THE FILES OF POLICE SQUAD!; Day 17 - VALLEY GIRL; Day 18 - THANK YOU FOR SMOKING; Day 19 - A FISH CALLED WANDA; Day 20 - THIS IS SPINAL TAP; Day 21 - REAL GENIUS; Day 22 - I LOVE YOU, MAN; Day 23 - TOMMY BOY; Day 24 - NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION; Day 25 - OFFICE SPACE; Day 26 - GROSSE POINTE BLANK; Day 27 - THE BLUES BROTHERS; Day 28 - LIAR LIAR]
Only two days left... time flies, indeed! I'm guessing that some may well be a little surprised or disappointed by today's recommendation, given that it's a relatively unconventional pick... and a sequel, at that.
Don't worry, it isn't CADDYSHACK II. Nope, it's a film about a pair of slackers with visions of musical stardom dancing in their heads. And it isn't WAYNE'S WORLD 2, either. If you haven't guessed yet, it's a dynamic duo that is about to be seen again on the silver screen in yet a third iteration of the series. No more hinting, tho'... today's film is:
BILL & TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY
From the IMDb, the plot of the film is about how "A tyrant from the future creates evil android doubles of Bill and Ted and sends them back to eliminate the originals."
There aren't an awful lot of sequels [save perhaps those under the umbrella of sci-fi or action films (ALIENS, SUPERMAN II, and LETHAL WEAPON 2 come to mind, respectively] that are better than the original... that's even more the case with comedies. Classics like CADDYSHACK, GHOSTBUSTERS, and BEVERLY HILLS COP somehow were dragged down by their profoundly lousy sequels or "reimaginings." Not so here with the second round of the misadventures of Bill S. Preston, Esquire... and, of course, Ted "Theodore" Logan. It makes me a little wary of the third film in the series, especially since the late, great George Carlin won't be able to reprise his role as Rufus. Can they recreate the goofy charm of the series this far removed from the first two films? Will they? There are certainly lots of narrative threads to follow when BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC, but I hope that they don't get too bogged down in the conceit of their being older. That seems a rather narrow path to follow... but, I guess we'll see.
Enough about that, tho'. For now, it's probably best just to give a glimpse of the film vis-a-vis its trailer, which is embedded below:
Whether or not you like the movie, you've got to give credit where it's due for the pretty clever riff on the end of THE SEVENTH SEAL. I'm sure that Ingmar Bergman is kicking himself for not playing off the "duel with death" the same way our heroes do in this one. Of course, Primus wasn't around to be featured in film at that point like they were in this one, either, so that's two strikes against the classic already.
It's just a goofy, fun flick, although it's one that manages to be a little bit more clever than you'd expect from a film like this one. Besides, it's got one of the more interesting cinematic depictions of hell that I've seen since THE BLACK HOLE [which is probably the creepiest, really, and in a Disney STAR WARS rip-off, to boot]. Maybe that's why Keanu Reeves would go back in CONSTANTINE. But I digress...
Assuming you're willing to give this film a shot, I think you're going to find yourself pleasantly surprised. Who knows? Maybe it will make you look forward to the third one whenever it's released. Even if not, this one is deserving of your time on its own merits... an Easter Bunny from Hell, an evil robot Bill and Ted, and the bad guy from the aforementioned LETHAL WEAPON 2 being the bad guy all over again.
After his diplomatic immunity was revoked, apparently. Trust me, this one is one of those that you probably thought was a little too dumb to be good. And while it's dumb, it's also quite surprisingly good. It reminds me of Weird Al Yankovic's UHF... which, by the way, is also absolutely worth your time.
Enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - GROUNDHOG DAY, Day 2 - KINGPIN, Day 3 - TRADING PLACES, Day 4 - FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF; Day 5 - MODERN TIMES; Day 6 - AIRPLANE!; Day 7 - CHEECH AND CHONG'S NEXT MOVIE; Day 8 - STRIPES; Day 9 - I MARRIED A STRANGE PERSON!; Day 10 - STRANGE BREW; Day 11 - CLERKS; Day 12 - GHOSTBUSTERS; Day 13 - MONTY PYTHON'S THE MEANING OF LIFE; Day 14 - DUMB AND DUMBER; Day 15 - THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN; Day 16 - THE NAKED GUN: FROM THE FILES OF POLICE SQUAD!; Day 17 - VALLEY GIRL; Day 18 - THANK YOU FOR SMOKING; Day 19 - A FISH CALLED WANDA; Day 20 - THIS IS SPINAL TAP; Day 21 - REAL GENIUS; Day 22 - I LOVE YOU, MAN; Day 23 - TOMMY BOY; Day 24 - NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION; Day 25 - OFFICE SPACE; Day 26 - GROSSE POINTE BLANK; Day 27 - THE BLUES BROTHERS; Day 28 - LIAR LIAR]
