Bob’s Thirsty Thursdays: Spielberg Returns to the 80s
News dropped yesterday that none other than Steven Spielberg will be directing the big screen adaptation of Ernie Cline’s READY PLAYER ONE and I, for one, couldn’t be any happier for this decision. Seriously, nothing makes me happier to return to 80s nostalgia than to have the king of the 80s at the helm, and who knows… maybe this will be Spielberg going back to doing what he does best: high-flying adventure that’s fun for the whole family. I don’t want LINCOLN Spielberg, or SCHINDLER’S LIST Spielberg, or AMISTAD Spielberg… and, frankly, I don’t want KINGDOM OF THE CRYSAL SKULLS Spielberg either. I want the guy who directed JAWS, JURASSIC PARK, E.T., and the first three INDIANA JONES movies, and you know what… I think READY PLAYER ONE is the vehicle he’s been waiting for.
Could this go epicly wrong? Yes. Look no further than THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK or the previously mentioned INDIANA JONES movie to see that just because it sounds perfect on paper doesn’t mean the end result will be as perfect. But come on! READY PLAYER ONE was born out of love for Spielberg movies, for George Lucas and Robert Zemeckis, for Atari and Nintendo, for the Flux Capacitor and the Millenium Falcon, and for everything else cool about the 80s (leaving all those mullets and bad fashion behind). This is a match made in heaven and I honesty can’t see how they could eff it up, though I suppose it all lies in who they cast as Wade Watts, the young hero of the story. How young will they go? He’s a kid… but he should be a teenage kid not an annoying little kid, right? They wouldn’t put a GOONIES-aged kid in this thing, would they? Cause that could eff this up.
Also, but better way to ensure the rights for all those Amblin/Spielberg movies be allowed in a single Warner Bros. movie than having the man directing it himself (whom, I’m sure, has the rights or the right relationships to allow for all that awesomeness be allowed in one movie). Remember WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? and it’s incredible cross-overness? Executive Producer Spielberg probably had a lot to do with making that happen.
Other random awesomeness that came out this week in the wonderful world of Hollywood: the trailer for MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION hit and holy shit I cannot wait for that one! Plus, one of my 2015 Hottie Draft Picks (Anastasia Harrold) stars in this puppy and from the awesomeness that ensued in the trailer, I can already see a summer box office win from Tom Cruise and this beloved M:I franchise. The best of the series? Don’t know about that, but the ‘hanging on the side of a plane that’s obviously not CGI’ sequence was pretty damn spectacular. I accept this mission… with a vengeance!
Speaking of trailers, my childhood idol Arnold Schwarzenegger has a new trailer this week, a dramatic zombie flick called MAGGIE. Whoa. I never thought Arnold would ever star in another horror movie after END OF DAYS, let alone a zombie movie, let alone a zombie movie that isn’t an action extravaganza but rather a drama with zombies in it. I’ll be honest, I don’t care for zombies anymore (I’m all zombied out, man), but this one has me intrigued. Call it the Schwarzenegger factor. Here’s the trailer.
Anthony D
March 26, 2015 @ 1:12 pm
Completely agree on Maggie. I just gave up on The Walking Dead, but the Arnold factor makes this look awesome.