The Gremlins flicks

[Abraham Smashington]

Still hold up today obviously. Joe Dante is a goddamn lunatic in the second one (which is my favorite) and the first one is pretty dark tonally for a PG kids flick. While I'd kill for a new version (although I'm assuming it would be all CG....boo!) I don't know if there is any clamoring for a new movie. Thoughts, opinions on these flicks?

While you reminisce about these awesome flicks, check out the link below. Pretty fucking cool actually.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REGCV6z3VkM

[Ari]

I love the Gremlins. The two films are classics.

[gravedigger]

I remember putting my boombox up against a stereo speaker so I could record the end title music to listen over and over. I think these are a couple of the few movies from childhood that really hold up.

I can guarantee that unless Del Toro, Jackson, or Favreau did a remake, all the monsters would be CG. Boo.

[Abraham Smashington]

Dante would fight for a non CG Gremlins flick. But what has he done lately to pull clout? Small Soldiers? Was that him?

I like that flick for the record.

[Ari]

That was him, and I saw it in theaters. I remember almost nothing.

[pureevilmatt]

Quoting myself: I recently re-watched gremilns 2, and I've gotta say this is one of those rare sequels that is on par with the first movie in the series. However, Gremlins 2: The New Batch manages to reach parity with it's predecessor by essentially being a parody of it. It's not uncommon for a sequel to a Horror-Comedy to play up the lighter comedy elements, and end up being a Comedy-Horror. For one reason or another a lot of sequels of 80's movies went in that direction, but only a few were successful. A couple of notable failures IMO are House 2, and Return of the Living Dead 2. Of the well done ones: two that come to mind are Evil Dead 2, and Gremlins 2.

Gremlins 2 pokes fun at the original movie and it's illogical rules, and brings the gremlin gags present in the first movie up to an exponential level. The actors in the movie reprising their roles from the first film play their roles in the same exact straight manner that they did in the first more "serious" movie... to great effect. There are a lot of throwbacks to the original, including Phoebe Cate's character's darkly depressing nostalgic rants. The new characters in the movie are decidedly more campy, but they convey depth, and don't fall into cliches; I was particularly a fan of mega-corporation CEO Daniel Clamp(played by the awesome John Glover), clearly a riff on Donald Trump. The movie could have easily set him up to be a villain, but instead ends up playing him off as a positivist opportunistic enterprising hero of sorts.

The movie reflects a lot of themes present in movies of the era, and is even a bit ahead of it's time on some notes... There is social commentary about the fear of genetic engineering, rampant consumerism, corporatization, capitalism, and conformity. The soundtrack is frikkin awesome, conveying the light comedy quite well, employing numerous motifs and comedic variations upon them... a particularly good example is the merging of the Rambo theme with the Gremlin's theme. The movie is littered with cartoon sound effects, all of which helps a viewer who might not be as receptive to it's brand of gag comedy to interpret everything in the "saturday morning cartoon" state of mind. The movie makes use of a lot of other Warner Brothers properties in some of the gremlins gags, and as long as you're not expecting a movie in the same tone as the first, or are open to the decidedly wackier gags, this movie will not disappoint. 8/10


As for another sequel... I've always wanted to see a Gremlins VS Critters movie. I think that would be awesome.

[Abraham Smashington]

Dude yes. The bounty hunters vs. Billy and Gizmo. Epic.

[pureevilmatt]

Dude yes. The bounty hunters vs. Billy and Gizmo. Epic.

Fuck no dude. Crites VS Gremlins; Billy, Gizmo, Charlie, the bounty hunters, and the fate of the Earth, caught in the middle.

Think Aliens VS Predator 2... but not absolute shit.

[Abraham Smashington]

Think Aliens VS Predator 2... but not absolute shit.

Ok, fine. But can we have a Critter/Gremlin half breed? A Kremlin.


*rimshot*

*crickets*

*slowly backs out of the room*

[pureevilmatt]

Ok, fine. But can we have a Critter/Gremlin half breed? A Kremlin.

No shit, that's totally in my script.

Imagine... a malevolent hybrid of the intelligent space faring crite race, and the vicious anarchists gremlins... they are fast, multiply when hit with enough water, and have a limitless appetite for both food and destruction, growing larger and larger the more they eat. They can eat so much, that at the end, you've got a team of wacky 50 story Kremlins stomping through NYC, fighting a squadron of Bounty Hunter ships... The climax to this movie will be like Godzilla 1985 to the power of eleventy billion.

Now... someone give me my $200 million dollar budget, and let's get this thing in the can!

[Abraham Smashington]

I still want someone to bankroll this.

[Anderson]

I love the Gremlins like James Cameron wants to bang blue chicks.

I love the Mogwai, like Chuck Berry wants to watch you pee.

[B_Metal]

Nothing but love for Gremlins. No CG if remade.

[Ari]

We just watched the first one again a few weeks ago. I fucking love it to death. Never noticed the disappearing time machine before. Perfect Christmas movie IMHO.

[patronsaintofcheeseburgers]

...Just got Gremlins in the mail today...Haven't seen it since I was a kid. Can't wait to educate my childrens...