sequels

10 Proposed Movie Sequels That We Do. Not. Want.

By Jason Bailey on Nov 8, 2012 2:05pm

From Warner Brothers’ latest attempt to revive Casablanca to Searching for Keyser Soze, here’s a look at some of Hollywood’s worst sequel ideas for its greatest… Read More

Pop Culture

Flavorpill’s Cultural Resolutions for 2012

By Judy Berman on Dec 30, 2011 12:30pm

Enjoy Saturday’s night of revelry, readers, because when you wake up the next morning (or afternoon, we don’t judge), it’ll be time to reassess your life and commit yourself to unreasonable goals in hopes of self-improvement in 2012. Resolutions come in all shapes and sizes, and while many are deeply personal, Flavorpill’s are very public. We’ve created a list of our cultural resolutions for the new year — changes we’d like to see in the arts and entertainment landscape over the next 12 months, from trends that need to die to movements from 2011 that should make a bigger impact in 2012. Read our resolutions after the jump, and leave your own in the comments. … Read More

Film

Open Thread: Which Film Series Are You Tired Of?

By Jason Bailey on Aug 15, 2011 1:00pm

Late last week, Hitfix broke the news that Mike Myers will return to his most popular character for yet another installment. That’s right: The Love Guru 2! Ha, ha, just kidding, it’s Austin Powers 4. Meanwhile, the latest film of the durable Planet of the Apes franchise held on to the top spot at the box office for a second week, though a little further down the list, Final Destination 5 (the follow-up to The Final Destination, which apparently was not the final destination) disappointed, opening with the series’ lowest attendance to date.

That little dip appears to be an anomaly, though; the fact of the matter is, the top six highest-grossing films of the year to date (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, The Hangover Part II, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Fast Five, and Cars 2) are all sequels, which means the trend isn’t going away anytime soon. We here at Flavorwire spend an awful lot of time complaining about the glut of film franchises, but what about you, the moviegoer? Are you as burned out as we are? … Read More

Film

The Most Durable Film Franchises of All Time

By Jason Bailey on Aug 4, 2011 2:31pm

Tomorrow marks the release of The Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the latest installment of the surprisingly robust franchise that began way back in 1968 and has withstood five original sequels, a television series, a cartoon series, comic books, and a Terrible Tim Burton Remake™. (Between Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Alice in Wonderland, the Terrible Tim Burton Remake™ has proven a fairly stable subgenre, but I digress.) Though its 40-plus year run makes Planet of the Apes quite a long-running series, its meager seven films (so far) is dwarfed by several other, far more durable film franchises. We’ve collected a few of our favorites after the jump; check ‘em out, and add in your own long-running favorites in the comments. … Read More

Film

10 Long-Awaited Movie Sequels

By Jason Bailey on Jun 13, 2011 2:00pm

When Disney spent big bucks on the making and marketing of Warren Beatty’s adaptation of the comic strip Dick Tracy back in 1990, they were hoping that it would launch a tentpole franchise along the lines of the previous summer’s Batman. And they might finally get their wish — over 20 years later. In a lengthy Q&A following a screening of Dick Tracy last Thursday (as part of the Los Angeles Times “Hero Complex Film Festival”), the famously hard-to-pin-down Beatty said, firmly, “I’m gonna make another one.” … Read More

Film

10 Unconventional Movie Sequels

By Jason Bailey on May 26, 2011 2:00pm

The Hangover Part II opens today, part of this summer’s endless parade of sequels — though, as we mentioned yesterday, this one is less a sequel than a scene-by-scene remake, following the structural format of the original Hangover as closely as possible without literally re-enacting it in Bangkok. Presumably, director Todd Phillips was just playing it safe. Not all filmmakers make that choice — and many don’t really have that choice, due to actors and other creative personnel who aren’t contractually obligated (as the Hangover boys were) to return. After the jump, we’ll take a look at ten movie sequels that were a little bit less conventional. … Read More

Film

The 10 Most Unnecessary Film Sequels of All Time

By Jason Bailey on Apr 15, 2011 10:30am

Well, boys and girls, it’s Scream 4 day, and while we’re (sort of) excited to catch up with Sidney, Dewey, and Gale Weathers, we’ve gotta ask: Was this really a sequel that anyone was pining for? After three earlier Screams, and an 11-year gap, were there that many unanswered questions and unresolved themes? (Sidebar: who on earth decided to re-hire screenwriter Ehren Kruger, the guy who screwed up Scream 3?)

We’ve complained before about the sequel and Hollywood’s crackhead-like reliance on franchise films for quick hits of guaranteed cash. But we’ll grant that some sequels do manage to continue an interesting story (Aliens, Terminator 2), bring back memorable characters (Magnum Force, Before Sunset), and even expand the power and scope of their predecessors (The Dark Knight, The Godfather Part II). But then there are the sequels that were clearly just a cash grab, continuations that did little more than beat a dead horse. Join us after the jump as we pick the ten most blatantly unnecessary movie sequels, and add your own in the comments. … Read More

Film

Mourning for Hollywood: 10 Days the Movies Died

By Jason Bailey on Feb 25, 2011 12:00pm

For film fans, the must-read article of the week — to hell with that, the year — is Mark Harris’ brilliant think piece for GQ on the state of the current cinema, “The Day The Movies Died.” Harris, whose book Pictures at a Revolution is the single best piece of film writing of the last decade, despairs of a Hollywood that, in the words of a studio executive, “doesn’t tell stories anymore”; instead, it cranks out endless sequels and adaptations and remakes and reboots, more concerned with built-in brands than quality or craftsmanship.

“As you read this,” Harris writes, “the person who gave the go-ahead to Fast Five, the (I hate to prejudge, but…) utterly unnecessary fifth installment in the Vin Diesel–Paul Walker epic The Fast and the Furious, is sleeping soundly right now, possibly even at his desk. On June 10, 2011, he will bestow on several thousand screens a product that people have already purchased four times before. How can it miss?” … Read More

Film

What’s Your Damage, Winona?

By Heather Schwedel on Jun 2, 2009 11:26am

We’d like to follow up on what we already told you was today’s third most important cultural story: Winona Ryder’s confirmation that there will be a sequel to ’80s cult classic Heathers. As a bona fide Heather (check the byline) who has been known to hang out with other Heathers, I feel that I am uniquely suited to provide commentary on Heathers 2: Electric Boogaloo (working… Read More