The Land of Bad Ideas

Hollywood.  That really should say it all.  But that would be a ridiculously short blog post. But Hollywood is the Land of Bad Ideas.  (I refer you to my previous post.)  I guess ideas for movies are so bad nowadays, that they have to resort to making sequels to movies that are 25 years old.  I'm not really sure how that's a good idea.

Bad Idea #1: TOP GUN 2.

Really?  The first Top Gun was a huge success, despite being a mediocre movie.  It looked great and had an awesome soundtrack.  And Kelly McGillis was hot.  Was.  I'm not saying she'll come back for the sequel, but this is the land of bad ideas after all.  A lot of people have fond memories of Top Gun, and that's all fine.  But that doesn't make it a good movie and that certainly doesn't make it a good enough movie to warrant a sequel 25 years later.  There's a disconnect between what should be done and what is being done. Paramount's new head, Adam Goodman, asks "Why aren't we innovating more?"  And then he greenlights this.  So Tom Cruise is returning as Maverick.  Okay, that's not such a bad idea, if you're the money guys.  Popular title + popular actor = cha-ching!  For about two weeks.  Then when the story turns out to be Maverick returns as a flight instructor who has to take to the skies one more time to rescue the new hot-shot pilot from enemy territory, well everyone's gonna have the same reaction they did to the Footloose remake.  (Another bad idea)  And, c'mon.  How are you going to have a hot, young actor star in Top Gun 2 when Tom Cruise is in it?  Tom Cruise doesn't do cameos or but parts.  Except for Wes Anderson.  And his friggin' amazing role as Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder.  (Please don't make a sequel to that, either.  Or a Les Grossman movie.  I should stop.  I'm giving them more bad ideas.)  And instead of being haunted by the ghost of his dead pilot father in the first movie, is he going to be haunted by the ghost of Goose?  Oh, God, please.  Top Gun 2: The Ghost of Goose.  That I'd see.  But not Top Gun 2: The Iceman Cometh.  Have you seen Val Kilmer?

Bad Idea #2: MIDNIGHT RUN 2

Okay, this one just makes me mad.  Midnight Run was/is the epitome of the mismatched buddy roadtrip movie.  And one of my favorite all-time movies.  If you haven't seen it, you need to.  Seriously.  And then you'll see why a sequel is a bad idea.  But in case it's not self-explanitory, allow me.  It was the first indication that Robert DeNiro was funny.  Or at least that he could do comedy.  He was brilliant because there was an honesty to his character and his performance.  He didn't try to be funny.  He just was. He played it completely straight and that's what made the comedy work.  Unlike the Fockers movies where he was just a spoof of himself.  It kind of worked in Analyze This, but we were all in on the joke.  And so was DeNiro.  But I digress.  Anyway, he's returning for the MR sequel, too.  Not a good idea.  What are the money guys thinking?  Popular actor + largely ignored title when it was in the theaters = WTF?  If they want to make some money, just re-release it in the theaters.  (Just please don't do a 3D conversion!  Another bad idea for probably another blog).  Apparently the plot will be about Jack Walsh (DeNiro) having to rescue or go after Jonathan Mardukis's (the brilliant Charles Grodin) son, who will likely be played by a Jonas brother or something.  How great would it be if Walsh was haunted by the ghost of Grodin's character?  Yes!  Midnight Run 2: The Ghost of Grodin.  Sorry.  Got carried away.  Anyway, what could possibly make this idea any worse? Brett Ratner is attached to direct.  You know, the guy who gave us Tower Heist?  Yeah, that was a bad idea, too.