Whoa! We got old, dude! This is most non-triumphant…

You'll note that the two stars are poorly lit throughout the trailer.

You’ll note that the two stars are poorly lit throughout the trailer.

Not to mention, it’s both bogus and heinous.

I was looking for a link for a “Bill and Ted” reference in a comment earlier, and ran across this — a trailer for the upcoming “Bill and Ted” sequel, with the original stars.

And seeing it, I’m like, whoa! They got old in the past 31 years!

I’m not entirely sure this is going to work. I mean, the comedy was driven by these guys being utterly clueless, stupid kids. Is it as funny when old guys are this dumb? (I mean, I don’t find Trump funny. Do you?)

Of course, I’ll watch it anyway. But I’ll probably wait until I can stream it for free. Which will take, what — like a week or so?

Welcome to Trump’s America, where we all live in San Dimas!

45 thoughts on “Whoa! We got old, dude! This is most non-triumphant…

  1. Brad Warthen Post author

    I had trouble finding a good still picture from the trailer that fully showed just how OLD these guys are now. You see it immediately in the video, but it’s hard to get in a still.

    Then I realized — that’s because all the shots are poorly lit. Which is probably intentional.

    I mean, it’s part of the story that they’re 30 years older, but still — someone didn’t want to hit us with it too hard.

    Here’s another attempt I made. As you’ll see, there’s bright sunlight in the background, but not on the main subjects. Consequently, you get a soft-focus effect on their features…

      1. Brad Warthen Post author

        Yeah… I don’t know about that one, but I checked IMDB, and several young females in the cast were born after 1989…

        Hollywood doesn’t change, does it?…

  2. Norm Ivey

    As much as I enjoy re-watching the original from time to time, this feels like they’re just getting the band back together for a Lost Youth and Greed Tour. I have way low expectations…

      1. Norm Ivey

        I’m surprised that Keanu agreed to it. He’s always struck me as being somewhat selective in his roles–sort of the opposite of Nicholas Cage.

          1. Brad Warthen Post author

            Whoa!

            I’m not going to give this as much thought as usual. Just quickly:

            1. “The Matrix.” No question. The film was phenomenal, mostly because of the stylish effects, which set a new standard. And Keanu was perfect: “I know kung fu!” This easily looms over everything else the guy has done. And no, I’m not counting the sequels. Just the first one.
            2. “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” Look, it defined the guy for us, right down to the “Whoa!” signature. He was never again this silly, but still — it showed us things about him that we would see over and over. And it was awesome: “Uh oh, we’re late!” “For what?” “For school, dude!” “Oh yeah.” Whoa!
            3. “Point Break.” I can’t believe they remade this. WHY? Without Patrick Swayze, Keanu and Gary Busey, what’s the point? (Actually, you can say that about anything that had Gary Busey.) Not to mention Lori Petty, who was perfect as the surfer girl. What happened to her after this and “A League of their Own?” Was it just the usual Hollywood thing that happens when females are no longer super-cute? Anyway, a lot of films TRY to do what this one did, and fail. This one worked.
            4. “The Replacements.” OK, honestly — after the first three, the quality falls off considerably. But I’ll throw this in as an answer to those of you who complain you don’t see enough sports here.
            5. The Devil’s Advocate. Again, not a fave. I’m not big on films about the Evil One. But it was interesting to see Pacino in that role. And Keanu did all right.

            I’m going to admit I haven’t seen a lot of his high-profile stuff like the John Wick flicks, or some of the stuff that critics like, such as “My Own Private Idaho.” But based on what I’ve seen, that’s my list.

             

              1. Norm Ivey

                I’m here.

                1. Speed. Dennis Hopper makes the movie, but for start-to-finish entertainment, it’s easily Reeves’s best.
                2. The Day the Earth Stood Still. It’s not as good as the original, but they did a nice job of making it contemporary.
                3. The Lake House. Time travel of a sort and Sandra Bullock.
                4. Bill and Ted, but mainly because it’s time travel and I get nostalgic for 80s flicks sometimes. They’re so mindless. Pure escapism.
                5. The Devil’s Advocate. Another one made better by his co-star. Hmmm…

                The glaring omission from my list is The Matrix. I’ve sat through (endured) it twice now. The effects were novel at the time, but I just did not enjoy the story at all. I’d place The Replacements, and A Walk in the Clouds above it.

                I have not seen any of the John Wick movies yet.

                1. Bryan Caskey

                  That’s a good list. Speed is a fun movie. Keanu and Bullock are good playing off each other, and Hopper is Hopper.

                  Here’s my list.

                  1. The Matrix: Groundbreaking action movie for effects and a very interesting premise.
                  2. Point Break: I love caper movies, and this one is really well done. Swayze is perfectly cast as the off-the-grid, surfing bank-robber with a little bit of Zen Master thrown in.
                  3. John Wick (the series): Yeah, it’s an action movie, but Keanu does it really well, and there’s a cool plot with the whole “assassin underworld” that really goes deep as you get into the sequels.
                  4. Speed: A classic.
                  5. The Devil’s Advocate: As a lawyer, I really loved the premise.

                  1. Brad Warthen Post author

                    You sure you’re OK? That’s almost the same as mine, especially since I seriously considered “Speed.”

                    Did you have a stroke or something?

                2. Brad Warthen Post author

                  I ALMOST included Speed. It’s just been a long time since I’ve seen it, so I couldn’t recall whether I liked it better than the last two on my list.

                  I would never have made in No. 1, though.

                  On the one hand, I’m surprised you didn’t like “The Matrix.”

                  On the other hand, I fell asleep during “The Matrix” the first time I saw it. In a theater.

                  To explain: It wasn’t the movie. I remember dozing off and waking up and dozing off, and thinking, “This is ridiculous.” I was aware that there was super-exciting action happening on the screen at the time, but I couldn’t stay awake.

                  I’ve seen it several times since then, and was always riveted. I marvel over the effects and their stylishness.

                  And the story — what’s not to like? It’s a reasonably well-done secular “messiah” story, like King Arthur and Harry Potter and Dune. Will he be The One — or pull the sword from the stone, or be the greatest of wizards, or the Kwisatz Haderach?

                  So I think I was just going to fall asleep that night whatever was on the screen….

                  1. Brad Warthen Post author

                    Oh, by the way — one thing about those “messiah” stories: The sequels are always pretty pointless in my book. Once Arthur pulls the sword from the stone, and Harry discovers his heritage as a wizard and the Boy Who Lived, and Paul turns out to be Kwisatz Haderach and more, well… sequels are pretty tiresome.

                    Once you know the answer to the question — is he the One? — you’re done…

    1. Bryan Caskey

      Yeah, it’s the same thing that Will Smith and Martin Lawrence did with Bad Boys III. It’s definitely a money grab built on nostalgia for the film…also not unlike the Star Wars cash in.

        1. Brad Warthen Post author

          Yeah, I’ve never understood the excitement either way.

          The controversy is… odd. It’s an artifact of 1939 culture. I don’t see how it would be different.

          And I’ve never been a fan. It’s… OK. I think anyone interested in film should see it. Kind of like everyone who wants to understand Western culture should read The Bible and Shakespeare.

          But it’s not The Bible or Shakespeare. It’s just a big-budget Hollywood movie of 1939. And probably not as impressive an artifact of that as “The Wizard of Oz”…

          1. Ken

            Took me decades to get through it. Took my first dip in my late teens — because everybody told me it’s soooo good. I got maybe 10-15 min. in before giving up. It was years and several attempts later before I finally made it all the way through. And that was more than enough for a lifetime.

          2. Norm Ivey

            I’ve never watched GWTW or even had the desire to see it. I respect that it has an important place in the history of film. Just not interested.

            Perhaps we’ve discussed this here before. 1939 was an amazing year for Hollywood. GWTW, Oz, Stagecoach, Mr. Smith. Lots of films with staying power.

            Citizen Kane came out a couple of years later. That’s one I’ve started a couple of times and just can’t get through.

        2. Bart

          If memory serves, in the late 60s, early 70s, GWTW was redone and the film and sound quality updated. Tickets in Roanoke, Va. at the time were sold out well in advance of screening. My wife and I went to see it for the first time and quite frankly, I was not impressed nor did I come away with the desire to ever waste that much time on it again. For me, the only redeeming quality was the line by Rhett Butler when he said to Scarlett O’Hara the famous line, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,”. Otherwise it was boring and a pain to sit through. I wanted to ask for a refund but as usual, my wife discouraged me from doing so.

          Another “great” movie I have no desire to ever try to watch again is “Citizen Kane”. I have tried several times to force myself to watch it but simply cannot get past the first half hour before stopping the movie and moving on to something else. “Rosebud”, seriously?

          One movie I can watch often is the black and white classic starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelley, “High Noon”. The movie that inspired so many other directors to copy the style of the director and a movie that was a subtle but obvious look at the reactions of people when confronted with a danger they are not capable of facing as a community and how they won’t support the one person who had stood against the danger and was willing to stand against the impending danger they faced again.

          It was also a movie that seriously pissed John Wayne off because he believed it portrayed the citizens as un-American and he made “Rio Bravo” to refute the message of “High Noon”.

          Listening to John Wayne’s reasoning for his objections were wrong and he apparently never watched the entire movie or listened to the great dialog or script that provided the backstory of the Frank Miller reign of terror in the town and his sworn revenge on Will Kane and the town.

          Just IMHO, perhaps the very best western genre’ movie ever made.

          1. Brad Warthen Post author

            Oh, yeah. It’s a great one. “High Noon,” I mean. Always makes my Top Ten lists.

            I was never big on GWTW, and less so on Citizen Kane — even though it’s based on a cousin of mine (William Randolph Hearst was my 3rd cousin three times removed. His granddaughter Patty was my 5th cousin once removed. Their ancestor and mine, John Hearst III, was my great-great-great-great-great grandfather. The Hearsts lived in SC before that branch went West and got rich.)

            More than that, since it was about a legendary newspaperman, I felt like I should be able to appreciate the movie more. Of course, Kane was unlike any newspaperman I ever met.

            Anyway, I never got into it at all…

            1. Norm Ivey

              I should have read all the comments before mentioning CK above. I’m glad I’m not alone.

      1. Brad Warthen Post author

        Star Wars was different. The people who owned the franchise kept trying to keep the magic going with new actors, and it absolutely did not work. Ever. It amazes me that people pretend otherwise — acting excited about the new movies. Although I did enjoy “The Mandalorian.”

        Whereas Bill and Ted and Bad Boys are about the stars. Big difference.

        1. Bryan Caskey

          The Mandalorian is great. It definitely has the western-type feel to it of Clint Eastwood’s “Man with no Name” movies. Did we already talk about this?

          1. Brad Warthen Post author

            I don’t think so. Anyway, we could talk about it again…

            I really enjoyed it. Of course, as space westerns go, it’s no match for “Firefly” in my book…

        2. Norm Ivey

          After the original Star Wars trilogy, I can pass on them. Except Solo. That was pretty good as a stand-alone.

  3. Brad Warthen Post author

    By the way, speaking of being dumb….

    Did anyone besides me think “San Dimas” was a made-up name for a made-up place?

    I just assumed it was a vaguely Southwestern-sounding pseudoplace with no distinguishing characteristics at all, a place meant to evoke the vapidity of 1980s American culture, with touchstones you’d find anywhere — a mall, a typical high school, a Circle K (where strange things were afoot), a water slide, an ice cream parlor that showily celebrates gluttony.

    Turns out that while it may be all those things (although the flick wasn’t actually filmed there), it’s an actual place

  4. Barry

    Hey, trump pulls off being an ignorant senior citizen and 40% of the country worships him as their messiah.

    I think these two actors will be fine.

  5. Phillip

    Bill and Ted return to us to convey an important message for all of us at this moment when so many scoff at distancing or wearing masks:

    “Be excellent to each other.”

    Who knows? Maybe that will get through where other admonitions or pleas have not.

  6. bud

    Most overrated movies:

    The Godfather
    Gone With the Wind
    Shane
    Saving Private Ryan
    Return of the Jedi
    Shawshank Redemption
    Braveheart
    Driving Miss Daisy
    Rambo First Blood
    Thelma and Louise

    1. Brad Warthen Post author

      I agree with you on most of those. Just not, you know, The Godfather and Saving Private Ryan. And maybe Driving Miss Daisy…

      I especially didn’t like Braveheart. I don’t know why so many people like it…

    2. bud

      A few underrated ones:

      Yesterday ( A must for Beatles lovers)
      Mama Mia Here we go again (The first Mama Mia was awful. The sequel, with Cher, was a nice comeback)
      Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Best of the Star Trek movies)
      Saturday Night Fever (Classic disco flick)
      American Graffiti

      1. Bart

        Good list. Agree with Yesterday, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and am in total agreement it is the very best of all Star Trek movies, and of course the movie I can identify with the most, American Graffiti.

        I will add to the list, Jeremiah Johnson, Godfather II (best one), 3 Days of the Condor, and the best of the best spaghetti westerns, Once Upon A Time in The West. Henry Fonda was at his best as the meanest villain ever, Frank. Here is the link to his interview about the movie. Really good.

        https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=interview+with+henry+fonda+about+once+upon+a+time+in+the+west&docid=607998718490053135&mid=72FC985D53996253B88A72FC985D53996253B88A&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

        1. Brad Warthen Post author

          You know, so many smart people say the Godfather II is the best one that I have to respect the opinion. Although I definitely disagree.

          The first one was perfect — a whole, complete story, powerfully told.

          II was a mishmash. The middle part with the long flashback about Vito’s early days, with DeNiro playing him, is fantastic. If it had been just a movie about the origins of Vito — all of which was in the novel, and FIT as part of the original story — it would have been an awesome film. Basically, it WAS an awesome film, within a flawed one.

          But the “present day” stuff from the 1950s with Michael and Fredo and Kay and all the horror between them, was just a mess. I hated it…

          1. Brad Warthen Post author

            Maybe it was necessary, to say, “The Corleones and what they stood for was BAD, and this is their comeuppance.” But compared to the perfection of the early-Vito part, it was just a mess as a story.

            And I never thought what happened to Fredo was necessary. It wasn’t good business, or good personal…

      2. Bill

        Beatle lover.here
        I tried to watch YESTERDAY
        Are you kidding?
        Perfect joke of a movie
        Dumbest premise ever
        Ever.

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