Gremlins

#2 on the new "Christmas list" is Joe Dante's Gremlins.






Attended a new rep-cinema(Carbon Arc) last night and got to see Gremlins for the first time ever. Yeah, that's right ...wasn't super-interested when it came out maybe 'cause it seemed drawing younger people than myself, or perhaps chasing girls was more important ...anyway, I finally sat down and payed attention - good movie.
There was a certain ...I dunno ...feeling/vibe to a few of those 80's flics Spielberg was attached to and this plops right down in the middle of 'em. Turns out it's was shot on the same street sets as the Back to the Future films - but more than that ..it "feels" like the same universe ...one where Goonies, Innerspace and ET seamlessly fit. Even Poltergeist feels like a more adult tale that's set in the same neighborhood fer sure... Awesome.

I love a movie that bookends itself. The opening with Hoyt Axton's inventor father aquiring Gizmo ...charming and visually rich intro ...nice. The film is filled with character actors the likes of Dick Miller and Polly Holliday(FLO!!!) and a young Corey Feldman is pretty damn good gotta say. Frances Lee McCain rocks as Billy's mom - dispatching gremlins like Sigourney Weaver or something ...cool writing. Zach Galligan is perfect as that naive teen with a heart of gold and if you grew up in my era you looooove Pheobe Cates - Judge Reinholt spoke for us all in Fast Times at Ridgemont High - yowsa. The prolific Keye Luke returns in the end to wrap up the story in a classic fashion not unlike Spielberg's Amazing Stories TV show(and watch for the movie marquee that has two of Spielberg's biggie's original titles - just a nice touch).

Gizmo is cute. This fact, along with the Ewoks, allowed my nerd brain to shy away from a lot of the genre fare of the 80's but watching it now I smile - it's a really good puppet and again - really fun writing. I love the design of the whole thing ...the 80's greens & reds ...the Alien-esque pods ...the gremlins themselves ...and no CG - just talented people working hard to tell a story well. Great soundtrack too...
The movie is obviously escapist but it's more like a little fantasy Dante and Spielberg are tucking you in with on Christmas eve...

Tonight I see TRON Legacy ...ahhh, the 80's. Take yer shots but what a fun decade. What a fun movie. Ho ho ho...