Mission to Mars is a bit of an asterisk - it seems to be based on the attraction in name only, and by the time it opened in theaters, the attraction had been closed for seven years.
Stephen King movies is a good one! I'd also like to read something about the movie Stephen King directed, Maximum Overdrive. (If you've already written about it, rerun that piece.)
Also, recaps of shows that are copycats of SNL. Thinking Fridays and MadTV.
James Bond sounds good—or even better, the Bond knockoffs! You know, everything from THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. to OPERATION KID BROTHER to AGENT VINOD to OSS 117, if you want a HUGE project that will keep you occupied for a while....
If you're willing to consider following a director versus a franchise, might I recommend Walter Hill?
He is a heavyweight across directing, writing, and producing though I was pretty long in the tooth before I had his career dots connected in my head to associate all those films to one name. Maybe since he doesn't get the constant press the way say a Spielberg, Coppola, or others do?
There's this run of films I enjoy a heap from the 80 & 90s that all have him in common as Director, and there's a chance for some interesting comparisons w/ other films, like how his Southern Comfort dropped a year before First Blood, almost a decade after Deliverance, and hits some similar themes differently for better and worse.
The fella has helmed The Driver, 48 Hours, Red Heat, Streets of Fire, and Supernova among many more, that seems like a wild cluster of work, IMHO. He's quoted on Wiki saying that all of his films are Westerns. That'd be a neat lens to rewatch his work through, maybe.
Some brilliant suggestions here, and some of them are definitely up your street (hi, Phantasm series).
I think "Roger Corman" is too vast of a category, so how about "Movies from New World/Roger Corman that specifically launched the careers of famous filmmakers"? Stuff like Alligator (screenplay by John Sayles), Battle Beyond the Stars and/or Galaxy of Terror (production design by James Cameron), etc.
I have no idea what the audience would be for this, but: I'd read the heck out of a deep dive into the Phantasm films. Alternately: Stephen King adaptations? Sherlock Holmes on the big screen?
There are 17 of those I believe, and they might be a subcategory of King films already, but if it was a long term thing it could be a whole book ready to publish
I saw the suggestion of Ridley Scott, and while that would be good, a complete series on TONY Scott would be amazing. Hollywood kept giving him big budgets and my dude put it all up on the screen without any regards to art or good taste. Just pure maximalism. You already have reviews of "The Hunger" and "The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3" but so much crazy-ass goodness awaits. Top Gun! True Romance! A lot of big, popular movies held together with Scott's ball-to-the-wall auteurship.
The non-Ernest centered live-action films of Jim Varney: Spittin' Image, Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam, Fast Food, Wilder Napalm, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Expert, Snowboard Academy, 100 Proof, Blood Friends and Money, 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain, Existo, Treehouse Hostage, and Daddy and Them. Or just Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam, it's so weird and available on YouTube for free!
How about movies that have been remade three or more times over the decades? Deja vu all over again? Could give an interesting perspective on the way cultures have changed throughout the eras those films were made. “Dracula” seems an obvious choice there, also “King Kong”, as mentioned before. Or foreign originals and American remakes, like “Infernal Affairs”/“The Departed”; “The Raid”; “Eat Drink Man Woman”/“Tortilla Soup”, etc.
Really, anything?
Okay, how about every movie based on a Disney theme park attraction? Here's a complete list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_film_adaptations_of_Disney_attractions
That's a good one but it would entail watching a bunch of Pirates of the Carribbean movies, and they're all super long and only the first one is good.
I did not realize that Mission to Mars is based on a Disney attraction.
That seems weird!
Mission to Mars is a bit of an asterisk - it seems to be based on the attraction in name only, and by the time it opened in theaters, the attraction had been closed for seven years.
Stephen King movies is a good one! I'd also like to read something about the movie Stephen King directed, Maximum Overdrive. (If you've already written about it, rerun that piece.)
Also, recaps of shows that are copycats of SNL. Thinking Fridays and MadTV.
He has indeed already done Maximum Overdrive: https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2017/9/21/cocaine-is-a-hell-of-a-drug-case-file-95-maximum-overdrive
It would be great to delve into SNL-inspired shows like The New Show and Twilight Theatre, if only they were available somewhere.
There's some New Show sketches (and at least two full episodes) on YouTube. Wonder if the Internet Archive has more...
James Bond sounds good—or even better, the Bond knockoffs! You know, everything from THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. to OPERATION KID BROTHER to AGENT VINOD to OSS 117, if you want a HUGE project that will keep you occupied for a while....
"Hiiiiiis favourite movie is Turner & Hoooooooooooch...."
If you're willing to consider following a director versus a franchise, might I recommend Walter Hill?
He is a heavyweight across directing, writing, and producing though I was pretty long in the tooth before I had his career dots connected in my head to associate all those films to one name. Maybe since he doesn't get the constant press the way say a Spielberg, Coppola, or others do?
There's this run of films I enjoy a heap from the 80 & 90s that all have him in common as Director, and there's a chance for some interesting comparisons w/ other films, like how his Southern Comfort dropped a year before First Blood, almost a decade after Deliverance, and hits some similar themes differently for better and worse.
The fella has helmed The Driver, 48 Hours, Red Heat, Streets of Fire, and Supernova among many more, that seems like a wild cluster of work, IMHO. He's quoted on Wiki saying that all of his films are Westerns. That'd be a neat lens to rewatch his work through, maybe.
I'd love an excuse to watch all of Walter Hill!
Some brilliant suggestions here, and some of them are definitely up your street (hi, Phantasm series).
I think "Roger Corman" is too vast of a category, so how about "Movies from New World/Roger Corman that specifically launched the careers of famous filmmakers"? Stuff like Alligator (screenplay by John Sayles), Battle Beyond the Stars and/or Galaxy of Terror (production design by James Cameron), etc.
that's a good idea. I
I have no idea what the audience would be for this, but: I'd read the heck out of a deep dive into the Phantasm films. Alternately: Stephen King adaptations? Sherlock Holmes on the big screen?
Hi Nathan,
I think movies based off Stephen King’s
works is a great idea. Lot of highs and lows but also some underrated gems in there too.
Also the Children of the Corn franchise is on Shudder currently. Just sayin. :)
There are 17 of those I believe, and they might be a subcategory of King films already, but if it was a long term thing it could be a whole book ready to publish
It’s insane that short story spawned that many sequels to a movie a lot of people have forgotten, Agreed that calls for a subcategory for sure.
I still want to see you do a series on failed franchise-starters. Movies like both attempts to start the Dark Universe.
REMO WILLIAMS HELL YES.
Fromtheyardtothearthouse.substack.com
TV Tropes has a whole page of them: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/StillbornFranchise/Film
I saw the suggestion of Ridley Scott, and while that would be good, a complete series on TONY Scott would be amazing. Hollywood kept giving him big budgets and my dude put it all up on the screen without any regards to art or good taste. Just pure maximalism. You already have reviews of "The Hunger" and "The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3" but so much crazy-ass goodness awaits. Top Gun! True Romance! A lot of big, popular movies held together with Scott's ball-to-the-wall auteurship.
Harold Perrineau’s filmography.
King Kong? Godzilla? The complete works of Fred Astaire?
Would enjoy Nathan's take on the Godzilla films, for sure.
Well, I think I would enjoy your impressions of the MCU.
Perhaps the films of Nathan Lane.
How about the films of John Badham?
Best Picture Oscar Winners: Have they aged well? American Beauty, Crash, and Gigi come to mind
The non-Ernest centered live-action films of Jim Varney: Spittin' Image, Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam, Fast Food, Wilder Napalm, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Expert, Snowboard Academy, 100 Proof, Blood Friends and Money, 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain, Existo, Treehouse Hostage, and Daddy and Them. Or just Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam, it's so weird and available on YouTube for free!
Good suggestion.
Thanks!
How about movies that have been remade three or more times over the decades? Deja vu all over again? Could give an interesting perspective on the way cultures have changed throughout the eras those films were made. “Dracula” seems an obvious choice there, also “King Kong”, as mentioned before. Or foreign originals and American remakes, like “Infernal Affairs”/“The Departed”; “The Raid”; “Eat Drink Man Woman”/“Tortilla Soup”, etc.