I didn't think much of it until I saw who directed it: John Landis. That, of course, got me curious about what he's been up to lately... just a click away and... oops, I shouldn't have.
Bat Boy - and apparently it's pre-production as we speak. Genres: Comedy / Horror / Musical. Of course, no plotline layed out whatsoever. I can't blame IMDb for not posting one either.
I decide to dig a little deeper... oh my... it's a musical based off of the Weekly World News tabloid of the "Bat Boy." I've attached a picture in case you've forgotten.Apparently Bat Boy is a rock musical based on the discovery of the bat boy and his adaptation to the real world and trying to live a semi-normal life. Now John Landis is set to direct. Not really sure what to make of it.
But I still dig deeper... and find... Epic Proportions (in "announced" status). The premise, however, seems promising: A Depression-era comedy where a pair of no-good brothers start off as extras in a doomed movie about the biblical plagues. Could be funny... and it's a good sign that it doesn't include the word "musical."
We spin the wheel once more... and find... Show Dogs (in "announced" status as well). Obviously children's fodder, the premise revolves around a homeless Jack Russell terrier thrust into the dog show circuit.
At some point I began wondering why it is that Landis keeps getting funding for movies at all. Can you honestly think of the last good picture that he was at the helm of?
Coming to America**, which was released in 1988. Remember, I said "good" not "great." Coming to America was, for the most part, generally entertaining. Personally, this movie was overplayed way too much in the breakroom at work when I was employed with Office Depot. The lack of an actual cable connection led to employees bringing in videos to watch. In order to regain sanity, I recorded off several weeks of The Simpsons* reruns on FOX, packing them 10 episodes to a tape. The riots settled down soon after that.
(*Sidenote: this was back in 1996, when they still aired funny episodes as well as reruns.)
(**Sidenote: Eddie Murphy was funny back then, too.)
Clearly Landis has peaked at a director. He had a few before 1988 that are worth mentioning (Trading Places, Spies Like Us and ¡Three Amigos!) but seriously, can you think of the last picture he directed that was great?
The time frame when he was at the peak of his game was between the years of 1977 and 1981.
He gave us the following cult classics:
- Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)
- Animal House (1978)
- The Blues Brothers (1980)
- An American Werewolf in London (1981)
In that era, Landis could do no wrong. He created the framework for "gross out" comedies and mock satires, as well as established the horror-comedy, which really didn't exist until then. For such a groundbreaking director to cross several mediums and genres, he sure hasn't done much to be proud of lately.
It just proves how quickly your star can fade in Hollywood. I'm sure there are those that would out-right slap me in the face if I crossed their path after what I've said about Landis, but I don't care. If my resumé as a director looked like his, I'd be ashamed. What's worse is that the first movie he directed, Schlock, pretty much sums up his portfolio.
All this ranting about the failures of a Hollywood director just makes me think of Willis' post concerning Tom Bosley and a comic strip pertaining to life and our existance. After reading my comments on his post, maybe I was a little too harsh on Tom. Maybe I need to take a more neutral ground with Landis and offer him some beer and nachos ...maybe.
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