VIDEO : IF YOU LIKED IT THE FIRST TIME ...Byline: Robert Bianco Special to the Daily News Not all good things bear repeating. ``The Brady Bunch Movie'' was one of 1995's happier surprises. An affectionate send-up of the plastic-coated sitcom, ``Brady'' humorously flipped our expectations: Instead of taking us back to the '70s, it brought the Bradys into the '90s, with their sensibilities and outfits intact. Unfortunately for ``A Very Brady Sequel'' (1996, Paramount; priced for rental), we've already heard the film's best joke - which leaves us with 90 less-than-stellar minutes of repetition. There are still some funny moments, many of them provided by the wickedly on-target sibling rivalry sibling rivalry Psychology The intense, emotional competition among siblings–brothers and/or sisters that pits one against the other to obtain parental affection, approval, attention, and love. See Cain complex. Cf Oy child, Sibling relational problem. between Christine Taylor's Marcia and Jennifer Elise Cox's Jan. But instead of being amused throughout, you may find yourself counting the minutes between laughs - and wondering why Shelley Long decided to make that distracting attempt to mimic Florence Henderson's voice more closely. The truth is, when it comes to making sequels to good movies, Hollywood just can't help itself. But you can. In honor of this ``Sequel,'' here are some sequels to embrace, and some to avoid. Worth a second look Superman 2: (1980, Warner; $19.99) Although it lacks the epic scope of the first film, it compensates with better villains and an even more assuredly charming star turn from Christopher Reeve. Aliens: (1986, Fox; $14.99) The original was an outer-space variation on the old haunted-house genre. The sequel ups the stakes by putting a child at risk and turning our heroine into a maternal avenger. Addams Family Addams Family weird family, presented in grotesque domesticity. [TV: Terrace, I, 29] See : Eccentricity Values: (1993, Paramount; $19.99) With all the set-up out of the way, writer Paul Rudnick Paul M. Rudnick (b. 29 December 1957) is a screenwriter and playwright. His plays include "I Hate Hamlet", "Jeffrey", "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told" and "Valhalla". He also writes for Premiere Magazine under the pseudonym "Libby Gelman-Waxner". was able to concentrate on giving this sequel some of the funniest one-liners of the decade. This film is an underappreciated comedy that revels in the old-fashioned joy of clever dialogue. Terminator 2: Judgment Day: (1991, Live; $19.99) The original ``Terminator'' made Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): [ˈaɐ̯nɔlt ˈaloɪ̯s ˈʃvaɐ̯ʦənˌʔɛɡɐ] a full-fledged movie star, and stars don't play rampaging robot villains. So, they reprogrammed him to be a hero, fighting a morphing monster who is one of the screen's great creations. The Godfather Part II: (1974, Paramount; $29.99) Perhaps the best sequel ever made, ``Godfather II'' enriched the original by filling in its past and future. (You can rent the two films separately, or see Francis Ford Coppola's made-for-TV combined version combined version n. See bimanual version. that puts the story in chronological order.) Unfortunately, like the producers of ``Superman 2'' and ``Aliens,'' Coppola didn't stop while he was ahead; he went on to make the misguided ``Godfather Part III,'' which was not ghastly, but was definitely refusable. Leave well enough alone Butch and Sundance: The Early Days: (1979, Fox; $19.99) What do you do when the lead characters die at the end of the film? You do a ``prequel'' that purports to tell an earlier story. Just don't do it without Robert Redford Noun 1. Robert Redford - United States actor and filmmaker who starred with Paul Newman in several films (born in 1936) Charles Robert Redford, Redford and Paul Newman Noun 1. Paul Newman - United States film actor (born in 1925) Newman, Paul Leonard Newman , or you may find that nobody cares. Jaws 2: (1978, Universal; $19.99) And when the monster's dead? You dredge up another great white shark great white shark or white shark Large, aggressive shark (Carcharodon carcharias, family Lamnidae), considered the species most dangerous to humans. It is found in tropical and temperate regions of all oceans and is noted for its voracious appetite. , an act of desperation that undercuts the thrust of the original. If there are a thousand ``Jaws'' to catch out there, we've moved from myth to ``The American Sportsman.'' Rocky II Rocky II is the 1979 sequel to Rocky, a motion picture in which an unknown boxer had been given a chance to go the distance with the World Heavyweight Champion. : (1979, MGM MGM in full Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. U.S. corporation and film studio. It was formed when the film distributor Marcus Loew, who bought Metro Pictures in 1920, merged it with the Goldwyn production company in 1924 and with Louis B. Mayer Pictures in 1925. ; $14.99) Actually, ``Rocky II'' isn't so much a sequel as an almost frame-by-frame re-creation of ``Rocky.'' It's the worst kind of rehash re·hash tr.v. re·hashed, re·hash·ing, re·hash·es 1. To bring forth again in another form without significant alteration: rehashing old ideas. 2. To discuss again. - one that makes us feel like saps for having liked the original. The Empire Strikes Back: (1980, Fox; $19.99) When ``Empire'' was first released, many of us went expecting to see a freestanding film and were disappointed to find we'd been sucked into a cliff-hanger bridge between ``Star Wars'' and ``The Return of the Jedi.'' Now, of course, its place in the trilogy is clear. At the time, though, it seemed like a cheat - and some of us have long memories. Exorcist ex·or·cism n. 1. The act, practice, or ceremony of exorcising. 2. A formula used in exorcising. ex or·cist n. 2: The Heretic: (1977, Warner; $19.99) There are few firm
rules in filmmaking, but surely this is one of them: Nobody should be
possessed more than once.
Elsewhere on video One of last year's most critically acclaimed films, ``Trainspotting'' (1996, Buena Vista; priced for rental) was also one of its most controversial, largely because of its sympathetic view of young heroin addicts. Clearly, you wouldn't want to schedule it for an elementary-school assembly, but saying it glorifies drug use because the addicts enjoy their initial rush is like saying ``All's Quiet on the Western Front'' glorifies war because the recruits are initially excited by combat. Anyone who stays through to the end is unlikely to find either activity particularly glamorous. Critics and viewers alike embraced ``Fly Away Home'' (1996, Columbia TriStar; $15.95), Carroll Ballard's beautifully shot, fact-based story about a young girl who comes to the rescue of an orphaned flock of geese. Anna Paquin, Jeff Daniels and Dana Delany star. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: The introduction of a house guest (Tim Matheson, center) does little to enliven en·liv·en tr.v. en·liv·ened, en·liv·en·ing, en·liv·ens To make lively or spirited; animate. en·liv en·er n. sh In'
anything about ``A Very Brady Sequel.'' |
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