A few weeks ago, tracking for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation was supposedly in the toilet. Early reports suggested that Tom Cruise’s fifth outing as super-spy Ethan Hunt was not getting people excited. This would be the end, the experts said, of a franchise that has kept Cruise’s career surging forward for the past two decades. Well, that was apparently a big load of crap because Rogue Nation opened well and opened in the same ballpark as the rest of the franchise. Even with inflation differences, this series keeps on hitting the same box office sweet spot.
Full disclosure: I missed the last 10 minutes of Vacation. Last night’s press screening started 20 minutes late, then began without any sound, which lead to a 10 minute delay to correct the technical difficulties. With an unbreakable engagement elsewhere, I had to sneak out right before the very last scene. So take this review with as many grains of salt as you’d like. If you think those final minutes might recontextualize everything that came before to transform a generally miserable comedy into a beacon of transcendent hilarity, so be it. Having sat through the previous 90 minutes, I’m of the opinion that nothing short of the long-lost missing footage from Orson Welles’ Magnificent Ambersons could have redeemed this dreadful film.
What at first seemed like a silly idea for a reboot/sequel has already proven itself as incredibly promising with just a couple of trailers — a new trailer for Vacation has arrived, and it’s just as funny as the previous ones (although it features less of Chris Hemsworth’s, um, area). A new generation of Griswolds hit the road for Walley World, and the results appear to be even more disastrous than the original gang’s vacation attempts.
The new Vacation may bear the same name as the old Vacation, but it’s actually a sequel, taking place a few decades after the first ill-fated Griswold family trip to Walley World. The first trailer for this new version has arrived and while it has the same title and premise as its predecessor, it bends over backwards to let you know that Ed Helms is the same Rusty Griswold from 32 years ago, all grown up. Can we call this a rebootquel?
Summertime often means time off for a lot of people. The kids are out of school, the weather's nice - its' time to get away, isn't it? Well, it might be for some of you out there, but not me. At least not yet.
Just when you thought 'Community' ensured Chevy Chase would be out of our hair for a while and the Ed Helms continuation of National Lampoon's 'Vacation' franchise had collapsed, in comes ABC with a TV reunion of the famous road trip family's parents, Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo!
Coming up next week, I'm gonna take a few days off. It's been a while since I've done that; it seems like there was always more reason not to then reasons to go for it. So now, after Labor Day, there'll be another four Behkaless days - whether that's good or bad for the people I work with is another question for another day.
It's the time of year we often yell out "ROAD TRIP" and pile everyone in the car for some fun...somewhere. It's designed to be a nice getaway, a stress reliever of sorts, but for some it only creates more problems. What chaps your hide when it comes to road trippin'?
If you’re looking for a little international adventure, there’s one place you may be surprised to learn will welcome you with open arms.