Hard to believe that it’s been forty years since “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” was released and yet… it has. And in case you didn’t know, the Secret Word for today is “Anniversary.” Do you know what to do when you hear the Secret Word?
While it baffled me when I first saw it, the film has become one of my favorites, thanks to Paul Reubens’ creativity and the ability to create one of the most memorable characters to grace both film and television.
Pee-Wee didn’t care what others thought about him. He carried his childish innocence into his adulthood, while gaining a bit of a naughty yet sweet quality that made him all the more endearing.
His house was just like the character; it appealed to both children and adults. Children wanted to play with all the toys and marveled at the incredible gadgets. Adults were taken in by the nostalgia and yearned to be able to play like a child just one more time…without being teased. Pee-Wee didn’t care; he did what he wanted to.
Who wouldn’t want fresh-squeezed orange juice from a dinosaur?
When it came to “road” movies, “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” ranks right at the top. Wanting his bike back, Pee travels all the way to the Alamo, hoping to fetch it based on a bum tip from a fortune-teller.
The movie’s big chase scene is through the Warner Brothers’ lot. What a hilarious treat to see Pee-Wee riding through the various film and video sets on his fully-loaded bike!
The final scene at the drive-through theatre really sells the magic of Pee-Wee. All of the diverse characters he has met along his journey have assembled to celebrate his film debut: a biker gang, a waitress who yearns to go to France, an escaped prisoner, and so many more. If Pee-Wee can get along with everyone, why can’t we?
If you haven’t seen the film yet, sit in your favorite over-stuffed chair and do so tonight.
Many thanks to the late Paul Reubens for forty years of fun! Happy Anniversary - AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!
See more “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” photos at my main website.
He’s back! Thirty-six years later, Michael Keaton returns to the big screen as Beetlejuice in the creatively titled sequel, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (yes, I’m being snarky). I was able to see it at a pre-screening a few nights ago; if you are averse to plot spoilers, please do not continue!
Theater-goers were able to use a QR code while they waited to have their face superimposed on the movie art. I skipped that bit of fun. The burning question: who is back and who is not? Obviously Keaton in the title role, followed by Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder as Delia & Lydia Deetz, this time joined by Lydia’s daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega). And that’s it folks. Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin are not back (explained in a line of dialogue that “they found a loophole and moved on to the next plane”), and neither is Jeffrey Jones as the patriarch of the Deetz family.
The death of his character, Charles Deetz, is the catalyst for the events that follow. A claymation sequence shows how he died, and a photo of Jones is used on the character’s tombstone. In the afterlife, because of the manner of his death, we see Charles Deetz only from the shoulders down. Although Jones is still alive, he did not participate in the sequel. One can only surmise that it has to do with the legal troubles that have surrounded Jones since his arrest in 2002. Now let’s focus on who has been added. To the right, we see Justin Theroux as Rory, Lydia’s boyfriend and producer of her TV show about haunted houses.
Monica Bellucci plays Delores, the soul-sucking succubus who was married to Beetlejuice during the Black Plague and has returned for revenge. A bit of a plot continuity gaffe as Beetlejuice states in the first movie that Lydia is his first wife.
Willem Dafoe is Wolf Jackson, a B-movie actor who now assumes his TV role as a detective in the after-life. On his left is Nick Kellington as shrunken-head Bob (I really adored this character).
Arthur Conti joins the cast as Jeremy, a handsome young boy from Winter River that Astrid meets when she returns there for her grandfather’s funeral. Sparks between the two fly quickly!
Now that we have all that out of the way, here are my thoughts. I went into the theater with zero expectations. The first movie was a classic and self-contained; it didn’t feel like any of the characters required further story-telling. Because of this, I was surprised to learn that a sequel had been made after all this time. In a nutshell, it’s a decent film. Like so many sequels, it repeats many plot points of the first film but does manage to get in a few surprises and classic lines. Keaton is almost as good as he was in the first film, but offers nothing new. He does the best that he can with what he is given.
Too much of the film is about contrived conflict, including the strained relationship of Lydia and her daughter. The character of Rory is baffling; I normally like Justin Theroux, but he seems completely lost in this role, as if he couldn’t figure out what to do with it. In all fairness, the writing and plot construction are probably to blame. The audience is bluntly told that Rory is an opportunist and very much in touch with his feminine side. Over. And over. And over…which is why it is hard to understand why the previously sharp and cynical Lydia is the only one that fails to see this. It’s a significant character deviation that doesn’t have enough explanation. The character of Delores is the perfect example of what I found wrong with “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” The original movie was colorful, twisted, and wickedly funny; almost like visiting an old-fashioned funhouse. The sequel is all over the map, going from comedy to contrived drama to gory blood-spattering. Delores wanders in and out of the movie, adding a layer of faux seriousness that doesn’t add any value. Her character could have been written for dark comedy and leveled out the overall proceedings to achieve a more enjoyable film. As for the blood-spattering, it really was a problem for me and a huge tonal change from the first film that wasn’t necessary. There were no deaths in “Beetlejuice,” only comic violence, such as when Otho (Glenn Shadix) was made to wear polyester. Shadix died in 2010; his brand of humor is sorely missing from this film. He was an excellent source of comedy who played very well with Catherine O’Hara.
Thankfully Danny Elfman is still on hand for the music, with the Richard Harris and Donna Summer versions of “MacArthur Park” added to the mix. Harry Belafonte’s “Jump in the Line” felt organic to the original; disco does not. The wedding sequence goes on way too long and is just a tired repeat of the “Day-O” dinner from the first movie.
The highlight of it all is Catherine O’Hara. Delia Deetz has delightfully merged with Moira Rose (“Schitt’s Creek”), giving the film some of its best comedic and dramatic moments.
Do I recommend it? Yes…as long as your expectations are tempered. It’s an interesting addition to the Beetlejuice story with a few original moments that allow the movie to shine on its own. Here’s the trailer:
See more Classic TV/Movie photos at my main website.
It's been on my bucket list for years, and even though I have driven by Cabazon Dinosaurs numerous times, I never stopped to see it in person. My first sighting of this bizarre pop culture location was in the movie "Pee Wee's Big Adventure."
Pee Wee (Paul Reubens) and girlfriend Simone (Diane Salinger) stop by here to catch a breather, sitting inside the Dinosaur.
Although viewers may have thought the dinosaurs here were constructed for the 1985 Tim Burton comedy, they actually existed long before that. Originally known as Claude Bell's Dinosaurs, this roadside attraction in Cabazon, California, outside of Palm Springs features two enormous, steel-and-concrete dinosaurs named Dinny the Dinosaur and Mr. Rex. Here's Mr. Rex, the one featured in the aforementioned film:
Knott's Berry Farm sculptor and portrait artist Bell began construction of the dinosaurs in 1964 in an attempt to attract more customers to his nearby restaurant, the Wheel Inn (which closed in 2013). The Wheel Inn is also where the "Large Marge" scene in "Pee Wee's Big Adventures" was filmed. More on that later.
Mr. Rex was the second dinosaur that Bell completed in 1986. Originally, a giant slide was installed in Rex's tail; it was later filled in with concrete.
Dinny, the dinosaur that greets you when you enter the area, was created out of spare material salvaged from the construction of nearby Interstate 10, costing Bell $300,000. Talk about sustainability.
Bell's death in 1988 halted construction of a third sculpture, which was supposed to be a woolly mammoth. Bell's family sold the property in the 1990s and since then, Cabazon Dinosaurs has been the site of a roadside creationist museum and giftshop.
If you're not sure who Large Marge is, be sure to catch "Pee Wee's Big Adventure."
She was played by the incomparable Alice Nunn in this shockingly memorable but short scene:
To help prepare you for the upcoming holiday weekend, how about taking a spin through this year's Holiday overlay at the Haunted Mansion in New Orleans Square? This time I only had the opportunity to ride it once, so I didn't quite get the coverage I typically do. Pardon the lapses in some of the rich details that abound!
The video effects in the elevator seem to get better every year.
It's always great to see Jack Skellington.
It was somewhat slow when I road it, so I was able to get this shot of the Portrait Hallway without any guests. Shocking!
Too much time in the portrait hallway forced me to rush into my doom buggy. No time to snap photos in the loading queue save one!
I caught my breath by the time I got to the corridor with Zero and the hallway of mirrors.
The Conservatory is the perfect shade of green at the Holidays.
Madame Leota needs to slow down; she makes it next to impossible to take a decent shot in the Seance Room!
Three of the cards floating overhead:
A nice panorama of the ballroom; I can almost smell the gingerbread!
Up in the attic there are fluorescent presents for days.
My name never makes the list up here.
I can't get enough of the Hatbox Ghost. Here are four consecutive snaps of the little devil.
Jack takes over as we bring it all home. Love the little pumpkin head light on the end of Zero's nose!
Sally is a very nice addition to the graveyard.
Still, I miss the harmony of the Grim Grinning Ghosts. The pumpkins just don't cut the mustard.
Oogie Boogie...just as obnoxious as ever.
Do I prefer the regular Mansion? Heck yes. Am I ok with this annual overlay? Sure...why not. A little bit of change is good, just as long as I know that the original is coming back in January!
More Haunted Mansion Holiday through the years photos at my main website.
