Hollywood isn’t exactly shy to make a sequel (or many sequels) when it hits the jackpot with a movie. That said why are we still hanging out for sequels to these fantastic films? The Done Dirt Cheap DVD crew investigates…
Not a bad lookin' crew for Western space cowboys!
Okay, for those of us who don’t know the story behind Serenity, we’re going to give you a quick crash course. Joss Whedon (the creator of Buffy and Angel) crafted one of the best television shows ever in Firefly that was prematurely axed (what were those studio bosses thinking?) and re-born as a film after its fans banded behind Whedon’s creation. You’re forgiven for thinking that a film about space cowboys would be one big fizz but Serenity really isn’t! Captain Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) leads his crew of galactic outlaws aboard the transport ship called Serenity. The team are a mixture of character-types including Mal’s feisty assistant Zoe (Gina Torres) who’s married to Wash (Alan Tudyk) who pilots the ship, the mechanic Kaylee (Jewel Staite) and tough-man Jayne (Adam Baldwin). Soon, the Serenity crew comes into contact with River (Summar Glau) and her medico brother Simon (Sean Maher), fugitives from The Alliance, the coalition that dominates the galaxy. But these fugitives cause a lot more trouble than Mal ever believed they could because River has a secret that The Alliance will do anything to obtain. When The Alliance sends The Operative (Chiqetel Ejiofor) to capture her, this flick really kicks into gear. Firefly fans should also watch out for the return of the much-loved Shepherd Book (Ron Glass) and Inara (Morena Baccarin). Whether your an old Firefly fan or discovering Serenity for the first time, this really has us begging for a sequel (or maybe more than just one sequel…)!
Yes, you!
So we know that the brilliance of The Sixth Sense pretty much relied on its ending which really was one of the best twists in ever seen on the big screen. Award winning child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) knows all too well what it’s like being young and unable to face your demons. So when Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), an 8-year-old boy becomes one of his patients, he identifies with the boy who’s hiding a terrible secret. Cole’s mother Lynn (Australia’s own Toni Collette) is a single parent desperately trying to understand her unique son who appears challenged in more ways than she could even begin to imagine. Cole sees dead people (and that’s a pretty massive burden for a small boy) and after finally divulging his secret to Crowe, begins learning how to cope with life as he knows it. While we don’t want to give away the entire story, we will say that what makes this one of the best endings ever is the fact that Crowe and Cole connect in a way that Crowe can’t even begin to imagine. This is what we want to know: what happened next? Maybe the sequel could be called The Seventh Sense (okay, that’s a lame idea but we desperately want more dead people).
Uh-oh. They're back!
Now, many people think that Hollywood is rather fickle. If that’s true (we’re not going to comment on whether it is or isn’t), nothing would last for twenty years like The Simpsons has unless it deserved to. Yep, The Simpsons was confined to the small screen for many years but finally, in 2007, its many fans were given something we’d been wishing for ever since its debut back in 1989: a movie! Luckily, the film version didn’t disappoint and we were treated to this family’s funny antics for longer than the usual half hour. The trouble begins when Springfield’s lake has become so polluted that when Homer (Dan Castellaneta) dumps his new pig’s poo container into it, this forces Springfield to become an environmental danger zone. Marge (Julie Kavner) just can’t believe her husband’s selfishness (we know, she should be used to it since she’s been married to him for so long) and neither can the angry mob that descend on the Simpson household looking for blood. Meanwhile, in Washington, U.S. President Arnold Schwarzenegger (Harry Shearer) sends the head of the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up Springfield. The only problem is that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to do so. In the end, it’s left to Homer to save his family and the entire town but there are a load of laughs to be had before then. It’s clear that The Simpsons Movie was a hit but we’re greedy and would just love more of our favourite yellow friends (and this time, more Monty Burns (Harry Shearer as well) please!).
What a hunk!
Well that’s our wish-list done but believe us, it doesn’t end there! We can think of loads more flicks we’d love to see more of. If you’re good, we’ll show and tell at another more convenient time!
