Episode 31: Speed 2 – Cruise Control and Bottom Five Replacements

Speed 2 – Cruise Control

Questions for Mike:

1. What was the most absurd action sequence in the movie?“Speed 2” is known for its over-the-top stunts, so there’s likely a lot to choose from!
2. How did the sequel compare to the original “Speed”? Considering the change from a bus to an ocean liner, did it live up to the suspense of the first film?
3. What did you think of Willem Dafoe’s villain character, Geiger?His use of laptop computers to take over the ship’s systems was quite unique.
4. Were there any standout performances or cringe-worthy moments?Sandra Bullock’s role was secondary this time—did that impact the film’s overall quality?

Facts about the movie:

1. Geiger’s Revenge Plot:Geiger’s motivation for hijacking the ship was revenge against the computer company that caused his copper poisoning. Talk about an extreme reaction!
2. The Ocean Liner as the New Bus: Unlike the first film, where the bus had to maintain a certain speed, in “Speed 2,” the ocean liner mustn’t stop. How did this change affect the tension?
3. Diverse Passengers:The ship’s passengers include diamond dealers, a fat-acceptance group, and a deaf girl trapped in an elevator during the crisis. Discuss the eclectic mix of characters.
4. Sandra Bullock’s Secondary Role:Sandra Bullock reprises her role as Annie, but the screenplay gives her less prominence. How did this impact the film’s dynamics?
5. Budget and Box Office: The film had a massive budget, estimated at around $110 million. Unfortunately, it didn’t perform well at the box office, earning only a fraction of its production costs. Discuss the impact of this financial disappointment on the film’s legacy.
6. Actor Change: Jan de Bont directed both “Speed” and its sequel. However, Keanu Reeves declined to reprise his role as Jack Traven, leading to Sandra Bullock being the sole returning lead. How did this change affect the film’s dynamics?
7. Filming Location: The movie was shot in various exotic locations, including the Caribbean island of Saint Martin. Explore how the tropical setting influenced the film’s visual appeal and contrasted with the high-stakes action.
8. Stunt Work: “Speed 2” features daring stunts, including a thrilling sequence where the ship crashes into a harbor. Discuss the challenges faced by the stunt team and their impressive work in bringing these scenes to life.
9. Critical Reception: Critics panned the film, citing weak plot, lack of suspense, and overreliance on CGI effects. How did the negative reviews impact the film’s reputation over time?
   

Bottom Five Replacements:

I should talk about Alden Erinrich in Solo, but I won’t!

Back to the Future II

dir. Robert Zemeckis

I originally thought of this one because of Claudia Welles being replaced by Elizabeth Shue as Marty McFly’s girlfriend, but then I remembered how Crispin Glover opted out of the sequel when he decided, after the first movie, that he really didn’t like it’s ending – how we only view present-day George McFly as successful due to his material gains. (Or, it’s also rumored that he asked for too much money and Zemeckis and producer, co-writer Bob Gale said he wasn’t worth it!) Either way he was replaced, in a fashion, by Jeffrey Weissman who was buried under prosthetics that made him look like Glover – because rather than rewrite the movie, Zemeckis thought they could use special effects to get around the problem – an increasingly common assumption from this filmmaker, for sure. I feel like Zemeckis alone created the “uncanny valley” with weird choices like this one, but regardless, Glover felt it unfair that his likeness and personality were being used without his consent and thus sued the producers. Because of his actions, there are now clauses in the Screen Actors Guild bargaining agreements that protect artists from having their image used as special effects – and now deep-fakes and AI – continue to advance. So this one, it’s a weird choice, but I think an important one because the replacement in it both detracts from the film and set an important precedent that is even more important today than when it was set!

Smokey and the Bandit 3

Jerry Reed taking over for Burt Reynolds? Jackie Gleason was collecting a paycheck reprising Buford T. Justice as he chases this “fake” Bandit across the South. This movie is abysmal and was made only to cash in on what Burt Reynolds, Sally Field and Gleason had built in the first two movies. Here, country singer Jerry Reed’s supporting character Cledus “Snowman” Snow from the first two movies acts as a sort of proxy for Reynold’s Bandit whose off somewhere haranguing Sally Field about… (clip) when will they get started – whenever they like! Reed is an amiable enough guy, and he wrote and performed Smokey and the Bandit theme, “East Bound and Down” – but having him take the lead and constantly dupe Buford T. Justice despite a hilariously bad Bandit get-up just makes the proceedings cartoonish and laughable. And again, Reed is amiable, but he’s not roguish or charming. He’s a little too blonde, too country and too old as at this point he was was starting to show signs of wear from a serious cigarette habit that would ultimately lead to his death in 2008, despite his having quit in the 90’s. So, yeah, a bad choice to fill the shoes of the man, Burt Reynolds and the script didn’t do anyone any favors either. I find it funny that this one occurred to me out of the blue a few days ago and when I googled it – because I wasn’t even sure I was remembering it correctly – the main thing that came up as an auto-suggestion for search was “Is there a Smokey and the Bandit 3?” No, no there is not.

The Sum of all Fears (2002)

Dir. Phil Alden Robinson

Ben Affleck taking over for Harrison Ford who had taken over for Alec Baldwin. None of these movies are all that bad, and some are great. But Baldwin was an outstanding Jack Ryan in Hunt for Red October while Ford brought an older, wiser and grumpier version to Clear and Present Danger and Patriot Games. Affleck? He brought the dumb version. The Sum of All Fears largely succeeds despite Affleck, who seems way out of his depth trying to act alongside the likes of Morgan Freeman. I mean, this is Shannon Hamilton, the proprietor of Fashionable Male. What the Hell is he doing acting like a CIA agent. Of course, Affleck would get better as an actor, and be better cast, sometimes in his own movies. And by the time he as old enough to play an experienced Jack Ryan type, he opted instead for a flawed, more human agent in his own, outstanding Argo. But still, when you look back at it – Ben Affleck?! Replacing a character made famous by Harrison Ford?!? That’s like having Alden Erinrich play Han Solo – oh.

Garfield: The Movie

Chris Pratt replacing Bill Murray as the voice of Garfield. Talk about Murray replacing Lorenzo Music, who did the perfect Garfield voice for TV, and how Music replaced Murray as Peter Venkman on The Real Ghostbusters. Pratt is too energetic a voice, he doesn’t have that lazy, lackadaisical but wry quality both Murray and Music had as the character, and as such, this Garfield simply doesn’t feel like Garfield. He seems too irritated and expressive, too jaded, but with an edge rather than the “been-there-done-that” which defines Garfield, who, even when he gets worked-up, still sounded somehow in control of the situation. Plus we get a completely unnecessarily heart-wrenching origin story that takes the mythos of Garfield and pretty much overextends his love for Italian food. I know, who cares about a fat orange cat? Well, my kids, that’s who. Both sons went through phases of loving the Lorenzo Music-voiced iteration of the cat, and while neither were super in love with Murray’s take (which he famously joked he only did because he thought it was written by Joel Coen of the Coen brothers, when it was written by a different Joel Cohen – spelled differently!)

Hannibal (2001)

Clarice Starling, as portrayed in an Academy-award winning turn by Jodi Foster, is a balance of strength, courage, smarts and vulnerability. It’s as memorable performance as cinema can muster, and it’s one time I feel the Academy got it right. When both she and Lambs director Jonathan Demme opted not to return to the franchise after reading Thomas Harris’s long-awaited sequel, producer – yup, you know it – Dino DeLaurentiis declared “when the pope dies, you get a new pope” and hired Ridley Scott to direct the sequel. Scott brought on the incredibly gifted Julianne Moore, and while I’m not one to talk smack about Maude Lebowski, I think she never quite got into the skin of Clarice. Moore seems like she’s almost unable to feel during the movie, and I believe in Thomas Harris’s novel, she spends a lot of time drugged. That’s what this whole movie felt like, as if someone was drugged and confused, wandering through grotesqueries where the previous film showed horror, humanity and grace. It’s not Moore’s fault, but she wasn’t ready or able to assume this role. Yet if not her, for she is so capable, so damn good in almost everything she’s in, then WHO? The answer? Probably no one but Foster.