I haven't watched Big Adventure in a long time, but I've been wanting to revisit it.
Directed by Tim Burton.. quirky and awesome music by Danny Elfman, Pee Wee Herman sets out on a wild adventure to find his stolen, precious bike.
I remember this one being sooo popular at the time, and I would see the commercials for it, the part of the preview that always stuck out at me, was where Dottie is holding the phone up to the doggy ha! I thought she was a kid from looking at that small part, until I saw the movie.
The movie is packed with cool moments, the bmx kids, the stage shots at WB Studios, Twisted Sister's cameo, Large Marge haha, the famous 'tequila' biker bar scene, but one of my favorite parts is the breakfast scene, where Pee Wee gets a large pancake, 2 eggs, bacon, and a huge fork which he uses to only take one bite!!!
I was watching a Cheech and Chong movie recently and noticed Paul Reubens had a small role haha, and I like seeing him in Midnight Madness too, as the pinball guy. He seems to have a lot of guest appearance roles in a ton of movies!
So does anyone here like the sequel to Big Adventure... Big Top Pee Wee? I don't mind it! It's not nearly as good as the first one, but there are people who though it blew... the whole farm animal, circus thing haha.
Has anyone else caught the Pee Wee Herman Show On Broadway that recently aired on cable..HBO I believe?? I watched it twice, I thought it was fantastic! He's back at the Pee Wee's Playhouse with all the old characters.. it's a great show!
And I guess he's doing the voice of 'Jokey' smurf in the new Smurfs movie.
There are so many cool elements to Big Adventure, all the memorable quotes like,.."I know you are, but what am I?"... lots of characters, bright colors, and strangeness...like the dream Pee Wee has with the clowns..yikes! ...total Tim Burton style!
Even though I like the music in this movie, I love the theme song Elfman did for Beetlejuice way more.
I was never a huge fan of the movie "Buffy The Vampire Slayer", that the tv series was excellent though. But the best part of the movie for me was a non-Pee Wee Herman Paul Reubens!
[ 09. July 2011, 11:07: Message edited by: Valley ]
Posted by Pyro (Member # 7658) on :
Cool Post Ronnie! Loving all the Pee Wee links too..that one of him on The View was just funny.
And, for some odd reason, I do actually enjoy Big Top Pee Wee too(a little bit). Obviously no where near as good as the first though.
The Elfman Soundtrack is pretty good as well, though not as good as some of his later offerings would bring like Beetlejuice & Batman. My favorite Elfman track of this movie would have to be Pee Wee's nightmare:
I like how you can see a little bit of Pre-Beetlejuice influence in the setting of this scene too. Posted by Earl Keese (Member # 7986) on :
By far the best for me and just a completely classic scene is immediately after the tequila dance in the bar...cut to him being crowded around as a new honorary member by all of the bikers, they slap him on the back, send him on his way on one of the motorcycles and he swerves the handlebars back and forth as he accelerates right through a billboard...I snort laugh every time at this one!
Posted by Ronnie (Member # 465) on :
Valley, too awesome... I forgot about Pee Wee in Back To The Beach. Love that movie
Earl, that is a funny scene! I like how the bikers stop and stare after he goes rolling! Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
Rewatched Big Adventure, twice. After watching the film i noticed that thereīs also commentary track with Reubens and Burton
Itīs still a great film with many classic scenes, visual gags and awesome cast.
Then i watched the sequel Big Top Pee-wee for the first time. It was directed by Randal Kleiser so bye bye wicked visual fantsies etc. This is more kids stuff but at the same time they made our beloved character a sex crazed maniac I mean, sure anyone with some sense would like to go to bed with Valeria Golino. But Pee-wee... No, no, no! But it just happens that they do have sex in this pretty lousy sequel.
It has few decent scenes but the magic is not there.
I was shocked to find out that Netflix has released third Pee-wee film Big Holiday earlier this year. Anyone seen it?
Posted by the young warrior (Member # 9554) on :
Never seen any of the Pee Wee Herman movies but I do know that there really popular and have quite the fan base,don't know whether there quite my cup of tea though as I find Paul Reuben's character of Pee Wee slightly annoying in the few clips that I've seen of him!
When I think of the Pee Wee Herman films I for some reason instantly think of the Ernest movies from above,never seen any of them either and I'm not sure if they do have anything in common with each other other than that the main character acts a bit of klutz!
If I gave them a chance I'd probably would come away quite enjoying them but just looking at both characters grinning like an idiot i must admit it puts me right off!
[ 19. June 2016, 11:14: Message edited by: the young warrior ]
Posted by Logan 5 (Member # 1467) on :
Pee Wee's Big Adventure is amazing. I remember seeing Big Top Pee Wee back in the day, but I don't remember it. I actually like Randall Kleiser as a director (though he isn't as stylish as Burton). I guess the films flaws must come down more to the script.
Posted by Pyro (Member # 7658) on :
I've seen most of the Ernest movies and I would say right out Ernest is not as annoying as Pee-Wee, well, most of the time. but the Ernest character is definitely more likeable. Not to mention all the hilarious side characters Jim Varney played from time to time in the films as an added bonus.
[ 19. June 2016, 14:50: Message edited by: Pyro ]
Posted by Chris the CandyFanMan (Member # 3197) on :
quote:Originally posted by Pyro: I've seen most of the Ernest movies and I would say right out Ernest is not as annoying as Pee-Wee, well, most of the time. but the Ernest character is definitely more likeable. Not to mention all the hilarious side characters Jim Varney played from time to time in the films as an added bonus.
Especially his old woman characters.
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
quote:Originally posted by Logan 5: Pee Wee's Big Adventure is amazing. I remember seeing Big Top Pee Wee back in the day, but I don't remember it. I actually like Randall Kleiser as a director (though he isn't as stylish as Burton). I guess the films flaws must come down more to the script.
I also like Kleiserīs films and agree that the script is the one to blame here but iīm sure Burton wouldīve made something up
They asked him to direct Big Top but he was already too involved with Beetlejuice. Lucky him Posted by TerdNthePoolGGB (Member # 9818) on :
"Tequilaaaaa". Can you guys the PeeWee dance
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
The Tequila chicken dance is a classic!
They said on the commentary track that Reubens had it in his system and they only tried to create a scene where to put it.
I also love his Surfin Bird performance in Back to the Beach (1987)
Posted by Logan 5 (Member # 1467) on :
"I remember... The Alamo!"
"Yaaaaaay!" Posted by Crash (Member # 7484) on :
I run pretty cold on these one-trick guys like Reubens and Varney. Tim Burton did yeoman-like work on Pee Wee's Big Adventure, which is pretty funny and certainly works in its own bizarre universe. Of course, looking back on it, after Reuben's brushes with the law as a sex offender, Pee Wee doesn't seem so innocent now.
Jim Varney initially did the Earnest character in a series of TV commercials. While I think that he had some talent as an actor, I never found him or his characters remotely funny. But than again, the movies weren't geared to me, but rather the average 10-year-old.
I agree that Randal Kleiser is a better director than his filmography shows. Director John Waters likes Kleiser's stuff, though probably in a kitschy way. Kleiser, apart from Grease, seemed to have gotten all the junky screenplays, like The Blue Lagoon, to direct.
Posted by Logan 5 (Member # 1467) on :
quote:I run pretty cold on these one-trick guys like Reubens and Varney. Tim Burton did yeoman-like work on Pee Wee's Big Adventure, which is pretty funny and certainly works in its own bizarre universe. Of course, looking back on it, after Reuben's brushes with the law as a sex offender, Pee Wee doesn't seem so innocent now.
I never saw 'Pee Wee's Playhouse' or anything, so I always thought he was a like a movie one-shot type of character. Did he ever seem innocent and not slightly creepy? On the sex offender thing though, to be fair, most guys are 50% of the way to being labeled as one just by having an *ahem*. There are guys that got branded as sex offenders for peeing in public during a night out while drunk (even though when women did the same thing they were not). Same with streaking - one set of genitals gets you branded a sex offender, one doesn't. Not that I'm saying Ruebens didn't do anything (I heard he was 'pleasuring himself'?) just that it's a very deceptive label.
quote:Jim Varney initially did the Earnest character in a series of TV commercials. While I think that he had some talent as an actor, I never found him or his characters remotely funny. But than again, the movies weren't geared to me, but rather the average 10-year-old.
I think I was also too old for the Ernest thing. They were like - as you said - movies for kids. He always seemed like a gurning moron to me (not that there weren't some laughs to be had from that).
quote:I agree that Randal Kleiser is a better director than his filmography shows. Director John Waters likes Kleiser's stuff, though probably in a kitschy way. Kleiser, apart from Grease, seemed to have gotten all the junky screenplays, like The Blue Lagoon, to direct.
Gasp! I love The Blue Lagoon! It's like a Harlequin romance novel brought to life! Started my lifelong love of Brooke Shields! Although, back in the day it was quite a hyped movie if I recall, and did ok at the box-office. But looking at Kleiser's back catalogue, he hardly seems like a Director driven by passion projects, more like a Director for hire.
Posted by Crash (Member # 7484) on :
The public display wasn't as bad as Reubens' later arrest where they found child pornography at his place, but the charge got pled down to next to nothing. I think he's a pretty creepy guy, not just in character. (Another 80s favorite, Jeffrey Jones also has a creepy backstory.)
The Blue Lagoon is kind of, but not quite, a guilty pleasure for me. It's not as dreadful or as campy as people suggest. It actually tries as a serious film and is not boring. (It's a remake of a serious old British film.) Also, it looks fantastic with location shooting in Jamaica and the Fiji Islands by master cinematographer Nestor Almendros, who won an Oscar for the magnificently shot Days of Heaven.
Posted by Logan 5 (Member # 1467) on :
Oh... didn't know there were two different incidents. He does come off as creepy. How can you plead down possession of child porn? I always approach these stories sceptically until I've found the details. I'd heard the Jeffrey Jones thing too. How do these people continue to work or make money after these things? Must be a career killer.
Reading Wiki:
Jones was found guilty of paying a 14 year old boy to pose for 'pornographic' pics (nudes?) So he clearly like young boys (he would probably have gotten away with the same crime in the 70's...)
Ruebens was charged first for jerking off in an adult theatre (isn't that what they were for?) It sounds like he might be gay, so maybe they targeted the theatre. I'd give him a pass on that one.
Reading Ruebens pornography charges (only going from Wiki) it looks like he collected old and arty stuff. I'm inclined to believe they found a reason to raid his house and then looked for material to make it stick. The description of the material doesn't sound too bad to me. Without seeing the stuff it's really hard to tell, and I sure don't take what a Prosecutor says as definitive. The Police have targets on these things and are under a lot of pressure to charge even when it isn't warranted.
Wow this got far from movie talk!
I always liked Blue Lagoon. Atkins annoys me a little, and the whole 'two beautiful kids on a beautiful island' clearly plays like fantasy even when they try for realism, but there are some nice well observed coming of age moments, and it looks great. I still get sad when McKern dies, and then again at that ending...
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