I do not like this as a movie; I do not think it will be groovy. (2 Viewers)

[Scott Weinberg]

You knew it was coming.
Thanks to Dark Horizons for the poster!

 

[Wayne Bundrick]

Starring Mike Myers as the cat, according to IMDB.

 

[Jordan_E]

Rick Baker recently left the project due to creative differences, according to a few sites.

 

[Matt Stone]

Hmm...early problems are never a good sign.

 

[Peter Kim]

Mike Myers? Is this then the project that reunites and reconciles SKG / Imagine with Mike after the Dieter debacle?

Apparently The Grinch did well enough to warrant a Dr. Seuss encore.

 

[Craig S]

It's one of those nights; couldn't sleep
So onto the Net I did creep
Wow, four AM, I'm cranky & tired
But Scott's thread title has me inspired
I know this isn't pure Seussical style
But give me a break, at least for a while
Opie & Brian's latest project is loose
Rolling in his grave is the late Dr. Seuss
Tickets to The Grinch surely did sell
Looks like they're going back to the well
It's the siren call of the almighty buck
But there's just no way that this won't suck
First, what kind of plot can the writers grow
From a few pages about a cat's chapeau?
Then there's the star - the creator of Wayne
Seeing him feline will surely cause pain
Who greenlit this? Didn't they think
That this idea would surely stink?
Due respect to Imagine's beautiful minds
But I really think they're going to find
A few will go, but most will pass
Return of the King will kick its ass!!!

 

[Scott Weinberg]

Craig,

That's great! I did the exact same thing for my Grinch review, so I know how hard "simple rhyming" can be.
Very clever.

 

[Paul_D]

Wow, that was funny as hell. Some great stuff in there. I'm saving this thread to my hard-drive!
I loved The Grinch, but I can understand why others loathed it. If anything, the fact that they stuck with the original artwork designs for the teaser poster above may well reflect the filmmakers intention to stick closely to the original material. Although, as Craig, has already pointed out, there ain't much to go on.

 

[Seth Paxton]

It's funny because during the HTF meet a couple of years ago my fiance and I were in the day before and went to Universal studios. We got there early and lucked into free passes to the premiere stands and the film itself (after the stars premiere). So we got to sit across from E!, etc and watch the star parade in.

Tim Allen came through and the guy announcing the arrivals got him on stage with Dr. Seuss's widow and started putting him on the spot about this film. Of course at the time it was looking like Allen would get it, though he avoided making a true commitment.

Here we are a few years later and it's marching along but with a new star. That whole Dieter thing also does make it seem awkward. When great filmmakers, etc walk out on projects that worries me (Baker in this case). Just think of Kasdan's attitude regarding Phantom Menace and his non-involvement, and those results.

But you never know.

Let's just see how well Mike does with AP3. If he can still carry that then I wouldn't worry too much about Cat in the Hat, though I thought Carrey was funny in Grinch too. So people that didn't like live-Grinch probably shouldn't expect anything other than another comedy-star vehicle out of CitH, even if Myers is funny in it.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

This gets my vote for funniest thread topic of the month. I keep busting out laughing at it. I think it's the incongruous combination of Dr. Suess meter and the word "groovy," which I don't remember from my old I-Can-Read-It-Myself books....

 

[Craig S]

This gets my vote for funniest thread topic of the month.

I agree. Also, go look up Scott's rhyming Grinch review - it's great!!

 

[Scott Weinberg]

Hey, thanks Craig! I was so flattered by your praise that I decided to post it here. Hopefully other people will get a kick out of it. (Keep in mind that I wrote this years ago, and I'm not tweaking it at all...although I'd really like to.)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas :star::star::star:1/2 (out of 5)
It’s the month before Christmas when the big movies open
To snag all our money, the producers are hopin’
Ron Howard’s new comedy features the Grinch
With Jim Carrey on hand, it’s a blockbuster cinch.
The movie is fun although a little bit slight
Still, a perfect choice for Family Movie Night.
The effects are amazing and the costumes to boot
The makeup is stellar and the dog is real cute.
Inspired by Seuss and his classic cartoon,
Ron Howard’s ample budget began to balloon.
He made the right choice by casting Jim Carrey,
Although other cast choices do certainly vary.
As Cindy Lou Who, Taylor Momsen is sweet,
And Jeffrey (“Hey Now”) Tambor is always so neat.
As Cindy Lou’s Dad, Bill Irwin is wimpy,
And Christine Baranski’s wardrobe is too skimpy.
But why moan and complain about the supporting roles,
When the movie itself has its own set of holes.
The pacing is spotty and the screenplay erratic.
But when Carrey shows up, things truly get manic.
He enlivens the show, acting loony and crazy,
And improves any movie with a screenplay that’s lazy.
When the plot gets too draggy, and the script starts to slow,
Carrey’s on hand to simply steal the whole show.
His performance is stellar, fantastic, inspired
But the production designer is who should have been fired.
It’s based on a cartoon, so some license is given,
But this movie looks garish, yet can still be forgiven.
The plot line is everything you know from before,
With a whole bunch of new Whos introduced by the score.
We learn about why The Grinch is so stingy,
So smelly and nasty and all-around Grinchy.
As a whole, Howard’s vision is a whole lot of fun,
For parents and children or just anyone.
Yet again, we are treated to Carrey’s wild schtick,
But the movie’s not sappy and it won’t make you sick.
The flaws may be evident up there on the screen,
But I can’t see you hating it, unless you’re real mean.
Since Christmas-time movies are often so crass,
It’s nice to see one that doesn’t fall on its ass.
Once in a while, a true ‘high-concept’ movie
Turns out to be funny and all-around groovy.
Casting Jim as the Grinch was a brilliant conceit,
One that will surely expand the box office receipts.

 

[Herm C]

Scott, great topic and great reveiw.

 

[Scott Weinberg]

Gulp!

I think my review destroyed this thread! Come back, everyone! I won't do it again!

 

[Scott Weinberg]

OK, I'm reawakening this thread (and I promise not to post any more reviews) to announce some mildly interesting news:
The kids will be played by Spencer Breslin (The Kid) and Dakota Fanning (I am Sam).
The director is Bo Welch, who thus far has directed only The Tick and Secret Agent Man, both TV series. Welch does have a lot of experience as a production designer, for movies like The Birdcage, Wild Wild West, both Men in Black flicks, A Little Princess, Wolf, Batman Returns, Edward Scissorhands, Ghostbusters 2, The Lost Boys, The Accidental Tourist, and Beetlejuice, among others.
I'm still not convinced this movie is at all a good idea, but that won't prevent me from being fascinated by it.

 

[Richard WWW]

I think this movie looks stupid. But then, I think most movies look stupid. But I still go to see one a week. What the hell is wrong with me?

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I don't know... The Tick was a pretty awesome show. The production values were incredible. This might have a chance of being funny, unlike that bloated mess that was the Grinch. (I really hate that movie) But then, we're talking lesser subject matter. The Grinch was heartfelt... the movie was not and that's why I hated it. It wasted a perfect cast. Let's see what they'll do with the Cat and the Hat. I'm hopeful.

 

[Brenton]

I can see it now... the first teaser trailer for this film.

We open to a house on a rainy day, the camera finds its way through the house as we hear a mysterious-voiced narrator give us cryptic clues as to what film this may be when suddenly, we see him... it... the Cat.

He looks at the camera and grins, then says "Do I make you horny, baby?"

Cut to the title. Offscreen, the Cat says "Do I make you RANDY?"


I can't imagine this film without feeling that it will come across as extremely disturbing and frightening even for me, let alone the target audience. Just the thought of Mike Myers (or anyone!) in Cat in the Hat makeup conjures up this SCARY image in my mind.

*crosses fingers and hopes for a CG Cat*

 

[Patrick McCart]

The Cat (In The Hat) would be best if the character was a puppet or a digital character.

Same thing went with The Grinch...

Plus, how the hell do you stretch a Dr. Seuss book to a full-length movie?

 

[Colin-H]

I want that poster.