Bill & Ted journey to a third movie / A cult-classic: 'Freaked' brings out the bizarre

Back in 1989, a dynamic duo was introduced to the movie-goer that would forever change the way we say "Whoa." I'm not talking about Joey Lawrence here. I'm talking about the WYLD STALLYNS!! (Air guitar motion here)

Ted Theodore Logan (Keanu Reeves) and Bill S. Preston, Esquire (Alex Winter) brought us one excellent adventure throughout time and one bogus journey through the afterlife. And now it has been announced (actually about a month ago, it seems) that Reeves and Winter have agreed to participate in a third installment ... like, totally.

Reeves confirmed it at the Toronto Film Festival, and Winter had an interview with MTV's Adam Rosenberg (via Twitter) to explain more about it.

Here's a snippit: "We kicked around the idea over the years and had always thought if we could make something that was as kind of genuine in spirit as the originals and without falling prey to kind of retro cynicism or something that was unnecessary, it would be worth doing," Winter said.

"The essence of what we've always wanted to do is to make a 'Bill & Ted' movie. We don't want to make a cynical 'here's Bill and Ted - you guys are our kids, now you guys go be Bill and Ted and the franchise can live for another 25 years!' It's not that. It's a straight up, what's the funniest and most surprising take on where Bill and Ted would be right now if we stopped back in on them? That's what we're doing."

It's been over 20 years, so where would Bill & Ted be today? Married to Princesses Joanna and Elizabeth with kids? Rock stars traveling the world? Science professors teaching the aspects of time travel? Only time will tell.

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And with all this talk about Winter and Reeves I shall now fittingly give my choice Halloween movie - 'Freaked,' starring none other than Winter and Reeves.

Released in 1993, 'Freaked' is a pretty unknown movie. After a major budget cut, the film lost out on advertising, forcing 20th Century Fox to pull it from a nationwide release. It ended up only being released in two theaters at the time. Two theaters!

Critics came to the rescue with mostly positive reviews, and after being released on VHS, it soon garnered a cult-like following.

Winter plays Ricky Coogin - a once-beloved, now-pompous, child-actor who is hard-up for work. Ricky agrees to be the spokesperson for a toxic fertilizer chemical called Zygrot 24 in South America after being offered $5 million for the job.

Ricky heads off to South America with his best pal Ernie (Michael Stoyanov) and comes across a group of protesters, including a young woman named Julie (Megan Ward). After tricking her into thinking they, too, are against Zygrot 24, the three of them head to a protest, but not before taking a detour to Freek Land.

Trouble begins here as Elijah C. Skuggs (Randy Quaid) captures the three of them to be in his freak show. He mutates them into creatures by rubbing Zygrot 24 on their bodies - Ricky becomes an overly-disgusting half-man, half-monster, and Ernie and Julie are merged to share one body.

Ricky, Ernie and Julie soon join the other freaks, most notable the Bearded Lady (Mr. T), Sockhead Bobcat Goldthwait), Worm (Derek McGrath) and Ortiz the Dog Boy (Reeves).

With a cast like that, what's not to like. It's so bad, it's good.

Other notable actors include Brook Shields as talk-show host Skye Daley, whom Ricky tells his story to, and William Sadler, who plays the chairman of the mega-corp that persuades Ricky to take the spokesperson job (Sadler was the Grim Reaper in 'Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey,' among other notable performances).

Towards the later half of the movie, really weird events ensue as expected, and eventually the freaks make Skuggs into a mutant (revealing that he resembles a certain-someone would spoil the ending). The freaks find an antidote mixed into a batch of macaroons that Skuggs made, and all go back to normal to live happily ever after - except for Worm - he doesn't like coconut.

With a well-written script, decent actors and superb makeup jobs, 'Freaked' makes for a great Halloween flick if you're looking for something bizarre and different... and if you love humor along the lines of "Airplane!" and the "Naked Gun" movies. Winter's over-exaggerated facial expressions hit the comedy factor too.

It may not be scary or suspenseful, but it sure is freaky and weird. Plus, you get to see Randy Quaid back when he wasn't in jail! Oh the days.

* 'Freaked' can currently be found streaming on Netflix. *

'Back to the Future'

Celebrating 25 years since Marty McFly and Doc Brown embarked on an adventure through time that's lasted generations.

I could easily geek out in my column this week.

It's no secret for those who have come to know me that I am a HUGE "Back to the Future" fan.

Not in the sense that I want to learn more about how time travel works without the use of a Flux Capacitor.

But simply in the sense that I think "Back to the Future" is the GREATEST MOVIE EVER MADE.

That's it. Not "The Godfather" or "Casablanca." Not "Gone with the Wind" or "Avatar."

"Back to the Future" is where it's at. And I know I'm not alone.

I may know more catch phrases or plot point than most, but "Back to the Future" is such a universal movie that everyone in the family can enjoy it.

And I don't think I've ever met someone who said they didn't like it.

Which is why, still 25 years later, "Back to the Future" is just as popular as ever.

And this is the reason as to why I can actually write this column with a purpose, rather than simply gushing about how awesome it is.

Next week marks the 25th anniversary of when Marty McFly traveled back in time with Doc Brown - October 25, 1985 - and there are a couple of going-ons to celebrate this wondrous date in time.

* On Tuesday, a special 25th Anniversary Trilogy DVD/Blu Ray hits stores, which includes new commentary, deleted scenes, a six-part documentary featuring cast interviews, a special on "Designing the DeLorean," and even never-before-seen footage of Eric Stoltz ("Mask," "Some Kind of Wonderful"), who was originally cast in Michael J. Fox's role as Marty McFly, performing some screen tests.

** On Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and on Monday at 7 p.m., AMC theaters across the United States will be re-releasing "Back to the Future" on the big screen, in a digitally remastered form. If you buy a ticket, you'll get a special commemorative poster, and special giveaways related to the movie will also be given away before the show. Shows closest to us are in Methuen, Boston and Danvers, Mass.

So what is it about "Back to the Future" that 25 years later, audiences and generations to come can still enjoy it?

Perhaps it's because the movie itself spans generations - throughout the trilogy we go from 1885 to 1955 to 1985 to 2015.

Or maybe it's the absurdness of how the future, and the past for that matter, is portrayed. 2015 is five years away, and I don't see us flying cars or hydrating pizzas any time soon. I'm still waiting on that hoverboard, too.

Or it could simply be the great chemistry among the characters in the movies. Besides buddies Doc and Marty, Tom Wilson's Biff and Crispin Glover's George McFly are each iconic characters.

And the acting put into these characters seems effortless - Fox is one of those actors that is so likable on screen that it's hard not to want to watch him, and we get to see through Marty how charming he is.

Christopher Lloyd plays eccentric to the T. Originally, John Lithgow was up for Doc Brown's part, but passed. I'm sure Lithgow would have been great, but perhaps a little too eccentric. Lloyd combines the perfect blend of heartwarming and crazy for the character.

Glover, a personal favorite actor of mine, created George to be his own. He was only 21 when he played the part, and he brought forth a character with such odd mannerisms (his laugh is my favorite) and ticks that you can't help rooting for George.

As for Wilson, he is such an underrated actor. Playing Biff, Griff and Buford "Mad Dog" Tannan throughout the trilogy, Wilson brought forth a personality you love to hate. His characters are such dufuses, and his expressions fit right along with the physical comedy aspect of them.

And we can't forget Lea Thompson, who played Loraine. Her character is just an overall sweetheart. Thompson as Loraine showcases a very innocent power, such as when she tries to seduce Marty at numerous times throughout the movie, not knowing he's her son. It's the perfect amount of awkwardness, and Fox's nervous, squimishness is pure comedy in itself.

Ahh, I could go on and on about what makes "Back to the Future" such an endless classic. But really, it's just an overall, feel-good movie that everyone should experience. It's got sci-fi, comedy, intense action, and drama all rolled into one.

So if you haven't seen it already - or you were too young to see it in theaters the first time around - well, your time has come and the Future is now. Be sure to take the whole family along for the ride - it's one you won't want to miss.

A little work, and 'Pretend Time' should do just fine

Some comedians have what it takes to jump from stand-up to television - see Daniel Tosh and Dave Chappell - others, no matter how large the following, cannot - see Jeff Dunham. The latest comedian to try his hand with his own Comedy Central sketch comedy show is Nick Swardson with "Nick Swardson's Pretend Time," which premiered last night.

I'm happy to say it's about time that Swardson got his own show.

For those of you not following comedic circles these days, you may know Swardson from his many roles in Adam Sandler-produced films such as "Benchwarmers," "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry," "You Don't Mess With the Zohan," or - my personal favorite - as footsy-pajama-wearing video game man-boy Jeff in "Grandma's Boy." He's also had a hand in scripting some of these movies as well, along with "Malibu's Most Wanted" with Jaime Kennedy, back in 2003. (Not the best movie, but it tripled in gross, so successful to some).

Others may know him as Terry, the gay roller skating prostitute from "Reno 911!"

Or you may have flipped through the channels and come across his stand-up on Comedy Central. Back in 2000, Swardson was the youngest person, at 22, to tape a Comedy Central half-hour special, and he's had a few more since then, along with two stand-up cds: "Party," and his most recent 2009 release, "Seriously, Who Farted?"

So Swardson has been around. You just might not have been able to put the face to the name.

Unfortunately for Swardson, at this point "Pretend Time" is hit-or-miss.

Sketches in the premier episode included Garry Gaga - Lady Gaga's brother, a cop who also likes to wear unique, over-the-top hats; a paralyzed cat who ran out of inheritance money and likes to party a bit too much; a newer version of the Prius, the Peeus - a car that runs on urine; a dad who takes advantage of his terminally ill kid with a bucket list for himself; and the ever-popular Gay Robot, featuring a cameo by Ryan Phillipe.

Gay Robot was originally a comedy bit on one of Sandler's (who else!) albums. A pilot based on the character was filmed in 2006 with Swardson voicing the robot, but it never got picked up. Four years later it's now featured on the show - with Gay Robot acting as a bouncer at a club and falling for Phillipe's blue eyes (A Caribbean sea with a full moon shining down) and brown hair (An autumn morning at Denzel Washington's house.)

The sketches are good, but not great; it's a bit racy and pushes the envelope, but what doesn't these days, especially on Comedy Central.

I think if the show produced more content than the 30 minutes it allots (20 with commercials) Swardson would be able to delve more in to the characters and produce some better sketches. Right now it's half and half - but it's only been one episode, so we'll see where it leads too. I'm hopeful.

'The Social Network' should have no problem getting fans

It's 2003. Social networking has just begun to evolve. There's Friendster and MySpace, but not everyone cares enough to sign up for such sites. It's just a fad. But jump down to Harvard University, where a student would soon be creating a site that would change all that. He would create such a site that, if you didn't belong, you were considered on the outs. His site would create a desire - a desire to have 'friends.' And from that desire, Facebook would be created. Fast-forward seven years and 5 billion 'friends' later and at age 26, that student is now the youngest billionaire in the world.

"The Social Network," released Friday, tells the story of how Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) created Facebook and interweaves that story with two court cases involving those he pushed aside to get to the top: His ex-best friend and ex-CFO of Facebook, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) and the Winklevoss twins, a set of crew-champion, comes-from-family-money, intimidating-Harvard students (Armie Hammer and Armie Hammer's face on Josh Pence's body - more on that later) who claim they had the idea first and Zuckerberg stole it. Throw in Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake), co-founder of Napster, and his stake in the Facebook story and you have quite a gripping movie.

Written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by David Fincher, "The Social Network" will have your brain working a mile a minute within the first 15 minutes.

In the opening scene, we have Zuckerberg having a drink with his then girlfriend (Rooney Mara) at the infamous Thirsty Scholar Pub in Somersville, Mass. His mind is set on discussing the elite finals clubs at Harvard, while her's hasn't even gotten past the 'How was your day?' part of the conversation. Zuckerberg's mind just keeps going and going, and it's fascinating to try and follow how his brain movies in that way. This quick-wit gab of Zuckerberg could easily deter one from wanting to watch his manic personality throughout the rest of the movie, but Sorkin knew what he was doing. It's worth it to sit though it.

Fincher knows how to tell a story, too. As the director of "Fight Club" and "Zodiac" he presents a good storyline and lets the viewer make up their own mind about what really happened. And that's the genius of "The Social Network." It makes you think. It's like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Book; Fincher and Sorkin simply provide you with the facts to draw your own conclusions about how things went down.

"The Social Network's" story may appear one-sided, ganging up on Zuckerberg, making him look like a total, well, fill in your favorite noun or adjective here. But depending on the viewer, Zuckerberg might come off as a sympathetic character. As the film's slogan states, 'You don't get to 500 friends without making a few enemies' - so business is business, right? No matter who may have gotten in the way or fallen short of rising to the top along with Zuckerberg. You gotta work fast in the Internet age and that is all Zuckerberg set out to do.

And the actors put up a very compelling case study on who to believe.

Eisenberg, best known for small-screen hits "Zombieland" and "Adventureland," completely gets into the mindset of Zuckerberg - his mannerisms, quick wit, the dark, sinister look in his eyes when he's knows you may be right about him; and the way he's always going, ready to pounce on any idea - Zuckerberg is ruthless in a way and that's nothing we've seen Eisenberg capable of portraying before. From experience, Eisenberg has always managed to play the cute-but-no-one-will-notice-me, insecure nice-guy. With "The Social Network" he transforms that image and brings his A-game.

For much of the movie Saverin goes un-noticed as a character and is simple there as a financial backer for Zuckerberg, and Garfield is just a pretty face for us to look at on the screen. It's not until the final confrontation between Saverin and Zuckerberg that we finally see Garfield's true acting chops. It's a great in-the-moment pivotal performance.

Garfield is set to be the next Spider-Man in the newest re-launch of the franchise, so let's hope he can bring that type of energy to that character.

Justin Timberlake continues to surprise me. The cute, souther N-Sync-er, turned solo-star, turned actor, clothing designer and SNL star can really hold his own. The small roles he's taken on before this film - in "Alpha Dog" and "Black Snake Moan" - have been fairly good. But no one really paid attention to those movies (even though they should - they're both great). And you can't judge an actor simply on his voice work in "Shrek" movies either. Timberlake needed a bigger story to really showcase his skills.

He got it as Sean Parker - the cool party guy who takes Zuckerberg under his wing - leading him into the bigger life of LA and steering him toward the choices that Parker didn't make when working on Napster. Timberlake is perfect for the part - with an innocent face, but capable of being manipulative. From this part on, we no longer see Justin Timberlake the singer. We see Justin Timberlake the actor.

As for Armie Hammer, who plays the Winklevoss twins, who claim to have given the idea of Facebook to Zuckerberg, Hammer is sure to be the next big thing in Hollywood. Hammer, who's face and voice were digitally superimposed on to Pence's body, is commanding and intimidating on screen. As a character you think the twins' stature and bullying would make Zuckerberg back into a corner and cry, but Zuckerberg is too quick to be intimated by them. He knows what he's doing and it all goes over the Winklevoss' heads before they can do anything about it.

There's a lot to take in with "The Social Network" and your perception may change after watching the movie a few times. My head is still spinning after watching it. Not in an "Inception" kind of way, but in a "If I were in his shoes, what would I do?" kind of way.

Those of you still not keen to the idea of a Facebook movie, just think - it's been seven years since the creation of Facebook - that's not a long time. And it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Even if you don't use Facebook, "The Social Network" is a must-see movie that deserves your viewing, if not for the superb acting and storytelling, but simply for the fact that it showcases how, in the 21st-century, one student who was hungry enough took a simple idea and turned it into billions.

Who else can post that achievement on their wall?