I read something funny and something sad about “The Terminator” franchise this week.
First, Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t the first pick for title role. It was Lance Hendrickson. Who is easily confused with Rutger Hauer and Wings Houser. O.J. Simpson was briefly considered, but the film-makers couldn’t see him as a brutal killer. Wait for it ...
Second, Fox canceled “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” No one ever accused Fox of making good decisions.
Nonetheless, more than two decades after the unlikely juggernaut of a franchise launched, it’s back on the big screen, with Christian Bale as the messianic John Connor.
So far, the Bale has made a bigger splash abusing his family and co-workers. And he was in that Heath Ledger movie.
I’m not terribly excited about “Terminator: Salvation.” John Connor is all grown up, which flies in the face of everything on which the franchise has focused. The child, the savior. Fate. Destiny. The fight for future. Now, we get the future, and it’s filled with even bigger robots and bigger explosions than we’d imagined.
The real story was on the small screen, but that’s lost. What we’re left with will probably score huge returns, but will ultimately signal the final thumbs up of “The Terminator.”
‘Night at the Museum’
Some actors are all set playing themselves, Denzel Washington and Will Smith come to mind. Others, not so much.
Ben Stiller returns as himself-as-museum-guard in “Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian.” This movie is a money grab, and it’ll grab and grab and grab. Sickening, but true. Hijinks undoubtedly will ensue.
‘Dance Flick’
I’m a sucker for spoof movies. Sue me. And no one does them better — or worse, maybe — than the Wayans. They’re rolling out a new one to direct, “Dance Flick”! Dante Daman Wayans. Amazing. Still, I wouldn’t spend a dime to see this in the theater. But once it’s on basic cable, my DVR is set.
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