Welcome Back to the Jungle

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

To further ensure that the 90s are indeed upon us, Sony has decided to take the liberty of remaking “Jumanji”.  There was word of a “Jumanji” reboot in 2012 and Sony had contacted Robin Williams’ to return.  “Jumanji” was the movie that featured one of Robin Williams’ iconic roles and told the story about a jungle that sprang forth from a board game played by a completed therapy patient, two children, and a man who was trapped inside the game itself.  The movie was based on the book, “Jumanji” written in 1981 by Chris Van Allsburg. Because of this movie’s success, a game was produced in 1995 and could be found in almost every home.

I had found Jumanji at a yard sale as a child and purchased it in an attempt to get over my fear of the movie. Needless to say, the movie terrified me especially with the notion of venomous spiders, carnivorous plants, and other murderous beings emerging from the board game. Throughout my entire childhood, I never touched this game and gave it away to one of my friends just to get it out of my house. Only recently did I play the game and I forgot why I had been so scared of the game years ago because I was having too much fun.

The modernized “Jumanji” movie will be released on December 25^th, 2016. My only hope for this remake is that they will properly execute the movie. Sony has powerful CGI effects to create far more terrifying spiders, more man eating plants, more ruthless vines that swallow cars, and more dynamic stampedes. They have the power to craft wondrous, horrifying aspects of “Jumanji”; instead of letting their abilities to go to waste, they should embrace them, and use them to their full extent.

There should also be a tribute to Robin Williams for this movie because he was the main star of the film. He practically made the movie and the role became another identity that everyone knew him as. To see no tribute in his honor would be a crime.

They should also bring back the board game. The last time I ever saw the game was on Amazon before playing it with my friends. Since the 90s I have never seen it in shelves or in stores anywhere.  I also hope for a good cast and while this reboot won’t be the same as original, I hope Sony manages to replicate the wonder and fear “Jumanji” initially produced.

Thank you for reading today’s entry. If you liked it, feel free to comment, subscribe, critique, and share.

So tell me, what are your thoughts on the future modernized “Jumanji”?

Goosebumps: The Movie

Good evening  everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

I apologize for the rather late entry, something unexpected arose yesterday and by the time I was finished with it, it was too late and I didn't write anything for the blog. Anyway, without further ado, here is the belated entry.

Remember how Hollywood is remaking all of your favorite childhood classics or turning things you loved so dearly into movies? “Ghostbusters”, ”Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark”, and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” are just to name a few, but now we can add “Goosebumps” to the list.

“Goosebumps” was a seemingly endless book series written by R.L.Stine. Having read “Goosebumps” from time to time, the book was written in the horror genre to promote fears of the unusual and otherworldly type. My favorite books of the series in particular were ‘Choose Your Death’ stories where you followed a main plot that offered you different options. For example, the book I read sent the reader into the Medieval Era and every so often a page would instruct you to turn to various pages to receive different outcomes. I think I wore those books out because you would never obtain the same outcome.

Eventually the book series turned into a television series. It was a pretty decent series, but it didn’t last for long and afterward, only popped up in October on select stations. We now have a movie debuting this October that seems to go off on its own, avoiding the eerie mood that the books had initially sparked.

From what we can tell about this new “Goosebumps” trailer, a new boy moves into town and him and his friend help their neighbor who is in trouble. When they go to help her, they discover that someone has a raging obsession for “Goosebumps” because there’s a ton of manuscripts in the basement pertaining to iconic monsters from the book series. One of the kids accidentally opens a manuscript and a monster pops out. Many more creatures emerge from the manuscripts once they are opened and soon, the entire town is surrounded by these nefarious beings. The characters set out to capture the monsters and return them to their manuscripts.

To be frank, this isn’t the “Goosebumps” I grew up with and rather, it appears to be more of a comedy/supernatural movie as opposed to the horror based genre it was initially set in. Yes, it did have its supernatural themes at times, but it was more so a collection of horror stories intended to instill some fear into its readers.  The idea of monsters emerging from a book is something bizarre and magical, but despite using all of the “Goosebumps” creatures, it really doesn’t feel or look like a “Goosebumps” movie to me.

It honestly makes me wonder why exactly Hollywood is remaking our childhood past times and why they aren’t doing the best that they can with them. It’s Hollywood, it’s cranked out incredible movies such as “Gone With the Wind”, “The Blues Brothers”, and so many others. Why is it when it comes to things we mostly love and adore, Hollywood just seems to be treating them terribly?

Thanks for reading tonight’s entry. If you liked it, feel free to share, comment, critique, and subscribe.

So tell me, what do you think of the “Goosebumps” trailer?

Powerpuff Girls and Ms. Frizzle Make a Comeback

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

The 90s are returning, making many adults who grew up in that era rejoice. As an adult from the 90s myself, seeing all these shows from my past being revamped makes me feel like a content old timer. It’s a nostalgic road trip for me, seeing all the shows I grew up with now returning with new animation styles, different voice actors, and new stories.

“The Magic School Bus” is finally getting a reboot. Initially reported in 2014 by various sources, “The Magic School Bus” is going to be revamped as “The Magic School Bus 360.” It will be airing on Netflix in 2016, with the show produced in computer generated animation.  Everything about the show will be modernized form the unforgettable Ms. Frizzle to the Magic School Bus itself complete with robot aids.

Another blast from the past show that’s making a comeback is “The Powerpuff Girls”.  Airing on Cartoon Network in 2016, we will be reunited with the iconic girls made of sugar, spice, everything nice, and Chemical X.  The animation will be in the same original style and will feature a new voice cast; Amanda Leighton will voice Blossom, Kristen Li will play Bubbles, and Natalie Palamides will voice Buttercup. While the new cast broke the original casts’ hearts, they wished the girls well in the future endeavor.

Thank you for reading today’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to comment, share, and critique.

So tell me, what series are you excited to see make a comeback?