Just a few weeks ago movie studio Warner Bros. announced that they were going to be releasing a Direct to DVD sequel to the two original Gremlins movies. Director Joe Dante let it be known that he wanted to have nothing to do with this sequel, since in his opinion the Gremlins-story was over and done with. Still, Gremlins fans became excited, and even though I don't have high hopes for the quality of this Gremlins 3, I am interested to see the characters from the brilliant Gremlins and the fun Gremlins 2 return. A sentiment shared by JP Cupertino, webmaster of the most popular Gremlins website on the net, Gremlins Online. I asked him all about his passion for those green menaces.
Gremlins
Q: What did you think when you first saw Gremlins? Was it a movie you had been looking forward to for a long time beforehand?
A: The first time I saw Gremlins was in 1986, it was a dark and stormy night. I was only 4, and the only memory I really have is seeing the gremlins hanging from Mr. Futterman's antenna, then the power went out at the house suddenly. So suffice to say seeing little green monsters on a rooftop, then the power going out, I was convinced they did it, and from what I am told, I was in tears.
Q: Did you see it in the cinema? Or on video at home?
A: I saw Gremlins for the first time on videocassette at my sister's (who was about 20 years older than me) house, which is where I was terrorized by them for the first time.
Q: How many times have you seen the movie since you first saw it?
A: Well, I just watched both films about 5 times in the last week while getting information for a new section of Gremlins Online, not to mention it has been a yearly Christmas ritual since at least the early 90s. So I will have to say that I have seen the movies a few short of Too Many Times.
Q: What's your favorite part of the movie?
A: I think my favorites were scenes that focused on the gremliny chaos, there is always something new to notice, a new gag happening where you weren't looking last time. The department store sequence was also something that stuck in my head, as it had the right balance of action, suspense and horror.
The sequels
Q: What did you think of the sequel. Were you disappointed by it, or did you like it as much as the first one?
A: I got to see the second one on opening night in the cinema with my father, and I loved every second of it, but I was slightly disappointed by the constant gags and more light-hearted tone to the film. The biggest issue I had with it was the re-designing of Gizmo and the gremlins.
Q: What do you think of the plans to make a third movie, that should go direct to DVD? I believe Joe Dante has expressed that he isn't very excited about it, do you agree with him?
A: Well, I am truly torn on this one. First off, Joe is a fantastic director, the cast and crew always have loved working with him, and the gremlins franchise would not be what it has been without him. The biggest reasons he has given for not being in favor of a third movie boil down to:
a) The gremlins were a product of the technology at the time, and now they would be CGI, and that just isn't going to do justice.
b) Gremlins 2 was designed to be the end, more or less. Everything they wanted to do was done with Gremlins 2: The New Batch.
c) Small Soldiers is Joe Dante's Gremlins 3. It even has Dick Miller and Jackie Joseph (Mr. & Mrs. Futterman in the Gremlins films)
d) Direct-To-DVD would not have the production values needed to really do Gremlins justice, and the corners that would be cut would almost certainly destroy the magic from the prior films.
As for my take on it as a fan, I would love to see a third Gremlins movie, but it really needs to be something that rejuvenates the franchise, something that will bring it back to the popularity that it had in 1984. Direct-To-DVD really won't get the sales it would need to push Gremlins to be a viable franchise nowadays. Right now, I will take what I can get, but I would rather see something that makes Gremlins big, than something that buries the series.
Q: If they would call you and ask you: what should we do in the third Gremlins movie, what would be your reply?
A: Put me in it, I'll gladly take a role as "Guy #3 in mall"! Hehe, really just give it the attention that it deserves. Keep the black humor that made Gremlins 1 such a great film, and don't be afraid to use puppets with CGI enhancements over pure CGI.
Q: Do you think that today's filmmakers could still be able to come up with a fun Gremlins movie? Personally, I think that some of the best family movies ever have been made in the 80's and that nowadays they seem to have lost that skill a little bit. Do you agree with that?
A: The 80s was a very very different era for film making, in many genres, not just horror. Filmmakers were trying out various new ideas with new technologies that were previously difficult or expensive to work with.
Favorites
Q: Who did you like more, Gizmo or the Gremlins? And who was your favorite Gremlin?
A: Gremlins over gizmo all the way. Gizmo is cute and all but doesn't have the personality gremlins do. As for favorite gremlin, I really like Stripe, he really had a lot of thought put into the design of his appearance, as well as his attitude.
Q: How far does your love for Gremlins go? Is it mostly that you watch the movies a lot, or do you also collect merchandise and things like that?
A: My wife says it goes a bit too far, though I beg to differ. I collect pretty much everything Gremlins, as well as spend a considerable amount of time researching tidbits of news and background info for the site, so I have to say my love for Gremlins goes pretty far into the deep and sticky nooks of my brain.
Q: Did you ever play the video games based on the Gremlins movies? I can remember that there was a pretty good adventure game from Adventure International, and a host of other games that were maybe a bit less accomplished. What did you think of those games?
A: I have played pretty much all the games that have been released, and as a matter of fact, own most of them still as well. Most of the games are pretty sub-standard, but Gremlins 2: The New Batch for NES was one of the better Nintendo games released during the system's life cycle. It was not very true to the source, but it was a ton of fun, and surprisingly original.
The old Gremlins:the adventure was a bunch of fun but really is a difficult game for those not used to text adventuring. I would have loved to see the PS2 game that never was released, and maybe someday I will.
Q: Why do you think it is that the main actors from the movie have never really achieved as much success anymore after their roles in the Gremlins movies?
A: Well this isn't as uncommon as many people think. Look at the Star Wars cast, aside from Harrison Ford, most of the cast are somewhat underground celebrities, mostly known for Star Wars or Star Wars related things. Same goes with Gremlins, Phoebe Cates had a great run in the 80s, but semi-retired to spend more time with her husband. Zach Galligan has had a pretty consistent stream of work, though it has mostly been non-mainstream projects. I think it is simply the time that Gremlins released in and the genre, there are few Horror or Family actors that become household names.
Q: Can you name some of the other movies that you like?
A: Absolutely, Ghostbusters is probably one of my next favorite series, I also enjoy the works of Stanley Kubrick, Cary Grant, Mel Brooks and quite a few others. I really have eclectic tastes when it comes to film, but I will watch most anything once.
The site
Q: Why did you decide to make the website? And when did you start with it?
A: I made Gremlins Online since there was a serious lack of Gremlins fan sites on the Internet. I started it back in mid 1997 as a section of a site I used to run called YOWZA! which had a variety of strange and humorous things that I came up with. The site didn't really pick up until around 1999, and at the time it was called The Gremlins Homepage. I saw that the Gremlins pages were generating the most traffic out of the different areas YOWZA! had, so I started focusing on them, and got a couple friends to help out. Eventually it consumed the entire site and then I switched providers a few times, trying to find a good home, and after a while I took the site down for about two months so I could give it a big revamp, then it came back as Gremlins Online, which is what you see today.
The best thing about running Gremlins Online is how it has opened many doors for me. I have gotten to meet quite a few fellow fans, and I have been able to keep in touch with some of the cast and crew of the Gremlins movies and games, something I never would have dreamed possible before I started Gremlins Online.
Q: Did you ever do Gremlins The Ride yourself? I did it several times (I live in Holland, and Warner Bros Movie World in Germany is only a two hour ride away) and enjoyed it a lot. It's a shame they took it away, do you have any idea why this was and what they did with all the material from the ride?
A: Sadly, no, I have not gotten to ride it, as I live in the US, and have never had the pleasure of going overseas. As for the props and everything that was in the ride, most likely it was all destroyed. I spoke with a few people at Warner Bros about the gremlins decorations at a local Warner Brothers Store, and I was informed that they destroy the decorations to prevent them from showing up in bars or in commercials, as if WB was promoting the product or location. The same thing most likely happened with most of the things from the ride. Now this doesn't meant things do not exist, often workers will take home parts and they end up in collections or on eBay, so don't give up hope!
You can find the excellent Gremlins resource Gremlins Online by clicking here.
My favorite character in the Gremlins Gimzo and I love the movie gremlins !
Posted by: Elizabeth L | June 15, 2007 at 09:24 PM
OH! I love Gremlins! Ever since I was little they kept me up late at night- waiting them to crawl from under the bed or something LOL It would be so funny to watch them again :)
Posted by: Watch Movies | November 15, 2009 at 04:39 PM
Many movies play in American movie theaters first. right??
Posted by: Jordans 1 | July 23, 2010 at 03:58 AM