Widescreen: Excellent! 'Bill & Ted' are coming back
News broke two weeks ago that long-dormant Swedish pop titans ABBA would be releasing two new songs at year's end. On Facebook, I likened this to Wyld Stallyns saving the world with their most excellent guitar riffs.
If you understand that reference, you'll be excited to hear that "Bill & Ted Face the Music" is officially in the works.
The Hollywood Reporter said Tuesday that Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves will return as the clueless metalheads made famous in 1989's "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure," in which our teenage heroes travel through time to recruit historical figures such as Socrates, Sigmund Freud and Abraham Lincoln to help them ... ace a history exam ... that will pave the way to rock stardom ... which will eventually save the world? It makes no sense, but it sure is funny, especially when the San Dimas, California, morons find themselves in Medieval England and learn that "Iron Maiden" meant something totally different in the 15th century.
The new film retains the original writing team of Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon and will be directed by Dean Parisot, whose 1999 "Star Trek" spoof "Galaxy Quest" has joined Bill and Ted in cult-classic territory.
Bill S. Preston, Esq., and Ted "Theodore" Logan haven't been on the big screen since 1991's colorful journey to hell and back, "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey," so our heroes have definitely aged - but have they grown up? Let's hope the middle-aged Bill and Ted realize they shouldn't use a certain homophobic slur that rears its ugly head in both previous films.
And hey, isn't this a Wyld coincidence (and not promotional synergy in any way): A new steelbook 30th anniversary edition Blu-ray of "Excellent Adventure" drops Tuesday, May 15, courtesy of Shout Factory. We'll overlook the fact that the anniversary is still nine months away.
Ready for its close-up
Unless you were born before 1950, you've probably never seen Billy Wilder's "Sunset Boulevard" - twice named one of the 100 greatest films of all time by the American Film Institute - on the big screen. You can change that this weekend.
TCM Big Screen Classics and Fathom Events will present one of the quintessential movies about movies at theaters across the suburbs, with two shows Sunday, May 13, and two shows Wednesday, May 16. Go to fathomevents.com for the full list of theaters and to buy tickets, which will run you about $13.
Perhaps the most famous example of a dead-narrator movie, "Sunset Boulevard" opens on the drowned body of Joe Gillis (William Holden), a Hollywood screenwriter who, from beyond the grave, tells us how he fell under the spell of washed-up silent film star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson). It's twisted, darkly funny and full of classic lines and classic cameos - golden-age comedy legend Buster Keaton even shows up.
Of course, the film is readily available on physical and digital platforms, should you not require the full big-screen experience.
Need a fourth copy of 'Die Hard'?
"Gladiator," "Braveheart," "Die Hard." Three movies you can watch on cable seemingly every day. Three movies you may very well know by heart. ("Are you not entertained?" "Freedom!" "Yippie-ki-yay, blankety-blank!") So why in the name of Nakatomi Plaza would you need to buy new copies of them?
Tuesday, May 15, brings a big reason if you're a hard-core videophile.
These classic films get the 4K Blu-ray treatment in new combo packs coming to stores next week. The extra features are all ported over from previous releases, but that's not the main attraction - it's the opportunity to see these films in the best commercially available, high-definition presentation, provided your TV and Blu-ray player are 4K-compatible.
Each release comes with a 4K Blu-ray, a standard Blu-ray and a digital copy of the film. Expect to pay around $25 apiece. The best bang for your buck is "Gladiator," which boasts two versions of the film and a massive array of documentary features, a package second only to the comprehensive extended editions of the "Lord of the Rings" films.
• Sean Stangland is a multiplatform editor at the Daily Herald. Follow him on Twitter at @SeanStanglandDH.