"I Feel the Need for Speed"

Question: What company made the sunglasses that Maverick sported in Top Gun?

Back before Tom Cruise seemingly lost his mind and started jumping on Oprah's couch, he was a hot young actor with the "need for speed". I can't count how many times my college roommate and I watched the movie Top Gun just for the volleyball scene alone. Back before Tom went crazy, he was one hot guy that picked the right movies and made the women swoon.

Top Gun was just an overall great movie. Sure it was cheesy and far-fetched, but it was adventure, action, and a sappy love story all rolled into one. It was a movie that both men and women could agree to watch, and that's a hard thing to do. Men wanted to fly the jets and be Maverick or Goose so they could take down Iceman. Women couldn't get enough of the hot guy eye candy between Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, or for those girls who fall for the sweet and "nerdy" type there was Anthony Edwards. The guys cheered with the loop-de-loops and airplane action and the girls melted and imagined their guy would sing "You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling" to them. Everyone cried, or at least got a lump in the throat, when Goose died. It was a very compelling story with something for everyone.

That begs the question why there was never a Top Gun 2. It seems like all successful movies spawn at least one sequel. Obviously they tied up pretty much all the loose ends in the original, but that's never stopped a movie from having a sequel before. So I did a little bit of research and found out this little tidbit I thought I'd share with you from the IMDB page on Top Gun:

A script for "Top Gun 2" was completed shortly after the release of the film, but it broke down in pre-production because 1) the military's technology had become updated and they didn't want camera crew anywhere near their new aircraft and 2) Cruise did not want a sequel and finally agreed to star in one for a very high amount that was deemed "unaffordable." The script followed the further adventures of Maverick as an instructer at the Top Gun academy, the twist being a cocky female reminiscent of himself joining the team

That description sounds to me like the typical plot device for a sequel, so maybe it's a good idea they didn't end up filming and releasing the sequel. What do you think? What would make a good Top Gun 2 script and who would you want to star in it now? Leave me some comments!

Answer: Ray-Ban

Who You Gonna Call?

Question: What was the hungry green apparition in the movie Ghostbusters christened when he starred in his own spinoff cartoon series?

The 80s brought us a plethora of great comedic movies, and Ghostbusters had to be one of the tops. Not only did it spawn two movie sequels, it had its own successful Saturday morning cartoon that also had a spinoff. Even the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man became a pop culture icon. How could it be anything but great with the combination of Dan Akroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis. The dialog was simple and cheeky, just as a story about crazy ghosts and the heroes who save the city from them should be. What other movie could have pulled off the deadpan delivery of a line like, "He slimed me"?

They kept that same formula for the cartoon spinoff as well. Of course, the heroes were joined by a ghost turned to the good side that got them into more trouble and hilarious predicaments. No other movie that I can recall had as much success with spinoffs, cartoons, and subsequent merchandising. The theme songs from the movies ("Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr. and "On Our Own" by Bobby Brown) are also holding strong in pop culture history with their catchy hooks and fun melodies.

My husband mentioned the other day that they are making a Ghostbusters III. It is going to be a fully animated (ala Pixar films) adventure much like the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. I will definitely miss the original actors, but I'm looking forward to the ghosts in this movie. I just hope the improved graphics don't completely eliminate the cheese factor.

Answer: Slimer

"Bonzaiiiiiiii!"

Question: What spiritual 1984 Ralph Macchio movie featured the somnolent stylings of pan flutist Zamfir?

Wax on, wax off. Sand the floor. Paint the fence. Paint the house. The Karate Kid was one of my favorite movies growing up. I just happened to be flipping through channels this afternoon and caught it on the ABC Family channel. Even though I own the DVD, I haven't actually watched this movie in at least 5 years. I wasn't surprised, however, that I remembered almost all of the lines. What I didn't remember, was the horrible fashion from the movie. If Ralph Macchio's pants were pulled up any higher or were any shorter, he never would have been able to do all of that physical labor that taught him the karate moves. Elizabeth Shue's big hair was also quite funny and really took over entire scenes.

The walls of my room were covered with pictures of Ralph Macchio when I was about 6 years old. He and Ricky Schroeder were the dream guys in my young girl world. Watching The Karate Kid again today, I can see that Ralph Macchio actually became my "type" of guy as I grew older. I have always been attracted to impossibly skinny, somewhat tall, dark-haired, borderline nerdy guys (just like my husband--I love you, honey!). Seeing the scenes of Daniel-San in the ocean learning to balance made me laugh at exactly how skinny he really was.

The Karate Kid has some really great lessons to learn throughout the movie beyond how to properly wax a car. Patience, trust, and hard work triumph in the end over the bad guys. This is a story we can all appreciate and a philosophy everyone should live by. Thank you, Mr. Miyagi, for teaching us all a little something. After watching the movie, I feel like I can accomplish anything like catching a fly in chopsticks and I won't be "squish...like a grape."

Answer: The Karate Kid