One of my readers posted a question in her journal:

Someone needs to explain just what in tarnation is up with this:

Police Academy 2006?!?

As a bit of a self-made authority on pop-culture… Or at least someone who spends far too much time learning the meta of pop culture, I opted to answer her question…

The magick numbers you have to look at are often 15, 20, 25, 30… These are known as pop retro triggers. This is they type of thing that creates 80s retro music kicking in around 95 and hitting it’s widespread peak in 2000. This is why there was a Brady Bunch Movie.

Despite the absolute lack of quality of these films, there was a simple equation that they brought in cash. A scary amount of cash. It’s why some of them went back for 3-4 of them. I have one friend that commented about Ben Kingsly in “Sound of Thunder”: “Well, Guess Ben needed to refinish a wing of his house.”

I know we all want to look to actors as having integrity and the film and tv industry as having pearls of substance. But at the end of the day to many actors, it’s a job. A rare one at that. So, if it’s a paycheck… Some of them will take it.

Now, personally, I feel badly that Guttenberg felt the need to go back. He’s got a good thing running now on Veronica Mars and is doing a fairly good job to reinvent himself. Granted, respected actor Leslie Neilsen went the opposite way to reinvent himself and dove into these bumbling comedies in the later portion of his.

So, it was bound to happen. Hopefully this important life lesson will prepare all of us for the inevitable 2015 release of American Pie: High School Reunion. Which will be even more work for Allyson after the string of 2010 shows like: E! True Hollywood story of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy Battle of the Slayers (reality Gameshow), and A very Buffy Slaying.

Now… Does this formula always work? Why does it work? Well…. the first question is easily answered. No. But to explain I need to go into the second half. The system. The reason people like the equation is because it gives the target audience something that feels like it’s “For them” Find your common age when people were into tv, music, film… then, find the target age where they are nostalgic or better.. pining for what they remember. It’s hitting many of my peers hard on the TV and film level because reality shows just aren’t cutting it. In my age group I remember “The Hulk” really well. (1978->2003 == 25 yrs). The movie companies know this. So, they look at target release dates, then they go back thru the catalogue and say…. Ooh! How about this?

So here’s your homework/a game to try. We all know about what’s coming in 2006 by now. But what about 2007? We may not know… but the studios do. go to IMDB and select 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 off of 2007. The TV to film sweet spot is often 25, so 1980. For example. My #1 pick for major film of 2008 is: “The Greatest American Hero” Find one, cast it if you want. I’d be curious what people come up with.

Current things in some state of production now:
Howard Stern and Savage Steve Holland (Better of Dead) working on Porky’s
Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi working on a recast, new The Evil Dead
Steve Martin’s hopefully not disastrous: The Pink Panther
Clocking in at 28, 26, and 23 years from the original: Superman Returns
This one I just discovered and I’m terrified:
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947 -> ~60 yrs)
Death Race 3000 (DR 2000 was 1975 -> 30yrs)
The Shaggy Dog (The story is however the Shaggy D.A. which was 1976 -> 30 yrs)
Other such horrors that may come around in the 30-35 range:
Logan’s Run (1976 -> 30 yrs)
The Munsters (1964-66 -> 40 yrs)

And of course Looking back on 2005:
Guess Who (1967 -> 37 yrs)
Amityville Horror (1979 -> ~25 yrs)
House of Wax (1953 -> 52 yrs)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1971 -> ~35 yrs)
Bad News Bears (1976 -> ~30 yrs)
The Fog (1980 -> 25 yrs)
King Kong (Orig 1933, Recent 1976 -> 30 yrs)
The Producers (Film 1968, Show 2003 -> 25 yrs)
Fun with Dick And Jane (1977 -> ~30 yrs)

edit
Two other notable for 2006 I must point out:
Science Fiction Robot Western Westworld (1973 -> ~35 yrs)
And the mightiest possiblity of Film Abortion of the Decade: The Wicker Man (1973 -> 33 yrs)

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