By Ryan Riley, Contributor
I haven't been all that impressed with the movie offerings that have been at theaters since last Christmas. I didn't think there would be any movies that would be worth checking out until "Watchmen" on March 6. But I have to say, there are a couple of films coming out this weekend that look pretty good. "Coraline", a Tim Burton-directed animated film based on the graphic novel by Neil Gaiman, looks like an intriguing all-ages film, and "Push", featuring Chris Evans (the Human Torch from the Fantastic Four movies), appears to be a well-executed action movie in the vein of the classic "Scanners". As I was scanning through the other films being released this weekend I noticed that "Fanboys" is being released on a limited amount of movie screens.
"Fanboys" tells the story of a group of friends that are Star Wars fans in 1998, the year before Star Wars Episode I came out. A time when no one could have anticipated how much Jar Jar Binks would negatively affect the good will fans felt toward George Lucas. When they find out that their friend Linus has cancer, they decide to break into George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch and pilfer a print of the film so he can see it before he dies. The film stars Sam Huntington ("Superman Returns"), Dan Fogler ("Balls of Fury") and Kristen Bell ("Veronica Mars").
The reason that I am writing this article is that this film has been a long time coming. I remember this film being announced at the San Diego ComicCon back in 2007. I saw the trailer for it and was psyched to see it when it was to originally come out on Aug. 17, 2007. This release date was postponed because the film's director, Kyle Newman, received more funding to shoot additional scenes. It was delayed again to accommodate the schedules of the actors, with reshoots to be directed by Stephen Brill ("The Mighty Ducks") instead of Newman. It was announced later that the cancer storyline would be removed from the film, turning it into a lowbrow road trip film in the vein of "Sex Drive". When Star Wars fans went online to protest the proposed change, Brill responded with a profanity-filled tirade and called them all losers. If there's one thing I've learned in my 35 years on this planet, it's that you can't snarl and bite at the people you are trying to sell your wares to. No good can come of it. Afterward, Newman was brought back to re-edit the film to include the cancer plotline with the newly shot material. Despite the fact that the new cut of the film got rave reviews at the 2008 San Diego ComicCon screening, the release date kept getting pushed back. And now finally, the film has been released, albeit in a small amount of theaters.
I got the chance to see the film recently, and even though there were a couple of scenes that made me cringe more than laugh (the scene where the boys are forced to strip to a Menudo song by a group of Mexican bikers comes to mind), I thought it was pretty darn hilarious overall. Of course, the gags wouldn't have worked as well as they did without the ensemble cast that Newman gathered together. Besides the core cast, there are a ton of celebrity cameos throughout. Newman raided talent from Judd Apatow (Seth Rogen, Will Forte), Kevin Smith (Smith, Jason Mewes & Ethan Suplee), and the TV show "The Office" (Craig Robinson, David Denman) to round out his cast. As great as those guys were in their cameos, it was the inclusion of Star Wars vets Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Ray Park and Star Trek legend William Shatner that really put this Star Wars lovefest over the top.
Still not convinced you should check the film out? OK, I didn't want to have to resort to this, but I know a deal-sealer that might provide an impetus for you: Kristen Bell in a Slave-Leia outfit. You heard me right.
"Fanboys" is playing locally at the Edwards 26 Theater over at the Long Beach Towne Center on Carson St. at the 605 Freeway. Definitely check it out because it's likely to make a quick exit from theaters like "Mallrats" did back in 1995.
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