Hollywood.com’s resident Movie Guru has the answers to your burning film and celebrity questions. This week: Will there ever be a sequel to the hot rod flick The Fast and the Furious? Can David Lynch‘s Mulholland Drive actually be explained? Get the answers to these and other questions from our readers, right here, right now.
Subject: Maureen and Jean Stapleton
Please help. My wife and I have disagreed about this for 15 years and I can’t find an answer–are Maureen and Jean Stapleton related? —Garry & Jan
Movie Guru: If you think you’re plagued by this confusion, imagine what it’s like to be Maureen or Jean, who are most certainly not related. Jean Stapleton was born Jeanne Murray in 1923 and adopted her mother’s maiden name when she became an actress. Of course, we all know she went on to portray one of the best long-suffering wives in television history in All in the Family, next to her boorish TV husband Archie Bunker (played by the late Carroll O’Connor). Maureen Stapleton was born Lois Maureen Stapleton in 1925 and has had a long and illustrious career on stage and in film. She’s appeared in such movies as Plaza Suite (1971), Cocoon (1985) and Reds (1982), winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work.
Subject: Unbreakable
Please! I saw the movie, and I need to know if it’s based on a true story. It was unclear at the end of the movies. Thanks. –G. Reyes
Movie Guru: Uh, no. It’s not a true story. Director/writer M. Night Shyamalan, who also brought us the brilliant The Sixth Sense, completely made up Unbreakable all on his own. Only a seriously twisted mind could come up with a story about a man, who has never been sick or injured, meeting a man, whose bones break very easily, and how together they play out their destinies. That’s why we like Shyamalan‘s movies so much. Just wait until his next one, this summer’s Signs, starring Mel Gibson.
Subject: Mulholland Drive
Please explain Mulholland Drive to me! I have to say that this movie is killing me. I was lost in the movie after the scene where “Rita” opens the box with the key. After that scene “Betty” became “Diane” and “Rita” became “Camilla Rhodes.” What was the box? Was the movie going backwards or forwards after the box is opened? Please help me out. –Wayne
Movie Guru: Sorry, can’t help you there. Welcome to the wacky world of David Lynch. His strange and wild look at the Hollywood machine remains a mystery, almost defying explanation, but that’s the beauty of it. What I can tell you is that whatever your interpretation is, you’re probably right–at least to some degree.
Subject: The Fast and the Furious 2
Please could you help me confirm that there is to be a sequel to the box office hit The Fast and the Furious? Also, will it still be starring the original cast Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Ja Rule? –Bob
Movie Guru: Apparently, there has been talk about making a sequel to last summer’s surprise hit; director Rob Cohen and stars Diesel and Walker are reportedly in negotiations to reprise their roles. Yet, at present time, it is still in the development stages, with no firm start date on production. You might be interested to know, however, that Cohen and Diesel have teamed up in this summer’s action-packed thriller XXX, where Diesel plays an extreme sports enthusiast whom the government hires to become their newest super spy. Sounds right up their alley, doesn’t it?
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Subject: Digital Movie Theaters
A recent Wall Street Journal article about Star Wars: Episode II–The Attack of the Clones indicated it has been made using digital technology. The article also mentioned that the film would be shown the old fashioned way on celluloid because there are currently only 27 digital theaters in the country. Do you have any information as to where these theaters are located? Thanks.–Teresa
Movie Guru: Yes, it’s true that the newest Star Wars installment was filmed using digital technology. In an article I found in Wired magazine, two companies–Barco NV and Christie Digital Systems–are the masterminds behind integrating this new digital technology into mainstream theater houses. In the next five weeks, there will be digital projectors in about 100 theaters across the country. Harry Mathias, Barco’s director of digital cinema for the United States, told Wired he is “booked solid” with projector orders between now and when Attack of the Clones rolls out. If the movie incites a great demand for the technology, he’s ready to ship thousands more. Unfortunately, both companies declined to name any of their customers using these new projectors. But, I guess if this thing takes off, the theater nearest you will be sporting digital projectors soon enough.
Subject: From Russia with love
Movie Guru: We received this feedback email from a fan in Russia. It’s just too funny–and too true– not to share with the rest of you. Here it is:
What we find out from American films?
1. While making any sort of investigation, policemen find it necessary to go into a strip-club.
2. Foreigners all prefer to speak English.
3. While being chased, always hide in a crowd of a passing parade. Any parade will do.
4. The ventilation system in any skyscraper is the best place to hide. No one will look for you there and you can get into any other part of the building.
5. While in Paris, the Eiffel Tower can be seen from ANY window.
6. All bombs are equipped with a huge clock, with red numbers, indicating how much time is left before it explodes.
7. There is a good chance to survive even the most terrible war battles–just make sure you don’t show anyone a photo of someone you love beforehand.
8. While paying a taxi driver, you never look in your purse for the money and always have the right amount of money available.
9. Spending the night in a gloomy and mysterious house and hearing strange noises, the heroine goes to investigate, dressed in sexy underwear.
10. Cars that collide ALWAYS blow up and burn.
11. All medieval peasants have excellent teeth.
12. There is always a parking spot right in front of a building you are going in to.
13. Any lock can be easily opened by a credit card or paper clip, except for a lock in a burning house when there’s a small child to rescue.
14. Lipstick never comes off, even if the heroine dives in water using an Aqualung.
