” ‘Wild Things’ is very, very good for us,” says Marty Krofft. “We always wanted to do low-tech costumes and high-tech heads. But it’ll be a big difference in tone, of course — we’ll be bright, not dark.”

Also, this marks the first time (that I’m aware of) that Marty admits they went to far with Land of the Lost. That they strayed to far from the original.

“We went with comedy, which got it green-lit. But we didn’t know it was going to go so far in the PG-13 direction and so close to an R rating,” he says of the unfortunate flop. “Our characters are all likable, and we have so much goodwill from our fans. So, now we know: Don’t mess with what’s worked.”

I’m glad to see that he’s had this realization. When I met Marty Krofft this past summer, I really wanted to discuss this exact issue with him, but wasn’t sure he would have been receptive. You can’t turn a family-friendly story of a popular children’s show into a raunchy comedy and expect success. It’s like drinking a beer when you were expecting milk. Doesn’t matter how good the beer is, it’ll taste like crap. (even though in this case it was crap)

Also in the article, Marty discusses plans for Electra Woman and Doctor Shrinker. Both stories would have great appeal if handled properly. Especially EW with the rash of super hero movies at the box office.

Thanks to Shemp DeYoung for pointing me to the article. Please leave your comments below.

Available October 13th, in both DVD and Blu-Ray, hopefully this helps recoup some of the losses on the movie, and Sid and Marty can bring us more of their creations.

The Official Press Release is:

COMING TO BLU-RAY(TM) HI-DEF AND DVD ON OCTOBER 13, 2009 FROM UNIVERSAL
STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Sept 9 /PRNewswire/ –

OVERVIEW:

Comedic favorite Will Ferrell (Step Brothers, Anchorman: The Legend of
Ron Burgundy) meets the unfettered imaginations of Sid and Marty Krofft
(“H.R. Pufnstuf”) in the hilarious action comedy Land of the Lost, coming
to Blu-ray(TM) Hi-Def and DVD on October 13, 2009, from Universal Studios
Home Entertainment. Inspired by the Krofft-created 1970s television classic
of the same name, Land of the Lost is available on a Blu-ray((TM)) Hi-Def
and single-disc DVD. Both include enough uproarious deleted scenes and
behind-the-action bonus features to keep fans laughing across the entire
space-time continuum.

The Blu-ray(TM) Hi-Def edition of Land of the Lost includes more than
two hours of exclusive bonus content presented with perfect picture and the
purest digital sound available. Land of the Lost on Blu-Ray((TM)) Hi-Def
also features Universal’s acclaimed BD-Live(TM) Center, which allows fans
access to even more content!

Will Ferrell brings his unparalleled brand of outrageous humor to a
strange new world in Land of the Lost, with Danny McBride (Eastbound and
Down, Tropic Thunder), Anna Friel (“Pushing Daisies”) and Jorma Taccone
(“Saturday Night Live”) joining him on an outrageously funny adventure that
crosses time, space – and species!

EXCLUSIVE TO Blu-ray((TM)) Hi-Def WITH MORE OUTRAGEOUS COMEDY FROM WILL
FERRELL AND DANNY MCBRIDE:

— 12 more minutes of deleted scenes with Commentary by Director Brad
Silberling
— Dr. Marshall’s Food Diaries with Commentary by Director Brad
Silberling
— This is Not a Routine Expedition: Making Land of the Lost
— Brad, Sid and Marty: A Conversation with the Kroffts – A retrospective
look at the extraordinary worlds created by the legendary Sid and Marty,
peppered with interviews and show clips.

— BD-LIVE(TM): Access the BD-Live(TM) Center through your
Internet-connected player to get even more content, watch the latest
trailers, and more!
BONUS FEATURES:

Both DVD and Blu-ray(TM) Hi-Def editions of Land of the Lost include:

— Deleted Scenes: With Commentary by director Brad Silberling
— A Day in the Life of a Big-Time Movie Star – Viewers can live the
glamorous life vicariously as Danny McBride offers a moment-by-moment
look at a typical day in his life.
— Devil’s Canyon Gift Shop Commercial and Tour

— Feature Commentary With Director Brad Silberling
SYNOPSIS:

Comedic genius Will Ferrell stars as has-been scientist Dr. Rick
Marshall, who gets more than he bargained for when his expedition takes a
wrong turn into the Land of the Lost. Now, Marshall, with his crack-smart
research assistant Holly (Anna Friel) and a redneck survivalist named Will
(Danny McBride), have no weapons, few skills and questionable smarts to
survive in an alternate universe full of marauding dinosaurs and fantastic
creatures and laugh-out-loud comedy!

CAST AND FILMMAKERS:
Directed By: Brad Silberling
Screenplay By: Chris Henchy & Dennis McNicholas
Based on Sid & Marty Krofft’s Land of the Lost
Produced By: Jimmy Miller, Sid & Marty Krofft
Executive Producers: Daniel Lupi, Julie Wixson Darmody, Adam McKay, Brad
Silberling, Ryan Kavanaugh
Director of Photography: Dion Beebe, ACS ASC
Production Designer: Bo Welch
Edited By: Peter Teschner
Casting By: Avy Kaufman CSA
Music By: Michael Giacchino
Co-Producers: John Swallow, Josh Church,
Cast: Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Anna Friel, Jorma Taccone

TECHNICAL INFORMATION – BLU-RAY(TM) HI-DEF:
Street Date: October 13, 2009
Copyright: 2009 Universal Studios Home Entertainment. All rights
reserved.
Selection Number: 61106049
Price: $39.98 SRP
Running Time: 1 Hour 42 Minutes
Layers: BD-50
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 1.85:1
Rating: PG-13
Technical Info: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French and Spanish DTS
Surround 5.1, English SDH, French and Spanish Subtitles

TECHNICAL INFORMATION – DVD:
Street Date: October 13, 2009
Copyright: 2009 Universal Studios Home Entertainment. All rights
reserved.
Selection Number: 61104715
Price: $29.98 SRP
Running Time: 1 Hour 42 Minutes
Layers: Dual Layer
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Rating: PG-13
Technical Info: English, French and Spanish 5.1, English SDH, French and
Spanish Subtitles
For artwork, please log on to our website at http://www.ushepublicity.com

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a
division of Universal Studios (http://www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios
is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and
entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of
entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May
2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC
Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment
networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television
production operations, a leading television stations group, and
world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric,
with 20% owned by Vivendi.

Are you going to buy the movie? Why? Why not?

Your pre-order for Land of the Lost #1 (APR090647F), which was scheduled to be released on 2009-06-24, has been canceled. The release of this item has been canceled by our supplier, and we are unable to obtain it at this time. We are terribly sorry for the inconvenience.

So it appears that the comic is dead. I can only assume it was because of the lackluster performance of the movie at the box office. It is a shame as I believe it could have been a good way to continue the story of LOTL.

In better news….
The highly anticipated book from Ted Nichelson and Susan Olsen which was originally to arrive on September 1st, looks as if it may be coming sooner than expected. This morning, Amazon sent me the following:

Ted Nichelson, et al “Love to Love You Bradys: The Bizarre Story of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour”

Previous estimated arrival date: September 03 2009

New estimated arrival date: August 19 2009

Do you have your order in yet? If not, what are you waiting for?

The Good: The set design was very good. I can’t argue at all with the look of the movie. The creatures were real enough, with just enough camp to be a Krofft production.

Anna Friel, Will Ferrell, and Jorma Taccone (Chaka) did a pretty good job keeping me into the movie. Mostly, with the exception of the many Ferrell-isms, they were taking the story seriously, and it kept me engaged.

I had one (sorry just one) laugh out loud moment in the film. As Marshall, Will and Chaka are lying stoned in the desert, a giant crab appears to attack, but falls in a volcanic sinkhole. It pops back up, and breaks into pieces…perfectly steamed. Which the trio proceed to eat. The comic timing (editing) was perfect, and made me laugh.

The Bad: This was a terrible movie. It didn’t know what it wanted to be. In the beginning the it kind of comes across as a serious movie (other than the over the top part of the Matt Lauer scene). Rick Marshall is supposed to be a brilliant scientist who is cast out of main stream science for his theories, and at the beginning of the movie he appears to be (think Doc Brown from Back to the Future). Why was he such a buffoon later on? How could that person have built the device?

Also, having read A Brief History of Time, The Cosmos Explained, Parallel Worlds and Hyperspace, I know that “main stream science” has embraced theories like Rick Marshall’s. Maybe I’m over thinking it, but why did this have to be about a failed scientist. The only thing that would have to be eliminated or adjusted was the Matt Lauer storyline. And it wasn’t that funny anyway.

The boob jokes were over-used and just became annoying after awhile. A child asking “do dinosaurs have boobies” was cute, but out of place. Will’s description of the boob-mugs that he sold in his store was just strange. The first time Chaka grabs Holly’s breast was funny. The next twelve times (at least) that someone grabbed Holly’s chest was forced and annoying.

Several other things were just confusing. They set up for Zarn to be an ally, but then Marshal killed the Sleestaks that were loyal to Zarn. Enik was supposed to be hurt, but he was fine after the gang found him, and nobody seemed to notice. Why did Marshall treat Chaka like crap?

What I assume were ad-libs between Ferrell and McBride were very out of place. They seemed to be having their own little battle going, and in different context, might have been funny. I found it to be distracting, and pulled me out of the movie. I’m a fan of Ferrell comedies, and this was just weird.

Conclusion:
I wouldn’t blame the story/script because it did have potential. My blame, after watching the film, is placed on director Brad Silberling. He didn’t maintain enough control of the film, or he didn’t give up enough to Ferrell. What we got was a mismatched film that goes nowhere. I might have enjoyed “Anchorman with Dinosaurs”.

When you adapt an existing story for the big-screen, liberties must be taken. But you can’t change the heart of the story, or it becomes a completely different movie in which you stole a title to make.

The story is not always current, or relevant. For example, Thundarr the Barbarian couldn’t have the world end in 1994; things have to be adjusted. Fellowship of the Ring couldn’t have had the amount of exposition that existed in the novel, we’d all have fallen asleep. CGI dinosaurs need updated to look more realistic…right? Well how come LOTL dinosaurs look more cartoony than Jurrassic Park 16 years ago? Granted, I’m just judging the dinos in the trailer on TV, but that’s where I watched JP, so it’s an even compare.

TheMovieBlog:
The action in the film was pretty weak too. I lost count of how many times we saw Ferrell running away from something BIG… then cut to another angle and suddenly the thing chasing him is even further away. Constantly using that exact same mistake took any of the tension or excitement out of the movie. Why get my heart pounding when I know in two seconds the T-Rex will magically be 200 yards further behind him. If was strange the first time it happened… then it just got flat out annoying.

Special effects aside, there were many, many issues with LOTL, as reviews say:

The Daily Iowan:
Ferrell is his usual self, but that is another major problem: We’ve seen this character before. He’s loud, dumb, arrogant, and naked (imagine Ron Burgundy as a scientist). It’s frustrating for the audience, because we want to laugh. We really do. But he’s not providing anything for us — in fact, everything he’s presenting seems to be grabbed out of the recycling bin.

The LA Times:
Like its characters, the film keeps getting lost too, stumbling as it struggles to keep kids and adults from squirming in their seats. There’s a crowd-pleasing, clever T. rex named Grumpy fighting for screen time with a bad and long-running gag built around Chaka grabbing one of Holly’s breasts every time he tries to say her name. Meanwhile, Ferrell is his likable Ferrell self, nothing new or especially exciting to report on that front.

And there’s the element of the movie that prevented me from going. All the reviews are consistent in their description (even the good reviews):

Cinematical:
Most importantly, and in the interest of protecting young, corruptible minds, Land of the Lost is absolutely not for children. There’s at least one f-bomb, Rick and Will talk about Sleestaks “tapping that ass,” and there are multiple sequences in which our heroes are violently threatened by a Tyrannosaurus – although he is nicknamed Grumpy.

What?? Not for children?? F-bomb??? Tapping that ass??? It’s based on a children’s television show! I’m speechless. I’ve been preparing my 5 children their entire lives for this movie…and I can’t even show it to them. Granted, my 12 and 13 year olds would be fine seeing it, but I don’t believe my 7 year old daughter is ready for it (the same daughter I spent most of Memorial Day watching the SciFi marathon). The whole family was supposed to go to opening night. Instead, we rewatched Journey to the Center of the Earth again.

My take on this is that they let Will Ferrel have to much control, and he took it too far. Without Ferrel, this movie probably doesn’t get made (at least yet). Ferrel turned it into his own brand of R-rated humor ( which I sometimes enjoy — Anchorman, etc.), but isn’t suited for a kids film. The film synopsis now seems more like the Saturday Night Live parody of the TV show.

Well Krofft fans, this is OUR Phantom Menace. We waited along time for this and….Sid and Marty deserved better. This is more like our holiday special, and the creators will even want to someday forget it.

I promise, I will see the movie and give a proper review of the film itself. I’ll go in expecting an Anchorman or Old School type of movie, and review it on it’s own merit. But nothing will erase the disappointment I’ll have not having my little daughter sitting next to me.

No matter how much creators Sid and Marty Krofft talk up the movie’s devotion to the TV show’s spirit, I don’t recall Chaka the caveboy being chronically horny, or Rick Marshall gulping dino-urine and being sprayed with dino-loogies. The language here would’ve made my parents turn off the TV set.

Land of the Lost is just another rude, crude Hollywood ripoff capitalizing on fond pre-cable memories, like Starsky and Hutch and The Dukes of Hazzard before it.

After reading that, I started to think of the numerous clips that have been shown for LOTL and came to a unhappy realization that he may be correct. Recently, my kids (ages 8-14) have watched the entire series over again via the new DVDs. Part of the charm of the show was the unapologetic innocence. I would be a shame if they’ve lost that.

I’m still going to give LOTL a chance, and Sid and Marty the benefit of the doubt (that worked out so well with George Lucas). I’ll be there tomorrow with my entire family. No matter the quality, I hope that it’s a success so that someday I’ll be writing about the Sigmund, Pufnstuf and hopefully Lidsville movie.

There was one funny quote in the article that I’ll leave you with:

Plans are in the works for a movie version of the Kroffts’ psychedelic series H.R. Pufnstuf that recreational drug users in the ’70s enjoyed as much as the kids. Judging by this remake, it’ll be called Pineapple Express II.

For more reviews of Land of the Lost:

Associated Press

The Portland Mercury

Kansas City Star

Check back this weekend for the KROFFT.NET Review!