Post by Torgo on Oct 21, 2015 4:18:03 GMT -5
Alright you guys, this is an oldie…well, it’s an oldie where I come from.
Ladies and gentlemen, today is the day I’ve waited my entire childhood for…October 21st, 2015. What’s so special about today? Today is the day that Marty McFly, Doc Brown, and Jennifer Parker traveled into the future in Back to the Future Part II. Ever since I was a kid I knew this was a day I was going to be celebrating. And I’m so happy that Universal decided to follow suit by celebrating the trilogy today by not only reissuing the films on blu-ray, but releasing the animated series on DVD and re-releasing the films to theaters for one night only. Unfortunately I can’t see the films in theaters (work blows), but I will be doing my own marathon at home.
So everyone break out your hoverboards and fly your car to Hill Valley, California to greet Marty, Doc, and Jennifer to the future and tell them that our would is all the better with them in it!
You don’t have hoverboards or flying cars? Okay, maybe a lot of the stuff in Back to the Future Part II didn’t come true. But hell, Hill Valley isn’t a real place either (hello back lot!). What will Marty find in the real 2015?
• No, hoverboards aren’t commonplace, however they do exist. Pro-skater Tony Hawk even tried it out. It might take a bit of fine tuning before they are out on the market to the public however.
• While talking on the phone through ear and mouthpiece haven’t gone out of style, video phones certainly are a thing nowadays. There’s this little thing called Skype that kind of hit it off.
• On the subject of phones, those little goggles Marty’s future kids use to seemingly talk on the phone and watch TV have aren’t commonplace, but Marty might be fascinated by smart phones, which can be used to not only make phone calls and watch movies, but a variety of other uses such as playing games and browsing the internet.
• Marty McFly Jr. demonstrated how a youth can watch six channels at once in the future. Today’s youth does seem to be able to watch multiple screens simultaneously, though televisions, computers, tablets, smart phones, and the like. Which one has their full attention is the big question.
• “You mean you have to use your hands? That’s like a baby’s toy!” Hand controllers aren’t a thing of the past for video games yet, however motion technology has gotten to the point where in the near future they might be unnecessary. However today’s gaming market is content with the hands required Playstation 4, X-Box One, and Wii U.
• When Marty walks into the Cafe 80's, he won't be given a Pepsi Perfect. He will most likely be given a Pepsi Max or a Pepsi Next.
• Contrary to what Back to the Future Part II believes, the 2015 World Series won’t start until October 27th. The Cubs, who are depicted as being the victors, actually do have a shot at playing in it! (though it’s dwindling) However the mysterious Miami Alligators (?) are nowhere to be found.
• Speaking of Florida baseball, when the trilogy was made Florida didn’t have a team. In 1993, they acquired the Florida Marlins!
• Jaws 19 unfortunately never happened, the poor box office of the then recent Jaws: The Revenge was enough to put the final nail in that franchise’s coffin. However what is currently the highest grossing film of 2015 is actually a sequel to a Steven Spielberg movie: Jurassic World, the fourth installment of the Jurassic Park franchise. How’s that for coincidence eh? “Shark still looks fake.” (but what about the dinosaur that ate the shark?)
• The movie that most likely would be playing at that theater that was playing Jaws 19 would probably be Goosebumps starring Jack Black, and based upon the popular children’s book series by RL Stein. Should that theater be a multiplex, other movies that might be playing are The Martian, Bridge of Spies (directed by BTTF producer Steven Spielberg), Crimson Peak, and Hotel Transylvania 2. If it’s an IMAX theater it might even be playing The Walk, from BTTF director Robert Zemeckis. However if he wanted to see the latest entry in a horror series that should have died a while ago ala Jaws 19, he should have waited a week for Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension.
• Theaters may not be holographic, but 3D is certainly a pretty decent business nowadays. Plus the computer animation that created the holographic shark had a bright future, with big hits in 2015 being Universal’s Minions, Pixar’s Inside Out, and Dreamworks’ Home.
80’s Pop Culture in 2015:
• The highest grossing films of 1985 that weren’t Back to the Future were the Sylvester Stallone double wammy of Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rocky IV. Well in the years since, Stallone never really retired either series. The latest installment of the former was Rambo in 2008 with a fifth film in the works, while the seventh installment of the latter, a spin-off called Creed, is due out later this year.
• The highest rated television series of 1985 was The Cosby Show, starring (of course) Bill Cosby. Cosby recently tried to revitalize his television career but was forced to cancel it as allegations from several women accused the comic of sexual assault and rape. Needless to say I don’t think very many of us will ever watch The Cosby Show ever again.
• If the discussions of rape haven’t killed all enthusiasm for this article, it might be interesting to point out that the number two show on television was Family Ties, starring a little schmuck named Michael J. Fox. 1985 was a big year for Fox, who not only starred in the number two show on television and the highest grossing movie of the year, but he also had another solid box office hit with Teen Wolf. If Marty was a Michael J. Fox fan (and I assure you he was), he might be interested in hearing that Teen Wolf was rebooted as a modest hit television series on MTV that’s currently in its fifth season.
• In the first Back to the Future movie, Marty claims he is “Darth Vader” in order to scare his father George into asking his mother Loraine out to the dance. This was of course a reference to the Star Wars trilogy, which had just finished destroying the box office with the release of Return of the Jedi in 1983. Since 1985, Star Wars has only gotten bigger, with the release of the prequel trilogy spanning 1999 through 2005, and releasing two hit television shows in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels. 2015 is also the year Star Wars makes a theatrical comeback with the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
• In the same scene, Marty claims he’s from the planet “Vulcan,” a reference to the Star Trek franchise. In 1985, Star Trek was limited to a short-lived live action series, a shorter-lived animated series, and three movies. Since 1985 it had gone on to become one of the most prolific franchises of all time, spawning four spin-off television shows and nine more movies (with a tenth currently filming).
• While we’re on the subject of “Darth Vader from the planet Vulcan,” this year’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens is from the director of 2009’s Star Trek and 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness, JJ Abrams. More wild coincidence.
• In Back to the Future Part III, Marty hides his heritage as a McFly by claiming his name is “Clint Eastwood,” an obvious reference to the western star. Since 1985, Eastwood started taking the acting gigs easier and started directing more. In 2014 he had his biggest hit to date with his adaptation of American Sniper (which made most of its money in 2015, mind you). Eastwood won best director Oscars twice, one for Unforgiven and one for Million Dollar Baby. Both films also won best picture too!
• Marty does the moonwalk as a distraction in the same film, which was made famous by pop icon Michael Jackson. Marty will be bummed to find out that the King of Pop died in 2009 (might also be bummed at the child molestation charges later in his career, but unlike the afore-mentioned Bill Cosby, Jackson was found not guilty in a court of law).
• Ronald Reagan, President of the United States in 1985, died in 2004. Vice President Jerry Lewis is still alive and kicking, however. On the subject of Presidents, if Marty heard that Donald Trump was running for election, I imagine his reaction would be the same as Doc’s with Reagan.
Back to the Future stars from 1985 to 2015:
• Michael J. Fox finished off seven seasons of Family Ties, and won three Emmy’s for best actor. He also won an Emmy for best actor in a series he made in the 90’s called Spin City and a best guest actor Emmy for a role on Rescue Me. On film he had decent hits with Doc Hollywood, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, and Stuart Little, but had mostly retired from acting after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He attempted a comeback in 2014 with The Michael J. Fox Show, but the series was cancelled after a single season.
• Christopher Lloyd has been fairly prolific since Back to the Future, some projects more successful than others. Probably the most noteworthy is 1987’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, which had reteamed him with BTTF director Robert Zemeckis. He also proved to be quite inspired casting in the role of Uncle Fester for the film version of The Addams Family. Lately the closest thing he has been in to a successful film project was the horror remake Piranha 3D (he also reprised his role in the far less successful sequel Piranha 3DD). He also co-starred with Michael J. Fox’s Family Ties TV dad Michael Gross for the short lived cable series Tremors: The Series. Last year he cameoed as his BTTF character in Seth MacFarlane’s comedy A Million Ways to Die in the West.
• Lea Thompson never returned to the Jaws franchise after the third installment (shame, since nineteen films is nothing to sneeze at), but has had a fairly decent career, notably a successful sitcom called Caroline in the City. Her film resume almost reads as if she were still going to different time periods, as she starred in big screen adaptations of The Beverly Hillbillies, Dennis the Menace, and The Little Rascals. Not long after Back to the Future came out she starred in one of the most notorious box-office bombs of all time, Howard the Duck.
• Crispin Glover may have regrets about Back to the Future (specifically contracts and use of his image for the two sequels), but whether he likes it or not it’s still his most popular movie. He doesn’t seems sour at Robert Zemeckis, however, as he took a role in his 2007 motion capture animated film Beowulf, as the fearsome monster Grendel. Glover mostly stays in low-key productions, and even tried out a music career, but one of his biggest box office hits was Tim Burton’s big screen adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. He also returned to time travel in the hit comedy Hot Tub Time Machine.
• Thomas F. Wilson has had one of the least successful careers post-BTTF, mostly going into voice-work. His voice can be heard on such well-regarded shows as Batman, Gargoyles, Spongebob Squarepants, and Adventure Time. Coincidentally one of his roles was in the direct to video film Atlantis: Milo’s Return, a sequel to the Disney animated film Atlantis: The Lost Empire starring BTTF co-star Michael J. Fox.
• Mary Steenbergen has had a fairly respectable career, even if she did co-star in Clifford and Powder. After-all she did play the mother of Richard Nixon in the biopic Nixon! That’s nothing to sneeze at! Probably one of her most popular films in the last twenty-five years was Elf, starring Will Farrell. She also had a small role in the box office hit The Help. Today she is probably best known as Ted Danson’s wife. Screw you, Danson! She’ll always be Doc Brown’s girl to me!
• Claudia Wells nearly retired from acting after the first BTTF to take care of her ailing mother. By 2011 she had returned to the profession, but it was slightly too late to reprise her role as Jennifer in the sequels.
• Elizabeth Shue happily took the role from Wells, and has stayed fairly busy to boot. Post-BTTF2&3 Shue has starred in such hits as Leaving Las Vegas and Hollow Man. She also co-starred with Christopher Lloyd once again in Piranha 3D. That’s not the only crappy horror movie she’s been in, as she’s co-starred with big names like Robert DeNiro in Hide and Seek and Jennifer Lawrence in The House at the End of the Street.
• Wendy Jo Sperber had most of her big-breaks pre-BTTF, but in the aftermath kept busy with parts here and there, complete with three failed one-season television shows. In 2005 she sadly died of breast cancer.
• Billy Zane played one of Biff’s thugs in 1955, and has gone on to having one of the most noteworthy careers of anybody in these movies. Today he is probably best known for his role as antagonist Cal Hockley in Titanic, which at the time was the highest grossing movie of all time (currently it’s second, after Avatar). He’s also well known for the western Tombstone and superhero circles know his name as the title role in the box office bomb The Phantom.
• A little boy named Elijah Wood had a brief appearance in the 2015 scenes of Back to the Future Part II. This little boy went on to star in one of the greatest epics of all time. I am, of course, talking about North. Any movie that forces Roger Ebert to put that many “hated”’s in a review is worth being remembered. Oh yeah, he also had a role in something called Lord of the Rings. Good luck remembering what the hell that was, though.
• Flea is still Flea. I’m just as sorry as you are.
• Director Robert Zemeckis had a pretty stellar directing career post-BTTF, even directing best picture Oscar winner Forrest Gump, which Zemeckis also won a best director award for as well. He also directed Who Framed Roger Rabit?, Cast Away, and Flight. In 2015 he released the film The Walk, which received good reviews but poor box office.
• Producer Steven Spielberg has continued a very successful directing and producing career post-BTTF, winning best director Oscars for the films Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan (only the former of which won best picture). In escapism entertainment, Spielberg revolutionized the blockbuster with the release of Jurassic Park, which at the time was the highest grossing film ever (when BTTF was released, Spielberg had also made the film that claimed this title…ET: The Extra-Terrestrial). The fourth installment of the Jurassic Park series, Jurassic World, was released this year though Spielberg had long since left the series. His latest film, Bridge of Spies, was released last weekend. On the producer front, Spielberg’s most recent hit is the Transformers franchise, and has also brought us box office hits like the Men in Black series.
• Composer Alan Sylvestri has had a long-working relationship with director Robert Zemeckis to this day, and has composed just about every movie Zemeckis has made. Outside of their collaborations, Sylvestri also provided the iconic scores to Predator and Predator 2, The Mummy Returns, Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Avengers.
• “We all miss The News, honey. But Huey Lewis needs time to create.” Believe it or not, Huey Lewis and the News are still around. Their latest album, Soulsville, was released in 2010.
• 2015 was also one of Universal Studios’ biggest years, as they released three billion dollar hits: Jurassic World, Furious 7, and Minions. It was a long awaited win for the company, which had for a while been coasting on decreasing returns for dwindling franchises such as The Mummy and the Bourne series.
Well, what else can be said on this fateful day? If anybody else has anything to add, feel free to do so. This is a very special day for me. Honestly, I think I know deep in my gut that when this day came around, it’s probably the last thread of my childhood giving way. I am now an old man. The future is finally here.
Ladies and gentlemen, today is the day I’ve waited my entire childhood for…October 21st, 2015. What’s so special about today? Today is the day that Marty McFly, Doc Brown, and Jennifer Parker traveled into the future in Back to the Future Part II. Ever since I was a kid I knew this was a day I was going to be celebrating. And I’m so happy that Universal decided to follow suit by celebrating the trilogy today by not only reissuing the films on blu-ray, but releasing the animated series on DVD and re-releasing the films to theaters for one night only. Unfortunately I can’t see the films in theaters (work blows), but I will be doing my own marathon at home.
So everyone break out your hoverboards and fly your car to Hill Valley, California to greet Marty, Doc, and Jennifer to the future and tell them that our would is all the better with them in it!
You don’t have hoverboards or flying cars? Okay, maybe a lot of the stuff in Back to the Future Part II didn’t come true. But hell, Hill Valley isn’t a real place either (hello back lot!). What will Marty find in the real 2015?
• No, hoverboards aren’t commonplace, however they do exist. Pro-skater Tony Hawk even tried it out. It might take a bit of fine tuning before they are out on the market to the public however.
• While talking on the phone through ear and mouthpiece haven’t gone out of style, video phones certainly are a thing nowadays. There’s this little thing called Skype that kind of hit it off.
• On the subject of phones, those little goggles Marty’s future kids use to seemingly talk on the phone and watch TV have aren’t commonplace, but Marty might be fascinated by smart phones, which can be used to not only make phone calls and watch movies, but a variety of other uses such as playing games and browsing the internet.
• Marty McFly Jr. demonstrated how a youth can watch six channels at once in the future. Today’s youth does seem to be able to watch multiple screens simultaneously, though televisions, computers, tablets, smart phones, and the like. Which one has their full attention is the big question.
• “You mean you have to use your hands? That’s like a baby’s toy!” Hand controllers aren’t a thing of the past for video games yet, however motion technology has gotten to the point where in the near future they might be unnecessary. However today’s gaming market is content with the hands required Playstation 4, X-Box One, and Wii U.
• When Marty walks into the Cafe 80's, he won't be given a Pepsi Perfect. He will most likely be given a Pepsi Max or a Pepsi Next.
• Contrary to what Back to the Future Part II believes, the 2015 World Series won’t start until October 27th. The Cubs, who are depicted as being the victors, actually do have a shot at playing in it! (though it’s dwindling) However the mysterious Miami Alligators (?) are nowhere to be found.
• Speaking of Florida baseball, when the trilogy was made Florida didn’t have a team. In 1993, they acquired the Florida Marlins!
• Jaws 19 unfortunately never happened, the poor box office of the then recent Jaws: The Revenge was enough to put the final nail in that franchise’s coffin. However what is currently the highest grossing film of 2015 is actually a sequel to a Steven Spielberg movie: Jurassic World, the fourth installment of the Jurassic Park franchise. How’s that for coincidence eh? “Shark still looks fake.” (but what about the dinosaur that ate the shark?)
• The movie that most likely would be playing at that theater that was playing Jaws 19 would probably be Goosebumps starring Jack Black, and based upon the popular children’s book series by RL Stein. Should that theater be a multiplex, other movies that might be playing are The Martian, Bridge of Spies (directed by BTTF producer Steven Spielberg), Crimson Peak, and Hotel Transylvania 2. If it’s an IMAX theater it might even be playing The Walk, from BTTF director Robert Zemeckis. However if he wanted to see the latest entry in a horror series that should have died a while ago ala Jaws 19, he should have waited a week for Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension.
• Theaters may not be holographic, but 3D is certainly a pretty decent business nowadays. Plus the computer animation that created the holographic shark had a bright future, with big hits in 2015 being Universal’s Minions, Pixar’s Inside Out, and Dreamworks’ Home.
80’s Pop Culture in 2015:
• The highest grossing films of 1985 that weren’t Back to the Future were the Sylvester Stallone double wammy of Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rocky IV. Well in the years since, Stallone never really retired either series. The latest installment of the former was Rambo in 2008 with a fifth film in the works, while the seventh installment of the latter, a spin-off called Creed, is due out later this year.
• The highest rated television series of 1985 was The Cosby Show, starring (of course) Bill Cosby. Cosby recently tried to revitalize his television career but was forced to cancel it as allegations from several women accused the comic of sexual assault and rape. Needless to say I don’t think very many of us will ever watch The Cosby Show ever again.
• If the discussions of rape haven’t killed all enthusiasm for this article, it might be interesting to point out that the number two show on television was Family Ties, starring a little schmuck named Michael J. Fox. 1985 was a big year for Fox, who not only starred in the number two show on television and the highest grossing movie of the year, but he also had another solid box office hit with Teen Wolf. If Marty was a Michael J. Fox fan (and I assure you he was), he might be interested in hearing that Teen Wolf was rebooted as a modest hit television series on MTV that’s currently in its fifth season.
• In the first Back to the Future movie, Marty claims he is “Darth Vader” in order to scare his father George into asking his mother Loraine out to the dance. This was of course a reference to the Star Wars trilogy, which had just finished destroying the box office with the release of Return of the Jedi in 1983. Since 1985, Star Wars has only gotten bigger, with the release of the prequel trilogy spanning 1999 through 2005, and releasing two hit television shows in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels. 2015 is also the year Star Wars makes a theatrical comeback with the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
• In the same scene, Marty claims he’s from the planet “Vulcan,” a reference to the Star Trek franchise. In 1985, Star Trek was limited to a short-lived live action series, a shorter-lived animated series, and three movies. Since 1985 it had gone on to become one of the most prolific franchises of all time, spawning four spin-off television shows and nine more movies (with a tenth currently filming).
• While we’re on the subject of “Darth Vader from the planet Vulcan,” this year’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens is from the director of 2009’s Star Trek and 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness, JJ Abrams. More wild coincidence.
• In Back to the Future Part III, Marty hides his heritage as a McFly by claiming his name is “Clint Eastwood,” an obvious reference to the western star. Since 1985, Eastwood started taking the acting gigs easier and started directing more. In 2014 he had his biggest hit to date with his adaptation of American Sniper (which made most of its money in 2015, mind you). Eastwood won best director Oscars twice, one for Unforgiven and one for Million Dollar Baby. Both films also won best picture too!
• Marty does the moonwalk as a distraction in the same film, which was made famous by pop icon Michael Jackson. Marty will be bummed to find out that the King of Pop died in 2009 (might also be bummed at the child molestation charges later in his career, but unlike the afore-mentioned Bill Cosby, Jackson was found not guilty in a court of law).
• Ronald Reagan, President of the United States in 1985, died in 2004. Vice President Jerry Lewis is still alive and kicking, however. On the subject of Presidents, if Marty heard that Donald Trump was running for election, I imagine his reaction would be the same as Doc’s with Reagan.
Back to the Future stars from 1985 to 2015:
• Michael J. Fox finished off seven seasons of Family Ties, and won three Emmy’s for best actor. He also won an Emmy for best actor in a series he made in the 90’s called Spin City and a best guest actor Emmy for a role on Rescue Me. On film he had decent hits with Doc Hollywood, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, and Stuart Little, but had mostly retired from acting after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He attempted a comeback in 2014 with The Michael J. Fox Show, but the series was cancelled after a single season.
• Christopher Lloyd has been fairly prolific since Back to the Future, some projects more successful than others. Probably the most noteworthy is 1987’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, which had reteamed him with BTTF director Robert Zemeckis. He also proved to be quite inspired casting in the role of Uncle Fester for the film version of The Addams Family. Lately the closest thing he has been in to a successful film project was the horror remake Piranha 3D (he also reprised his role in the far less successful sequel Piranha 3DD). He also co-starred with Michael J. Fox’s Family Ties TV dad Michael Gross for the short lived cable series Tremors: The Series. Last year he cameoed as his BTTF character in Seth MacFarlane’s comedy A Million Ways to Die in the West.
• Lea Thompson never returned to the Jaws franchise after the third installment (shame, since nineteen films is nothing to sneeze at), but has had a fairly decent career, notably a successful sitcom called Caroline in the City. Her film resume almost reads as if she were still going to different time periods, as she starred in big screen adaptations of The Beverly Hillbillies, Dennis the Menace, and The Little Rascals. Not long after Back to the Future came out she starred in one of the most notorious box-office bombs of all time, Howard the Duck.
• Crispin Glover may have regrets about Back to the Future (specifically contracts and use of his image for the two sequels), but whether he likes it or not it’s still his most popular movie. He doesn’t seems sour at Robert Zemeckis, however, as he took a role in his 2007 motion capture animated film Beowulf, as the fearsome monster Grendel. Glover mostly stays in low-key productions, and even tried out a music career, but one of his biggest box office hits was Tim Burton’s big screen adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. He also returned to time travel in the hit comedy Hot Tub Time Machine.
• Thomas F. Wilson has had one of the least successful careers post-BTTF, mostly going into voice-work. His voice can be heard on such well-regarded shows as Batman, Gargoyles, Spongebob Squarepants, and Adventure Time. Coincidentally one of his roles was in the direct to video film Atlantis: Milo’s Return, a sequel to the Disney animated film Atlantis: The Lost Empire starring BTTF co-star Michael J. Fox.
• Mary Steenbergen has had a fairly respectable career, even if she did co-star in Clifford and Powder. After-all she did play the mother of Richard Nixon in the biopic Nixon! That’s nothing to sneeze at! Probably one of her most popular films in the last twenty-five years was Elf, starring Will Farrell. She also had a small role in the box office hit The Help. Today she is probably best known as Ted Danson’s wife. Screw you, Danson! She’ll always be Doc Brown’s girl to me!
• Claudia Wells nearly retired from acting after the first BTTF to take care of her ailing mother. By 2011 she had returned to the profession, but it was slightly too late to reprise her role as Jennifer in the sequels.
• Elizabeth Shue happily took the role from Wells, and has stayed fairly busy to boot. Post-BTTF2&3 Shue has starred in such hits as Leaving Las Vegas and Hollow Man. She also co-starred with Christopher Lloyd once again in Piranha 3D. That’s not the only crappy horror movie she’s been in, as she’s co-starred with big names like Robert DeNiro in Hide and Seek and Jennifer Lawrence in The House at the End of the Street.
• Wendy Jo Sperber had most of her big-breaks pre-BTTF, but in the aftermath kept busy with parts here and there, complete with three failed one-season television shows. In 2005 she sadly died of breast cancer.
• Billy Zane played one of Biff’s thugs in 1955, and has gone on to having one of the most noteworthy careers of anybody in these movies. Today he is probably best known for his role as antagonist Cal Hockley in Titanic, which at the time was the highest grossing movie of all time (currently it’s second, after Avatar). He’s also well known for the western Tombstone and superhero circles know his name as the title role in the box office bomb The Phantom.
• A little boy named Elijah Wood had a brief appearance in the 2015 scenes of Back to the Future Part II. This little boy went on to star in one of the greatest epics of all time. I am, of course, talking about North. Any movie that forces Roger Ebert to put that many “hated”’s in a review is worth being remembered. Oh yeah, he also had a role in something called Lord of the Rings. Good luck remembering what the hell that was, though.
• Flea is still Flea. I’m just as sorry as you are.
• Director Robert Zemeckis had a pretty stellar directing career post-BTTF, even directing best picture Oscar winner Forrest Gump, which Zemeckis also won a best director award for as well. He also directed Who Framed Roger Rabit?, Cast Away, and Flight. In 2015 he released the film The Walk, which received good reviews but poor box office.
• Producer Steven Spielberg has continued a very successful directing and producing career post-BTTF, winning best director Oscars for the films Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan (only the former of which won best picture). In escapism entertainment, Spielberg revolutionized the blockbuster with the release of Jurassic Park, which at the time was the highest grossing film ever (when BTTF was released, Spielberg had also made the film that claimed this title…ET: The Extra-Terrestrial). The fourth installment of the Jurassic Park series, Jurassic World, was released this year though Spielberg had long since left the series. His latest film, Bridge of Spies, was released last weekend. On the producer front, Spielberg’s most recent hit is the Transformers franchise, and has also brought us box office hits like the Men in Black series.
• Composer Alan Sylvestri has had a long-working relationship with director Robert Zemeckis to this day, and has composed just about every movie Zemeckis has made. Outside of their collaborations, Sylvestri also provided the iconic scores to Predator and Predator 2, The Mummy Returns, Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Avengers.
• “We all miss The News, honey. But Huey Lewis needs time to create.” Believe it or not, Huey Lewis and the News are still around. Their latest album, Soulsville, was released in 2010.
• 2015 was also one of Universal Studios’ biggest years, as they released three billion dollar hits: Jurassic World, Furious 7, and Minions. It was a long awaited win for the company, which had for a while been coasting on decreasing returns for dwindling franchises such as The Mummy and the Bourne series.
Well, what else can be said on this fateful day? If anybody else has anything to add, feel free to do so. This is a very special day for me. Honestly, I think I know deep in my gut that when this day came around, it’s probably the last thread of my childhood giving way. I am now an old man. The future is finally here.
