Top 3, Part 2: The Chatting with Dr. Paulette Curtis

Establishing Shot is happy to present Top 3, Part 2: The Chatting with Dr. Paulette Curtis. The title isn’t lying either as Ted and Ricky are again joined by Dr. Paulette Curtis on a very special episode to discuss sequels each thinks supersedes the original. Ricky’s sequels avoid any Roman numerals and kick off with the recent Paddington 2, which builds out the marmalade-loving immigrant’s experiences with the Brown family in winsome directions (despite Paddington landing in jail). So winsome are those directions that the end result was the film generating a rare 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. After that, he hits a much more divisive film in Gremlins 2: The New Batch, which director Joe Dante made so differently from the Old Batch that legions of fans were left fuming. Not Ricky Herbst, though! He loves how the sequel actively cashes out/tarnishes the goodwill created by the first installment. Lastly, Ricky’s rollercoaster ride of sequels comes to an end with Final Destination 3, the middle child in the series that follows fate as it comes for its due. Ted begins his Top 3 with The World of Apu, the last film of the Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray. Following Pather Panchali and Aparajito, The World of Apu upon its release in 1959 garnered international acclaim and remains one of the best known Parallel Cinema films today. Staying with trilogies and sequels not clearly denoted by a number, Ted endorses Before Sunrise, the middle of the Before Trilogy that follows the very talky relationship between Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke. Ted closes his list with Superman II, the mashup of Richards (Donner and Lester) that gave the world, albeit fleetingly, Non, Ursa, and General Zod.

About the Podcast:

Podcast hosts Ted Barron and Ricky Herbst chat about the who, what, when, and where of films, festivals, and the cinematic arts.