Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: The Old Herbie vs. The New Herbie

This is topic The Old Herbie vs. The New Herbie in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 03-07-2005, 09:19 AM:

When I first saw that the Mouse House was coming out with a new Herbie movie, I was a little conflicted. I remember liking the old Herbie movies when I was growing up, but I figured they would probably find a way to screw a new one up with either a lot of "ZOOM IN! ZOOM OUT!" seizure-cam work, or a lot of CGI, or SOMETHING.

Then the trailer came out, and it actually started out looking ok. THEN the CGI Herbie jumped up and made a face, and I thought "Ugh. There it is." So here's a thread for everyone to discuss everything Herbie. Did you watch the old ones when you were growing up? Or if you're older, did you watch them with your kids as they grew up? Any thoughts on the new Herbie? Will it be big? Will it bomb? Somewhere in the middle?

Fire away...

Posted by Ken Layton (Member # 133) on 03-07-2005, 09:54 AM:

Trailer makes me NOT want to see it. Looks like a bomb to me.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 03-07-2005, 11:10 AM:

The original "Love Bug" was one of the most successful films shown at the Grandview Drive-In in Angola NY when I worked there during college. We sold out many shows in the Summer of 1969. I remember enjoying hearing all the laughter from the open car windows. [Smile]

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-07-2005, 12:18 PM:

The original Herbie movies were funny shows about a magic car. The new one is simply a vehicle (ha, ha) for Lindsay Lohan.

If she wears a lot of low-cut shirts it might be worth watching. Otherwise, no.

Posted by Richard Greco (Member # 2032) on 03-07-2005, 01:14 PM:

Lindsay Lohan.....droolllllll.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 03-07-2005, 01:34 PM:

quote: Richard Greco
Lindsay Lohan.....droolllllll.

LL..another "Titty" Spears wannabe.

...waiting for her to "slut" herself out.

Yes, one of my first fliks that I played at the Drive-In that I started back in '69. Dean Jones, Annette Pleshette, Buddy Hackett did their parts extremely well. (and the prints were IB Technicolor...)

And I agree with John: laughter coming out of the car windows. (Good ol' rear projection scenes...)

Yep, this is a LL flik - girl can't act. She, Kevin Costner and Tom Cruise must be related: can't act and their movies stunk (except for "Dances with Wolves").

-Monte

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-07-2005, 02:00 PM:

I can't agree that Lohan can't act. She was actually pretty good in "Mean Girls" (even wound up on a few ten-best lists for the year). She's got the opportunity to be a class act, if only she doesn't screw it up.

As for Tom Cruise, if his movies were really THAT bad, he wouldn't be one of the biggest stars in the world after over 20 years of moviemaking! [Cool]

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 03-07-2005, 02:20 PM:

True, I jumped the "gun" on Cruise, but it seems like his later movies just didn't have the panach as his earlier ones. His later ones were just "Tom Cruise" movies-he couldn't play the character very well without letting us know that Cruise was acting.

Dustin Hoffman, on the other hand can play any character he's given, like "Rainman" "Tootsie" and of course "Midnight Cowboy"

LL, did good in "Mean Girls" (my wife liked that movie..and this movie reminds me of "Heathers" - a dark movie in sorts), but is she going to be just another "Spears" who's all out for herself (and her chest..) and trying to be cute and famous at the same time?

She'll never fill in the shoes of Dean Jones. Bad reversal role picture.

-Monte

Posted by Christian Appelt (Member # 1067) on 03-07-2005, 04:29 PM:

The 1969 Love Bug movie had a great number of fantastic matte paintings, only when I read that great book "The Invisible Art", I realized that certain locations just never existed.
Like in many Disney non-animation movies, the acting seems a bit dated to me today, but as a kid I founf the first and second film exciting (the other sequels are better not mentioned).

BTW, there was a copycat series of five beetle films made in Germany and Spain from 1971 to 1975

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067318/ IMDB: SuperBug

If you think the poster is bad, you should see these low budget films with the director Rudolf Zehetgruber playing the male lead under the nom-de-guerre of "Robert Mark". [Big Grin]

Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 03-07-2005, 06:26 PM:

I was surprised when I saw the stills at Yahoo! Movies to see that they still used the old Type 1. I figured we'd have an all souped-up New Beetle or something this time around.

"Herbie Rides Again" is to this day one of my favorite movies ever. I still get a kick out of it today. We saw it at the Canyon Drive-In in Beaverton, OR, in our own ivory Type 1. My dad was night foreman at the big VW dealership in downtown Portland, which was owned by the Pacific Northwest VW distributor, so we had movie posters and other fun SWAG.

I never liked ANY of the other Herbie movies, including the first one.

Posted by Kurt Zupin (Member # 2751) on 03-07-2005, 09:49 PM:

The new Herbie just looks like crap...when you see Herbie in the junk yard you go...hmmmm it just might be good...oh wait no...Herbies gone NASCAR...OH YES, just what we all wanted to see. NOT! It will bomb.

Monte for once I gotta disagree with you, I though that Tom Cruise did an awsome job in his last two roles, The Last Samurai and Collateral...Just two awsome movies and he was the character he was portraying, not Tome Cruise. Now Minority Report was a diffrent story, was it and enjoyable film...YES, but it was Tom Cruise on Screen not John Anderton.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 03-08-2005, 03:45 AM:

quote: Kurt Zupin
Just two awsome movies and he was the character he was portraying, not Tome Cruise. Now Minority Report was a diffrent story, was it and enjoyable film...YES, but it was Tom Cruise on Screen not John Anderton.

LOL - okey, you got me. I deserved to be punished for my comments on "Tommy". I forgot about "Jerry McGuire" and "The Firm" - good movies of his.

(..wonder if Herbie is going to try to make the moves on L.L. Hope she doesn't sing ....)

-Monte

Posted by Jason M Miller (Member # 2597) on 03-09-2005, 07:24 PM:

I loved the original Herbie, so I was excited they were making another one.......Then I saw the preview, I was so pissed, they ruined Herbie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 03-11-2005, 03:52 PM:

quote: Monte L Fullmer
...waiting for her to "slut" herself out.

You apparently haven't seen her new music video....

as for unable to act... I disagree... as for ruining already done movies... also disagree...

I recall that I was going to HATE freaky friday... but turned out to be a major improvement on the original. Yes I agree hard to improve on the bug... but I am not going to let a little bad CGI affect my opinion... The trailer didnt upset me, but did leave me wondering how in the world that herbie could qualify for nascar, considering the rules and all. How many nascar fans will know how asinine it is to suggest such a thing.

ciao

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 03-11-2005, 06:09 PM:

Herbie the Love Bug is the reason I got into the movie theater business.

I was just a kid when the movie came out. They had a talking Herbie in the lobby of the theater. I remember going there to see the car talk but it didn't say a thing. I was peved off 'cause the Herbie didn't talk! Then I went to get some popcorn all in a huff. When I came back, I was walking by and the car said something like, "Hey YOU! Ya' didn't think I could talk! Did ya'?!" I just about peed my pants! I spent half of the rest of the day trying to figure out how the car talked!

I spent the OTHER half trying to sneak into the projection booth!

You probably won't ever catch me going to a new "Herbie" movie. No matter how good it is it'll never measure up to the REAL Herbie!

Posted by Scott Balko (Member # 438) on 03-11-2005, 10:33 PM:

I don't know. We're dealing with a new generation of movie goers that don't remember Herbie. This version is going to appeal to kids whose parents may be young enough to not remember Herbie. So maybe it'll do good business. What I didn't like was the monster truck thing. The whole concept that little Herbie can go as fast as any race car is one thing, but beating up monster trucks is like going to a gang war with a feather pillow. [Roll Eyes]

You gotta respect the fact that it's still the classic beetle, no matter what they do with the CGI.

Posted by Brad Light (Member # 2961) on 03-13-2005, 09:05 PM:

Can't be as bad as Herbie Goes Bananas. Ran it last summer for a VW Bug Car Club that was touring this part of the US. There were about 50 new and old beetles at the Drive-In that night. The club was happy, their hero was on the big screen.

Posted by Robb Johnston (Member # 239) on 03-14-2005, 06:43 PM:

Herbie in NASCAR.

Perfect the folks who hate NASCAR will not watch anything associated with it, and NASCAR fans will not watch it for putting a VW beetle in the race and probably winning