Back in ’82 this little movie came out about a boy who found an alien in his backyard. It was called E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Ever heard of it? He phoned home and whatnot? This was basically the movie that solidified Steven Spielberg as being not just a guy who was making great movies everybody liked, but as being the most important director in the world: the guy. When you see that Amblin Entertainment logo you know you’re in for a certain kind of movie designed to appeal to everyone, and it’s an image from E.T. that gets the job done. Russkies came out in ’87, when the outbreak of Spielberg imitator movies about kids going on adventures was in full swing. This one is about a group of kids who find a Russian naval officer who has washed up on the coast of their Florida town. Even Spielberg knockoffs as bad as Mac and Me still get mentioned when people start talking about the good old days of the 80s, when family programming was king, but I’ve never in my life heard anyone bring up Russkies. Considering two of the main three kids in this movie are a young Joaquin Phoenix (pre-hobo beard) and Peter Billingsley (pretty much the king of 80s nostalgia), how is this movie completely forgotten?

The world first learned about Jason Segel’s love of puppetry when he performed an all-puppet Dracula musical during the climactic moments of Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Segel then parlayed the success of that film into the fulfillment of a lifelong dream when he got handed the reins of Jim Henson’s iconic stable of puppet characters The Muppets for his upcoming film…The Muppets. Though all pre-release indicators point to the fact that Segel has gotten the voice of The Muppets just right and had a great time making not only the movie, but also the neverending tidal wave of ancillary marketing stuff, it still doesn’t seem like he’s gotten his fill of working with puppets just yet. As a matter of fact, this may be only the beginning. When talking to The Playlist about what he plans on doing next, Segel told an anecdote about reacquiring the first film he ever sold, “I actually just got back into possession my first script I ever sold when I was 21-years-old. It sat on a shelf and they didn’t know that it was the same Jason Segel. I came to them because the contract was up and I went to buy it up and they were like, ‘No, wait, that was you? That was your script?’ And I was like, ‘Yep, sorry dudes.’ So I now own it and I want to make it. It’s a kids adventure movie in the style of Goonies or Labyrinth or something like that. I think that’s the next [Due to Content Scraping and Theft, we have been forced to try abbreviated feeds. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and woud very much appreciate you clicking through to view the full article on FilmSchoolRejects.com]

Back in 1985, releasing a family film that was directed by Superman’s Richard Donner and had Steven Spielberg’s name plastered all over it as a writer and producer was pretty much the antithesis of a risky proposition. At this point in the mid 80s Spielberg and his crew of cohorts were at the height of their powers, churning out family friendly blockbusters one after another. So The Goonies never really had an uphill battle to climb. It was probably always going to be a success. The way that it took the ball and has continued to run with it, even twenty-six years later, is a little astounding though. This is a huge movie. If ever someone admits to not having seen it, they instantly get hit with an incredulous, “WHAT? YOU HAVEN’T SEEN GOONIES?” It’s almost to the point where the DVD gets sent to suburbanites in the mail with Peter Frampton records and samples of Tide. On the other end of the spectrum, The Monster Squad is a total cult movie. While it’s loved passionately by a small group of geeks, a normal person would have to very randomly stumble across something deep within the heart of the Internet to ever realize that this movie even exists. There aren’t any college frat boys wearing out their copy of Monster Squad like they are their copies of Goonies. There isn’t a new generation of young kids catching on to Fat Kid and Frankenstein the way they are Chunk and Sloth. [Due to Content Scraping and Theft, we have been forced to try abbreviated feeds. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and woud very much appreciate you clicking through to view the full article on FilmSchoolRejects.com]

This week, on a very special episode of Reject Radio, we talk with The Hangover Part II screenwriter Craig Mazin and continue the screenwriting/sequel theme with Kung Fu Panda 2 writers Jon Aibel and Glenn Berger. Plus, Katey Rich from Cinema Blend battles Jordan Raup of The Film Stage in the Movie News Pop Quiz Arena of Death. The result? You’ll have to listen to find out, but we end up talking about the bad week that 3D has been having. Reject Radio brings it on home this week, so kick off you shoes and stay awhile. Listen Here: Download This Episode

New Line and Mandaly Pictures are the heroes the day because they announced through Variety that they plan to make Furry Friday, the exact movie that you’re imagining right now in your mind based on the pun title. A dog and a cat swap bodies. It’s live-action. It cannot be a bad idea. Mandaly producer (and Oscar winner) Cathy Schulman’s script is getting a rewrite from writer David H. Steinberg. It’s an interesting choice considering that much of his work has been in the teenage world of American Pie 2 and the slightly out of teenage world of Slackers (which remains an underrated gem). He’s also the writer responsible for the forthcoming Puss in Boots movie. To reiterate: this is a movie about a dog and a cat switching bodies. You may scoff, but to the right is photographic proof that live-action animal movies can work incredibly well. Furry Friday will undoubtedly be a family-focused flick, and there’s nothing wrong with that. At the very least, we should be glad they aren’t trying to pun off of the Schulman-produced Darfur Now. Seriously. It would be so easy. They must have at least had a meeting about it.

Editor’s Note: This review first ran as part of our Fantastic Fest 2010 coverage, but Rare Exports sees a limited release this weekend, so we so it fit to re-run it for those interested. As we all know, Santa Claus is not to be trusted. He sneaks into our homes in the middle of the night, and doles out punishment for those who have been naughty during the year. If you’ve been nice, he leaves a gift as a symbolis reminder that he’ll be back, and he’ll be watching. Rare Exports takes a look at the darker side of the Santa Claus myth (which is totally real if you’re younger than 8 years old) by displaying the frightening origins of a magic man who steals bad children. After all, Claus is a type of boogeyman. He’s a figure talked about around the campfire to spook children into behaving. He’s a lot like Keyser Soze. We seem to have forgotten that in America (what with all the Tim Allen movies we can stand), but thankfully it’s something they haven’t forgotten in Finland.

Darren and Steve are best friends despite different upbringings and personalities. They both attend a mysterious Freak Show populated by fantastical beings, and Darren joins the ranks of the undead by becoming a vampire, but Steve will have his own, darker journey to go through.

Ever fantasized about Salma Hayek with a giant beard? Of course you haven’t (wink), but if you’re still curious about it, check out the new trailer for The Vampire’s Assistant.

Kevin Carr breaks down the week’s releases, looking at G-Force, The Ugly Truth, and Orphan.

In a pitch that sounds eerily like a 1980s Disney television movie, Charles Gibson will step behind the main lens for the first time with The Goblin.

Universal launches its opening toy-made film salvo with Stretch Armstrong arriving in early 2011. Should the public respond by throwing their money back?

Beverly Hills Chihuahua tops the box office again and Robert Fure’s got something to say, though you may not believe it ’til you read it.