When I was a kid, Tom and Jerry was one of my favorite cartoons. I don’t know why. I mean, I’d love to tell you that it was because it was quality entertainment, but I suspect it was because I enjoyed watching the little guy get to win for a change. The fact that the little guy often won with the help of a large mallet was even better, of course. (Yes, my other favorite cartoon was the perpetual battle between Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner.)

Still, despite my affinity for the cat-and-mouse duo, I find this recent movie news a little… perplexing:

Warner Bros. is turning to Tom and Jerry to create its own “Alvin and the Chipmunks”-like family franchise.

Plans are to bring the constantly warring cat and mouse to life as CG characters that run around in live-action settings.

Studio-based Dan Lin, currently producing the upcoming “Sherlock Holmes” and exec producer on “Terminator: Salvation,” will adapt the classic Hanna-Barbera property as an origin story that reveals how Tom and Jerry first meet and form their rivalry before getting lost in Chicago and reluctantly working together during an arduous journey home.

First of all, getting lost in Chicago and working together to get home…? And second… didn’t the Chipmunks movie kind of bomb? But hey, what do I know….

I’ve been meaning to tell you about this one for a few days—it seems that Pinocchio is getting a modern makeover:

A new version of “Pinocchio” is on its way to the big screen, this one to be co-directed by acclaimed children’s book illustrator Gris Grimly and executive produced by Guillermo del Toro.

The adaptation, being made by the Jim Henson Co., will be done as a stop-motion animated feature. Henson co-CEOs Brian Henson and Lisa Henson and senior vp feature films Jason Lust are producing.

The aim is to make a dark, twisted retelling of the famous Carlo Collodi fairy tale about the wooden puppet who dreams of becoming a real boy. In the retelling, when Pinocchio comes to life, he turns out not to be that nice of a boy, creating mischief and playing mean tricks. He eventually learns a few lessons. The story and the look of the feature will be based on the 2002 children’s book illustrated by Grimly, who is repped by Gotham Group.

And I know I’m dating myself, here, but when I saw the headline (‘Pinocchio’ to feature Gris Grimly as director) I immediately thought it said it would be directed by Ed Grimley. But, ah, no. It’s Gris Grimly. Still very cool, but different.

(Though how cool would it be if it was directed by Ed Grimley…? Okay, shutting up, now.)

I think I saw the original Ghostbusters in the theater four or five times. Hey, it was the 80s, the music was catchy, the plot both funny and frightening, and I’d probably inhaled so much Aquanet hair spray that I kept forgetting how it ended. Who knows. Certainly it was one of my favorite for a long time.

The second movie wasn’t as good; sequels rarely are, of course. But when I think of the 80s, I always think of Ghostbusters.

[Don't cross the streams!]

I’ll confess to being perhaps ridiculously excited by the notion of a third movie in the series, now, as Harold Ramis recently confirmed:

“yes, columbia is developing a script for GB3 with my year one writing partners, gene stupnitsky and lee eisenberg. judd apatow is co-producing year one and has made several other films for sony, so of course the studio is hoping to tap into some of the same acting talent. aykroyd, ivan reitman and i are consulting at this point, and according to dan, bill murray is willing to be involved on some level. he did record his dialogue for the new ghostbusters video game, as did danny and i, and ernie hudson. the concept is that the old ghostbusters would appear in the film in some mentor capacity. not much else to say at this point. everyone is confident a decent script can be written and i guess we’ll take it from there.
best,
harold

Ghostbusters! Back again! Ready for the next generation to have nightmares about the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man! Aaaaaawesome! Right?

Well… maybe. The Underwire’s Jenna Wortham isn’t so sure:

Would a geek-friendly revamp with a Judd Apatow ensemble cast improve upon — or destroy — fans’ memories of that fabulous ’80s aesthetic? (Akroyd told E Online that the idea of Apatow and actor Seth Rogen working on the Ghostbusters sequel would be “an absolute dream.”)

The nearly guaranteed heavy-handed use of CGI also could slime the sequel. Would it be worth it to risk fouling the franchise with a film that might fall a few protons short of audience expectations, like 2001’s Planet of the Apes or Peter Jackson’s King Kong?

Hmph. I choose to believe that this could be great; my Magic 8 Ball said it would be.

I don’t consider myself a Star Wars geek, not really. Like any child of the 70s, I went to the original movie and was wowed. The effects! The story! That hunky Harrison Ford! (Well, okay, maybe that last sentiment didn’t come along until much later. Give me a break; I was only six when it hit the theaters.)

Thus my love of Star Wars was born—in a mall cinema where I sat transfixed, hard-pressed to tell you whether the Jedis or the Milk Duds I was eating were more interesting.

When the “new” Star Wars movies started coming out, when I was older, I found myself somewhat affronted. Part of the allure was the cheesy special effects! But darned if the new movies weren’t pretty good, too. And now there’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars coming out tomorrow, and I don’t know what to think.

On the one hand, hey, more Star Wars! And it’s CGI, which might be really, really cool. Certainly the kids are eager to check it out. But on the other hand, Rotten Tomatoes isn’t impressed. And I’m a purist, you know? Although Star Wars was an animated TV series for a while, the movies aren’t (shouldn’t be) animated. I think.

Here’s some links to check out, just in case you want to investigate further:

• Go watch the official trailer, if you haven’t seen it already.
• Check out the Wookieepedia for information, or just because it’s fun to say “The Wookieepedia.”
• Read all about the movie in Scientific American (just like it’s real science).
• Or just find out the answers to Seven Burning Questions About Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

I think I’ll wait for this one to go to DVD, but then again, I’m a lightweight.