I could take or leave most of Will Ferrell's movies, but I've got to give props to a guy who keeps coming back to the 1970's - he simply can't help himself. On SNL he exhibited his 70's flair as a cowbell player for Blue Öyster Cult and was reportedly obsessed with Jerry Reed (Smokey & the Bandit) and showed up to work for an entire year dressed like him (my kind of guy!). Then his film career began, and we are treated to a series of 70's based films including: Dick, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Starsky & Hutch, and Semi-Pro. If that weren't enough, he chose the name Marshal Willenholly for his character in the Jay and Silent Bob movie (a loving reference to "Land of the Lost").
Which brings me to his next film, Land of the Lost, which is due in theaters in 2009. I have a slight concern: Ferrell has certainly earned his 1970's street cred, but this indicates the movie is taking a comedic angle. Let's not turn "Land of the Lost" into another comedy like Starskey & Hutch, please. The stories on that show were not your typical Saturday morning fare - it was actually quite complex and thought provoking (and the Sleestack scared the crap out of me as a child) - but the best thing about it was that it was played straight. Like "Dr. Who", it may have suffered from lousy special effects, but the show never let itself turn into camp. My generation rooted for the Marshalls, we got to know the characters, and got hooked on the show's mythology. This was not H. R. Puffinstuf, this was legitimate sci-fi. I'd like to have faith in Ferrell's love for retro culture, but I saw what happened with Bewitched and I must admit, I'm a bit cynical.
I guess we'll see in '09. Until then, "Stay classy San Diego".
7/5/08 addendum: I just saw the preview for the new Will Ferrell movie, Step Brothers, and he's prominently wearing a Pablo Cruise shirt. That's my man - he's still keepin' that 70's thing alive! See it here.
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