Beverly Hills Cop Tagged Articles at Cinematical

OK, maybe not literally. I mean, the rise of Brett Ratner probably isn't a sign of the end-times, although anyone who saw Rush Hour 3 might feel a little differently. So say what you want about him as a director, at least he's not deluded about his place in film history. In an interview with Starpulse, the director that everyone loves to hate was promoting his DVD tribute, The Shooter Series, but the conversation soon drifted to Ratner's rep among the comic book crowd where he had a few choice words for his detractors, saying, "You can't make these people happy. I'm kind of the Anti-Christ to these comic book geeks. Every single person that wrote shit went to see that movie multiple times because a movie doesn't gross $200 something million unless people go to see it more than once. Every single person who said, "I'm never seeing that movie," they were the first ones there."

It might pain me to say this, but the man has a point.

When it comes to our personal 'kinks' there isn't much that can keep fans away from the theater (case in point: I know I'll be there opening day for a Whedonless Buffy). But let's be honest: getting so-called geeks into the theater for the big-screen treatment of a beloved hero is the cinematic equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel. Yet that hasn't stopped Ratner from seeing everything he does as a huge success, telling Starpulse: "Mine [X-Men:The Last Stand] outgrossed the other two by far. Mine was the one that made the most narrative sense." The sound you just heard was my head hitting the keyboard ... repeatedly. But I guess that's one thing about Ratner that will never change: for him, box office will always be in direct proportion to quality.

After the jump: a Beverly Hills Cop IV update...

Love him or hate him, you've got to hand it to Brett Ratner for keeping his career in motion. Variety brings word that the hustling filmmaker plans to take his Rat Entertainment company from New Line, where it first settled in 1996, to a first-look deal with Paramount Pictures. Ratner says the departure of New Line execs Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne in February convinced him it was time to move on. At Paramount, Ratner will probably get bigger budgets and executives more receptive to his blockbuster-ready concepts. Stating the obvious, Ratner told Variety he "will not be pitching art films. I want to make major tentpole movies." You don't say?

Unless you're Scott Foundas, you probably balk at the idea of more Ratner movies populating the mainstream film scene, but the guy does fit the proper archetype of the classic Hollywood powerhouse. A modern day Sammy Glick, he knows how to make movies that bring out the audiences, whether or not they're any good. But maybe that determination means that, one day, Ratner will make a lot of great movies. His planned Hugh Hefner biopic sounds promising -- or at least, appropriate.

Still, that's a little ways off. Encouraged by his experience with X-Men: The Last Stand, Ratner decided he wanted to work on a new superhero franchise, so he's adapting Valiant Comics' Harbinger. Also in his queue: Beverly Hills Cop 4, The Incredible Shrinking Man and The Boys From Brazil. Do these projects get anyone excited? Anyone at all?

I wasn't entirely thrilled with the news that Brett Ratner was bringing Axel Foley back to the screen with Beverly Hills Cop IV. But the news that it would be made kid friendly just completely killed it, along with the statement: "10-year-old kids, 12-year-old kids don't really know the old Beverly Hills Cop. So it's an opportunity to make it new for kids." How thoughtful. I'm sure the tykes were sitting there, realizing that something was missing from their lives ... Norbit as a cop! That's it!

Anyhow, it looks like Sam might be getting his wish, and that Eddie Murphy wasn't thrilled with the sequel idea either. He spoke to ExtraTV, and said he's planning to leave the movie biz after the release of his latest film, Meet Dave. Now that doesn't mean it'll be Eddie's last (he's also got flicks like A Thousand Words on the way), but it does look like Dave will inspire a big, finite wave to the movie industry so that Murphy can "go back to the stage and do standup."

So, what about BHC? He said he didn't want to do it because "the movie wasn't ready to be done." On Bev III, Murphy noted: "They said, 'this is how much we're going to pay you.' I said, 'let's go shoot it! I don't care if the script ain't right.'" Some sites are taking his first statement to mean he's out, while others think he is still in and itching to do it. If he really is retiring, then he's definitely out, and Ratner will have to find a new Foley, or give up the project. Let's hope he's done and it's the latter.

UPDATE: Latino Review spoke to Ratner recently who debunked the "it's for kids" rumors, saying "Dont believe everything you read on the internet. Believe me, this is going to be a hard core 'R' Beverly Hills Cop. I start shooting next year" So ... is Eddie in or he is out?

Ed Note: Corrected the quote since it's clear he was talking Bev III and not IV.

... And you thought the announcement of Beverly Hills Cop IV meant Eddie Murphy was returning to his old potty mouth days. Well, think again, movie fans. The director who ruined the X-Men franchise and the studio that nearly ruined the Indiana Jones franchise is about to ruin the Beverly Hills Cop franchise. Unless the third one already did that (I actually skipped it, so I'm unsure). Brett Ratner, who is signed on to helm the return of Axel Foley (Murphy), told MTV Movies Blog the following bit of sacrilege: "10-year-old kids, 12-year-old kids don't really know the old 'Beverly Hills Cop.' So it's an opportunity to make it new for kids. The same way it felt for me watching 'Beverly Hills Cop' when I was a kid, that's what I want to do for kids today."

Except that when you were a kid, Brett, a movie like Beverly Hills Cop could be made and marketed for all ages despite its R rating. Plus you were 15 when the original came out. Not 10 or 12. Me, I was 7, and I saw it in the theater. And I saw the second one, also R-rated, in the theater at the age of 10. So, I understand that it's fine to let the wee ones see them. But, realistically, you can't make another R-rated BHC and publicly say it's for kids nor can you make a PG or PG-13 BHC and expect it to be anything like it was for you.

Now that John McClane, Rocky Balboa and John Rambo have made their return to the big screen -- with Indiana Jones on his way -- the question seems pretty obvious: Who will be the next 1980s action hero to come out of retirement and enjoy one last explosion of mindless mayhem and crazy carnage? I have a few suggestions...

Marion "Cobra" Cobretti (Cobra, 1986) -- After the original First Blood, Stallone went a little insane and not only directed the hilariously bad Staying Alive ... he also starred opposite Dolly Parton in Rhinestone. So obviously it was time for A) Rambo 2, B) Rocky 4, and a powerfully mindless cop flick called Cobra. It grossed only about $50 milion, but that's pretty solid in 1986 money. Oh, and Stallone's subsequent movie? The arm-wrestling one. Other options for Sly: Gabe "Cliffhanger" Walker (which is apparently already in development), Frank "Lock Up" Leone, Lincoln "Over the Top" Hawk ... and (of course) Detective Ray Tango.

"Dirty" Harry Callahan (Dirty Harry, 1971; Magnum Force, 1973; The Enforcer, 1976; Sudden Impact, 1983; The Dead Pool, 1986) -- Pretty damn unlikely, but I'd love to see Dirty Harry polish off the pistol just one last time. Hell, send him after the terrorists! (Another, more realistic wish: Clint Eastwood will deliver at least one more western in the vein of The Outlaw Josey Wales, Pale Rider, or Unforgiven.)

It took six years for Brett Ratner to convince Chris Tucker to return to the big screen for another go-round with Jackie Chan, and as Rush Hour 3 heads to theaters this weekend, I decided to take a look back at some of my favorite 'Buddy Cop" films, as well as ask you for yours. While a lot of people normally associate "Buddy Cop" films with lots of humor, that's not always the case. One of my favorite "Buddy Cop" films of all time -- believe it or not -- is Se7en. There you have your classic "One guy's about to retire, but has to work with the new, unpredictable recruit on one last case" set-up, but it heads in a very dark and disturbing direction. And talk about an ending -- probably one of the most memorable of any "Buddy Cop" movie in history.

But seeing as most "Buddy Cop" films are action-comedies, the majority of our favorites fall into that category. Edgar Wright's Hot Fuzz (which was, essentially, a genre parody) ranks right up with there with my favorite "Buddy Cop" flicks of all time. Not only does it poke fun at a genre we've grown to love over the years, but it's so freaking clever in the way it merges two genres (the classic British murder mystery and the high-octane action flick) into one hilarious, non-stop good time. Of course, I can't mention the "Buddy Cop" genre without giving props to Lethal Weapon, 48 Hrs. and Beverly Hills Cop (which some claim is not a "Buddy Cop" film and more of an Eddie Murphy vehicle, but I beg to differ). How does the Rush Hour franchise stack up against these gems? Not very well, in my opinion (partly because Tucker's idea of comedy is simply to talk REAL loud), but the box office was very kind to the first two installments -- so what do I know? I'll be seeing the third one later this afternoon, but until then ...

... I ask you: What are your favorite "Buddy Cop" films, and why?

What with Rocky, Rambo and John McClane making late comebacks, it only makes sense that we'd get a new visit from Axel Foley. If producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura has his way, we'll be seeing Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop 4 some time relatively soon. (Yes, even after that third one. Ugh.)

The producer told ComingSoon.net that while they haven't officially hired any writers yet, they've been consulting with folks and trying to hash out what the infamous cop's next adventure might be like: "We have not hired a writer yet, but we've been analyzing the franchise and asking lots and lots of people about Axel Foley. 'What do you love about Axel and what would you want to see with an Axel Foley movie?' I think we have enough information now that we'll probably be hiring a writer in the next four to eight weeks and taking a good shot at it."

The original Beverly Hills Cop (1984, Martin Brest) still stands as one of the mega-blockbusters of all time ($234 million, domestic). The first sequel (Tony Scott, 1987) was more of the same, right down to the profit margin ($153 million). The wholly unnecessary and frankly terrible second sequel (1994, John Landis) pretty much killed the franchise ($43 million) ... until now, it seems. Despite the fact that I only like the first BHC flick, I'd probably be open to a third sequel. If I have to choose between Beverly Hills Cop 4 or Norbit 2, well, that's not a very tough decision. (Knowing Eddie, we'll probably get both of those movies.)

This past Sunday, after I watched in disgust as the Giants blew a 21-point lead, I searched for a film on cable to ease the pain. Though I had already watched it over a hundred times, Beverly Hills Cop II seemed like the right fit for the mood I was in. I picked it up about 25 minutes into the film, as Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) was attempting to sneak into the gun club by convincing the receptionist he was carrying some sort of nuclear explosives that would detonate if their voices rose above a whisper. I love that scene. I love this movie. Some of Murphy's greatest improv is found in Beverly Hills Cop and Beverly Hills Cop II -- however, the franchise took a high-dive into an empty pool when it attempted to re-visit Foley's antics in Beverly Hills Cop III.

While Murphy has always been attached to star in a fourth installment, after the third one bombed -- $44 million at the box office, whereas the first two grossed $234 million and $153 million (domestically) -- folks were a wee bit weary. However, Paramount now wants to bring back The Foley, and are currently out to writers -- Beverly Hills Cop IV is officially a go. Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Constantine, Transformers) will come on as producer, with Murphy heavily involved in all the decision making. Personally (and Axel Foley is one of my favorite characters of all time, so this certainly hits home pretty damn hard), I'm game for another sequel -- I just wish Jerry Bruckheimer was involved. His participation was critical during the first two films and, after bailing on the third, it definitely showed.

What do you think about reviving the character and making a fourth film? If they could do it with Die Hard, why not Beverly Hills Cop, right?

I know you all started mentally humming the Axel F. theme when you read that headline, regardless of if you'd actually pay money to go see a movie called Beverly Hills Cop 4, so let's keep this short and sweet: A source of questionable veracity (London's The Sun) has indicated that animated ass extraordinaire Eddie Murphy will indeed show up to get paid for a third sequel in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise.

This series would make for one heckuva flaccid line graph:

Beverly Hills Cop (1984) -- $234 million in domestic box office -- and people liked it.
Beverly Hills Cop 2 (1987) -- $154 million -- and people tolerated it.
Beverly Hills Cop 3 (1994) -- $43 million -- and people pretty much hated it.

So now comes word that a new Axel adventure is on the horizon. Who would you get to direct the thing? (My vote is for McG ... or Woody Allen.) And would you have Murphy saying stuff like "I'm gettin' too old for this #@%*!" before kicking into that weird, braying laugh of his?