If it had any other title, Lost Boys 2: The Tribe wouldn't provoke any outrage. But if it had any other title, would anybody give it a second glance? I harbored a ray of hope, but it doesn't take very long to realize that Lost Boys 2: The Tribe was always destined for the direct to video garbage heap.

The 1987 original, photographed by the superbly talented Michael Chapman, was super stylish and jammed with juicy performances, cynical wisecracks, and post-modern tweaks to cinematic vampire legends. The best idea was placing fanged lords of the night in a sun-soaked California coastal town populated by aging hippies and freaks, not to mention a boardwalk, rollercoaster, and great, crashing surf.

As a budget sequel, LB2 has to make do with less attractive, less flattering video imagery and the rockier Canadian coastline standing in for "Santa Carla" * (actually, Santa Cruz, California). The script by Hans Rodionoff makes some half-hearted attempts to tie in the original (antlers and motorcycles, anyone?), but is bereft of any new twists of its own. Director P. J. Pesce makes certain to include the obligatory amount of gore required to justify the so-called "uncut" version, with notable attention to ripped throats and spilled intestines, along with bared body parts displayed by lovelies such as Moneca Delain. LB2 has precisely two good moments -- one in the opening scene, provided by Tom Savini -- stranded within 94 minutes of running time.

Whether you're excited or apprehensive, production on the second edition of The Lost Boys is now underway, bringing us the Frog brothers' latest vampiric adventure. (This is one without the infamous co-Corey, as Erik told us in September.) Now Edgar Frog, otherwise known as Corey Feldman, has thrown up a holiday post for his fans that includes tidbits about the production as well as some preview pics for Lost Boys 2: The Tribe. I have been fully expecting to hate this whole production, but I must say -- seeing these two pictures did tap into some of my old Lost Boys fangirl glee. Maybe this could be a good, fun sequel. ...Maybe?

The first pic has Feldman throwing up the serious vampire-fighting finger at Tad Hilgenbrink, who you might have caught in last year's abysmal Epic Movie as Cyclops. The second picture has Feldman armed, poutingly serious, and patrolling a dark tunnel. I'm not expecting a masterpiece, but at least it looks like Corey found his way back to his inner Frog. The actor also threw up a blog post, and in between prayers and chatter for fans, he talks a bit about Warner Brothers' plans for the film. DC Comics will be releasing a 4-issue series to fill in the blanks between the first and second films. (How will they explain away Corey Haim? Did Mama Weist collect them off to a safer city?) And get this -- from the fingers of Feldman: "they are already talking about doing a third... ..;)" The optimist in me wants to believe that this decision is because of how very well production is going, but the pessimist is certain this is just one of those crappy sequel decisions.

In the meantime, there's one more bit of gossip that Corey shared. If you caught the first season of The Two Coreys, and are itching for part two, you might have to hold your breath. It seems that while A&E have ordered a second season, Corey isn't sure he wants to do it because he had a falling out with Haim: "the problems Haim and I have in real life occurred after the show was over and do not have anything to do with the banter from last season. That said, if we do come back, the next season will have to be darker, edgier, and more real because that's where it's at." A dark and edgy Two Coreys? Oh, my!

Rogue

I don't care how many times they push it back, or how much potential for hackneyed disaster there is in a film about a killer crocodile -- I'm looking forward to Rogue, mostly because there was a lot that impressed me about Greg Mclean's debut film, 2005's Wolf Creek. For one thing, it was bold enough to defy several horror cliches, such as foreshadowing dread in the early scenes -- the first thirty minutes of Wolf Creek could be part of an Aussie road drip dramedy, with three aimless kids taking their rickety car way too far into unsafe areas of the Outback. It's also a film that's completely unrelenting in the psychic trauma it wants to inflict on the audience. By the time the slaughtering starts, we know these characters -- we care about them. Frankly, Mclean seems like he'd be completely bored with making a standard slasher/monster film with paper-thin characters. Therefore, I'm going to be first in line for his killer croc movie, and wait for my enthusiasm to blow up in my face.

Friday the 13th

I have no idea if this will get to theaters by late 2008, but I know that Platinum Dunes does have the gears grinding, so it's a possibility. In fact, a little birdie recently told me something hilarious -- Corey Feldman went in and pitched himself as the star of this thing. For those who don't remember, Feldman played Vorhees foe Tommy Jarvis in two installments of the original series, and he apparently had designs on making the Friday remake his newest comeback vehicle. There's really nothing you can do with Jason at this point other than remake him, but how? Word is that PD wants the remake to feature both Jason and his trademark mask -- two elements that didn't congeal until Part III of the original series, so I'm imagining a smelting together of the first three films, set in modern day and with a lot of in-jokes. I guess it will be a film about a little boy who drowns in a lake and immediately morphs into an overgrown, lumbering killer with a machete. Sounds intriguing.

The Goonies never say die, but I think that maybe the universe is trying to rid them of that motto. Since the movie came out over 20 years ago, Richard Donner and Steven Spielberg have been itching for a remake -- and not only a run-of-the-mill live action one. In 2005, there was a pitch that Spielberg and the cast were behind, but Warner Brothers wouldn't bite on. (A movie company not into a sequel? Crazy talk!) But it wasn't the only sequel pitch they threw around. Earlier this year, they got into the musical craze. Then Warner Bros. was actually thinking about a direct-to-DVD sequel. What else is there? More talk about an animated Goonies.

At first, the idea went nowhere, even though the concept art was pretty cool. Now, it looks like it might gear up again, if Corey Feldman is to be believed. MTV recently chatted with the actor, who is currently busy with the Lost Boys sequel, and he says that the current push is again for some animation. Considering how many options have been explored this year alone, I wouldn't hold my breath on this becoming a reality. As Corey says: "There's been so many. The one that I heard that worked the best was all of us were now grown up, and have kids. And those kids get into some trouble and end up stumbling across some link to our past. They discover who we really are and what we went through. And, simultaneously, the Fratelli brothers find out that the kids have found out -- so they're out to get the kids and the kids are out to save their lives and their families." It's not surprising that was the best choice -- he also says others had him working in Vegas and as a trial lawyer. So, there's a tiny chance we might get a Goonies cartoon. What do you think?

So I'm usually not one to get all worked up about a remake/sequel of a favorite film. (lord knows it happens often enough) You just sort of get used to it. However I have yet to work up that Zen attitude for the straight-to-DVD sequel to The Lost Boys, which looks like it'll go by the title Lost Boys 2: The Tribe. Let's just say I have a bad feeling about the whole thing. Moviehole.net is reporting that sources have confirmed that Warner Premiere (the direct-to-DVD production arm of Warner Bros.) has already started casting their teen bloodsuckers. According to Moviehole's sources; Angus Sutherland -- Keifer's half-brother, will be joined by, Kyle Cassie (Devour), Shaun Sipos (The Grudge 2) and Merwin Mondesir (Godsend) as fellow 'Lost Boys'.

This time the story focuses on another pair of siblings who move to Trinidad, California (What? No Santa Carla?) and are targeted by the vampire gang. This time it's not about motorcycles, it's all about the surfboards -- that's right, vampire surfers. Back in January, Scott confirmed that not only was a sequel in the works, but that already it had been pegged for the straight to video market -- which is never a good sign. Then just last June Monika gave us the news that Autumn Reeser (best known as Taylor on The OC) had been hired to play the new girl in town who is seduced by the vampire surfers. Since then it has been reported that living cautionary tales for child stars everywhere Corey Feldman and Corey Haim would be returning to reprise their roles from the first film. (Although Haim's involvement is still up for debate due to some pesky immigration issues.) So I might be biased when I say that with an expanding C-list cast and a ridiculous plot even for a vampire movie ... as much as I love the original, it's probably for the best that this flick is going straight to the DVD bin.

Last time we told you about Lost Boys 2, Corey Haim was bent over, arms wrapped around Corey Feldman, crying like a guy who just realized his various drug addictions had caused his career to go into the toilet. The scene was part of the new "reality" show The Two Coreys, and it began when Feldman told Haim they were making a direct-to-DVD Lost Boys sequel without, well, the two Coreys. Feldman insisted that he had been asked to make a cameo, but wasn't going to if Haim wasn't invited to join in on the fun too. Now, however, it appears a lot has changed. ShockTillYouDrop is reporting (via an anonymous source) that not only are Feldman and Haim returning for the sequel, but fellow Frog brother Jamison Newlander (who also appeared on the "reality" show in the same episode) will join them.

And just when you thought things couldn't get any stranger, the horror site also claims Keifer Sutherland's half-brother, Angus Sutherland, has been cast as the film's vampire villain. (For those not familiar with the original, Kiefer himself played villain.) His half-brother. Angus. I love it! Tad Hilgenbrink and Autumn Reeser have been cast in the lead roles, while P.J. Pesce (From Dusk Till Dawn 3) will direct. Production is set to begin a week from tomorrow. Now I'm not one to anticipate direct-to-DVD sequels, but this one has the potential of being so damn bad, I'm almost dying to see it. If anything, it should be fascinating to watch Feldman, Haim and Newlander together again, on the small screen, for the first time in 20 years. Hopefully some movie theater out there will host a screening of the sequel, because for my money, I want to witness this atrocity on the big screen first.

It seems like another lifetime ago when Corey Feldman was the bad boy and Corey Haim was the good-boy darling. Personally, I was quite a fan of The Haim and how he said "Hello, honey" in Dream a Little Dream, and thought he was the star to the dark Mr. Feldman. Their successes succumbed to battles with drugs, and now Feldman is the clean and stable Corey trying to help his old friend regain the spotlight. The New York Times spent some time with the actors, whose faux reality show premiered last night, and as Feldman sees it: "We're producing. We're in on the joke." But are they?

Earlier this month, Erik Davis posted about a clip from the show where Feldman tells Haim that he was approached for The Lost Boys sequel, but they didn't want Lucas too. Haim cried, and the pair shared a particularly creepy, sad moment. I would hazard a guess that Haim is trying to be in on the joke in order to help his career, but not completely feeling it -- sort of a "Hey, I'm cool and can make fun of myself! Hire me!" In the Times piece, Mickey Rapkin describes a point in their dinner where a young woman approaches their table for a picture of Feldman. When she was walking away, Feldman called after her: "Corey Haim is right there. Take his picture." Rapkin then describes: "The fan turned to Mr. Haim. 'Do you want me to take your picture?' she asked reluctantly. He was already leaning back, posing."

The scene sounds like something that would've been perfect for the show -- if they follow the same theme as the clip -- Feldman trying to help his struggling and sad friend. The pair might be producing the show, but I wonder if this will just make people pity and joke about Haim all the more, instead of helping the actor move past his struggles. At least Haim didn't bite on another pitch, where a producer wanted him to "knock on the doors of former co-stars to see if they would let him in." Ouch. If any of you have seen The Two Coreys, what do you think?

Wow, either this is Corey Feldman and Corey Haim doing some hysterical improv, or this is Corey Feldman and Corey Haim during one of their lamest moments ever. You may have heard there's a new "celeb-reality" show hitting A&E (and called The Two Coreys) that features Feldman and Haim all grown up, (and sharing a house together?). Well, a clip from the show has popped up on MySpace -- it shows Feldman breaking the news to his friend that a Lost Boys 2 is in the works, and their participation was not needed. Feldman tells Haim that he was asked to perform a cameo, but rejected it when they wouldn't allow his buddy to appear in the film as well. From there, Haim just loses it -- he gets all choked up, pulls Feldman in for one of those "thanks for getting my back" hugs, and -- sniff, sniff -- begins to cry.

Dude, it's a straight-to-DVD Lost Boys sequel! Are you kidding me!? You're crying? While seeing these two back together again conjures up all sorts of great childhood memories, I couldn't help but chuckle during their Lost Boys "moment." I mean, after all, these two really are a couple of lost boys ... in more ways than one. But I also have to wonder whether this whole thing was real, or if it was just an act. VHI recently kicked off a similar show in which they follow around '80s hunk Scott Baio with a camera while he visits all of his ex-girlfriends in an attempt to find out why all his relationships go sour. (I know, I watch lame TV shows. Big deal. Wanna fight about it?) After watching one episode, it was pretty obvious that this wasn't a straight reality show; that at least certain aspects of it were staged and/or scripted. Could the same thing be going on with Feldman and Haim? Did some director-type tell them to talk about Lost Boys 2 and cry? All I know is that there was a time when Haim was on way too many drugs to function; perhaps the rehab and 12-step programs turned him into an emotional mess. Either way, it's nice to see both of these guys healthy again. And I'll watch the show anyway, while singing: "Get out of my dreams ... and into my car ... "

Probably the best gift I was given by a friend as a kid was a huge binder that contained probably 100 magazine clippings of Corey Haim. That night, the space around my bed became a shrine, and every morning I could wake up to him looking at me, while I imagined that he'd say "Hello, honey!" a la Dream a Little Dream. Never in my life did I imagine that his cohort in crime, Corey Feldman would become the clean and centered one, while Haim would be the barely-clean bum. Now, not only do they have a series coming that Martha gave us a heads up on, but Feldman has got more feature film work.

He's signed on to play a Hollywood agent in The Bloke Goes to Hollywood, an Aussie comedy produced by Cameron Miller, which will star Melbourne-born comedian Chris Franklin. The producer says: "It's basically about an Aussie bloke, who's a stand-out comedian, who goes to Hollywood to seek his fame and fortune." They're definitely bringing up buzz the right way, because Feldman isn't the only recognizable face. Nikki Griffin from The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift has signed on to the cast along with...wait for it...the professional wrestler and They Live! actor himself, Rowdy Roddy Piper. While I'm not terribly titillated by the premise, I can't help but be sort of curious for the actors in here. I wonder if Feldman will get Haim an appearance, and will anyone else pop up? Maybe Kerri Green?

According to a frighteningly detailed report at Moviehole, it appears that Corey Haim and Corey Feldman have signed on to star in a new TV series that production company RDF USA will start pitching to networks tomorrow. Great news or sign of the apocalypse: You decide.

According to Moviehole, the show is aiming to be the latest installment in the "Look, We're Playing Cleverly Fictionalized Versions of Ourselves!" subgenre that has erupted over the past 12 months or so (yes, I blame Curb Your Enthusiasm for Fat Actress, The Comeback, and So noTORIous). The plot, such as it is, will feature Corey #1 (That's Feldman) living a solid, suburban life with his wife and kid. All hell breaks lose, however, when that Crazy Corey #2 (Haim, for those of you with the attention spans of goldfish) -- "single and the total opposite of Feldman" -- shows up and screws up his stable, predictable existence.

If this one works, networks should expect to be fielding pitches from Judd Nelson in just a matter of minutes.