Taking this to New York City and mixing the nasty monsters of Joe Dante's imagination with the nasty kiss butt employees of John Glover's mega billion dollar office complex provided not only a great story and lots of comedy, but made a nice analogy of how monstrous the corporate world can be in efforts to advance. Set literally across the street from where I work on Park Avenue, this shows a different horror in office suites that goes beyond the running out of coffee, back stabbing co-workers or grouchy bosses. Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates are back, and this time, Ms. Phoebe has a lot more to do. Gone unfortunately are Galligan's parents, but returning are their neighbors, played with small town tourist wide eyed innocence by Dick Miller and Jackie Joseph.
This overly proficient and very impersonal office complex has typical over zealous security (lead by a delightfully evil Robert Picardo), an uptight supervisor (the very funny Haviland Morris) with secret lustful feelings towards Zach, a Grandpa Munster like horror movie host (Robert Prosky), Christopher Lee as a weird scientist, and a drunken cooking show hostess, memorably played by the great Kathleen Freeman. There's a lot more comedy, often parodying the whole idea, and playfully making fun of New York all around. In short, there was a lot more imagination put into it with a few inside jokes (including a clever use of the voice of Tony Randall as an intellectual monster) and one that looks suspiciously like a drag queen who takes a shine to Picardo.
The Gremlins have more personality this time around too, but gone is the theory that these creatures need to go into some sort of pod in order to reveal their own true colors. They are still as malevolent as ever, but there's a delightful goofiness about each of them that makes each one more endearing, although I'd never want one, even the adorable Gizmo. When they break into "New York, New York" (lead by Randall), it becomes all the more hysterical, especially with Prosky's on the side reporter coverage of the goings on. Warner Brothers even spoofs it's own history with several musical numbers and a parody of Busby Berkeley. Any movie that drops a reference to "Singin' in the Bathtub" is o.k. in my book.
This overly proficient and very impersonal office complex has typical over zealous security (lead by a delightfully evil Robert Picardo), an uptight supervisor (the very funny Haviland Morris) with secret lustful feelings towards Zach, a Grandpa Munster like horror movie host (Robert Prosky), Christopher Lee as a weird scientist, and a drunken cooking show hostess, memorably played by the great Kathleen Freeman. There's a lot more comedy, often parodying the whole idea, and playfully making fun of New York all around. In short, there was a lot more imagination put into it with a few inside jokes (including a clever use of the voice of Tony Randall as an intellectual monster) and one that looks suspiciously like a drag queen who takes a shine to Picardo.
The Gremlins have more personality this time around too, but gone is the theory that these creatures need to go into some sort of pod in order to reveal their own true colors. They are still as malevolent as ever, but there's a delightful goofiness about each of them that makes each one more endearing, although I'd never want one, even the adorable Gizmo. When they break into "New York, New York" (lead by Randall), it becomes all the more hysterical, especially with Prosky's on the side reporter coverage of the goings on. Warner Brothers even spoofs it's own history with several musical numbers and a parody of Busby Berkeley. Any movie that drops a reference to "Singin' in the Bathtub" is o.k. in my book.