Michael Mando breaks down some classics that had a huge impact on him, including 2001: A Space Odyssey, and The Godfather trilogy.
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Title: Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Keanu Reeves | ... | Ted | |
| Alex Winter | ... | Bill | |
| George Carlin | ... | Rufus | |
| Terry Camilleri | ... | Napoleon | |
| Dan Shor | ... | Billy the Kid | |
| Tony Steedman | ... | Socrates | |
| Rod Loomis | ... | Freud | |
| Al Leong | ... | Genghis Khan | |
| Jane Wiedlin | ... | Joan of Arc | |
| Robert V. Barron | ... | Abraham Lincoln | |
| Clifford David | ... | Beethoven | |
| Hal Landon Jr. | ... | Captain Logan | |
| Bernie Casey | ... | Mr. Ryan | |
| Amy Stoch | ... | Missy / Mom (as Amy Stock-Poynton) | |
| J. Patrick McNamara | ... | Mr. Preston | |
In the small town of San Dimas, a few miles away from Los Angeles, there are two nearly brain dead teenage boys going by the names of Bill S, Preston ESQ. and Ted Theodore Logan, they have a dream together of starting their own rock and roll band called the "Wyld Stallyns". Unfortunately, they are still in high school and on the verge of failing out of their school as well, and if they do not pass their upcoming history report, they will be separated as a result of Ted's father sending him to military school. But, what Bill and Ted do not know is that they must stay together to save the future. So, a man from the future named Rufus came to help them pass their report. So, both Bill and Ted decided to gather up historical figures which they need for their report. They are hoping that this will help them pass their report so they can stay together. Written by John Wiggins
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I didn't come of age in the '80s, so I missed the era when people mindlessly called each other "dude" and said "totally" a lot. But fortunately, I've seen "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure", so I have some inkling of that culture. The movie of course focuses on SoCal high school students Ted Logan (Keanu Reeves) and Bill Preston (Alex Winter) who want to start a heavy metal band, but are flunking school. Little do they know that the fate of the universe in 700 years will depend on whether or not they ace their history report. No worries! Rufus (George Carlin) comes from the future and gives the two boys a phone booth, and they go back in time and pick up Socrates (pronounced SO-krayts), Genghis Khan, Joan of Arc, Napoleon Bonaparte, Ludwig van Beethoven, Abraham Lincoln, Billy the Kid and Sigmund Freud. Needless to say, these historical figures are a little befuddled when they arrive in San Dimas, and the people in San Dimas are befuddled by them.
Mostly, the movie is an excuse to have Bill and Ted be the dopey dudes that they are. Whether it's Ted saying that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife (which, it turns out, some people actually believe), or the two boys getting slinky with some medieval princesses, the movie's got something for everyone. It is TOTALLY AWESOME! If you ask me, they should have also picked up Mahatma Gandhi and Alfred Hitchcock.
One more thing: Stephen Herek scored a personal triumph with this movie, as he did with "Critters" and "Mr. Holland's Opus". Too bad that he drug himself down with fare such as "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead", "The Three Musketeers", "Rock Star" and "Life or Something Like It".