Entertainment
Every Reference The 'Burbs Remake Makes To The Original Tom Hanks Movie
By Brian Myers
| Published
When Peacock released all eight episodes of its new series The ‘Burbs in early February, some speculated the endeavor would serve as a true remake of the 1989 film of the same name. Viewers were instead greeted with a stand-alone set of episodes that, while sharing some similarities with its source material, forged its own way into the annals of modern creepy comedies. Though fans will see both as separate entities, showrunners for the series packed it full of nods and references to the movie that inspired it.
Connection To The Source Material
The ‘Burbs is a 1989 comedy that follows residents of the fictional suburb Hinkley Hills as they begin to believe that their newest neighbors are killers. When elderly neighbor Walter Seznick mysteriously vanishes, the men from the cul-de-sac develop a scheme to expose the reclusive Klopek family as mass murderers. Of course, nothing goes to plan, and wacky antics and memorable one-liners ensue. Despite having an all-star cast that included Tom Hanks, Carrie Fisher, Gale Gordon, and Bruce Dern, the movie showed mediocre box office receipts and was the subject of mixed reviews by the critics of its day.
Like the movie, the streaming series centers around the new owner of the creepy house on the block. In the reboot, the mystery is explored by neighborhood residents Samira (Keke Palmer), Dana (Paula Pell), Tod (Mark Proksch), and Lynn (Julia Duffy). The quartet works to expose the truth behind a mysterious disappearance, focusing their suspicions on the reclusive Gary Wilson (Justin Kirk). Both the show and the film use copious amounts of dark humor and witty dialogue, interspersed with the very horrific idea of what it might be like to live on the same block as an elusive murderer.
Callbacks And Cameos Aplenty
On the surface, that’s where the similarities between the 1989 comedy and the modern show seem to end. The film goes off the rails quickly, with its main characters beginning to believe that their new neighbors are ghouls who engage in human sacrifice, while the show focuses on an old missing-persons case from Samira’s husband’s childhood. As the most die-hard fans of Tom Hanks’ most underrated project have pointed out, however, is that each episode of the series pays homage to its cinematic predecessor. Cameo appearances, character references, and word-for-word one-liners have all worked together to neatly tie together a modern hit with a cinematic classic.
Sharp-eyed fans have noticed that the show’s recurring guest star Wendy Schaal (Family Guy, Innerspace) plays the role of Judy, the community’s sharp-nosed librarian. Years earlier, Schaal played Bonnie, the young wife of grizzled Vietnam veteran Mark Rumsfield (Bruce Dern) and neighbor to the film’s main protagonist Ray Peterson (Tom Hanks). While Schaal’s part in the 2026 series is minimal, her casting was a nice touch and a great nod to the movie.
But Schaal wasn’t the only cast member from the 1989 project that movie fans will recognize. In the season finale, viewers are treated to a cameo appearance by 80s/90s movie icon Corey Feldman (The Lost Boys, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter). Feldman’s unnamed character leaves a scene with a line that directly references one uttered multiple times by his 1989 character, Ricky Butler. When the pool hustler he portrays wins his game, he grabs the money from the table, looks into the camera, and declares, “God, I love this place.” That line is a near word-for-word quote from Ricky’s “God, I love this street,” which broke the fourth wall at the end of the movie.
The Ultimate Fan Service
Watching the show isn’t even necessary to get all of the references to the movie. One look at the episode titles will make any fan of the film laugh, as each one is a direct quote of its witty dialogue. “Sardine?,” “Mind Your Own Business,” “The Goddamned Brownies,” and “Do Not Mess with Suburbanites,” lines from 1989 that The ‘Burbs fans all know by heart, and are but some of the episode titles listed for the series. Pay careful attention to the dialogue spoken in the show, and you’ll also pick up on other quotes from the film that have been carefully inserted for modern audiences.
If the neighborhood in the new show seems familiar, that’s no coincidence. The series was filmed on Universal Studios Colonial Street, the location of countless films and television shows that stretch back decades. The houses that Kiki, Lynn, Dana, and Tod creep around also appeared in everything from Desperate Housewives to House of 1000 Corpses to Deep Impact. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the 1989 movie was also filmed in the same backlot, with several of the homes in the series serving as landmarks that are fairly easy to identify. The Hinkley House of the series is the same as the house that the movie’s Ricky Butler resided in.
Perhaps the greatest nod to the film was a glimpse of an old photograph of the founder of Hinkley Hills, H. Horace Hinkley. With a town named in his honor and a home that still bears his surname, Hinkley’s black-and-white image is seen by Kiki in the first episode as she visits the town library. The photo is none other than the star of the 1989 movie, Hanks.
You can catch The ‘Burbs series streaming on Peacock. The comedy classic film The ‘Burbs is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.
Entertainment
New Music Friday May 29: Paul McCartney, Ariana Grande, Hilary Duff, Latto, Tim McGraw, Riley Green and More
Happy New Music Friday! The weekend is here, which means more streaming, new playlists and the best that music has to offer — and ET has you covered for everything in between.
Riley Green will be co-hosting CMA Fest presented by SoFi with Lara Spencer which will kick off June 4 in Nashville. The three hour concert event will be filmed during the 53rd CMA Fest and will air June 25 on ABC and stream next day on Hulu. Riley has also announced his fourth studio album, That’s Just Me, will be out on September 18. His new summer anthem “Think As You Drunk,” which pays tribute to Toby Keith, is out now.
Role Model has announced his third studio album, Chuck Timely & The Hourglass, which will arrive on August 7. Last week, he began teasing his new album with select fans from his community receiving old-fashioned acquaintance cards int he main from the mysterious “Chuck Timely.” Role Model’s first single from the new album “High Hopes 3000” will be out on June 3.
Alex Warren kicked off his Finding Family on the Road Tour earlier this week at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. During his sold out show, Alex brought out Luke Combs for a special duet of his hit song “Ordinary.”
The Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association’s Music City Rodeo kicked off May 28 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville with headliner Miranda Lambert. Miranda sang her new single “Crisco” and Little Big Town made a surprise appearance and joined her on stage for a couple songs. Charley Crockett and Jon Pardi will headline this weekend.
Plus, new music from Paul McCartney, Ariana Grande, Latto, Tim McGraw, Cody Johnson, Riley Green, Carlos Santana, Becky G, Cara Delevingne, Bebe Rexha, aespa, Labrinth, Lauren Alaina and more.
The Boys of Dungeon Lane – Paul McCartney
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“hate that i made you love me” – Ariana Grande
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
Mine – Hilary Duff
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“Pawn Shop Guitar” and “Song for America” – Tim McGraw
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“Mi Gran Amor” – Carlos Santana & Becky G
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“Take Me Back (Leave Me There)” – Cody Johnson
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“Think As You Drunk” – Riley Green
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
Big Mama – Latto
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“I Forgot” and “Out of my Head” – Cara Delevingne
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“Sad Girls” – Bebe Rexha & David Guetta
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“Mr. October” – Wyclef Jean feat G Herbo
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
LEMONADE – aespa
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“Over and Over” – Little Big Town
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
Cosmic Opera Act II – Labrinth
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“Better Off” – Lauren Alaina
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
Do Not Disturb: Late Checkout – Young Miko
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“Don’t Lose Your Head” – Tiësto
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
K-POPS! (Music from and inspired by K-POPS! Motion Picture)
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“Kill It” – The Band Perry
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
Detour – Kim Petras
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
Epilogue: The Cellar Tapes – Don Williams
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“Come My Way” – Sơn Tùng M-TP & Tyga
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“Mad About It” – Dasha
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
I HOPE THIS HELPS – Alana Springsteen
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
Be Sweet To Me – Violet Grohl
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“Can You Be Mine” – Justin Blau & Timbaland
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“Strange Little Game” – Jessica Lowndes
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“BIRTHDAY” – Faouzia
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“Baby Driver” – 070 Shake
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“Brighter” – Michael James Scott
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“She Knows” – David Nail
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
EI8HT – Shinedown
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“Beneath The Pines” – Zach John King
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
“dark magic” – Quadeca
Stream it now: Apple / Spotify
Entertainment
Forgotten Star Wars Easter Egg Celebrates The 90s' Most Controversial Drug Film
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Unless you’re counting the spice that Han Solo smuggled, or maybe the death sticks that Obi-Wan turned down, Star Wars isn’t a franchise that most fans associate with drugs. Nonetheless, one of this millennium’s earliest video games set in a galaxy far, far away included a blatant homage to one of the most controversial drug films ever made. This was in the form of an Easter egg that kinda/sorta includes Ewan McGregor, the highly acclaimed actor who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the much-maligned Prequel Trilogy.
The game in question is Obi-Wan, an early Star Wars title for the original Xbox. If I’m being honest, the game is really, really bad, like the younger, far dumber brother of beloved third-person titles like Jedi Outcast. There’s almost nothing remarkable about the game except for a bizarre video that plays the first time that you beat it. You see, anyone who makes it to the end of this stinker is treated to a montage of Phantom Menace action scenes narrated by a bad McGregor impersonator doing a cringeworthy, Star Wars version of the opening monologue from Trainspotting!
The Star Wars Game That Time Forgot
These days, pretty much nobody talks about the Star Wars: Obi-Wan game for the original Xbox, and there’s a good reason for that: it sucks! It was a third-person action game in which you took control of the titular Padawan as he hacked and slashed his way through the events of The Phantom Menace. It’s inferior to pretty much every other Star Wars game of this era, which is why (unlike titles such as Knights of the Old Republic, Republic Commando, and even Star Wars Episode I: Racer) it was never ported or re-released.
The only really notable thing about Obi-Wan is that after you beat it for the first time, you are treated to a weird monologue from voice actor Lewis MacLeod. In his best (which is still the worst) Ewan McGregor impression, he starts ranting about all the things you can choose (like the Dark Side, the Council, destiny, and the Force) before rhetorically asking, “Why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose the Dark Side. I chose something else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you’ve got a lightsaber?”
So Much Worse Than Death Sticks
Now, if that Obi-Wan monologue sounded like pure gibberish, don’t worry. That doesn’t mean you’re having a heart attack or anything. What it does mean, though, is that you’ve probably never seen Trainspotting, Ewan McGregor’s 1996 breakout film. The movie begins with a similar monologue in which his character pontificates on things you can choose (like a career, a family, and fixed-interest mortgage repayments) before reminding us that you don’t have to make such choices if you have enough drugs. “Why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose something else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you’ve got heroin?”
This cheeky monologue sets the tone for Trainspotting, a movie about a young heroin addict trying to get clean. Unfortunately, he wanders from one misadventure to the next, which includes everything from overdoses and HIV scares to a prolonged sexual relationship with an underage girl. Because of its focus on all these heroin-related exploits, the movie gained a somewhat controversial reputation, and one-time presidential hopeful Bob Dole claimed the film was morally depraved and glorified drug use. Despite this, Trainspotting became director Danny Boyle’s breakout film (especially after getting an Academy Award nomination). It was also a breakout movie for lead actor Ewan McGregor, who would soon be cast as Obi-Wan Kenobi for the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy.
From Heroin To Hero
Even though a presidential nominee had been calling Trainspotting morally depraved only half a decade previously, there was no nationwide controversy when the Obi-Wan game homaged the film. This was most likely because the original controversy was completely ginned up. Instead of glamorizing drugs, the movie shows the horrors (and, admittedly, the humor) of heroin addiction. Between that and its Academy Award nomination, it’s hard to think of this film as being truly offensive, just like it’s hard to imagine enough people playing the Obi-Wan game to even care about the homage.
Nonetheless, this video game Easter Egg is a perfectly preserved moment of an entirely different era. It was a time when a mainstream Star Wars game could homage one of the ‘90s most controversial films with a bizarre rant that invited us to compare lightsabers to heroin. To this day, this ruffles a few fans’ feathers, but as for me? I chose not to choose being offended. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you’ve got clicks?
Entertainment
My Packing List for Leaving the House
Nailed it. By the wonderful Grace Farris.
P.S. Flirting at the library and mom’s bag of surprises.… Read more
The post My Packing List for Leaving the House appeared first on Cup of Jo.
New Music Friday May 29: Paul McCartney, Ariana Grande, Hilary Duff, Latto, Tim McGraw, Riley Green and More
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