SO ahead of its time...

July 4th usually brings about fireworks, pool action and thoughts of patriotism. Not with my crowd o' friends. Nope.
On our July Fourth holiday, as we sat around Turner's pool, we got into a discussion about how Newsies was ahead of its time. Yep, that movie came out before Moulin Rogue and Chicago brought Musicals back and before High School Musical started printing money.
About 15 years ago, Newsies, starring Christian Bale, Robert Duvall and Bill Pullman (before he became president, he was Our Man Denton), hit the screens and was a ZONETASTIC musica movie, complete with dance numbers and songs such as Seize the Day, Carrying the Banner and Santa Fe.

Our hero Jack Kelly leads the Newsies, steals his friend Davey's brother and bangs Davey's sister, then becomes Batman. Davey was a big puss who THINKS he is the brains behind the newsies, but honestly, Spot Collins was the real Brains. PLUS he had a slingshot. Throw in Max from Doogie Howser and Pullman, pre-DOESN'T ANYBODY HAVE ANY MISSILES? and you have a GREAT MOVIE that was the genesis of HSM. If this movie was released today, it would be huge, break box office records (since the story was cool and the songs were better than anything HSM has ever done!) and generally make me NOT seem like such a freak for liking the movie.

Here is my question...how come Disney doesn't RE-release this DVD, only call it a Director's Edition or special collectors. Make some money off of the musical craze! It must be lost in the vault behind Cinderella. And when I say Vault, I mean the back storeroom at Wal-Mart.

The only bad thing about if Newsies were to be made in today's world is that Zac Effron would be cast as Jack Kelly with Vanessa Hudgens as Sarah, one of the Jonases as Davey, with another younger Jonas as Les, with probably the third Jonas as Spot Collins. And Disney would be douchey and make a girl newsie and cast Miley Hannah Montana Cyrus as that character. They would probably change Racetrack's character to make this one for Miley and instead call her Hopscotch.
Our Man Denton aka Bill Pullman would be replaced by Taylor Hicks and they would give Duvall the boot in favor of Billy Crystal or Robin Williams.

Oh it would be horrible. It would be like the new Karate Kid Movie that Will Smith is making for his kid and casting Jacky Chan as Miyagi.

Actually, thank goodness this movie wasn't made in 2008 because then a movie that I could watch AT ANY TIME isn't douched up into something that I detest and refuse to watch on very principle. Ahead of its time, maybe. And that way, it will always be mine, all mine! (And Roomie's....) Get your grubby hands off you High School Musical droids! You can't have it! PS, they are in college. Stop calling it "HIGH SCHOOL" musical!