Sunday, February 07, 2010

"Hello. My name is Miracle Max. Prepare to get a paper cut and have lemon juice poured on it."

While in the Dollar Store today, I picked up a copy of "The Rough Guide to Kid's Movies". The three reasons I got it was (a) I'm now in a situation to have a greater interest in the subject, (b) I had come across other volumes in this series at the library and they looked pretty cool and (c) it was a friggin dollar.

Unfortunately, that's about as much as it's worth. I have to wonder at the quality of the editing in those other volumes when I read a passage like the following out of my recent purchase (describing The Princess Bride):
"When writer William Goldman first touted the script of The Princess Bride around Hollywood, the then unknown Arnold Schwarzenegger was keen to play the giant, Fezzik. However, it took until the mid-1980's for Goldman to garner serious interest in his unusual fairytale, by which time Arnie had moved on to heavier weaponry. Which was perhaps no bad thing, for Billy Crystal stepped into the breach as the giant, Miracle Max."

"The story is about a girl called Buttercup who is kidnapped by the evil Prince Humperdinck. Her childhood love Westley sets off to rescue her and, whilst searching, meets a giant swordsman - Miracle Max."
Apparently, Billy Crystal was supposed to be a giant, as was Mandy Patinkin, and they were both named Miracle Max. Criminy, guys, it's not like you're decoding a David Lynch film or anything. Get your facts straight!

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