Cinematic Throwbacks: July 1991/2001/2011
1991:
One of the funniest movies of all time, and definitely one of the best spoofs.
Hot Shots largely parodies just Top Gun. I saw this movie in theaters, but it was years after before I ever saw Top Gun. Doesn't matter. All the jokes still work. And Hot Shots has one of the best joke to laugh ratios of any movie. Almost everything in it is funny.
This was peak doofus Charlie Sheen. Valeria Golino is way better than the usual spoof love interest. But the real standout was Lloyd Bridges, who is hysterically funny in every scene.
I really liked the sequel too, but this in particular has stood the test of time as a real spoof classic.
WHAS is a spoof of/homage to cheesy 80s sex comedies. I don't even like those movies. It can be extra tricky to parody something that is already funny. But this movie really aces its deadpan tone.
The cast is like 15 deep, a mix of then newcomers (Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Elizabeth Banks) and vets (Janeane Garofalo, Paul Rudd, Molly Shannon), and a few who didn't break off of this (seriously Hollywood, you couldn't find something to do with the super cute Marguerite Moreau?). And you get H. Jon Benjamin voicing a can of vegetables.
Netflix did two separate revivals of this. I haven't got around to all of it yet, but I guess that's keeping in line with the movie itself.
When Terminator 2 was coming out as the unquestioned BIG movie of summer 1991...I didn't get it. This was very early in my movie fandom, and I think I knew OF The Terminator, but didn't get the hype.
I didn't see the movie that summer. It was rated R, after all. But I saw the Guns n Roses video a million times. Still a banger btw.
Finally saw the movie on video. Loved it immediately of course. Routinely mentioned on all lists of the best action movies of all time, and best sequels of all time, T2 deserves all accolades.
The film always gets talked about for its then groundbreaking fx, which do still hold up very well, but I think all the talk of James Cameron the technician tends to obscure what a great, compelling story T2 has. Few movies have ever made you really FEEL like the fate of the world is at stake.
It's an epic for sure. Even with the fx, the film is loaded with grand, practical action sequences. It's basically as good as this stuff ever got (this was, I believe, the most expensive movie ever at the time).
This movie had to have been the absolute peak of Arnold Schwarzenegger's career. And yeah, he doesn't say much in this movie, but you gotta give him credit when nearly everything he did say became a catchphrase.
Linda Hamilton and Edward Furlong did the majority of the acting heavy lifting. Hamilton became one of the most iconic female action stars. Furlong ended up being one of those cautionary tales of child stars.
And Robert Patrick was instantly one of the coolest villains ever.
I should probably mention how Terminator: Dark Fate kind of negates the ending of this movie, and I guess you could say any of the other sequels do as well. I don't get too caught up in what's canon or not. T2 hits such highs as its own film that nothing that came after could ever touch it.
I didn't see the movie that summer. It was rated R, after all. But I saw the Guns n Roses video a million times. Still a banger btw.
Finally saw the movie on video. Loved it immediately of course. Routinely mentioned on all lists of the best action movies of all time, and best sequels of all time, T2 deserves all accolades.
The film always gets talked about for its then groundbreaking fx, which do still hold up very well, but I think all the talk of James Cameron the technician tends to obscure what a great, compelling story T2 has. Few movies have ever made you really FEEL like the fate of the world is at stake.
It's an epic for sure. Even with the fx, the film is loaded with grand, practical action sequences. It's basically as good as this stuff ever got (this was, I believe, the most expensive movie ever at the time).
This movie had to have been the absolute peak of Arnold Schwarzenegger's career. And yeah, he doesn't say much in this movie, but you gotta give him credit when nearly everything he did say became a catchphrase.
Linda Hamilton and Edward Furlong did the majority of the acting heavy lifting. Hamilton became one of the most iconic female action stars. Furlong ended up being one of those cautionary tales of child stars.
And Robert Patrick was instantly one of the coolest villains ever.
I should probably mention how Terminator: Dark Fate kind of negates the ending of this movie, and I guess you could say any of the other sequels do as well. I don't get too caught up in what's canon or not. T2 hits such highs as its own film that nothing that came after could ever touch it.
Total game changer in the course of my movie fandom.
As with Terminator 2, I didn't see Boyz N The Hood in that summer either. I saw it on video the next spring. I to this day don't recall if I saw this or New Jack City first. But Boyz was definitely the more influential film on both me and movies. I didn't see it in theaters until this past spring on a special 30th anniversary showing.
John Singleton's 1st movie. The debut movie for most of the key actors. The first movie that was about inner city black life told from the perspective of black people.
Look, I was a 13 year old sheltered suburban white dork when I saw this movie. (As opposed to the now 42 year old white dork doing this blog) To me this was a world that was completely new and foreign. And I was captivated.
Some people over the years tried dismissing this movie as an after school special. Bullshit. The reason this movie has endured so well, more than any of the other "hood" movies that came in its wake (many of which are good too) is its authenticity. It has dated clothes and slang, sure, but you buy into all the characters and their relationships.
Usually dramas aren't the most rewatchable movies, but I'm certain this is in the top 5 of movies from the 90s I've seen the most. Every scene is either funny or dramatic or tense, or has some great music (definitely a top 10 soundtrack).
Cast is incredible. Laurence Fishburne (then still Larry) was the known commodity here, and he frankly should have won an Oscar for this. Ice Cube was known of course, but not as an actor. This was still a time when having any musician act was uncommon, although after this EVERY rapper tried to act, and few have ever been as good as Cube. This movie also launched Cuba Gooding Jr, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Angela Bassett, even Regina King (although you'd never guess SHE would win an Oscar someday).
And all this from a debut film. Singleton was nominated for best director in an era where the Oscars flat out refused most of the time to even acknowledge a black actor, let alone a director. It arguably set a bar too high for him to ever reach again, although for me he was the biggest name in directing for the 90s. I stand by everything he made the rest of the decade. He became the first director that mattered to me.
As with Terminator 2, I didn't see Boyz N The Hood in that summer either. I saw it on video the next spring. I to this day don't recall if I saw this or New Jack City first. But Boyz was definitely the more influential film on both me and movies. I didn't see it in theaters until this past spring on a special 30th anniversary showing.
John Singleton's 1st movie. The debut movie for most of the key actors. The first movie that was about inner city black life told from the perspective of black people.
Look, I was a 13 year old sheltered suburban white dork when I saw this movie. (As opposed to the now 42 year old white dork doing this blog) To me this was a world that was completely new and foreign. And I was captivated.
Some people over the years tried dismissing this movie as an after school special. Bullshit. The reason this movie has endured so well, more than any of the other "hood" movies that came in its wake (many of which are good too) is its authenticity. It has dated clothes and slang, sure, but you buy into all the characters and their relationships.
Usually dramas aren't the most rewatchable movies, but I'm certain this is in the top 5 of movies from the 90s I've seen the most. Every scene is either funny or dramatic or tense, or has some great music (definitely a top 10 soundtrack).
Cast is incredible. Laurence Fishburne (then still Larry) was the known commodity here, and he frankly should have won an Oscar for this. Ice Cube was known of course, but not as an actor. This was still a time when having any musician act was uncommon, although after this EVERY rapper tried to act, and few have ever been as good as Cube. This movie also launched Cuba Gooding Jr, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Angela Bassett, even Regina King (although you'd never guess SHE would win an Oscar someday).
And all this from a debut film. Singleton was nominated for best director in an era where the Oscars flat out refused most of the time to even acknowledge a black actor, let alone a director. It arguably set a bar too high for him to ever reach again, although for me he was the biggest name in directing for the 90s. I stand by everything he made the rest of the decade. He became the first director that mattered to me.
Another of the best action movies of the 90s.
I feel like this one got majorly overshadowed by T2. You look back at it and it wasn't a huge smash. It did fine.
It's classic high concept action. FBI agent Keanu Reeves infiltrates a crew of bank robbing surfers (led by Patrick Swayze). Sure, that's a thing that could happen.
It's knowingly silly. Reeves deploys his then still very boyish dude charm to great effect. Swayze is super charismatic. Gary Busey is a complete riot as Keanu's meatball sandwich loving partner (GIMME TWO!). I wish the obligatory love interest was someone better than Lori Petty, but she's not terrible.
The action gives you a bit of everything. There's some cool bank robberies. Great car chase. Outstanding foot chase. Fistfights. Skydiving. Ironically the only thing we don't get is a surfing action scene.
It was directed by Kathryn Bigelow, and a woman action director was kind of a radical idea then. It would be years though before she had another big moment with The Hurt Locker.
Yes, as everyone on earth has pointed out, the first Fast and the Furious movie largely rips off this movie. And to be perfectly honest, does it better in many ways.
As for the Point Break remake that came out a few years ago...I got nothing to say. Never saw it. Never want to.
I feel like this one got majorly overshadowed by T2. You look back at it and it wasn't a huge smash. It did fine.
It's classic high concept action. FBI agent Keanu Reeves infiltrates a crew of bank robbing surfers (led by Patrick Swayze). Sure, that's a thing that could happen.
It's knowingly silly. Reeves deploys his then still very boyish dude charm to great effect. Swayze is super charismatic. Gary Busey is a complete riot as Keanu's meatball sandwich loving partner (GIMME TWO!). I wish the obligatory love interest was someone better than Lori Petty, but she's not terrible.
The action gives you a bit of everything. There's some cool bank robberies. Great car chase. Outstanding foot chase. Fistfights. Skydiving. Ironically the only thing we don't get is a surfing action scene.
It was directed by Kathryn Bigelow, and a woman action director was kind of a radical idea then. It would be years though before she had another big moment with The Hurt Locker.
Yes, as everyone on earth has pointed out, the first Fast and the Furious movie largely rips off this movie. And to be perfectly honest, does it better in many ways.
As for the Point Break remake that came out a few years ago...I got nothing to say. Never saw it. Never want to.
Hot Shots largely parodies just Top Gun. I saw this movie in theaters, but it was years after before I ever saw Top Gun. Doesn't matter. All the jokes still work. And Hot Shots has one of the best joke to laugh ratios of any movie. Almost everything in it is funny.
This was peak doofus Charlie Sheen. Valeria Golino is way better than the usual spoof love interest. But the real standout was Lloyd Bridges, who is hysterically funny in every scene.
I really liked the sequel too, but this in particular has stood the test of time as a real spoof classic.
2001:
Director Larry Clark became instantly quite notorious for his 1995 movie Kids, which was pretty racy for a film starring actual teenagers (including a debuting Rosario Dawson and Chloe Sevigny). I saw it. It was one of those movies that as a high schooler you had to see. I didn't much like it as a movie though.
Much better is Bully, which came a few years later and made only a slight ripple. This movie is based on a true story of a bunch of white trash Florida kids who conspired to murder the titular bully (Nick Stahl). This movie is pure nihilism. Every character is awful. Every character is an idiot. Nothing in it is glorified at all though. Nearly every scene involves either sex or an act of violence (sometimes both at once) but it is neither exciting or hot. But it is compulsively watchable.
This movie came out in 2001. I didn't see it for years. I frankly have no idea how or why it slipped by me.
WHAS is a spoof of/homage to cheesy 80s sex comedies. I don't even like those movies. It can be extra tricky to parody something that is already funny. But this movie really aces its deadpan tone.
The cast is like 15 deep, a mix of then newcomers (Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Elizabeth Banks) and vets (Janeane Garofalo, Paul Rudd, Molly Shannon), and a few who didn't break off of this (seriously Hollywood, you couldn't find something to do with the super cute Marguerite Moreau?). And you get H. Jon Benjamin voicing a can of vegetables.
Netflix did two separate revivals of this. I haven't got around to all of it yet, but I guess that's keeping in line with the movie itself.
Okay, by the time this movie came out, I was not only buying all the Piper Perabo stock, I was already making payments on the house that I was going to own once I cashed that stock in.
Point being, I was all in. And this movie was the one that proved that not only was she a budding movie star, but a top level actress.
The overall movie isn't all that amazing. It's a lesbian romance, which in 2001 was still risque. It gets way too into some of its symbolism. A young, pre-OC Mischa Barton is pure dullness as the protagonist and narrator.
None of it matters when Perabo is on screen though, giving a grandiose, dynamite, impassioned performance that should have led to many awards and a slew of big roles. But this was it. She never got another movie role this juicy. At least she aced this one.
2011:
One of the best things in the MCU has been the Chris Evans version of Captain America. The Winter Soldier and Civil War are firmly entrenched way up the list of best MCU films.
But I only ever thought the first Cap movie was decent. Certainly never hated it, but it was easily my 2nd least favorite phase 1 movie (sorry Hulk), and still today ranks near the bottom.
I was never that into the World War 2 stuff, Red Skull as a villain, or Bucky. Sebastian Stan has risen to the challenge since, but he makes no impact in this movie for me.
Evans obviously seems like the no brainer casting now, but at the time it elicited no excitement. He was a guy who had a few big breaks like Fantastic Four but really hadn't done anything to distinguish himself. And to be honest, he still hasn't done a whole lot in the last 10 years outside of this role. But he and this movie immediately nailed Steve Rogers goodness and heart, and made that not at all cheesy.
Love those scenes with Stanley Tucci early in the movie. Tommy Lee Jones is great. Hayley Atwell is nice, although that connection didn't really click for me.
I always thought this movie should have ended before Cap wakes up in the future. That should have been the post credit scene, but I guess they didn't have the guts to end a movie with the lead character dead (not yet anyway).
But I only ever thought the first Cap movie was decent. Certainly never hated it, but it was easily my 2nd least favorite phase 1 movie (sorry Hulk), and still today ranks near the bottom.
I was never that into the World War 2 stuff, Red Skull as a villain, or Bucky. Sebastian Stan has risen to the challenge since, but he makes no impact in this movie for me.
Evans obviously seems like the no brainer casting now, but at the time it elicited no excitement. He was a guy who had a few big breaks like Fantastic Four but really hadn't done anything to distinguish himself. And to be honest, he still hasn't done a whole lot in the last 10 years outside of this role. But he and this movie immediately nailed Steve Rogers goodness and heart, and made that not at all cheesy.
Love those scenes with Stanley Tucci early in the movie. Tommy Lee Jones is great. Hayley Atwell is nice, although that connection didn't really click for me.
I always thought this movie should have ended before Cap wakes up in the future. That should have been the post credit scene, but I guess they didn't have the guts to end a movie with the lead character dead (not yet anyway).
Actual good romantic comedies have long since disappeared. It's quite possible that this was the last good one. Bad title aside, this movie is a great deal of fun.
Steve Carell and Julianne Moore are married. Then she abruptly calls for a divorce after cheating on him. Carell mopes about in bars, until a suave ladies man played by Ryan Gosling takes him under his wing. Meanwhile Gosling is interested in Emma Stone, because who wouldn't be interested in Emma Stone? For the record this is their best pairing, not La La Land. This is a movie of complications, as there is also a babysitter crushing on Carell, and Carell's son crushing on the babysitter, and a few surprise twists along the way. It probably doesn't need to be so complicated, but it's charming. And Marisa Tomei pops up for a few funny scenes.
Stone obviously walks away with every scene she is in. It's absurd how effortlessly good she was around this time. Gosling is great. This is one of Carell's best. Just a great ensemble.
The movie only stumbles at the end. I'd forgotten how awful the end of this movie is, with one of those big public speech climaxes that is very cringeworthy. But hey, even the good romcoms make you cringe occasionally. Part of the deal.
Steve Carell and Julianne Moore are married. Then she abruptly calls for a divorce after cheating on him. Carell mopes about in bars, until a suave ladies man played by Ryan Gosling takes him under his wing. Meanwhile Gosling is interested in Emma Stone, because who wouldn't be interested in Emma Stone? For the record this is their best pairing, not La La Land. This is a movie of complications, as there is also a babysitter crushing on Carell, and Carell's son crushing on the babysitter, and a few surprise twists along the way. It probably doesn't need to be so complicated, but it's charming. And Marisa Tomei pops up for a few funny scenes.
Stone obviously walks away with every scene she is in. It's absurd how effortlessly good she was around this time. Gosling is great. This is one of Carell's best. Just a great ensemble.
The movie only stumbles at the end. I'd forgotten how awful the end of this movie is, with one of those big public speech climaxes that is very cringeworthy. But hey, even the good romcoms make you cringe occasionally. Part of the deal.
Other non-deep dive flicks:
1981:
-Escape From New York: One of the coolest sci-fi flicks of its era. Instantly iconic Kurt Russell character.
-Blow Out: (from quarantine movie reviews) Early John Travolta. Early Brian DePalma. Travolta witnesses what he believes was a political assassination, then gets mixed up in a really convoluted coverup. The plot has too many loose ends to tie up, but DePalma absolutely shoots the hell out of this movie. And Travolta is really good.
1991:
-Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey: Saw this in theaters. Definitely didn't like it as much as the original, which I watched constantly. The grim reaper stole the movie. To think this and Point Break were playing at the same time.
-Problem Child 2: Remember when they made a Problem Child sequel? I barely did and I'm pretty sure I saw this in theaters.
-Life Stinks: I definitely saw this Mel Brooks "comedy" in theaters, and it was probably the first movie I saw in theaters that I hated.
2001:
-Scary Movie 2: They rushed out a quickie sequel, and it wasn't awful, but it's the worst of the first 4.
-Kiss Of The Dragon: A Luc Besson action flick with Jet Li and Bridget Fonda that made little impact.
-Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within: This animated action movie was really hyped at the time cause of how realistic the humans supposedly looked. They didn't.
-Legally Blonde: This was never really my thing. It helped build up Reese Witherspoon's stardom though.
-The Score: Pretty sure this was Marlon Brando's last significant movie.
-America's Sweethearts: Somehow a movie with Julia Roberts, Billy Crystal, John Cusack, and Catherine Zeta Jones (when she was still a hot commodity) was neither funny nor memorable.
-Jurassic Park 3: I hated this movie so much. My go to pick for the worst sequel ever made. I sat in the theater watching this and never felt such rage. Ironically the same director did Captain America.
-Planet Of The Apes: Tim Burton's very ill-advised remake.
-The Princess Diaries: Hey look, it wasn't made for me. It made Anne Hathaway a star, so I'm glad it happened.
2011:
-Larry Crowne: Tom Hanks. Julia Roberts. This?
-Monte Carlo: I saw this at some point. Why? Leighton Meester and Selena Gomez.
-Horrible Bosses: A lot of shitty comedies in 2011. This was one. Somehow it was a hit.
-Zookeeper: A lot of shitty comedies in 2011. This was one. Somehow it was a hit.
-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: The last one. I recall being pretty meh on it. Really none of those split finale movies worked out from an artistic standpoint.
-Friends With Benefits:
1. Saw it at a sneak. 2. I can only plead temporary insanity with my Timberlake comment.
-Cowboys and Aliens: I recall the power going out in the theater with maybe half an hour left. Never bothered to see how it ended.
-30 Minutes Or Less:
Coming next month...
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes turns 10. American Pie 2, Rush Hour 2, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike back turn 20. Snoogans!
Comments
Post a Comment