Cinematic Throwbacks: January 1992/2002/2012

1992:

I didn't see Juice in theaters. It was that fall. I actually have a kind of vivid memory of getting it one afternoon on pay per view. I don't recall what my awareness was of this at that point. But I do know that by this point I had seen films like Boyz N The Hood and New Jack City, so I was very much into that era of black film already.

Juice fit right in. This is a fucking classic from the very start. It has one of the all time opening credits, backed by "Juice (Know The Ledge)" by Eric B. and Rakim, one of the best rap songs ever. We're in. 

Juice is probably most known 30 years later for two things. One is the soundtrack, which is just one classic after another. One of the all time best.

The other is the acting debut of Tupac Shakur. Tupac is simply amazing in this. It's not an easy part, as you have to believe his character would go off the deep end the way he does or otherwise the story just doesn't work.

Juice is actually kind of just a friends hanging out movie for a good chunk of its runtime. Shakur, Omar Epps (in his own stellar debut), and two other actors who did not break are delinquents, sure. They skip school, commit some petty crimes, but aren't really a danger. There's a local Puerto Rican gang that actually hassles them and feels like much more of a danger.

Then a gun is introduced. Then a robbery takes place, and one split second decision causes everyone's lives to spiral. And the movie transforms from an edgy hangout movie into a tense thriller, up through a sad, haunting ending. 

The movie is directed by Ernest Dickerson, who was Spike Lee's cinematographer and went on to do a few other good movies and then a bunch of TV (he's done some Walking Dead). 

2002:

Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down is arguably the most immersive and realistic war movie ever made. It is based off an incident in Somalia in 1993 that I don't think I knew anything about at the time.

The film provides a little bit of backstory, and introduces a little bit of characterization, but then it drops you into battle. And that is a technical marvel of both being chaotic but not confusing. You always more or less know at least the basics of what is going on and where everyone is.

The cast has a lot of big names, but they blend in. Josh Hartnett is the closest thing to a lead (I mean, he IS on the poster), but there is also Ewan McGregor and Eric Bana and Orlando Bloom, plus a lot of recognizable character actors.

The film did pretty well, but it came out soon after 9/11 so even a very pro-military movie like this was probanly not what people were interested in seeing. 

Fun fact: Orange County was the last movie I ever bought on VHS.

Yeah this movie isn't that notable. It wasn't a flop iirc but hasn't exactly stuck in the world's consciousness. It's most definitely a product of its time. "Butterfly" by Crazy Town plays a key role in the plot.

It's a pretty simple setup. A high school kid doesn't get into Stanford due to a mixup and tries the rest of the movie to get in. Shenanigans ensue, a lot of it caused by Jack Black, who is kind of equal parts annoying and amusing, and spends much of the movie shirtless. 

The movie had a lot of nepotism going on. Directed by Jake (son of Lawrence) Kasdan. Starring Colin (son of Tom) Hanks and Schuyler Fisk (Sissy Spacek's daughter). The supporting cast is deeply stocked with John Lithgow, Catherine O'Hara, Harold Ramis, Garry Marshall, Lily Tomlin and Kevin Kline. Even have cameos by Chevy Chase and Ben Stiller. It's a very likable movie. 

2012:

God damn this movie is great. 

The Grey is a true rewatchable. Anytime I skim through cable and it's on, I watch it for at least a little bit, particularly if it is anywhere close to the end. 

A crew of Alaskan oil workers go down in a plane crash in the middle of the wilderness. First the few survivors (chiefly Liam Neeson) have to fend off the cold, but soon they are also faced with the even greater threat of a pack of wolves. 

They say all stories fall into 3 categories: Man vs man, man vs beast, man vs self. The Grey hits all 3, plus it is a stellar nature survival film. Great drama, very tense, excellent character development. 

Neeson was into his action star mode by this point, and this kind of fits in there but also it's on a whole other level. Neeson is tremendous in the film. 

And that aforementioned ending. Oh my god it is in my all time top 5. The build up. The voiceover. And the open-ended final moment. I get chills every time. Yeah there's a post credits shot but we don't talk about that. 😉

Other non-deep dive movies:

1992:

-Kuffs: I remember that I saw this Christian Slater movie in theaters. Not that memorable. 

-The Hand That Rocks The Cradle: The psycho stalker nanny movie. Briefly made Rebecca DeMornay a big deal. 

2002:

-Impostor: The only thing I remember about this movie was the running joke online at the time about the guy having a bomb in his ribcage. 

-The Count of Monte Cristo: The only thing I remember about this movie was the "count on revenge" tagline. 

-Kung Pow: Enter The Fist: I don't even know how to describe this. 

-Storytelling: I recall really disliking this one. 

-A Walk To Remember: I actually read the book before this came out. I liked it a whole lot more than the movie, although Mandy Moore was super sweet. 

2012:

-Contraband: A forgettable Mark Wahlberg action flick. 

-The Iron Lady: Meryl Streep won an Oscar for playing Margaret Thatcher. I didn't like the film at all. 

-Underworld: Awakening: Kate Beckinsale returned to her vamps franchise. 

-Haywire: Steven Soderbergh tried to make Gina Carano a movie star. This would ultimately prove to not be worth the trouble. 

-Red Tails: A film about the Tuskegee Airmen. This is most notable as the last major film that George Lucas was involved with, as a producer. 

-Man On A Ledge: A guy is out on a ledge, and it's a distraction to cover for a robbery or something. I don't really remember it. 

Coming in February....

It's time for a special 20th anniversary look back at Crossroads.

Elsewhere, Wayne's World turns 30 (no huh-way). Monster's Ball also turns 20. The excellent Chronicle turns 10.