Cinematic Throwbacks: February 1994/2004

1994:

I remember that when Ace Ventura was coming out, I thought it looked abominable. I didn't watch In Living Color, so I had no idea who Jim Carrey even was, let alone why he would be headlining a movie. I had zero interest in seeing this movie, and didn't on its opening weekend, where it was immediately #1. But that following Monday at school, all one of my best friends could talk about was how funny this Ace Ventura movie was.

So, the next weekend I gave it a shot, and who knew that this was the start of not only one of the best individual years a movie star has maybe ever had, but also the start of one of the best extended runs any comedy star has ever had. 

The film follows the eccentric and quirky character of Ace Ventura, a pet detective who is called upon to solve the case of a missing dolphin mascot from the Miami Dolphins football team. To this day, much of the football stuff bugs me as it comes off as cheap. C'mon man, we know that's Super Bowl 19 footage. And the Dolphins are in a post-1984 Super Bowl? And hosting it? In the middle of the day? And the game is continuing despite Dan Marino being kidnapped?

But that cheapness hardly matters, because Jim Carrey's portrayal of Ace Ventura is nothing short of comedic genius, with his outrageous antics, physical humor, and hilarious one-liners. This movie launched so many quotes and impressions. Even though the movie was a big hit, it got torched by critics at the time, even ones who would eventually come around on Carrey.

Just on a pure laughs basis it's still one of the best 90s comedies. Carrey is paired up with a pre-Friends Courteney Cox and that's fun. I don't really know what Sean Young is doing in this movie. It's hard to tell if she is in on the joke or not. And yeah, a lot of what happens with that character has aged a wee bit poorly.

It's all that Dan Marino's fault. Dan Marino should die of gonorrhea and rot in hell. 

Head coach Pete Bell used to win championships at Western University, but now his program has fallen on hard times, with losing seasons. Still, he plays by the rules, and would never cheat to get back on top. Or would he?

So begins Blue Chips, which is one of my all time favorite basketball movies.

Nick Nolte, then still a true leading man, plays Bell and man is this just one of the all time perfect castings. He was born to play a cantankerous, combative coach. He's completely believable as this guy, and very funny and charming too.

So yeah, spoiler alert, Bell is convinced to let the program do what needs to be done to recruit a top freshman class. And that class is made up or real ballplayers (all playing fictional ones): Anfernee Hardaway, the long forgotten Matt Nover, and somebody named Shaquille O'Neal. 

Shaq being in this was such a huge deal (as you can see he shared the poster). He was one of the biggest deals in all of pop culture in 1994, so why not try to be a movie star too? Now, we all know his movie career imploded in epic fashion with a couple mega bombs, but back in Blue Chips he was genuinely good. He is. He is a very charming presence here. He's not performing Shakespeare, but he gets some laughs and has an easygoing charisma that his other acting roles completely failed to tap into.

The supporting cast is enlivened by Ed O'Neill as a dogged sports reporter, J.T. Walsh as the snakiest booster ever, and a collection of basketball cameos (Larry Bird, Bob Knight, Dick Vitale).

The basketball action is pretty great too. Yes there is a big game finale here, but it doesn't play out in the typical triumphant style of those. Nolte's brilliant final monologue brings it all home.

I've had a bit of a love/hate thing with Reality Bites over the years.

When I first watched it I really liked it. It seemed very much a movie of that moment in time. But then, not long after, it was SO much of a movie of that moment that it made me cringe when I watched it. And then time passed, and like so many things it became a major nostalgia piece. That "Baby I Love Your Way" cover is a time machine back to spring 1994. 

The movie follows a group of recent college graduates as they struggle with relationships, career aspirations, and the search for identity in the post-graduation world. Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke headline a group of 4 roommates, which also has Janeane Garofalo and Steve Zahn.

The movie is still very much of its time, but man I love the 90s so much that it's like a 2 hour time machine. Ryder's character wants to be a filmmaker, and she does these cheesy MTV style documentaries. Nearly every line of Hawke's dialogue is classic 90s slacker. There's the AIDS subplot. 

The movie was directed by Ben Stiller, and he plays a guy who works at an MTV-esque channel and soon dates Ryder. The love triangle with Hawke is probably the weakest aspect of the film. It's presented like Hawke is actually the better suitor, but Stiller is by far the better guy, even if he wears a suit and doesn't speak fluent slacker. I actually think this is one of my favorite Stiller performances.

Hawke is good too, just playing a jerk. Garofalo is also very good in one of her best roles. But this is absolute peak Winona Ryder for me. Her early dark period had some iconic stuff, but in this movie she is just deliriously adorable. Any quirky young woman character since owes her a debt. 

2004:

True story sports movies usually tackle stories that aren't that well known. The real big sports moments are already so well known, why bother making anything except maybe a documentary?

Everybody knows the story of the Miracle On Ice, when in the 1980 Winter Olympics the United States took a team of amateurs and took down the unbeatable Soviet Union team, before winning the gold.

But familiarity doesn't hurt Miracle at all. The game is known, but there is great material and drama in watching coach Herb Brooks assemble his team and prepare them for the games. 

Kurt Russell gives one of his best career performances as Brooks, finding just the right balance of hardass and heart. And it's all his movie, finding only fleeting instances for other characters to take the spotlight. Not a criticism, though. It fits Brooks's insistence that his team be a team, not individuals.

There isn't a huge list of great hockey movies. But Miracle is the best one. I've never been one to be able to break down hockey and see why things work. But this film does a good job of showing how the nuts and bolts work. 

And then once the games begin, Miracle is just riveting. The miracle game itself is one of the best big game finales any sports movie has ever cooked up. And since the facts are so easily verified, the filmmakers have to stick to the reality of what happened. It's still tense as hell watching the US try to hold that late lead. 

And of course, there was a huge Minnesota connection with this team. Yep, as usual Minnesota athletes come through on the biggest stage. I remember when I saw this in theaters and they do the roll call in the credits, all the Minnesota guys got big applause. 

Other non-deep dive flicks:

1974:

-Blazing Saddles:

The early Mel Brooks movie, considered one of the greatest comedies of all time. I've tried a few times over the years with this one, and I just don't get it. I mean, it's okay, and has some laughs, but an all time classic? 

1984:

-Footloose:

I know the song. Never saw the movie. 

1994:

-My Girl 2: At the time this was probably one of my most anticipated movies of all time. As previously discussed, I had a massive crush on Anna Chlumsky after the original movie. This sequel was going to be even more focused on her, so it should have been better right? Well, not really. I liked it at the time, but it didn't hold up. This movie swapped in the annoying Austin O'Brien for Culkin. And, hey, this mattered a lot at the time, but Anna just wasn't as cute. Oh well, Natalie was less than a year away. 

-My Father, The Hero: Oh the films they made in the 90s. A girl pretends her dad is actually her lover in order to impress a boy. The girl is Katherine Heigl in her 1st big role. 

-Blank Check: Keeping the theme of creepiness going, this is the movie where the kid gets a bunch of money. And later kisses Karen Duffy, who is much older. Hey, I watched a lot of MTV in those days and wanted to kiss her too. 

-The Getaway: Remake with Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, which came out right before they got divorced iirc. 

-On Deadly Ground: By far the worst movie Steven Seagal made during his time as a legit action star. 

-Sugar Hill: Crime drama with Wesley Snipes. Haven't seen this since theaters. 

2004:

-50 First Dates: The movie where Drew Barrymore loses her memory every day and Adam Sandler has to keep wooing her. Hot take: This would be depressing as hell in real life. The ending is not sweet, it's sad. 

-Barbershop 2: Pretty decent sequel. 

-Twisted: A pretty dreadful Ashley Judd/Sam Jackson thriller. I think I saw this on my birthday that year. 

-Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen: I had no interest in this, but checked it out after Mean Girls made Lindsay Lohan a big thing. This movie was pretty bad. 

-Eurotrip: Some people really liked this one, but it was a miss for me. 

-Welcome To Mooseport: I guess this will always stand as Gene Hackman's final role. 

-The Passion of the Christ: This was a major box office sensation....and an absolute piece of garbage as a film. 

2014:

-The Lego Movie: Didn't go deep dive on this, but I did rewatch it, and boy is it a lot like Barbie, even down to the Will Ferrell cameo. This was a big hit, and while I still don't think that 3rd act twist quite works, the first 2 are quite clever and funny. 

-The Grand Budapest Hotel: One of Wes Anderson's best films. Had all the trademarks, including a great cast (Ralph Fiennes at his absolute best), all the whimsy you can handle, and also a little more pathos than he usually delivers. 

-The Monuments Men: One of those many middling Clooney movies, this one set at WW2. 

-Non-Stop: Liam Neeson action movie set on a plane. Was not bad. 

-Vampire Academy: Forgettable movie, except that it did introduce me to one Zoey Deutch. 

-Robocop: Doing a PG-13 remake of Robocop is easily one of the poorest decisions in the history of remakes. 

-About Last Night: Speaking of remakes, this one re-did the 80s Demi Moore movie with an all black cast and a much more comedic slant. 

-3 Days To Kill: Forgettable Kevin Costner thriller, but it did have Hailee Steinfeld in it. 

-Pompeii: They gave Paul W.S. Andersen $100 million to make this. What a wild time.  

Coming in March...

Well, we got the 25th anniversary of Cruel Intentions, and 10 Things I Hate About You AND The Matrix. 1999 was the greatest, man. 

Elsewhere, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Kevin Smith's criminally maligned Jersey Girl turn 20. And a few good ones turn 30. 

And I turn 45. Jesus...how?