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FAST-PACED, YET DISTURBING SLICE OF LIFE.
Jeremy DuBerry UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Studios typically aren't known for releasing intelligent films during the sweaty summer months, but this year they really outdid themselves. How bad was it?
Eddie Murphy performed mouth-to-mouth on rodents.
Golly.
Mel Gibson, 42, and Danny Glover, 51, chased bad guys and played with guns as though it were still 1987.
Ferris Bueller had the honor of administering a pregnancy test to Godzilla.
Bruce Willis starred in a 150-minute Aerosmith video about oil drillers sent into space to blow up an asteroid.
And audiences everywhere ate it all up. A total of eight movies, including the likes of Deep Impact, Godzilla and Lethal Weapon 4, each grossed more than $100 million in ticket sales in the U.S.
What the hell happened to summer movies? This used to be the prime season for entertainment. Does anyone remember a time when the weeks between Memorial and Labor days saw releases such as Die Hard, Terminator 2 and The Fugitive?
in the rough this year. Most notably, Steven Spielberg released Saving Private Ryan, a horrifyingly realistic D-Day epic that already has some declaring the 1999 Oscar derby over. Anchored by what may be the most impressive, subtle performance yet from Tom Hanks and an all-guts-no-glory depiction of combat those, predictions could turn out correct.
Perhaps even more impressive from a filmmaking standpoint was Terry Gilliam's chaotic Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Most critics complained that Gilliam's film, which chronicled the drug-crazed exploits of journalist Hunter S. Thompson, revealed in scenes of vomit, perversity and filth. I thought that was the whole idea — to give otherwise unsuspecting viewers a glimpse into a fast-paced, yet disturbing slice of life. The movie only grossed $10.6 million.
franchise out of its misery? Pretty please? The first installment was a top-drawer thriller - easily one of the five best cop movies of the past 25 years. But when LW4 has to resort to baby jokes and ethnic stereotypes to get the point across, someone needs to pull the plug.
The summer of 1998 largely was devoid of sequels, which forced the studios to search for new venues of entertainment. Jim Carrey kept his rubber-faced antics under control in The Truman Show, and the result was a thoughtful look at the way celebrities are created by TV producers and consultants.
George Clooney led a terrific ensemble cast in the tight crime drama Out of Sight, based on the novel by Elmore Leonard. But Clooney's fans stayed away, apparently deciding that they'd rather watch Dr. Ross at home for free.
May and June also saw a flood of movies (Horse Whisperer, Bulworth, Six Days, Seven Nights) featuring a 50-something guy putting the moves on a girl barely out of her Pampers. You have to wonder why the studios were so reluctant then to handle the new version of Lolita, a story of really underage love, which eventually made its debut on Showtime in July.
Careful moviegoers also took notice of a handful of mini landmarks at the multiplex. There's Something About Mary made no bones about its affection for bodily fluids and it collectively upped the ante for future gross-out epics. The X Files grossed more than $80 million, meaning that the conspiracy-laden saga of Mulder and Scully has appeal even to non-fans. And the hit-and-miss offerings of A Perfect Murder and Snake Eyes proved that thrillers in the Hitchcockian mold are best left to Alfred Hitchcock.
Can audiences who are starved for meaningful entertainment find nourishment soon? Maybe. In the months ahead, movie buffs can look forward to new offerings from directors John Dahl (The Last Seduction), Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs), John Carpenter (Halloween) and Sam
"Biggest hit of the summer." Jeremy Doherty, UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
"A top-drawer thriller." Jeremy Doherty, UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
"... In the Hitchcockian mold."
— Jeremy Doherty, UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
"A horrifying realistic ... epic." — Jeremy Doherty, UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
"A terrific ensemble cast." Jeremy Doherty, UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
"[The] studios ... really outdid themselves."
— Jeremy Doherty, UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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friday ◄
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HILLTOPICS JEREMY DOHERT) TOM HANKS DANNY GLOVER JIM CARREY GEORGE CLOONEY SEEING SUMMER MOVIES BRUCE WILLIS MEL GIBSON EDDIE MURPHY AEROSMITH GERRY DOYLE JEREMY DOHERTY LINDSEY HENRY BRYAN VOLK
PG-13 PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED
MISCONDUCTUAL MAKING OR ASSISTANCE TO CHILDREN PG-13
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THE SOUNDTRACK FOR THE MOVIE ACTUALLY DOES NOT EXIST. IN FACT, NEITHER DOES THE MOVIE. BUT YOU KNEW THAT.
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