90s

Fight Club

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Fight Club. Fox 2000 pictures 1999.

Before watching the movie:

I don’t know how much room this movie has to surprise me, since I know the surprise twist. It’s one of the unavoidable spoilers of our culture. In fact, for all I know about it, I may be lacking for writing material. I’m looking forward to seeing if the story manages to support the twist better than The Sixth Sense did, as well as just seeing how the story actually plays out. I know where it starts and where it ends, but the transit between is a mystery. To get cliche, the journey is more of the destination than usual this week.

Also something about soap. I have no idea what the soap is all about.

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Last Action Hero

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Last Action Hero. Columbia Pictures 1993.

Before watching the movie:

I don’t remember where I first heard of this film, but I liked the idea immediately. I like metafictional stories, and I don’t see them often applied to movies, especially as straightforwardly as this seems to be doing.

Action movies may not be my favorite, but I usually enjoy them, and they’re certainly ripe for parody, which is another thing I’m drawn to, if my blog history doesn’t show that.

The main thing that I keep forgetting when looking forward to this movie is that he’s a contemporary hero, a Die Hard, Rambo, or Schwarzenegger/Van Damme (big surprise) type. I always picture a more fantasy-style action hero, probably because there was a dragon movie right next to it on whatever page I first heard about this.

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The Mask of Zorro

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The Mask of Zorro. Tristar/Amblin 1998.

Before watching the movie:

Although this film reintroduced audiences to Zorro in the 90s, I know it’s not exactly an origin story, but in fact a legacy torch-passing. I’m not familiar enough with the story of Zorro to know why they couldn’t make the original Zorro the man they wanted him to be, but maybe it’s just more about the story they wanted to tell.

I’m not sure, but I think this is the movie that made Antonio Banderas a star, though a quick Wikipedia lookup says no. It does seem to be his break into very mainstream films, though.

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BASEketball

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Baseketball. Zucker Brothers 1998.

Before watching the movie:

I remember clearly that this movie came out when I was in grade school. I think my friends liked it, but I can’t remember any specific people who definitely saw it. That’s a good thing, because it seems to definitely be a more (im)mature comedy than I realized at the time. The kind of thing that kids shouldn’t see, and adults shouldn’t want to see.

However, after a couple downer weeks, I’m looking for something light, and South Park creators + Zucker brothers sounds like it would fit the bill.

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Being John Malkovich

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Being John Malkovich. Propaganda Films 1999.

Before watching the movie:

This is a really weird concept. Like perhaps many other people or perhaps nobody else, the only reason I know the name “John Malkovich” is because of this movie’s existence.

Other than some trippy ideas and actor rage, I have no idea what to expect from this film.

This is the part where I ramble about the blog itself to fill space.

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Spy Hard

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Spy Hard. Hollywood Pictures 1996.

Before watching the movie:

Remember a few years months ago, when Leslie Nielsen died? At first, I didn’t think anything of it in connection to this blog, but then it was suggested to me that I should make some recognition of it in a selection.

I have two methods of obtaining my movies. One can be fast or slow, and one is medium in speed. I expected the first to be slower, so I went to the second one. The reason this is a month after the fact is because “medium” was actually “slowest.” Then I tried to use the first in a fast mode, but I didn’t quite think it through and ended up delaying another week.

Anyway, this looks like a good late Leslie Nielsen film, which probably means it’s mediocre. As far as I know, that’s the best one can say about his movies after the second Naked Gun movie. Or perhaps anything other than Airplane and The Naked Gun series. More to the point, he’s playing a dimwitted Bond spoof instead of a dimwitted police officer. Also Weird Al Yankovic wrote the theme song.

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Wild Wild West

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Wild Wild West. Warner Bros. Et al. 1999.

Before watching the movie:

I promised a Leslie Nielsen film this week, but the library didn’t come through for me yet, so here’s this. I’ll see Spy Hard when I can get it.

I’ve been told this is not a good film. Moreover, that it only did as well as it did at the box office because of underage teens sneaking into the South Park movie. It has Will Smith, action, humor, and steam-powered mechs in the Old West, so it can’t be so very disappointing as all that.

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Cool World

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Cool World. Paramount Pictures 1992.

Before watching the movie:

It’s my understanding that this film is Roger Rabbit, if Roger Rabbit stopped beating around the bush and said what it was hinting at. It’s adult oriented, and apparently only PG-13 because the producer wouldn’t let Bakshi publish the R-rated cut.

Also there are no familiar characters. So one should have an easier time hiding it from their kids. I figure it’s more like the book Roger Rabbit was based on.

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Batman & Robin

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Batman and Robin. Warner Brothers 1997.

Before watching the movie:

Once again, here’s a film that lives in infamy, a fate that befalls far too many superhero movies. Often derided for being the campiest movie of the Batman series, it’s… well, it broke the franchise. Look at it this way, though: between it and Catwoman, it made Batman Begins possible. I’m hoping to find more reason to appreciate it than that, but if George Clooney is allegedly giving refunds on people’s tickets, how great can it be?

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Mission: Impossible

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Mission Impossible. Paramount Pictures 1996.

Before watching the movie:

Add this to the list of “how did I let this wait 14 years?” This movie is action, suspense, and big-name stars. It draws upon a hit TV show with an iconic theme. It is the Hollywood spy movie.

I have to admit I’ve never seen an episode of the series, so I can’t appraise it on that level.

Also, back then, nobody ever thought Tom Cruise would go publicly insane.

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