Fantasy

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

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The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. Columbia Pictures 1988.

Before watching the movie:

Terry Gilliam made some movies in the 80s. Specifically, he made three movies about dreamers, which Gilliam has come to call the “Trilogy of Imagination.” Three different movies about protagonists of different ages trying to escape the oppressive world around them. I’ve already seen Time Bandits (the dreamer as a child) and Brazil (the dreamer in middle age). Baron Munchausen is an older man going on fanciful adventures that may not exactly be accurate.

I’m not sure how I expect this film to make me feel. Time Bandits was fun and the end was depressing but hopeful, Brazil was a long downward spiral through madness, and Twelve Monkeys was depressing throughout. “Munchausen” looks like some good fun, but I don’t know how much of that is a misrepresentation for marketing purposes.

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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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The NeverEnding Story

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The NeverEnding Story. Warner Brothers 1984.

Before watching the movie:

I don’t really feel like watching this movie, but nothing else I had lined up interested me either. This one at least is fantasy, which can tie into the Harry Potter release, which I’m staying home from in order to blog. (Also because I’m broke.)

What I know about this movie is that it’s an 80s fantasy, obviously. Also apparently a kid finds a book that writes itself as he reads it, and then he goes inside the book and participates in the story, and learns a lesson about self-esteem that in the film version he didn’t need because he wasn’t a fat loser like in the book the film is based on.

People consider this movie an inspiration. I’m hoping it will prove them right, but I’m not a big fan of 80s fantasies, or 80s feel-good movies. Why am I watching this again?

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A Nightmare on Elm Street

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A Nightmare on Elm Street. New Line Cinema 1984.

Before watching the movie:

I don’t necessarily favor special holiday editions of everything. In fact, I avoided doing anything special for Christmas and New Year’s last year. This Halloween, I’m in the mood to catch up on some horror classics (but only the classics), which happen to be ripe YM fodder in that they’re old and they’re fresh to me.

“Nightmare” is the earliest horror movies to attract my attention. Dreams, telepathy, and pushing the limits of the mind has always been an interest of mine. A psycho who kills by entering your dreams is one of the scariest fantasies I can think of, forget the fingerblades.

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Unbreakable

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Unbreakable. Touchstone Pictures 2000.

Before watching the movie:

M. Night Shyamalan’s works have had a wide range of quality. It originally seemed as though his output just got worse over time, but in the light of not only the glaring plot holes in The Sixth Sense, but also the fact that some have noted a similarity to an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark,  it may be considered that Unbreakable is Shyamalan’s real zenith of quality.

So why is it the movie I’m the least familiar with? My guess is that while “6th Sense” has a lasting buzz, and I was paying attention to the ad campaigns of the later films, Unbreakable stands in my blind spot. Too old for me to notice, too average to remark on. Here I go remarking on it.

From what I understand, it’s a deconstruction of superhero stories. Not terribly original and not well-timed. (Superhero movies were about to have a classical comeback after America went into security blanket mode, but nobody could have predicted that.) All the same, I hear good things about this film, and I expect good things.

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The Shadow

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The Shadow. Universal Pictures 1994.

Before watching the movie:

I never heard of this movie before, and I’m not terribly familiar with the Shadow radio dramas it’s based on. I’m fairly certain that the Shadow is a costumed hero in the style of Zorro or the Scarlet Pimpernel, fighting through sheer force of will. I don’t know how well Alec Baldwin can fit into that role.

The box says it’s witty, so this should be fun.

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Ghost

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Ghost. Paramount Pictures 1990.

Before watching the movie:

For a long time this film has been on my list of important movies to watch, but I’ve never really given it very close examination. In fact, the most I learned about it was one occasion when I had an idea for a story, and then decided to check how much like Ghost it was. I ended up deciding it was close enough to wait on it.

In preparing for this blog, it seems that it’s actually more of a supernatural love story than I wanted, but if it turns out to be so, hopefully Whoopi Goldberg’s presence will make it bearable.

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Big

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Big. Gracie Films/20th Century Fox 1988.

Before watching the movie:

Once again, an 80s classic with an iconic scene.  Another fantasy comedy. Recommended by the Zeitgeist and provided by a browse through the local library.

I expect to like this film, so I’ll probably be slightly disappointed. I’m not sure if I’ve seen any of Tom Hanks’s early comedy roles before, but even knowing about them, I wouldn’t have necessarily picked him for a story about a kid in a grown man’s body. It reminds me a little of Forrest Gump, but without the depth.

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Hercules in New York

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Hercules In New York, RAF Industries 1970

Before watching the movie:

According to the blurb, this movie is pretty much its title. Hercules gets bored of Olympus and goes to New York City, where crazy things happen. I found this movie looking through YouTube’s movie collection, and I’m interested in seeing if the fact that it’s not listed under Comedies is an oversight on the part of Youtube, or on the part of the writers.

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Conan the Barbarian

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Conan the Barbarian. Dino de Laurentiis Company 1982

Before watching the movie:

I always thought this was an action movie. I expected Arnold Schwarzenegger to basically just run around all buff and kill people and there would be a plot that facilitates that. Looking at the box, it seems this is more of a fantasy, and it’s apparently based off a comic book, which from my experience with non-spandex comics means this is going to be much deeper than Mortal Kombat with Austrian accents.

More ways I was wrong on the other side of the link.

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