Jun 7
Good Burger is one of those flicks without a serious bone in its body. Based on the comedy sketch of the same name from Nickelodeon’s All That variety show, this 1997 comedy has a bit of a cult following. It bathes in its grease, without question, and knows exactly what it’s trying to do from the outset. It has no illusions, thankfully, and manages to offer more than a few big beefy laughs along the way.
James L. Brooks is pretty much the master of soapy comedy-drama films. His Terms of Endearment was a “Lifetime movie” bolstered by sublime acting, while Spanglish was an episodic comedy-drama with heart. In the case of 1997′s As Good as It Gets, it’s all about characters and surprising friendships. As with most of Brooks’ films, the cast is stellar. And the script, penned by the director and Mark Andrus, is crisp and legitimately funny.
Disney’s 35th entry in the Animated Classics canon is 1997′s Hercules. It features a very impressive showcase segment involving the hero fighting the Hydra, but it also boasts a pretty lame set of songs (with one exception) and some pretty odd pacing. Even with its clear flaws, it’s one of Disney’s better efforts in the hit-or-miss 90s.
Mar 24
Oliver Stone tackles the creepy small town in U Turn, a 1997 film noir that boasts a terrific cast and some stylish work behind the camera. The small town has long been the subject of many a creepy movie plot, with pictures finding a lot of material in the notion of being out “in the middle of nowhere” with nary a person to trust. The notion of having to rely on a sheriff who may or may not be corrupt doesn’t help matters.
In U Turn, Stone tosses a drifter, a femme fatale, a few creeps, and an oddball mechanic into the dusty stew. The resulting flavours are sometimes overwhelming, with the director often preferring style over substance. At the same time, his use of camera tricks to present a disorienting and hyper-sensitive effect is well worth a look. It’s the sort of thing other directors frequently overdo (I’m looking at you, Tony Scott).
Sep 1
It’s hard not to think of Charlie Chaplin when watching Roberto Benigni at work in 1997’s Life is Beautiful. The motion picture is the ultimate expression of love and Benigni’s devotion to the piece jumps from the screen in every sequence, scene and moment. He also directed the movie, which went on to win the Grand Prize of the Jury at Cannes and three Oscars including Best Actor for Benigni.
The Italian film is at times breathlessly comic and at other times incredibly emotional. The beauty is when Benigni effortlessly weaves the two together, creating a collage of the human experience that ventures through some of life’s brightest moments and some of life’s darkest. Benigni, one of Italy’s biggest stars, also co-wrote the movie with Vincenzo Cerami, making this the ultimate labour of love for the performer.
