DIVERSIONS
WEEKLY ENTERTAINMENT SECTION • THE DAILY TAR HEEL • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16,1995 •
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The Good, The Bad,
The Ugly: Movies Reviewed
BYTODD GILCHRIST
STAFF WRITER
Despite the fact that it’s only November, we’re al
ready at our Top lOFilmsofthe Year. Sadly, there hasn’t
been that much to choose from, but the fall brought in just
enough that I could scrape together a Top 10 List (“Ca
sino,” “Heat,” etc. notwithstanding):
The Best
10. “Crimson Tide”—Directing aside, this is one hell
of an entertaining movie. Gene Hackman and Denzel
Washington bolstered their careers with terrific perfor
mances, Tony Scott finally gained an ounce of credibil
ity, and the summer got its fust major hit. If you’re
curious about where Tarantino added his signature hipster
dialogue, look to a few choice references about the Silver
Surfer and “Mutiny On the Bounty.”
9. “Seven” Except for his brief (but hilarious)
performance in “True Romance,” Brad Pitt finally turns
in a pretty good performance as a dimwitted detective
whose fists keep interfering with a fascinating (and grue
some) investigation. Morgan Freeman’s world-wearied
character is the same as we’ve seen it in his past four or
five movies, but against the impetuous Pitt, he actually
escapes typecasting. Even David Fincher, who butch
ered the “Alien” series, turned this noir nightmare into a
watchable and genuinely disturbing thriller (with a little
help from Kevin Spacey).
8. “Mighty Aphrodite” Any Woody Allen film is
sure to make the year’s ten best, but “Aphrodite” is a
brilliantly written and acted film that surpasses 98 per
cent of the rest of the drivel released on sheer intelligence
alone. Energetic and entertaining as ever, Allen, for the
first time since his controversy, seems eager to subject his
audiences to a little relationship humor, even if it is
distanced from his previous works about the same sub
ject. Allen can somehow get a good performance from
anyone (remember Juliette Lewis in “Husbands and
Wives”?), and this film should receive several nods from
Mr. Oscar, most notably for F. Murray Abraham as the
Greek Chorus Leader and Mira Sorvino as the prostitute
with a heart of gold.
7. “Immortal Beloved” Absurdly melodramatic
and grossly inaccurate historically, “Beloved” is never
theless one of the most consistently watchable films of
the year, due, by and large, to the completely overpow
ering performance of Gary Oldman .His Beethoven is as
maniacal as Axl Rose, as romantic as Don Juan and as
tortured as Trent Reznor. Isabella Rossellini also turns in
a great performance, demonstrating that her acting is
only improving. Bernard Rose, above everyone else,
proved that he can do more than make horror films (and
good ones at that with “Candyman”).
6. “Get Shorty” Bany Sonnenfeld, the director of
two “Addams Family” films, demonstrated that he can
be a player. His adaptation of the novel of the same name
filled the gap that “Pulp Fiction” created from last year,
even if it didn’t quite live up to it. Still, the presences of
John Travolta, Delroy Lindo, and Gene Hackman made
this the most easy-on-the-eyes film of the year. Not in
another recent film have the actors made performance
look so easy. Travolta might be nominated again for his
great performance as Chili Palmer, but Delroy Lindo
sneaks in and steals almost half of the movie.
5. "Dead Presidents" —The Hughes Brothers are abso
lutely incredibje, and if Menace II Society left this unjusti
fied, "Dead Presidents” surely proved their worth. They
turn simple stories into mortal tragedies, imbuing every
moment with colorful characterization and an incredible
sense of reality; it wouldn’t surprise me if they were nomi
nated for their writing work, if not for their directing.
4. “The Usual Suspects” “Now that’s a f***ing
movie. ” This was all I could repeat to myself for the next
twenty minutes after leaving the theater. Few movies go
exactly the way you want —which is the way you would
least expect —but this film tosses up the biggest plot twist
in any of the past five year’s releases ("Reservoir Dogs”
was probably the previous mind-fuck champion). Flaw
less performances from the entire cast benefit a decidedly
non-indie looking film, covered with a loud and powerful
score and enough interesting characters to fill three more
films. “Pulp Fiction” was the most common point of
reference, but “The Usual Suspects” easily stands alone,
distant from the indie-rock king of films.
3. “ToLive” —I don’t know how long Zhang Yimou
is going to continue to get overlooked by Americans, but
with each of his films, he improves and surpasses greater
and greater percentages of U.S. filmmakers. Banned in
his homeland, this story of Maoist China during the ’4os,
'sos and ’6os is so powerful that I barely could sit through
the two hours of triumph and tragedy. With the release
of “Shanghai Triad” late this year, Yimou perhaps will
receive some of the western recognition that he deserves.
2. “Smoke”—This is just a terrific film. A tiny little film
about a tiny cigar store, “ Smoke” spa wned a sequel (of sorts)
and a large underground following that somehow didn’t
translate into profit. Harvey Keitel at his most likeable (and
not coincidentally, his least violent) lit up the screen and
bullshitted us all, William Hurt took scholasticism to dizzy
ing heights, and Forest Whitaker showed us the true pain of
loss. In a film where the truthistossedout after five minutes,
we come to realize, in the end, that it is exactly what we do
in our own relationships.
1. “Braveheart” Yes, after all of this artsy crap is a
Mel Gibson movie\ !!! I couldn't believe it either, but I could
watch this movie four times in a row right now. Beauty
was no substitute for ability in this film, and “Braveheart’s”
female leads performed incredibly well (much better than
Julia Ormond’s vacant stares in “First Knight”), as did
the film’s male lead. Though I once dismissed him as yet
another action star, Mel Gibson has steadily increased as
an actor and is a phenomenal director. This film is
worthy of several Oscars (especially if “Dances With
Wolves” direction was worthy) and all of the money
people can heap upon it.
The Worst
5. “Powder”—Dangerously homoerotic, badly acted
and uninterestingly written and directed. I can only walk
around muttering “Powder” because I had such a great
time laughing at this piece of garbage.
4. “The Net” Clocking in at just under fourteen
hours, this film receives the second place award for
Longest Film of the Year To Have To Suffer Through.
Even with an attractive date this film couldn’t be saved.
Sandra Bullock, you’re cute, but this movie is as boring
as hell! Get out while you can and never, NEVER return
to this land again.
3. “Nine Months” Chris Columbus has officially
sold out, and Hugh Grant is nothing more than a shame
less mugfest. With exactly four facial expressions (ask me
to imitate them sometime), this film became grating ex
actly fourteen minutes after it began. Robin Williams
delivered nothingbutbad gynecology jokes, Jeff Goldblum
changed character more times than I shifted in my seat,
and Julianne Moore had to suffer along in the middle of
this crap. You know it’s bad when Tom Arnold (who’s
starting to grow on me) was one of the film’s saving graces.
2. “Showgirls” A piece of shit all-around. It was
trashy, exploitative and horribly acted, and Elizabeth
Berkely made a fatal mistake in not getting another job
before the film was released. Kyle Machlachlan’s hair
was out of control, and Joe Eszterhas’s script is the worst
thing I’ve ever seen filmed in American cinema.
1. “ Waterworld” —Not content with being just one of
this year's losers, it had to be the absolute worst of the
year. Winning the blue ribbon for Longest Film Of The
Year To Have To Suffer Through, “Waterworld” ran
approximately twenty-three hours long, and its plot
metaphorically explained the movie: way too many
people got onto a floating trash heap and only barely
managed to escape with their lives or their careers
intact. This may have been the most agonizing moviegoing
experience of my life. At least I could laugh at “ Showgirls. ”
PAGE 5
1995: The Year in Movies
BY JENNIFER PALCHER
STAFF WRITER
1995 will be remembered for many things: It was the year of
the O. J. Simpson trial; the year that Colin Powell almost ran for
president; the year that Hugh Grant took a walk on the wild side;
and the year of movies starring pigs.
Yes, who could forget “Gordy” and “Babe,” two films featur
ing the lovable, if smelly, hoofed creatures. Actually, it probably
wouldn’t be too hard to forget either of them (though “Babe” did
gamer quite a bit of critical praise). Like any other year, 1995 had
its share of forgettable flicks. But it also had quite a few memo
rable ones.
"Waterworld”
probably gained the
most attention.
Even before it was
released, the movie
was billed as an
enormous financial
fiasco. Although
the film didn’t ex
actly revive Kevin
Costner’s career as
he’d expected, it
did, however,
prove that smokers
are true villains.
Ron Howard’s
"Apollo 13,” on the
other hand, ful
filled the expecta
tions of both mov
iegoers and film
makers. Of course,
with a star like Tom Hanks, and Ron Howard directing, how
could it not be? Tom Hanks merely has to sneeze on a film to
make it a hit.
Speaking ofbig names in the movie business, Steven Spielberg
brought “Casper" back to life this summer. The kiddie-crowd
pleaser haunted theaters much longer than people expected (or
hoped), while “Pocahontas,” another family film, proved that
Disney’s animated division may not always maintain the level of
charm and success established in “The Little Mermaid.” Fre
quently denounced for its historical inaccuracies, “Pocahontas”
fell far short of its predecessors, which grossed somewhere
around seven gajillion dollars altogether. The filmmakers took
creative liberties when recreating the true story of the Native
American heroine. A similar thing happened with “Batman
Forever."
Joel Shumacher, the sequel’s director, took liberties with the
film’s style, opting not to use the dark, mysterious mood of the
first two in lieu of using dynamic, offset colors in order to
recreate the feel of a comic book. Although Michael Keaton fans
were chagrined to learn that Val Kilmer had taken over as the
caped crusader, “Batman Forever” was still considered a fun
film, and this summer’s biggest hit. And Jim Carrey added ...
slightly to the movie’s appeal.
“Die Hard With a Ven
geance” was yet another big se
quel. Starring Bruce Willis and
Samuel Jackson, “Vengeance”
showed that the third time may
not always be the charm. “Die
Hard With a Vengeance” was
like the third "Lethal Weapon”
film: the first two movies were
so great that the third paled in
comparison.
Any examination of 1995
movies would be incomplete
without a mention of “The
Bridges of Madison County,”
which paired Meryl Streep and
Clint Eastwood. Eastwood, Mr.
Big Action Star, proved he could
do romance in adapting a best
selling book into a film that girls
couldn’t pay their boyfriends to
watch. However, Sandra Bullock brought droves of males to see
"While You Were Sleeping.”
Bullock also expanded her repertoire with the cyberthriller
“The Net," which was one of many computer/technology ori
ented films. In addition to “The Net,” films like “Hackers,”
“Johnny Mnemonic” and “Virtuosity” set anew trend in
cyberspace cinema. However, Hollywood’s saturation of
cyberspace and internet films resulted in mostly low box office
returns.
Many other films had common themes in 1995. The afore
mentioned “Babe” and “Gordy” each let their porcine stars do
Movies Page 8
Cindy Acts?
Cindy Crawford
makes a less
than 'fair' debut
in 'Fair Game."
Hugh Grant has starred in three films this year, and none have been
as successful as "Four Weddings and a Funeral."
f ’ *<■ ‘‘f s ' “IP
n ah
i
"First Knight" was one of the biggest blunders of the summer.
Music Page 11
imßm mm
Elevator Music?
Arnie Roth performs Antonio
Vivaldi's well-known "The
Four Seasons."
the talking. “French Kiss” and “Forget Paris” followed the
cliched idea that romance is better in the City of Lights. “Rob
Roy” and “Braveheart” both featured hunky Celtic heroes.
While different in their approaches, “Clueless” and “Kids”
addressed the concerns and issues of today’s adolescents.
“Showgirls” and “Jade” were both unpopular Joe Eszterhas
films with controversial content and advertising.
Similarly, “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie
Newmar,” “Priest,” “Jeffrey” and “The Incredibly True Adven
ture of Two Girls in Love” all contained stories that revolved
around characters with questionable sexualities, but they didn’t
receive nearly the hoopla the two Eszterhas films received.
Kevin Smith and Robert
and “A Goofy Movie” rounded out the youngster movie choices.
Several of 1995’s films not appropriate for kids were also
frightfully bad attempts at horror: “The Prophecy,” “Village of
the Damned,” “Lord of Illusions” and “Powder.”
In general, many of the movies followed the same, standard
Hollywood formulas. Films that fit into this category include
“First Knight,” “Congo,” “Nine Months,” “Species,” “Judge
Dredd,” “The Tie That Binds,” and “Bad Boys.”
Still, “Get Shorty” filled in as the hipster film of the year and
logged another successful mile on John Travolta’s comeback
trail. “To Die For” was another boost to Nicole Kidman’s rising
career. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman examined the frightening
potential of the deadly sins in “Seven,” while “The Brady Bunch
Movie” examined the frightening potential of introducing the
tacky style of the early ‘7os to anew generation.
As it turned out, some of the best films of 1995 weren’t the big
moneymakers; they were the smaller, independent films that
were refreshing diversions from the standard Hollywood fare.
The Australian “Muriel’s Wedding” was a wonderful story
about a girl who learned to watch what she asked for because she
just might get it. Another pleasantly non-American film, “The
Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain”
dents,” “The Brothers McMullen” and “The Usual Suspects”
were a few of the Great American films of 1995. “The Usual
Suspects,” in particular, was a fantastic film with a twisting plot
that consistently surprised audiences, and many believe it to be
the best film of the year.
Like any year, 1995 had its share of ups and downs on the
silver screen. The downs could get pretty low, but the occasional
ups made moviegoing worthwhile. After all, any year that
introduces the concepts of Michelle Pfeiffer as an ex-Marine,
Demi Moore as a Puritan and Cindy Crawford as an actress can’t
be a total loss.
Rodriguez, both ofwhom de
buted with films that cost al
most nothing to make, scored
big with their sophomore
flicks, “Mallrats” and “Des
perado,” respectively. Their
matinee-ready films shot
leagues above most of the
higher-cost films released.
Children’s films in 1995
offered an interesting selec
tion. There were video-game
martial arts (“Mortal
Kombat”), questionably vio
lent for the teens, and pre
teen camp (“Mighty Morphin
Power Rangers”). There were
little people in a cabinet (“The
Indian in the Cupboard”) and
big creatures in the ocean
(“Free Willy 2”). Movies like
“Operation Dumbo Drop”
(with Hugh
Grant) featured
a quirky Welsh
village that
came together
in the name of
community
pride. Grant
showed up
again in “An
Awfully Big
Adventure,” a
story about a
Liverpudlian
girl who
learned the
darker side of
the theater
world.
“Clockers,”
“Smoke,”
“Dead Presi-