COLUMN: When the theaters just have flops, these films are tops
As the entertainment editor here at The Statesman, I spend a lot of time paying attention to what’s coming out of Hollywood. Being a movie freak from the womb, this is a dream come true.
Unfortunately with the crap that seems to keep popping out, I sometimes wonder what it is that makes me love film so much.
The problem, as I see it, is often the best work to come out of Tinseltown gets overlooked.
Here are a few picks that renew my obsession with the big screen and that I could watch over and over. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it should give you enough to get through the weekend.
They’re not the biggest blockbusters Hollywood has ever produced, but that’s kind of the point.
“Fierce Creatures”
This 1997 comedy is pure gold.
It blends the outlandish British style of “Python” veterans John Cleese and Michel Palin with one of America’s most underrated comedic actors, Kevin Kline (“Pink Panther”).
Take a stuffy ex-cop named Rollo Lee (Cleese). Put him in charge of saving a small English zoo from bankruptcy.
Give him the idea that they should get rid of all but the most dangerous of critters, forcing the keepers to scheme to convince him that their cuddly baby animals are, in fact, vicious killers.
Now add the boss’s obnoxious son (Kline) with a few ideas of his own.
Throw in a buxom Jamie Lee Curtis (“Halloween”) to complete the love triangle, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for hilarity.
This is one of those films like “Oscar” or “Rat Race,” where the situations start off crazy and there are a series of wacky coincidences that begin to spiral out of control until they reach the point of sheer absurdity.
If you’re going to sit there and with every level of craziness, analyze the chances of that actually happening, this movie is not for you.
However, if you’re willing to just sit back and enjoy the insanity, you’ll enjoy every minute of this ride.
“MirrorMask”
A new film, this one came out in 2005 and didn’t really create much of a buzz. I rented the DVD on a whim, and I haven’t been able to say enough about it since.
It’s a magical fairytale in movie format like the ’80s freaky classics “Labyrinth” and “The Dark Crystal.”
The film follows Helena, a 15-year-old girl trying to come to grips with her mother’s sudden onset of cancer. Helena travels to a magical world in peril about to tear itself apart if she can’t find the MirrorMask.
The film is visually stunning. Helena encounters all kinds of magical creatures in her travels, all of which look amazing.
The effects alone are worth checking the movie out, but the Neil Gaiman (“Sandman”) script is equally good. It deals with serious subjects in a whimsical way that just works.
Even though, after finishing her quest, Helena wakes up in the real world, the film ends in such a way that keeps the magic alive.
I love it when a movie creates a new world that exists on its own. This film does that better than any other I’ve seen in a long time.
“The Majestic”
Normally, plots involving amnesia worry me. Movies featuring Jim Carrey in a dramatic role always worry me. And yet, “The Majestic” has both, and it knocked my socks off.
Set during the Red Scare of the ’50s, “The Majestic” tells the story of Peter Appleton, a Hollywood screenwriter trying to run away from accusations of being a communist.
He ends up in a small town, suffering amnesia from a car wreck.
He happens to come across the owner of the local movie theater, Martin Landua, who is still distraught over losing his son in World War II.
Because the two look so alike, everyone mistakenly assumes Appleton is the long lost son. Their similar personalities and shared love of movies only add to the problems.
After helping restore his father’s dreams, giving the town new hope and winning the heart of the son’s girlfriend, Appleton’s memories and problems catch up to him.
The movie deals with a lot of hard issues like knowing who you really are, the importance of the truth and the value that entertainment brings to our lives.
I was impressed with Carrey’s acting. This movie made me laugh, made me think and made me feel emotions. That doesn’t happen often.
Steve Shinney is a movie freak, plain and simple. Lists of your own underappreciated movies can be sent to steveshinney@cc.usu.edu.