Pop Culture Buzz

“THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN”

This bright, completely original Terry Gilliam film (”12 Monkeys”, “Monty Pythons The Holy Grail”, “Brazil” and “Time Bandits”) was considered to be a huge flop when it was released in 1998 and is still thought of as one of Hollywood’s biggest fiascoes to this day. Although critics enjoyed the fantasy film (it has a terrific 86% on RottenTomatoes.com and is certified “fresh”) it tanked at the box office all across the globe.

“The Adventures of Baron Munchausen” tells the legend of an old man who has lived a fairy-tale life. Blending Oscar winning effects with witty humor and a terrific cast, “Munchausen” is a gorgeous sprawling film. The art direction, acting, set design and effects still hold up to this day. The film stars John Neville, Eric Idle and Sarah Polley with cameos by Robin Williams, Uma Thurman and Sting.

“DARK CITY”

Many people consider this 1998 film, written and directed by Alex Proyas (”The Crow”), to be the real “Matrix” movie. It stars Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland, and Jennifer Connelly. While not a major box office hit, it has a considerable reputation within the film industry, with film critic Roger Ebert proclaiming it to be the best film of 1998.

The movie begins with a man (Sewell) waking up in a hotel room with no memory. Right away we find out he is being sought out by police (who believe him to be a serial killer) and also by a group of mysterious men with psychokinetic powers. Furthermore, something appears to be wrong with the world at large because time, memory, and identity behave in unusual ways. This is not only a beautiful film but it is also VERY trippy, extremely thrilling and smart.

“GALAXY QUEST”

The sci-fi comedy “Galaxy Quest” was a huge surprise and a decent hit when it was released in 1999. The plot of the film follows a group of out of work actors who co-starred with eachother on a canceled T.V. show called “Galaxy Quest”. When aliens from another world receive the t.v. show’s transmissions in space, they assume that the shows content is real and travel to earth to find the transmissions crew.

The T.V. shows cast is kidnapped by the aliens at a Sci-Fi convention and taken to another galaxy to help save them from an evil alien dictator. Watching the human actors pretend to be their on screen characters will leave you in sticthces. This movie has an incredible screenplay and a spot on cast starring Tim Allen (who I normally despise), Sigourney Weaver, Allan Rickman and Sam Rockwell.

“INNERSPACE”

Navy pilot Tuck Pendleton (Dennis Quaid) is selected as a guinea pig to take place in an experimental project which will have him placed in submersible pod, miniaturized to microscopic size and injected into the body of a rabbit. Immediately after being miniaturized and put into a needle, the experiment takes a bad turn when the lab is attacked. The experiment supervisor escapes with miniaturized Pendleton he accidentally injects Quaid’s character into a unsuspecting civilian (Martin Short).

“Innerspace” won a couple of Academy Awards in 1987 and was directed by Joe Dante and produced by Steven Spielberg. It stars Dennis Quaid, Meg Ryan and Martin Short. “Innerspace” spoofs the 1966 sci-fi classic “The Fantastic Voyage”. The films blend of awesome, groundbreaking effects and Martin Short’s physical comedy are definate crowd pleasers!

“ENEMY MINE”

During a bloody battle, two warring ships crash on a barren planet, with only one survivor from each ship. At first, the human pilot and the lizard like alien “Drac” continue to fight, but the planet’s harsh climate and the need to survive force them to ally. Denis Quaid stars as the human pilot and Louis Gossett Jr. plays the alien pilot in this unique, bizarre sci-fi fantasy.

The movie has some really great set designs and Quaid and Gosset Jr. give riveting performances that will tug at your heart strings. “Enemy Mine” is a thinly masked treatise on race relations, handled well by its two lead actors. “Enemy Mine” is director Wolfgang Petersen’s first American films and it is a rare find if you have not seen it!