The year 1995 got it right while getting it wrong simultaneously regarding the Oscars. I’m referring, in particular, to two movies.
Dead Man Walking and
Leaving Las Vegas. Each movie had knock-it-out-of-the-park performances from its lead characters, but neither film could capitalize on these performances to earn a Best Picture nomination. However, outside of
Braveheart and
Apollo 13, this wasn’t a particularly strong year with
Babe,
Sense and Sensibility, and
The Postman as the other five nominees.
Braveheart (the winner) continues to remain one of the most beloved Best Picture winners of all time, while many view
Apollo 13 as a technical masterpiece. As a brief aside,
Heat,
Se7en, and
The Usual Suspects deserved the other three nominees
Continue reading Dead Man Walking (1995) →
My first viewing of Jon Amiel’s (Entrapment, Copycat) Sommersby was when I was 17. I liked the story, was intrigued by the slow unraveling mystery, and ate up the sentimentality created by Richard Gere (Pretty Woman, The Mothman Prophecies) and Jodie Foster (Panic Room, The Silence of the Lambs). Had I reviewed the film in 1993, I likely would have given it an A-. As I watched the movie most recently, some 30 years later, I was impressed by how well it once again grabbed and held my interest. Much of that was trying to spot each clue that connected the start and end, which rewatches allow. However, as simple as the story was, I fell victim to Jack Summerset’s (Gere) six-year return to Laurel (Foster) following the U.S. Civil War.
As long as there is an opportunity for profit, classic movies will continue to be redone, rebooted, and have unneeded sequels attached. That is a fact of life. If you hope this doesn’t happen to your favorite movie because you don’t want the original tarnished, don’t hold your breath. It’s not a question of if but a matter of when. The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre (released in 1974 and directed by Tobe Hooper – Salem’s Lot, Poltergeist) is one of those classics. It’s a film beloved by critics and audiences alike. It’s become a cult movie that almost all moviegoers (horror fans or not) will undoubtedly see at least once. When we hear the name Leatherface, we instantly visualize a deformed madman chasing unsuspecting teens through the woods with a chainsaw. There have been and will continue to be sequels, remakes, and other movies that hope to ride the coattails of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre.