I Just Watched...

[Lorna]

I remember “time” magazine also mentioned that “Mars Attacks!” was “bad enough to make Ed Wood proud.”

And this was Tim Burton's follow up to his bio-pic Ed Wood
[/quote]

And ED WOOD is an excellent movie (or at least I thought it was when I saw it 28 years ago.) so expectations were really high. Of course, this was before Tim Burton made a regular habit of disappointing moviegoers.

[Cinemaspeak59]

Maestro (2023) is a type of Pointillism. It zips along, achieving balance between Bernstein’s personal and artistic life. Bradley Cooper goes the adventurous route in making this biopic. The third act is more conventional, but someone going in unacquainted with Leonard Bernstein, after watching this, understands what made him special.

[CinemaInternational]

I remember “time” magazine also mentioned that “Mars Attacks!” was “bad enough to make Ed Wood proud.”

And this was Tim Burton's follow up to his bio-pic Ed Wood

And ED WOOD is an excellent movie (or at least I thought it was when I saw it 28 years ago.) so expectations were really high. Of course, this was before Tim Burton made a regular habit of disappointing moviegoers.
[/quote]

I don't know. Despite it being a box office phenomenon, I didn't warm to his first Batman movie at all. That said, Ed Wood is indeed a wonderful film, and it holds up very well. Such a shame it didn't do better at the box office. It was Burton's best hour, although I quite liked Big Fish as well.

[Lorna]

I don't know. Despite it being a box office phenomenon, I didn't warm to his first Batman movie at all. That said, Ed Wood is indeed a wonderful film, and it holds up very well. Such a shame it didn't do better at the box office. It was Burton's best hour, although I quite liked Big Fish as well.

YEAH, I UNDERSTAND not being into BATMAN 89...it was SUCH A MOMENT in THE ZEITGEST, I can't remember if you are old enough to remember summer of 1989 where BATMAN was EVERYWHERE. for me, it has SUCH POTENTIAL and GREAT MOMENTS, but yeah, overall is a bit of a snooze.

although I like THE PARTY MAN SCENE.

I've never seen BIG FISH, bit numerous people have mentioned liking it a lot.

i kinda liked SWEENEY TODD, but I saw it before I saw the GEORGE HEARN/ ANGELA LANSBURY version

[Lorna]

IT WORKED BETTER AS A COMIC (SLOW DOWN TO READ)

[CinemaInternational]

I don't know. Despite it being a box office phenomenon, I didn't warm to his first Batman movie at all. That said, Ed Wood is indeed a wonderful film, and it holds up very well. Such a shame it didn't do better at the box office. It was Burton's best hour, although I quite liked Big Fish as well.

YEAH, I UNDERSTAND not being into BATMAN 89...it was SUCH A MOMENT in THE ZEITGEST, I can't remember if you are old enough to remember summer of 1989 where BATMAN was EVERYWHERE. for me, it has SUCH POTENTIAL and GREAT MOMENTS, but yeah, overall is a bit of a snooze.

although I like THE PARTY MAN SCENE.

I've never seen BIG FISH, bit numerous people have mentioned liking it a lot.

i kinda liked SWEENEY TODD, but I saw it before I saw the GEORGE HEARN/ ANGELA LANSBURY version

Yes, Sweeney Todd was good too, but I still need to see the Lansbury version (which I know that you have raved about many times, so I should get on that)

As for Batman, I was too young to remember that, but I know from what I read that the advertising for it was unavoidable that summer, as they filled billboards, did TV ads, made tons of toys and had a fast food tie-in....and so of course it was this enormous box office success, because everyone had been hammered into going to see it.... And frankly it was a deformed film: Nicholson projected too much as the Joker, Keaton underplayed Batman to the point of nonentity, the plot (involving deadly makeup) was cruel, the Prince music grated. I liked Kim Basinger (almost always underrated) and the sets were stunning. [Batman Returns was an improvement thanks to Michelle Pfeiffer]


It's tempting in retrospect to regard 1989 as ground zero for today's obnoxious blockbuster mentality. Batman was everywhere. The Little Mermaid fully announced animation was back (and it was a good film) And there were sequels everywhere! (For the record, Indiana Jones, James Bond, Ghostbusters, Lethal Weapon, Back to the Future). However, the years biggest hits also included Driving Miss Daisy, which is about as far from special effects as one can get. But the year marked something, even though the first few years of the 90s were solid ones for films.

[Lorna]

I can see where you’re coming from with regard to 1989, but I just can’t entirely share your cynicism, and that is due 100% to the age difference betwixt us. I was 12 years old in 1989 which is absolutely the right age to fall for Hollywood blockbuster bull****… in fact, I still remember driving with my sister to see the movie in June 1989 and thinking that penguin and catwoman were gonna be in it too.

I miss 1989

[Lorna]

On the same footing, you and I will never *truly* understand DISCO.

[CinemaInternational]

I can see where you’re coming from with regard to 1989, but I just can’t entirely share your cynicism, and that is due 100% to the age difference betwixt us. I was 12 years old in 1989 which is absolutely the right age to fall for Hollywood blockbuster bull****… in fact, I still remember driving with my sister to see the movie in June 1989 and thinking that penguin and catwoman were gonna be in it too.

I miss 1989

Yes, one does fall more for blockbusters when they are young, and that is completely understandable that you would have nostalgia for it as just about everyone does for the films when they were young (except for me....movies were drying up when I was that age, and I rarely feel much of a desire to revisit much from what was released at the time).

Anyway, back to 1989... Pick some favorites if you ao wish, everyone.... This is what I saw....alphabetically, as far as the computer will allow it....

A Dry White Season
Always
Back to the Future Part II
Batman
Bert Rigby, You're a Fool
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Black Rain
Blaze
Bloodhounds of Broadway
Born on the Fourth of July
Breaking In
Casualties of War
Chances Are
Cheetah
Cookie
Cousins
Crimes and Misdemeanors
Dad
Dead Calm
Dead Poets Society
Do the Right Thing
Driving Miss Daisy
Eat a Bowl of Tea
Enemies: A Love Story
Family Business
Farewell to the King
Fat Man and Little Boy
Field of Dreams
Ghostbusters II
Glory
Great Balls of Fire!
Harlem Nights
Hear No Evil, See No Evil
Henry V
Immediate Family
In Country
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Kiki's Delivery Service (in Japan; made US debut in 1998)
Lean On Me
Licence to Kill
Longtime Companion (festival premiere; theatrical run in 1990)
Major League
Miss Firecracker
Music Box
My Left Foot
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
New York Stories
Old Gringo
Parenthood
Prancer
Queen of Hearts
Rosalie Goes Shopping
Say Anything....
Scandal
Sea of Love
See You in the Morning
Sex, Lies, and Videotape
She-Devil (the guiltiest of all guilty pleasures. Meryl is terrific in it)
Shirley Valentine
Skin Deep
Slaves of New York
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Steel Magnolias
Tap
The 'Burbs
The Abyss
The Big Picture
The Fabulous Baker Boys
The January Man
The Little Mermaid
The Mighty Quinn
The Rainbow
The Tall Guy
The War of the Roses
True Love
Valmont
We're No Angels
When Harry Met Sally....
Wicked Stepmother
Winter People
Worth Winning

[CinemaInternational]

On the same footing, you and I will never *truly* understand DISCO.

I wish they had not repeated the lyrics so much... Some of them have interesting instrumentals though.

[HoldenIsHere]

MARS ATTACKS! is one of those films that deserves a remake- maybe a three part TV Series on amazon or netflix.

I envision a LAS VEGAS scene where THE MARTIANS have forced a CAPTIVE BRITNEY SPEARS to perform for 72 hours straight and she snaps and grabs a ray gun and annihilates them while lip-synching to STRONGER.

I love it the idea!

But the song I would want Britney to lip sync to during the annihilation scene would be "Toxic."
While "Stronger" perhaps fits better lyrically, "Toxic" kicks ass aurally.

COMPROMISE: how about the breakdown of ”you drive me crazy, baby” from CRAZY (the “Stop!” Version)

Great compromise and a good choice both lyrically and aurally:
The earth is movin'
But I can't feel the ground . . .

I think A nice touch would be for each Martian's face to morph into the face of Justin Timberlake (it's made clear that this is happening just in Britney's mind) before she blasts each one with the ray gun.

By the way, I posted a video of "(You Drive Me) Crazy" (but not the Stop! Remix) in the "In Vinyl Veritas" thread here at the SSO last month.

[Lorna]

The version that is not the “STOP!” remix leaves me cold. But I get to each their own.

[Lorna]

Without that break down, it’s just not the same song.

[HoldenIsHere]

I don't know. Despite it being a box office phenomenon, I didn't warm to his first Batman movie at all. That said, Ed Wood is indeed a wonderful film, and it holds up very well. Such a shame it didn't do better at the box office. It was Burton's best hour, although I quite liked Big Fish as well.

YEAH, I UNDERSTAND not being into BATMAN 89...it was SUCH A MOMENT in THE ZEITGEST, I can't remember if you are old enough to remember summer of 1989 where BATMAN was EVERYWHERE. for me, it has SUCH POTENTIAL and GREAT MOMENTS, but yeah, overall is a bit of a snooze.

although I like THE PARTY MAN SCENE.

I like BATMAN (1989) quite a bit. It features one of my favorite Jack Nicholson performances. You can tell he's having a blast in that role.
I've never seen it on the "big screen" though.

The Batman movie that that was "it" for me in my childhood though was BATMAN RETURNS.
I had all of the McDonald's cups with Frisbee lids.
I think my sister and I also had (between us) all the BATMAN FOREVER glass mugs,

[Lorna]

** also one of her hair and make up gays needs to film the Martian massacre with his phone while shouting “YAAAAAAAAS BRITNEY, SLAAAAAY BRITNEY!!!!!! YAAAAAAAAAS!!!!!”