Archive
POCAHONTAS – Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
The idea to make a movie about the life of Pocahontas was first pitched to Walt Disney studios in 1990, shortly after the success of The Little Mermaid, and as Beauty and the Beast was in production. The studio was looking to diversify its slate with more mature, emotionally grounded stories, and chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg was eager to pursue more prestigious, award-caliber projects. He saw Pocahontas as a chance for Disney to do a “serious” animated film with Oscar potential, aimed at adults as much as children, and described the film as potentially Disney’s equivalent of West Side Story or Dances with Wolves – emotionally resonant, message-driven, and grounded in real-world conflict. Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg were hired as directors, and during development Pocahontas was considered the “prestige” project compared to another film in development simultaneously – The Lion King. Many animators reportedly lobbied to work on Pocahontas, which was expected to win awards, while The Lion King was seen as the “B project,” although ironically it was The Lion King that would become a much bigger global phenomenon, both critically and commercially. Read more…
IL POSTINO – Luis Enríquez Bacalov
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
One of the most surprising global hits of the 1990s was Il Postino, The Postman, an Italian romantic drama film based on the novel Ardiente Paciencia by Antonio Skármeta, and directed by English filmmaker Michael Radford. The film is set in the early 1950s on a small, picturesque island off the coast of Italy and centers on Mario Ruoppolo, a shy and uneducated local man who takes a job as a postman. His only task is to deliver mail to Pablo Neruda, the famous Chilean poet, who has taken refuge on the island after fleeing Augusto Pinochet’s government and going into political exile. As Mario and Neruda begin to interact, Mario becomes fascinated by the poet’s charisma, politics, and especially his romantic use of language; eventually, Mario seeks Neruda’s guidance in learning how to express himself, particularly because he has fallen in love with Beatrice Russo, a beautiful but reserved woman who works at a local café. Read more…
BATMAN FOREVER – Elliot Goldenthal
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Batman Forever is the third installment in the original Warner Bros. Batman film series, following Batman in 1989 and Batman Returns in 1992, both of which were directed by Tim Burton. However, Burton left the Batman franchise during the development of the third film because Warner Bros. wanted to go in a lighter, more commercial, and family-friendly direction, which clashed with Burton’s increasingly dark, gothic depiction of Gotham City. The studio saw diminishing returns on the edgier tone and opted to reset the franchise’s style, paving the way for Joel Schumacher to come into replace him. Schumacher had directed a number of box-office hits in the decade prior, including St. Elmo’s Fire, The Lost Boys, The Client, and Falling Down, but his neon-soaked reinterpretation of the dark knight in Batman Forever was polarizing: some approved of the elaborate set designs, as well as the campier tone which more was reminiscent of the 1960s Adam West Batman TV series, while others missed Burton’s more introspective and visually dramatic approach. One person who certainly disapproved was Michael Keaton, who declined to return to the main role due to creative differences after Burton left; ultimately he was replaced by Val Kilmer underneath the mask and cowl. Read more…
CONGO – Jerry Goldsmith
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Following the success of Jurassic Park in 1993, screenplays adapted from the action/adventure novels of Michael Crichton were suddenly hot commodities; one such screenplay was Congo, which was adapted by John Patrick Shanley from the 1980 novel of the same name, and which had been kicking around Hollywood for more than a decade. The resulting film was directed by Frank Marshall and stars Dylan Walsh as Dr. Peter Elliot, a primatologist who is traveling to the Congo to return a gorilla named Amy – who he has taught to communicate using sign language via a special glove – to her home in the wild. Meanwhile, Dr. Karen Ross (Laura Linney) is sent to the Congo to find a missing research team led by her ex-fiancé Charles Travis, which was in the area on an expedition to find rare blue diamonds that could revolutionize laser communications, but which vanished after a violent, mysterious attack. Elliot and Ross end up on the same plane together, where they are joined by Herkimer Homolka (Tim Curry, sporting one of the weirdest accents in movie history), a mysterious Romanian treasure hunter who is obsessed with finding the mythical Lost City of Zinj, which is rumored to contain vast diamond reserves. Read more…
CASPER – James Horner
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Casper is a family-friendly fantasy comedy film based on the ‘Casper the Friendly Ghost’ character created by Joe Oriolo and Seymour Reit, originally popularized in mid-20th century cartoons and comic books. Directed by Brad Silberling (in his directorial debut) and starring Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, and Cathy Moriarty, the film is centered around a kind and lonely spirit who lives in an old mansion in Maine called Whipstaff Manor. Greedy heiress Carrigan Crittenden inherits the manor from her late father and, hoping to find a rumored treasure hidden inside, she and her assistant Dibs try to get rid of its supernatural inhabitants – Casper and his three mischievous uncles Stretch, Stinkie, and Fatso. When they are unable to evict the ghosts, Carrigan hires Dr. James Harvey, a therapist who specializes in paranormal psychology and helping ghosts “move on.” He arrives with his teenage daughter, Kat, but instead of exorcising the house Kat and Casper grow close, and Casper begins to remember details about his life and death – which leads to them deciding to get rid of Carrigan and Dibs instead. Read more…
A LITTLE PRINCESS – Patrick Doyle
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Director Alfonso Cuarón’s A Little Princess is an adaptation the 1905 novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett, which is now regarded as a timeless classic of children’s literature. The story centers on Sara Crewe, a kind and imaginative young girl raised in India by her wealthy British father, Captain Crewe. When World War I breaks out, Captain Crewe is called to the front lines, and Sara is sent to a boarding school for girls run by the stern and cold-hearted Miss Minchin. At first, Sara enjoys a privileged status at the school, thanks to her father’s wealth and her own charm, but her life is turned upside down when news arrives that Captain Crewe has died in battle and his assets have been seized. Stripped of her wealth, Sara is forced to become a servant at the school, but despite her hardships and Miss Minchin’s cruelty, Sara refuses to give up her belief that “all girls are princesses,” and with the help of her friend Becky, a fellow servant, and Ram Dass, the mysterious servant of a wealthy neighbor, Sara clings to her imagination and dignity. Read more…
HAUNTED – Debbie Wiseman
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Set in 1920s England, Haunted is a British supernatural romantic drama which stars Aidan Quinn as Professor David Ash, a skeptical psychologist and academic who specializes in debunking claims of the supernatural. Still grieving the death of his twin sister Juliet many years earlier, Ash is invited to Edbrook House, a remote English country estate, to help a young woman named Christina Mariell (Kate Beckinsale), who believes her home is haunted. At Edbrook, David meets Christina and her two brothers, Robert (Anthony Andrews) and Simon (Alex Lowe), along with their old nanny Miss Webb (Anna Massey). While David initially maintains his scientific skepticism, he begins experiencing inexplicable phenomena – ghostly visions, eerie voices, disorienting memories, and suchlike – and then as David becomes romantically involved with Christina, the house’s sinister secrets slowly begin to reveal themselves. Read more…
THE ENGLISHMAN WHO WENT UP A HILL BUT CAME DOWN A MOUNTAIN – Stephen Endelman
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
There’s trouble brewing down in the Welsh valleys. It’s 1917, in the waning years of World War I, and there’s an Englishman who works for the ordnance survey in the village of Ffynnon Garw. He’s measuring the local mountain, Ffynnon Garw itself, but he’s come down from the mountain saying that it’s ten feet short of actually being classified as a mountain, and is now officially a hill. The villagers don’t like this one little bit, so they try to concoct lots of unusual reasons for the Englishman to stay in Ffynnon Garw while they physically make their hill ten feet higher, so that it’s a mountain again. And that’s why this smashing little film has one of the longest titles in living memory: The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. Read more…
ROB ROY – Carter Burwell
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
One of two ‘historical Scottish epics’ released in 1995 – the other, of course, being Braveheart – Rob Roy is a historical drama set in the early 18th-century Scottish Highlands. The film follows Rob Roy MacGregor (Liam Neeson), a clan leader who strives to maintain honor and dignity while navigating the brutal social and political landscape dominated by aristocratic landowners and English influence. Rob borrows money from the Marquis of Montrose (John Hurt) to improve his clan’s welfare but is betrayed when the money is stolen by the cunning and sadistic Archibald Cunningham (Tim Roth), an associate of Montrose. Rob refuses to falsely implicate himself in a political scheme in order to regain the funds, choosing instead to uphold his principles. This decision makes him an outlaw and sets him on a dangerous path of vengeance, survival, and moral conflict. The film was directed by Michael Caton-Jones, and co-stars Jessica Lange as Rob’s devoted wife Mary, plus Eric Stoltz and Brian Cox in other supporting roles. Read more…
UNE FEMME FRANÇAISE – Patrick Doyle
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Une Femme Française is a French romantic drama film co-written and directed by Régis Wargnier, starring Emmanuelle Béart and Daniel Auteuil. The story follows Jeanne (Béart), a passionate and free-spirited woman, who marries Louis (Auteuil), a devoted but rigid French army officer, in the early 1940s. Soon after their marriage, Louis is sent off to fight in World War II, leaving Jeanne alone for several years; she struggles with loneliness and eventually engages in various torrid romantic and sexual affairs, seeking love and companionship in his absence. When Louis finally returns, he discovers Jeanne’s infidelities but remains deeply in love with her, and they attempt to rebuild their marriage, but the emotional wounds and social constraints of the time make it difficult. Over the course of several decades their relationship is tested by Louis’ military deployments, societal expectations, and Jeanne’s unrelenting desire for independence and passion – including an extensive affair a wealthy industrialist in post-war Berlin – all of which combined to offer a deeply emotional portrayal of a woman torn between personal fulfillment and societal norms. Read more…
DON JUAN DEMARCO – Michael Kamen
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Don Juan DeMarco is a romantic drama written and directed by Jeremy Leven, based on his own short story, Don Juan DeMarco and the Centerfold. The plot follows a mysterious young man who believes he is Don Juan, the figure from Spanish literature who presents himself as the world’s greatest lover. After a dramatic suicide attempt, he is placed in a psychiatric hospital under the care of Jack Mickler, a caring doctor nearing retirement. Mickler is intrigued by the young man’s passionate and elaborate tales of romance, seduction, and adventure, and as he listens to his stories rather than dismissing them outright he is encouraged to rediscover the passion in his own life, particularly in his marriage to his wife Marilyn. As the film unfolds, it becomes ambiguous whether Don Juan is truly delusional or if there is some deeper truth to his claims; either way, his influence ultimately revitalizes not only Mickler’s marriage but also the lives of others around him, and ultimately ‘Don Juan’ is allowed to leave to continue his life as an enigmatic and romantic figure. Read more…
DOLORES CLAIBORNE – Danny Elfman
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Dolores Claiborne is a psychological drama-thriller directed by Taylor Hackford, adapted by Tony Gilroy from the 1992 novel by Stephen King. The story centers on the titular character, played by Kathy Bates, who is accused of murdering Vera Donovan, her wealthy, elderly employer on a remote Maine island. The investigation brings Dolores’s estranged daughter, Selena St. George (Jennifer Jason Leigh), back to the island. Selena is a troubled New York journalist with a complicated history with her mother, marked by years of resentment. As the investigation unfolds, the film shifts between the present day and flashbacks to the 1970s, gradually revealing the dark events that shaped Dolores and Selena’s relationship – specifically, the horrific abuse that Dolores endured at the hands of her alcoholic husband, Selena’s father. Read more…
OUTBREAK – James Newton Howard
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Outbreak is a medical disaster thriller directed by Wolfgang Petersen, inspired by Richard Preston’s 1994 nonfiction book The Hot Zone. The story begins when a highly contagious and lethal virus, named Motaba, is discovered in Zaire in 1967. The U.S. military secretly destroys the infected village to prevent its spread but keeps the virus as a potential bioweapon. Years later, the virus resurfaces when an illegally smuggled monkey carrying Motaba is brought into the United States. The monkey ends up in a small California town, where the virus mutates into an airborne strain, making it even deadlier; the disease spreads rapidly, causing severe hemorrhagic fever and killing its victims within days. U.S. Army virologist Colonel Sam Daniels (Dustin Hoffman) and his team, including his ex-wife Dr. Roberta Keough (Rene Russo), race against time to find a cure. However, their efforts are hindered by General Donald McClintock (Donald Sutherland), who wants to suppress the outbreak to protect the military’s bioweapons program. As the town is placed under martial law and the military considers firebombing it, Daniels and his team try to track down the host monkey and develop a cure just in time to prevent mass destruction. Read more…
JUST CAUSE – James Newton Howard
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Just Cause is a psychological thriller based on the 1992 novel of the same name by John Katzenbach, directed by Arne Glimcher, starring Sean Connery, Laurence Fishburne, Blair Underwood, and Ed Harris. The film follows Paul Armstrong (Connery), a Harvard professor and former lawyer, who is drawn back into the legal world when an elderly woman pleads with him to help her grandson, Bobby Earl Ferguson (Underwood), a black man convicted of the brutal murder of a young girl in a small Florida town. Initially reluctant, Armstrong is convinced of Bobby Earl’s innocence after the accused claims that he was coerced into confessing by a ruthless sheriff, Tanny Brown (Fishburne). As Armstrong investigates, he uncovers more inconsistencies in the case and follows leads that point to another suspect, serial killer Blair Sullivan (Harris), who is incarcerated for another crime. However, as the case unravels, Armstrong slowly realizes that not everything is as it seems. Read more…
THE QUICK AND THE DEAD – Alan Silvestri
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
The Quick and the Dead is a Western action film written by Simon Moore, directed by Sam Raimi, and starring Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, and Leonardo DiCaprio. The story follows Ellen (Stone), also known as The Lady, a mysterious gunslinger who arrives in the frontier town of Redemption circa 1881. The town is controlled by the ruthless John Herod (Hackman), a powerful outlaw who has installed himself as the town mayor and who now hosts an annual quick-draw tournament where gunfighters compete to the death. Ellen enters the tournament with a secret motive – she seeks revenge on Herod for the death of her father, a marshal whom Herod had killed when she was a child. As the competition unfolds, Ellen encounters various colorful participants, including The Kid (DiCaprio), a cocky young gunslinger claiming to be Herod’s son, and Cort (Crowe), a former outlaw turned preacher who refuses to kill. Read more…
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