Archive
MAVERICK – Randy Newman
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
1994’s Maverick was director Richard Donner’s attempt to bring the popular 1957 ABC TV show of the same name to the silver screen. That show starred James Garner as the eponymous Brett Maverick, a wise-cracking and charismatic poker player plying his trade on riverboats and in saloons across the American Wild West. The big-screen version of the story sees Maverick being played by Mel Gibson, who here is re-teaming with director Donner for the first time since Lethal Weapon 3 in 1992. In this story, Maverick finds himself needing to raise $25,000 to enter a high-stakes poker tournament on a riverboat; as he does so he repeatedly encounters the resourceful and sly con-artist Annabelle Bransford (Jodie Foster), while falling afoul of the stern lawman Marshal Zane Cooper (Garner). The film’s supporting cast features Graham Greene, James Coburn, and Alfred Molina, and has many cameo appearances by classic Western film actors and country music stars. Read more…
LITTLE BUDDHA – Ryuichi Sakamoto
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Little Buddha, directed by the Oscar-winning Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci, is a drama film that intertwines two primary narratives. The first narrative follows a young boy named Jesse Conrad, living in Seattle with his parents, Dean and Lisa. Tibetan monks, led by Lama Norbu, visit the Conrad family, believing that Jesse is the reincarnation of a revered Buddhist teacher, Lama Dorje. As Jesse and his parents grapple with this revelation, they travel to Bhutan to further explore this possibility, and he meets two other boys – Raju and Gita – who may also be reincarnations of Lama Dorje . The second narrative is a historical recount of the life of Prince Siddhartha, who would later become the first Buddha and the founder of the Buddhist religion This story is woven throughout the film as Lama Norbu tells Jesse about Siddhartha’s journey. The film depicts Siddhartha’s sheltered life in his father’s palace, his encounters with suffering in the world, his renunciation of royal life, and his path to enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. Read more…
THE CROW – Graeme Revell
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
The Crow is a dark supernatural action thriller directed by Alex Proyas, based on the comic book of the same name by James O’Barr. The story follows Eric Draven, played by Brandon Lee, a rock musician who is brutally murdered along with his fiancée, Shelly, by a gang of criminals. One year after their deaths, Eric is resurrected by a mystical crow to seek vengeance on those who wronged him. Eric soon discovers he has supernatural abilities and is invulnerable to pain; guided by the crow, he methodically tracks down and eliminates the gang members responsible for his and Shelly’s deaths, until eventually he comes face-to-face with the gang’s vicious leader, Top Dollar. The film co-starred Michael Wincott, Sofia Shinas, and Michael Massee, as well as Ernie Hudson as sympathetic cop Albrecht, and Rochelle Davis as a young girl named Sarah who was close to Eric and Shelly. Read more…
WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN – Zbigniew Preisner
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
When a Man Loves a Woman is a romantic drama about alcoholism. Directed by Mexican filmmaker Luis Mandoki from a screenplay by comedian Al Franken and Rain Man writer Ronald Bass, it stars Meg Ryan as Alice Green, a school counselor, who is married to Michael (Andy Garcia), an airline pilot, and whose outward persona masks the fact that she has a serious drinking problem. Alice is often reckless when drunk, and when one incident results in her endangering her children – nine-year-old Jess (Tina Majorino) and four-year-old Casey (Mae Whitman) – she finally agrees to enter a rehabilitation program. While Alice recovers, Michael must take on more responsibility at home and learn to cope with the challenges of supporting his wife through recovery. As such, the film portrays the complexities of their relationship, highlighting both the strain caused by Alice’s addiction, and the depth of Michael’s love and commitment. Read more…
NO ESCAPE – Graeme Revell
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
No Escape is a brutal, violent, but unexpectedly enjoyable action-thriller film directed by Martin Campbell, based on the 1987 novel The Penal Colony by Richard Herley. The film is set in a dystopian future – the hellscape of 2022! – where a former US marine named Robbins, played by Ray Liotta, is wrongfully convicted of murder and sent to a remote island prison called Absolom as punishment. This island is a lawless penal colony where the inmates are left to fend for themselves without guards or rules. Robbins must navigate this harsh and violent environment while trying to survive and escape from the island; he encounters different factions of inmates who have formed their own societies, some more hostile than others, and as Robbins learns the brutal ways of Absolom, he becomes determined to find a way off the island and regain his freedom. The film is a testosterone-fest that has an excellent supporting cast including Lance Henriksen, Stuart Wilson, Kevin Dillon, Kevin J. O’Connor, Michael Lerner, and Ernie Hudson. Read more…
FRANK AND JESSE – Mark McKenzie
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Frank and Jesse is a mid-budget western film directed by Robert Boris, starring Bill Paxton and Rob Lowe in the roles of the notorious outlaw brothers Frank and Jesse James, who became cult figures for their exploits robbing banks and trains in the Wild West in the 1860s and 1870s. It’s a complete hagiography of course, treating the James Brothers as folk heroes akin to Robin Hood rather than the thieves and murderers that they were; the film specifically looks at the period immediately after the end of the Civil War when Frank and Jesse – disillusioned by the result of the conflict and suffering severe financial hardship caused by unscrupulous Chicago railroad investors – get a gang together and set off on a trail of bank robberies, train heists, and stage holdups while evading the dogged pursuit of Allan Pinkerton and his newly-created detective agency. The film co-starred country superstar Randy Travis, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, and William Atherton as Pinkerton; it originally aired on HBO, before receiving a limited theatrical run, where it grossed a mere $50,000, and then essentially disappeared into obscurity. Read more…
BAD GIRLS – Jerry Goldsmith
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Despite Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven winning Best Picture at the 1992 Oscars, and despite the efforts of films like Wyatt Earp and Tombstone, the Western genre was still struggling to return to mainstream popularity in the 1990s. The 1994 film Bad Girls, directed by Jonathan Kaplan, was another attempt to reinvigorate the genre, albeit this time with a significantly feminist spin. The story is set in the 1860s and centers around four women – Cody (Madeleine Stowe), Anita (Mary Stuart Masterson), Eileen (Andie MacDowell), and Lilly (Drew Barrymore) – whose lives intersect after a harrowing incident at the home of a brutal brothel owner, where they are forced to defend themselves, and kill a would-be rapist. Following this event, the women decide to break away from their troubled pasts and set out on a journey of freedom across the American frontier – all while being pursued by Pinkerton agents determined to bring the ‘bad girls’ to justice. The film co-starred James Russo, James LeGros, Robert Loggia, and Dermot Mulroney, and boasted handsome and authentic production values, but unfortunately was a box office flop and critical misfire, with many people pointing to fact that original director Tamra Davis was fired a few weeks into production, and that her more serious intentions for the film were changed in order to make it more action-packed and mainstream. Read more…
THE PAPER – Randy Newman
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
The Paper is an ensemble comedy-drama directed film by Ron Howard that follows the hectic day of a New York City tabloid newspaper, the New York Sun. The plot revolves around Henry Hackett, played by Michael Keaton, the managing editor of the paper, who faces a series of challenges over the course of 24 hours. These challenges include breaking a major story about two young men wrongfully accused of murder, dealing with corporate interference and pressure to sensationalize stories, and navigating personal conflicts within his team, including with his pregnant wife who also works at the paper. Throughout the day, Henry grapples with ethical dilemmas, personal integrity, and the demanding nature of his job, all while trying to balance his professional and personal life amid the fast-paced and often chaotic environment of a tabloid newspaper. The film has a superb supporting cast that includes Glenn Close, Marisa Tomei, Randy Quaid, and Robert Duvall, among many others, and it was a relative critical hit, although it was almost entirely overlooked at the subsequent Oscars – with one notable exception. Read more…
THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS – Hans Zimmer
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
The House of the Spirits is an epic family drama based on Isabel Allende’s novel, a seminal work in Latin American literature, renowned for its magical realism and rich storytelling. Set in an unnamed South American country, widely believed to be inspired by Allende’s native Chile, the story spans several generations of the Trueba family as they experience the complex history and social dynamics of the country, beginning with the family patriarch, Esteban Trueba, his wife Clara, and their descendants. Esteban is a self-made man who amasses wealth and power through his land holdings, but his authoritarian nature and violent tendencies tend to alienate him from his family. Meanwhile, Clara possesses supernatural gifts and serves as a counterbalance to Esteban’s brutality with her gentle and intuitive nature. Years pass and the political and social upheaval in the country deeply affects the Truebas; in particular their daughter Blanca is forced to navigate the tumultuous political landscape of their country, which is marked by social injustice, oppression, and revolution. The film was directed by Bille August, has an exceptional cast including Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close, Winona Ryder, and Antonio Banderas, and has a score by Hans Zimmer. Read more…
L’ODEUR DE LA PAPAYE VERTE/THE SCENT OF GREEN PAPAYA – Tiết Tôn-Thất
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
The Scent of Green Papaya (L’Odeur de la Papaye Verte in French, Mùi Đu Đủ Xanh in its native Vietnam) is a Vietnamese drama film, the feature debut of director Tran Anh Hung. Filmed with a cast of mostly non-professional actors, the film presents a poignant portrayal of Mui, a young girl from the countryside, as she transitions into adulthood while working as a servant for a middle-class family in Saigon. Set in 1951 against the backdrop of a Vietnam trying to find its place in the world following the end of French colonial rule, the movie meticulously captures the essence of the country’s culture, landscapes, and traditions, and follows Mui as she navigates her daily life within the confines of the household. When the family’s father absconds with their life savings, the tireless mother is forced to support the family through the slim profits of her tiny fabric store. As the family struggles to make ends meet, Mui becomes attracted to a friend of the family, Khuyen, who has ambitions to be a concert pianist. A decade later, and with the family in dire financial straits, Mui is sent to work in Khuyen’s home. Mui initially serves him as she has served the family – with perfection and silence – but gradually Khuyen begins to take notice of Mui’s love for him. Read more…
FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL – Richard Rodney Bennett
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
One of the best romantic comedies of the 1990s, and one of my personal favorite comedies of all time, is Four Weddings and a Funeral, directed by Mike Newell and written by Richard Curtis. It follows the story of Charles, a charming but perpetually single British man, who over the course of a year repeatedly finds himself attending different weddings and funerals involving his extended group of friends. As time goes on, Charles begins a relationship with Carrie, an American woman in England with whom he shares a connection, but struggles to pursue due to various comic obstacles and embarrassing misunderstandings. The film explores themes of love, friendship, and the unpredictability of life, all set against the backdrop of a series of quintessentially British social gatherings. The film launched its leading man Hugh Grant into international superstardom, briefly re-kindled the career of Andie MacDowell, and features a superb supporting cast of British character actors including Kristin Scott Thomas, Simon Callow, James Fleet, John Hannah, Rowan Atkinson, and the late Charlotte Coleman. Read more…
SIRENS – Rachel Portman
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Sirens is an Australian comedy-drama film written and directed by John Duigan, starring Hugh Grant, Tara Fitzgerald, Sam Neill, and supermodel Elle MacPherson. It is loosely based on the life of artist and author Norman Lindsay, who was one of the most prolific and popular Australian artists of his generation, and is set in Australia in the 1920s. Grant plays Anthony Campion, an Anglican priest newly arrived in Australia from the United Kingdom, who is asked to visit Lindsay (Neill) by the church, who have concerns about a blasphemous painting of a crucifix that the artist plans to exhibit. When Campion and his reserved wife Estella (Fitzgerald) arrive at Lindsay’s home they are initially shocked to discover just how sexually free and uninhibited Lindsay, his wife Rose, and their beautiful ‘models’ are. However, as the days pass Estella finds herself increasingly intrigued by their relationship, which leads to her beginning to embrace her own sexuality in unexpected ways. Read more…
GOLDEN GATE – Elliot Goldenthal
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Golden Gate is a romantic drama written by acclaimed playwright David Henry Hwang, and directed John Madden. The film is set in San Francisco in the 1950s and stars Matt Dillon as FBI Agent Kevin Walker, who is sent with his partner to investigate potential links between the residents of San Francisco’s Chinatown and the emerging communist ‘threat’ posed by Chairman Mao’s China. His investigation leads to the prosecution and eventual imprisonment of several local residents on trumped-up charges, one of whom – Chen Jung Song – is clearly innocent. A decade later, Song and his cohorts are released, but Song has never recovered from his ordeal, and Walker watches as he jumps to his death from the Golden Gate Bridge. In the aftermath of this, Walker meets Song’s daughter Marilyn (Joan Chen), and the two of them unexpectedly embark on a torrid love affair – an affair which eventually causes Walker to begin to question his ethics and morals, and the part he played in her father’s death. Read more…
ON DEADLY GROUND – Basil Poledouris
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
An action thriller with an environmental protection theme, On Deadly Ground marked the directorial debut of action star Steven Seagal, who was hot off the unexpected critical and commercial success of his previous film Under Siege in 1992. Here Seagal plays Forrest Taft, an expert firefighter who gets involved in a conflict between an unscrupulous Alaska oil company and a local indigenous tribe, whose lands are being damaged by the oil company’s drilling methods and poor safety record. Things escalate when the head of the oil company orders his henchmen to eliminate anyone who knows about his company’s indiscretions, and the tribal leader is murdered; angered by the injustice, Taft teams up with the tribal leader’s daughter to take down the company. Despite an excellent supporting cast that included Joan Chen, John C. McGinley, R. Lee Ermey, a young Billy Bob Thornton, and Michael Caine chewing the scenery as the despicable head of the evil oil company, the film was unfortunately a critical disaster, appearing on many end-of-year ‘worst’ lists; much criticism was leveled at Seagal’s ham-fisted and amateurish direction, as well as the preachy tone of the film’s screenplay. Read more…
SHADOWLANDS – George Fenton
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Shadowlands is a British romantic drama film which looks at the profound personal and intellectual relationship between C. S. Lewis, the author of The Chronicles of Narnia fantasy books series, and the American poet Joy Gresham. The film is set in the 1950s and finds Lewis, a reserved, middle-aged bachelor teaching at Oxford University. He meets Gresham and her young son Douglas while she is on an academic tour of England; she is unhappily married, but does not reveal her troubles. What begins as a formal meeting of two minds slowly develops into a feeling of connection and love, and after Gresham divorces they marry – but their relationship will be tested when Joy is diagnosed with cancer. The film is directed by Richard Attenborough from a screenplay adapted from the stage work by William Nicholson, and stars Anthony Hopkins as Lewis and Debra Winger as Gresham. The film is one of those quiet, reserved, impeccably well-mannered British costume dramas, but it was nevertheless an enormous critical success, receiving Oscar nominations for Best Actress and Best Screenplay, and winning the BAFTA for Best British Film of 1993. Read more…
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