Sunday, December 27, 2009

Mondo Anniversaries: 20 Years!

I know that this is one will make a lot of us feel old, but, embrace it. Age ain't nothing but a number. Well, until you hit 50- then you're just plain old! Seriously though, here are the notable releases...

Batman: You had to know that I would include this, didn't you? As a kid, I loved this movie and I still do. Mind you, I have some problems with the execution in hindsight, but that is just part of growing up and becoming a jaded film critic. This movie is still great, even if some of the other films in the series are not so good. For the record, I think that The Dark Knight is a better movie.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: Oh, how I wish this was true! Since an Indiana Jones film is apparently a requirement to show up on my lists, here is this one. This one is great and really embodies the spirit of adventure that the series tried to establish. It is a shame that they lost that for the fourth film, but maybe the fifth one will get it right. Yeah, they are doing one...apparently.

The Abyss: It's ironic to see this movie here as this was another James Cameron film that 'changed the way we saw movies.' It is a shame, however, that some of the special effects in the movie are overshadowed by his re-use of them later in Terminator 2. I don't have to tell you that this is a good film, so I won't.

Meet the Feebles: I really, really love this movie. It is bizarre, twisted and pure genius. Any film that is about puppets and includes an extensive Vietnam War flashback/Deer Hunter parody is a winner in my book. Unfortunately, it has taken us a long time to realize how great this movie is. If you have not seen this movie, do so now.

UHF: I love 'Weird Al' Yankovic and it is a pity that his movie did not do well. Of course, if you look at everything he was up against that year, it's no surprise. This movie satirizes so much of what made the 80s so strange, i.e. Donahue, kid's shows. It has a really strange and warped sense of humor, which is what makes it so great.

License to Kill: While not a great film, it is a notable one for history. It is the last of the Timothy Dalton films and the one that preceded Goldeneye, arguably one of the best ones of the series. After this film failed to connect, the series went on hiatus and fans feared that it would never return. Of course, everyone- save for Dalton- would say that things took a turn for the better.

I want to give a special shout-out to the other films, which include Teen Witch, Major League, Deepstar Six, Leviathan, Field of Dreams, Fletch Lives, Hard to Kill, Heathers, Look Who's Talking, Parenthood, Pet Sematary, Weekend at Bernie's, The Punisher, Cyborg, The Dream Team and When Harry Met Sally...

I also want to give an extra special shout-out to all of the sequels, which include Lethal Weapon 2, The Toxic Avenger: Part II, Star Trek 5, Sleepaway Camp III, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5, Prom Night III, Halloween 5, Friday the 13th: Part VIII, The Fly II, Police Academy 6, American Ninja III, C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud, Karate Kid III and Godzilla vs. Biollante.

For the finale of the series, let's look at some of the movies celebrating their 10 year anniversaries. Ah, fresh ones. Stay tuned...

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