Summer of '89 May Be The Best Blockbuster Season Ever

 

Every summer movie buffs like myself look forward to the upcoming Summer blockbuster slate. The Summer blockbuster season is defined as movies released from early May to mid-late August covering the entire Summer. It is comprised of big-budget action, adventure, or comedy films with a Horror or thriller big budget film sprinkled in. And usually there are big promotions and merchandise associated with these blockbuster films.

I went down the rabbit hole of movies released during the summer of 1989, and hot damn it may just be the greatest Summer blockbuster season ever. Batman was released June 23rd, 1989 and one proved superhero movies had a place, and with the merchandising power behind it. Seemingly created the merchandise mania that would follow blockbusters in subsequent years. Batmania was everywhere that year thanks to the merchandise. I was only 3 years old but I distinctly remember going to General Cinema theater and the whole concession area was overran by Batman merch.

Batman wasn't the only film released that summer, a great deal of popular sequels debuted that summer. Ghostbusters II and Karate Kid III were also released in June. With Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade which saw Harrison Ford partnering with Sean Connery as his father released in May. The fifth film in the Star Trek series Star Trek V The Final Frontier debuted in June as well. The 16th film in the James Bond franchise License to Kill starring Timothy Dalton as Bond was released in July. Lethal Weapon 2 starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover with Joe Pesci joining the cast premiered in July as well. That is a heavy hitter roster of film sequels debuting weeks apart.

Spike Lee's classic film that is still oh so relevant today Do The Right Thing debuted in July as well. While adult comedy cult classic Weekend At Bernie's was a mid-summer hit.  On a more family friendly note, Disney's classic backyard adventure film Honey I Shrunk The Kids premiered the same day as Batman. Parenthood starring Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Dianne Wiest, Rick Moranis, and a young Joaquin Phoenix and Keanu Reeves debuted in August that year. John Candy's classic Uncle Buck released in August as well, prepping audiences on the importance of family right before school season kicked back up.

In the horror realm Friday the 13th VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan was released, even though the franchise had long ran it's course by then. Ditto for Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child which was the other horror summer blockbuster that year. James Cameron sci-fi cutting edge effects film Abyss premiered in August. Movie buffs spent a lot of money that year going to the movies.

When you look at that roster it just maybe the best blockbuster season ever. Every week that year provided quality highly anticipated movies for audiences. All of those films have a lasting legacy 35 years later, which says alot about just how special that year was for Hollywood. I'm going to do my due diligence and research other years, but I truly believe from the beginning of the season to the end no other year compares one bit.

That year is so iconic the 2017 horror film IT which is set in 1989 references two of the biggest blockbusters that year. Also doesn't hurt all three films were released by Warner Bros. Studios. So I've said all that to say this, the blockbuster movie season of 1989 as a whole may be untouchable. 

Read More

Hollywood Needs To Adjust Release Schedule

 I celebrated another year around the sun the end of last month. One issue I have every year is exactly what to do on my birthday? Unlike folks born in warmer months, my options are really limited if I'm not going on vacation. Then I looked into social events like axe throwing, wreck rooms, and bowling but looking at the cost compared to time spent participating in one of these activities. I didn't find it worth it, so I looked at old faithful the movie theaters.

The only thing playing that I kind of had a passing interest in was the Mean Girls remake. Now, of course inventory is low on movie releases due to the respective 148 writers strike and 118 day actors strike last year. However, it got me thinking about movies released in January.

Typically January is usually a dumping ground of movies that studios aren't really sure what to do with. If a movie was released in December of the previous year to generate some Oscar buzz. The studios ride that out while releasing throw away films.

In recent years though studios have started to release bigger films on MLK weekend. Bad Boys For Life became the highest grossing movie released in January when it debuted in 2020.

The Blockbuster movie season is from late April to mid August.  I think it's time Hollywood starts thinking outside the box and release a "blockbuster" film or two during January. For one with covid and then the writers and actors strike, movie theaters have been taking a hell of a one-two punch in recent years. They need more quality films that bring audiences to the theaters and not just in the condensed months towards the middle and end of the year.

Second, to be honest a lot of blockbuster films haven't really been blockbustering. For example Fast X and The Flash are blockbuster films released last summer that were disappointing. Did they really need to be released when they did? Or could they have been released earlier in the year when people are content starved and negative word of mouth may not have played a part and hit them so hard.

Lastly, with the advancement of streaming and audience perception that going to the theaters is no longer required. Studios and theaters need to combat that perception year round and emphasize there is nothing like seeing a movie in theaters for the first time.

The best way to do that? Give people reasons to see movies in theaters all year long. For the right film people will turn out, for instance when Black Panther debuted in February of 2018.

 Now, I can understand hesitation from theaters to sink alot of money into releasing a movie in January with weather concerns. One ssnowstorm or harsh cold streak on the east coast and Midwest would derail the box office take for those films.

But we're in a new time that requires new ways of doing things. There are a lot of jobs dependent on those industries and they need to be creative with how they survive. And with so much reaching for consumers wallets and attention, switching things up and experimenting is always a good idea in my book.

For someone like myself who enjoys the movie going experience, I wouldn't mind making a birthday celebration out of seeing a new must see release every year. Here's to hoping Hollywood takes heed.

Read More

1993 A Great Year For Action Films

 

Happy New Year Everyone! Since 2023 is now here, I was doing a bit of research to celebrate film anniversaries on my IG page (@storybyb). In doing so I realized 1993 was a hell of a year for the action genre in films. The list of films released that year in all qualities and budget levels is actually quite impressive. To make reading the article a bit easier, I've broken the films down into categories.

Put That Work In

Both Wesley Snipes and Jean-Claude Van Damme were at the top of their respective games in the 90's. 1993 was a good year for both, Wesley showed his acting chops a bit more and Van Damme showed off his martial arts prowess. Wesley starred in three films, one we'll cover later but he starred in Rising Sun with Sean Connery and Boiling Point against Dennis Hopper.

Van Damme not to be outdone used the momentum from '92's Universal Soldier and starred in Hard Target directed by John Woo. In addition he starred in Nowhere To Run alongside Patricia Arquette. These roles carried him into '94 for some of his more well known roles.

B-Movies  

B-Movie classic Sniper starring Tom Berenger and Billy Zane which has spawned a series of follow up films in the franchise. The film spawned 8 follow ups and the latest movie Sniper: Rogue Mission (now playing on Netflix) was actually very enjoyable.

Blown Away starring the two Corey's Corey Haim and Corey Feldman and Nicole Eggert. Corey Haim starts dating Nicole Eggert's character and gets entangled in a whole web of murder and deceit. 

A little known movie called Josuha Tree or One Man Army depending on the market etc. starring He-Man himself Dolph Lundgren. It has all the B-movie ingredients random action scenes, random nudity, and a plot that makes some sense but at times doesn't. For those of you who have never heard of it, here's the trailer.

Tae-Bo founder Billy Blanks when he was still trying to make a dent in the Hollywood scene starred in Showdown. Which is clearly a Karate Kid rip-off but actually may have been an inspiration for Never Back Down fifteen years later. Billy Blanks also starred in another B-movie that year alongside pro wrestling legend Roddy Piper, Back In Action.

Another martial arts film  Magic Kid this time starring Ted Jan Roberts of Masked Rider fame. He's a kid visiting LA with his sister and staying with their uncle. Their uncle is in some trouble with local gangsters, and he must be saved by his nephew who just wants to meet his hero while in town Don "The Dragon" Wilson. 

Action Thrillers

Judgment Night an underrated gem of a movie in my opinion. The film stars Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jeremy Piven, Stephen Dorff. The four friends take a wrong turn off the highway and come across a dangerous gang led by Denis Leary. They become the hunted on the run along a Chicago neighborhood.

The Pelican Brief  based on a book by John Grisham and starring Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts. Roberts is a law student on the run who needs assistance from Denzel Washington after she uncovers some information about the assassination of political figures.

Striking Distance Bruce Willis is a Pittsburgh cop on river patrol. Several recent young ladies are murdered all with connections to him. Along with his partner Sarah Jessica Parker they set out to find the killer and the connection.

In The Line Of Fire Another political action thriller, this one starring Clint Eastwood. Rene Russo, John Malkovich and Dylan McDermott. Eastwood is a secret service agent still haunted by his failure to protect President Kennedy from assassination 30 years earlier, now he's being taunted as the current president is the next target.

The Fugitive based on the 60's TV show, Tommy Lee Jones is a U.S. Marshall hot on the trail of Harrison Ford who has been accused of murdering his wife. While he's on the run, Ford is searching for the real killer. 

Falling Down starring Michael Douglas as a man who has a  real shitty downward spiral one day (which actually is a prime example of white male fragility gone wrong) released in February of that year. 

True Romance written by Quentin Taratino and directed by Tony Scott. The film stars Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette as two lovers on the run from damn near everybody after accidentally stealing some drugs. 

Personal Favorites

The Meteor Man starring Robert Townsend and a host of who's who in Black Hollywood in the early 90's. Next to another one of my favorites The Last Dragon, Meteor Man is one of the earliest memories I have of a Black superhero saving the neighborhood.  By the way Amazon still waiting on that Meteor Man cartoon. 

Another one of my personal favorites Only The Strong starring Mark Dacasos who should have been an bigger martial arts film star in my opinion. The movie is another clearly inspired Karate Kid film with some dash of Stand and Deliver. The movie introduced me to the Brazilian martial arts style capoeira and the infectious battle chant.

While on martial arts Oh boy, how could I forget Surf Ninjas? Starring Ernie Reyes Jr, Tone-Loc, Kelly Hu, Rob Schneider, and Leslie Nielsen. During this time I was at the height of my martial arts/ninja craze so this movie fit right in. Following two brothers and their motley crue of friends and allys on the run from some not so dangerous ninjas out to get them. It's silly, contains a lot of low brow and slapstick humor, and not the best of movies but damn it's a ride. 

Hell 1993 even bought us the often criticized, still decent but flawed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III.

Random's 

Overseas action films introduced us to Iron Monkey starring Donnie Yen who should have been crossed over and gained a bigger Hollywood status like Jackie Chan and Jet Li. The weaker of the trilogy primarily due to it's lighter tone but still enjoyable Robocop 3 was released. 

Best Of The Best II starring Phillip Rhee and Eric Roberts. Even Wayne Newton joins in the fun with a bit part. The film has a Vegas Gladiator tone to it, and while different from the first one is just as enjoyable. 

 One for the history books, the often scrutinized but a top tier bad but fun video game movie in Super Mario Bros. Which I also think was the first video game turned into a movie.

Posse starring and directed by Mario Van Pebbles, covers the story of Black cowboys during the western era. An often overlooked topic in Hollywood, still to this day. 

While we're on westerns, there's the  classic western starring Val Kilmer, Kurt Russell, and Bill Paxton Tombstone. Which revigorated the western genre.  

Heavy Hitters

When we talk heavy hitters of action movies in 1993. The cinema gods did us a huge favor that year for action films. Wesley Snipes was mentioned earlier as he was  all over the place in '93. He turned in a scene stealing run as villain Simon Phoenix against Sylvester Stallone in one of my absolute favorites Demolition Man. Stallone had us covered again that year with another action banger Cliffhanger. 

Then Stallone's old pal Arnold Schwarzenegger lit up the screen in what I think may have been one of the first forms of meta acknowledgments and jokes in a movie, the cult classic Last Action Hero. I absolutely love that movie, and consider it a classic. To this day if Demolition Man or Last Action Hero come on, I likely will stop what I'm doing and watch them.

Point of No Return starring Bridget Fonda and based on the 1990 film La Femme Nikkita. Fonda stars as a recovering addict given a second chance at life to become an assassin. After several successful missions she wants out, but that's as easy as it sounds. The film is famous for the legendary laundry chute explosion scene.

Jurassic Park One of the biggest and most technological advanced blockbusters ever graced screens that year. Directed by not only a legendary director but also a visionary in Steven Spielberg. It opened the door for Hollywood to see how CGI could help bring more stories to life. In fact Avatar has a lot to thank Jurassic Park for. It was the highest grossing movie of 1993, and 30 years later still one of the highest grossing films of all time.

There you have it, some of the masterpieces of 1993 Action films. It's an expansive and impressive list, and I'm sure I missed one or two. Either way if there are any on this list you may not have seen, do yourself a favor and check them out.

Read More

Baltimore The Movie Character

You may have seen the trailer for HBO's latest mini-series "We Own This City" debuting later this month and starring Jon Bernthal (The Punisher), Wunmi Mosaku (Lovecraft Country), Jamie Hector (Marlo, "The Wire") and Baltimore native Josh Charles (Sports Night). The series produced by David Simon focuses on the true story of a corrupt Baltimore city PD task force.  

The series was very active filming around the city last summer. Shoot, they filmed a block up from my street and parked a big ass trailer right in front of my house. 

Seeing the trailer (the actual promo trailer) got me thinking about movies that were actually filmed in Baltimore.

The city of Baltimore is known for alot of things, some positive most of it unfairly negative. One often overlooked positive is how it is a great backdrop for films. 

It's often an overlooked aspect of filmmaking unless the plot is dependent on it, but what city a film is set in is a important component of making movies. It sets a tone and can assist in driving home the message of a movie. Now Baltimore may not be in the conversation with LA, New York, or Atlanta when it comes to movies being filmed here. 

However, the city is no slouch with Hollywood depictions, there are several films out there you may not realize were filmed in Baltimore. Oftentimes it's a stand in for D.C. since filmmakers don't have to deal with the challenges of filming in the nation's capital. Other times it's a stand in for other cities (Major League II, The Replacements). The best times though,  are when a film is actually set here. Hollywood get's the most bang for it's buck when it accurately depicts the city for it's beauty,, quirkiness nd grim.

I've compiled a list of five films I think really exemplify and made the city it's own character. Note, this list is strictly about movies so The Wire and Homicide: Life On The Street two great TV series, where the city was a major character just as much if not more than the actors of the shows are omitted.

5. Liberty Heights

Released in 1999, Liberty Heights is one of Baltimore native Barry Levinson's "Baltimore films". This film follows a Jewish teenager Ben (Ben Foster) observing and living life in the 1950's as his father has a role with the mob and under close watch by the feds, his school has recently integrated, and he falls for a fellow student Sylvia who is Black.

Baltimore neighborhoods particularly the Liberty Heights area are highlighted in the film. Druid Hill Park was a filming location. Pennsylvania Ave and the famed Royal Theater which was the Black mecca in Baltimore during the 50's and 60's is depicted. Famed Baltimore gangster Lil' Melvin is even portrayed in the film by Orlando Jones. My family lived in the Liberty Heights area for years spanning multiple generations, and as a kid it was very cool to see an area I was familiar with in a Hollywood movie.

4. He's Just Not That Into You

This 2009 film bought alot of star power to Baltimore. Starring Ben Affleck, Scarlett Johannson, Bradley Cooper, Justin Long, Jennifer Connolly, Kevin Connolly and Jennifer Aniston. They came together for a romantic comedy above love and life and is actually a decent rom-com movie.

The movie follows different characters in different stages of relationships. More importantly it shows quite a few areas of Baltimore. Fells Point, Brewer's Hill, Mount Vernon, water taxis around the Harbor, Canton, and the famous Domino Sugar sign. Local beer Natty Boh is heavily shown in many bar scenes. This movie maybe almost 13 years old but its actually a great advertisement for Baltimore and it's charm.

3. Diner

Diner is basically Barry Levinson's love letter to his youth and the city that made him. Released in 1982 and set in the 1950's the film covers a group of friends who love to frequent a Fells Point diner. It's at the diner where they love french fries and gravy and debating over roast beef sandwiches on rye. 

Local TV station WBAL is name dropped. The main characters stan the Baltimore Colts, which a humorous subplot involving a marriage is dependent on the Colts is included. Fells Point, overview shots of a pre Inner Harbor harbor, Camden Station and other Baltimore landmarks are prominent. The movie is very Seinfeldish in that it really has no plot, it just follows a group of friends experiencing different situations in life. If you've ever hung out with your friends agitated one another simply to debate, and done some wild and random shit in your youth, you'll appreciate the movie. 

2. Charm City Kings

Starring Meek Mill, Ja'hani Wiston, and Baltimore dirt bike legend Chino Braxton. The movie highlights the dirt bike culture of Baltimore. How much work goes into building dirt bikes and learning the craft of riding one. It also provides clues on why dirt bike riders are considered Superheroes to inner city kids.

It has little nuances like the Baltimore accent where we say "doug" or "dug" instead of dog.  Beloved UTZ crab chips are displayed a few times and two characters eating not quite a 4 wings and fries chicken box but almost there. It also showed everyday Baltimore neighborhoods, dipilated housing and all that natives would recognize or snap their fingers and be like damn I know that area.

1. Hairspray 

John Waters has set all of his films in Baltimore, and made all efforts to show the quirks of the city. From Pink Flamingo to Serial Mom, and Pecker, John Waters will show just how off many residents in different phases and demographics of life.  The 2007 musical film of Hairspray does a wonderful job of making Baltimore it's own character in the film. It's opening song is even a catchy ode of a song to Baltimore 

As great as that movie is, it mainly was filmed in Toronto, Canada. The nod here however goes to the original 1988 film starring Ricki Lake. For actually being filmed in the city, and showing many landmarks,quirks and Baltimore slang of the 1960s. Love or hate the film or the director, you cant hate his love for his hometown. 

If your curious about the various movies and TV shows filmed in Baltimore click here

Read More

B's Remake Series: Universal Soldier

 Hollywood is the king of recycling. Every year there are movies and TV series in development, that are remakes, sequels, or spiritual continuations of successful properties.

This often done to invoke nostalgia, connect a property to a new generation. Or the biggest reasons, money and Hollywood is out of fresh ideas. When films are remade it's often to bring famous films to a new generation. Update a film that had a good plot and just failed in execution, or the technology wasnt there to fully flesh out the film. I will be providing a series of films, I believe are ripe for a remake in my "B's Remake Series". 

Starting off is 1992's "Universal Soldier"  starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. At the time Jean was becoming one of Hollywood's reliable action stars, while Dolph was not a bankable action star but had the size, menace, and enough acting to be a bad ass foe when one is needed. The poster featuring the two with machine guns in their hand, and their target head sets (dont know the actual term for them) and the trailer was all they needed to draw audiences in.

The film follows the two as reanimated soldiers amongst a team used for a secret military program. Both go rogue in their own way against the program, and against one another. The film put Jean Claudes martial arts skills against Dolph's brute force. There is some serviceable action scenes in the film, including the opening hostage scene, and a motel shootout. The Hoover Dam scene still holds up today with the introduction of the soldiers, the scene of them repealing down the Hoover Dam face first is a cool ass visual to this day. 

Where I think the film is ready for a remake almost thirty years later, is the technology behind reviving the characters  of Jean and Dolph. DNA engineering, stem cell use, and cybernetics are even more prevalent and has supporters and opponets more today than back in 1992. Even watching the movie when I was younger, I was intrigued by the idea of the 'Unisol" program as it's called in the movie. On the DVD there is a deleted scene where Jeans character meets the doctor who oversaw the program, it does provide some context but I believe was left out for pacing purposes. As such the movie leaves just enough information to let viewers know, theres way more to the story of that program. How their chosen, how their controlled, exactly what was done to these soldiers. It's a whole mythology behind it that should be explored further.

The film could also touch on the experiences of soldiers when their in war and the mental effects of it. The effects of PTSD is hinted at in the original, but I think there just wasnt enough known about it back then to elaborate on it in the film. That could be a subplot in a remake and play a role in the soldiers going rogue. 

There was a direct sequel released in 1999, that other then starring Van Damme didnt really connect with the original. Hell it left more questions then answers, if you're trying to make sense of the connection between the two. There's also been some straight to cable and DVD interations, that dont meet the standard the first film set. With Hollywood looking for old properties to revive, now is the perfect time for Universal Soldier. 

Read More

Change

  Change, one of the few things in life that are constant and consistent. Change is a guarantee in life, depending on the circumstances it can be a change for the better or the worst. As we move closer to a new year making changes is always brought up. People want to make changes for the better in their personal life.
  Along with change being consistent, it is also one of the hardest things in life to do. Not sure if it’s because of fear of what will happen if the change is not successful. Change can bring a sense of uncertainty especially in the beginning stages. Change also brings strong resistance, some people are just purely unwilling to really make a change.
   Right now our society is experiencing that resistance in several regards. No matter how many cry’s have been heard for gun reform after multiple acts of senseless violence, there are still people who oppose any type of gun reform for any reason. No matter how much fight there has been for an improvement in race relations, there are those who oppose that. Either due to their own ignorance or own insecurities, they attempt to stand by their opinion in the name of patriotism. People have been asking for school reform for years, much of it in the way students are taught or the curriculum they are taught, to better prepare them for the game of life and to relate to them better. Yet there are still decision makers who stand by the out of date and out of touch curriculum.
  There are a few changes that appear to be occurring for the better. People are becoming more conscious about what they eat, and how important maintaining a healthy diet and exercise is. Taking control of our finances and proper budgeting is something a lot of people are becoming more aware of. The recent Hollywood scandals of predators seems to be changing the course of Hollywood wheelers and dealers. Alternative forms of medicine that actually assist in curing ailing patients is becoming more accepted. Homosexual relationships and marriages are becoming more accepted.
   I often wonder is society change a case of the “old guard” being the primary decision makers, and as younger generations come along the tune will change? Or do the majority of the population have a “it’s always been done this way” approach to things. The same rule applies to individuals, some people have a thought process that they’ve always ate like shit and never been sick and will continue to do so.
   One thing to keep in mind change is very important to promote evolving not just as a society, but as people as well. This new year let’s vow to make our own personal change for the better, but also find a cause society needs to make a change for the better on and champion that change. Like the great Michael Jackson said if you wanna make a change, look in the mirror.

Read More