Watching the anointed Best Film of 1997 this afternoon (“Titanic”), here are my 10 Best of that year. #films #movies #cinema #1997films #filmcriticlife https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci8DFZvpIgF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I don't wanna anon i want u to know its me :( ddhdhd we don't talk anymore but i still think ur really epic and we should talk more dhdhdb I see kandi things sometimes and I'm like woah nice benny reference

David. Flowers aren’t traditionally used with men, but screw traditional gender norms. Flowers are for everyone! Taken in 2018. • 📷 Minolta XE 👁‍🗨 Minolta MD Rokkor 50mm f/1.4 🎞 Lomography Colour Negative 100 • • • • • #bontakesaphoto #filmphotooftheday #filmphotography #analog #analogphotography #filmcommunity #lomography #heylomography #filmshooterscollective #heyfsc #1997film #dreamermagazine #filmphotographic #analogfilmlab #theanalogclub #filmisnotdead #ishootfilm #keepfilmalive #believeinfilm #staybrokeshootfilm #filmsnapshot #analoguevibes #35mm #35mmfilm #35mmfilmphotography #minolta #minoltagang #minoltaxe #lomographycolornegative100 #portraitphotography (at Calgary, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/BurYGxnnWCw/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=111tt43f7zn2l

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL (1997) Italian Film 😍 #movies #blackandwhite #hollywood #bollywood #film #movie #classic #movielover #moviesonly #cinematography #lifeisbeautiful #oscarwinner #academyawards #academyawardwinner #robertobenigni #nicolettabraschi #georgiocantarini #1997film #1997 (at Vadodara, Gujarat, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2JQRqxg3xl/?igshid=5y3ennzm0qvz

The Postman (1997)

The Postman offers an interesting premise. You can picture an alternate future in which it was a success but we're living in the grim universe, so we've got to make do with what this really is: a film that would've been better if it had been worse. What a shame that it doesn't reveal itself as terrible from the get-go. Then you wouldn’t feel compelled to take anything seriously and you’d laugh it right off the screen.

In a post-apocalyptic 2013 (?!) a drifter (Kevin Costner) comes across old letters and the uniform of a deceased United States Postal Service mail carrier. Pretending that the government has been restored so he can get a quick meal and shelter for the night, he unwittingly inspires hope in a future where a raving gang of military-minded fascists sow fear.

I love the concept. Some random joe accidentally changes the world through a simple lie. It’s not about some great leader rallying forces around him to take down the bad guys. Even calling The Postman (as we’ll refer to him, he’s not named in the movie) a hero is a stretch. It’s a revolution born without the progenitor’s intent, a testament to the power of faith, and the rejection of anarchy. You have a flawed protagonist so you never really know how he will react to this sudden respect thrust upon him. Or you would in theory anyway. In practice… not so much.

The first issue is the casting of Kevin Costner as the hero. His performance is fine but look at him. Someone who steals a uniform off of a corpse and accidentally brings hope to desperate people should not radiate manliness as he does. As soon as Costner shows up, the uncertainty disappears like reason after a nuclear war. You automatically know not only that The Postman will inspire a revolution, but that at some point he’ll also be leading an army of rebels against the villainous George Bethlehem (Will Patton). It’s like casting Kristen Bell as a secretary who can’t get a date. You don’t buy it.

And yet, Costner might've worked if the rest of the picture fell in line perfectly. Too bad the villain is so disappointing. He’s a one-dimensional evil thug. How evil? He’s a cruel, racist, sexist, murdering, flag-burning rapist. To make him extra wicked, the picture shows him raging at trivial things and his multiple self-portraits prove he's conceded. Oh, and he loves to fight mano-y-mano. What I’m saying is that we have a hero that’s flawed and reluctant to join the fight. You don’t know if The Postman is going to save the day, until you recognize Bethlehem as the antagonist. He’s so evil his life won't be snuffed out by the time the end credits roll.

At 177 minutes, this movie is interminably long. You're intrigued by the world. You want to see the world change once it starts to believe the U.S. Postal service and (by association) government has returned. Not intrigued enough to sit there for nearly three hours, however. The Postman's “love interest” (Olivia Williams as Abby) could've easily been eliminated but this film wants to have its cake and eat it too. It wants the villain to be really dark by having him be a rapist, but let’s not offend the audience by making it clear that he’s impotent. Let’s make the hero a wandering drifter that wants nothing to do with this world until he falls in love. These cheap shots are accompanied by forced attempts to milk the audience's patriotism in the form of tattered flags burning and numerous needlessly dramatic moments throughout. The best of these (and I mean best as in wow was it unintentionally funny) comes from a slow-motion scene repeated at the very end of the picture, an ending that will make your eyes roll.

If you’re a die-hard Kevin Costner fan, you'll eat him up no matter what he does, and think it's terrific. I know at least one person who will love The Postman despite its post-apocalyptic setting filled with greenery, the abundance of horses (the cover of the DVD tells us technology has gone away, but the movie doesn’t!), and boring characters. That person isn’t you. It’s isn't aw-ful, but The Postman fails consistently and at so many things that anyone interested should just pick up the book instead. (On DVD, April 22, 2016)

#Cinderella #whitneyhouston #brandy #1997film (at Port Alberni British Colombia)

#gyrohism Beauty Vexi / Nikon FM2n | Kodak Portra 160 ________________ #35mm#staybrokeshootfilm#buyfilmnotmegapixels#keepfilmalive#analogue#analogfilm#filmfeed#filmwave#analogfeatures#analoguevibes#filmphoto#thefilmcommunity#istillshootfilm#35mmphotography#onfilm#sharefilm#filmforever#heyfsc#35analog#shotonfilm#35mmwaste#gameoftones#tones#analoguephotography#35mmfilmphotography#theanalogueproject#rentalmag#majesticmoments#1997film https://www.instagram.com/p/BrfFJmnnHDz/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=15p6aiisg5zof

a flower bed. Taken at Riley Park before Gabi left to travel. #letemknowcontest @canoncanada @thecamerastore • Model: Gabi @gabi.kuz • 📷 Yashica Electro 35 CC 👁‍🗨 Color Yashinon DX 35mm f/1.8 🎞 Fujifilm Fujicolor C200 • • • • • #bontakesaphoto #photooftheday #filmphotography #staybrokeshootfilm #lomography #vintagephotography #analog #heyfsc #heylomography #1997film #filmisnotdead #ishootfilm #filmisfun #theanalogclub #shotonfilm #dreamermagazine #filmshooterscollective #yyc #sliceoflife #documentaryphotography #portraitphotography #minolta #minoltaXE #rokkor50mmf14 #myminolta #minoltagang #fujifilm #fujicolorc200 #fujic200 #35mm (at Riley Park)

Nat the Gypsy

speed lights. Last summer, I went for a photowalk with @gabi.kuz and @justinquaintance when I used a Konica Centuria 200 film which expired 2003. It’s an interesting experience. I’ve checked online on how to properly expose expired film, and in some frames, it seems I got proper exposure but on some, I got some really purplish result (and I’m not quite the fan of purple). That said, I’ve been revisiting some of the shots I took and have been loving them. • 📷 Minolta SR-T 202 👁‍🗨 Minolta MD Zoom-Rokkor 35-70mm f/3.5 🎞 Konica Centuria 200 (expired) • • • • • #bontakesaphoto #photooftheday #filmphotography #lomography #analog #heyfsc #heylomography #1997film #filmisnotdead #ishootfilm #theanalogclub #keepfilmalive #dreamermagazine #filmshooterscollective #filmphotographic #analogfilmlab #mylpguide #lonelyplanet #expiredfilmgallery #expiredfilm #35mmfilm #letsgosomewhere #yyc #calgary #alberta #longeexposure #longexposhots #minolta #minoltagang #konicacenturia200 (at Calgary, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/BsbBLT3nrh1/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=b253rob37int

Jack Frost (1997)

The 1997 horror-comedy Jack Frost (not to be confused with the 1998 Michael Keaton family film) is aware of how ridiculous its premise is and mines it for comedy effectively. The horrible special effects, idiotic characters, and slapped-together plot make it a bad movie. It's also kind of fun.

On the way to his execution, serial killer Jack Frost (Scott MacDonald) is caught in an accident that fuses his cells with snow on the ground. Returning to Snowmonton, Jack resumes his killing spree, working his way up to the man who sent him to the chair: Sheriff Sam Tiler (Christopher Allport).

The picture’s an excuse to have a killer snowman impaling people with icicles or killing hapless innocents with Christmas decorations. Everything else is an afterthought. The characters are flat and introduced only so they can be killed later, the dialogue is groan-inducing, and the plot unimaginative. Even the special effects are terrible. You don’t have to live up in the frosty wastes of Canada to tell this film was shot in California with phony-looking snow (in some cases it’s just cotton) drizzled over a few branches or bits of sidewalk here and there. Then there’s Jack himself. The monster’s design is no good either. It’s nothing like the cool monster I vividly remember seeing on that lenticular VHS cover when I was a child; it’s the old carrot nose and lumps of coal for eyes. There’s a scene where he has icicle for teeth, but it's brief. You can’t keep a straight face as the incredible fake-looking creature kills one person after another, sometimes in ways that don’t make sense. There’s a poor fella who gets killed by an ax in a way that I’ve never seen before – but that’s because no filmmaker would ever choose to emulate Michael Cooney’s writing and directing choices.

It’s difficult to tell if Jack Frost tries to be good, or knew it was going to be hot steamy garbage from the moment it was conceived. Several comedic scenes are effective. I criticized the special effects, but there’s no way the people working on this film didn’t know they weren't convincing. In a way, it fits the picture’s idiotic premise. I’m not saying you couldn’t make a legitimately good snowman-themed horror film (though considering how well 2017’s The Snowman did, perhaps not), but if you're spoofing supernatural slashers, there's no need to break the bank. I will also give it that there are a few clever moments here and there. Being made of snow, Jack can melt and then re-assemble/refreeze himself at will, making for some cool scenes where he slips under doors or effortlessly moves from one side of a room to another. I don’t know how he manages to transport his carrot nose, coal eyes, and scarf while in liquid form, if he needs those to be complete, how he managed to even get to Snowmonton… but I’ll forgive it.

As a "so bad it's good movie", I can only give “Jack Frost” a mild recommendation. It'll make you laugh, some kills are inventive, and you'll find a couple of memorable moments but compare this to Killer Klowns from Outer Space. It trumps Jack Frost in every department. This just isn't there. The price I paid for the Blu-ray of Jack Frost was way too high, but I’m also kind of glad I finally saw it. (On Blu-ray, November 29, 2017)

Power.com (1997)

Talk about disappointment. The last thing I expected out of a movie titled Power.com was boredom! If you happen upon this film (perhaps under the title Menno's Mind) you might notice some... similarities between its cover and The Matrix. Think you're about to see a quickly-made, cheap sci-fi flick riding the tails of one of the best sci-fi movies of all time? You wish.

Menno (Bill Campbell) is a lowly employee working at The Resort, a company which allows anyone to experience amazing fantasies via a virtual world. Want to hunt extinct animals? Go on a killing spree? Hang out with a dead loved one? All possible thanks to holograms and virtual reality. Unfortunately, Menno's fantasy is cut short when rebel leader Mick Dourif (Bruce Campbell) downloads the contents of his mind into our wormy protagonist before falling over dead. Menno has been thrust inside the middle of a conspiracy that involves a senator vying to become President of the United States (Robert Picardo).

It's a mix between The Manchurian Candidate and Total Recall with no budget, bad writing, and a boring protagonist. The fantasies brought to life peaks your interest. Too bad you never see any of those. Sexual fantasies and the “meet up with a person from your past” scenario are shown (because they're cheap to shoot) but they don't make sense and lack imagination. I’m expecting a fat shlub at home eating potato chips when suddenly, Black Widow, Lucy Liu, and Scarlet Johansson knock on your door complaining that they have all of these Big Macs and no one to eat them with, that they’ll do ANYTHING if someone will take a million dollars off of their hands ;) What does The Resort offer? A single option with a woman named Candy. I guess if you like Asian women or you’re gay, you’re just out of luck. Otherwise, it seems fairly high-tech. Somehow the computers can re-create a person based on a single photo, even nailing the voice, mannerisms, and clothes! Wow!

Clearly, this plot was hastily written and little thought was put into it. Whenever someone goes into the “Matrix” fantasy world, an operator sits next to them to ensure the fantasy goes well. Who wants to act out their revenge fantasies when someone's sitting right there, taking notes? or laughing under their breath when you start making out with the air and reaching out to touch a woman who isn’t there?

I've been largely focussed on one aspect of Power.com. That's because the plot is as interesting as an empty bucket. Our protagonist is so passive and so reluctant to act, you become frustrated. The villain isn’t particularly menacing. You don’t care about either side of the struggle. I don’t even understand what the big deal with the plot is anyway. This conspiracy is so obvious to figure out a quick trip to the authorities would solve everything. The bad guy would get exposed for what he is, everybody that’s been framed would get exonerated and the plot would be over. But that would take like 30 minutes tops so the movie gets padded out with people walking around confused looking for obvious clues and long sequences of supposed political intrigue. How is it that I just finished watching this film and can hardly remember anything about it? I guess that’s because there wasn’t a compelling moment or event in the entire 95 minutes.

Trying to recall information about "Power.com" is exhausting. I have to strain my mind trying to recall a lecture in what now seems like a time before excitement was invented. Power.com should have at least been somewhat stimulating thanks to its bad writing and the cardboard cutout characters but it isn’t even “So Bad it’s Good”, it’s just so bad you wish you could go take a nap. (On VHS, April 17, 2015)

Wild America (1997)

Wild America is a film without a purpose. It tells a story no one wanted to see. Based on true events, it opens in 1967 and tells the story of Marshall Stouffer (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) and his brothers Mark (Devon Sawa) and Marty (Scott Bairstow) who would eventually become great nature documentarians.

This is one of the worst family movies I've seen in a long time. I won’t pretend to know what happened behind the scenes or what the film's pitch was like but the goal had to be something like this: Wild America is a nature documentary show that played on PBS from 1982 to 1994. It was insanely popular. Now let's tell everyone what inspired the prolific documentarians. The brand recognition combined with the popular teen actors should equal a license to print money... in this case, a lot of $3 bills.

No aspect of this film is convincing. The comedic and adventurous tone means everyone in the film is a cartoon. I doubt the Stouffer's first wilderness trip included nearly getting blown up while in the middle of a military weapons testing ground or nearly getting eaten while discovering a mythical cave filled with bears. The tone and characters' actions are all over the place and several developments will leave you utterly bewildered.

You would think that because the title is Wild America and it’s telling us how the Stouffer brothers began as filmmakers that this picture would focus on nature and wildlife. Instead, the attention is given to wild antics. It isn't interested in the majesty of the flora and fauna of North America, nearly as much as people getting attacked by moose and loudly screaming while holding onto their antlers for dear life.

You won't be able to stand anyone in the film. The three heroes are bland and immature. Their only redeeming quality is their inexplicable luck when it comes to accidentally capturing footage of animals. Their father (Jamey Sheridan) is a jerk who deliberately attempts to crush their dreams like an empty can of cheap beer. We get some one-dimensional bullies thrown in for kicks. Everyone else is a comedic sketch or bizarrely out of place. Bet you'd never expect a group of nude hippies or a lady Two-Face in here but just wait. With a lame-brained story that consists of the boys falling into one situation where they get an awesome shot of animals after another and then a cheesy plot about father/son bonding, its only hope is decent cinematography and animal footage. Instead, how about some awful special effects? It’s easy to tell the animatronic animal heads (and there are many) from the real deal and several prolonged shots of what is clearly a man in a phony bear costume pretending to be roaring while stock sounds play gave me flashbacks to Meet the Spartans. I would've been laughing if the barrage of anti-comedy hadn’t sucked every last chuckle out of my body.

It’s an adventure movie that’s badly written and populated with characters you dislike, it's predictable, cheap, and even includes a couple of bad performances to round it off nicely. As the end credits began to roll, I had a glimpse of hope. Next to the list of sinners who partook in this effort is actual footage shot for the Wild America TV series. I was excited... until I realized I was watching a Full-screen VHS. To allow the image to fit, everything is squashed. Now the credits are illegible and the wildlife footage is but a ghost of what it must've looked like in real life. Aside from a couple of shots where the mountains, forests, and rivers look good, there's nothing to like about Wild America. (Full-screen version on VHS, April 30, 2015)

Mad City (1997)

I love a final confrontation in which a muscular hero blows the villain into a thousand pieces but sometimes I want more. Although the story Mad City tells is pretty obvious and you've likely seen it done before, probably better, it still works. It's a thriller whose solution to the final conflict can't be found at the end of a gun barrel, and a critique of broadcast news. It's tight and intense.

Max (Dusting Hoffman) is a has-been TV reporter who witnesses a disgruntled employee (John Travolta) take a group of schoolchildren hostage inside a museum. Literally in the middle of the biggest story the town's ever seen, Max begins influencing the gunman to his advantage.

There are a lot of individual pieces to keep track of and they’re all moving independently but also influencing each other. Max is not a likable character at first. He has little empathy for those around him, he's bitter and ruthless. Say what you will about his tactics and the way he not only endangers lives but arguably makes the hostage situation worse, he's an expert at what he does. You keep your eyes fixed on him because he knows the ins and outs of the TV reporting business. He always asks the right questions, knows where to put the camera, who to interview and what to do to make this “simple” hostage situation into a layered story. His character arc is predictable and obvious but entertaining and there's more to him than it seems at first.

While the strange game of chess is being played inside the museum, a lot is taking place outside. Everyone reporting the story is trying to act nice. They’re all pretending to be professionals, but the news people are snakes. Max isn't the only one who will embrace underhanded tactics, cut deals, fudge facts, or destroy someone's life to get the scoop. Though characters approach the realm of cartoon villainy, you can see and understand how they validate their actions. You’ve got Max trying to do one thing within. You’ve got the reporters on the outside taking a completely different approach because they don’t know the situation like the people on the front line do.

As time passes, the situation gets intense. The machinations of Max and the other reports keep you intrigued, as do the unveiling of the characters' true personalities. The plot compels you to keep watching. Have we seen scenarios like this before? Yes. That doesn’t make it less enticing. As the plot continues, your attitude towards the players will keep changing. Are you siding against Max? For a time, but that will change. Then you may suddenly find yourself on team Sam, then against him, and so forth.

Why anyone decided to call this film Mad City, I've no idea. It's neither memorable nor particularly evocative of the plot. While down the line I think anyone who sees this film will find a better version of it somewhere, in the meantime, it works. (On DVD, February 19, 2015)

Booty Call (1997)

There are some dumb, and I mean REALLY dumb jokes in Booty Call but I can't hold them against the film. The results are funny. Sometimes, that's all that matters.

Starring a (nearly) all-black cast, this comedy is about two buddies trying to get laid. Rushon (Tommy Davidson) has been dating Nikki (Tamala Jones) for seven weeks and still hasn’t gotten “any”. His best friend, an anti-commitment, opinionated skirt-chaser, Bunz (Jamie Foxx), accompanies Rushon and Nikki on a dinner one night as the blind date to Nikki’s friend Lysterine (Vivica A. Fox). The sparks fly, but before the boys can get what they’ve been after all night, they have to find all the necessary supplies to practice safe sex.

When the jokes in this movie are bad, you can’t believe how bad they get. I’m talking about a scene where someone confuses a dog licking them for a human's attempt at seduction. Not only that but they get really excited and aroused by the tongue-work, to the point where it gets more than a little embarrassing. I'll repeat that despite these, I laughed often.

The simplicity of this story is what saves it. Two friends. What do they want? Sex. What’s stopping them? EVERYTHING! The couples don’t get along, then they do... but the ladies aren't in the mood. Then the ladies are in the mood, but no one brought protection. Then the protection isn’t good enough and the guys have to go out and it just keeps going from there. The chain of events isn't unlike the one in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.

My favorite joke has to be a revelation between Lysterine and Rushon when they first spend an intimate moment together. She tells him what one of her biggest turn-ons are and it's a riot. It’s so outlandish and so un-sexy that I’m still laughing about how it plays out right now. Big laughs like that one make me defend the movie even though I recognize its flaws. It promotes safe sex. That's worth something too, right?

The cast members play off each other well. Everyone involved is evidently having a good time by going all the way with their material no matter how it might've seemed on paper. I don’t care who makes fun of me for it; I'm recommending the film. On the DVD cover, a quote from Leo Quinonesm of KIIS-FM perfectly summarizes Booty Call; it’s “Crazy! Sexy! Foolish!” I couldn’t have said it better myself. (Widescreen version on DVD, January 21, 2015)

Con Air (1997)

Con Air defies traditional movie reviewing conventions. You can easily argue that it's bad. The premise is zany, Nicholas Cage's performance is bewildering, and sometimes it’s so over-the-top you’ve got to laugh. One must also consider the entertainment value, however. When it wants to be funny, it is, and the wide variety of action sequences will make your jaw drop. It may be bouncing off the walls in a straight jacket, but largely, that's the tone it's going for. Even if it isn’t, things come together nicely.

Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage) is about to be released from prison after serving 8 years of a prison sentence for bogus charges. While being transferred, several high-profile super-criminals led by Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom (John Malkovich) highjack their transport plane. Refusing to let this collection of serial killers, rapists, psychotics, and megalomaniacs escape, Cameron stays aboard and, with the help of U.S. Marshal Vince Larkin (John Cusack), attempts to thwart their efforts to go free.

You can’t talk about Con Air without addressing Nicolas Cage. I don’t know what director Simon West was thinking. Cage is armed with two head-scratchers: a ridiculous mullet and a bad Louisiana accent. Neither are necessary and maintaining said accent appears to occupy so much of Cage’s mental capacity he struggles to emote in any scene.

The premise sounds like something from a DC comic book - in a good way. In fact, someone should rips this film off and substitutes Steve Buscemi’s character with the Joker, Danny Trejo’s with Killer Croc, and the rest of the cast with similarly colored supervillains. In most movies, you’ve got one, maybe two baddies with outlandish dialogue and memorable scenes. Here you get a buffet of them. Some you like, some you hate, all of them have your attention.

Sometimes, the thugs Cameron is forced against are bit too much, but once more, I find myself forgiving  the film because of the overall experience. When it comes to the action, it’s wall-to-wall with plenty of variety. As Cyrus and his followers make their escape, you'll be thrilled, wondering what explosion-laden location they’ll land in next. All realism is absent but – and I can’t emphasize this enough - you won’t care. It’s too much fun seeing everyone in these roles. Plus, once in a while, you just want to see a pile of human waste get the human waste beaten out of them by a hero that's basically a living cliché. Sometimes, that's just what the doctor called for. This is the kind of picture you show to your father and bond over. It’s a man’s movie with a lot of laughs. Some deliberate. John Cusack and many others have genuinely comedic dialogue. Other times, you howl at the movie’s expense... but not really? The point is the film delivers what you want to see.

To properly enjoy Con Air, you need to know exactly what you're getting into. At times it's like it was written by a committee of 13-year-olds hell-bent on making the most awesome Nicholas Cage movie without understanding how to properly use him. That’s also what makes it endearing. I’d call Con Air dumb fun, but that implies it's never genuinely good. (Unrated, Extended Cut on DVD, November 4, 2016)