Blues Brothers 2000 (1998) Review

rating: ****

the story: The band gets back together.  Again!

review: The original Blues Brothers was so iconic, and so closely identified with John Belushi, it was always going to be a tall order to make another one without Belushi, who had been dead for years by the time production began.  Blues Brothers 2000 became, as a result, a poster child of unwanted sequels.  It does not deserve such a reputation.

Filling in for Belushi are John Goodman and Joe Morton, who are nothing like the brash Belushi, but who nonetheless step into the act with Dan Ackroyd in such fashion that you really have to be committed to hating the results to hate.  Morton, a reliable hand who has never gotten his due in general, has an actual plot behind his character, an arc that culminates in a tent revival scene that has one show-stealing (and for me, movie-defining) song, "John the Revelator," leaning heavily into the supernatural elements that allowed the original band to survive all manner of '80s mayhem without a second's thought.  Watching Ackroyd in all this is to reconcile Blue Brothers with Ghostbusters, a logical leap that should also not be so difficult to manage.

But the real charm of Blues Brothers 2000 is that it actually features blues music!  The music here isn't just memorable pop songs from days past, but blues acts getting to sink their teeth into their craft.  You have the likes of B.B. King, Bo Diddley, Dr. John, and even Eric Clapton putting on appearances, plus Erykah Badu immersing herself deep into a character role, and Blues Traveler!  One has the idea that the whole point of the movie is celebrating these and other acts, to give back after the first one, and this is a most worthy cause.  To watch this one is to experience the world the brothers celebrated in the first one.  Is that really so hard to love?  These are both movies that are elaborate excuses to enjoy some good music.  They happen to have different vantage points, even if on the surface they look exactly the same.

I think it's well worth revisiting.

Shakespeare in Love (1998) Review

rating: *****

the story: Will Shakespeare’s inspiration for Romeo & Juliet.

the review: One of the most ridiculous common opinions in film criticism is that of course Saving Private Ryan should have beaten Shakespeare in Love at the Oscars. I think this mostly stems from the original backlash against Harvey Weinstein, the since-disgraced producer who helped usher the ‘90s independent film renaissance. 

Saving Private Ryan is a combat-drenched, grinding experience of misery. Its showcase moment is the landing at Normandy on D-Day, and then a parade of stars then and from the immediate future (I always like to remember Vin Diesel’s part as a reminder he’s good for more than muscles and cars), until we reach Ryan himself, Matt Damon, who surprises everyone by not even wanting to be saved. This would work far better if it didn’t take so long to reach him, if we had followed his war experiences in parallel to the unit led by Tom Hanks. Instead it’s just a lot of disjointed war scenes.

Shakespeare in Love is quite different. It’s a deliberately crafted experience that speaks both to the heart of our culture, in exploring a fictional account of the greatest playwright who ever lived, and to social issues, the very role of women in society.

And it’s filled with great acting. Judi Dench won wide acclaim for a relatively brief performance as Queen Elizabeth; Joseph Fiennes, in his one shining moment as someone other than the younger brother of Ralph Fiennes, seizes the opportunity; and Gwyneth Paltrow, who later seems to have gone out of her way to get people to hate her, has a truly effervescent role of a lifetime.

And Ben Affleck, before anyone had even considered to hate him, steals every scene, and Tom Wilkinson, getting to play a bad guy who gets to be a good guy, and Geoffrey Rush being Geoffrey Rush, and Colin Firth actually being insufferable, as I often find the overhyped praise he tends to garner...

It’s a celebration, that rare moment Shakespeare gets to be loved, not merely for his words but as a person. There’s a great running gag involving Christopher Marlowe. In short, the whole movie is a culmination of the last time everyone agreed Shakespeare was worth the time, when Branagh was still in the thick of building a career around him. And remembering that this is a great movie worthy of its praise and laurels might even bring the Bard back, again. 

And they don’t make movies like this every day. That’s the biggest sin of trying to downplay it, that you can have a thousand war dramas (the same year, Malick returned with The Thin Red Line, for instance) but very few efforts to have a romance that isn’t saccharine, that has ambition, speaks about a famous person, and one who himself wrote great romance. The boldness of Dench’s Elizabeth alone is a testament to what’s of real value here.

1998 Capsule Reviews

The Truman Show
rating: *****
review: My pick for Jim Carrey's best movie, his first big stab at being dramatic while retaining his crucial whimsical appeal in a story that takes an immersive look at the human condition.

American History X
rating: *****
review: Edward Norton's best movie is a deep look at race relations, at their worst, and how to make things better.  Continually relevant, alas.

The Mask of Zorro
rating: *****
review: A perfect escapist adventure with a perfect cast.

What Dreams May Come
rating: *****
review: A truly awe-inspiring journey into the afterlife with Robin Williams.

Out of Sight
rating: *****
review: George Clooney's effortless cool in its best spotlight.

Shakespeare in Love
rating: ****
review: Very nearly worthy of the Bard himself.

Star Trek: Insurrection
rating: ****
review: A movie that rises above its shortcomings with some fascinating insights into franchise lore.

There's Something About Mary
rating: ****
review: This would be perfect, except for the fact that it kind of ages.

The Avengers
rating: ****
review: An excellent sendup of stuffy British spy stories.

The Negotiator
rating: ****
review: A great cast makes up for the fact that the reason Samuel L. Jackson is besieged takes a backseat to thrill of watching him get out of it.

Patch Adams
rating: ****
review: Robin Williams almost seems lost trying to inhabit a real person, but it's still an inspiring story.

Lethal Weapon 4
rating: ****
review: From my experience with this franchise, it's my favorite entry, with Mel Gibson obviously having the time of his life.

Rush Hour
rating: ****
review: Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker are a classic combination.

Saving Private Ryan
rating: ****
review: Sprawling but mesmerizing look at American soldiers in WWII Europe.

Meet Joe Black
rating: ****
review: Hugely underrated Brad Pitt drama that explores the ramifications of death.

Snake Eyes
rating: ****
review: My personal favorite Crazy Nicholas Cage Movie.

Mulan
rating: ****
review: Thanks to my sister, this sort of became my favorite '90s Disney animated flick.

Elizabeth
rating: ****
review: A first taste of Cate Blanchett at epic scale.

Celebrity
rating: ****
review: Kenneth Branagh as Woody Allen is a natural fit.

The Thin Red Line
rating: ****
review: Terrence Malick's poetic meditation of WWII is a brooding revelation.

Lost in Space
rating: ***
review: Fun family stab at sci-fi storytelling.

The Odd Couple II
rating: ***
review: The last Lemmon/Matthieu goes for broke with extremely broad strokes but is still well worth watching.

The Big Lebowski
rating: ***
review: The Dude abides, but he also kind of meanders through a madcap landscape.

Primary Colors
rating: ***
review: It was probably a mistake to recalibrate this Clinton satire into Clinton hero worship.

Wide Awake
rating: ***
review: M. Night Shyamalan's first movie plays with kid gloves pretty literally.

Pleasantville
rating: ***
review: The contrast between the past and present is pretty on-the-nose but looks really pretty.

Blues Brothers 2000
rating: ***
review: Hey, if it's just an excuse to pump out some extra great blues tunes, I think it was worth it.

Rounders
rating: ***
review: Maybe doesn't break any new ground in the gambling genre, but the cast makes up for it.

Earth
rating: ***
review: An excellent look at the birth of Pakistan, but otherwise doesn't really distinguish itself.

Apt Pupil
rating: **
review: A serviceable Stephen King adaptation, but kind of doesn't live up to the standards of his dramas.

Species II
rating: **
review: enjoyable for what it is, but it's still what it is.

Return to Paradise
rating: **
review: A somewhat overwrought attempt to introduce a new generation of serious actors.

Ronin
rating: **
review: In hindsight this looks like it wanted to recapture the magic of the Mission: Impossible reboot from two years earlier, but couldn't.

A Night at the Roxbury
rating: **
review: Idiot fun, but not nearly to the standards of Will Ferrell's later film career.

Simon Birch
rating: **
review: If Jim Carrey had served as anything but narrator, this could have been something other than melodrama.

 The Big Hit
rating: **
review: Harmless action fun.

A Bug's Life
rating: *
review: To my mind, instantly revealed the extent to the Pixar formula.

The Waterboy
rating: *
review: To my mind, instantly revealed the extent of Adam Sandler's ability to create distinctive character personas.

1998

Viewed/Ranked

1. The Truman Show
2. American History X
3. The Mask of Zorro
4. Shakespeare in Love
5. Star Trek: Insurrection
6. There's Something About Mary
7. The Avengers
8. The Negotiator
9. Patch Adams
10. Lethal Weapon 4
11. Rush Hour
12. Saving Private Ryan
13. Meet Joe Black
14. Snake Eyes
15. Mulan
16. Elizabeth
17. Celebrity
18. The Thin Red Line
19. Lost in Space
20. The Odd Couple II
21. Primary Colors
22. Wide Awake
23. Pleasantville
24. Blues Brothers 2000
25. Rounders
26. Earth
27. Apt Pupil
28. Species II
29. Return to Paradise
30. Ronin
31. A Night at the Roxbury
32. Simon Birch
33. The Big Hit
34. A Bug's Life
35. The Waterboy

Other Notable Releases

1. A Civil Action
2. An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn
3. Antz
4. Armageddon
5. Beloved
6. The Big Lebowski
7. Blade
8. Bride of Chucky
9. Bulworth
10. Croupier
11. Dark City
12. Dirty Work
13. Dr. Dolittle
14. Enemy of the State
15. Ever After
16. The Faculty
17. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
18. Gods and Monsters
19. Godzilla
20. Great Expectations
21. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
22. He Got Game
23. The Horse Whisperer
24. How Stella Got Her Groove Back
25. Jack Frost
26. Les Miserables
27. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
28. The Man in the Iron Mask
29. The Mighty
30. The Newton Boys
31. Out of Sight
32. The Parent Trap
33. Pi
34. Practical Magic
35. The Prince of Egypt
36. Psycho
37. Run Lola Run
38. Rushmore
39. The Siege
40. Sphere
41. U.S. Marshals
42. Velvet Goldmine
43. Very Bad Things
44. The Wedding Singer
45. What Dreams May Come
46. Wild Things
47. The X-Files: Fight the Future
48. You've Got Mail

Notes: A few films in the Other Notable Releases that I've semi-seen but would very much like to see again for a proper evaluation: Dark City, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Out of Sight, and What Dreams May Come.  The Truman Show was for a while my favorite movie.  This was a pretty darn good year at the movies.

The Truman Show

*****

directed by: Peter Weir
starring: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Ed Harris, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Holland Taylor, Paul Giamatti, Peter Krause, Harry Shearer

Released in 1998.

This was for a while my favorite film, and it easily earned that distinction, and forever set the standard by which my favorite films would be defined.  It stars my favorite actor at the time (who remains a favorite), Jim Carrey, who like everyone else first wowed me as a comedic presence, and yet proved instantly compelling in a dramatic performance, because he is the rare comedian who embodies both sides of that coin, including the tragedy cleverly hidden beneath it.

The Truman Show, in fact, is a tragedy, and maybe that's not such a hard thing to discover.  It's about a man who is living a reality show, and he's the only one who doesn't know it.  He's been its star his whole life, and everything around him, including everyone he knows, has been manufactured in order to keep him happy enough to stay.

Except one day something goes off-script.  At college he meets someone who was only supposed to be a background player.  She instantly fascinates him, and although quickly booted from the production site Truman never forgets her.  He settles into a picture perfect life, but yearns for something more, to explore beyond the scope of his world even though he keeps getting told that everything has already been discovered.  Yet the crucial mistake made against him is that Truman wants to experience the world, not simply inhabit it.  And eventually he finds the courage to do exactly that.

Now, obviously some of this is tailor-made for Carrey's comedic sensibilities.  To a certain extent Truman must be entertaining enough for people to watch him so religiously.  Yet the more his world crumbles around him, the more Truman must be something more, and Carrey is more than up to the task.  He's a revelation in the film, not just in his own career but for any actor's.  That's what set Carrey apart in the first place, that he was capable of inhabiting characters more thoroughly than his peers.  At first it seemed that he was only being shameless, that he was only mugging, and at times in his career that has certainly been the case.  The Truman Show is the mark of distinction.  It's the high-water mark by which all his other performances must be compared (nicely mirroring its effect on my cinematic experiences).

There's more than Truman to The Truman Show, however.  There's a rich cast around him, starting with Laura Linney and Ed Harris.  This was Linney's first big role, and she instantly became a critical darling, someone you'd never really think of as a standout until she stands out, and she holds her own against Carrey (for some reason he tends to attract strong performances from his female co-stars).  Likewise with Harris.  Always one of the most dignified actors in Hollywood, his career reached new heights of respect after his appearance as the director of Truman's life.

One more performance worth singling out is Paul Giamatti's.  It's a minor one, but it's also the one that started getting him noticed, until he finally became a leading man in American Splendor.  Giamatti would reteam with Carrey for Man on the Moon, another highlight for both, in a far bigger role.

The psychology of The Truman Show is tremendous.  It's not just a movie that predicted the reality show craze and its hollowness, but about the strength of the human mind.  Truman seemingly has every reason to be happy, and yet he isn't, and the more those around him try to pacify Truman, the less happy he becomes.  No one understands or cares about his needs.  They're just there to maintain the status quo, and that means keeping Truman safely on the set of his show, a small island enclosed in a massive dome.  Perhaps you think you'd be flattered to have such a life, but you'd probably wish that you were at least in control of it, and it's not even that Truman doesn't have that, but that you're as much aware that he's constantly being manipulated and doesn't even know it that draws you into the movie as that he rebels without even thinking, without even being outraged about this, that all he wants is to break free of what he's just become aware of, and reclaim something that's been stolen, namely the girl (played by Natascha McElhone, whose defining feature is her eyes, fittingly haunting) he was denied.

It's a movie that makes you think, and richly entertains you, and leaves you with a cathartic ending, and yet you keep thinking about The Truman Show well after it's over.  Now, of course, you will probably think that Truman could never have truly escaped his curious hell.  Princess Diana had just been killed in a car accident thanks to hounding paparazzi, and that was only the tip of the continuing media frenzy.  Truman might escape the set, but he could never evade the press.  He wouldn't have the first way of coping with them, especially after his dramatic exit from the show the whole world had watched.  If he sued, the trial too would evoke massive coverage, as the OJ Simpson case proved a few years earlier still.

A massively memorable movie on all accounts.