The Michigan Daily -- Weekend etc. - Thursday, January 13, 1993 - 5
You bet 'Jurassic' that dinos trounced the box office
199
3'
Audience
ยง
ItF&vori es
according io
dhe box office)
(in millions)
1. Jurassic Park ($338)
2. The Fugitive ($179.3)
3.
The Firm ($158.3)
4. Sleepless in Seattle ($126.2)
5. Aladdin ($116)
6. Indecent Proposal ($102.9)
7. In the Line of Fire ($102.2)
8. Mrs. Doubtfire ($94)
9. Cliffhanger ($83.7)
10. Free Willy ($77.5)
...while his "Jurassic Park" ran rampant in box offices world wide, steadily forging towards a billion dollar gross.
90P TEN
Continued from page 4
all chock-full of great villians and
heroes. "Dead Alive" takes its place
among all the serious Romero "Liv-
ing Dead" films as a great zombie
movie. "Judgment Night" was pretty
bad, yeah, but Denis Leary and that
guy from the band House of Pain
gow that they can make great villians.
And "Three of Hearts"just because it
was a great romantic comedy starring
William Baldwin.
SCOTT PLAGENHOEF
1. Schindler's List
2. Shortcuts
3. The Piano
4. The Age of Innocence
. Farewell My Concubine
1. Menace II Society
7. Strictly Ballroom
8. The Fugitive
9. Dazed and Confused
10. Man Bites Dog
Countless individuals excelled in
the cinema this past year. Robert
Altman. Holly Hunter. Martin
Scorcese. Yet one man defined both
revailing trends in the cinema: the
big-budget, over-hyped, blockbuster,
and, thankfully, the film's shift to-
wards intelligence and social import:
Steven Spielberg. He mastered visual
aesthetics in the multiplex and every
human emotion in the movie house.
Spielberg created the most successful
product of mass media in history ("Ju-
rassic Park") and quite possibly the
ost vital product in mass media his-
4cry ("Schindler's List").
This summer Spielberg trans-
formed a painfully average plot (will
they escape the park unharmed?) with
little star power (who paid $6 to see
Jeff Goldblum?) into a bankroll larger
than any of his prehistoric creations.
Spielberg succeeded by reusing the
formula which gave him the former
all-time, box-office champion: visu-
izing a universal curiosity which
annot possibly be seen. He's given
us two glimpses at what an extra-
terrestriaf might be like and topped
himself with an even bigger coup:
life-size dinosaurs.
Then, Spielberg created a film to
which all superlatives are applicable.
He exposed us to the darkest side of
humanity, showed us that amongst
e most repulsive metamorphosis into
norance and hatred there is hope,
without ever trivializing or sugar-coat-
ing racial hatred and disregard for
life. He showed us in three hours
more pain than we wish to see in a
lifetime, yet we thank him for it. The
most painless way to deal with atroc-
ity is to forget it, yet that compounds
the possibilty of history being re-
peated.. Spielberg has made sure we
will never forget.
JOHN R. RYBOCK
1. Schindler's List
2. Much Ado about Nothing
3. True Romance
4. My New Gun
5. Map of the Human Heart
6. Menace II Society
7. Shortcuts
8. The Fugitive
9. Hard Target
10. Jurassic Park
"What the hell is 'True Romance'
doing as number three? It should be
number ONE!"
Yeah, well, this is just 10 movies,
out of the hundreds of films that came
out last year. The difference is negli-
gible, in my opinion, between num-
ber one and number three. Just look at
the damn Orange Bowl. Take away
the officials who proved that there are
no limits to stupidity, and can you
really say that Florida State is defi-
nitely better that Nebraska? Bull crap.
(by the way, If ND gets number two
for beating FSU, does BC at least get
1.5?)
In short, I liked these, and many
other movies this past year. You liked
other movies, then so be it.
SARAH STEWART
1. Like Water for Chocolate
2. Shortcuts
3. Schindler's List
4. Remains of the Day
5. Un Coeur En Hiver
6. Manhattan Murder Mystery
7. Groundhog Day
8. The Joy Luck Club
9. Dave
10. Searching for Bobby Fischer
It's true that everyone should see
"Schindler's List." And yes, Robert
Altman did a spectacularjob manipu-
lating a virtual lecture hall of charac-
ters in "Shortcuts." But without "Like
Water for Chocolate," film audiences
would be hard up for a film that inevi-
tably leaves them glowing from gaz-
ing upon two hours of sensual culi-
nary metaphor. "Like Water for
Chocolate" is based on the novel by
Laura Esquirel, but unlike most mov-
ies based on books, it far surpasses its
literary counterpart. The intricate
story-line, compliments of Esquirel,
provides a back-drop for a film
maker's dream, and the Mexican
setting contributes to the quirky yet
hilarious humor. Memorable scenes,
such as Gertrudis riding off bare-back
and bare-butt with her just-found
lover, and Tita and Pedro ultimately
indulging in the passion that drives
their lives, thrive on the big screen.
"Like Water for Chocolate".is such a
collage of character development and
visual pleasures that it overwhelm-
ingly succeeds at being steamy, senti-
mental, maddening and essentially a
treat. Expected to play through the
summer of '94, "Like Water for
Chocolate" should be missed by no
one.
MICHAEL THOMPSON
1. Schindler's List
2. The Piano
3. Menace II Society
4. True Romance
5. Shadowlands
6. Shortcuts
7. The Remains of the Day
8. The Age of Innocence
9. Carlito's Way
10. Hard Target
Yeah, yeah, it was a great year,
whatever. We all have to accept the
fact that Steven Spielberg is great and
that Jane Campion is a talent to be
reckoned with. And, yes, Robert
Altman hasn't totally lost it, although
he certainly doesn't have the vision
he used to. But, hey, at least we know
that Quentin Tarantino and Brian
DePalma haven't lost it. And thank
God that John Woo has finally made
it to Hollywood. Hopefully they won't
put a cap on his body count next time.
With every year, however, the re-
ally powerful films are usually left-
overs from the year before that just
never made it to theaters in Michigan
(the Michigan Theater is great, but
hey, this is middle America here,
folks). Nick Gomez's brilliant direc-
torial debut, "Laws of Gravity," along
with U of M grad Andrew Frank's
powerful "Friends and Enemies" were
among the best of this years leftovers.
Enough about the past; let's look
ahead. And all I can see is the glorious
bloodshed of the John Woo, Quentin
Tarantino connection. That's right,
folks, the bad boys of violent cinema
are teaming up and Chow Yun Fat
will be along for the ride. If none of
these names ring a bell, don't worry,
they will.
ALEXANDRA TWIN
1. Schindler's List
2. The Piano
3. The Remains of the Day
4. Like Water for Chocolate
5. Farewell My Concubine
6. Orlando
7. Much Ado About Nothing
8. Ruby in Paradise
9. Naked
10. The Snapper
O.K., O.K., this list is alittle weird.
I mean, what exactly is "The Snap-
per?" Sounds kind-of like an emo-
tionally disturbed lobster gone ber-
serk, right? And granted, it and a few
of these other films are not going to
make it to Ann Arbor any time soon,
if ever. So what? Should I cast them
aside in favor of more recognizable
films just to please you? Hell no!
"Heaven and Earth?" Didn't see it,
didn't want to. Tom Hanks was great,
but "Philadelphia" was just good, not
extraordinary. "The Age of Inno-
cence" was A+, but everybody al-
ready knows that. Same with "The
Fugitive." Old hat.
Now the question that you're prob-
ably asking is whether or not "Na-
ked" is a porno. It's not (and neither is
"Ruby in Paradise"). However, it is
the most despicable, downtrodden,
crude and altogether unappealing film
of the year, and there's certainly some-
thing to be said for that. Actor David
Thewlis is my anti-hero and his bel-
ligerent, philosophical Johnny will
never get the American recognition
that he deserves.
"The Snapper" is a spunky little
gem that will probably get washed
over by the Christmas mess, but well
deserves it's place among director
Stephen Frears' best. I loved "Or-
lando" and I don't care what anyone
says-it does not resemble an Obses-
sion ad!
And as for "The Piano," it may
have been just barely edged out by the
arrival of "Schindler's List," but it's
still an incredible film, an unques-
tionable achievement. Actor Holly
Hunter and writer/director Jane Cam-
pion will probably get the recognition
that they deserve. Oh, and it's playing
in Ann Arbor,too.
Jean Claude Van Damme's "Hard Target" wasn't a huge hit, but some critics hailed the U.S. debut of John Woo.
Read Daily
Film Critics
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