4B - The Michigan Daily - Wu1.rt c. - Thursday, September 14, 1995 Independent films dominate summer season By Joshua Rich Daily Film Editor Since the inception of the so-called "blockbuster" film in the late-I970s - with such mega-films as "Star Wars" and "Jaws" - the summer has often been a period marked by large-budgeted, overly-hyped and rarely intelligent motion pictures. It is during the summer months when films gross the most money and at- tract the widest audiences of the year. This season is frequently de- void of deep and complex features which are usually lost amidst a slew of crowd-pleasing, mindless action flicks and idiotic slapstick comedies replete with scatological humor. The summer of 1995, however, saw a small change from years past, as a group of over-achieving inde- pendent films gathered to make it a season of relatively high quality. And while indie movies nourished the brains of many film fanatics, a few more expensive pictures tickled our senses us with smart plots and impressive designs. Nevertheless, there were the usual senseless summer blockbusters lurk- ing on the silver screen as well, and, as always, these were the ones that came away with the highest gross sales. Just as simple films like "Ghost" (1990), "Jurassic Park" (1993) and last year's duet of "The Lion King" and "Forrest Gump" were the most popular films of their respective summer seasons, so too were some mediocre movies this time around. Following tradition, Americans were more willing to part with seven dollars to see a campy film like "Batman Forever," than we were to watch a more interesting, low-bud- get movie such as "Smoke." But that is no surprise. Leading the pack were two mov- ies, both different in content and style, yet very similar in their re- spective universal appeals. With "Apollo 13" close behind, "Batman Forever" grossed some $185 mil- lion after a record-breaking open- ing weekend in which it earned over $50 million at the box office. Ironi- cally enough, this was by far the worst movie of the term. Director Joel Schumacher ("Flatliners") picked up the latest installment in the "Batman" series after former director Tim Burton and star Michael Keaton bowed out. Here, the usually underrated Val Kilmer plays the dark knight opposite the annoying Jim Carrey as the Riddler and the unfortunate Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey "Two-Face." In this sprawl- ing, boring and overall unimpressive fantasy farce, the acting is sour, the premise is absurd and the Art Direc- tion is too bleak to be inviting. Better results came from rival "Apollo 13" which, though based upon a real situation, managed to stay quite interesting and suspenseful for over two hours (even though we knew all along the outcome of the drama). Di- rector Ron Howard succeeded in mak- ing his first giant space drama into a film that, for the most part, could be enjoyed by all. Still,"Apollo 13," like most other recent films starring man- of-the-moment Tom Hanks, remained an entirely glossy film which lacked much depth and discreet character-, ization. While these popular but inadequate features failed to impress at least this critic, other big-budget movies turned out to be much more pleasing. Most memorable was actor and fledgling director Mel Gibson's pet project, "Braveheart," about medeival Scottish hero William Wallace. While Gibson reportedly abandoned his ex- pensive salary in order to complete the film within its financial bounds, he ultimately produced a thrilling film of epic grandeur. "Braveheart" in- volves striking cinematography, vio- lently-poetic combat scenes and an engaging plot that, when portrayed on screen by a fine cast of little-known actors, keeps its audience's interest for over three hours. Another picturesque movie, "The Bridges of Madison County," was di- rector/actor Clint Eastwood's addi- tion to this crop of films. He polished writer Robert James Waller's popu- lar, sappy romance novel, and by do- ing so he created a touching and pol- ished story of romance and lost love. Look for this to be nominated for many Academy Awards towards the end of this year. Other notably well-made Holly- wood products this summer included "Clueless," director Amy Heckerling's biting, satirical look at the teenage culture of the 1990s; Tony Scott's suspenseful submarine adven- ture "Crimson Tide;" Mexican direc- tor Alfonso Arau's expressionistic love story "A Walk in the Clouds;" and Kevin Costner's costly post- apocalyptic water flick, "Waterworld." With all the publicity surrounding the great production ex- pense of this film, "Waterworld" wound-up being an acceptable movie based upon a smart basic idea and involving remarkable special effects. Special was the operative word for this season in which, as previously stated, independent films turned out to be the truly high-quality movies. This is despite their usually low ex- Newsletters Newsletters Newsletters Newsletters Big savings on newsletters for all clubs, businesses, and organizations. cm 2 The late Italian actor Massimo Troisi starred as a humble lover in the "Postman," one of the many fine independent films that hit movie screens this summer. Where will you work at the Swiss Bank Corporation? AT YOUR PEAK. At Swiss Bank Corporation, you'll rise to the challenge and accept respon- sibility as quickly as your talents and efforts will allow. With assets of $132 billion, an impressive client base and the recent acquisition of one of the world's premier invest- ment banking institutions, S.G. Warburg, we are leveraging our strength to become the global investment banking leader of the next century. As a Trading Assistant, you'll be enrolled in SBC Warburg's industry-renowned training program where you'll learn about derivatives, foreign exchange, fixed income and cor- porate finance issues. Then you'll begin your practical train- ing in the middle of the excitement on the exchange floor or desk in either Chicago, New York, Philadelphia or San Francisco. You'll provide on-the-spot calculations and analyses of trades, assist market makers with trading deci- sions and logistics and communicate and analyze various strategies between market makers and portfolio managers. As you pursue your professional goals, you may find your ambitions lead you towards becoming a Senior Trader or Senior Risk Manager. Or you may change career paths and move onto technology, new product development or market- ing. You see,'in an environment where promotions and opportunities are based on merit, you can achieve as much as your talents, expertise and efforts allow. If you are energetic, confident and eager for responsibility and have superior communication and problem-solving skills, we invite you to attend our Campus Presentation: Monday, September 18th 6 PM - 7 PM Ihe Uale Room if you are excited by the opportunities to reach new heights of success, but are unable to attend this presentation, please forward your resume to: Human Resources, Swiss Bank Corporation, P.O. Box 395, Church Street Station, NY, NY 10008. E-mail: bob_dentice@il,us.swissbank.com penses and sometimes even lower exposures. Beginning with the huge success of last year's "Pulp Fiction" - the most profitable indie movie in history, grossing over $100 million to date-privately-financed, small-bud- get films have enjoyed a boon in popu- larity amongst American audiences. Most memorable amongst the as- sortment of independent pictures re- leased this summer were a few films that focused on different parts of life in America. Even though it arrived late in the season, acclaimed director Bryan Singer's crime saga, "The Usual Suspects," turned out to be the finest of all the films released between Me- morial Day and Labor Day. This styl- ized mystery incorporates clever dia- logue, sharp photography and an ee- rie musical score to create one of the most suspenseful movies in recent memory. Also fine was Wayne Wang and Paul Auster's "Smoke" which pro- vided audiences with an intimate look into the lives of some cigar store pa- trons in Brooklyn. Restrained acting by Harvey Keitel and the always quiet William Hurt highlighted this film, complete with one fine performance and original character after another. Terry Zwigoff's brilliant and novel documentary, "Crumb," showed viewers more than just how a comic strip comes to life. It focused on the life of 1970s art icon R. Crumb, and allowed us to take an unbiased look at the intelligence behind the image, the master behind his madness. "Crumb" was accompanied to theaters by fel- low Sundance'Film Festival cham- pion, "The Brothers McMullen," freshman director Edward Burns's savvy slice-of-life picture about three Irish-Catholic brothers living together on Long Island. Throw in Italian import "Il Postino," absolutely fabulous fashion documen- tary "Unzipped," and shocking and frighteningly real teenage drama "Kids," and this summer may cer- tainly be remembered as a season when the indies triumphed. For the most part these small-scale films, often the kind ignored if ever in wide theatrical release, were pleas- antly successful. All in all, they were original and engaging pictures that captured many different emotions and segments of daily life. And these are qualities that the term "blockbuster" doesn't regularly bring to mind. An Equal Opportunity Employer. While the operations of Swiss Bank Corporation and S.G. Warburg have been successfully integrated in most parts of the world, in the U.S., the Swiss Bank Corporation will be fully integrated with S.G. Warburg upon Federal Reserve . ' < Bord afmhrol.~ CSLINEIE JOI IN <:::: :>: