MIKE
DURRETT
SHOW
Today's Episode:
Movie Comedies Year-End Preview
Dateline: 10/12/98
The summer movie season traditionally ends on Labor Day; so, in the past month, we've been treated to a glittery, flickering parade of fall films -- and there were a handful of comedies in the procession.
Are you giggled out yet? Yeah, me neither.
Actually, I haven't seen one frame of the current features. I'm still playing catch up. Only last week, I chortled through There's Something About Mary. And, you know, it's quite true about movies being impressionable forces. Mary taught me a new trick. I can now annoy everyone with the giant globules of rubber cement dangling from my head.
I love being an adult.
I do plan to get around to Antz and The Imposters quickly. Clay Pigeons is a possibility. And who among us can resist the urge to gaze upon John Waters' Pecker? (You're having a cootie fit, aren't you?)
Rush Hour? I don't think so. I get no kicks from Chan pain.
As for A Night at the Roxbury and Holy Man? Are you kidding? I don't need to drive over to the multiplex. I can smell their flop sweat fine from here, thank you.
Between now and Christmas Day, the studios promise a slew of product, complete with quite a few funnies. I'm already standing in line for Pleasantville, Babe 2, Celebrity, and A Bug's Life. I'll also be checking into the totally unnecessary Psycho; and I'm confident the disservice will be lousy.
Then, I'm off to see The Wizard. This film, pushing 60-years of age, will emerge unscathed as the most solid "new" picture of the season.
Here are the opening dates and several informational links for the major comedy releases wrapping up 1998:
Warner Bros. - October 16 - Preview |
Modern witches, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, cursed in love. Drama with comic overtones. |
| Universal - October 16 - Preview |
| Possessed plush toy/serial killer/cadaver Chucky makes a love connection with Jennifer Tilly. Slasher sequel thriller with sadistic comic relief and the best title of the year! |
| New Line - October 23 - Preview |
| Present day teens, Reese Witherspoon and Tobey Maguire, find themselves trapped in a 1958 black-and-white television sitcom. The movie boasts more than triple the special effect shots total of Titanic -- and Don Knotts! |
| The WaterBoy |
| Touchstone - November 6 - Preview |
Doofus Adam Sandler becomes a football hero with the help of co-stars Kathy Bates and Henry Winkler. |
| The Big Chill |
| Columbia - November 6 - Preview |
| As if Baby Boomers aren't feeling old enough already, we must now accept the fact the movie we once hailed for defining our generation is 15-years-old. The cast includes Glenn Close, William Hurt, Jeff Goldblum, Kevin Kline. Can you spot Kevin Costner? |
| The Wizard of Oz |
| Warner Bros. (Turner/MGM) - November 6 - Preview |
| Seriously, is there a more
beloved film than this 1939 charmer? Not even Gone with the Wind, Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs, or Sergeant Deadhead can claim the honor. A superlative musical, shimmering in wholesome warmth and humor, it holds a special place in the hearts of -- well, anyone with a heart, and a brain, and the courage to admit it! Drop everything and hurry to the theatre for a cherished memory waiting to happen. You have not fully experienced this film on TV alone. A favorite moment: watch Judy Garland and Toto, the pup, interact on the final notes of Over the Rainbow. Sweet. |
| Walt Disney Pictures - November 13 - Preview |
| Jonathan Taylor Thomas treks across the U.S. in a Santa Claus suit to receive a Porsche from his father in this romantic comedy. Oh, the babes love the Santa suits! |
| Celebrity |
| Miramax - November 13 (New York/Los Angeles) - Preview |
| Woody Allen's tale of a famous writer intent on strengthening his marriage. Kenneth Branagh, Judy Davis, Melanie Griffith, Winona Ryder, and Leonardo DiCaprio head the cast. |
| The Rugrats Movie |
| Paramount (Nickelodeon) - November 20 - Preview |
| TV's popular animated series presents the season's good Chuckie and his diapered pals, starring in their first big screen feature. |
| A Bug's Life |
| Walt Disney Pictures - November 25 - Preview |
| From Pixar, the creators of Toy Story, another elaborate computer generated adventure. See it and step on it! |
Universal - November 25 - Preview |
The adorably precious porker goes on tour. |
| Psycho |
| Universal - December 4 - Preview |
Rumors have it, this script was filmed once before, way back before the dawn of civilization, in 1960. Why that thing must be so antiquated and unavailable! In the original film, embezzler Marion Crane was called a "whore." In this new, supposedly, shot-by-shot color recreation, the whore is Universal Pictures. Generally considered the scariest thriller of it's time, director Alfred Hitchcock gleefully approached his UNDISPUTED MASTERPIECE as a macabre comedy. The question is, when the Gus Van Sant remake is unspooled, will we be laughing? |
Warner Bros. - December 18 - Preview |
In Nora Ephon's Sleepless in Seattle, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan meet through talk radio chat and fall in love. In Nora Ephron's new film, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan meet through Internet chat and fall in love. I envy these wacky, risk- taking creative geniuses! |
TriStar - December 25 - Preview |
A divorced woman and her ex-husband's young wife, Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts clash over their re-rooted family tree. The theatrical trailer positions this picture as a comedy; but sadness is heavily involved, along the lines of Terms of Endearment. |
Universal - December 25 - Preview |
Based on a true story, Robin Williams stars in this comedy-drama about the medicinal powers of laughter. |
Dates and films are subject to change.
So, what's on your mind? Which comedies are you looking forward to this fall? What have you enjoyed recently? Our Humor Bulletin Board is exactly the place to express yourself.
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