#won: visual effects

[theoscarsproject]

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991). A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.

It really does have to be straight up one of the best action movies of all time, and one of the best sequels. Taut, thrilling, action packed, and genuinely pretty emotional - it's one of the few action movie classics that really lives up to the hype. 8/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988). When a cartoon rabbit is accused of murder, he enlists the help of a burnt out private investigator to prove his innocence.

This is just so much better than it has any right to be. Such a terrific homage to Hollywood subgenres - animation and noir - that work together in unexpectedly perfect ways. This was magic to rewatch. 9/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Innerspace (1987). A test pilot is miniaturized in a secret experiment, and accidentally injected into a hapless store clerk.

The cartoonish premise and pacing really wouldn't work without an actor like Martin Short in the lead role, and the decision to cast him is probably one of the better ones in 80s sci-fi. This really is a bonkers movie, but it gets away with it more often than not - it's genuinely funny, and the design feels pretty innovative and high quality for the era. Also I might have an extra sweetspot for it given it spawned one of my favourite episodes of Futurama haha. Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan's storyline didn't do much for me at all though. 7/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Cocoon (1985). When a group of trespassing seniors swim in a pool containing alien cocoons, they find themselves energized with youthful vigor.

1985 was truly Ron Howard's horny water movie year. This is - - yeah. Pretty bad across the board. A bit of a bummer, because I do think there's something to the concept of it. 4/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). An apprentice witch, three kids and a cynical magician conman search for the missing component to a magic spell to be used in the defense of Britain in World War II.

This film feels like such a staple of so many childhoods, but funnily enough, I’d never actually seen it before I watched it the other day for this project. I can see why it is so treasured - it really is a lot of fun, and Angela Lansbury is, well, Angela Lansbury, and brings so much charm to a pretty hokey role. There’s a great energy, a fun vibe, and all in all it’s a pretty solid family fantasy film. 7/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Marooned (1968). Three American astronauts are stranded in space when their retros won't fire. Can they be rescued before their oxygen runs out?

Ohhhh boy, this movie is boring. It’s a real shame to be honest, because the cast is great, and there are a couple of poignant, affecting scenes. It’s just bogged down by dull nonsense. Plus it’s super derivative of other, better films within the genre and, for the time, seemed to want to capitalise on the success of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Unless you’re a Gregory Peck buff, you can definitely give this one a miss. 4/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Fantastic Voyage (1966). A scientist is nearly assassinated. In order to save him, a submarine is shrunken to microscopic size and injected into his blood stream with a small crew. Problems arise almost as soon as they enter the bloodstream.

The legacy of Fantastic Voyage is vast, and in some ways more memorable than perhaps the original film itself. Still, that’s not exactly a slight on the original. Sure, it’s pretty thin in terms of characterisation, arcs and story, but visually, it really brought a lot of style to a genre that had always been pretty camp. It’s an impressive feat, and one that still, surprisingly, looks really good. 7/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Doctor Dolittle (1967). After the animal communicating veterinarian goes too far for his clientèle, he and his friends escape their hometown to sea in search of the Great Pink Sea Snail.

It’s so, so bizarre to me that this film was nominated for Best Picture against such excellent classics like In the Heat of the Night, The Graduate and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. It’s not that it’s a terrible movie, it’s just in a whole other (and yeah, I’ll cave - lesser) league. Still, it’s not a bad little family film, with a swift pace, and a bit of charm. That said, it’s also not exactly something I’d call Best Picture worthy. 6/10.