Bovie Movie

This irresistible combination of dazzling effects and sly comedy propelled Michael J Fox to stardom and Robert Zemeckis to the front rank of Hollywood directors. And time has not robbed it of any of its vitality. Fox plays the young student who travels back in time to the 1950s and acts as matchmaker for his future parents, who are showing no sign of falling in love. It’s beautifully played by the cast (honourable mentions to Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover), and makes the most of an ingenious script from Bob Gale and Zemeckis that finds time to poke fun at 50s icons and lifestyles between the bouts of time travelling. Zemeckis’s direction is equally adroit and he never lets the effects swamp the film. 

Hollywood’s plundering of classic TV series has produced its fair share of turkeys, but this is a glorious exception. This is partly owing to director Barry Sonnenfeld’s wise decision to stick with the black humour of Charles Addams’s original and very popular New Yorker cartoons and, perhaps more importantly, some inspired casting — Anjelica Huston and Raul Julia are note perfect as loving Morticia and Gomez, while Christopher Lloyd was equally born to play Fester. However, these stars are almost surpassed by the astonishingly agile Thing and by Christina Ricci’s splendid performance as the young Wednesday. The plot — a confidence trickster (Lloyd) poses as Fester to steal the Addams fortune — is a tad contrived, but Sonnenfeld makes a confident transition from cinematographer to director (he proved himself again with Get Shorty in 1995) and the result is a witty family comedy that has enough sly humour to keep adults chuckling throughout. The massive success of the film inspired the cast to return for a sequel. 

At the beginning of Interstate 60, Neal Oliver (James Mardsen) has more questions about his future than answers. Though he would rather pursue a career in art, Neal debates whether or not he should set his goals towards a law degree, as his father would greatly prefer. He has a girlfriend, but he wonders if he should search for the mysterious woman (Amy Smart) who visits his nightly dreams and inspires his artwork. By the time his 23rd birthday roles around, Neal is no closer to choosing his life’s path. He feels empty and unsatisfied, despite lavish birthday gifts, and wishes only for clarity as he blows out the candles on his cake. Rather than instant answers, Neal is given the opportunity to take a journey on a highway that doesn’t exist on any map; a highway where the past, present, and future converge. Alongside him is One Wish Grant (Gary Oldman), the immortal offspring of a leprechaun and Cheyenne Indian, who has the unique ability to grant wishes to those he believes deserve them. Thus begins Neal’s surreal road trip through the uncharted territories of his own potential destiny. Interstate 60 features a stellar cast with supporting performances and cameos from Kurt Russell, Michael J. Fox, Liv Tyler, and Christopher Lloyd. Bob Gale, co-writer/producer of Used Cars, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, and, most notably, the Back to the Future trilogy, directs.

This whizz-bang breakthrough in mixing live action with cartoon characters won a special achievement Oscar for animator Richard Williams. It follows the adventures of private eye Bob Hoskins, who ventures into Toontown — where the cartoon personalities live — to help animated superstar Roger Rabbit, who suspects his wife of adultery. Guest appearances by a wealth of cartoon favourites, including Daffy Duck, Mickey Mouse and Betty Boop, adorn the tale as Hoskins’s investigation leads to villain Christopher Lloyd, who’s planning to cleanse Toontown of its animated inhabitants. Highlights include Hoskins’s encounter with Roger’s wife Jessica (voiced by Kathleen Turner), the slinkiest, most seductive vamp since Veronica Lake, and the fantastic all-action opening sequence. It was a creative and box-office success for co-executive producer Steven Spielberg and director Robert Zemeckis, and led the way for the likes of Space Jam and Toy Story. 

Director Robert Zemeckis’s blockbusting trilogy went slightly off the rails with the second segment, but it got right back on track (literally) with this concluding instalment. Shot back-to-back with Part II, the film is set predominantly in the Old West and offers Michael J Fox the chance to indulge in all the sharpshooting situations that made Saturday matinée western serials such a treat for millions of children (including, one suspects, Zemeckis and screenwriter Bob Gale). As before, the plot revolves around the need to tinker with time and the problem of how to power the trusty DeLorean car so that Fox can get back to the present. And once more Gale and Zemeckis have come up with an ingenious plot and a clutch of in-jokes, including the casting of western favourites Dub Taylor, Harry Carey Jr and Pat Buttram as a trio of old timers in the saloon. The inimitable Fox is again on cracking form as Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd’s romance with Mary Steenburgen is surprisingly touching. Using the special effects intelligently, Zemeckis stages a spectacular steam-train finale and neatly ties up the trilogy’s loose ends. Look out for a cameo appearance from ZZ Top.