Say Anything… (1989): Cameron Crowe was very likeable up to the new millennium. I haven’t seen a couple of his later movies, but the ones I did see were absolutely awful. Strange, given how auspicious a start he had with Say Anything, a peak John Cusack production, so memorable that its most memorable scenes is barely a few seconds long. It’s an unusual star-crossed romance, between a high-potential girl and a mid boy, as the parlance goes, where you root for both and the focus turns out to be on something completely different. It’s rare that in its unlikely approach a movies feels like it touches upon some truth, and here that truth resides in the relationship between the girl and her father, with Cusack’s character, like us, more of a spectator. A movie about the moments where we’re expecting life to start happening to us, Say Anything is endearing and insightful. 8
Tarzan (1999): Not long ago, I had a look at The Legend of Tarzan, the awful modern-day adaptation of the seminal story. The 1999 animation is a considerably more digestible affair of the classic tale and it has some charm. The artwork is particularly enjoyable, adding some cute quirks to your usual Disney characters, but the musical elements are less than successful. In the age old wisdom of Sing Street, “no woman can truly love a man who listens to Phil Collins”. I’m not sure what to make of the messaging about belonging and identification, particularly seen through a 21st century lens, yet overall this is a mild and friendly enough animated flick. 6
We Bought a Zoo (2011): For a movie based on a true story, I expected something less formulaic. It is however not what WBaZ had in store. Instead, it told a sweet story about a father reconnecting with his son/daughter while going all out and buying a zoo in the process. The challenge of making this zoo visit-worthy is the backdrop to this family Hallmark flick, which also shoes in a romance between Matt Damon and Scarlett Johannson. Not something to remember, but a warm, fuzzy thing to spend an evening with. 6
Ghost (1990): For a movie that’s far outlived its times, I found little to enjoy in Ghost. While it features an alluring Demi Moore, a dedicated performance from Patrick Swayze and some colourful turns from Whoopi Goldberg and Vincent Schiavelli, the plot is beyond thin and the way the movie is structured makes it feel very undecided as to what it wants to be. It’s not an effective whodunit, not an effective comedy and at best a lukewarm romance. I don’t know what its draw is, but it did not work on me. 5
Rampage (2018): While it clears the lowest bar and coasts on the charisma of The Rock, Rampage is scarcely any better than, to reference a movie released the same year featuring a massive predator, Meg. Malin Akerman and Jake Lacy are pitiable corporate villains, while the CGI beasts are generic game bosses. To be fair, this is a movie inspired by a videogame, which I really don’t recall ever playing, so the lengths to which it could go were limited. I had some chuckles and the big fight at the end has scale, but overall this was a waste of time. 4
tributary stu 