Yeah, the Box Office is rockin’ today with a whole lot of movies. But there are some from prior years that you may (or may not) remember. These older movies came out 5, 10, 15, 20 years ago, maybe even longer back. Some were instant classics, while others were not. So let’s jump into the DeLorean and travel backwards in time to revisit a few of these forgotten gems…
February 2014 (5 years ago) — The LEGO Movie – Wait, a movie based on a child’s tiny building block toy? Everything is AWESOME!
Yes, they made a movie out of a small construction block toy set that was way more perfect than it had a right to be… They started with perfect voice casting. Then add a clever script that borders on meta-comedy. Top it off with movie direction (Phil Lord and Christopher Miller) that is both whimsical and profound. What do you get? An unexpected non-stop feast of fun…
February 2009 (10 years ago) — Coraline – Stop Motion style animated movie of a small child’s nightmare, like the one “Before Christmas”
Neil Gaiman’s book gets the big screen adventure treatment, with the same director from “The Nightmare Before Christmas”. Only this time, the main role is for an animated Coraline, who finds a path into a nightmare world. In a place where everyone’s eyes are replaced by buttons, Coraline is left to find her way out.
February 2004 (15 years ago) — Miracle – The 1980 Olympic Games had a hockey game that beat all expectations, thanks to Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell stars as the coach Herb Brooks. He is the leader of an Olympic team of ragtag college players. He is the one who drives them to play as well as the Soviet powerhouse players. They play as well, and then play better, because they have nothing to lose… This movie captured a moment in time, when everyone in American became hockey fans overnight – just because of this ‘miracle’ of a game.
February 1999 (20 years ago) — Office Space – Mike Judge had created Bevis and Butthead, but this is where he really worked for corporate comedy
Mike Judge takes dead aim at the heart of corporate soul-draining work environments of the mid-90s. The movie scores a huge bulls-eye. This movie has become a cultural touchstone since it was dropped awkwardly into movie theaters a long time ago. The life that it gained since then has created a gold mine of laughs for new generations. “Yeah, we’re gonna need you to come in on Saturday” — to watch this movie, and laugh your ass off!
February 1995 (25 years ago) — Billy Madison – Adam Sandler play to the LCD, with his first big movie — writing and starring — as Billy Madison
In math the LCD is short for ‘Lowest Common Denominator’. For Sandler, I think it stands for “Lowest Comedy Denominator”. This is the level that Adam Sandler has chosen to create his comedy. It is always as the lowest level. In this (Sandler’s first outing at main writer and star) bag of guano – the 27 year-old Mr. Madison must redo every level of grade school to prove he is worthy to be a CEO. It was not acclaimed for its brilliance or its wit…
February 1989 (30 years ago) — Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure – Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin and others deal with time travel and bogus school reports…
“Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K.” Strange things indeed! This crazy movie gets massice slackers Bill (Winter) and Ted (Reeves) into a time machine with Rufus (Carlin). This is in the shape of a phone booth outside a Circle-K. They time-travel back to fetch many Historical Dudes, so Bill and Ted ca bring them to school for a history report. “Bogus. Heinous. Most non-triumphant.” Such an appropriate (and sad) commentary on outrtimes. “Be excellent to each other. And… PARTY ON, DUDES!”
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