B-Movies & Couch Classics
Reviews of Movies Often Overlooked or Forgotten
A list of the top-grossing movies from
the weeks ending June 30 and July 14, 1996.
The Nutty Professor: The first of the two
films starring Eddie Murphy as the overweight, kind-hearted Professor
Sherman Klump and his chemically induced alter ego, the super suave and
ultra-slim Buddy Love. A remake of the 1963 Jerry Lewis vehicle of the
same name, the comedy co-stars Jada Pinkett as love interest Carla Purty;
comic David Chappelle; and more Murphy — as five members of Klump’s
family. Can anyone say “Hercules! Hercules!”?
The Hunchback of Notre Dame: An animated
adaptation of the Victor Hugo classic, this dark Walt Disney production
tells the tale of the beloved Hunchback, Quasimodo, and his struggle to
rise above his deformity and find a place in life beyond the Cathedral
bell tower. Along the way, we meet the dashing and beautiful Gypsy
Esmerelda (Demi Moore), the stern Judge Frollo (Tony Jay), Phoebus (Kevin
Kline), and the humorous gargoyles Hugo (Jason Alexander) and Victor
(Charles Kimbrough).
 Striptease:
Starring Demi Moore, the story of the stripper with good
intentions did not fair well with critics — although it is a half-decent
comedy. Also starring Burt Reynolds (smack in the middle of his pre-Boogie
Nights return to the top) and Ving Rhames, Striptease is based on Carl
Hiaasen’s satirical novel and is good for a few laughs — and more than a
few shots of Moore’s body.
The Rock: The second feature from
director Michael Bay (who made his debut with 1995’s Bad Boys and most
recently hit the screens with the epic Pearl Harbor) The Rock pairs fan
favorite Cage — as Stanley Goodspeed, a chemical weapons wunderkind turned
unlikely hero — with screen legend Sean Connery as John Patrick Mason, the
only man ever to escape the Rock. The two are on a mission to save a slew
of tourists from an impending release of deadly gases on the abandoned
Alcatraz complex.
Mission: Impossible: This adaptation of
the 1960s television series stars Tom Cruise as the smooth, cool, and
ever-resourceful Ethan Hunt. The first film to truly highlight Cruise as
an action hero, Mission: Impossible follows Hunt on the lam, as he takes
the flak from a mission gone awry and is wrongly considered a traitor.
Rather than hide as a fugitive, however, Hunt gathers a troop of renegade
peers and sets out on Mission of his own, to find a computer disk that
will right the wrong. Fast paced, action-packed, and chock full of fun,
high-tech spy games. Its sequel was released in 2000.
The Cable Guy: Directed by actor Ben
Stiller (Meet the Parents), The Cable Guy stars Jim Carrey as, well, the
cable guy from Hell. Just as weird and borderline psychotic as it is
funny, the film tells the tale of architect Steven Kovacs (Matthew
Broderick) and his obsessive serviceman, Chip Douglas (Carrey). What was a
simple request on Kovacs’ part to skew the installation fee becomes a
nightmare as Douglas makes himself at home in Kovacs’ house, life, and
career.
Twister: By now, we’ve all seen the
flying cow. Twister recreates some of the scary truths of nature’s power —
as we watch Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton as a husband and wife team of
storm-chasing researchers, Jo and Bill Harding, who are on a mission to
recover research equipment designed by Bill that was stolen by the Cary
Elwes-portrayed Dr. Jonas Miller. Just as stormy is the Hardings’ personal
relationship, however, as Bill is ready to move on to a new career and a
new woman, played by Jami Gertz.
Dragonheart: An animated film,
Dragonheart is aptly titled: a young prince, Einon (David Thewlis), is
near death and is healed with a piece of the heart from the finest dragon,
Draco (Sean Connery). The catch? Einon must grow up to become a fair and
feeling ruler. Of course, that is exactly what doesn’t happen. Einon grows
up to become a wretched, unfeeling slug and the source of anger for Bowen
(Dennis Quaid), the knight who arranged the life-saving procedure.
Determined that the betrayal is Draco’s fault, Bowen initially sets out to
kill the dragon, but is convinced otherwise by the mighty reptile. The two
instead collaborate and unite to take on the evil ruler.
 Independence
Day: “Don’t make plans for August.” So we were told in the
summer of 1996. While that prophecy didn’t exactly come true, the flick
did cause a few shrieks from the seats of movie-goers. Starring Will Smith
and Jeff Goldblum as an unlikely team of heroes enlisted to save the earth
from impending alien takeover, ID4 became one of the most popular
science-fiction/action-adventure films ever and sealed Smith as a true
blockbuster draw. With high-tech visuals and outrageous scenery shots, the
film was just as appealing to the senses as the somewhat hackneyed
storyline. At times it was scary, more often than not, it was fun.
Phenomenon: One minute he was an average
Joe, the next he was a phenomenon. Literally. After observing a bright
light, George (John Travolta) is knocked unconscious and awakens with a
wide array of powers at his discretion. And while he can invent, memorize,
and predict, he can’t initially overcome the stubbornness of the jaded
Lace (Kyra Sedgwick) who has been burned in life and in love one too many
times.
Courage Under Fire: Featuring a pre-Good
Will Hunting and a very skinny Matt Damon, Courage Under Fire stars Denzel
Washington as a veteran dealing with the tumultuous aftermath of the Gulf
War. After mistakenly destroying a U.S. tank during the War, Lt. Col.
Nathaniel Serling (Washington) returns home and receives an assignment
that sends him on a mission to unearth the truth. Instructed to research
the actions of Capt. Karen Walden (Meg Ryan), a helicopter pilot who died
in battle and who is being nominated posthumously for the Congressional
Medal of Honor, Serling interviews a number of soldiers close and learns
that no two stories are the same. More than that, Serling has to battle a
nosy reporter who senses that all might not be right in Serling’s past, as
well. Also stars Lou Diamond Phillips, Michael Moriarity, and Scott Glenn.
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