Hump Day Movie: Flatliners (1990)

This is the movie that makes the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon so easy. Not only does it have Bacon, it has Julia Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland, William Baldwin AND Oliver Platt.

This is a relatively tame horror movie despite its R rating, but the sheer number of BIG NAMES in it made it a must-see for me when I was in high school. I think I've seen it maybe once since then. Luckily for us all, it's free to stream for Prime members on Amazon. Woohoo! And it's fairly cheap to purchase, too.

Here's the synopsis:

Are you afraid to die? Kiefer Sutherland isn't. He's an ambitious, charismatic medical student who persuades classmates Julia Roberts and Kevin Bacon to take part in a reckless experiment. To see if there is life after death, they will kill themselves: temporarily shut down ("flatline") their heart and brain functions to briefly experience clinical death. After Sutherland survives the first experiment, the others flatline for increasingly longer intervals. But their horror begins when they realize that although they've come back alive... they haven't come back alone. Flatliners is a chilling suspense thriller of obsession, fear and redemption that will take you across the line to a place where terror lives forever. 
 
Oh, and while researching the whole Six Degrees thing I found this little gem on Wikipedia:

According to the Oracle of Bacon website approximately 12% of all actors cannot be linked to Bacon using its criteria (ie. cannot be linked to Bacon no matter how many steps)

Those poor souls...

Hump Day Summer Movie: The Fifth Element

Although this movie did well in worldwide gross ticket sales, I think it connected better with audiences outside the US. Maybe we take our sci fi too seriously here. Or maybe the international marketing team did a better job. Who knows?

Bottom line: The Fifth Element is filled with awesome. It is a modern day classic. And I think it was largely responsible for launching the sci-fi film career of model Milla Jovovich.

The cast is also filled with well known character actors. Although the entire film is filled with campy sci-fi goodness, there are a few standout performances.

Gary Oldman, of course, makes an incredibly unique villain. And you can see him reveling in what must be a well developed sense of the absurd. The southern accent and weird comb-over meets plastic plate thing on his head ? So funny.

Chris Tucker is a show stealer, too. His role as a futuristic radio personality whose style is man-whore meets cross dressing fop is so over the top it's classic. I dare you to watch this movie and not smile at his ensembles.

And lastly, there's the musical performance of the "Diva." The diva was portrayed by two people: one for the physical part, another for the voice. The song was performed by Albanian Inva Mula (according to Wikipedia) but I am still astonished by how unique the look and sound of that performance is. I can't think of anything even close. The aria is from Lucia di Lammermoor, followed by a song only identified as "The Diva Dance." That song is the one I found so remarkable. A mix of operatic singing and a more modern beat.


This is sci-fi comedy at its best. It doesn't take itself too seriously, doesn't overwhelm with the special effects, and does a pretty decent job at being entertaining.

Hump Day Summer Movie: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

Yeah, I know everyone just loved the TV series, Buffy. But me? I never really got into it. Not really sure why. And I think the movie that spawned the series has been seriously underrated for a long, long time.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, released in 1992, starred Kristy Swanson alongside some serious cinematic icons: Rutger Hauer and Donald Sutherland. It also starred Luke Perry and David Arquette. But what makes this film a summer movie pick for me is what I consider the best death scene ever. I mean ever. Paul Reubens (of PeeWee Herman fame) has the most hilarious role in this movie.

Hump Day Summer Movie: The Phantom (1996)

[Photo: ©1996 - Paramount Pictures Corporation]

Oh how I love cheesy comicbook movies.  Especially when it involves really buff guys prancing around in skintight costumes. And Billy Zane was scorching hot in this movie.

The film also stars Kristy Swanson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Patrick McGoohan and Treat Williams.

Aside from the funny as hell cheesiness this movie embodies, the settings and photography are just gorgeous. But, honestly, I watch it to drool over Billy's abs. *sigh*

I always thought they did a great job with the tongue-in-cheek nods to the early Phantom serials. And Treat Williams's over the top performance is not to be missed.

Hump Day Summer Movie: The Lady and the Highwayman (1989)

Today's Hump Day Summer Movie is a made for British TV movie: The Lady and the Highwayman. Based on a romance novel by Dame Barbara Cartland, this movie is the height of cheesy romance cliches filled with bad lighting, bad dialogue, bad music, and downright awful hair.

It stars Hugh Grant with his worst hair ever. Some kind of Billy Cyrus meets Prince Valiant mullet. And Lysette Anthony as Panthea Vyne does her best doe-in the headlights immitation. Or mutant Shirley Temple. I'm not really sure.

Part of the daytime drama feel (aka soap operas) can be attributed to the snake like presence of Ms. Emma Samms--veteran actress of not one but two melodramatic series.

I loathe the heroine's name: Panthea.  It's just that funky. I found myself doing a Bugs Bunny Hansel and Gretel imitation. Hansel? Hansel. Hansel? (Panthea? Panthea. Panthea? )

She's not much of a panther. But she is a panter. Which I guess makes that name apropos. (It really refers to being 'of the gods' but still. Horrible name.)

Much of the movie features Hugh Grant riding around on horseback. Or punching someone. And he really doesn't look good doing it. I didn't think anyone could look bad wearing a highwayman mask, but he managed it. The man has no nose. Or at least not enough of one to pull this look off.

So why is this movie, so patently bad, a summer movie rec? Because there aren't that many romances that are this bad. It's almost a rite of passage to watch this thing. And because there's nothing more fun that watching a so-bad-it's-funny film and supplying your own dialogue. Make extra popcorn, because you just may find yourself throwing some at the screen.

On the plus side, though, there are some beautiful costumes and some lovely scenery. But honestly, muting the tv and making up your own lines might be better.

For those too scared to actually watch the film, here are my real time notes as I recently rewatched this. Warning: Spoilers contained below!!

Hump Day Summer Movie: Earth Girls are Easy (1988)

The 1980s was a decade filled with wonderful B movies, and Earth Girls are Easy is no exception. Starring Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey, and Damon Wayans, this extremely silly movie features a lot of slapstick and obvious humor--and extremely hairy, colorful aliens.

But mostly, I just love this movie because of Julie Brown's songs "'Cause I'm a Blond" and "I Like 'Em Big and Stupid."

Available from Amazon, Best Buy, or get it from Netflix!

Hump Day Summer Movie: Ice Pirates (1984)

Oh yeah. Back to the 'so awful it's funny' category. I loved Robert Urich in Spenser for Hire, but this movie holds a special place in my heart. It's campy. It's sci fi. It's comedy. And Robert Urich was at his most charming.

Plus it also stars Mary Crosby (Daughter of Bing), Anjelica Huston, and Ron Perlman.

This is not a movie to take seriously. It is a spoof. It is making fun of the genre at a whole. But in doing so it made itself a cult classic.

Hump Day Summer Movie: Men at Work (1990)

Men at Work stars real life brothers Charlie Sheen and Emelio Estevez. Estevez also wrote and directed the film. It's a little bit romance, a little bit suspense, and a whole lot of funny buddy comedy.

Another funny movie from my adolescence, Men at Work holds a special place in my heart. Not the least of which is because my husband, back when he was a teen, worked for the local garbage company along with his best friend. And  watching this movie brings back stories of some of their antics while working the garbage route.

It's low brow humor without a lot of substance, but I love it just the same.

Hump Day Summer Movie: Evolution (2001)

Getting back to my standard of choosing movies based on their impact on my personal lexicon, I give you: Evolution.

It stars David Duchovny, Seann William Scott, Julianne Moore, and Orlando Jones and is probably one of the funniest sci fi movies made in the last 10 years. The science is OMG awful, but I  do think this one was underrated and poorly marketed. It is silly and sometimes stupid but always funny.

Duchovny plays his normal, sardonic straight man role to his much funnier sidekick (Jones) while Sean Williams Scott plays his usual dumbass persona.

No deep message, no thought-provoking plot. But if you're not laughing at the giant mosquito extraction scene, there's something wrong with you.

And here's my second favorite scene: Ca-Caw!

Hump Day Summer Movie: Romancing the Stone (1984)

Despite its obvious reliance on stereotypes about romance novelists, Romancing the Stone remains one of my favorite films. It's funny, sexy, fast-paced, exotic and did I mention funny?

Kathleen Turner plays Joan Wilder, a single romance novelist who lives with her cat. She prefers to express her desires through her writing rather than taking chances in her personal life. That changes once Joan receives a package from her sister mailed from Colombia. To save her sister, she flies to Colombia with no clear plan of action.

Once in Colombia, everything goes wrong. She takes the wrong bus and ends up stranded in the jungle with no idea where to go. And there she meets Jack (played by Michael Douglas) who is nothing at all like her romance heroes. He's rude, he's crude, and he only agrees to help Joan get to her
destination in return for payment.

Hump Day Summer Movie: Point Break (1991)

In honor of summer, Hump Day is now Summer Movie Day. And what better way to start than with a beach movie? There are all kinds of beach movies, but when I think of surfer movies, my mind instantly goes to Point Break. This film (now *gasp* 19 years old) features Patrick Swayze in one of my favorite roles and Keanu Reeves in a part that fits him like a glove.

Contrary to the set up, setting, and characters, though, this movie has a surprising bit of depth to it. Quite a bit of heart. And staying power. I enjoy watching it just as much today as I did back in 1991.