319. Wild in the Streets

319. (23 Dec) Wild in the Streets (1968, Barry Shear) 55



A transportive time capsule, this psychedelic take on the generation gap circa 1968 is episodic, strange, but terribly urgent. The overbearing Shelley Winters, with too limited screentime, perfectly embodies the past while the charismatic Christopher Jones represents the future. The film gets increasingly frenzied, mostly an alarmist portrait of what a youth takeover of America would mean. There's much to appreciate here, from forced LSD consumption to internment camps for those over the age of 35. Wild, indeed! The Oscar nomination for Film Editing is fun considering gimmicky split-screen tricks and rapid cuts.

152. Creepshow

152. (13 Aug) Creepshow (1982, George A. Romero) 53



Though it's something of a classic among anthology films, most of these Creepshow segments are unremarkable. "Father's Day" is likely the best here, too absurd and tongue-in-cheek to fault much. "Something to Tide You Over" is the best in terms of suspense while "They're Creeping Up on You!" is the grossest and creepiest. "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" is fun, albeit minor stuff. "The Crate" is miserably awful.

096. Hercules

096. (19 Mar) Hercules (1997, Ron Clements & John Musker) 36



I'm not clear who supported this departure in Disney style. The harsh lines and cheesy background and character design are often shockingly ugly. Ron Clements and John Musker are also saddled with a truly lame score and an irritating plot. It's hard to believe they ever made The Little Mermaid even in Hercules' fleeting moments that work.

The generic, but amiable "Go the Distance" and cute "I Won't Say I'm in Love" suggest Alan Menken, but it's about as minor as his work gets. The music's just not ingrained into the story, which isn't surprising considering how muddled the script is. The wacky concepts, unnecessary sidekicks, and underdeveloped relationships in Hercules are reminiscent of the issues Pocahontas had. That pair of clunkers could've sunk any studio.