Box Office Prophets: A-Lists

A-List: Movies that Make Us Go "Whoa!"

May 16, 2003

It's impressive to be this bendy while wearing tight leather.

Seeing as all of the movie-related press is Matrix Reloaded-centric these days, BOP staff members have remembered the original Matrix and the impact that it had upon many a viewer. That feeling has inspired this A-List which is a list of movies that have made us go “Whoa.”

The Matrix

The inspiration for this list. The Matrix opened with a signature opening sequence. One could argue that it has lost some of its impact due to the countless copies and parodies, but try to remember back to the cryptic opening where we are introduced to a solitary, leather clad female who appears to be a lone hacker in an empty room. The local law enforcement approaches and then an action sequence unlike any that had been seen before unfolds with the all-too-oft copied midair kick sequence as just one of its highlights. We are then left to follow Mr. Anderson/Neo as the true nature of the Matrix is revealed to both viewers and the protagonist. The Matrix had not only mind-bending visual sequences but a thought-invoking plot line.

Star Wars (A New Hope)

Among the memories for this movie are the nagging feeling that perhaps I was destined to be part of the whole movie commentary scene. I can remember that my first Star Wars memory is not of the movie but reading a Newsweek article about the movie and wishing that there had been more on those neat robots in that desert scene picture. Given that I wasn’t quite eight years old, it seems fairly plausible that I could have ended up at theater with my parents with no clue of what I was about to see. It’s also possible that the movie itself has just obliterated the “how I got there” memory. What I do remember is that flying billboard followed by a cool shot of space ship with the best looking laser bolts I’d ever seen in my life, and then....a really, really, really big ship that was doing the chasing. From that moment on, I could’ve been the only one in the theater. The only thing on my mind was what was unfolding on the screen. The biggest, baddest guy ever. Swords with the greatest sound effect, oh and they glowed too. It just went on and on. Looking back now, I can see that it was a classic story with archetypal characters in addition to groundbreaking effects due to the computer controlled camera handled by what would later become ILM. Still, back then it was just a movie that had a little boy reenacting the last battle on the ride back home by “flying” his hands around in the way that pilots demonstrate dogfights.

Evil Dead 2

“I’ll swallow your soul!” Evil Dead 2 is perhaps my fondest memory of a summer where I spent at least a Friday or Saturday of nearly every weekend at the local midnight movies. My friends had caught a trailer for the movie over at the local bargain house earlier in the year and had insisted that if given the chance we had to see the movie. I will probably never be able to cinematically thank them for making sure that we did see the movie given the chance. We would see the original Evil Dead on tape after the fact so we really didn’t know what we were getting into with regards to Ash (Bruuuuuce!) and his fight against the Book. What we got was demon cam, a ballerina beheaded, dead dancing, technicolor blood effects, and cool model effects of a bent up bridge. Those bits weren’t even the most memorable parts, as Ash vs. his hand has to be the greatest physical comedy sequence ever seen in a horror movie, even ranking right up there with physical comedy sequences in general. By that point in the movie, we had seen so many things that we had no choice but to react with hysterical laughter. By the time that the hand is breaking plates over Ash’s head, we were on the floor.

Terminator 2

I’m not ashamed to admit that I wasn’t hip enough to have caught the first Terminator in theaters (though it might have also had something to do with my lack of age and R rating) but I did see it on tape and it quickly became a favorite. So instead of being a good college student and going to class, I was at one of first showings of Terminator 2 due to my high hopes for the movie. (Yes, it was a summer release but I was taking classes that summer). James Cameron and Co. more than came through. From a chase scene with an 18 wheeler to a villain who was able to morph thanks to some fantastic CGI effects, Terminator 2 set a new bar for action movies. Actually, the jaw-dropping starts even earlier in the movie when we are treated to a prologue in that future that shows us numerous Terminators.

Jurassic Park

Part of the “Whoa!” factor for Jurassic Park was that this was the first movie that I had seen with digital soundtrack. Given that DTS practically gave away decoders in conjunction with the release of Jurassic Park, I would hazard a guess that many moviegoers had never heard a digital soundtrack before this time. The movie delivered on more than just sound as it was a fun, suspenseful, classic summer movie. Of course, there were also the dinosaurs. Moving well past the effects of the liquid metal Terminator, we are treated to real, live dinosaurs. My reaction was identical to that of Dr. Grant’s when we first see the long shot of the dinosaurs in the park: “It’s...it’s a dinosaur.” We believe right along with you, Dr. Grant.

Moulin Rouge

Being a fan of musicals (Sound of Music and West Side Story are among my all-time faves) as well as truly enjoying Strictly Ballroom and Romeo and Juliet, I was completely primed for Moulin Rouge. Also, I listened to the soundtrack for about two weeks straight before I even got a chance to see the movie. Interestingly enough, my reaction to the soundtrack would flip-flop upon seeing the movie. Before seeing Moulin Rouge, my favorite tracks were those done by well-known artists, but after seeing the movie, my favorite tracks would be those performed by the stars as those were the tracks tied into the storyline. The “Whoa!” factor on this one gets going from the very opening sequence, when the conductor frantically takes the orchestra through the 20th Century Fox fanfare. The movie then proceeds on a breakneck pace where visuals and music either envelope or alienate the viewer. Those who are drawn into the movie will be treated to a fresh presentation of a classic doomed love story. This love story is made all the more powerful by the fact that the musical aspect amplifies everything. “Come what may, I will love you until my dying day.”

On the mentions list: Heathers, Alien, Seven

Heathers Well, I could conceivably write this movie into all of my columns since I love it movie that much. After a half decade of “Everybody will eventually get along” John Hughes films, it was about time that somebody show the cliques for what they will always be, not to mention black comedy fantasy on how to deal with them.

Alien This movie drops to honorable mention status primarily because of my lack of age. I never saw this film in a theater but it’s still one of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen. Alien is a horror movie disguised as a science fiction movie, with its “Whoa!” factor being the fact that it has one of the modern kick-ass heroines in Ripley.

Seven Seven evoked numerous reactions, including dread, revulsion, and a nagging question about who the hell could do these things. A nasty, full-circle shock ending places the finishing touches on a movie that makes one respond, “Whoa, what the hell did I just watch?”