Fun Summer Movies: THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH (1955)

Summer Release Date: 3 June 1955. Starring Marilyn Monroe, Tom Ewell, Evelyn Keyes, Sonny Tufts, Marguerite Chapman, Oskar Homolka, Carolyn Jones.Written by Billy Wilder and George Axelrod. Directed by Billy Wilder.


The Seven Year Itch is my favorite Marilyn Monroe movie. Mind you not my favorite role of hers. That would be Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. But here in The Seven Year Itch, she is just as good, giving the classic Marilyn performance...breathy voice, the bemused facial expressions, the child like mannerisms..all done to perfection. It helps she has such a great co-star in Tom Ewell as the hapless Richard Sherman, a married man who fancies himself the object of desire by every woman he meets. He constantly daydreams about having secret rendezvous with all kinds of women. So when Marilyn, simply known as The Girl, and who lives above him in the same apartment building, meets him, let the fun begin.

Richard and The Girl trying to keep cool

Budgeted at $1.8 million and filmed on location in New York City, The Seven Year Itch proved to be a massive hit, one of Monroe's biggest. It made over $12 million in the United States alone. Filled with iconic moments such as Marilyn in the perfect white summer dress standing over a subway grate with the wind gusting up to blow her dress, much to her and Richard's delight. Directed by ace Billy Wilder, The Seven Year Itch is a perfect fun summer movie. And check out the great quotes..particularly by Marilyn. Notice her fondness of the word "elegant".

A stairway to nowhere! I think that's just elegant.

I think it's wonderful that you're married! I think it's just elegant! 

 I think it's just elegant to have an imagination. I just have no imagination at all. I have lots of other things, but I have no imagination.

When it gets hot like this, you know what I do? I keep my undies in the icebox! 

I wonder......

Notable Facts:


After seeing Walter Matthau's screen-test performance in the part of Richard Sherman, Billy Wilder believed he had found his lead man. However, 20th Century-Fox was unwilling to take the risk on a newcomer. That's when Wilder next turned his sights on the actor who had originated the role on Broadway, Tom Ewell.

Amazingly, Marilyn Monroe's very narrow spike heels don't get stuck or break in the subway grating that she stands on it in the movie's most famous scene, although this was a universal problem, at the time, for the countless women wearing that very popular style heel in New York City in that era. 

 The iconic scene

 The movie premiere was on June 1st, 1955 which happened to be Marilyn's 29th birthday.

 Marilyn's iconic white dress set a record when it was auctioned for $4.6 million in June 2011 (rising to $5.5 million after taxes and fees were included), quintupling the previous record for a movie costume ($923,000 for Audrey Hepburn's "little black dress" from Breakfast at Tiffany's). 

 My love of classic movies is beyond measure

Monty

Fun Summer Movies: THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY (1998)

Release Date: 15 July 1998. Stars Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Ben Stiller, Lee Evans, Chris Elliott, Keith David, Markie Post, Sarah Silverman, Lin Shaye.

The surprise comedy smash during the summer of 1998 was There's Something About Mary, written and directed by The Farrelly Brothers, who had made Dumb and Dumber with Jim Carrey into a smash four years ago. The duo strike back with an even better comedy which shows Cameron Diaz as a true comedienne. She plays Mary Jenson, the gorgeous high schooler who geek challenged Ted Stroehmann (Ben Stiller) chats up one day and gets an invite to prom from her. Well things don't go as planned and Ted has the unfortunate situation of getting his manhood caught in his zipper which produces one of the best gags and most outrageous scenes you will ever see in a comedy.

The infamous scene with Ted getting his you know what caught in his zipper

Flash forward 13 years and Ted still pines for Mary and hires a private detective named Pat Healy (a surprisingly good comedic performance by Matt Dillon) to track her down so he can finally start a relationship with her. Healy finds Mary living down in Miami but falls in love himself and reports back to Ted that Mary now is a grosteque woman with multiple kids living in the slums. And then Healy jolts down to Miami to start romancing Mary.

Matt Dillon as the piece of work detective Pat Healy

Well Ted finds out that Healy lied about Mary and races down to Miami to find his true love. But he not only has to deal with Healy but also deal a guy named Tucker (played by Lee Evans) who also loves Mary too.

Mary, after using some of Ted's special hair gel...

Mistaken identity and all kinds of confusion add to the hilarity to one of the funniest movies ever made. There are some gross out gags which are the Farrelly trademarks but there are also tons of laughs from everybody in the cast. Cameron Diaz gets to shine in her first lead role and you can see why everyone falls in love with her. Stiller is quite good in one of his first big roles. And Dillion shines in a rare comedy role. Also great support from Chris Elliott, Keith David, Lin Shaye, Markie Post and Sarah Silverman. You will have to see Mary several times to catch all the jokes that the Farrelly Brothers throws at you. And you will love every minute of it.

The Mary everyone is in love with..

NOTES:

The film was one of the biggest hits during the summer of 1998, racking up a huge $176 million in North America alone. Making it one of the biggest comedy films ever.

The opening scenes of the film are set in Cumberland, Rhode Island. This is an actual town in Rhode Island where the Farrelly Brothers grew up.


Premiere voted this movie as one of "The 50 Greatest Comedies Of All Time" in 2006.


After this film, Ben Stiller went on to star in several successful comedies such as Meet The Parents, Zoolander, Along Came Polly, Starsky & Hutch, Dodgeball, Night at the Museum and Tropic Thunder.



Fun Summer Movies: FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF (1986)

Release date: 11 June 1986. Stars Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jeffrey Jones,

Jennifer Grey, Cindy Pickett, Kristy Swanson, Ben Stein and Charlie Sheen. Written and directed by  John Hughes.


Thanks to Jackie, one of my facebook friends for mentioning this movie on her wall this morning. Bringing back great memories of this classic film, I decided to make it my next fun summer movies post.

One of my favorite John Hughes movies is Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Matthew Broderick is perfect as Ferris, the most popular and well loved teen-ager in Chicago. Well he decides to take a day off from the mundane world of high school and enlists his buddy Cameron (played by Alan Ruck) who is actually sick with a cold to join him. Of course Ferris has to fake out his loving parents, which he does with a marvelous performance of being sick. But Ferris would later say “my worst performance ever and they bought it”. This does not make his sister Jeanie, none too happy, (played with relish by Jennifer Grey). The whole time, Ferris is outwitting adults and such he is constantly giving us the audience a running commentary, which is both hilarious and insightful. The only thorn in his side is Principal Ed Rooney (played by Jeffrey Jones). They have been enemies since Ferris arrived at his school as a freshman and things have escalated ever since. Skinner is so sure that Ferris is faking an illness so he can skip school that he goes to great lengths to prove it. Also Ferris springs his girlfriend Sloane (fresh faced Mia Sara) from school by posing as her dad and claiming a family emergency.

Jennifer Grey as Jeanie, pissed off as usual

So the trio takes off in Cameron’s dad prized Ferrari to do a little sightseeing around Chicago. They hit a fancy restaurant where Ferris has to pretend to be Abe Froman, sausage king of Chicago, which is funny as hell. They take in an art museum, a baseball game and to top it all off, attend a rocking Octoberfest parade in which Ferris rocks it with a cover of Danke Schoen and The Beatles Twist and Shout. In the meantime Rooney tries to break into Ferris’s home to catch the savvy teen not at home, but runs into complications like the pet dog and Jeanie, who has had an interesting day of her own. She ends up a police station where she meets Charlie Sheen (in a terrific cameo as a juvenile delinquent). Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a great comedy and one of my all time favorites. If I had to guess, I probably have seen it at least 50 times. And it’s been hilarious every single time I’ve watched it.

Jeffrey Jones as Ed RooneyOh and let’s not forget Ben Stein’s memorable performance as a teacher who has that voice which drones on and on…Bueller? Bueller?

Holy crap it's Charlie Sheen...Notes:


Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was one of John Hughes biggest hit films, earning over $70 million during the summer of 1986.

 Kristy Swanson also appears in a hilarious bit as the girl who says her cousin saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors.

 Alan Ruck was 29 years old when cast as teen-ager Cameron Frye.

Anthony Michael Hall turned down the role of Ferris, fearing he would be typecast.

The bus scene at the end of the movie where the Principal is picked up was shot in Long Beach, California at Los Cerritos Park.


During the parade several of the people seen dancing (including the construction worker and the window washer) originally had nothing to do with the film. They were simply dancing to the music being played by John Hughes, found it so humorous that he told the camera operators to record it.


Ranked at #10 on Entertainment Weekly's 50 Best High School Movies (2006) It ranks as #2 in my book, behind Sixteen Candles.

The song "Danke Schoen" is heard four times in the movie; When Ferris sings it in the shower, when Ed Rooney sings it after ringing the Buellers' doorbell, when Ferris lip syncs the Wayne Newton version during the parade, and when Jeanie sings it while walking down the stairs at the police station.


The baseball game that was depicted in the film at Wrigley Field was filmed at an actual Cubs game and took place on June 5, 1985 between the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs ended up losing the game 4-2 in 11 innings.

 This entire movie takes place in one day with no flashbacks and most of the characters wear the same clothes throughout the whole movie

Fun Summer Movies: SINGLE WHITE FEMALE (1992)

Summer Release Date: 14 August 1992. Starring Bridget Fonda, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Steven Weber, Peter Friedman, Stephen Tobolowsky, Frances Bay, Jessica Lundy.  Directed by Barbet Schroeder. Written by Don Roos. Novel by John Lutz.

Not your typical fun summer movie, this thriller though does feature a fun, whacked out performance by Jennifer Jason Leigh. She plays the slightly unhinged Hedy Carlson, a young woman who answers the room-mate add of the young and upcoming professional Allie Jones (played by Bridget Fonda). Set in New York City, the room-mates get along great at first until Hedy starts to think of Allie as her own and doesn't want to share her with anyone else. Including Allie's on again/off again boyfriend (Steven Weber), her lecherous boss (Tobolowsky) and her gay upstairs neighbor (Friedman). As the movie progresses, you can just see Hedy becoming more and more unstable. Leigh is perfect too. She drives this whole film. She gives it the extra jolt whenever the film starts to sag. Her neediness becomes truly terrifying because after the incident with Allie's dog, you begin to realize this girl is crazy as hell. By the time Allie figures out that she has unwittingly invited the room-mate from hell into her life, things have become bloody, and the body count has increased.

I was stationed in Germany when this film came out and I saw it with my fellow buddies. Just us guys, no dates. And we were all surprised how good this movie turned out to be. I think it was the last movie of the summer that we saw and it was a great finish for that year. Back to the performances in this film: Fonda was pretty good too as Allie as was Tobolowsky and Friedman. But the main reason to see this movie is because of Jennifer Jason Leigh. She played the psycho terrifically. Up there with Kathy Bates from Misery, which is strange because these two would team up a few years later for Dolores Claiborne, the Stephen King thriller. I hear there is a remake for Single White Female coming soon but I doubt it will improve on this one and good luck to the actress who inherits Leigh's role. It's going to be a tough act to follow.

Notes:

To prepare for their fight to the finish scenes, both Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh took several self-defense lessons.



The Ansonia on the Upper West Side of Manhattan was used for the apartment building. The interiors were shot on a sound stage but the scenes in the stairwells were shot at The Ansonia.


Bridget had the choice of playing either the Allie role or the Hedy role. She ended up choosing to play Allie, because she said it was a harder role.
 
The film was a surprise sleeper hit, earning about $50 million in North America. It was one of the biggest hits for both actresses. And it was director Schroeder's biggest hit ever. His other films include Reversal of Fortune (1990), Kiss of Death (1995) and Murder By Numbers (2002).

Fun Summer Movies - The Goonies (1985)

Summer Release Date: 7 June 1985. Starring Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman, Keri Green, Martha Plimpton, Jeff Cohen, Jonathan Ke Quan, Anne Ramsey, Robert Davi, Joe Pantoliano, Mary Ellen Trainor, John Matuszak.

Can you believe it's been 25 years since this seminal summer favorite first opened in theaters? Time surely flies. I was 15 when this movie first came out. And all me and buddies knew about it was that Steven Spielberg was the producer, it was featuring Short Round from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and it was about kids with a treasure map, booby traps, pirates, and a crime family led by an old lady. We were standing in line opening day and the movie did not disappoint.

Of course every fan knows the story by hard: a group of kids on a rainy Saturday afternoon find an old treasure map and embark on a treasure hunt. Hoping to find some treasure so they can save all their homes from greedy land developers. Two brothers: Mikey (Sean Astin) and Brand (Josh Brolin) are two exact opposites. Mikey believes in the treasure map and wants to go on an adventure while Brand is more sensible and since he's stuck baby-sitting Mikey, no dice. When Mikey's friends Data (Ke Quan), Chunk (Cohen) and Mouth (Feldman) come over, the group manage to tie up Brand and off they go.

The adventure begins when our group encounters Ma Fratelli (Ramsey) and her two criminal sons, whose restaurant is the starting point of the treasure map. Things quickly get exciting when Brand catches up with our young adventurers. And let's not forget the two girls who end up tagging along: Andi (Keri Green) and Stef (Plimpton). Soon booby traps, pirate ships, last minute escapes, and a deformed brother of the Fratelli's names Sloth, who wears a Superman t shirt and has a hankering for some derring do ala Errol Flynn all add up to a terrific good time.

After viewing The Goonies in theaters during the summer of 1985, it quickly became a favorite of mine on HBO and then actually owning the VHS copy. I still watch my DVD copy from time to time, because it reminds me of a time when movies like this were fun and exciting and pure. No CGI or crazy effects, just good old fashioned movie making.

Notes:

While not a typical Spielberg massive blockbuster, The Goonies was one of the summer's biggest hits with about $65 million in North America. It would go on to become one of the biggest home video sellers by the end of the year.

The story was written by Spielberg and newcomer Chris Columbus, who would later go on and direct Home Alone 1 & 2, Mrs. Doubtfire and two Harry Potter films.

"Shit" or "bullshit"is uttered 19 times, not counting the line "Holy S-H-I-T!"

The pirate ship was entirely real. All the shots were filmed in the ship. After the film, it was offered to anyone who would take it. No one wanted it, so the ship was scrapped.

When the Fratelli brothers argue Anne Ramsey really slaps Robert Davi. She was told to hit him as hard as she could.

Cyndi Lauper co-wrote the theme song "Goonies R Good Enough", and shot a music video that features a cameo by the film's executive producer Steven Spielberg.

The late Corey Haim auditioned for the role of Mouth, but the role was given to Corey Feldman instead. At the time neither Corey knew the other Corey, but they met up again on the set of The Lost Boys (1987) and they became best friends. The duo would go on to star in seven movies together in the late '80s and early ' 90s. In the movie License To Drive (1988), Corey Feldman auditioned for the lead roll of Les Anderson, but that roll was given to Corey Haim.

The Goonies Oath that was cut out goes as follows: "I will never betray my goon dock friends / We will stick together until the whole world ends / Through heaven and hell, and nuclear war / Good pals like us, will stick like tar / In the city, or the country, or the forest, or the boonies / I am proudly declared a fellow Goonie."

Fun Summer Movies - National Lampoon's ANIMAL HOUSE (1978)

Summer Release Date: 28 July 1978 Starring Tim Matheson, John Belushi, Donald Sutherland, John Vernon, Peter Riegert, Mary Louise Weller, Karen Allen, Stephen Furst, Kevin Bacon, Tom Hulce, Mark Metcalf, Martha Smith, James Daughton.

Now I was too young to see this when it first hit theaters during the summer of 1978, but I did catch it on HBO years later and loved it from the opening scene. Set in 1962 at the fictional college university of Faber, Animal House focuses on the notorious wild fraternity Delta. It is during pledge week that we meet two incoming freshmen played by Tom Hulce and Stephen Furst, who first get turned away by a snooty rival fraternity before being accepted by Delta. The roll call of Delta goes like this: Delta President Hoover (James Widdoes); Otter (Tim Matheson); Boone (Peter Riegert); D-Day (Bruce McGill) and Bluto (John Belushi). The freshmen Hulce and Furst are eventually given the call names Pinto and Flounder respectively.

Delta must continually avoid the wrath of Dean Wormer (played by John Vernon) who has been threatening to kick them off campus for years and with the help of fraternity rival leader Greg and his co-horts, he is close to doing just that. The laughs come frequently and are plenty. Matheson is perfectly cast as the charming ladies man Otter, while Riegert make a great wing man for him as Boone. That is when he's not dealing with his on and off again girlfriend Katy (played by the very young and wide eyed Karen Allen of Raiders of the Lost Ark). She is a standout in this otherwise male dominated film. I mean you do have the beguiling Mandy Pepperidge, Otter's ex girlfriend (played by Mary Louise Weller) and her friend Babs (played by Martha Smith). And let's not forget a small role by Verna Bloom who plays Mrs. Dean Wormer, who is seduced by Otter. Belushi is Bluto. Period. His scene in the cafeteria where he is just scarfing down food has to be seen to be believed.

Animal House is a riot from start to finish. Throw in the musical appearance by Otis Day and the Knights, who bust out the energetic Shout at the Delta frat party and then later on with a slow jam at a nightclub. The Deltas trial. The toga party. The parade climax that turns into an out of control melee. All add up to a classic movie. The entire cast appears to be having a grand old time. And Animal House leaves it's mark in the history of funny movies as one of the best ever made.

Notes:

With a budget of only $3 million, Animal House became one of the biggest hits of all time with over $150 million in box office sales.

The movie was set to be filmed at the University of Missouri until the president of the school read the script and refused permission. It was filmed at and around the University of Oregon in Eugene instead.

The bass player in the band Otis Day and the Knights is then-unknown bluesman Robert Cray. Cray was instrumental in getting the musicians together that appeared as the band.
Film debut of Kevin Bacon.

Meat Loaf was the second choice for Bluto in case John Belushi dropped out of his role.

Premiere voted this movie as one of "The 50 Greatest Comedies Of All Time" in 2006.

Karen Allen's first movie.

Harold Ramis (I)', who co-wrote the film, based some of the pranks on his college experiences at Washington University in St. Louis, specifically when Otter and Boone are hitting golf balls at the ROTC.
Even thought the actors are portraying college students, most of them were in their mid to late twenties.
Hulce was 24, Belushi was 28, Matheson and Riegert were both 30, Weller was 31, McGill was 26 as was Allen.

Fun Summer Movies: STAR WARS - A NEW HOPE (1977)

Summer Release Date: 25 May 1977. Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guiness, Peter Cushing, David Prowse, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker, James Earl Jones. Written and Directed by George Lucas.

The summertime blockbuster which, along with Jaws (1975) set the standard for all blockbusters that would follow. I did not see Star Wars upon it's initial release, but thanks to it's popularity I was able to see a few years later when it was released. And it was an awesome movie going experience. I had never seen anything like it before and was totally blown away. George Lucas crafted his best film ever and the entire cast was terrific. Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker was terrific and it was great seeing him progress from rebellious teen to full Jedi knight by the time Return of the Jedi came along 6 years later. Harrison Ford was iconic as Han Solo, kind of stole the movie from Hamill in this one. And just a few years later Ford would create another classic movie character, Indiana Jones. Carrie Fisher was spunky as Princess Leia, and she too would evolve as the series progressed. It was cool seeing screen legend Alec Guiness in a film like this and he was perfect. Also nice seeing horror/sci-fi legend Peter Cushing as well. Rounding out the cast was Mayhew as Chewbacca, Daniels as C3PO and Prowse as the imposing Darth Vader, with that cool deep voice of James Earl Jones supplying the vocals.

Star Wars was a phenomenon that set box office records and made science fiction films cool again. The lines at theaters for this film and all the other films in the Star Wars series were massive. Soon people would be showing up in Jedi robes and Stormtroopers outfits. Star Wars just became an out of this world thing. I know I have seen A New Hope at least 50 times and it never gets old. Actually the second film, The Empire Strikes Back is my favorite of the series, but Hope is the most fun. Escapes, laser shoot-outs, space battles, humor, cool visual effects, great heroes and villians all combine to make this a winning fun summer movie. The original trilogy is way better than the newer sequels because of the fun factor. The new ones, while awesome to look at can't recapture that same magic. A New Hope is the definitive summer extravaganza.

Notes:

Was originally scheduled for a Christmas 1976 release, but was pushed back five months as post-production (especially special effects) took longer than expected. Studio executives were concerned that the new 25th May 1977 release date would put the film's box office chances at risk as Smokey and the Bandit (1977) would come out that same week. However, by the end of its initial theatrical run in the U.S., Star Wars (1977) had grossed over twice as much as Smokey and the Bandit (1977).

The movie opened in May 1977 and by November had dethroned Jaws (1975) as the all-time box-office champ. It then was beaten by E.T. (1982), but was back on top when it was re-released in 1997. It held that position until Titanic (1997).

The first film to make over $300,000,000 million.

The lightsaber sound effect is a combination of the hum of an idling 35mm movie projector and the feedback generated by passing a stripped microphone cable by a television.

Mark Hamill held his breath for so long during the trash compactor scene that he broke a blood vessel in his face. Subsequent shots are from one side only.

Chewbacca's "voice" is a combination of several animals including bears, badgers, walrus and camels.

Stunt doubles were not used for the scene in which Luke and Leia swing to safety. Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill performed that stunt themselves, shooting it in just one take.

Harrison Ford deliberately didn't learn his lines for the intercom conversation in the cell block, so it would sound spontaneous.

Most of the crowd watching the heroes receive their medallions are cardboard cutouts.

Fun Summer Movies: BIG (1988)

Summer Release Date: 3 June 1988. Starring Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia, Mercedes Ruehl, John Heard, David Moscow, Jared Rushton, Jon Lovitz. Directed by Penny Marshall. Written by Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg.

Big was Tom Hanks first major summer hit. He had already scored some spring time hits with Bachelor Party and Splash (both 1984). But Big really put him on the map and it was no looking back after that. And what a wonderful and fun summer movie it is. The premise has 12 year Josh Baskin who wishes to be big at a fairground machine. He actually wanted to be taller but lo and behold the next morning he wakes up as a fully grown man (Hanks) even though he still is a 12 year on the inside. After a funny and tense stand-off with his mom (Ruehl) who chases him out the house with a very large kitchen knife. "What did you do with my son?" she asks. Hanks replies "I am your son, mom" And she promptly chases him through the house. It's a very funny scene and Josh tries to find the machine that he made the wish on but the carnival has already moved on. So Josh grabs his best friend Billy and they make way for New York to find the machine. Along the way Josh gets a job at a toy company (which is a dream job for a 12 year old) thanks to his play on the giant sized piano in the store with the toy company owner MacMillian (played by Robert Loggia), which is one of the most fun scenes in movie history. Josh also has to deal with the romantic advances of his new co-worker Susan (in Elizabeth Perkins best film role to date). Their scenes together are just heavenly. Things wrap up quite nicely and you leave a great feeling after watching this movie. One of Tom Hanks best movies and one fun summer movie.

Notes:

Hanks was the first choice to play Josh Baskin but was unavailable due to scheduling conflicts with the films Dragnet (1987) and Punchline (1988). Robert De Niro was then offered the lead role, and was rejected because his salary demand ($6 million) was too high. Tom Hanks then became available and accepted the lead role for $2 million. David Moscow was originally cast not as young Josh, but as Billy, since he didn't look like Robert De Niro. When Tom Hanks was given the role, David Moscow was recast as young Josh.


One of five body-swap movies all released around the same time. The others were 18 Again! (1988), Vice Versa (1988), Like Father Like Son (1987) and Dream a Little Dream (1989).
Penny Marshall became the first female director to ever direct a movie that grossed more than $100 million at the box office with this movie.
 
The musical version of "Big" opened at the Shubert Theater on April 28, 1996, ran for 193 performances and was nominated for the 1996 Tony Awards for the Best Original Book and Score.
 
According to actor Robert Loggia, on the day they filmed the famous keyboard scene at F.A.O. Schwartz, he and Tom Hanks noticed that doubles dressed like them were on hand just in case the two could not do the dance moves correctly. It became their goal to do the entire keyboard number without the aid of the doubles. They succeeded.


Ranked #10 on the American Film Institute's list of the 10 greatest films in the genre "Fantasy" in June 2008.

Fun Summer Movies: JURASSIC PARK (1993)

Summer Release Date: 11 June 1993. Starring Sam O'Neill, Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, Richard Attenborough, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight, Joseph Mazzello, Ariana Richards, B.D. Wong. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Written by Michael Crichton (based on his book).

The summer movie season got a big jolt of excitement in 1993 when Steven Spielberg delivered one of his biggest films ever. Jurassic Park showcased truly amazing visual effects than no one had seen up to that point. The too real looking dinosaurs left movie goers in utter disbelief. I remember seeing Jurassic Park when it first came out and everyone in the theater was screaming and cheering and having a great time. I won't go into details of the movie's plot because it has been done enough. But I will say that this is one of the best fun summer movies ever. With relentless action, well timed humor, narrow escapes, chases and just pure excitement, nobody does it better than Spielberg. Case in the point, the scene where the power to the park is disabled and the T-Rex gets loose and attacks the kids in the jeep. Spielberg ratches up the tension to an unbelievable pitch and you don't know if the kids are going to make it or not. That scene shows the T-Rex creation in all it's glory and it's a sight to behold.

Other notable scenes include the attack by the velociraptors and the grand appearance of the gentle Brachiosaurus. The entire cast is solid including Sam O'Neill as the paleontologist Alan Grant who becomes the hero because nobody else knows more about dinosaurs than him. Jeff Goldblum supplies most of the humor as theorist Ian Malcolm, who is just aching to tell everyone "I told ya so". Laura Dern is very good too as Ellie Sattler, a colleague of Grant's. And legendary director Richard Attenborough is on hand as the park's creator John Hammond. Also look for brief appearances by Samuel L. Jackson as a lab tech and Wayne Knight (Newman from Seinfeld) as an unscrupulous technician.

Jurassic Park was followed by two more sequels which were ok, but it's this one by far is the best.

Notable facts:

Harrison Ford turned down the lead role.

The first film to use DTS digital surround sound.

The raptors in the kitchen scene was filmed on Joseph Mazzello's birthday. Due to a misunderstanding, Joseph ran into one of the raptors on one of the takes and was injured.

Briefly held the box office record until it was beaten by Titanic four years later. JP is currently ranked 15th on the all time box office chart with $357 million dollars in North America.

Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) dresses entirely in black in both this film and its sequel. In the book, he tells Ellie Sattler that he only ever dresses in black and gray, so that he never has to waste time thinking about what to wear. Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) gives the same reason for his monotonous fashion sense in The Fly (1986).

It was while supervising post-production on this film that George Lucas decided that technology was good enough to begin work on the Star Wars prequels. Appropriately, Samuel L. Jackson was able to appear in those films as well.

Steven Spielberg was in the very early stages of pre-production for the film "ER" (based on a Michael Crichton novel), when he heard about the "Jurassic Park" book. He subsequently dumped what he was doing to make the film. Afterwards, he returned to "ER" and helped develop it into a hit TV series ("ER" (1994)).

Fun Summer Movies: SOAPDISH (1991)

Summer Release Date: 31 May 1991 Starring Sally Field, Kevin Kline, Whoopi Goldberg, Robert Downey Jr., Cathy Moriarty, Teri Hatcher, Elisabeth Shue, Carrie Fisher, Kathy Najimy. Directed by Michael Hoffman. Written by Robert Harling.

Feeling a bit nostalgic I was going through my old VHS movies and came across Soapsdish, the terrifically funny spoof of soap operas. So I decided to expand screwball cinema to include modern films every now and then that come close to resembling screwball comedies of the past. I think Soapdish more than qualifies with it's all star cast and laughs a minute. The story has reigning daytime queen Celeste Talbert (a super performance by Sally Field) who plays Maggie on the popular soap opera The Sun Also Sets. She has been at this for over two decades. And has a loyal fanbase but also has several enemies on the set. Such as Montana Morehead (the wickedly insane Cathy Moriarty) and producer David Barnes (a really young Robert Downey Jr.) who team up to drive Maggie from the show. These two connive and seek out former soap star Jeffrey Anderson (Kevin Kline) who once was on the show before Maggie had him fired. So they bring him back to cause some friction. Also throw in the mix Celeste's niece Lori (Elisabeth Shue) who becomes an overnight star on the show and also finds out about her family dynamics from Celeste. Whoopi Goldberg is on hand as Rose Schwartz (the show's head writer and Celeste's best friend). Soapdish is a really funny movie with so many jokes and farcial situations happening, you can't help but think of it as a screwball comedy. Sally Field has a terrific time playing Celeste as she plays the soap diva going a little bit crazy. Moriarty and Downey Jr make the perfect foils for her as they are constantly trying to drive her mad. Kevin Kline is solid as usual and Goldberg gets to shine in a pivotal role. Also stars Garry Marshall as the president of the network, Teri Hatcher as another actress and Kathy Najimy as an assistant. Plus loads of celebrity and actual soap stars cameos, Soapdish is a real treat. A true laugh fest.

Notes:

While not a box office hit during the summer of 1991, Soapdish went on to gain cult status and is fondly remembered today as a wickedly good comedy with an all-star cast.

After a string of emotional dramas like Steel Magnolias, Not Without My Daughter, and Places in the Heart, it was refreshing to see Sally Field in an all out comedy, recalling her sitcom days on Gidget and The Flying Nun.
Memorable quotes:
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Celeste Talbert: David! David! David, David, David, David, David!
David Barnes: Hey, great scene with Bolt.
Celeste Talbert: I realize I'm not a young woman; however...
David Barnes: What do you mean, you're not...
Celeste Talbert: ...could you PLEASE point out to our new costume designer
[grabs her]
Celeste Talbert: whose name I don't quite have yet...
Tawny Miller: Tawny Miller, Miss Talbert.
Celeste Talbert: How do you do.
[to David]
Celeste Talbert: - that I don't feel quite right in a turban. What I feel like is GLORIA FREAKING SWANSON! What am I, 70, David? Am I 70? Why don't you just put me in a walker? Buy a goddamn walker and put me in it!
David Barnes: [to Tawny] You're fired.
Tawny Miller: Oh God.
David Barnes: I'm just kidding.
[into PA system]
David Barnes: Attention: no turbans for Miss Talbert!
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Rose Schwartz: The guy was killed in an auto accident! I looked it up! He was driving in the Yukon, in a pink convertible, to visit his brother who's an ex-con named Frances, when a tractor trailer comes along and decapitates him. You know what that mean, it means he doesn't have a head. How am I suppose to write for a guy who doesn't have a head? He's got no lips, no vocal cords. What do you want me to do?