The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992) or, The Nanny Terror!

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A harmonious family picture is menacingly cut in half with Rebecca De Mornay's blond-haired, wicked face staring out on this effective poster for Curtis Hanson's The Hand That Rocks the Cradle

A harmonious young couple with a daughter and a second on the way have recently been through a case in which the mother/wife was one sexual misconduct accuser against a gynecologist who consequently took his own life. Now the couple hire a beautiful, blond nanny...

 

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is written by Amanda Silver (Eye for an Eye (1996)) and directed by Nevadan master filmmaker Curtis Hanson (Sweet Kill (1972)), whose 7th feature it is.

SPOILER The nanny turns out to be the late gynecologist's embittered, psychotic widow! The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is somewhat predictable but still a wildly effective, thrilling film with three great actress performances: Annabella Sciorra (The Maid's Room (2013)) as the unlucky wife/mother; Julianne Moore (Next (2007)) as her close friend and a real power woman; and Rebecca De Mornay (The Right Temptation (2000)) as the ice-cold nanny maniac.

Robert Elswit (Cadillac Dreams (1988, short)) gives solidity to the photography, - and the entire construction that is The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is in fact solid. It is a highly satisfying nail-biter erected around the transgressive idea of the callous, mad nanny.

 

Watch a short trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 11.9 mil. $

Box office: 140 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 11.76 times its cost)

[The Hand That Rocks the Cradle was released 10 January (USA) and runs 110 minutes. Shooting took place from April - July 1991 in Washington, including in Seattle. The film opened #1 to a 7.6 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it remained #1 for another 3 weekends and then spent another 3 weekends (#2-#4-#5) in the top 5, grossing 88 mil. $ (62.9 % of the total gross). Hanson returned with The River Wild (1994). Sciorra returned in Whispers in the Dark (1992); De Mornay in Blind Side (1993, TV movie) and theatrically in Guilty As Sin (1993). The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is fresh at 65 % with a 6.30/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle?

Next (2007) - Weak script sinks Tamahori's Dick adaptation

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Hot and cold meet in terms of colors on this star-pushing poster for Lee Tamahori's Next

A Las Vegas magician can see 2 minutes into his future, as he gets involved in a shooting incident. In its wake he is wanted in order to help retrieve a stolen weapon, and he also falls in love.

 

Next is written by Gary Goldman (Big Trouble in Little China (1986)), Jonathan Hensleigh (Armageddon (1998)) and Paul Bernbaum (Hollywoodland (2006)), loosely adapting the 1954 short story The Golden Man by Philip K. Dick (The Man Who Japed (1956)), and directed by great New-Zealander filmmaker Lee Tamahori (Once Were Warriors (1994)).

It is regrettably a very bad Dick adaptation. The script is the main culprit: If you ask questions about the plot (as one usually does), almost nothing holds up in Next.

Jessica Biel (The A-Team (2010)) and Nicolas Cage (Astro Boy (2009)) barely make the cut performance-wise, but nothing much happens to their characters in terms of development. Hollow action and CGI doesn't salvage this miscarriage.

 

Related post:

 

Lee Tamahori: Die Another Day (2002) - Tamahori makes a thrilling, grand piece of Bond escapism

 

 

Watch a 2-minute clip from the movie here

 

Cost: 78.1 mil. $

Box office: 77.6 mil. $

= Huge flop (returned 0.99 times its cost)

[Next was released 25 April (France, Belgium) and runs 96 minutes. Shooting took place from April 2006 - ? in Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada and California, including Los Angeles. The film opened #3, behind holdover hit Disturbia and fellow new release The Invisible, to a 7.1 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent one more weekend in the top 5 (#5) and grossed 18.2 mil. $ (23.5 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Spain with 7.1 mil. $ (9.2 %) and the UK with 4.9 mil. $ (6.3 %). Tamahori returned with The Devil's Double (2011). Cage returned in National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007); Biel in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007); and Julianne Moore (Gloria Bell (2018)) in Savage Grace (2007). Next is rotten at 28 % with a 4.60/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Next?

Film Excess 8th birthday movie masterpiece: The Hours (2002) - Everything gels in Daldry's phenomenal adaptation

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+ 2nd Best Movie of the Year

 

Three of the world's leading actresses of their day in a wealth of striking, muted pastel colors on a poster for Stephen Daldry's The Hours

In 1923 outside London, author Virginia Woolf has begun writing her book Mrs. Dalloway and walks into a river. In 1950s Los Angeles a housewife attempts to escape her life. And in 2001 in New York a woman just wants to throw a fabulous party for her friend, who is sick with AIDS.

 

The Hours is written by David Hare (Via Dolorosa (2000)), based on the same-titled 1998 novel by Michael Cunningham (Flesh and Blood (1995)), and directed by English master filmmaker Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliott (2000)), whose 2nd feature it is.

Cunningham's complex and unusual novel is an awe-inspiring task to adapt and it is something of a miracle that Daldry here translates it to the big screen with such strength and elegance. It feels superfluous to give praise to individuals in a case such as The Hours, in which everything simply seems to be perfect.

The Hours is laden with the pain of life and beautiful in all aspects.

 

Related posts:

Stephen Daldry: 2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) or, The Boy Who Lost His Father 

2008 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

2008 in films - according to Film Excess 
The Reader (2008) or, Guilt, Words and Love  

2002 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 25 mil. $

Box office: 108.8 mil. $

= Big hit (returned 4.35 times its cost)

[The Hours premiered 15 December (New York) and runs 114 minutes. Shooting took place from January - June 2001 in Florida, New York and England, including London. Kidman was paid 7.5 mil. $ for her performance. The film opened #31 to a 338k $ first weekend in 11 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #9 and in 1,010 theaters (different weeks), grossing 41.6 mil. $ (38.2 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Spain with 6.8 mil. $ (6.3 %) and the UK with 6.7 mil. $ (6.2 %). The film was nominated for 9 Oscars, winning for Best Actress (Nicole Kidman (Flirting (1991))). It lost Best Picture to Chicago, Supporting Actor (Ed Harris (The Way Back (2010))) to Chris Cooper in Adaptation., Supporting Actress (Julianne Moore (6 Souls (2010))) to Catherine Zeta-Jones in Chicago, Director to Roman Polanski for The Pianist, Adapted Screenplay to Ronald Harwood for The Pianist, Costume Design to Chicago, Editing to Chicago and Score (Philip Glass (The Eden Myth (1999))) to Elliot Goldenthal for Frida. It also won 2/11 BAFTA nominations, an AFI award, an award at the Berlin International Film Festival, was nominated for a César award, nominated for a David di Donatello award, won 2/7 Golden Globe nominations, was nominated for a Grammy, won 2 National Board of Review awards and several more honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch under this one. Daldry returned with Elton John: Electricity (2005, music video) and Fussballfieber (2006, segment) prior to his theatrical return with The Reader (2008). Kidman returned in Dogville (2003); Moore in Marie and Bruce (2004); and Meryl Streep (It's Complicated (2009)) in an uncredited cameo, 2 TV credits and a short prior to her theatrical return in The Manchurian Candidate (2004). The Hours is certified fresh at 79 % with a 7.50/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of The Hours?  

Game Change (2012, TV movie) - Moore and Co. shimmer in Roach's dynamite political retelling

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Julianne Moore sparkles as Sarah Palin on this near-symmetrical poster for Jay Roach's Game Change

2008: Republican veteran John McCain is gaining in on his opponents and becomes the GOP candidate for the presidential election. But to have a better shot against the crowd-pleasing novelty of Democratic nominee Barack Obama, he  needs a game-changer for his vice presidential running mate. Attention befalls Alaska's female governor...

Game Change is written by Danny Strong (Recount (2008, TV movie)), based on the same-titled 2010 book by journalists Mark Halperin (The Way to Win: Taking the White House in 2008 (2006)) and John Heilemann (Pride Before the Fall: The Trials of Bill Gates and the End of the Microsoft Era (2001)), and directed by great New Mexican filmmaker Jay Roach (Zoo Radio (1990)).

It is a terrific, darn exciting TV movie for every one with an interest in America, politics and/or just great acting performances in an intense drama about family and power. Julianne Moore (Gloria Bell (2018)) is fantastic as Alaskan governor Sarah Palin: We may not get under her skin, but we get to know her a lot better, for good and bad, in Game Change. Her getting trapped inside a campaign that had not vetted her sufficiently prior to selecting her, (if they had, they wouldn't have chosen her), which ends up changing her life, is an at times heartbreaking tale.

Ed Harris (Radio (2003)) as McCain, as well as Woody Harrelson (2012 (2009)), Sarah Paulson (The Spirit (2008)) and Peter MacNicol (Recess: School's Out (2001)) are also outstanding. The film is extremely well-made. An excellent time.

 

Related posts:

Jay Roach: Bombshell (2019) - Toxic US culture laid bare in Roach's great drama 
Trumbo (2015) - Good actors and a thrilling true story make this biopic work 
Dinner for Schmucks/Dinner with Schmucks (2010) - Carell carries Roach's flawed but utterly hilarious comedy  

2000 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Meet the Parents (2000) - Roach, Stiller, De Niro and Co. make comedy gold 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: Unknown

Box office: Unknown - mainly a TV movie

= Uncertain

[Game Change premiered 28 February (Chicago) and runs 118 minutes. Strong and Roach had also considered a film about the Democratic primary race, where Obama beat Hillary Clinton, but left that, reportedly due to the length and complexity of that story. Strong said that he interviewed 25 people related to the McCain/Palin campaign to write the script, aside from reading the book and Palin's book Going Rogue (2009). Shooting took place in New Mexico, Delaware and Baltimore, Maryland around April 2011. The film opened to 2.1 mil. in ratings in North America, HBO's highest rating for a TV movie since Something the Lord Made (2004). It won 3/5 Golden Globe nominations, 5/12 Primetime Emmy nominations, an AFI award and many other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Real-life McCain and Palin took offense with the film but also both refused to watch it; Steven Schmidt, the McCain/Palin campaign strategist, Harrelson's character, on the other hand watched Game Change and called it "the truth of the campaign." Roach returned with The Campaign (2012). Moore returned in Being Flynn (2012); Harris in Sweetwater (2013); and Harrelson in The Hunger Games (2012). Game Change is fresh at 67 % with a 7.10/10 critical average at Rotten Tomateos.]

What do you think of Game Change?

Maps to the Stars (2014) - Cronenberg fries Hollywood to a crisp

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Stylized, shadowy and ominous, star faces make up this smouldering poster for David Cronenberg's Maps to the Stars

 

A young woman lands in Los Angeles and befriends a driver. She becomes a personal assistant for a female star, who is hunting a role that her abusive mother once played, while the girl's local new family fears for her.

 

Maps to the Stars is written by Bruce Wagner (Young Lust (1984)) and directed by great Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg (Crimes of the Future (1970)).

Cronenberg's best film since Eastern Promises (2007), the film is an icy cold portrait of Hollywood, which comes across as an incestuous temple of falsity, cynicism, a vacuum of values, of shameless egocentricity, vanity and abuse. To call the film satirical or a comedy even is misleading, because it doesn't bring about laughter. But it is compelling, not least for us who are fascinated by Tinseltown.

A formidable cast helps it along: Julianne Moore (Marie & Bruce (2004)) is fearless and gives the film its integrity; Olivia Williams (Now Is Good (2012)) and John Cusack (Cell (2016)) are strong as awful parents; Mia Wasikowska (Tracks (2013)) is intriguing and flawless as their returned daughter; and Evan Bird (The Killing (2011-12)) is striking and chilling as their morally ruined 13 year-old celebrity son.

It is impossible to watch Maps to the Stars without wondering if this is how the stars behave between appearances? SPOILER The story culminates extremely, - Moore is beaten to death with a statue; Williams self-immolates, - and amorally; two youths commit suicide together while reciting poetry. The very dark Maps to the Stars is a well-made drama regardless.

 

Related posts:

David Cronenberg: Top 10: Best Hollywood-set movies

Cosmopolis (2012) - Cronenberg/DeLillo/Pattinson's speculative limo lullaby
A Dangerous Method (2011) - Cronenberg's rather disappointing waltz with the fathers of modern psychology 

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 
2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 
2007 in films - according to Film Excess Eastern Promises (2007) - Cronenberg invites us to meet the Russian mob in London

2005 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 
A History of Violence (2005) or, Who Is Tom Stall? 
Spider (2002) - Cronenberg takes us to the tormented (and slightly dull) mind of a schizophrenic 
Existenz/eXistenZ (1999) - Cronenberg's 1990s-flavored VR nonsense
Dead Ringers (1988) or, Brothers and Their Instruments 

The Fly (1986) - Cronenberg's gory, entertaining treatise on sickness, decomposition - and transformation 
The Dead Zone (1983) - Eerie sci-fi/horror King-adaptation
The Brood (1979) or, Marital Fury and Craze!   

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 13 mil. $

Box office: 4.5 mil. $

= Mega-flop (returned 0.34 times its cost)

[Maps to the Stars premiered 19 May (Cannes Film Festival, in competition) and runs 112 minutes. Wagner wrote the novel Dead Stars (2012) based on his script, while the film was stuck in development for 6 years. Viggo Mortensen and Rachel Weisz were initially meant to act in it. Shooting took place from July - August 2013 in California, including Los Angeles, and in Ontario. It was Cronenberg's first time shooting in the US. The film opened #32 to a 143k $ first weekend in 66 theaters in North America, where it never widened and only grossed 350k $ (7.8 % of the total gross). The film's 3 biggest markets were France with 1.6 mil. $ (35.6 %), the UK with 599k $ (13.3 %) and Italy with 508k $ (11.3 %). The film was nominated for a Golden Globe and won 2 prizes in Cannes, among other honors. Cronenberg returned with Consumed (2014, short), a video to advertise his debut novel of the same title, but has otherwise retired from films upon finding financing them having become too difficult. Moore returned in Still Alice (2014); Wasikowska in Madame Bovary (2014); and Cusack in Drive Hard (2014). Maps to the Stars is fresh at 61 % with a 6.37/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Maps to the Stars?

Far from Heaven (2002) - Supreme production and Moore define Haynes' inspired period melodrama

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+ 3rd Best Movie of the Year 

+ Best Connecticut Movie of the Year + Best Melodrama of the Year + Best Period Movie of the Year + Best Screen Couple of the Year: Julianne Moore & Dennis Haysbert

Julianne Moore in neat 1950s attire makes up the majority of this simple poster for Todd Haynes' Far from Heaven

The Whitakers are viewed as societal pillars in their plush suburban community of Hartford, Connecticut in the 1950s, - but that image of them is about to crack: There are troubles in paradise.

Far from Heaven is written and directed by Californian master filmmaker Todd Haynes (Carol (2015)) as his 4th feature. Featuring both homosexual and racial themes of suppression, racism and bigotry, Far from Heaven is also a celebration of - and an entry in - the melodrama genre, which rides ahead here in sumptuously beautiful images, (cinematography by Edward Lachman (Life during Wartime (2009)).)
The costumes and sets are also top notch, adding to the intense satisfaction of watching the film. It has superb performances from Dennis Quaid (The Alamo (2004)), Dennis Haysbert (Mr. Baseball (1992)) and particularly Julianne Moore (Bel Canto (2018)), who is also divinely beautiful as the really good housewife protagonist.
Elmer Bernstein's (Frankie Starlight (1995)) score is a truly great one, a booming and piercing work of brilliance. SPOILER Far from Heaven doesn't go the last mile with a kiss at the railway station between the miserable, wronged wife and her secret love the colored gardener (Haysbert), which is a shame. Nevertheless this film is a precious treasure that can be seen again and again.

Related posts:

Todd Haynes:  2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
Top 10: Best 'box office success' movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Carol (2015) - Haynes' romance adaptation is a triumph
Mildred Pierce (2011, miniseries) - Haynes' spin on the Cain classic is a luxury   
I'm Not There (2007) - Haynes' experimental Bob Dylan biopic is half-good, half-bad

2002 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]  

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 13.5 mil. $
Box office: 29 mil. $
= Flop (returned 2.14 times its cost)
[Far from Heaven premiered 2 September (Venice Film Festival, Italy) and runs 107 minutes. Haynes was inspired by the 1950s melodramas of Douglas Sirk as well as Rainer Werner Fassbinder's melodrama masterpiece Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974) in determining the film's style and narrative. Shooting took place in New Jersey in and around October 2001. The film opened #30 to a 211k $ first weekend in 6 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #11 and in 286 theaters, grossing 15.9 mil. $ (54.8 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Italy with 2.6 mil. $ (9 %) and the UK with 2 mil. $ (6.9 %). The film was nominated for 4 Oscars, winning none: It lost Best Actress to Nicole Kidman in The Hours, Original Screenplay to Pedro Almodóvar for Talk to Her, Cinematography to Conrad L. Hall for Road to Perdition and Score to Elliot Goldenthal for Frida. It was also nominated for 4 Golden Globes, a European Film award, won 5/5 nominations for Independent Spirit awards, 2 National Board of Review awards, 4 awards in Venice and several other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, translating to a notch higher than this one. Haynes returned with music video Sonic Youth: Disappearer (2004) and theatrically with I'm Not There (2007). Moore returned in masterpiece The Hours (2002), Haysbert in 8 short, video, video game, TV and animated projects before he returned physically in a feature in Jarhead (2005), Quaid in Cold Creek Manor (2003). Far from Heaven is certified fresh at 88 % with an 8.11/1o critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Far from Heaven?

Evolution (2001) - Reitman's sci-fi crazy-comedy is thoroughly entertaining

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The game stars are aligned for a visit from space, on this poster for Ivan Reitman's Evolution

 

A meteor lands in Arizona, and freaky aliens start evolving with alarming speed, while a few scientists fight with the military over who is to be in charge and what is to be done.

Evolution, written by David Weissman (The Family Man (2000)), Don Jakoby (Arachnophobia (1990)) and David Diamond (Old Dogs (2009)) and directed by Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters (1984)), is a sometimes funny and wacky special effects-driven sci-fi comedy.

David Duchovny (Playing God (1997)) and Julianne Moore (The English Teacher (2013)) are a pretty nice match as the scientific protagonists who (of course) become romantically entangled during the whole ballyhoo. Seann William Scott (Role Models (2008)) is gung-ho as a wannabe firefighter, and the relatively unknown Orlando Jones (Woo (1998)) as the fourth part of the ragtag team also does well. Dan Aykroyd (The Blues Brothers (1980)) as the governor is the crowning piece of the ensemble that also features several well-known actors and comedians in smaller parts. The characters are to some extent cliched: Jones' black scientist seems oblivious to basic laws of science and only interested in women; Ted Levine's general character is a stiff, unsympathetic macho a-hole; and the two obese students are good-humored imbeciles. But the film retains a strange, light-hearted charm, even if it did seem a bit better at its release than it does today.

The effects, most of which are CGI, are surprisingly successful; the creatures are inventive and only add to the fun. Evolution is a very wacky spectacle, - exactly what you'd expect from Reitman, and also what Hollywood does so well from time to time. It is very silly and quite entertaining.

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 80 mil. $

Box office: 98.3 mil. $

= Big flop

[Evolution was released June 8 and runs 101 minutes. Reitman reportedly rewrote most of the script, which had hitherto been a serious sci-fi piece. Shooting took place from October 2000 - February 2001 in Arizona and California, including in Universal Studios and at California State University. Head and Shoulders shampoo plays a part in the film, - but its inclusion is not an act of commercial product placement; instead it is meant to mock the phenomenon, which is very common in especially big-budget features. The film opened #4, behind Swordfish, Shrek and Pearl Harbor, to a 13.4 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it fell from the top 5 in its second week and only grossed a weak 38.3 mil. $ (39 % of the total gross). Its 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 10.7 mil. $ (10.9 %) and Germany with 7 mil. $ (7.1 %). Evolution is rotten at 42 % with a 4.9 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Evolution?