Summer Blockbusted 2020: Now Playing…July 3 (FILM FUN/VIDEO)

Jeff Huston
Summer Blockbuster 2020: July 3 – SPIDER-MAN 2 (2004), THE FIRM (1993), A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (1992), THE PERFECT STORM (2000), MEN IN BLACK (1997), BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985), TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (1991), INDEPENDENCE DAY (1996), APOLLO 13 (1995), DO THE RIGHT THING (1989), AIRPLANE! (1980)

It’s the big 4thof July holiday! A weekend of patriotism, fireworks, and classic summer movies.

Welcome to Week 10 of Summer Blockbusted 2020.

Through the end of August, I am curating a weekly slate of movies from summers past, ranging from big blockbusters to small counter-programming indies, and dramas and comedies in-between. With the multiplexes still closed, these are classics you can enjoy again or discover for the first time in the safety of your home theater.

Every single Friday. All summer long.

(To read more about how each week’s slate is determined, click here.)

This week: films that were released over the July 4thholiday weekend. My REC OF THE WEEK is an all-time classic celebrating its 35 Anniversary.

When possible, I’ve included archived video reviews from Siskel & Ebert, whether I agree with them or not.

Also included when possible: links to streaming services where these movies can be seen. (If a link isn’t provided, you can rent the film on most VOD platforms.)

(Find links to other weeks from Summer Blockbusted 2020 at the end of this article.)

NOW PLAYING…JULY 3, 2020

  • REC OF THE WEEK: Back to the Future (July 3, 1985) 116 min; Rated PG (35th Anniversary)
    Streaming on Showtime Apps through July 12

    • There are a lot of great, classic choices for the 4thof July weekend, but this year Back to the Futuredeserves two hours of your time (even if for the umpteenth time) because it’s celebrating its 35th Anniversary.
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      One of the best screenplays ever written, it ingeniously and organically sets up everything in 1985’s Act I before paying them all off in endlessly clever ways in 1955’s Act II, then bringing it home with big thrills and deep emotion in Act III as Doc tries to get Marty back to 1985. There’s heart and soul to this special story, too, and you can read my reflection on that here.
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      It’s easy to take for granted a movie like this that has become so iconic and engrained in our pop culture. To see it again with truly fresh eyes, watch Gene Siskel absolutely gush about Back to the Future below in the 1985 TV review, when the world was first discovering it. (Final numbers: $210.6 million domestic; $381 million worldwide..)
  • Will Smith Double-Feature: Independence Day and Men In Black
    • Independence Day (July 3, 1996) 145 min; Rated PG-13
    • Men In Black (July 2, 1997) 98 min; Rated PG-13
    • For a certain generation (i.e. late-Xer to early Millennial), Independence Day is the Ultimate Summer Movie. And even with that reputation and sentiment, I’d wager that ID4 may be better than you remember it. In its time, it was certainly the closest thing to Star Wars scope that anyone had seen, but where it truly excels is in being the perfect Disaster Movie.
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      A dead genre, the producer/director team of Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich single-handedly resurrected the Disaster Movie with ID4 while turning Will Smith into a bona fide movie star along with it. It’s in the perfect execution of the genre’s tropes – from a huge ensemble being perfectly cast from top to bottom, to Emmerich being able to balance that huge cast throughout the ambitious plot structure (something that’s way harder to do than it likely seems), the nuts and bolts of this Summer Movie Machine run like clockwork. As a major bonus, the VFX spectacle absolutely delivers.
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      But if spectacle was enough then Emmerich and Devlin would’ve followed with one blockbuster success after another. They’ve had hits but nothing close to ID4, which proves how hard it is to do. But they did it with Independence Day, and its one that, nearly 25 years later, not only still satisfies but legitimately impresses.
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      And Men In Black? Well, it isbetter than you remember it, even if your memories are all good. Along with Back to the Future and Die Hard, it’s a perfectly-conceived high-concept screenplay that’s brilliantly written in the dialogue and details, but even that would languish without the perfectly-cast Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, polar opposites who are allowed to be quintessentially themselves. The chemistry of these opposites is exactly what you want in a “buddy cop” formula.
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      Then, as the movie unfolds, these fun archetypes deepen with some genuinely rich character layers – for Jones’ K especially – which results in a movie that’s truly special. If you haven’t seen it in awhile but don’t have a strong desire to watch it again, take a gamble and do it. Men In Black is so good that, even with it’s solid reputation, it may actually surprise you.
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    • Independence Day (Final numbers: $306.2 million domestic; $817.4 million worldwide.)
    • Men In Black (Final numbers: $250.7 million domestic; $589.4 million worldwide.)
    • The Siskel & Ebert review for Independence Day isn’t on YouTube, but SiskelEbert.org has the full episode with the review. It’s the first review of the episode. https://siskelebert.org/?p=1235.
    • The YouTube link for Independence Day is Siskel & Ebert discussing the film’s then-record breaking opening weekend debut.
  • Terminator 2: Judgment Day (July 3, 1991) 137 min; Rated R
    Streaming on Showtime Apps

    • One of those quintessential Summer Movie experiences, Terminator 2: Judgment Day is as smart of an action movie as it was pioneering. Director James Cameron expanded the successful premise of his low-budget original to included perfecting the groundbreaking work of digital effects he began in The Abyss, marked by the “liquid metal” effect of the T-1000.
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      The mega-success of T2 took both Cameron and star Arnold Schwarzenegger to a whole other level in their already successful careers; the film showed the full potential of what the genre could be and do and, in effect, did the same for Arnold as an commercial actor and Cameron as a blockbuster director.
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      It was also the ultimate showcase for Linda Hamilton, who turned Sarah Connor into the toughest female action hero this side of Alien’s Ripley (whose best version was in the sequel Aliens, also written and directed by Cameron).
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      The Terminator was back for multiple sequels but, try as they might, none could come close to Judgment Day. The bar was simply set too high, and it’s still at that level today. (Final numbers: $204.8 million domestic; $517 million worldwide.)
  • The Perfect Storm (June 30, 2000) 130 min; Rated PG-13
    • People came for “The Wave,” but what they got was so much more.
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      Based on Sebastian Jungar‘s 1997 journo-novel of the real-life story from 1991, The Perfect Storm is about the crew of The Andrea Gail, a commercial fishing vessel that got caught smack in the middle of a once-in-a-century meteorological event. Director Wolfgang Peterson’s dramatization of it isn’t simply a riveting record of what happened (though it certainly is that in spades), it’s a stirring tribute to the blue-collar workers of the sea that we all take for granted. It’s that tribute to the people – not just the fisherman, but the families and people who love them – that makes The Perfect Storm so special. James Horner’s music score elevates this spirit with nautically-hued fanfare. For a guy whose credits include Titanic and Braveheart, Horner’s work here is among his career best.
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      In one sense, the script follows familiar beats such as wives and mothers struggling with worry, but it’s so keenly observed to that specific culture and place that it transcends formula to become something credible and resonate. The cast, too, is completely invested heart-and-soul. For material that so easily could’ve succumbed to being overwrought melodrama, this ensemble makes it pierce our hearts with poignant, tear-jerking veracity. Discuss heartfelt, emotional performances and James Horner nautically-hued fanfare.)
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      The Perfect Storm remains one of the biggest blockbuster surprises of the Summer Movie era. In 2000, George Clooney was still seen as a TV heartthrob that couldn’t make it as a movie star, and Mark Wahlberg was still on the early ascent of his movie career arc. Mel Gibson‘s The Patriot was expected to win big over the 4th of July holiday weekend of 2000 (he was still a huge A-lister at the time, and the timing of the release couldn’t have been more fitting), with The Perfect Storm sailing to a distant second.
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      Well, just the opposite happened. The Patriot was submerged in the wake of The Perfect Storm as the latter opened to a strong #1, going on to be the one of the breakout hits of that year. Audiences were likely sold on the power of that “huge wave” image that was featured in the trailer. This sort of “money shot” is what helped create huge anticipation for Independence Dayin 1996; when people saw aliens blowing up the White House, they were sold. Same effect here with The Giant Wave.
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      A stalwart action director of the 1990s (In the Line of Fire, Air Force One), Wolfgang Peterson delivered the best, most impressive, and most emotionally powerful film of his career, one that still gives me chills and chokes me up to this day every time I see it. (Final numbers: $182.6 million domestic; $328.7 million worldwide.)
  • Apollo 13 (June 30, 1995) 140 min; Rated PG
    • Celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year, Apollo 13 is perfect patriotic viewing for the July 4th holiday (even if you also have the Hamiltonoption on Disney+; just watch both!). You can read my reflections on directorRon Howard’s best film here in my essay “Apollo 13 at 25”, and how much it surprisingly resonates in the midst of our COVID-19 pandemic. (Final numbers: $172 million domestic; $353.1 million worldwide.)
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  • Do The Right Thing (June 30, 1989) 120 min; Rated R
    • Given the summer we’ve had, revisiting Do The Right Thing not only seems like a no-brainer, but a must. Three decades after it was made, it’s still eerily relevant to right now. If you doubt that, watch this.Here is the incendiary yet necessary truth about Do The Right Thing: it’s an explosive Rorschach that will make you think and feel racist thoughts. I don’t care who you are or how woke you’ve become. It will.The fact that you will doesn’t mean you’re racist. It means that Lee’s art is honest and authentic. As such, it provokes and requires an internal confrontation with ourselves.
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      To read more of my thoughts on Do The Right Thing, read my reflections about it here from 2019 when the film celebrated it’s 30th Anniversary. (Final numbers: $27.5 million domestic; $37.3 million worldwide.)
    • The Siskel & Ebert review for Do The Right Thing isn’t on YouTube, but SiskelEbert.org has the Best of 1989 episode where both pick it as the best film of the year. Their discussion begins at 14:24 in the episode. https://siskelebert.org/?p=5232
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  • A League of Their Own (July 1, 1992) 128 min; Rated PG
    • What looks to be little more than a feel-good chick flick on the surface ends up being a very cleverly-conceived fiction inspired by a real-life professional Women’s Baseball league that ran during and after World War II.
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      The movie — starring Geena Davis and a cast of early-90s female all-stars, plus Tom Hanks (whose career was so in the tank at that time that director Penny Marshall hired her Big star in part as a favor against studio wishes) playing a gruff washed-up manager looking for redemption — starts a bit on the corny side but, soon enough, not only finds its strike zone but really starts throwing emotional heat.
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      Yes, there’s plenty of laughs, too, but while there may be no crying in baseball but there’s plenty of earned tears from this sentimental nostalgia trip about women who earned their place in baseball history. Indeed, the finale left me in an absolute puddle and deeply inspired. (Final numbers: $107.5 million domestic; $132.4 million worldwide.)
  • The Firm (June 30, 1993) 154 min; Rated R
    Streaming on Netflix

    • I’ll stop short of calling this a masterpiece, despite the temptation, but The Firm is basically flawless, often subtle and elegant in its genre mastery. To the extent that other films feel dated, this one surprisingly doesn’t (aside from the fact that this white-knuckle legal thriller would have to play very differently in our cell phone age).
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      Oscar-winning director Sydney Pollack gives this a touch of class and sophistication, particularly with the piano-only score from Dave Grusin that goes from light to melancholy to intense (it’s been in my playlist rotation ever since the film opened). It’s the story of a young lawyer whose life is threatened when he learns that his Memphis Law firm is illegally corrupt, even guilty of murder.
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      Tom Cruise is at his best here, showcasing legit acting chops, range, and depth while dispensing of his signature swagger. He leads a stellar cast that includes Gene Hackman, Holly Hunter (Oscar-nominated), Ed Harris, David Strathairn, Hal Holbrook, Wilford Brimley, Gary Busey, and Jeanne Tripplehorn in a strong, complicated female co-lead that should’ve vaulted her to a much higher career profile than she ever enjoyed (FYI, she’s the best thing about HBO’s Big Love).
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      The Firm also happens to be the best adaptation of a John Grisham novel, a nail-biting high wire act of legal, moral, and lethal complications, with an ending that’s completely different than the book yet significantly better.
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      Smooth, smart, and absolutely riveting, not to mention a deeply compelling story about a marriage in crisis, The Firm transcends its genre and the tropes that go with it to be deceptively great and thoroughly entertaining.(Final numbers: $158.3 million domestic; $270.2 million worldwide.)
  • Airplane! (July 2, 1980) 88 min; Rated PG (40th Anniversary)
    (Due to crude sexual humor, this would be PG-13 today)
    Streaming on Netflix

    • There was nothing like Airplane!forty years ago when it first hit movie theaters over the summer holiday weekend and, in a sense, there’s really been nothing like it since. It’s humor is broad and goofy punnery, yet it’s done with an unexpectedly straight and super-dry wit.
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      Sure, after Airplane! became such a huge hit, the filmmaking team of Abrahams, Zucker & Zucker made a career off of this brand of comedy with films like The Naked Gunseries and others, but the fact remains that their brand is so singular that no one has ever really tried to duplicate it. To do so would either be to fail miserably or, at best, succeed at obvious theft.
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      Yes, genre parody had been done before (Mel Brooks was doing it for a decade by the time Airplane! came long), but not like this. It’s just so odd yet so brilliant, delivering the kind of laughs and jokes that one simply never thinks of yet is amazingly accessible rather than niche. Abrahams, Zucker & Zucker are a trio of mad geniuses, and their work still delivers belly laughs to this day. (Final numbers: $83.5 million domestic and worldwide.)
  • Spider-Man 2 (June 30, 2004) 127 min; Rated PG-13
    • For many, the second Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movie not only remains the best big screen Spidey adventure but even the best superhero ever made; Roger Ebert sure thought so back in 2004 (you can hear him gush over it on two separate occasions in the videos below). But for me, Spider-Man 2 does not hold up.
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      I have to say this opinion came to me as a surprise when I rewatched it a couple of years ago, especially as it ended up being much worse than I could’ve anticipated based on my memory of it (and the general consensus of it as an all-timer for comic book movies). As a genre standard-bearer, director Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 is conventional, extremely formulaic, and downright corny. Some bits work (like the subway train set piece) but beyond that it’s pretty embarrassing, to be honest.
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      About the only thing I can say in its favor (and the studio’s) is that some scenes with Alfred Molina’s villain Doc Ock are surprisingly dark and violent. They’re done in the spirit of some of Raimi’s early indie-horror schlock fare (Evil Dead and whatnot), but even there those daring scenes simply end up making the film feel that much more like a disjointed mess. (Final numbers: $373.6 million domestic; $789 million worldwide.)
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    • There are two separate looks at the film by Roger Ebert who, at the time, felt it was the best superhero movie he had ever seen.

If you’d like to suggest summer movie titles for future weeks, you can email your requests to: icantunseethatmovie@gmail.com

Other weeks from Summer Blockbusted 2020:

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