A Look at The Biggest Box Office Stories from 1972-present (THABOS: The History of Amazing Box Office Stories) | IT'S FINALLY COMPLETE!!!!!!!

[baumer]

Hope you enjoy the latest.

[Jonwo]

I do like Hook although it's one of Spielberg's weaker films. It's amazing how popular Prince of Thieves was even though Terminator 2 stole the limelight. 

Edited July 5, 2017 by Jonwo

[baumer]

3 hours ago, Jonwo said:

I do like Hook although it's one of Spielberg's weaker films. It's amazing how popular Prince of Thieves was even though Terminator 2 stole the limelight. 

 

RHPOT is one of the most rewatchable films in history, imo.  It's a perfect escapist film highlighted by Rickman's ridiculously iconic performance.

[Jonwo]

Just now, baumer said:

 

RHPOT is one of the most rewatchable films in history, imo.  It's a perfect escapist film highlighted by Rickman's ridiculously iconic performance.

 

Even Kevin Costner's accent or lack of it doesn't ruin it. 

[vc2002]

38 minutes ago, baumer said:

1991

 

In 1984, a young Canadian film maker shot a film for 6 million dollars called The Terminator.  It was such a huge success that even before that film had hit theaters, he was asked (by the future producer of Terminator 2) to write the screenplay for Stallone's follow up to First Blood, called Rambo First Blood Part II

 

 

 

And Cameron got a Razzie Award for that screenplay.  

 

[baumer]

3 hours ago, Jonwo said:

 

Even Kevin Costner's accent or lack of it doesn't ruin it. 

 

Agreed.  And that's a sign of a good movie....when you can look past the flaws and enjoy it for what it is.

[baumer]

3 hours ago, vc2002 said:

 

And Cameron got a Razzie Award for that screenplay.  

 

 

Who cares lol.  Rambo FB II was one of the top grossing films of 1985 and it transcended film.  It got into the American vernacular.  Even the president was quoting Rambo.  The Razzies never or rarely nominate the true shittiest films of the year, they have to go for the big ones, or else no one would care.  

[Chaz]

Man, 1991 was a beast for my childhood. I was five years old that summer, and T2 was the pop culture beast that no one could escape, even at 5. I had the Captain Hook action figure that made Hook bigger when you pulled his legs (teehee).

 

I also had some action figures from Robin Hood. Man, studios really did license out EVERYTHING in the '90s.

 

Beauty and the Beast was the first movie to ever receive a standing ovation at the New York Film Festival. It is about as perfect a movie as there is.

[Chaz]

JFK is a load of hogwash but man, is it ever entertaining. 

[baumer]

3 hours ago, Chaz said:

JFK is a load of hogwash but man, is it ever entertaining. 

 

Oh but it's not.  It's a hell of a lot more accurate that what the Warren report gave us.

 

But I'm not going to going to do the conspiracy thing here.

[vc2002]

30 minutes ago, baumer said:

 

Who cares lol.  Rambo FB II was one of the top grossing films of 1985 and it transcended film.  It got into the American vernacular.  Even the president was quoting Rambo.  The Razzies never or rarely nominate the true shittiest films of the year, they have to go for the big ones, or else no one would care.  

 

Rambo 2 is one of the most influential films of its time. Kickstarted this lone wolf one man army genre (along with Commando). Too bad this genre didnt last long.

[baumer]

3 hours ago, vc2002 said:

 

Rambo 2 is one of the most influential films of its time. Kickstarted this lone wolf one man army genre (along with Commando). Too bad this genre didnt last long.

 

Yea, good point.  

 

Lone Wolf was his code name in the movie too.

[Plain Old Tele]

T2 is without question one of my favorite movies of all time. And it's funny that 1991 was also responsible for two of my first crushing disappointments: ROBIN HOOD and HOOK.

 

ROBIN HOOD was the first time I can remember walking away from a theater and feeling bummed and annoyed at what I had seen. Part of this was no doubt my high expectations -- RH had a great trailer highlighting all the big stars and the movie seemed like it'd be a thrilling and fun adventure... and it felt sour and forced for the most part. (Rickman is a giant ham and of course he's always fun to watch, though he was basically in a different movie than everyone else).

 

And HOOK fell victim to similar expectations: it had a sensational teaser and had a huge, star-filled cast (and of course, Spielberg himself as the director). I remember watching the movie for the first time and feeling bewildered at the first 40 minutes or so. What was this shit I was watching? Then -- of all things -- the power went out in the theater and we all got our tickets comped. And I was legit wavering: did I actually want to sit through those first 40 minutes again? A few days later, I decided that I did, and although the movie picked up a bit when it got to Neverland, in almost every situation it felt like Spielberg and Co were making the wrong decision. Everything felt forced, artificial, hammy, staged, "contemporized" to be cool and hip. It was awful.

 

But in that summer of '91, RH was a distant memory and HOOK hasn't yet disappointed. I spent the summer basically just finding people to drag to see T2. I saw it 17 times (or was it 19?) in theaters -- still my personal record. I just didn't feel like watching anything else. Finally I ended up seeing DEAD AGAIN in August, and boy, that was a sensational way to break up the steak. (If you haven't seen it, find a way!)

 

And lastly, in the holidays, STAR TREK VI was a real pleasure. Nicholas Meyer returned to give the series a bit of dignity and a great send-off,

and he succeeded: the final moments of the movie, blending fandom and fiction, are sweet and sincere and arguably one of my favorite "conclusions" to a saga. ("Conclusions" in quotes because of course a couple of characters got dragged back later to bridge the gap to the TNG movies).

[baumer]

3 hours ago, Telemachos said:

T2 is without question one of my favorite movies of all time. And it's funny that 1991 was also responsible for two of my first crushing disappointments: ROBIN HOOD and HOOK.

 

ROBIN HOOD was the first time I can remember walking away from a theater and feeling bummed and annoyed at what I had seen. Part of this was no doubt my high expectations -- RH had a great trailer highlighting all the big stars and the movie seemed like it'd be a thrilling and fun adventure... and it felt sour and forced for the most part. (Rickman is a giant ham and of course he's always fun to watch, though he was basically in a different movie than everyone else).

 

And HOOK fell victim to similar expectations: it had a sensational teaser and had a huge, star-filled cast (and of course, Spielberg himself as the director). I remember watching the movie for the first time and feeling bewildered at the first 40 minutes or so. What was this shit I was watching? Then -- of all things -- the power went out in the theater and we all got our tickets comped. And I was legit wavering: did I actually want to sit through those first 40 minutes again? A few days later, I decided that I did, and although the movie picked up a bit when it got to Neverland, in almost every situation it felt like Spielberg and Co were making the wrong decision. Everything felt forced, artificial, hammy, staged, "contemporized" to be cool and hip. It was awful.

 

But in that summer of '91, RH was a distant memory and HOOK hasn't yet disappointed. I spent the summer basically just finding people to drag to see T2. I saw it 17 times (or was it 19?) in theaters -- still my personal record. I just didn't feel like watching anything else. Finally I ended up seeing DEAD AGAIN in August, and boy, that was a sensational way to break up the steak. (If you haven't seen it, find a way!)

 

And lastly, in the holidays, STAR TREK VI was a real pleasure. Nicholas Meyer returned to give the series a bit of dignity and a great send-off,

and he succeeded: the final moments of the movie, blending fandom and fiction, are sweet and sincere and arguably one of my favorite "conclusions" to a saga. ("Conclusions" in quotes because of course a couple of characters got dragged back later to bridge the gap to the TNG movies).

 

I know we have disagreed on RH a few times but you nailed the Hook stuff.  I felt the same way you did.  None of it resonated and it felt like a movie, a bad movie, and not an experience....like most Spielberg films are.  

 

17 Times?!!!  Amazing!  My record is 13 for Last Crusade.  I'm glad that you liked it so much though. 

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts....really insightful stuff.

 

And yes Dead Again ("another" Robin William film) is just all kinds of awesome.

[baumer]

I think I might start adding this to the thread, going forward.

 

Here are my personal top ten films from 1991:

 

1) JFK

2) Terminator 2

3) City Slickers

4) Cape Fear

5) Robin Hood POT

6) Boyz N The Hood

7) Dead Again

8) The Prince of Tides

9) Fried Green Tomatoes

10) Oscar

[vc2002]

Man I can't imagine sitting through one movie 17 times within just 2 or 3-month period, no matter how good that movie is. But on second thought, if I were a big teenager movie fan and I just watched a mind-blowing movie like a christian seeing jesus, I'd probably also go "Fuck it I'm gonna watch the shit out of it".

[Plain Old Tele]

5 minutes ago, vc2002 said:

Man I can't imagine sitting through one movie 17 times within just 2 or 3-month period, no matter how good that movie is. But on second thought, if I were a big teenager movie fan and I just watched a mind-blowing movie like a christian seeing jesus, I'd probably also go "Fuck it I'm gonna watch the shit out of it".

 

It was sort of a perfect storm for me. It was a movie I'd been really waiting for, that delivered total audience and critical acclaim, and I also had my driver's license and my own car for the first time, without nothing much else to do that summer. And while there were plenty of times I watched it on my own, most of the repeat viewings were with someone who hadn't seen it -- that was part of the fun.

[Eric the Fall Guy]

Beauty and the Beast also had some significance within animation history. While Little Mermaid did become the first worldwide animated blockbuster, BatB became the first domestic animated blockbuster. Jeffrey Katzenberg, head of Disney Feature Animation at the time, believed Little Mermaid would break the $100M mark domestically and become an animated landmark. Mermaid, unfortunately, didn't hit that number, but it wasn't until two years later that Beast managed to do it, largely thanks to festival buzz and awards attention, as well as just being a fantastic film in its own right. Much like the other films in the Disney Renaissance, Beauty and the Beast was able to homage the animated classics of the past while also successfully modernizing the film for today's audiences (well, 1991's audiences, but you get the point). And of course, it soon became one of Disney's biggest franchises with massive home video and soundtrack sales, heavy theme park presence, two successful re-releases, a long-running Broadway musical and of course its recent live-action remake.

 

I liked it quite a bit as a kid, and much like Disney's other films it has aged like wine, getting better and better as time goes on, and is still one of my all-time favorites, both in animation and film in general.

[Chaz]

The Prince of Tides! One of my favorite movies of the '90s. Streisand is the greatest of all-time. 

[Brainbug]

Lists like these always show me how many movies there are that i didnt saw yet. Cape Fear, JFK and Dead again are on my watchlist for 2 or 3 years. Regarding Robin Hood, that was actually a movie i saw a lot when i was a child, it just always came on TV and i found Rickmanns performance incredibly entertaining (altough i dont remember a lot besides him about the movie which says something i guess )

 

Cant wait for the next entry @baumer