By Terry Tang
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
At first glance, inflation is the only thing that seems to have
evolved during the past five years in the world of cinema. With the
budgets of studio films, especially summer and holiday flicks,
rising, even a total domestic gross of $100 million may sound
shabby to industry analysts.
Meanwhile, moviegoers are now being asked to spend as much as
$9.50 for general admission to
theaters.
Despite playing with bigger numbers, Hollywood’s movie
magic has still discovered new ways to enchant audiences. And
though special effects may seem like the only way to a
moviegoer’s heart, Hollywood has also shown a gradual
affinity for quieter and more art-house fare. Still, with motion
pictures like this year’s “Dinosaur,” and
innovative giants like Walt Disney and George Lucas, theaters have
shown real technological advancements in film, giving birth to some
pop culture icons.
It was back in November of 1995 when kids and adults were first
introduced to Woody, a raggedy cowboy doll, and Buzz Lightyear, a
sleek space ranger. In a joint effort with Disney, “Toy
Story” was the first computer-animated full-length feature to
come out of Pixar Animation Studios. While the vivid and smooth
cartoon was mesmerizing to look at, what swept moviegoers more was
the adventurous but heartfelt story of the bond between children
and their toys. Besides being the most profitable film that year,
“Toy Story” spawned an even more successful sequel four
years later.
Meanwhile, on the July 4th weekend of 1996, Will Smith shot to
movie star status almost overnight in a little film about aliens
who wanted to annihilate Earth. Aside from Smith, another star of
the action flick was the alien ship, which looked several miles
wide on theater screens. Earning almost $200 million in less than
three weeks, “Independence Day” impressed viewers with
its realistic-looking scenes of aliens blowing up metropolitan
cities like Washington, D.C., New York and Los Angeles.
Of course, 1997 will go down in history as one of the most
unsinkable years for 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures. The
two studios chipped in to make “Titanic.” With a budget
of about $200 million and director James Cameron (“T2,”
“True Lies”) at the helm, the lost-at-sea tragedy used
a 90 percent scale model of the ocean liner to help tell the story.
With the onscreen romance between Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate
Winslet, the picture not only raked in more than $1 billion world
wide, it also snagged 11 Oscars including Best Picture.
Although he didn’t beat the record of
“Titanic,” George Lucas certainly proved he had the
force. With the release of the first of three “Star
Wars” prequels in May of 1999, Lucas not only revived a movie
franchise, but a way of life for “Star Wars” fanatics
““ some of whom lined up a month before opening day. The
special effects of Industrial Light & Magic produced
unforgettable scenes such as Anakin Skywalker’s pod race. But
perhaps their most interesting contribution to American culture was
Jar Jar Binks. Not many animated characters could foster hate
campaigns.
Aside from all the special effects and animated epics, Hollywood
studios have also been gambling on more unconventional movies that
actually seem like social commentaries. Perhaps executives got a
wake-up call when “Jerry Maguire” was the only
mainstream Hollywood film to get a Best Picture nomination at the
1997 Academy Awards. It was also a surprise when Miramax’s
“Shakespeare In Love” walked away with the Best Picture
of 1998 statuette, making DreamWorks and Steven Spielberg very
unhappy. Since then, there has been an ongoing trend for movie
studios to diversify their plates.
While “Phantom Menace” brought an inundation of hype
and dollars, another cinematic highlight of 1999 turned out to be
“American Beauty.” A darkly comedic look at the
superficiality of suburban America, the DreamWorks film has been
hailed by critics as a cinematic achievement in itself for its
biting script and innovative story. Unlike “Titanic,”
this Best Picture winner also snagged Oscars like Best Actor and
Best Screenplay.
If the past five years has taught Hollywood artisans anything,
it’s the importance of being open. Though some may scoff at
strange or rebellious films that don’t follow a definite
formula and would rather see Will Smith chasing space invaders,
there is room for both. The important thing is that Hollywood keeps
dreaming and creating.