Most of the movies I’ve seen from 1987 are not what I would call decent. It was feast or famine. I loved several. I hated many. The Academy’s nominees for best picture…

The Last Emperor: Bertolucci’s beautiful portrait of China’s last emperor. Beautiful is, of course, code for boring. Anytime someone says a movie is beautiful, chances are it’s a long, glacially paced affair. In this case, they took an interesting story and decided to make it…beautiful. Shocker, this would take home the prize.

Broadcast News: Great characters, witty dialogue, a love triangle that ends on the melancholy side…I love every single second of it. Smart, not smug, mainstream, but not cloying or cute.

Fatal Attraction: The movie everyone was talking about. A genuine crowd pleaser that served as a template for many thrillers to come. Adrian Lyne’s second cry for help. Dude has issues with women. Big time. Issues.

Hope and Glory: One of two WWII Oscar-bait movies that year, both featuring children in the lead role. The other was Spielberg’s “Empire of the Sun,” starring the already-intense Christian Bale.

Moonstruck: Norman Jewison’s comedy that forever altered any trailer advertising a movie starring Cher.

What should have been nominated? If I may be so bold: (more…)

The movie business is not generally kind to women when they pass the age of 40, and Julia Roberts (now 41) is learning that lesson the hard way. The former Pretty Woman has returned to the big screen this weekend in Tony Gilroy’s Duplicity (Universal), and one prominent blogger wrote this headline:

Duplicity soft: Julia’s Comeback? Audiences Say Go Back

Julia Roberts and Clive Owen star in the fun, smart DUPLICITY, from writer/director Tony Gilroy

Roberts’ last starring role was in 2003’s Mona Lisa Smile ($63.8M domestic), and since then she has become a full-time Mom. Overall, she has 8 movies on her resume that have reached $100M in the US with her as a lead (I’m not including the Ocean’s Eleven franchise). Her most successful string of movies started in 1997 with My Best Friend’s Wedding ($127.1M cume) and ended with her Oscar winning performance in Erin Brockovich ($125.6M cume). During that span, she starred in 6 movies, generating an average of $115M in domestic box office.

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