by Michael Lyons
The musical group Bananrama said it best in 1984: "It's a cruel, cruel summer."
This year, Hollywood, unfortunately, knows that too well. The summer movie season's legacy of adventure-fueled, popcorn-chomping movies held so much promise in May. Then, sadly, many of the most eagerly anticipated films of the summer underperformed. Layered on top of this was a writers' and an actors' strike. Then, everything was saved by a woman named Barbie and a man named Oppenheimer.
The past few months were rough, whether it was "franchise fatigue" or the encroaching world of streaming services, movie theatres weren't what they once were.
But could there be a late summer savior? A movie released in the waning dog days that surprises both audiences and critics? Could be. It's happened before.
As Screen Saver has done the past several summers, what follows below is a look back at some late-summer movie entries that were true seasonal surprises:
Blade (1998)
Twenty-five years ago, an adaptation of a Marvel comic hit theaters not in early May to kick off the summer but instead at the end of August to end summer with some...bite. This tale of the title character, a half-human/half-vampire (played by Wesley Snipes) who turns out to be humanity's protector, turned out to be an action-packed, stylish surprise that spawned two sequels.
The character of Blade has remained such a favorite that a "re-boot," starring Mahershala Ali, is slated for 2025.
Clean and Sober (1988)
One year before he would utter, "I'm Batman," and change the summer movie season forever, Michael Keaton embarked on his first dramatic film, which bowed in August of 1988.
In it, he plays Daryl Poynter, a real estate agent who has found himself way over his head with his drug and alcohol addiction and winds up in a rehabilitation facility. Keaton's performance, worthy of an Oscar nomination he never received, is raw, real, and emotional.
Clean and Sober also featured an outstanding supporting cast, including Kathy Baker, Morgan Freeman, and M. Emmet Walsh, in a completely compelling film that, unfortunately, has faded in many moviegoers' memories through the years. Celebrating its 35th anniversary this summer, Clean and Sober is most definitely worthy of a watch if you've never seen it.
Easy Money (1983)
Forty summers ago, in his first movie since his film debut with Caddyshack, Rodney Dangerfield plays Monty Capuletti, who has to agree to give up drinking and gambling to inherit his mother-in-law's fortune.
Can he do it? That's all the fun and humor in this very funny vehicle, perfect for Dangerfield's iconic, twitchy, "no respect" style.
Piranha (1978)
In the years after Jaws soared to box-office history, filmmakers scrambled to make their own "nature attacks" horror films. Most have faded from memory, except this B-movie from director Joe Dante (his solo debut) about the titular fish gobbling up swimmers in the waters of a summer resort.
Forty-five years later, Piranha is a beloved cult classic, spawning two sequels (including one in 2010 that starred Jaws' own Richard Dreyfuss).
As we look back at these late summer movie surprises from years past, here's a hope that the 2023 season can follow suit, with a movie or two more to rescue the box office, before Labor Day leads us into all the promise of something new...like the fall and holiday movie season.
Hoping everyone is having a wonderful summer!
For more of my articles, podcasts and to learn more about my book, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance, head over to my website, Words From Lyons !
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