Van Helsing
Adventure. Universal. 2004.
D: Stephen Sommers.
P: Stephen Sommers, Bob Ducsay.
“The notorious monster hunter is sent to Transylvania to stop Count Dracula who is using Dr. Frankenstein’s research and a werewolf for some sinister purpose”.
The old Universal monsters meet CGI. Gross and funny in all the wrong, unintended ways.
Significant production contribution: None.
Throw momma from the train
Comedy. Orion. 1987.
D: Danny DeVito.
P: Larry Brezner.
“A bitter ex-husband. A put upon Momma’s boy. Both want their respective spouse and mother dead, but who will pull it off?”.
Funny take on Hitchockian’s thrillers. Plain and dumb, some of it works, but it fails as a whole.
Significant production contribution: None.
The mummy returns
Adventure. Universal. 2001.
D: Stephen Sommers.
P: Sean Daniel, James Jacks.
“The mummified body of Imhotep is shipped to a museum in London, where he once again wakes and begins his campaign of rage and terror”.
It follows the cheap campiness of its predecessor. Its unlikable, stupid humour hurts it deeply.
Significant production contribution: None.
The league of extraordinary gentlemen
Adventure. Fox. 2003.
D: Stephen Norrington.
P: Trevor Albert, Don Murphy.
“In an alternate Victorian Age world, a group of famous contemporary fantasy, SF and adventure characters team up on a secret mission”.
Monumentaly silly. Awful, awful film.
Significant production contribution: None.
The emperor’s new groove
Comedy. Disney. 2000.
D: Mark Dindal.
P: Randy Fullmer
“Emperor Kuzco is turned into a llama by his ex-administrator Yzma, and must now regain his throne with the help of Pacha, the gentle llama herder”.
Uninteresting Disney animation.
Significant production contribution: None.
Tarzan
Adventure. Disney. 1999.
D: Kevin Lima, Chris Buck.
P: Bonnie Arnold
“A man raised by gorillas must decide where he really belongs when he discovers he is a human”.
It’s not precisely a musical or a comedy, but it cacophonically resorts to kiddie jokes, talking animals and pop songs as if it couldn’t escape Disney formula.
Significant production contribution: None.
Stuart Little 2
Adventure. Columbia. 2002.
D: Rob Minkoff.
P: Lucy Fisher, Douglas Wick
“Stuart and Snowbell set out across town to rescue a friend”.
It tries to replicate the charm of the original, but seems too forced. All it has going for it, then, is cuteness and special effects.
Significant production contribution: None.
Spirit: Stallion of the cimarron
Adventure. DreamWorks. 2002.
D: Kelly Asbury, Lorna Cook.
P: Jeffrey Katzenberg, Mireille Soria
“As a wild stallion travels across the frontiers of the Old West, he befriends a young human and finds true love with a mare”.
Flat, mediocre animation feature.
Significant production contribution: None.
Space jam
Adventure. Warner. 1996.
D: Joe Pytka.
P: Daniel Goldberg, Joe Medjuck, Ivan Reitman, Ron Tippe
“Michael Jordan agrees to help the Looney Toons play a basketball game vs. alien slavers to determine their freedom”.
Non-sensical vehicle for basketball superstar Michael Jordan, co-starring with Warner’s stock animation characters. Ludicrous.
Significant production contribution: None.
Soul survivor
Horror. Artisan. 2001.
D: Stephen Carpenter.
P: Neal Mortiz, Stokely Chaffin.
“A co-ed is caught between the world of the living and the dead”.
Uninteresting teen horror sub product.
Significant production contribution: None.
