Movie #133 - I Know What You Did Last Summer

"He's got a hook on them..."

One of those summer thrillers from 1997, this movie was the start of the wave of successful teen and young adult movie actors and actresses.

From this movie you have Jennifer Love Hewitt, who at the time was known for her work on Party of Five, but is know a recognized movie and television actress with her recent success on Ghost Whisperer.

Next you have Sarah Michelle Gellar, who has recently quieted down on leading movie roles and is probably living off her syndication money from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

In terms of long-term acting potential, you have Ryan Phillippe, who has not only appeared in some critically acclaimed films over the past decade, but has shown that he can act in some serious roles, action movies, and even dark comedies. He has showcased the most versatility and could end up being the most recognized member of this film cast.

The one with the least success thus far is probably Freddie Prinze Jr. I believe he was originally in line to become the next Keanu Reeves, but his time might have passed to supplant Reeves in the roles in which solid acting and even facial expressions are not necessary. Prinze Jr. has chosen some poor roles since this movie, especially with a recurring role in the Scooby Doo franchise... yikes!

Other cameos from semi-stars you might recognize are Bridgette Wilson (Mrs. Pete Sampras), Johnny Galecki (known for his roles on Roseanne and the clever comedy The Big Bang Theory), and even Anne Heche, who seems grossly out of place with these younger stars.

In the end, they made a sequel to this film, which they only made because of the success of the original. The cast and popularity of these teenage / young adult actors is what sold this movie... not the plot or storyline. I also discovered that they made another sequel sans Hewitt - probably a straight to video type of thing, but hopefully, with some nudity. Hey, you gotta have a positive somewhere... this is a 14-A horror movie. Back when I was 17, this was a total rip-off.

Movie #127 - Mortal Kombat

"Choose your destiny..."

One of the more popular movies of my youth, at 15 years old, this movie was a must-see. Especially since everyone was either playing this game at the elite level at the arcades or at least had a copy of the game either on Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis.

Unfortunately, similar to all of the video game movie adaptations that you see nowadays, Mortal Kombat was a poor rendition of the very popular game. Although the film itself had some strong special effects for 1995 and was well-cast in terms of martial artists who could act, the storyline and plot behind the game was somewhat silly.

Characters portrayed by Christopher Lambert (Rayden), Robin Shou (Liu Kang), Linden Ashby (Johnny Cage), and Bridgette Wilson (Sonya Blade) were the good guys of the story while Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Shang Tsung) was the leader of the bad guys. The plot behind this film - a battle between good and evil, the final battle to decide who will rule the world.

Beyond the video game plot, I enjoyed the action sequences in this film. The martial arts is top notch, however, this film would've been more enjoyable had the scenes been shot in full speed and not riddled with slow-motion sequences. Shou and Ashby are solid martial artists and this is also enhanced by the stunt work and choreography utilized in the film. Mixed in with a soundtrack that everyone remembers from 1995, and you definitely have a high octane film on your hands.

Lambert is still a creepy dude in this film and every warm-blooded male probably had a thing for Sonya Blade, either on screen or in the video game. Wilson was a perfect casting for Blade as she had the build and look, and was quite a popular female actress during the middle part of the 90's as she is known for her role in Billy Madison and for marrying tennis superstar Pete Sampras.

If watched today, this film is quite silly, even in comparison to some of the recent video game adaptations. Back when I was 15, I probably thought this was one of the best movies of the year, watching it with a bunch of friends in high school and probably sneaking in candy and snacks into the theatre. Back when kids used to go to movie theatres instead of downloading them or buying bootlegs at flea markets, of course.