1997 ... Gone, but not Forgotten An Essay by Dr. Daniel     All right, listen up. As we bid farewell to 1997, it becomes brutally apparent that most folks expect these "best and worst" lists out of everybody. You know, the Top Ten Movies, The Best of Television, The Worst Books of the Year. I mean, dang, they even let Joan Rivers have an hour on E! Television to harp about folks' clothes. I mean, where does it stop anymore?     Well, I, for one, will not sit back and declare for you people the Best Movies of the Year or the Worst Movies of the year. All the other critics have done that, and most of them threw in some documentaries that no one will ever get to see, and their worst lists are all basically the same. I figured what I'd do is just pick out some things over the course of the year and just hang 'em out there. Best Newborn Star. Matt Damon. His fringe-dwelling days are through, after marching into the lead of John Grisham's The Rainmaker and co-writing and starring in a dang fine movie with Good Will Hunting. Unexpected Pleasure. Of all people, Burt Reynolds. His work in Boogie Nights was amazing. No cross-country races, no Jerry Reed, no soprano cackles, just some kick-butt acting and a lot of positive press. Let the nominations commence.... Best Quirks in a Hero. Mel Gibson's Jerry in Conspiracy Theory. One character finally explains every lunatic obsession (Catcher in the Rye, tinfoil on the windows, locks on the fridge, you name it, Jerry did it.) What Hole Did You Pop Out Of? Peter Fonda comes out of exile, and grabs one stinger of a role in Ulee's Gold. It was like watching the spirit of his father on the screen. Pete, why did you hide this talent for so long? Please continue to make movies like this. Don't ever get on a bike or a surfboard again onscreen. Did I Miss Something Here? Ellen and Anne are all over every tabloid. Goofballs picketing everywhere they go. Disney is declared evil by the Southern Baptists for "allowing" Ellen to be open about her sexuality. But Tom Selleck kisses Kevin Kline on the mouth in In and Out, and no one even makes a squeak about it? No one blew up a theatre or boycotted a studio? Nice tightrope you guys walk there. Welcome Home. Julia Roberts finally quits trying to prove a point and comes back to romantic comedy in My Best Friend's Wedding. Jack Nicholson adds yet adds another coat of paint to his legend in As Good As It Gets. Bill Murray quit acting, and returned to reacting, where he's always been funnier, and showed his true colors in The Man Who Knew Too Little. Refreshing the Credits. The opening credits to My Best Friend's Wedding. Watch it again if you don't remember. And, after that, watch the opening credits of Men In Black for a funky little contrast. Both work perfectly, and are a hundred miles apart in theory. Can I Speak to the Moron In Charge? All sorts of film and entertainment magazines tried to brace us for the downfall should the rerelease of the Star Wars trilogy be a big flop. Is there one among you out there that honestly thought that the Star Wars Special Edition movies were going to flop? If so, may I be the first to slap you with a soupbone? The New Pink Panther. If ever there was an out-and-out thief in a movie, (pardon the pun) it was Rupert Everett in My Best Friend's Wedding. He stole every scene he was in, and took what could have been a write-off role and made it a contender for the Oscar®. H-Bomb Mentality, Whoopie Cushion Reality. Anastasia. No more tirades, I promise. Oscar, meet Limburger. 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag Limburger, meet Dead Possum on Hot Asphalt.Gone Fishing Best "Pucker Up and Kiss My ---". After all the whining about the budget, James Cameron's Titanic not only does not stink, but it's one of the more amazing movies of the year. So, When Do I Get My Comic Book? Joel Schumacher did what fifty years worth of super-villains couldn't do. He killed Batman. Tag-on-the-toe, penny-on-the-eye, new-suit-no-shoes dead. He may come back, but he won't ever be the same again. Can't wait to see what you could do to the James Bond series, you ninny. Bad Guys/Good Guys/You Guys Rock. Nobody ruled the screen more than Travolta and Cage in Face/Off. John as Nick was as over the top as snow on Everest. Nick as John was as sharp as a broach on butter. And let's not forget Nick as Nick and John as John. Hey Bill! Hey Al! Hey Newt! Harrison Ford's role as the President Who Kicks Butt in Air Force One should prove once and for all that the wrong actor got to the White House. Space Jam Be Damned!You want a basketball player that inspires children, is a role model, and is not going to get arrested for throwing midgets out windows? Air Bud, the dog that the Celtics need desperately. Nasty Every Minute of It. No film could make one plead for a shower after as much as In The Company Of Men, but, for all its cringing heartlessness, it made for one of the more entertaining nights at the moviehouse. Sort of like watching Jerry Springer for seven hours straight.... Mr. Retro's Wild Ride. If there's ever a call for a secret agent in Carver Point, count on me dialing up Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Mike Myers created a hero, a hipster, a fashion plate, and a sexual revolutionary, and, in his spare time, played one of the funniest diabolical villains ever. This brilliant Bond spoof could spawn a dozen new capers and keep Myers employed for decades. But Was There A Plot? Starship Troopers had effects-a-plenty, tons of bugs and explosions and green and red gore for miles. So why did they steal a 1940's Warner Bros. war movie script to shoehorn them into? Noir Me 'Til I Can't Be Noired No More. Curtis Hanson's L. A. Confidential was absolutely the last word in cool noir. Not since the '50s has a detective movie been so fun to watch a second time. Bare Your Souls, Gentle Friends. Hopefully, in some parallel universe, The Full Monty got a huge Hollywood premiere, a decent ad campaign, a wide release, and huge box office. One of the best films of the year that North America ignored. Last But Not Yeast..... And this here web site, Dr. Daniel's Movie Emergency, survived the year, with energy to spare and on the rise for '98. Brace yourself. Get reel soon, Dr. V. B. "Doc" Daniel