The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Ever since childhood, I've held an appreciation for horror as a genre.  I was therefore keen to see "The Blair Witch Project" when it came out.  While not the first faux doc horror film, it was ground-breaking for its time.

Movie poster for "The Blair Witch Project" (1999)

Back in grade school, I read and re-read my copies of Alfred Hitchcock's "Haunted Houseful" and "Ghostly Gallery" anthologies as well as The Tomb of Dracula magazines.  I vividly remember seeing "The Omen" when it aired on TV.

In university, I came across the writings of HP Lovecraft (having first glimpsed the Cthulhu mythos in the D&D hardcover "Deities and Demigods" cyclopedia) and participated in a "Call of Cthulhu" RPG campaign (a memorable experience).

A few years later, my friend Vince and I systematically watched all of the most notable horror films of the 1960s and 70s, like "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Exorcist" (including its sequels).  The latter was particularly disturbing.

I saw "The Blair Witch Project" with my future wife, while we were living in Montreal.  I remember that we felt so dazed afterwards, we went for dinner at "Blue Nile" an Ethiopian restaurant, in an effort to shake the mood.

We watched the movie again with our two teenaged daughters, this past summer (one of whom loves to watch "scary" movies).  It really didn't have the same impact, watching it at home in our living room, but was still creepy.

The Mask of Zorro (1998)

I was never a big fan of Zorro (unlike my cousin, Louie, who coincidentally grew up in the same small town as Zorro's creator, Johnston McCulley) but have always been enamoured of Spanish California, with its Mediterranean climate.

Movie poster for "The Mask of Zorro" (1998)

Like so many other memorable characters, Zorro first appeared in the pulps, debuting in the story "The Curse of Capistrano", serialized in All-Story Weekly in five instalments from August 9 to September 6, 1919.

I remember picking up "Dracula vs. Zorro" back in 1993, as my comic collecting days were winding down.  The title was published by the short-lived Topps Comics, and illustrated by Thomas Yeates (one of my all-time favourite artists).

That's why I was excited to see "The Mask of Zorro" during a trip to San Francisco to visit friends from high school (although Zorro's stomping grounds were historically further south, in the Pueblo of Los Angeles).

One thing I really liked about the movie was that it was framed as a homage to the character, telling the tale of an aged Zorro and his new protege.  This was also the film that introduced many of us to Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Years later, I picked up Isabelle Allende's "Zorro" in advance of another trip to California.  It's a great novel, and serves as a sort of prequel to "The Curse of Capistrano" while drawing upon elements from "The Mask of Zorro".

Titanic (1997)

I was living in Montreal when James Cameron's "Titanic" came out, although saw the movie with my family when I came home for Christmas.  (The "draw me like one of your French girls" scene was a little awkward).

Movie poster for "Titanic" (1997)

I first learned of the sinking of the Titanic in a book that my mother got for us when we were young, "Strange Stories, Amazing Facts" (1975), which included "The Fiction That Came True: Strange case of the two Titanics".

The next time was in the pages of the first "Choose Your Own Adventure" book, "The Cave of Time" (1979), in which it's possible to be transported on board, just before the iceberg is struck (you choose whether to stay or leave).

I remember when the wreckage of the Titanic was discovered, in 1985.  We saw the IMAX documentary film "Titanica" several years later, at Ontario Place (which was re-released the same year that "Titanic" came out).

Something people nowadays probably don't recall is that most critics absolutely panned "Titanic" after its opening weekend (check the newspapers), which only reinforced to me how wrong film critics can be.

This was my fourth "favorite movie of the year" (the third in a row) that went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture (it's only happened a couple more times).  Were my tastes becoming more mainstream, or was the industry targeting my demographic?

The English Patient (1996)

I read "The English Patient" by Michael Ondaatje on the recommendation of a friend, a year or two before the movie was released.  It's a remarkable novel, set during a period of history that I find myself drawn to.

Movie poster for "The English Patient" (1996)

From the haunting vocals of the Hungarian folk song "Szerelem, Szerelem", to the gorgeous cinematography in Italy and Tunisia, to the plot with multiple flashbacks, the film is a rare example of a book adaptation done right.

I was a little disappointed that Hana's hometown was changed from Toronto to Montreal (the Danforth is even mentioned in Ondaatje's book), although suspect it was due to the casting of actress Juliette Binoche.

The movie was produced by Saul Zaentz, whom I'd previously associated mainly with Ralph Bakshi's "The Lord of the Rings" (1978), and was his third film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

I remember how disappointed Ralph Fiennes looked when he didn't win the Academy Award for Best Actor, although really he was my least favorite part of the film (even if it's rumored that he once visited my mother's village in Greece).

"The English Patient" is another movie that I haven't seen again, since seeing it in theatre, although I would like to.  However, I think it deserves to be seen on the big screen, and so will keep a lookout for the opportunity.