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Late 90s classics turn 20

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With all the hits produced, 1997 was a great year to spend in the movie theaters. The list notable films we know and love includes “Titanic,” “Liar Liar,” “Fools Rush In” and “Con Air,” among plenty of other classics. 

Read on for a throwback to the late 1990s, when the Spice Girls and “Seinfeld” were all the rage.

“Titanic” 
Set in 1996, the late Bill Paxton plays treasure hunter Brock Lovett, who is searching the wreckage of the Titanic for a necklace bearing a rare diamond, the Heart of the Ocean. This leads him to Rose Dawson Calvert, a Titanic survivor, and she launches into her epic tale of love and tragedy aboard the doomed vessel.The audience is then taken back into 1912, when Rose was 17-year-old Rose DeWitt Bukater, played by Kate Winslet. Rose boards the ill-fated ship along with her mother and fiancé, Cal Hockley; Rose is stuck in the engagement due to her family’s financial situation and is gravely unhappy with her life. This leads to her fateful meeting with Jack Dawson, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, who saves her from an attempted suicide by jumping from the ship’s stern. Poor, lower-class Jack is frowned upon by Rose’s upper-class mother and fiancé, and though she initially rejects his advances, Rose comes to realize she cares for Jack and forms a kinship with him, which eventually evolves into love.
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Be prepared to cry as you watch Rose and Jack fall in love, struggle with their differences and ultimately experience the terror, distress and tragedy that everyone aboard the Titanic suffered. You can watch this film by renting it on Amazon.

“Liar Liar”

Liar, liar, pants on fire! In this screwball comedy, Jim Carrey plays Fletcher Reede, a busy lawyer who loves his son Max but has a bad habit of breaking promises and compulsively lying to him. 

When Fletcher breaks a promise to attend Max’s birthday party, a heartbroken Max wishes that, for just one day, his father will be unable to lie.

The wish comes true, much to the horror of Fletcher, who is trying to work his way up on the corporate level and win a very important case for his firm, which requires lying. 

Hilarity ensues as Fletcher tries to win the case, keep his ex-wife and son from moving to Boston and make it through the day with his sanity intact. 

Fletcher suffers the misfortunes of blurting out painful truths to strangers and co-workers and even inadvertently participates in a “roast” involving his superiors, but he ultimately finds that the truth may not be such a bad thing after all.

You can view this film via Netflix DVD or by renting or buying it on Amazon.

“Con Air”

This is one flight you don’t want to be on. 

Nicolas Cage stars as Cameron Poe, a man who was sentenced for murder while defending his wife. Eight years later, Poe is paroled and catches a ride back home on a transport prison aircraft. 

Unfortunately, dangerous criminal Cyrus the Virus, played by John Malkovich, is also aboard. 

Cyrus and his band of fellow baddies cause anarchy and take control of the plane; Poe pretends to cooperate while secretly working against them. 

In this action, Poe winds up working with U.S. Marshal Vince Larkin, played by John Cusack, who aids Poe and makes efforts to end Cyrus’s tyrannical reign of the plane. 

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Poe juggles this, alongside with hiding his real identity as a former soldier and current parolee, while just trying to make it home to his wife and the daughter he has never met.

This movie is perfect for action-adventure lovers or fans of Cage. Whatever the case, “Con Air” will certainly not con you out of your time.

You can watch this film via Netflix DVD or by renting or buying it on Amazon.

“Fools Rush In”

Never was there a more beautiful and entertaining love story between a man and woman of entirely different worlds. 

Alex Whitman, played by Matthew Perry, is an architect from New York sent to Las Vegas, where he meets creative photographer Isabel Fuentes, played by Salma Hayek. 

Alex and Isabel spend one passionate night together and don’t see each other for another three months until Isabel returns with shocking news: She’s pregnant with Alex’s child. 

Soon, these two find themselves married and dealing with the repercussions, from Isabel’s overprotective father and cultural clashes to Alex’s best friend encouraging him to end the marriage while he still can. 

Don’t let these barriers fool you; despite all, love finds a way in this heartwarming romantic comedy. 

You can watch this film with a STARZ subscription or through Netflix DVD.

“Cats Don’t Dance”

Animal lovers, especially cat lovers, will dance to this animated film. 

Danny, voiced by Scott Bakula, is a fun-loving ginger cat from Indiana who decides to head out to Hollywood to make it big in show business. 

He manages to get a part in a film but is disappointed at how small it is and makes efforts to amplify his part for more spotlight. 

He is dismayed to learn that animal actors are given less screen time than human actors and thus advocates to humans the need to come up with better situations for animal actors. 

Follow Danny’s story as he navigates Hollywood, overcomes foes and tries to impress the Jasmine Guy-voiced Sawyer, a disheartened white cat who initially rejects his affections but eventually comes to return them in time. 

You can watch this film with Netflix DVD and rent or buy the film on Amazon.

“Grosse Pointe Blank”

Martin Blank, played by John Cusack, finds himself bored and detached with his work as a professional assassin and reluctantly returns to his hometown after a decade away to attend his high school reunion, as well as carry out a hit while he’s home. 

Soon, he finds old feelings resurfacing after encountering his high school sweetheart, played by Minnie Driver, while simultaneously evading another killer and two NSA agents pursuing him, having been tipped off regarding the contract hit Blank was ordered to undertake. 

The running joke of this film happens to be Blank’s old classmates continually asking him what his profession is, to which he honestly answers, only to find that everyone believes he’s kidding. 

You can stream this film with Netflix or rent or buy it on Amazon.

If you’re going for a themed binge-watching experience, 1997 would be a great year. 

Other notable 1997 films include, but are not limited to, “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “George of the Jungle,” “Men in Black,” “Air Force One,” “As Good as It Gets,” “Dante’s Peak,” “Hercules” and “Good Will Hunting.”


Follow Kacie Lillejord  on Twitter

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