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flyonthewall2983 wrote:Cuba Gooding, Jr. in that movie he did with Anthony Hopkins.

That would be Instinct, which I always used to bring as an example of a movie so unnoticeable and bad that it would never be stocked at most movie rental stores, no matter how obscure the inventory was supposed to be. This was during a conversation I had with a friend when we were discussing a local independent movie rental store that stocked a wide variety of stuff.

I rented it in high school because I had a crush on Maura Tierney. I don't think I made it ten minutes

Well, it was directed by noted auteur Jon Turteltaub and apparently was enough of a success to have studios meet his demands to have his director credit show up on the National Treasure trailers. Obviously because his name is such a big box-office draw.

Also, that says a LOT about the level of your crush on Maura Tierney. That kind of devotion is commendable ... and slightly frightening. Then again, I've watched some pretty mediocre Keri Russell projects all the way through.

Andre Jurieu wrote:That would be Instinct, which I always used to bring as an example of a movie so unnoticeable and bad that it would never be stocked at most movie rental stores, no matter how obscure the inventory was supposed to be. This was during a conversation I had with a friend when we were discussing a local independent movie rental store that stocked a wide variety of stuff.

This made me remember the period of my childhood in the 90's when video rentals were almost exclusively pro wrestling tapes. One store in particular put them in the "Action/Adventure" aisle and I remember seeing what appeared to be pretty bad sub-MST3K titles. And if there was ever a Rocky movie available it was always the sequels and never the original.

Well now I'm embarrassed for loving Instinct as a teen.

Andre Jurieu wrote:Well, it was directed by noted auteur Jon Turteltaub and apparently was enough of a success to have studios meet his demands to have his director credit show up on the National Treasure trailers. Obviously because his name is such a big box-office draw.

For some reason I know he directed Phenomenon and While You Were Sleeping and I saw both in theatres with my grandmother-- maybe that was the target audience for tha Original JT?

knives wrote:Well now I'm embarrassed for loving Instinct as a teen.

Truthfully, I really shouldn't be making any comments on its quality since I haven't bothered to watch it. I just remember the trailer made it seem like it was a really great thing that Gooding Jr. and Hopkins were going to be constantly chewing scenery and both giving over-the-top performances in every one of their scenes together, like it was a one-on-one competition to determine which one of them would win the Oscar that year (though I think the movie was going to be released in January). It was like tha Original JT didn't suggest they restrain themselves in any scene, but instead just directed them to "go for it cause you're both the greatest actors of all time!"

It could actually be an underrated gem for all I know. I just used to use it as an example of a mainstream movie that would be forgotten in a few weeks and wouldn't even have an audience for movie rentals afterwards, like that Hugh Grant/Gene Hackman movie Extreme Measures or that Keanu Reeves/Morgan Freeman movie Chain Reaction. There were a lot of these movies in the late-90s. Kind of like all those throwaway horror movies nowadays.

Andre Jurieu wrote:I just used to use it as an example of a mainstream movie that would be forgotten in a few weeks and wouldn't even have an audience for movie rentals afterwards, like that Hugh Grant/Gene Hackman movie Extreme Measures...

Now that movie is actually excellent.