Summer Series: Nine on ’90s
June 4 – August 27
Were you as obsessed with Love Story as everyone else? Are you back to buying baggie jeans and denim jackets? Do you suddenly want to “go analog” again? If so, you have may ’90s fever—and so does The Lindsay!
Our annual Summer Series returns with nine—that’s right, nine—beloved ’90s classics. We’re breaking out a wide variety of that decade’s most cherished films, from blockbusters such as Jurassic Park and The Mask to steamier fare such as Ghost and Basic Instinct.
The Lindsay is also honoring the late Robert Redford with A River Runs Through It; revisiting the Denzel Washington-Julia Roberts thriller The Pelican Brief; celebrating Jerry Maguire‘s 30th anniversary; and highlighting 35 years of Boyz N the Hood and Thelma & Louise.
These films will all screen twice between Thursday, June 4, and Thursday, Aug. 27.Give in to your ’90s fever and join us for nine summer favorites you already know are all that and a bag of chips!
Jerry Maguire (30th Anniversary)
R | 2h 19min | Drama, Comedy, Romance
Director: Cameron, Crowe
Stars: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger
THURSDAY, JUNE 4, AT 7:30 P.M.; SUNDAY, JUNE 14, AT 1 P.M.
Jerry Maguire stars Tom Cruise as a sports agent experiencing an identity crisis. He leaves a high-powered job to start his own agency with only love-struck accountant Dorothy Boyd (Renée Zellweger) and loyal football star Rod Tidwell—Cuba Gooding Jr., who won an Oscar for this role—by his side.
Cruise exudes “gentleness, warmth and lightheartedness” in this “joyous redemptive romantic comedy,” praises The Washington Post. Director Cameron Crowe’s film is full of “bright, funny, tender encounters between characters who seem so winningly warm and real,” raves The New York Times.
”Jerry Maguire moves unpredictably through its tale of comeuppance and redemption, but it never loses its bearings. Disarming acting, colorful writing and true generosity of spirit keep it right on track. … Cruise does some of his best real acting here.”
A River Runs Through It
PG | 2h 3min | Drama, Coming-Of-Age
Director: Robert Redford
Stars: Brad Pitt, Tom Skerritt, Craig Sheffer
TUESDAY, JUNE 9, AT 7:30 P.M.; SUNDAY, JUNE 21, AT 1 P.M.
A River Runs Through It is late Hollywood legend Robert Redford’s adaptation of author Norman MacLean’s semi-autobiographical novel. It follows brothers Paul and Norman MacLean (Brad Pitt and Craig Sheffer) during their formative years in rural Montana as they develop a life-long passion for fly-fishing.
Redford’s film, which won a Best Cinematography Oscar, “gives a strong physical sense of the majestic mountains and brilliant rivers of Montana,” applauds Variety. This “lyrical, poignant drama” was “beautifully shot and acted,” declares The Hollywood Reporter.
“Sheffer and Pitt are perfectly suited to their respective roles, with the former exhibiting a quiet, controlled intelligence, while Pitt gives off a devil-may-care sparkle. … Tom Skerritt, meanwhile, has one of his richest roles in years as their emotionally cutoff father.”
Ghost
PG-13 | 2h 6min | Drama, Romance, Fantasy
Director: Jerry Zucker
Stars: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg
TUESDAY, JUNE 16, AT 7:30 P.M.; SUNDAY, JUNE 28, AT 1 P.M.
Ghost, a two-time Oscar winner, earned the No. 6 and No. 7 spots, respectively, on IMDB and Variety‘s Greatest Romantic Movies of All Time rankings. Murdered banker Sam (Patrick Swayze) sets out on an afterlife quest to save his girlfriend, Molly (Demi Moore), from suffering a similar fate.
The “funny, mysterious and finally moving” Ghost remains a “dazzlingly enjoyable pop thriller,” proclaims Entertainment Weekly. “This weepie classic retains an innocence and earnestness that makes it as delightfully comforting as ever,” lauds The Guardian.
“Bruce Joel Rubin’s script is a lethally effective tragicomic fantasy. … Jerry Zucker is a genius at spoofing certain genres in the service of deadpan gags; with Ghost, he proved himself a master craftsman, knowing how to tell the story well and play it absolutely straight while also delivering the comedy.”
Jurassic Park
PG-13 | 2h 7min | Adventure, Action, Fantasy
Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum
THURSDAY, JUNE 25, AT 7:30 P.M.; SUNDAY, JULY 5, AT 1 P.M.
Steven Spielberg invented the summer blockbuster with Jaws and redefined the concept with the original Jurassic Park. Paleontologist Alan Grant (Sam Neil), paleobotanist Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and mathematician Ian Malcolm (Pittsburgh native Jeff Goldblum) must survive encounters with real dinosaurs.
“The dinosaurs in Jurassic Park are fabulous” as Spielberg “delivers thrills with all his genius,” commends New York Magazine. This “rip-roaring” adventure and three-time Oscar-winner “will be around until the dinosaurs come back,” writes USA Today.
“Spielberg’s must-see is so wondrous at depicting things that go crunch in the night. .. Utterly convincing, the film has two of the best thrill set pieces ever: a monsoon-set attack by a Tyrannosaurus rex and a galloping-gourmet kitchen stalking of the youngsters by a pair of snarling velociraptors.”
The Pelican Brief
PG-13 | 2h 21min | Thriller, Drama
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Stars: Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Sam Shepard
THURSDAY, JULY 9, AT 7:30 P.M.; SUNDAY, JULY 19, AT 1 P.M.
The Pelican Brief is director Alan J. Pakula’s take on author John Grisham’s 1992 novel. This political thriller stars Julia Roberts as Darby Shaw, a law student who inadvertently discovers a dangerous conspiracy. She receives help untangling this web from reporter Gray Grantham (Denzel Washington).
“This is a solid and intelligent” film with multiple “stand-out nail-biting set pieces,” praises Empire. Roberts and Washington “have a real chemistry” and prove conclusively “the value of star power” at the movies, Roger Ebert wrote in 1993.
“Because the atmosphere is skillfully drawn, because the actors are well cast and because Pakula knows how to construct a sequence to make it work, the movie delivers while it’s onscreen.”
Boyz N the Hood (35th Anniversary)
R | 1h 52min | Drama, Coming-Of-Age
Director: John Singleton
Stars: Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne
SUNDAY, JULY 26, AT 1 P.M.; TUESDAY, AUG. 4, AT 7:30 P.M.
Boyz N the Hood, writer-director John Singleton’s semi-autobiographical drama, stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube and Morris Chestnut as three young Black men living in Los Angeles. They embody the everyday struggles and difficult choices that Singleton witnessed during his own adolescence.
Singleton was nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay Oscars for creating a “remarkably loose, easy feel that mimics the character of lived experience,” applauds Slant Magazine. Thirty-five years later, Boyz N the Hood is still “one of the great films about Black American life,” raves Time Out.
“Employing a loose, episodic structure, Singleton’s script is a masterclass in making complex social and political issues easy to digest and audience-friendly—remarkable for a writer-director who was just 23 when the film was released. … It remains politically astute and fiercely entertaining.”
Basic Instinct
R | 2h 7min | Thriller, Mystery, Romance
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Stars: Sharon Stone, Michael Douglas, Jeanne Tripplehorn
SUNDAY, AUG. 2, AT 1 P.M.; THURSDAY, AUG. 13, AT 7:30 P.M.
Basic Instinct is on just about every list of greatest erotic thrillers ever made. Det. Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) is charged with investigating a brutal murder. The trail leads him to novelist Catherine Tramell (Meadville native Sharon Stone), who beguiles Nick while he is looking into her potential crimes.
“Basic Instinct was a landmark for erotic thrillers, and few have bested it since,” proclaims IndieWire. Stone “revels in her shameless arch-villain top energy, leaving teethmarks all over the furniture,” lauds Rolling Stone.
“Director Paul Verhoeven and writer Joe Eszterhas kicked off a ’90s golden age for the genre with this trashy magnum opus, streamlining all the erotic thriller tropes into a glossy blockbuster.”
The Mask
PG=13 | 1h 41min | Comedy, Fantasy
Director: Chuck Russell
Stars: Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Peter Riegert
SUNDAY, AUG. 9, AT 1 P.M.; THURSDAY, AUG. 20, AT 7:30 P.M.
The Mask highlights stars Jim Carrey at his zaniest—and this time with superpowers to boot. He plays Stanley Ipkiss, a mild-mannered bank clerk who is transformed by an enchanted mask. He gains both an aggressively outgoing personality and the ability to alter reality. What could go wrong?
Plenty of “exuberant fun” is generated by Carrey acting “at the top of his manic range,” commends BBC. “Carrey’s performance in The Mask is another one of his roles that feels tailor-made for him,” compliments Collider.
“His exaggerated expressions, elastic body movements and energetic line deliveries make the character feel like a live-action cartoon. … The film remains a beloved classic, blending humor, romance and dazzling visual effects.”
Thelma & Louise (35th Anniversary)
R | 2h 10min | Drama, Comedy, Crime
Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel
SUNDAY, AUG. 16, AT 1 P.M.; THURSDAY, AUG. 27, AT 7:30 P.M.
Thelma & Louise may be 35, but this tragicomic adventure hasn’t aged a day. The titular duo set off on an innocent road trip that’s complicated when Louise (Susan Sarandon) kills a man who attempted to assault Thelma (Geena Davis). This film’s final scene is still one of the most famous endings in cinema history.
Director Ridley Scott “balanced action, comedy and doomy subtext to create a morally firm yet very entertaining fable,” praises Time Magazine. Thelma & Louise is “a gripping, moving buddy movie set against the promise and perils of the American West,” declares The A.V. Club.
“It remains a stunning reminder that artists with something to say should first entertain. And however often it dips into darkness—up to and including the fade to white that ends the movie—Thelma & Louise remains a subversively buoyant piece of entertainment.”
