Jack Frost (1998)

 

Jack Frost - 1998

Coming up next is 1998's "Jack Frost", a film that sees a man return from the dead as a snowman to help his son through his loss and subsequent depression.

The film's cast includes Michael Keaton, Kelly Preston, Joseph Cross, Mark Addy, Andrew Lawrence, Taylor Handley, Mika Boorem, and Pat Crawford Brown.

In the town of Medford, Colorado, Charlie Frost heads home after a pretty successful day.  He's just defeated the school bully, Rory Buck, in a snowball fight.

At home, Charlie is thrilled to see his musician dad, Jack, who has just returned home from a concert.  The two build a snowman before bed.

Jack gives Charlie one of his harmonicas as a gift.  Jack tells his son that whenever he plays it, he will hear it.  That gift comes to have special meaning for Charlie.  A couple of days later, Jack is killed in a car accident on a snowy road.

One year later, Charlie is struggling with his emotions.  Still grieving, Charlie has withdrawn from his friends and is now dealing with depression.

Neither his father's best friend, Mac, nor his mother, Gabby, can help him, though each try and make sure that Charlie is alright.

One night, watched by his dog Chester, Charlie builds a snowman just like he and Jack built.  He uses the same scarf and Jack's hat to provide the finishing touches.

Before going to bed that night, Charlie blows on the harmonica that Jack gave him the year before.  After blowing on it, Charlie goes to sleep.

However, the harmonica awakens some sort of magic which causes Jack's spirit to come into the snowman outside.  Jack is shocked at being back home, and he's even more shocked when he realizes he's a snowman.  Chester takes no notice and uses him as a fire hydrant.

Initially, Charlie is skeptical of Jack's newfound form.  He threatens to melt him with a hair dryer, but eventually Charlie comes to accept Jack as a snowman.

They spend a lot of bonding time together.  Jack even helps Charlie in a snowball fight against school bully Rory Buck.  As he's hurling snowballs, Jack exclaims, "Three balls, two sticks, one corked nose.  Snowman?  No.  Much, much more.  I am the Wizard of Blizzard!"

When Charlie starts carting Jack around town, his sanity is questioned by his mother and his school friends.

Warmer weather eventually causes Jack to begin to melt.  Charlie needs to get him somewhere cold.  So, after enlisting the help of former archrival Rory, Charlie gets Jack onto a truck bound for the mountains.  "A snow dad is better than no dad," says Rory.

After getting to a cabin that they used to go to as a family, Jack calls Gabby and tells her where Charlie is.  Gabby is shocked to hear Jack's voice and hurries to get to the cabin.

When Charlie's had a good rest, Jack tells him that it's time to let him go.  Father and son hug it out and Charlie prepares to say goodbye.

When Gabby arrives, she sees the living snowman and apologizes to Charlie for not believing him.  Then she turns to Jack.

By this time, Jack has turned from a snowman back into a vision of his former self.  They say their final goodbyes before Jack disappears.  As a flurry of snow drifts over the mountains, Jack's voice tells them, "I will always hear you."

Cast rundown:

   Michael Keaton...............................Jack Frost

   Kelly Preston..................................Gabby Frost

   Joseph Cross..................................Charlie Frost

   Mark Addy......................................Mac MacArthur

   Andrew Lawrence............................Tuck Gronic

   Taylor Handley................................Rory Buck

   Mika Boorem..................................Natalie

   Pat Crawford Brown.........................Scorekeeper

And that's all for Jack Frost.  Originally, George Clooney was supposed to play Jack Frost.  The snowman puppeteers had designed the snowman puppet to Clooney's exact specifications and had to start all over again when he left the project.  Jake Lloyd was originally considered for the role of Charlie, and Renee Zellweger was considered for the role of Gabby.

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Mighty Joe Young (1998)

Mighty Joe Young - 1998

Next we feature 1998's "Mighty Joe Young", which stars Charlize Theron and Bill Paxton.  The film centers around a fifteen-foot-tall gorilla named Joe and the fight to keep him safe and free.  From the jungles of Africa to the jungles of Los Angeles, Joe navigates life with his best friend Jill (Theron), who with the help of Gregg (Paxton), tries to give Joe the kind of life he deserves, one where he is the master of his destiny.

The film's supporting cast includes Rade Serbedzija, Peter Firth, David Paymer, Regina King, Naveen Andrews, Linda Purl, Richard Riehle, Ray Harryhausen, Terry Moore, Dina Merrill, and Mika Boorem.

The film opens with the death of Jill's mother and also Joe's mother at the hands of poachers.  What follows is, in my opinion, one of the most moving scenes of the film, the funeral of Jill's mother.  The beautiful "Windsong" is sung hauntingly by a magnificent choir as rose petals fill the air.  It's a very touching moment.

Fast forward twelve years and conservationist Gregg O'Hara arrives on the scene wanting his guides to take him to this mountain so he can see Joe for himself.  

They do indeed find him, and he's not in a good mood.  He wrecks their vehicles and sends them to the clinic for patching up.  Gregg finds out Jill saved his life.

Gregg follows Jill through the jungle, hoping to catch another glimpse of the legendary N'Gai Zamu, the sacred guardian.

It's a beautiful setting.  While the film is set in Africa, the actual filming of it didn't take place there.  Hawaii served as "Africa".  In fact, the movie was filmed entirely in Hawaii and California.

Gregg eventually catches up with Jill and Joe, accidentally interrupting a game of "Hide and Seek".  With poachers closing in on Joe, Jill agrees with Gregg that the best place for him is at an animal preserve in California.

Jill and Joe trade the jungles of Africa for the crazy jungles of California.  "Everything looks the same.  How do you know where you are?" Jill asks.  "It's easy.  The ocean's that way, the mountains are that way, Mexico's that way, and Canada's that away," he replies pointing in different directions.  "You don't have to worry about the rest.  You'll never see it through the smog."

The animal conservancy Joe goes to already houses many endangered animals, including this yak group.

Joe's habitat is far from ideal.  Poachers make their way to his enclosure and bother him, resulting in a very agitated gorilla.  He wreaks havoc on a fundraising party, which puts him in solitary confinement.  (FYI, during the party scene, look for Terry Moore - the original Jill Young from the 1944 film - who stands with Ray Harryhausen, a technician who worked on the original film.  Also, during the party you can spot Dina Merrill trying to get away from the enraged primate.  She was married to one of the film's producers.)

Joe gets loose and eventually comes to Grauman's Chinese Theater, where he beats his chest in true giant gorilla fashion.

The film ends on a triumphant, heartwarming note.  Joe is back in the wild where he belongs and everything is right with the world.

Cast rundown:

   Charlize Theron.....................................Jill Young

   Bill Paxton............................................Gregg O'Hara

   Rade Serbedzija....................................Andrei Strasser

   Peter Firth............................................Garth

   David Paymer........................................Dr. Harry Ruben

   Regina King..........................................Dr. Cecily Banks

   Naveen Andrews....................................Pindi

   Linda Purl.............................................Dr. Ruth Young

   Richard Riehle.......................................Commander Gorman

   Ray Harryhausen...................................Gentleman At Party

   Terry Moore..........................................Elegant Woman At Party

   Dina Merrill...........................................Society Woman

   Mika Boorem.........................................Young Jill

That's it for Mighty Joe Young.  I leave you with the full version of "Windsong".  Should you like to comment, please remember our posting rules.