Sniff. Sniff. What's that smell? It must be Tom Arnold, Alicia Silverstone and Jon Voight picking up their much-deserved trophies from this year's Stinkers Awards ceremonies.
OK, I exaggerate. The stars actually weren't on hand to receive their Stinkers, or the stench might have been too overwhelming for any one place to hold - even in Los Angeles.A couple of weeks back, I wrote about the nominees for this year's Stinkers, which are given annually by the Hastings Bad Cinema Society, a group of movie fans who devote themselves to honoring the worst that Hollywood has to offer.
This past week, the society released the names of this year's winners, which were voted on by movie buffs and film critics around the country. Among the big "winners" were "Batman & Robin" (which took four of the five categories in which it was nominated), Silverstone (winner of the Stinkers' Worst Actress and Worst Supporting Actress trophies) and Voight (Worst Supporting Actor and Most Annoying Fake Accent).
Also honored were Chevy Chase (recipient of the Stinkers' Lifetime Non-Achievement in Bad Cinemas Award) and Pamela Anderson (Lee) and her homemade porno video (Most Unwelcome Direct-to-Video Release).
What's impressive about the winners is that an Oscar winner is included (Voight), and Stinkers nominees included Academy Award recipient Frances McDormand and nominees John Travolta and Winona Ryder.
Hastings society co-founder Mike Lancaster said he and other members have made it their duty to call a stinker a Stinker.
"We have never been afraid to call a bad movie bad, no matter what studio put it out or how many Oscar nominations it was destined to receive or who was starring in it," he said. "So long as Hollywood insists on releasing bad movies, the Hastings Bad Cinema Society will be there to honor the worst of the worst."
Though the stars weren't there when Stinkers winners were announced, they were given a chance to vote on them. Surprisingly, none of the nominees took the opportunity to stuff the ballot boxes, despite Lancaster sending ballots to their publicists.
Even without the stars' cooperation, however, Stinkers participation was up this year (more than 40,000 people voted by mail-in and Internet balloting). And the bulk of the responses were positive, except for a small contingent of Kevin Costner fans who tried to convince Lancaster that "The Postman" "was really a good movie."
Next year's Stinkers balloting starts early, with the field of cinematic turkeys being pared down in December. To get on the Hasting Bad Cinema Society's mailing list or to nominate films, contact the Stinkers Web site (www.thestinkers.com) or write to The Stinkers, P.O. Box 91114, Pasadena, CA 91109-1114.
- FROM THE AND-YOU-THOUGHT-TREKKIES-WERE-OBSESSIVE DEPARTMENT: It's a good thing they don't judge Academy Awards by period authenticity or "Titanic" might be in real trouble Monday night.
Astute moviegoers have already noticed some of the glaring "contemporary" lines of dialogue in the blockbuster, along with other continuity problems. But some of the film's repeat and even some first-time patrons are turning nitpicking into a new art form.
Last week, one of the Deseret News city desk editors received a call from a "Titanic" moviegoer who noticed that the dime Rose (Kate Winslet) gives Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) to draw her nude is a coin that was actually minted during the past 20 years. And this person isn't the only one who noticed (I got a call from another person this week about the same thing)!
Don't think I'm just harping on the movie, however - I did enjoy "Titanic" and gave it a three-star review. But isn't it funny that writer/director James Cameron went to such great lengths to ensure that the clothing, hairstyles - and even the table settings - were authentic but blew it with things that are more noticeable?
- GOOD-SPORT QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "One of us will walk away with the statuette, and I'll applaud heartily because all the performances are right up there to the death." Actor Peter Fonda, nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his work in "Ulee's Gold."
- DENIAL OF THE WEEK: "The truth is, we had a human-rights discussion and not anything else. I never discussed the business of this movie with the president. Ever. This is a very sophisticated man. That would not be something he would do. Besides, I was in the middle of the movie." - Actor John Travolta, scoffing at reports that he softened his portrayal of a Clinton-like presidential candidate in the movie "Primary Colors" in exchange for presidential efforts to lobby Germany so that it will recognize the Church of Scientology as a religion.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
1998 Stinkers Award winners
Worst Picture: "Batman & Robin"
Worst Sense of Direction: Joel Schumacher, "Batman & Robin"
Worst Actor in a Lead Role: Tom Arnold, "McHale's Navy"
Worst Actress in a Lead Role: Alicia Silverstone, "Excess Baggage"
Worst Actor in a Supporting Role: Jon Voight, "Anaconda"
Worst Actress in a Supporting Role: Alicia Silverstone, "Batman & Robin"
Worst Sequel: "Speed 2: Cruise Control"
Worst Screenplay for a Film Grossing Over $100 Million: "Batman & Robin"
Worst Resurrection of a TV Show: "McHale's Navy"
Worst On-Screen Couple: Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dennis Rodman, "Double Team"
The Sequel Nobody Was Clamoring For: "Free Willy 3: The Rescue"
Most Annoying Fake Accent: John Voight, "Anaconda"
Most Painfully Unfunny Comedy: "8 Heads in a Duffel Bag"
Most Unwelcome Direct-to-Video Release: Pamela Anderson-Lee's homemade porno video
Lifetime Non-Achievement in Bad Cinema: Chevy Chase
The Founders Award - The Biggest Studio Disgraces of 1997: "Cats Don't Dance," "Crash," "Jungle 2 Jungle," "Year of the Horse"