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Twister (1996)
Will Glen Powell charm a tornado back up into the clouds in Twisters? Before this summer’s next test of his unstoppable charisma, the Tomorrow Theater will screen the 1996 original on July 7.
Nearly 30 years later, Twister has aged into a pleasant memory of when middlebrow action fare for adults ruled the box office. It’s got Bill Paxton’s boot-cut jeans, Helen Hunt’s hair whipping in the wind and a young Philip Seymour Hoffman ranting ecstatically about “the suck zone” (standard aerodynamic jargon). Paxton and Hunt play ex-spouses whose passions are stirred anew by the thrill of storm-chasing on the Oklahoma plains.
But the film is also expertly, relentlessly engineered by director Jan de Bont (fresh off directing Speed), as our star-crossed meteorologists keep pursuing an increasingly powerful cyclone with only the briefest breaks to assess whether they should. (They should.)
Most importantly, Twister reminds us that you should never chase storms for corporate sponsorships like the film’s antagonist, Jonas (Cary Elwes). Without purely scientific intentions, you may as well try and catch the wind. Tomorrow Theater, July 7.
ALSO PLAYING:
Academy: National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983), July 3 and 4. Sleepaway Camp (1983), July 4. The Goonies (1985), July 5–11. Jaws (1975), July 5–11. Red River (1948), July 5–11. Cinema 21: The Last Picture Show (1971), July 6. Cinemagic: Action U.S.A. (1989), July 5. Clinton: The Matrix (1999), July 6. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), July 6. Hackers (1995), July 7. Donnie Darko (2001), July 9. Hollywood: The Return of the Living Dead (1985), July 3. The Bodyguard (1992), July 8. Five Element Ninjas (1982), July 9. Tomorrow: Twilight (2008), July 6. Jurassic Park (1993), July 7.