September 9, 1997

Hercules (1997) ***

After more serious-minded fare like "Pocahontas" and "Hunchback of Notre Dame", those pranksters at Disney return with another hip, wise-cracking, I-dare-you-to-catch-all-the-jokes, fast-paced comedy/adventure animated extravaganza in the "Aladdin" mould. James Woods' Hades is the funniest Disney villain since Cruella (the animated one), gospel/Motown tunes are great and there are enough postmodernist references to fill a dozen Quentin Tarantino pictures. If only the central character wasn't so boring, this would have been a perfect film. Songs:

"Gospel Truth" **
"Go The Distance" **
"One Last Hope" *
"Zero To Hero" **
"I Won't Say (I'M In Love)" **
"A Star Is Born" *