WORLD’S BEST COMMERCIALS 1993

Trex chewing gum, French Telcom's Itiniris or McVittie's wheat biscuits may not be for sale in Tower City Center (or even in this time zone) but you'll get the best from them anyway by watching this collection of 1993's finest commercials from around the globe. The selection includes Nike's famous Godzilla-vs.-Charles Barkley epic on the big screen, just where it belongs. Don't even think blink during the two installments of Leslie Nielsen's “Fraud Squad”, a spoof for Red Rock Cider that beats his “Naked Gun” movies for sheer gag-a-nanosecond density. Other celebrity pitchman include Rowan Atkinson (famed British comic) for Barclay's insurance, Gus Van Sant (noteworthy director) for Black Star Beer, and John Paul II (well-known Pope) for Tango Orange Soda. State-of-the-art computer graphics warp reality in a number of ads, though animator Bill Plimpton does much the same with his trademark pencil-sketch nightmares for Nik-Naks. The whimsical stop-motion zoo animals from “Creature Comforts” pay a return visit, a hungry tribe goes to extremes because a Nissin Cup-A-Noodle isn't available, and Volkswagen brings on some crash-test-dummies you may not have met yet. Get in line early; this is one of the CIFF's most eagerly anticipated presentations! -Charles Cassady