I find myself in the mood for another long term movie list project. I had a lot of fun with the Anytime Movies series last year, so I thought I would try out another series. I plan to take each year of the 1990s and make my top 10 list from each individual year. I will mostly use IMDB, but there will probably be a few other sites I use to determine the movies on the list. Yes, my real hardcore movie viewing did not begin until 1993 with Jurassic Park, but since 1993, I have watched movies from all over the place and have seen enough to be able to fill out these early years. These lists will contain where the movie are on my list NOW, not when I saw them initially. Granted, some of these movies I will have seen more than others but such is the way of a film buff. I hope you enjoy the series!
10. City Slickers- Billy Crystal is kind of an enigma. He is better on stage than in film, but he has made some pretty great movies as well. He is not an actor, really, nor is he a star, but everyone I know seems to enjoy him. City Slickers is a funny and touching movie, but mostly it is about Jack Palance and his quest to win an Oscar in what seemed like never-going-to-happen scenario. Crystal and Daniel Stern have this great chemistry throughout the movie and the physical comedy of Stern blends well with Crystal's wit. When you throw in the hard ass Palance mixing it up with Crystal and you have a movie that is still pretty funny today.
9. The Last Boy Scout- When I first saw this one, I did not get it. I was too young, too unversed in the ways of cinema. I hated it. However, this list is about where the movies stand for me now and now I really enjoy this movie. Shane Black's script is hilarious and the action really keeps coming. The fact that it is ridiculous is pretty much the point of the film. Bruce Willis does his usual laconic dry one-liner thing and he is matched by Damon Wayan's brash youth and together they find a nice blend of comic styles. The violence is relatively shocking when you remember it was 1991, but it is still the comic timing that keeps me coming back to this movie. Black has a way with timed banter and a way with mixing non-sensical dialog with the stuff that is deadly important and it comes off so effortless.
8. The Boyz n the Hood- When I was 14 years old I found this movie. My love for the gangsta rap music is well documented and John Singleton's directorial debut was the filmed version of my favorite gangsta rap albums. There are great performances, a very real and dark script and Singleton's vision and together they make a combustible film about trying to survive under circumstances that do not give anyone a chance to survive. Laurence Fishbourne adds a sense of gravitas to the movement and Singleton became the youngest director to ever be nominated for best director at the Oscars. It is a tough movie to watch, but I believe it is an important early 90s film.
7. The Rocketeer- How could a young boy not love this movie? Well, I did and I still kind of do. There is a sense of charm that exudes from the innocence of the film and the filmmaking. Joe Johnston has gone on to make some fairly decent action movies, but here he remembered the charm. It is helped by the delightful performances and the easy on the eyes appeal of Jennifer Connelly. A guy finds a jet pack and becomes a full fledged superhero in WW2 era America. What is there not to like??
6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Secret of the Ooze- It is obvious that you can chalk this movie up to the nostalgia of it all. Of course the movie is not very good and the Vanilla Ice cameo is something that I should not cheer on, but I do. It captures a perfect moment in pop culture and it embraces that moment with reckless abandon, so why not love it? The turtles are still funny and still kick ass. They have to face down a Super Shredder and deal with two giant mutant monsters that are poor facsimiles of Bee-Bop and Rocksteady, but I still love it all. Talking ninja turtles will always fulfill my childlike sense of wonder and I am not ashamed of that. Plus, the Vanilla Ice really is totally awesome!
5. Cape Fear- Robert De Niro has given better performances and given more frightening performances, but this one always sticks with me. There is something about the way he interacts with Julliete Lewis that goes beyond good taste. It is the hair, the accent, the fact that he is always sweaty. He just creeps me out something fierce in this Scorcese remake. I remember catching this on television when I was 13 and I just had to see it uncut and without commercials. In terms of Scorcese's filmography, this is often left out of the upper echelon of films, but it is quite a good movie and it is creepy and thrilling, violent and has all of the things you expect from a Scorcese film, including, well De Niro.
4. Thelma and Louise- I am not sure how this movie has not been remade yet, but I am glad it has not. Ridley Scott directs the hell out of this Women on the run classic, but he also knows that Susan Surandon and Geena Davis just need to be let loose and he stays out of their way. Surandon is tough and sexy throughout and it is impossible not to root for these girls as they take back their sexuality, their power and the lives from the hands of sexist and oppressive male forces. It is mostly known now for introducing the world to an undeniably sexy Brad Pitt, but it is so much more than that. By the way, head on over to IMDB.com and to the trivia section of this movie to see all of the different people who were considered for the 2 female leads and the Pitt role. It is insane!
3. Silence of the Lambs- unlike the majority of the world, I do not consider this to be one of the best movies ever. I actually think it is pretty overrated. It is a great movie, do not get me wrong, but it is more culturally important than cinemtatically important, meaning, the place of the characters, the dialog and the story is important in a larger sense, but in terms of film, I feel like it gets unjustified acclaim. That being said, I still find a few scenes incredibly effective and the Buffalo Bill villain always intrigues me. The pacing is really good and I understand why people rave non-stop about it. It is worth it for one scene where the F.B.I is storming the house they believe to be Bill's. The editing in that scene is just flat out fantastic.
2. Beauty and the Beast- The was the first animated movie to ever be nominated for best picture and it was well deserved. It tells a timeless story with wonderful heart, humor and humanity. The music is gorgeous and the voice work is top notch. The animation is still wonderful and it is impossible not to just be taken in by the extravagance of it all. "Be our Guest" is worth the price of admission alone! Beauty was right in the middle of Disney's animation revolution and it remains my second favorite of the Disney musicals (My favorite will be on next week's list).
1. Terminator 2- Era defining effects, incredible action, a wicked supervillain, Arnold's cheesy lines and Linda Hamilton's bad-assery, what else do you really need? T2 is one of the best pure action movies of the decade and it offers thrills at every corner, while also ushering in the breathtaking effects of the T1000 robot. Robert Patrick has done all kinds of films since this, but he will always be T1000. He embodies the idea of a shape shifting, almost liquid villain. The stunts are still eye catching today and the movie holds up. The end is a tad bit too much in terms of cheesy, but that does not really matter when you have all of that action leading up to that moment of self sacrifice.
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