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. Basic Instinct- Always a guilty Pleasure, the Erotic Thriller is a lost art. I would say it peaked with this glorious movie of sex, murder and very over-the-top acting. The big reveals are perfectly delicious, the sex is at turns steamy and erotic and at times ridiculous. The dialog walks the fine line between B-movie and mainstream, often veering solely into B-movie, which is perfectly okay by me. The movie was made famous for Sharon Stone's crotch shot and the reaction shots from the guys, but the movie has ice pick killings, lesbianism, crazy movie sex and Michael Douglass' best B-movie cop performance, ever. Seriously, what is not to love?
9. Batman Returns- Some might be surprised to find this movie so far down the list, but I am not as in love with Tim Burton directed Batman movies as so many others. Yes, Michelle Phiefer in the catwoman suit is sexy as hell and Michael Keaton makes a wonderful Batman, but the whole penguin and Christopher Walken storyline just do not do as much for me as others. Still, it is worth being on my list because, well catwoman is always sexy. The action is pretty cool and the look of the movie is appropriately dark and Michael Keaton really is a winning Batman.
8. Wayne's World- I truly believe Wayne's World is the reason SNL keeps trying to make movies from the their sketches. Wayne's World is the best of the bunch if you ask me. Yes, more than Blue's Brothers. The chemistry between Myers and Carvey is ridiculous, the outlandish storytelling and broad jokes, mixed with physical comedy is awesome and of course, all of the 4th wall breaking is absolutely wonderful. Of course, the only thing this movie needs to be on this list is that glorious scene with Bohemian Rhapsody. Does anything else really matter? I mean I could talk about Rob Lowe being awesome, or Tia Cararre being sexy, but you have 4 guys lip-sync performing Queen's epic song and that is enough!
7. A League of their Own- Girls playing baseball is not usually something I am clamoring to see on screen or in real life, but how can you not like the movie? It captures the joy, innocence and importance of baseball in times of trials for our country. Tom Hanks is absolutely delightful in a supporting role and Madonna and Rosie O' Donnell mine good laughs from their easy going chemistry, but Geena Davis is really the star of the picture. The baseball scenes are well paced and genuinely exciting. Actually the movie does a great job at keeping things moving throughout the whole time. Plus, it features Tom hanks delivering the now famous line "Are you crying? There's no crying in baseball."
6. Chaplin- I have to admit that my love of this movie is pretty much solely due to Robert Downey Jr's flat out amazing portrayal of Charlie Chaplin. Downey has long been a wonderful actor and this movie proves the guy can do anything. Downey not only nails the side of Chaplin the movie fans saw, but he delivered a layered, complex performance of a genius not fully understood in his time and who felt trapped the persona on screen. Of course, Downey is no stranger to that kind of tortured artist side, but he is a daring actor always willing to just put himself out there. The movie hinders entirely on the performances and everyone delivers. I do not get back to this movie very often, but I am always glad when I do.
5. Malcolm X- Much like Chaplin, this movie hinges on the lead performance and Denzel delivers like crazy. Spike Lee challenges the audience with an unflinching film of one of the more controversial African-American leaders of our time and Denzel goes completely with him. As a filmmaker Spike Lee has always challenged views on race from every angle. He takes white people to task, but he has also always challenged those in the African American community and in this movie he is after everyone. He asks us to respect a man, while often disagreeing with his methods. I cannot comment on the historical accuracy of the story, but I know good filmmaking when I see it and Lee's style is splashy, but it works, even though the film probably called for a more traditional style. Lee's angles, colors and lighting actually help make this better than the typical Biopic.
4. Glengarry Glen Ross- David Mamet has long been a favorite writer of mine and this movie is the perfect example of why that is. At times, Mamet's screenplays get bogged down in too many double dealings, but this one is just a great story, great dialog and brilliant performances all the way around. The cast- Pacino, Harris, Spacey, Lemmon, Arkin and Alec Baldwin's memorable cameo- give a master class in how to speak intricate dialog, all while delivering knock out performances. There is not a lot of action going on, it is just a bunch of guys talking and saying these ridiculously perfect lines, crafted by a master of the language. James Foley has not amounted to too much of a director, but in this movie he knew to just let the words and acting do it all. I never tire of watching all of the brilliant male performances and I wonder how it would have gone if the actors let their own egos get in the way too much.
3. Aladdin- There was a time when I could recite this movie from beginning to end. It is a magnificent triumph in filmmaking, animation, voice acting and story telling. Everything about it is just so wonderful. When I was 12, I fell in love and I am still in love to this day. Robin Williams' Genie has become the measuring stick for comic voice acting and it has yet to be surpassed or even matched by anyone else in any other animated film. The songs are catchy, but also have meaning in furthering along the story and just about every character is memorable in some way. It features one of my favorite love songs from a Disney film and gives us a great meaty villain, who is just scary enough without going overboard. I love the vibrant colors and quick pacing of the movie. Plus, it has a magic genie, a flying carpet, and a tiger!
2. A Few Good Men- Like David Mamet, Aaron Sorkin is one of my favorite writers. His screenplay for this movie, based off of the play he wrote is fast, funny, dramatic, daring and full of these brilliant lines. However, he is helped by Tom Cruise's confident performances and his ability to hold up to Jack Nicholson's nasty, scenery chewing and the two of them in the courtroom together create this gorgeous, combustible scene that lives on thanks to their back and forth about wanting the truth. The cast is filled out with all kinds of good actors, and Rob Reiner really opened the movie up by letting Sorkin know, characters could walk and talk in movies, allowing Sorkin to write these wonderful scenes while keeping the camera moving and keeping the entire thing interesting.
1. Reservoir Dogs- Capping off a year of bold and interesting screenplays we get to my absolute favorite writer/director: Tarantino. This is one of my all time favorite movies and it might just be the coolest looking movie of all time (no offense Casablanca!). Tarantino's script is marvelous and he got all of these wonderful actors to give these perfectly hardcore performances. The movie still holds up to me as the dialog, while peppered with pop culture, does not appear dated. Tim Roth gives a gutsy performances, void of vanity and he gets this great "story" to tell and the way Tarantino shoots the whole thing makes it look effortless. His visual style, while a pastiche of those who came before him, feels fresh and totally unique. His use of existing music, while reminiscent of Scorcese, transcends being just a copy, or just an homage to him. I feel like I could go on and on on who Tarantino is and what he means to me not only as a fan of film, but as someone whose love of film has been shaped by his influence. Instead, I will just say, Reservoir Dogs is one of the movies that made me fall in love with movies and it keeps me in love with movies.
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