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List added by The Mighty Celestial on 7 January 2009 02:19
1993: My Top Ten Favorite Movies By Year |
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 82  7.3  7.2 The year that this film was released, I had a girlfriend who liked to go out with me, but only when she planned it & was in control of the date. On one week-end night, I was supposed to go see Joy Luck Club with her, but since it was at my suggestion, she, as always, phoned me to tell that she felt like maybe she was (conveniently) coming down with something. Now don't get me wrong, she wanted us to see this film, just not at my suggestion (I'll skip any psycho-analyzations as to why she was always like this).
Well I had finally had it, so I called her bluff, & told her that if there was a chance she'd get sick or somethin', we should just call the whole night off. Before she could respond, I hung up the phone & then went to go see this movie by myself, more to piss her off than anything else. By the time this stunningly moving, mother-daughter generation-crossing epic-fare was over, my hairy pimp-ass found it quite difficult to refrain from repeatingly dabbing at that "something in my eye" that seemed annoyingly persistent during the final two sob-strewn scenes. Because of my gf, there I was sitting alone in a theatre, effeminately misty-eyed over a god@mn chick-flick. Right there & then, I knew that my relationship with my then-girlfriend was over. Cuz no one makes me cry my own tears. No one.  The Mighty Celestial's rating:
 
77 6.7 6.9 There are 3 scenes in this movie that make it such a standout for me: confidence man, Paul "Poitier's" (Will's Smith) observations on Catcher In The Rye & the nature of creativity; the phone call dialogue between he & Ouisa Kittredge (Stockard Channing): & finally, Oiusa's heartfelt speech about people's tendency to turn meaningful experiences into throwaway anecdotes.
Who would've thought that a film with this much philosophy could be this entertaining? Plus, not only is this a performance by Will Smith that first revealed his ability to act against other other big screeners, but this is also one of Stockards finest efforts. At this point in her career, she has honed her craft to the point where, in this particular movie, it really allows her to shine. I don't used the word under-rated when it comes to subjects that are based so much on relativity/subjectivity, such as the catergory of films, but if I could, this movie would be one of the main ones that would inspire me to do so. I really, really like this movie alot. Great performances by Will Smith & Stockard Channing along with Mr. Donald Sotherland coming in to provide the final piece of high mark acting to a high quality level movie.  The Mighty Celestial's rating:
 
1777 8.3 8.9  Simply put, a great movie to make out to.  The Mighty Celestial's rating:
182 7.7 7.7 I love movies with ensemble large casts & loosely intersecting stories like Nashville, Two Days In The Valley & of course Pulp Fiction.
And while this is a genre of film that we don't get to see much of these days,the few times that we do, it seems like that there are more good being produced that bad. Maybe it's b'cuz the idea of such a type of film can intimidate all but the most talented & those more suited to such an often complicated cinematic undertaking. The fact that the logistics of such a project requires handling people of a profession which allows egos to manifest almost unhindered only adds to the complexity of the task. Whatever the reason, Short Cuts is prime example of all the resulting benefits that the eyes of those who first pioneered the idea of these types of films envisioned when they conceived of the genre in the first place. All the stories intertwine just loose enough to provide an energetic patchwork of distinctive individual stories, yet close enough to make the movie work thematically as a cohesive whole, with the added benefit of allowing the title "Show Cuts" to do it's job both as a movie description and as a multi-literary metaphor.  The Mighty Celestial's rating:
1711 7.8 8  I grew up at a time when animated features shown during prime-time were not the norm. Therefore, holiday specials like It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown & Santa Claus Is Coming Town were usually an event, not only in that they were a rare moment to watch a cartoon at night, but also because they enhanced the feeling of the holidays. Of which, my faves were, obviously, Halloween & Christmas (free candy & free presents!). I remember that when Nightmare Before Christmas first came out, I initially liked it. But, now, I find that this Burton-produced feature seems to age really well for me. As each All Hallow's Eve goes by, & I continually find myself liking it even more than before. Not only because it manages to successfully merge my two fave holidays as a kid, but also, because it's macabre look & atmosphere are the type of traits that I would've died for (pun, not all that much intended) back then. Not to mention that whenever I listen to tunes like "What's This?" or "This Is Halloween", I am reminded of hearing "Put One Foot In Front Of The Other", or "We're A Couple Of Misfits", songs that, as corny as they are, now with a grown-up's perspective, my hardcore, hairy pimp-ass' has to humbly admit, will always be a part of my childhood holiday memories.  The Mighty Celestial's rating:
768 7 7.8  A great "on the run" movie filled with high paced & yet intelligent suspence. And even though one of the main antigonists, the man with arm, doesn't really come off as all that convincing as deadly villian (even with his "training", I bet that I could still take him on . With one arm tied behind my back), the film makes up for it by the unrelentless character of U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard, played impeccably by Tommy Lee Jones.  The Mighty Celestial's rating:
 
76 6.2 7.6 and A Bronx Tale
 This movie and A Bronx Tale are tied for seventh place. Both films are each an endearing tale of a young boy learning to be himself in the midst of a backdrop of expectations that seem to often run against that path of self-discovery.  The Mighty Celestial's rating:
17 7.1 6.5 At first glance, this looked like a B-style action-flick that was just too goofy for me. But as I watched it, it became more like a movie that seem to sufficiently balance between the lines of well-crafted high-fantasy creditability & a comicbook-like storyline. And also at the same time, between epic wuxia style battle moves & cheesy yet energetically fun kung-fu camp.
And at the center, tying all these almost conflicting themes together are three high-flying colorful female warriors whose chemistry made it impossible for me not to fall in love with each one of them. This trio of hot asian super-heroines who fight crime with such cool moves & kick-ass sultry outfits are so sexy, that it makes my pimp-ass want to do sumthin villainous just for the spanking. Plus, I defy any one not to "loose their head" over the villianous Kau & his throwing "skull-cage" on a chain. While I realize that this isn't really considered a maverick of this field,for me, the charisma between these well-rounded & distinct characters was enuff to hook me into this non-guilty guilty pleasure.  The Mighty Celestial's rating:
307 7.4 7.7 Mostly because of Val Kilmer's performance than anything else. As Doc Holliday, he steals every scene that he occupies in this movie account of Wyatt Earp & Co.'s shootout at the O.K. Coral (a depiction, from what I understand, that allows itself plenty of liberties). Kilmer's portrayal as a sureshot who alcoholism doesn't seem to affect his aim too much, remains memorable in this film as one of the coolest cowboys in recent film history. Sure, he might not be the kind of doctor you'd expect to make house calls,
but he'll be your huckleberry.  The Mighty Celestial's rating:
495 7.3 7.9  This would be a great movie with just the famous "Sicilian scene" all by itself. However, that part is just the sweet chewy center of a hard bitter tootsie pop of a movie, that no matter how many licks it takes to get to it's middle, it still seems like it's not enough. Directed by Ridley's Scott's brother, Tony & written by Quentin Tarantino, this is modern day lovers on the run story told with enough style, edge & violence to make the idea of Elvis as a guardian angel in this flick believable. Well, sort of. Anyways, if all romance films were made like this one, then you could be sure that my girlfriend wouldn't have to use the implication of sex afterwards just to have to drag hairy pimp-ass to the theatre any time a chick-flick was playing. The Mighty Celestial's rating:
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Description
Wow. What an amazing year for film! Of all the "By Year" lists that I've made (or am currently making, depending on when you're reading this), this list has the most entries in the "list cont." section. And it wasn't easy deciding which titles would make my top ten out of this particular year's batch. I may find myself rearranging it occasionally. Especially since the list that I have for '93 films that I still have yet to see, those are titles that from what I've heard, are in general, very well high-regarded. List cont. 11. Philadelpha 12. Wallace & Gomit in The Wrong Trousers - Stop-motion with a British flavor, that doesn't try to whack you over the head with it's look, humor or more importantly, with any kind of "universal life-lesson". With it's distinction from other films is much more subtle and evenly consistent, the overall result of The Wrong Trousers left me not so much with a roaring laughter that other animated features try to shoot for, but more with a satisfying smile that was firmly set in place from beginning to end. 13. Groundhog Day - Bill Murray in a love story that involves a groundhog. No, not in that way, you sick bastards. 14. Farewell My Concubine 15. Menace II Society 16. Iron Monkey - Monkey see, monkey fu. 17. Jurassic Park - Modern science demonstrates it highest possibilities to date by genetically re-introducing the dinosaurs of the Jurassic era to our time. Then, it goes about creating an island theme park in which to inhabit these prehistoric ganstas of giant monsters, in the speculative hope that the general public will eat them up. Is it my imagination, or is it pretty obvious what the ironic twist is that's gonna result from this grand delusioning venture? Oh, when will those zany scienctists learn? 18. The Firm 19. Dave 20. In The Line Of Fire 21. Carlito's Way - Al Pacino with his worst Spanish accent since Scarface. 22. Mad Dog & Glory - Bill Murray in a role that would usually be expected from Robert Deniro, Robert Deniro in a role that looks like it might suited more towards Bill Murray, and Uma Thurman in the middle of it in a role for a woman who was in the middle of it. 23. Look Who's Talking 24. The Pelican Brief 25. Point Of No Return Films from this year that I have not seen but am interested in seeing: - Remains Of The Day - Kalifornia - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Three Colors: Blue - The Piano Other lists by The Mighty Celestial: My Top 20 Female Movie Bad-Asses http://www.listal.com/list/my-top-10-female 10 Movies That Feature A Dancin' Travolta In 'Em http://www.listal.com/list/my-list-9158 Yep. When It Comes To Comicbook Movies .... http://www.listal.com/list/yep-am-huge-comicbook WAATAAAH!! My Top 10 Favorite Martial Arts Flix! http://www.listal.com/list/my-list-thecelestial The Final Frontier Of Space... & Time. My Top 50 Favorite Sci-Fi Flix Ever http://www.listal.com/list/final-frontier-space-time Can't We Be Dysfunctional Like A Normal Family? http://www.listal.com/list/dysfunctional-family-movies/edit My Other Top Ten Favorite Movies By Year Lists: http://www.listal.com/list/19551959-my-top-ten-favorite http://www.listal.com/list/1976-my-top-ten-favorite http://www.listal.com/list/1982-my-top-ten-favorite http://www.listal.com/list/1983-my-top-ten-favorite http://www.listal.com/list/1984-my-top-ten-favorite http://www.listal.com/list/1992-my-top-ten-favorite http://www.listal.com/list/1995-my-top-ten-favorite http://www.listal.com/list/1997-my-top-ten-favorite http://www.listal.com/list/1998-my-top-ten-favorite http://www.listal.com/list/1999-my-top-ten-favorite http://www.listal.com/list/2003-my-top-ten-favorite http://www.listal.com/list/2004-my-top-ten-favorite http://www.listal.com/list/2005-my-top-ten-favorite http://www.listal.com/list/2007-my-top-ten-favorite http://www.listal.com/list/2008-my-top-ten-favorite
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