30 From 93: My Favorite Films From 1993
Therefore, I was quite surprised at not only how much I enjoyed this big screen adaption the Bruce Timm little screen episodes, but also, at how I found it's story to be better than many of those of the TV program. Walking out at the end of Phantasm, I actually found myself feeling like the giant comicbook nerd that I truly am, but for years, had denied myself of truly being.
In other words, a formula that just couldn't lose.
Now don't get me wrong,
just because I make fun of Pacino's inability to speak a convincing Spanglish (especially when compared to Viggo Mortensen's convincing cameo scene), and despite director DePalma's retreading of familiar waters, I liked Carlito's Way.
The streetwise story-line, which includes the type of etiquette that fuels the power structure of the urban-drug underworld, combined with a climatic edge-of-your-seat chase scene was entertaining enough for me to recommend it.
Kalifornia is a multi-murdering road trip movie that proves that before he became the goodlooking glamor boy that makes all the girls go ga-ga,
Brad Pitt was just plain kreepy.
Point Of No Return doesn't rank as high or better than it's inspiration, La Femme Nikita (maybe because being a crazy female secret assassin operative comes off better in French.....?), but still, it's a solid thriller none the less.
What if the President of these here United States was in actuality, a down-to-Earth nice guy who truly loved the First Lady and really had the interest of the people at heart?
Ah,
only in the movies, I guess.
Cronos is a great looking movie, it’s beautifully shot, the themes covered here are presented in an interesting, thoughtful manner, all of which highlight the talents that Guillermo Del Toro always brings to the screen. It is the directorial debut of the Mexican born filmmaker, and right away it sets the tone of his unique brand of filmmaking, particularly when it comes horror and or thriller type of genres. It's a style that tends to lean more towards the dramatic than towards the pursuit of instilling fright in the standard that people are used to. That is clearly evident here in this movie’s premise in which the subject of vampirism is not used as a tool of terror, but instead, as a fitting method to depict the quest for eternal youth and the underlying consequences that are spawned from such a “never ending” journey.
A centuries old contraption in the shape of a scarab resurfaces in the present restoring an aging, antiques dealer to his younger and healthier self. But as is in the case of all things that are too good to be true, he quickly discovers that there is a price to be paid when it comes to immortality. And of course, in keeping with the theme of vampire lore, that price is a thirst for human blood. A price that kinda gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "get busy living or get busy dying".
Now, any real cinephile out there who has an appreciation for great looking artsy style horror themed cinema may be wondering why I have this movie higher up on my list, especially considering what a darling Guillermo is with most movie critics. And my reason is this...
As is with many of his other work, el Senor Del Toro sets up good ideas for genres specific type of movies. However, his focus on the dramatic and human dynamics of all of his stories tend to, I find, dilute the genre in which the movie is placed. I know that generally it’s not his aim, but I would love to someday see him make a horror movie which is intended to be more frightening than it is to try and tell a lesson about the human condition. Del Toro does such a great job of filling up his films with wall-to-wall spectacular visuals that I would love to see in a movie that is meant to instill fear into the viewer. I know that makes me sound like I’m kind of missing the point to what he is usually trying to say, but still, his style of storytelling has such a strong distinctive visual flare that I think would turn the fear factor in a horror movie up to 11. And I guess, that the fact that the potential is there, even if it was never his intention is what always has me walking away from one of his movies, not as enthusiastic as one of his true fans would be.
The film Firm is both.
It is a story-line that showcases the circumstance and the details of the "strange" yet tempting bedfellows that can be "made" between the rule bending loopholes of a legal firm and the uncompromising wild west moralities of organized crime.
Malkovich is excellent in a role that makes the most out of creepiness that always seems to follow his persona. I always thought that as the cunning lead antagonist, this was a characteristic in John that movie writers and directors should be utilizing more often.
Juice, Fresh, Boyz 'N' The Hood (my fave of the batch) and of course, Menace II Society.
All films that took an unsparing look into the poor urban areas of this country and provide realistic and jarring portrayals of young people whose only hope to survive on the streets is with a hardcore heart, a take it when I can get it attitude and a gun.
Guys,
am I right....?
Stretching mom out on a torture rack or throwing the baby out of a third story window is simply a way of communicating "You're okay, I'm okay".
And one of the advantages that comes with having the last name of Addams is that, no matter how many family-friendly games of tag you play,
your cousin will always be Itt.
This sequel was a film that was alot wittier than not only the sentence that precedes this one, but also, than the movie that preceded Values.
Koo oolll.....!
No script, no dialogue, no storyline.
Just a montaged journey that spans the entire planet. And this is one journey that is worth taking because it is one that not only takes the scenic route, but takes good advantage of it.
It's the last day of school in the the year of 1976. And the soon to be graduating class of Lee High are ending the spring semester in a state of utter daze and confusion.
A state that I'm sure affected student bodies of many school year endings that have since come after.
Hell, I graduated school a lonnnggg time ago, and to this day, I'm still utterly dazed and confused.
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?
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 and 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 villainous Kau and 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 and distinct characters was enough to hook me into this non-guilty guilty pleasure.
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 when it comes to watching your back during a gunfight,
he'll be your huckleberry.
The first installment, Blue, focuses on liberty and tells the story of a Parisian woman who has lost both her husband (a famous composer) and her daughter. We follow her inner journey as she tries to disassociate from her previous life in an attempt to live an isolated and what she thinks will be a more "free" existence.
Setting the tone for the rest of the series, Blue is a quality drama that becomes better by the time we reach the end of the trilogy.
While it's distinction from other animated 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.
Okay, so we might as well accept that any feature featuring Wallace & Gromit is gonna be a candidate for any list that I can fit 'em into. Therefore, when it comes to the subject of my favorite stop-motion flicks, it's a fore gone conclusion that these guys are gonna rank pretty damn high. Particularly when we're talking about the Academy Award winning second entry into the series, The Wrong Trousers. The best of anything they starred in, it is a story that, for my money, utilizes their specialized brand of sight gags, kinetic stunts and subtle film parodies to harmonic perfection.
What do you get when you take a kid from an all Italian neighborhood, have him torn between two father figures (his natural dad who drives a bus and a mob boss who runs the neighborhood) and then falls in love (against the beliefs of his crew and his kind) with a pretty girl from the black side of town?
You get a story of how a young boy has to learn how to be himself in the midst of a backdrop of expectations that seem to often run against his own path of self-discovery.
In other words,
you get a Bronx Tale, that's what.
A great "on the run" movie filled with high paced and yet intelligent suspense.
And even though one of the main antagonists, the man with arm, doesn't really come off as all that convincing as deadly villain (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.
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.
This might be kind of a spoiler, but despite the name of this film, it's not about trying to find the whereabouts of the world's most famous and most reclusive chess player.
It's about a young boy whose extraordinary skillz at the game of chess leads the grown ups in his life to try to do their bit (each in their own individualized way) to help him fully maximize his talent, with the hopes that the elementary school phenom might end up becoming the next Bobby Fischer.
Insightfully perceptive and strategically sensitive, it is a story line that follows the path of nurturing a child's life in a manner that allows him to not only reach his fullest potential, but more importantly, to allow him to be who he really is. Led by an ultra talented cast of Joe Mantegna, Laurence Fishburne, Ben Kingsley and Joan Allen, Searching For Bobby Fischer is, IMO, one of the best movies of the year.
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 category 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 and Stockard Channing along with Mr. Donald Sotherland coming in to provide the final piece of high mark acting to a high quality level movie that served as the vehicle that moved a fresh prince from Bel-Air to Hollywood.
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 and 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.
Therefore, holiday specials like It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and 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 and Christmas (free candy and free presents, how can you beat that?).
This movie, is it a Halloween movie with a Christmas twist, or a Christmas movie with a Halloweenic slant? Or is it both?
For me, I like to describe the feeling that comes from watching The Nightmare Before Christmas as very similar to the feeling that one might get when discovering that your trick-or-treat bag has been filled with presents instead of candy.
I remember that when this first came out, I initially liked it, but I didn't love it, not the way that I do now. After several rewatches however, this double-themed holiday special as really taken a firm place in this movie-nerd's heart. I find that The Nightmare Before Christmas seems to age really well for me as more and more time goes by. And as each All Hallow's Eve goes by, I continually find that it's a good thing to watch to cap off an evening of handing out sweets to all the ghouls and goblins that come, ringing at the doorbell. And it also doubles as prep for the burgeoning winter season and the festive festivities looming overhead.
It's goof film not just because it manages to successfully merge the two holidays that were my favorite as a kid, but also, because it's macabre look and overall 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 happiest childhood holiday memories.
In my opinion, Nightmare is the best piece of cinema, by far, to have Tim Burton's name on it. Such a great cast of creative and endearingly maniacal characters. Innocent enough for kids who can still see the world thru bushy-tailed bright-eyed glasses, yet twistedly dark enough to keep the interests of those of us adults who've had that part of our spirits crushed a long time ago.
An inter-holiday movie for all ages on either side of the perspective spectrum.
The year that this film was released, I had a girlfriend who liked to go out with me, but only when she planned it and 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, and 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 and 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 repeatedly 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 theater, effeminately misty-eyed over a god@mn chick-flick.
Right there and then, I knew that my relationship with my then-girlfriend was over.
Cuz no one makes me cry my own tears.
No one.
Updated Entries:
- Matinee
- The Pelican Brief
Other Fave Movies Lists By Year:
1970
www.listal.com/list/10-70-my-fave-films
1971
www.listal.com/list/15-71-my-favorite-movies
1972
www.listal.com/list/15-72-my-favorite-films
1973
www.listal.com/list/20-73-my-favorite-films
1974
www.listal.com/list/films-of-1974
1975
www.listal.com/list/20-75-my-favorite-films
1976
www.listal.com/list/20-76-my-favorite-films
1977
www.listal.com/list/20-77-my-favorite-films
1978
www.listal.com/list/20-1978-my-favorite-films
1979
www.listal.com/list/20-79-my-favorite-films
1980
www.listal.com/list/25-from-80-my-favorite
1981
www.listal.com/list/25-81-my-favorite-films
1982
www.listal.com/list/25-82-my-favorite-films
1983
www.listal.com/list/25-83-my-favorite-films
1984
www.listal.com/list/25-84-my-favorite-films
1985
www.listal.com/list/25-85-my-favorite-films
1986
www.listal.com/list/25-86-my-favorite-films
1987
www.listal.com/list/25-87-my-favorite-films
1988
www.listal.com/list/25-88-my-favorite-films
1989
www.listal.com/list/25-89-my-favorite-films
1990
www.listal.com/list/30-90-my-favorite-films
1991
www.listal.com/list/30-91-my-favorite-films
1992
www.listal.com/list/30-92-my-favorite-films
1994
www.listal.com/list/30-94-my-favorite-films
1995
www.listal.com/list/30-95-my-favorite-films
1996
www.listal.com/list/30-96-my-favorite-films
1997
www.listal.com/list/30-97-my-favorite-films
1998
www.listal.com/list/30-98-my-favorite-films
1999
www.listal.com/list/30-99-my-favorite-films
2000
www.listal.com/list/35-00-my-favorite-films
2001
www.listal.com/list/35-1-my-favorite-films
2002
www.listal.com/list/35-2-my-favorite-films
2003
www.listal.com/list/35-3-my-favorite-films
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