85. The Apostle - (1997)
Robert Duvall's performance is one of the decade's very best, all the more impressive since he directed himself. The film meanders a bit but Duvall's character eventually finds some spirituality with a face off with Billy Bob Thornton. The preaching scenes are electric.
84. Burnt by the Sun - (1994)
A Best Foreign Language Film Oscar Winner, this Russian drama has a hero of the 1917 Revolution being quietly pursued 20 years later by the new Stalinist guard during the Great Purge. Writer-director Nikita Mikhalkov lulls you during the first half with beautiful summer country sights and sounds. Then it becomes incredibly tense as the young thugs make their intentions known.
83. The Godfather Part III - (1990)
I don't blame Francis Ford Coppola for the bad parts of the film - I blame the Paramount suits for declining to pay Robert Duvall and refusing to postpone production 3 months so Winona Ryder could play Mary. As it stands, yes, Sofia Coppola gives a distracting, stiff performance. The film's structure is exactly the same as the first film, which is a pretty good start. Pacino gives a terrific performance, Talia Shire turns into Lady MacBeth, and Andy Garcia has never been better. Coppola handles the operatic climax exceptionally well. Of course it doesn't come close to its predecessors - only a handful of films - including Coppola's own Apocalypse Now - have been in the same ballpark.
82. Good Will Hunting - (1997)
The Minnie Driver scenes are borderline embarrassing, the Affleck parts are almost juvenile (except the classic "you owe it to me" scene), but every moment with Stellan Skarsgard and Robin Williams is perfectly written, performed, and executed. I don't think Mr. Damon and Mr. Affleck deserved the Oscar over, say, Paul Thomas Anderson (either Hard Eight or Boogie Nights), but it sure is a showy, wordy screenplay that frequently soars.
81. Speed - (1994)
The on-screen chemistry of Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves still kills as does the breakneck pace of the film. All the great action scenes wouldn't mean nearly as much without the expert characterizations, including from the multi-cultural passengers. As the crazy bad-guy, Dennis Hopper makes the most of his last great role.
100. Glengarry Glen Ross
99. Dead Again
98. Ed Wood
97. True Romance
96. The Commitments
95. Bound
94. Die Hard 2
93. In the Line of Fire
92. Affliction
91. Shakespeare in Love
90. In the Company of Men
89. Short Cuts
88. Copland
87. The Hudsucker Proxy
86. The Last Seduction
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Best Films of the 90s - 85-81
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3 comments:
Lots to say. First, I'm a terrible Duvallian for having not seen Apostle yet. Burnt looks like one I could get bride to watch with me.
GF3- Interesting production facts that I didn't know and surely would've made the film better. Pacino is good and Garcia is great in this one. I didn't buy Mantegna's performance.
GWH - Major, cataclysmic break with you here, as you probably expected. This is so much higher on my list and the fact that you put Speed ahead of it is crazy. I like the Driver date scenes and the film packs in humor, class, and family problems. You rightly identify and picture one of the best scenes of the decade. Speed!
Speed - Really good action film, even if the always dreaded 'bus passengers' (including Cameron from Ferris Bueller) are predictably terrible. Another great performance from Dennis Hopper.
Ryder was locked into Welcome Home Roxy Carmichael (!) by contract and Paramount insisted on a Christmas 1990 release (instead of Spring 1991). I'm not sure if George Hamilton (Duvall's replacement) had enough scenes to make paying Robert Duvall 3 million worth it (Pacino got 5), but every film would be better with a little Bobby Duvall.
Just watched GWH this summer and found the Driver scene nearly unbearable. The kissing before the end of the date thing is shamelessly lifted from Annie Hall. What's with Casey rubbing one out in a baseball glove? The film is on the long side - couldn't that have been cut out? I always found Ben's faux-interview indulgent and superfluous. Plus, the confrontation between Sean and Will at the end (just repeating "It's not your fault") was never believable. There was no reason for Will to suddenly break down (as opposed to Conrad in Ordinary People - a friend's suicide triggers his breakthrough). Maybe since I'm 10 years older, I identified with the professors (Skarsgard and Williams) and their issues more this time. Still, a great film and a great (precocious) screenplay - I don't begrudge their win at all.
I think Boogie should've won screenplay, of course. I love the atmosphere Van Sant creates, and the hook of the film (the smartest kid at mit doesn't go to school there, he cleans the floors) is super strong. I've always liked Driver since Boys on the Side(!), my most embarassing theater showing ever, both in name (really?, boys on the side?) and content.
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