Post by nopersonality on Jun 17, 2010 18:47:32 GMT -5
I started writing this like... back in Februrary? Either way, here is what I came up with. Then, I started buying Disney DVD's and that's been sucking up all my time until BoH came along.
Here's what I drummed up
(Warning for: SPOILERS!!)
Let's have a little informal fun with movies and talk: best movies of each decade. Here, it's the 1990's all over again (I woulda made a lousy DJ). This is not a place for favorites. Before you put a movie down, I want you to have thought about it quite a lot. I mean, if you think Kevin Smith's a genius, I can't stop you from naming all his movies but don't forget about the other great stuff (again: cheeseball). Let's try to think about ground-breaking movies and what made the movies so great, etc. Not just what kept our eyes open. Because the 90's also had a lot of crap and filler come out. Especially all the worthless disaster movies that helped dumb audiences down to where they are now. But if you think one disaster movie rises above all others... tell us. You don't have to have a list, just think of a few or so.
Here are a few that leap right to the top of my head:
1.
I think it's pretty obvious what makes this one such a masterpiece and I think inarguably the best movie of the entire decade. But the most memorable element is Hannibal Lecter and he could have failed had this movie not had Anthony Hopkins playing him. That performance makes him probably the single greatest villain in cinema history. This movie also belongs to a somewhat bygone era of Uncomfortable Movies. Ultra-confrontational, cold and matter-of-fact, forcing us to sit and watch things we really wouldn't ever want to see happening in real life yet the movie's so good, we can't walk away. One is the examination of Fredrica Bimmel's body. Another is somewhat infamously, Ted Levine's transvestite bedroom dance. This sets a pattern of the movie not as entertainment. But as hard realism.
2.
It was hard enough to explain what makes the above movie so great and I didn't even scratch the surface. With this one, I won't even try. Fargo is the rare kind of movie where watching it, I think it made me smarter. After this, Citizen Kane was a breeze. Even foreign films like The Vanishing are easier to swallow when you can feel intelligence seep through every pore of a film. The Coen brothers are famous for that. They're plain geniuses. I think this might easily be their best film. Just look at how many people this movie made stars! I'll bet I was the only person who noticed, for example, that one of the 2 bar prostitutes (Melissa Peterson) actually moved on to be one of the major cast members of a hugely successful sitcom after this. And finally, people started paying attention to Steve Buscemi.
3.
That's supposed to say "The" Piano, but it's the best cover available. There's an excellent episode of Coupling that mentions this movie and how women find it incredibly erotic. In that scene, they were discussing pornography and there's actually a great plot to another sitcom, Cybill (yes, the disaster that Cybill Shepherd was in), about Cybill and Marianne being auditioned to write a porno film that women would actually want to rent. Wait, am I being coy? If I am, I'll just come right out and say it: The Piano is about sex. But, in the most polite and dignified of ways. And... I think Harvey Keitel goes full-frontal. Which is all I needed to make me a fan of this movie. What I honestly think makes this movie so good is that it's one of those period films where people speak all proper, poetic British / Colonial-English, yet Holly Hunter is kinda turned into a nympho by Harvey. She's forced to marry Sam Neill who she doesn't love, and on their first night alone, she becomes eager to see what the guy's got. In spite of the fact that she doesn't love him, she's not only willing to have sex with him, but she's actually interested to see if he has a nice body. This shocks the hell out of him, in case you haven't seen this.
4.
Not only does this single-handedly bring back the popcorn-horror film but it remains an underrated innovator of pitch-black observational humor. You know the type- where you're not supposed to laugh. It's not ironic exactly, just really nasty and take-no-prisoners. The cheerleader scene is one. I'm sorry; don't remember a cheerleader? She's in the bathroom, talking to her friend about who the killer could be. She wants it to be Sidney Prescott, the movie's Laurie Strode / Nancy Thompson = virginal heroine, because her and her gal pals think her boyfriend Billy is dreamy. But as I hope you know because you've seen the movie, Billy is the killer. These girls are so unbelievably naive, they would probably like to have Billy to themselves. But he and his partner have a thing for trying to kill their girlfriends, as Randy mentions in the video store: "there's always some bullshit reason to kill your girlfriend." Even if you don't like Scream, you have to admit that dialogue is brilliant- especially in the cheerleader scene. She suggests teens only commit suicide because it's trendy, and are equally as likely to turn to homicide for self-therapy! And there are dozens of other, nearly-equally dark and hilarious bits to this (again, I got to say it) underrated horror masterpiece.
5.
Please don't ask me what I'm thinking by putting this one on the list (next thing you know, Wild Things will be #6). It's so derivative that it should be a terrible movie, but it knows it's derivative- that's the point. It's a fan movie, really. It's the kind of movie Eli Roth was trying to make when he did Cabin Fever (the two directors were truly separated at birth). The fact that it should be a terrible movie would make it a bad movie were this not in fact so much better than most of the movies it's obsessed with. Californian mobsters? White men who think they're black? A black man married to twigStar supreme Uma Thurman (I didn't look myself but I'd bet you dollars for donuts that she's got no ass), who would have been a fixture of the heroine chic fashion movement had she not been a major character in 1987's Dangerous Liaisons. Let's face it- if only The Mask had come out a year earlier, Marsellus Wallace would surely rather have married Cameron Diaz. At least she has curves. I have lots of love for Uma as an actress (she really shines in Final Analysis!), but like so many Euro-skinny, flower-esque beautiful women (paging: Linda Fiorentino), the curviest thing about her is her face. Or that wig.
Long story short: this movie lacks street cred, even in L.A. But it's so absurd that it's actually completely watchable. Even when Tarantino's trying to milk a great performance out of one-note Bruce Willis, who (don't get me wrong) plays a better internal-evoking intense than any other action hero out there but the fact that he plays a boxer that many people mistake as a dumb side of beef is somewhat fitting. Aside from his story in this wannabe-70's anthology (the weakest of the set), well... it's practically the Hairspray of the 90's. Got a good beat and you can dance to it. Even if you're like me and you resent that you're somehow enjoying a film with absolutely no clue as to what gets gay guys off (what gay technical adviser in the world would approve the Gimp & Ball scene as-is?). I personally like Jackie Brown a great deal better and that would have made the list, but damn were those scenes with Robert De Niro and Bridget Fonda alone BORING!
6.
Well whaddya know? ...
I guess I would have pumped up this list with a lot of foreign films (were I not such a typical American) and serious dramas (other than The Piano, that is - that's just the only one that resonated with me). But I've grown quite fond of the underdog movies. With a cast including Neve Campbell, Matt Dillon, and Denise Richards, this thing was destined to be written off as a teen flick. This is anything but a teen flick. In fact, even though it panders to straight guys with a ridiculous amount of mainstream-lesbiana and girls getting soapy scenes, I admire the intelligence of this film. Which arrives in the form of subversive 80's horror director John McNaughton (a member of Mick Garris's Masters of Horror alum). You might not have seen Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer or The Borrower, but if you had- you'd know this guy doesn't direct a thing just to get teens to go see it. This erotic thriller might (sans teeny bopper appeal) seem 4 years late for the bandwagon but that's because it's freaking hilarious! If you don't believe me, just read Roger Ebert's review (I'm talking to you, Steve 
), which is probably the funniest thing he's ever written as a critic.
He's got the right idea. This movie is almost like a one-two-three punch satire of soap operas, teen exploitation pics, and detective films (all of which had grown desperately stale by 1998 and were ripe for the picking). When I first saw this, I was disappointed by the scene that suggested Kevin Bacon's character might have had a thing for Matt Dillon (did taking the shower get him hard or was it the idea that Matt's Sam Lombardo might soon show up?) yet didn't have the balls to follow through on it. But since this is a twister which doesn't stop twisting... they just wanted to get on with the story. And the ending finds one character nesting with a large sum of money. All alone? No man or wo-man by her side? Seems kind of lonely, doesn't it? But Bill Murray's "be a good girl now" makes her smile. And that's a sweet sentiment.
7.
Not now! I'm on a roll...
I don't mean to give any film more credit than it may deserve. But this one deserves an award. Why? Because I can't stand Brad Pitt. However, this movie finds a way to make good use of him for a change (and that's a miracle) by taking the drifter character he played so definitively in Thelma & Louise, and giving him a sinister edge. Pitt was always considered in the 90's the "Sexiest Man Alive" (for the adult mags) and "Cutest Guy Alive" (for the teen mags)... until Leonardo DiCaprio came along but God help me, that's another Pandora's Box altogether (and shockingly enough, one I dispise more than the mob of Pitt-fans who insists he's God's gift to women and gay men). And I just don't see it. Maybe he reminds me too much of my brother. Or maybe it was the long-haired, prose-accented sissy he played in Interview with a Vampire that turned me off of him forever. Long hair is usually a deal-breaker for me. Only professional wrestlers can pull off long hair and somehow be sexy.
Maybe it's always that women are crazy for his hair. And hair not on his head, especially his beard or chest hair. Another male trait vastly overrated by women in the mainstream. Either way, I had one point ranting on and on about Brad Pitt's status as "Male God" (actually, he does kind of look like a God, doesn't he? The kinds we see in Mythology books, less like humans and more like dolls or statues - boring). But my main point about this movie, other than the fact that Pitt plays one hell of a serial killer (far more menacing and less annoying than Kevin Spacey's John Doe in Se7en), is that... well, it's not really very much about him. The other actors and characters are given equal time to shine and potent moments to enrich the story. Then, the action is actually exciting without being over-the-top. You can feel the air of poetic, sweet drama and tragedy like never before in classics such as Bonnie & Clyde or Rebel Without a Cause. This thriller has everything a good intelligent movie should have. It's a real rarity of the genre.
Here's what I drummed up
(Warning for: SPOILERS!!)
Let's have a little informal fun with movies and talk: best movies of each decade. Here, it's the 1990's all over again (I woulda made a lousy DJ). This is not a place for favorites. Before you put a movie down, I want you to have thought about it quite a lot. I mean, if you think Kevin Smith's a genius, I can't stop you from naming all his movies but don't forget about the other great stuff (again: cheeseball). Let's try to think about ground-breaking movies and what made the movies so great, etc. Not just what kept our eyes open. Because the 90's also had a lot of crap and filler come out. Especially all the worthless disaster movies that helped dumb audiences down to where they are now. But if you think one disaster movie rises above all others... tell us. You don't have to have a list, just think of a few or so.
Here are a few that leap right to the top of my head:
1.
I think it's pretty obvious what makes this one such a masterpiece and I think inarguably the best movie of the entire decade. But the most memorable element is Hannibal Lecter and he could have failed had this movie not had Anthony Hopkins playing him. That performance makes him probably the single greatest villain in cinema history. This movie also belongs to a somewhat bygone era of Uncomfortable Movies. Ultra-confrontational, cold and matter-of-fact, forcing us to sit and watch things we really wouldn't ever want to see happening in real life yet the movie's so good, we can't walk away. One is the examination of Fredrica Bimmel's body. Another is somewhat infamously, Ted Levine's transvestite bedroom dance. This sets a pattern of the movie not as entertainment. But as hard realism.
2.
It was hard enough to explain what makes the above movie so great and I didn't even scratch the surface. With this one, I won't even try. Fargo is the rare kind of movie where watching it, I think it made me smarter. After this, Citizen Kane was a breeze. Even foreign films like The Vanishing are easier to swallow when you can feel intelligence seep through every pore of a film. The Coen brothers are famous for that. They're plain geniuses. I think this might easily be their best film. Just look at how many people this movie made stars! I'll bet I was the only person who noticed, for example, that one of the 2 bar prostitutes (Melissa Peterson) actually moved on to be one of the major cast members of a hugely successful sitcom after this. And finally, people started paying attention to Steve Buscemi.
3.
That's supposed to say "The" Piano, but it's the best cover available. There's an excellent episode of Coupling that mentions this movie and how women find it incredibly erotic. In that scene, they were discussing pornography and there's actually a great plot to another sitcom, Cybill (yes, the disaster that Cybill Shepherd was in), about Cybill and Marianne being auditioned to write a porno film that women would actually want to rent. Wait, am I being coy? If I am, I'll just come right out and say it: The Piano is about sex. But, in the most polite and dignified of ways. And... I think Harvey Keitel goes full-frontal. Which is all I needed to make me a fan of this movie. What I honestly think makes this movie so good is that it's one of those period films where people speak all proper, poetic British / Colonial-English, yet Holly Hunter is kinda turned into a nympho by Harvey. She's forced to marry Sam Neill who she doesn't love, and on their first night alone, she becomes eager to see what the guy's got. In spite of the fact that she doesn't love him, she's not only willing to have sex with him, but she's actually interested to see if he has a nice body. This shocks the hell out of him, in case you haven't seen this.
4.
Not only does this single-handedly bring back the popcorn-horror film but it remains an underrated innovator of pitch-black observational humor. You know the type- where you're not supposed to laugh. It's not ironic exactly, just really nasty and take-no-prisoners. The cheerleader scene is one. I'm sorry; don't remember a cheerleader? She's in the bathroom, talking to her friend about who the killer could be. She wants it to be Sidney Prescott, the movie's Laurie Strode / Nancy Thompson = virginal heroine, because her and her gal pals think her boyfriend Billy is dreamy. But as I hope you know because you've seen the movie, Billy is the killer. These girls are so unbelievably naive, they would probably like to have Billy to themselves. But he and his partner have a thing for trying to kill their girlfriends, as Randy mentions in the video store: "there's always some bullshit reason to kill your girlfriend." Even if you don't like Scream, you have to admit that dialogue is brilliant- especially in the cheerleader scene. She suggests teens only commit suicide because it's trendy, and are equally as likely to turn to homicide for self-therapy! And there are dozens of other, nearly-equally dark and hilarious bits to this (again, I got to say it) underrated horror masterpiece.
5.
Please don't ask me what I'm thinking by putting this one on the list (next thing you know, Wild Things will be #6). It's so derivative that it should be a terrible movie, but it knows it's derivative- that's the point. It's a fan movie, really. It's the kind of movie Eli Roth was trying to make when he did Cabin Fever (the two directors were truly separated at birth). The fact that it should be a terrible movie would make it a bad movie were this not in fact so much better than most of the movies it's obsessed with. Californian mobsters? White men who think they're black? A black man married to twigStar supreme Uma Thurman (I didn't look myself but I'd bet you dollars for donuts that she's got no ass), who would have been a fixture of the heroine chic fashion movement had she not been a major character in 1987's Dangerous Liaisons. Let's face it- if only The Mask had come out a year earlier, Marsellus Wallace would surely rather have married Cameron Diaz. At least she has curves. I have lots of love for Uma as an actress (she really shines in Final Analysis!), but like so many Euro-skinny, flower-esque beautiful women (paging: Linda Fiorentino), the curviest thing about her is her face. Or that wig.
Long story short: this movie lacks street cred, even in L.A. But it's so absurd that it's actually completely watchable. Even when Tarantino's trying to milk a great performance out of one-note Bruce Willis, who (don't get me wrong) plays a better internal-evoking intense than any other action hero out there but the fact that he plays a boxer that many people mistake as a dumb side of beef is somewhat fitting. Aside from his story in this wannabe-70's anthology (the weakest of the set), well... it's practically the Hairspray of the 90's. Got a good beat and you can dance to it. Even if you're like me and you resent that you're somehow enjoying a film with absolutely no clue as to what gets gay guys off (what gay technical adviser in the world would approve the Gimp & Ball scene as-is?). I personally like Jackie Brown a great deal better and that would have made the list, but damn were those scenes with Robert De Niro and Bridget Fonda alone BORING!
6.
Well whaddya know? ...
I guess I would have pumped up this list with a lot of foreign films (were I not such a typical American) and serious dramas (other than The Piano, that is - that's just the only one that resonated with me). But I've grown quite fond of the underdog movies. With a cast including Neve Campbell, Matt Dillon, and Denise Richards, this thing was destined to be written off as a teen flick. This is anything but a teen flick. In fact, even though it panders to straight guys with a ridiculous amount of mainstream-lesbiana and girls getting soapy scenes, I admire the intelligence of this film. Which arrives in the form of subversive 80's horror director John McNaughton (a member of Mick Garris's Masters of Horror alum). You might not have seen Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer or The Borrower, but if you had- you'd know this guy doesn't direct a thing just to get teens to go see it. This erotic thriller might (sans teeny bopper appeal) seem 4 years late for the bandwagon but that's because it's freaking hilarious! If you don't believe me, just read Roger Ebert's review (I'm talking to you, Steve 
), which is probably the funniest thing he's ever written as a critic.He's got the right idea. This movie is almost like a one-two-three punch satire of soap operas, teen exploitation pics, and detective films (all of which had grown desperately stale by 1998 and were ripe for the picking). When I first saw this, I was disappointed by the scene that suggested Kevin Bacon's character might have had a thing for Matt Dillon (did taking the shower get him hard or was it the idea that Matt's Sam Lombardo might soon show up?) yet didn't have the balls to follow through on it. But since this is a twister which doesn't stop twisting... they just wanted to get on with the story. And the ending finds one character nesting with a large sum of money. All alone? No man or wo-man by her side? Seems kind of lonely, doesn't it? But Bill Murray's "be a good girl now" makes her smile. And that's a sweet sentiment.
7.
Not now! I'm on a roll...
I don't mean to give any film more credit than it may deserve. But this one deserves an award. Why? Because I can't stand Brad Pitt. However, this movie finds a way to make good use of him for a change (and that's a miracle) by taking the drifter character he played so definitively in Thelma & Louise, and giving him a sinister edge. Pitt was always considered in the 90's the "Sexiest Man Alive" (for the adult mags) and "Cutest Guy Alive" (for the teen mags)... until Leonardo DiCaprio came along but God help me, that's another Pandora's Box altogether (and shockingly enough, one I dispise more than the mob of Pitt-fans who insists he's God's gift to women and gay men). And I just don't see it. Maybe he reminds me too much of my brother. Or maybe it was the long-haired, prose-accented sissy he played in Interview with a Vampire that turned me off of him forever. Long hair is usually a deal-breaker for me. Only professional wrestlers can pull off long hair and somehow be sexy.
Maybe it's always that women are crazy for his hair. And hair not on his head, especially his beard or chest hair. Another male trait vastly overrated by women in the mainstream. Either way, I had one point ranting on and on about Brad Pitt's status as "Male God" (actually, he does kind of look like a God, doesn't he? The kinds we see in Mythology books, less like humans and more like dolls or statues - boring). But my main point about this movie, other than the fact that Pitt plays one hell of a serial killer (far more menacing and less annoying than Kevin Spacey's John Doe in Se7en), is that... well, it's not really very much about him. The other actors and characters are given equal time to shine and potent moments to enrich the story. Then, the action is actually exciting without being over-the-top. You can feel the air of poetic, sweet drama and tragedy like never before in classics such as Bonnie & Clyde or Rebel Without a Cause. This thriller has everything a good intelligent movie should have. It's a real rarity of the genre.
