This one's pretty self-explanatory. Ian had to again sit this one out, but we're very hopeful that he'll be back next month. If anyone would actually comment on our message boards about the lists (and perhaps offer your own), that might be all the encouragement he needs.
As always, enjoy...
10.) Brother's Keeper (1992/Dir. Joe Berlinger): If David Lynch ever made a real life documentary, it would look like Brother's Keeper, the most startlingly fascinating documentary I have ever watched. It is the story of the Ward Brothers, four elderly, illiterate farming brothers living in the woods in a ramshackle hut, somewhere in the middle of New York State. All they want is to be left alone to raise their chickens and cows. But when one of the brothers dies under mysterious circumstances, the local and national media frenzy assures that their peaceful isolation is gone forever. Was it murder? Euthanasia? An accident? Incest gone bad? Astoundingly, they are all possibilities. Older brother Delbert Ward is charged with homicide, and the legal chaos begins. What follows is a fascinating look at the bizarre lives of the brothers and the backwoods mentality of their small town, as well as the unorthodox murder trial. Directed by Joe Berlinger (who also directed the exceptional documentary Paradise Lost a few years later), Brother's Keeper is a bizarre, creepy, funny and sometimes touching look at small town America that has never been equaled on film. And it's all real. I don't want to say too much about this movie, because it is a truly remarkable film to discover on your own, but rest assured, you will never forget it.
9.) The Big Lebowski (1998/Dir. Joel Coen): The Coen Brothers followed up their brilliant Fargo with this wacky, offbeat comedy of errors. Jeff Bridges gives a career performance as "The Dude," a burned out bum with aspirations of nothing much more than raising his bowling average and getting high. But when he is mistaken for a local millionaire with his same last name, life takes a sharp left for "The Dude." John Goodman and Steve Buscemi are his buddies, Julianne Moore is a loopy artist, Philip Seymour Hoffman is a snooty personal assistant, John Turturro is a hardcore bowling archenemy, and David Huddleston is the snooty millionaire. This movie took a while to grow on me, but it has blossomed into one of my favorite film comedies.
8.) Waiting For Guffman (1996/Dir. Christopher Guest): This is the funniest movie I have ever seen. Few movies will ever bring me the pure, unadulterated joy that Waiting For Guffman brings me upon every single viewing. This faux documentary, about a small town in Missouri planning a stage musical to celebrate their town's birthday, is amazing in that, although it is completely improvised by the genius comedic cast (Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, and more), it consistently maintains its homespun feel. They just become the characters. This must have been a difficult film to pull off, but it is perfect. Flawless. Hilarious. Do yourself a favor and rent it.
7.) Unforgiven (1992/Dir. Clint Eastwood): This is my all-time favorite Western, but it is so much more. It is a story of redemption, morality and, of course, bloody pasts that can never really be forgotten or forgiven. What is so great about Unforgiven are the gray areas surrounding every character. Clint's William Munny was a bad, bad man to be sure, but now wants to find peace. Gene Hackman's Little Bill is a "good guy," but his Sheriff has some of the darkest edges of the film. Some people complain that the Richard Harris subplot is unnecessary, but I simply disagree. A lesser film might have cut this portion. But Unforgiven is a film about turning the glorified myth of the Old West on its ear, and it is this subplot -- the aging gunfighter caught in the lies of his legend -- that puts the entire movie into focus. A great, great film.
6.) Goodfellas (1990/Dir. Martin Scorsese): Please remember everyone, Martin Scorsese lost the Oscar for Best Director to Kevin Costner in this year. I mention it to make sure no one forgets the bloodiest crime of the 1990's. O.J. Simpson is nothing compared to the Academy. Has anyone watched Dances With Wolves more than once? I haven't. But I bet you have watched Goodfellas countless times. I bet you can almost recite every beautiful line of dialogue. It is Scorsese's crowning achievement as a film director, and it just keeps getting better after every viewing.
5.) Groundhog Day (1993/Dir. Harold Ramis): Groundhog Day drops my jaw to the floor after every viewing. I have seen it nearly 20 times, and I always have that reaction. Bill Murray gives his best performance (and that is saying something) as the self-involved weatherman forced to relive his worst day over and over (the annual Groundhog Day festivities in Punxatawney, PA) until he gets it right. Chris Elliott, Andie MacDowell and Steven Tobolowsky (hilarious) all contribute quality performances, and Harold Ramis shows a director's touch that is unexpected and wonderful. This is an American classic, and it will be more respected as time goes by. I kind of can't wait until I'm 70 years old, sitting around the TV with my grandchildren at Christmastime, watching the annual holiday rotation of classic films; The Wizard of Oz, It's A Wonderful Life, and Groundhog Day.
4.) A Bronx Tale (1993/Dir. Robert De Niro): A Bronx Tale is surely inspired by the films of Martin Scorsese, and is directed by the frequent star of his films, but it somehow delivers a different sort of emotional wallop that moves me every time. Set in a 1950's and 60's New York Italian neighborhood, it is a story of good vs. evil; the efforts of a father to raise his son on the straight and narrow vs. the son's attraction to the seductive world of a local mobster and his gang down the street. Robert De Niro delivers a stunning directorial debut with A Bronx Tale, adapted from a play by Chazz Palminteri, who plays the mobster. But it is De Niro's performance as the struggling father that really stands out to me as one of the finest of his career. He is the "working man," trying to save his son from the dangerous grasp of Palminteri's smooth talking gangster. But Palminteri isn't just a cardboard villain. He is another sort of father figure, one that genuinely cares for the boy, in his own way. There are no black and white villains in A Bronx Tale, just two men who made different career plans. This film just hits me on such an emotional level every time I see it that I don't feel I can put into words. It is just beautiful.
3.) JFK (1991/Dir. Oliver Stone): Stone's epic conspiracy theory is a wonder to behold. Whatever you think about the assassination of President Kennedy, it really doesn't matter. Stone throws so many possibilities at you, it borders on overwhelming. Based on the book by Jim Garrison, who steadfastly refuted the Warren Commission's findings on the matter and went to court to prove it, this is a fascinating dissection of all the elements of that horrible day in Dallas. Kevin Costner is solid as the adamant Garrison, and a whole list of Hollywood's finest fill in the supporting roles brilliantly, particularly Tommy Lee Jones and Joe Pesci. This is an amazing film, probably Stone's best, and is a must see.
2.) Glengarry Glen Ross (1992/Dir. James Foley): Stage to screen adaptations are generally tough to pull off, but David Mamet's Pulitzer Prize winning play Glengarry Glen Ross was born for film. It is a riveting, electric masterpiece of lost souls, desperate crimes, and devastating consequences. Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris and Alan Arkin play four pathetic real estate salesmen, pulling out every scheme in the book to con innocent people into purchasing the same worthless land, over and over. But there is hope...the new Glengarry leads are in, but only the salesman worthy of them will ever get the chance at glory. The cast is all too amazing for words, but I must mention Jack Lemmon, whose Shelley "the Machine" Levine is one of the most complex and heartbreaking characters I have ever witnessed on film. The fact that Oscar eluded Lemmon in his finest hour is very sad indeed. Glengarry Glen Ross is amazing.
1.) Fargo (1996/ Dir. Joel Coen): I suppose not much has to be said here. Fargo
is to cinema what Hamlet is to literature. Fargo
is film poetry. I could write more, but I want to go watch it
again right now.
RYAN
KUGLER:
10.) Fight Club (1999/Dir. David Fincher):
At anytime, this 10th position could be occupied by any one of
these titles: Chasing Amy, Dazed and Confused, The
Doors, Ed Wood, Fargo, Kids, LA Confidential,
Natural Born Killers, Rushmore, The Thin Red
Line, True Romance and Unforgiven. Today, as
I write this list, the number 10 film is Fight Club (because
I'm in that kind of a mood). Simply put, this film kicks so much
ass, it's not even funny. I read the book that it's based on,
and it's a great adaptation that retains the flavor of the provocative
material. David Fincher did a masterful job of directing and coaxed
a couple of amazing performances out of both Brad Pitt and Edward
Norton (my favorite actor of the 90's). The final image played
against a track by the Pixies is one of the most haunting ever
and gives me the chills every time I see it.
9.) Trainspotting (1996/Dir. Danny Boyle): What the hell happened to Danny Boyle? A Life Less Ordinary? The Beach? Come back to us. Anyway, I enjoyed his first feature Shallow Grave, but wasn't at all prepared for the pure shot of adrenalin that he had in store for me with his follow-up. Trainspotting is a pure rush. I love its cast (especially Robert Carlyle as a hard c**t named Begbie), its energy, its music, its philosophy (don't worry, I'm no junkie) and everything else. Writing about it makes me want to throw the Canadian Import DVD (with deleted scenes and interviews) into the player at this very moment. Excuse me.
8.) The Player (1992/Dir. Robert Altman): "One of us. One of us." Any film that quotes Tod Browning's 1930's shocker Freaks deserves a spot on a best of list. This satire about Hollywood is both my favorite Altman film and one of my all-time favorite comedies. Tim Robbins is perfect as arrogant studio executive Griffin Mills, a guy who receives threatening postcards from a screenwriter he once rejected. The Player was best known as the film that featured tons of celebrity cameos. They're fun to pick out (kind of like a celebrity Where's Waldo?), but it's the smaller moments between Robbins and co-stars Peter Gallagher (as a rival), Lyle Lovett (as a creepy cop) and Vincent D'Onofrio (as a guy who may or may not be a stalker), that are most memorable.
7.) Glengarry Glenross (1992/Dir. James Foley): I've seen this adaptation of David Mamet's stage play about salesmen more times than any other title on this list. I love every second of it and can trade quotes with the best of them. It could have been boring as hell (a group of guys talking in a room), but the writing and ensemble acting is so accomplished and impressive that a simple conversation is as exciting as any action scene in any James Cameron movie. Cursing is an art form to Mamet and you've never heard the F-word spoken as eloquently or as often as you do here. Glengarry warrants inclusion on this list if for no other reason than Alec Baldwin's ten-minute cameo (the best work of his career and one of the highlights of my movie going life).
6.) Heat (1995/Dir. Michael Mann): This is my favorite cop flick of all time, my favorite Mann film of all time, it contains my favorite shoot-out scene of all time and stars two of my favorite actors of all time. Enough said.
5.) JFK (1991/Dir. Oliver Stone): The editing. Oh my god, the editing in this flick is the shit. Every time I watch it, I imagine how hard and challenging it must have been to assemble this thing. As he later went on to do in both Natural Born Killers and Nixon, Stone masterfully blends color, black and white, stock footage, 8 millimeter, 16 millimeter and all kinds of other goodies to tell his always compelling theory on the Kennedy assassination. JFK was the both the first and last three-and-a-half hour film that I saw in the theater during each of its first three days of release.
4.) Boogie Nights (1997/Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson): Has there been a more entertaining film since? This is a project that's in love with the art of filmmaking. P.T. successfully invokes the style and feel of Martin Scorcese (long, complex tracking shots, brilliant use of music), but it doesn't feel like a rip-off. Besides, if you're going to be influenced by another director, you can't do any better than the master. P.T. also accomplished something that no other director has been able to; he got a great, unselfconscious performance out of Mark Wahlberg. Boogie Nights is filled with classic scenes (Eddie's initial meeting with Reed, the stuff between Little Bill and his wife, Buck Swope at the Stereo shop, Scotty showing Dirk his new car, Dirk, Reed and Todd Parker chilling at Rahad Jackson's pad while Cosmo tosses firecrackers into the air, the final reveal and tons more), but it's the whole package that ends up being the most memorable and lasting of all.
3.) Reservoir Dogs/Pulp Fiction (1992/1996/Dir. Quentin Tarantino): So I cheated. It's my list; I can do what I want. I knew that one of these deserved to be in this position, but I couldn't decide which did more. I love them both equally and thought it'd be fair to the other films if I grouped them together, thereby leaving a position open. Pulp Fiction is probably the more entertaining and important (in terms of what it did for independent cinema) of the two, and it's without a doubt the most influential film of the 90's, but at the same time, Reservoir Dogs is one of the coolest and most hardcore crime dramas I've ever seen. I dream of the day when the rumored Vega Brothers (a prequel starring Michael Madsen as Vic Vega and John Travolta as Vince Vega) sees the light of day.
2.) Schindler's List (1993/Dir. Steven Spielberg): Sure it's good for you, but it's also an amazing achievement and easily one of the most powerful docudramas ever made. Spielberg directed this three-and-a-half hour, black and white (and beautifully shot) look at the Holocaust the same year that he made Jurassic Park, and the contrast between the two in both material and style shows how versatile a filmmaker he is. Liam Neeson gives a strong performance as the title character and Ben Kingsley is good (as always) in support, but it's the work of Ralph Fiennes (his big screen debut) as a sadistic Nazi (was there any other kind?) that still chills. Schindler's List is an unqualified masterpiece and would have easily been number one if not for the fact that one of my top ten films of all time was released in the same decade.
1.) Goodfellas (1990/Dir. Martin Scorsese): This is arguably Martin Scorsese's greatest achievement (saying a lot) and one of the most perfect pieces of cinema ever created. Everything about this epic look at several decades in the life of mobster Henry Hill (Ray Liotta, who's never been better) and his cronies is awe-inspiring. The performances by Joe Pesci, Robert DeNiro, Paul Sorvino and Lorraine Bracco are amazing, the cinematography and editing is flawless and the music (especially the use of the Sid Vicious rendition of "My Way") blends perfectly with the images. I still wake up some nights in a cold sweat, deeply disturbed that Kevin Costner has a directing Oscar (which he won this very year for Dances with Wolves, which took best picture) and Scorsese doesn't. Besides Goodfellas (which many critics picked as the #1 of the 90's), Scorsese has the distinction of directing what many consider the best film of the 70's (Taxi Driver) and the 80's (Raging Bull). Let's hope that Gangs of New York is as good as it looks, so that the tradition can continue.
10.) Hoop Dreams (1994/Dir. Steve James): One of the most entertaining 3-hour films (and documentaries) you could ever hope to see. Hoop Dreams is a mammoth achievement, as it documents five years in the lives of promising, teenaged Chicago-area basketball players William Gates and Arthur Agee. A movie that highlights the marvelous skills of these talented athletes, depicts the struggles of growing up in the inner city and exposes the enormous pressure put upon teenagers by our sports obsessed society.
9.) The Butcher Boy (1997/Dir. Neal Jordan): A darkly comedic, daring and intense film that puts the rest of Neil Jordan's work to shame. Young Eamon Owens is fantastic as Francie Brady, a deeply troubled boy in 60's Ireland, who has the proverbial odds stacked against him and doesn't overcome them. It 's bleak without being depressing, and one of the most brutally realistic coming-of-age stories ever put to film.
8.) Heavenly Creatures (1994/Dir. Peter Jackson): I raved about this film in a previous top 10 list, so I'll just mention how strange it is that I paid to see the haunting and mesmerizing Heavenly Creatures in the theater 4 or 5 times, have checked it out on cable and video just as many times, but have still yet to catch Lord of the Rings (Peter Jackson directed both films for those missing the connection).
7.) King of the Hill (1993/Dir. Steven Soderbergh): Another film that made one of my other top 10 lists. Until last December, Soderbergh was my next-door neighbor. In case your reading this Steven, you'll be happy to know that your former building was just painted in the past few weeks and looks much better now. I hope New York is treating you well.
6.) Trainspotting (1996/Dir. Danny Boyle): I can only guess that Danny Boyle had a lobotomy after this film, as I don't think I've ever seen a career plummet at a more frenzied speed. On a level of pure entertainment, Trainspotting and Boogie Nights are the two films of the 90's I could sit through the most. It may have a flashy visual style, but it's completely in concert with the tone of the material. Fantastic acting and what a great soundtrack too.
5.) Fargo (1996/Dir. Joel Coen): The Coen Brothers may have hit home runs with Blood Simple and Miller's Crossing, but with Fargo they connect for a grand slam. The humor, the suspense and the off-beat, yet magical touch of Joel and Ethan all coalesce in this magnificently original crime-drama. William H. Macy is wonderful as the hapless Jerry Lundegaard, and this just may be Steve Buscemi's finest hour. Unfortunately, I haven't cared for a Coen Brothers film since.
4.) To Live (1994/Dir. Zhang Yimou): China's Zhang Yimou, I would argue, is one the greatest filmmakers currently on the face of the earth, and To Live is his masterpiece. Epic in scope, as the film looks at 40 tumultuous years in the life of a Chinese family, but Yimou's power lies in the depth of his humanism and how he's able to so richly capture the smaller moments. A film I don't think I can sit through without crying... and I'm only a tiny bit embarrassed to admit that.
3.) Man Bites Dog (1992/Dir. Remy Belvaux, Andre Bonzel, Benoit Poelvoorde): The greatest mockumentary ever made, and if a more provocative movie was released in the 90's, I certainly don't know of it. This Belgian film provides possibly the greatest commentary ever on the sickness of a mass media spawned culture infatuated with violence, yet communicates its message without any sort of heavy handedness. It's disturbing, it's funny and, if you're a mature person over the age of 18, it's something you need to see.
2.) Reservoir Dogs (1992/Dir. Quentin Tarantino): Yes, I liked it more than Pulp Fiction... a lot more, actually. Some of the dialogue may call attention to itself a bit much, but the structure of this crime tale is tight as a drum (with a tip of the hat to Kurosawa's Rashomon). The opening coffee shop scene is still the best thing Tarantino's ever written, and after the opening credit sequence, the tension level is immediately set to the max and refuses to come down for an instant. The movie that made being a film geek acceptable.
1.) Goodfellas (1990/Dir. Martin Scorsese): Sorry to be so predictable. Scorsese is my all
time favorite director -- sue me. I'll never forget skipping school
the opening day of this film's release, so I could catch the first
matinee. There's nothing about this film that isn't absolutely
awe-inspiring, and if per chance you haven't seen it, then I grant
you permission to log off this website and sprint down to the
video store. A cinematic treasure and completely essential viewing.
And can you believe that Goodfellas only ranks fourth on
my list of Scorsese favorites? Yup, it's right there after The
Age of Innocence, New York, New York and Michael Jackson's
"Bad" video.
Unless you're Borg, you think we left some movies out, or were
crazy to include others. Are you Borg? Tell
us in the Message Boards.
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