 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Posted: |
Sep 11, 2013 - 11:02 AM
|
|
|
|
By: |
mastadge
(Member)
|
So this is a year where several childhood favorites -- Scissorhands, Tremors, Turtles -- ended up trumping some possibly more deserving films. But, y'know, I think I'll stand by it until I revisit them and prove myself wrong, or not. In any event it's not exactly a year jam-packed with movies I'd consider personal favorites. But here goes:
Miller's Crossing (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen)
Edward Scissorhands (Tim Burton)
Tremors (Ron Underwood)
GoodFellas (Martin Scorsese)
Jacob's Ladder (Adrian Lyne)
Mountains of the Moon (Bob Rafelson)
Treasure Island (Fraser Clarke Heston)
Europa Europa (Agnieszka Holland)
An Angel at My Table (Jane Campion)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Steve Barron)
Others of note: Cyrano de Bergerac, La Femme Nikita, Dreams, Reversal of Fortune, The Grifters, The Hunt for Red October, Ju Dou, My Mother's Castle, Truly Madly Deeply, Shipwrecked, Vincent & Theo, Metropolitan, Dances With Wolves, Total Recall, Misery, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Avalon, The Nasty Girl, Close-Up, Wild at Heart, Awakenings, The Field, Pump Up the Volume, Quick Change, Quigley Down Under, Presumed Innocent, Journey of Hope, Days of Being Wild, White Hunter, Black Heart, Back to the Future Part III, Die Hard 2, Alice, Arachnophobia, Hamlet, Joe vs the Volcano, The Exorcist 3, Gremlins 2, My Blue Heaven, Life is Sweet, Home Alone, Darkman, The Witches, Ghost, Kindergarten Cop
What are your favorites of the year? What have I missed? What should I check out?
Previous years:
1983 & 1984: http://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=98398
1985: http://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=98451
1986: http://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=98490
1987: http://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=98554
1988: http://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=98660
1989: http://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=98706
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Sep 11, 2013 - 11:19 AM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Ado
(Member)
|
I realized what a terrific picture Die Hard 2 is some years later.
I recall Roger Ebert raved about it and I thought he was crazy.
I was bothered by the absurdity of the story.
But I watched it more later, and I realized how totally entertaining it is, granted that it is somewhat dated by the wall to wall profanities that were common at that time. It is well paced with a lot of atmosphere, and some pretty excellent action violence.
Total Recall was another escapist delight, I recall watching it at the 70mm Continental in Denver at the time. The first time I was totally amazed how violent it was, like the most violent Hollywood picture I had seen. The effects were so brilliantly non-CG. That whole Mars exterior with the tram and the mountains - a large scale model - amazing. Then there was that Goldsmith score, and that, again, was like - this is some totally different kind of action scoring - like brute force violent orchestra, throwing out pretty action scoring for that amazing thing Jerry did. I watched the film repeatedly.
Hunt for Red October, wow, what a great picture. Probably the best picture Alec Baldwin has ever made. Not sure, would it be as good without Connery? Probably not. Yeah, it is probably a little too long, but again, the coolness of real physical effects - sub models shot on a soundstage, no CG - great stuff. And those sub sets were on massive gimbals that actually turned and pitched. Great. It is almost perfect, except for that next to last scene with Connery and Baldwin acting in front of the green screen on top of the sub. That was not pulled off well.
John McTiernan was a talented guy, too bad where all that went.
Home Alone is now a Christmas classic that I play with the kid every year. Really a good picture.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1. Goodfellas (Scorsese)
2. Miller’s Crossing (the Coens)
3. The Godfather Part III (Coppola)
Gangster films make my top 3.
4. Metropolitan (Stillman)
One of the wittiest screenplays...ever.
5. Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams (Kurosawa)
In ill health and 80 years old, the Japanese master delivers a visual feast.
6. Texasville (Bogdanovich)
Moving sequel to "The Last Picture Show."
7. The Exorcist III (Blatty)
Who else but original author Blatty (who adapted his sequel novel "Legion") to make a proper "Exorcist" film?
8. Where the Heart Is (Boorman)
Speaking of "Exorcist" sequels, Boorman directed the "II" misfire, but fortunately went back to making excellent films like this comedy.
9. Alice (Allen)
I run hot and cold on my opinions of Woody's movies --- this is one of his very best.
10. Longtime Companion (Rene)
Just simply a terrific film about human relationships in my eyes.
also good: Jacob's Ladder (it's like a companion piece to "Angel Heart" (1987) to me - intense, mind-blowing, highly textured), Gremlins 2, Back to the Future III, The Russia House, Rosencrantz and Guldenstern are Dead.)
still need to see: Havana, Vincent and Theo.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Sep 11, 2013 - 12:11 PM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Ado
(Member)
|
ado, I never was able to get into Die Hard 2. Maybe I should revisit it?
I used to love Total Recall -- I was a huge Verhoeven fan. But I've found I've lost my taste for much of his stuff in the last few years, and an attempt to revisit this one when the remake was released did not go well. There's still much to love about it, including the goofy/awesome practical effects and, yes, the muscular score, but there's also much that I've found has either not aged well or that I have aged past. 
Somehow I never got into Red October, either. Not sure why -- there are plenty of good to great sub movies, and I just have very little interest in watching them. But I do still like Die Hard and Predator so maybe I should give this one another look as well!
I have not watched Total Recall in a while, I think my threshold for violence is much lower than what it was, I used to watch Clockwork Orange without a flinch, now I cannot watch it without some serious squirms. You very well could be right about it not aging well, not sure. But at the time - ya know - it was awesome.
Yeah, I think you should give Die Hard 2 a try, you need a proper copy, hopefully bluray and you need the sound with some volume to hear the effects and Kamen. It is basically an updated version of those Airport movies, a lot more gritty and violent. There is something cool too about the whole thing taking place in a snow storm, with Fred Dalton Thompson up in the control tower, the camera looking out 360 degrees onto a airfield covered with blizzard. Somehow the stakes seem higher, more personal in this one too, with the McClane character having his wife flying around in a plane that might be falling out of the sky. Beyond that there is this absurdity factor of 90's action, knife and fist fights on the airplane wing while it is moving, Bruce shooting himself out of the plane with the ejection seat, the fight in the baggage area, they go on and on. There are enough twists in there too. Yeah, it is absurdly violent, though somehow more tolerable than Total Recall or Clockwork Orange style. My wife kids at me every holiday because this is one of my Christmas movies. Yeah a Christmas movie with pervasive violence!
Red October, yeah, just try it again, hopefully - like I said with some loud sound too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mark, I always value your lists. There's always at least one or two on them that I either haven't seen and now need to, or that they make me want to re-evaluate for some odd reason!
Thank you! I feel the same way about your lists.  And I'm taking a cue from them now by adding bold text to my film titles.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
