Ah, we're into the 90s!

Catch up, catch up.

1990. Too many films I haven't seen in far too long. Many I haven't seen in 30 years. I was old enough to watch a lot of movies by this point. I actually just bought Dick Tracy on DVD, but am yet to open it. Two films stand out to me as my favorites in some order, neither on Slam's list.

Hunt for Red October and Home Alone, the latter being maybe the 3rd best Christmas movie ever, the former being perhaps the best spy thriller, and one of the two best submarine movies with a red-themed title of all time.

I think #3 is safely Miller's Crossing. I'm generally a fan of the Coen brothers and this is a solid gangster film. Yes, I'm going to claim heretically that it's the best gangster film of 1990.

I'm just going to admit I don't love Goodfellas. I like it. It's a contender for #4. But there's a lot of movies I watched aged 9 I'd consider first. Like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Or Dick Tracy or Ducktales: Treasure of the Lost Lamp. Heck, I recall Ghost Dad fondly from vague childhood memories, though the lead actor has fallen from grace in the time since. I recall Awakenings being fascinating, and recall Ghost fondly.

It's just been decades for all of them. I think for #4, I'll pick a film it's only been a decade or so since I've rewatched, Total Recall. Science fiction always gets an edge for me. Even if it diverges from Dick's story in many ways. The other contender for the #4 spot I'll give to Arachnophobia, with John Goodman's role as the exterminator being a highlight.

But, as is obvious, I could have gone many many ways for #4. This is a year full of movies I want to rewatch.

1992 is easy. There are three movies I think of as basically perfect films. One of them is A Few Good Men. Pretty close to my favorite movie of all time, after Lord of the Rings and Blade Runner.

But then another of my top 20ish movies of all time is from 1992, and that's Newsies. A childhood favorite that holds up. Alongside Singin' in the Rain for the greatest movie musical. And the reason I was so excited when Christian Bale was cast to be Batman. I made the mistake of seeing the stage adaptation on Broadway. It could only disappoint.

And then I could go a lot of ways. Plenty of childhood favorites I haven't seen in 30+ years. A League of their Own. Sister Act. The Bodyguard. The Mighty Ducks. Beethoven. I owe them all a rewatch.

I think I'll give #3 to Aladdin, continuing the Disney renaissance. But a close call is Ghibli and Miyazaki, for Porco Rosso.

#5 I could go a lot of ways. Reservoir Dogs, Unforgiven, etc.

But I think I'll give it to Spike Lee's Malcolm X.

Special shout-out for being itself to Dead Alive, also known as Braindead. Best portrayal of a kung-fu fighting priest who kicks ass for the Lord in the history of cinema. And the movie that convinced everybody that this was the man to direct Lord of the Rings.

1993 is also easy. My #1 film of the year and #4 film of all time is Jurassic Park. It became my favorite movie of all time when it was released. I'd already read the book twice and watched the film over and over. Probably why I'm here talking about movies today, and why Spielberg is pretty close to my favorite director ever.

I could then go lots of ways, but let's look to The Fugitive. I love action films and this is one of the best. And then Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. The Animated Series is how I really fell in love with Batman. I got to know him from the 60s show and Burton movie. But the series became my version of Batman.

I think I would then look to Nightmare Before Christmas and then to Schindler's List.

But with hesitancy. I also love Dazed and Confused and The Sandlot and either could easily be in the top 5.

I also have a fondness for The Pelican Brief, just a slick and clever thriller.

And then there's the old favorites I owe a rewatch: Rudy, Matinee, Dave, The Three Musketeers.

I don't like Home Alone at all.  I think I was just way too old when it came out.  

I liked Arachnophobia when it came out on video, but I haven't seen it in eons.  


I actively dislike A Few Good Men.  Just a cartoonishly silly legal movie.  

I think I'm too old for Nightmare Before Christmas, I just don't get the love.  But my oldest son (who's around your age) loves it.  

I HATE Rudy.  Whiny little git.  

The last week has been the drizzling shits at work and I'm on vacation most of next week.  So we'll see what we can do. 

Well it's been almost three weeks...but they've been very busy weeks.  So on to 1995.  And we'll just get this out of the way...there are two very popular and generally well reviewed movies of '95 that I hate.  Se7en and Braveheart.  So we aren't going to see them. 

Toy Story - It's very possible that this is the movie I've seen the most often in my life.  My two younger boys loved it when they were little and watched it over and over on video.  And it's the first movie that my middle son went to as my wife and I saw it in the theater when it came out (he was about six weeks old).  The animation was just astounding at the time.  And honestly I think that it holds up very well overall.  And the story is just incredible.  The voice work and casting is impeccable (and I say that as someone who loathes Tim Allen).  Just a ground-breaking film that stands up as a solid story and holds up to the test of time and repeated viewings.  



The Usual Suspects - It's actually been a fair while since I've seen this one.  But it stands out enough that I feel the need to mention it here as opposed to in the "too long" portion.  Mostly I think it's an interesting film that's not entirely successful and is maybe a little too clever by half.  But at least it's interesting.  And if it's dense, it's certainly rewarding if you pay attention.  That being said the combo of Bryan Singer and Kevin Spacey is just terribly problematic at this point.  



12 Monkeys - Another one that's on the edge of having been too long since I've seen it.  And another where the script is a bit of a jumble.  But I love the atmosphere.  Great performances by both Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt.  Really a triumph of atmosphere for Terry Gilliam.  



Heat - Again...it's been quite a while (I'm detecting a theme).  I remember everyone going nuts when the publicity started coming out for this about Pacino and De Niro being together.  And then they were in only a handful of scenes together.  Still it's a strong crime drama with a super solid cast from top to bottom.  I always love seeing Wes Studi and Danny Trejo in anything.  Michael Mann was on fire in the 90s.  



Casino - Yep..it's been quite a while.  I think this one maybe gets unfairly compared to Goodfellas.  It's a different film and it's doing different things.  It's not as intimate a look at a single mobster.  It's more interested in history, while still showing character.  I don't think it's as high in Scorcese's oeuvre as Goodfellas, but it's very good.  I particularly love Don Rickles as Billy Sherbert.  For someone who's fascinated by mob history this is a great film.  



Apollo 13 - For a guy who desperately wanted to go to space as a kid this was like catnip to a tabby.  A great story with a great cast.  Ed Harris, in particular, stood out to me as Flight Director Gene Kranz.  Just an inspiring movie that somehow manages not to fall into complete jingoism.  



Babe - Just a super cute movie about a little pig and an old farmer.  And for a guy who grew up with pigs and sheep and old farmers...that's a pretty great combo.  



A Close Shave - Wallace and Gromit return and introduce us to Shaun the sheep.  Really...what more needs to be said? 



Devil in a Blue Dress - Underrated adaptation of the Walter Mosely novel.  Solid neo-noir mystery that I'd have loved to have seen be successful enough to spawn a few sequels.  Denzel Washington was great as Easy Rawlins and Don Cheadle was a revelation as Mouse.  There's just so much that can be done with these characters in this setting.  Oh what might have been.  




As usual there are many films I've either not seen or not seen in far too long. Including; Before Sunrise; Dead Man; Clockers; 

So what's my favorite film of 1995?  It's Toy Story.  There may be a tinge of nostalgia coloring that, but it's honestly just a great ground-breaking film.   


And 1995 in film for those as need a look.

Love Letter (Shunji Iwai)
Mechanical Violator Hakaidar (Keita Amemiya)
Tokyo Fist (Shinya Tsukamoto)
August in the Water (Gakuryu/Sogo Ishii)
Maborosi (Hirokazu Kore-eda)
Like Grains of Sand (Ryosuke Hashiguchi)