1999: Movies Sorted By Tier
Submitted by jim on Thu, 05/27/2004 - 10:19
Tags:
Loved
- The Blair Witch Project ... A horror movie that makes most other horror movies seem hopelessly stylized. I've never had such a strong sense of "hey, this is really how it would go if you took three average (even annoying and/or stupid) schmoes and stuck them in this situation."
- Fight Club ... Dark (in every respect, including lighting) satire about violence and blind obedience. Sports a terrific script that is both funny and eminently quotable. Pitt, Norton, and Bonham-Carter are fantastic. Violent, but not gratuitously so (how can a movie about violence be gratuitous?).
- Galaxy Quest ... As good a Star Trek spoof as you could hope for. In fact, I can't think of a better spoof that wasn't made by Mel Brooks.
- The Insider ... This is another movie I passed over at the video store many times, thinking it would be boring. I was wrong to wait. Engrossing as only a well-told true story can be (well, "true" within the limitations of a dramatized account). Rent this on the heels of LA Confidential just to watch Russell Crowe transform.
- The Iron Giant ... Every time I watch this movie I'm amazed at how good it is. It gets better with each viewing (well, okay, if you want to be technical it stays exactly the same, but my appreciation of it grows). The animation is beautiful and distinctive, and is proof that you don't have to be a Miyazaki movie to do hand-animation right in in the post-Lion King, CGI age. Part of that distinctive look is undoubtedly due to the giant himself being computer-animated, although I didn't realize that until this viewing, and I still consider this to be a "traditionally" animated feature regardless. Indeed, they went to great pains to integrate the giant seamlessly, so I'm not even sure why they CGI'd him, but it works. You couldn't ask for a better early Cold War tale, the relationships are all pitch perfect, and the giant's gentleness and childlike nature are genuinely touching. His climactic selfless act always gives me a little shiver, and sometimes even draws out tears.
- The Matrix ... Of the modern, mainsteam wire-fu movies, this is the only one where the flights of fancy are seamless. Not only do they have an explanation that fits with the plot, but they are edited such that the timing and arcs of the leaps and bounds never look awkward or staged. In fact, having rewatched this several times now, what really stands out for me is how engagingly and beautifully this movie is edited. The scenes are visually striking, but what really makes them flow is how well they are cut together. I thought The Matrix was merely "pretty good" on first viewing, but it continues to grow in my estimation with each rewatch. It could be well on it's way to becoming my favorite actioner.
- Toy Story 2 ... One of the rare sequels that's just about on par with the original. This one also features the interesting aspect of Woody pondering the end of Andy's childhood, and a beautiful flashback shot to a Sarah MacLachlan song.
Really Liked
- Blast From the Past
- Drop Dead Gorgeous ... I don't think I gave this one enough credit when I first saw it 10 years ago or so. It's holds up well, and it's almost worthy of saying it's Heathers for the beauty pageant set. Quite a cast, all doing strong work: Ellen Barkin, of course. Kirsten Dunst, never more plucky or adorable. It's fun to see Brittany Murphy and Amy Adams just getting their start. Allison Janney continues to steal each and every movie she appears in.
- Ghost Dog ... Forrest Whitaker floats through this movie with such serenity, he makes you want to be a hit man. The assembled cast of characters makes this movie; I especially enjoyed his friendship with the ice cream vendor (they don't speak each other's language, and yet communicate perfectly).
- Mansfield Park ... Perhaps the weakest of the late-90s Jane Austen adaption crop, but not by much. Or maybe I just have a thing for the source (well, adaptations of Austen anyway, since I've never actually read any of her). Acting matches up with the other films well, and the more overt sexual overtones were shocking, given how subdued they are in the other films. My only real complaint is that a certain "villian" commits a HUGE social and tactical blunder that comes out of nowhere, and seems out of character.
- The Road Home ... Sometimes "simple" means shallow, but here it's very rich. A simple, simple love story, told in flashback. The courtship-in-flashback is bookended by a grieving widow's wish to have her husband's body carried home on foot from the city where he died, even though her village doesn't have enough able-bodied men to manage the task. Beautifully shot and told.
- The Sixth Sense ... As a horror movie, it fails. While it has some scary moments, I don't think it's particularly scary overall. Bad marketing. Where I think this movie excels is as a love story. I've never seen my wife cry so hard at a movie.
- Sleepy Hollow ... As more time passes, this one keeps bumping itself up my personal ranking of Tim Burton movies. I have to watch it again to see if I'm glamorizing it, but in my mind's eye it looms large as visually sumptious and a ton of fun.
- Three Kings ... Great war movie. Throws four less-than-admirable characters into hell, and they are transformed by it believably. And I appreciated the blunt statement it made about The Gulf War.
Glad I Saw
- 8MM ... A grim, brutal film. Our horror dawns right along with Cage's, who delivers a terrific performance.
- American Beauty ... Probably the best suburban angst/tragedy movie I've seen. (nope, usurped by Lantana). Not a genre I care for, but this one stands out, although I think I'm allowing critical acclaim to boost this movie in my estimation. Someday I may have to revisit this entry.
- An Ideal Husband ... See my review of Oliver Parker's more recent Oscar Wilde adapation, The Importance of Being Earnest, below. Judi Densch wasn't in this one, so ignore that part, but everything else is applicable (although I'm sure if she had been given a small part she would have nailed it, milking it for all it's worth. Again.). Rupert Everett rocks, and is even more enjoyable here than he was in Earnest. He should be having a bigger career. What's holding him back? A rather geekish first name? Being openly gay? Eminating an air of intellectual superiority? Well anyway, I like him.
- Being John Malkovich ... Long on brains, short on heart, but too weird and clever not to be admired.
- Bowfinger
- Girl on the Bridge ... Not my favorite Patrice Leconte by a fair stretch, but not bad and of course the knife throwing angle adds a really nice element of tension. I always enjoy Daniel Auteuil, and Vanessa Paradis, who I hadn't seen before, was quite good too (she looks a lot like spouse Johnny Depp, incidentally).
- Dogma ... Fun and clever until the 10 yard line, when it bobbles the ball a bit. But I loved the premise of two banished angels who find a "loophole" they could exploit to get back to Heaven. But this would be a chink in God's infallibility, which is a Bad Thing. Bunches of great characters and dialog are drawn into this premise. A good ride.
- EdTV ... I quite enjoyed this, I think mostly because everybody was so likeable. Foibles 'n all. Good performances all around, and nice implementation of a clever plot device.
- The Emperor and the Assassin ... An epic tale of the rise of first emperor of China, the princess he loves (who unfortunately comes from a kingdom in his sights), and an assassin who becomes important to both of them. The movie shines in the assassin's story, and in the final third. I'm having a hard time identifying why I don't rank this one higher. Pacing, I think. But the further I get from it, the more I like it, so I'm thinking it'll move up if I see it again.
- Eyes Wide Shut ... I suspect I'd like this more upon a rewatch (as is often the case with Kubrick (according to Speilberg)). Also, as it's stewed in my mind I've come to appreciate the alientation and frustration embodied in Cruise's character. And it's struck me as bizarre/interesting that a movie centered around sex could be so asexual. The exposition at the end still bugs me though.
- Fantasia 2000
- Genghis Blues ... A wonderful story: Paul Pena, a blind bluesman, tunes into a Russian shortwave radio station and hears Tuvan throatsingers. He's so taken with the sound that he somehow teaches himself the skill and ultimately is invited to travel to Tuva for the annual throatsinging competition. Work in some Richard Feynman and what's not to like? Such a story tells itself. Even so I couldn't help feeling like the filmmakers were in a bit over their heads on this project (a fact they themselves suggest at various points). Still a very good documentary, and one that might bump up a tier on a rewatch.
- Girl, Interrupted ... I was worried this was just going to be One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest rehashed poorly, but aside from taking place in a mental hospital, there are few similiarities. The performances were pretty strong, and I particularly enjoyed the treatment of the hospital staff; too often these types of authority roles have villianous undertones.
- Go
- The Green Mile
- The Hurricane ... I loved this movie for exactly one day. I couldn't imagine a performance that rivalled Russell Crowe's in The Insider, but Denzel Washington certainly made that Oscar race a toss-up in my mind (even if Spacey won the whole schmeer). Some of the best stories are true, and this seemed like a terrific rendition of Rubin Carter's story. For one day only. The next day I started poking around for innaccuracies, as I often do with "true" stories. I found some fairly disturbing counterpoints. I found much more documentation labmasting the accuracy of the movie than I found supporting it. Can anybody offer counterpoints to these counterpoints, or should I stick with feeling misled and manipulated?
- Limbo ... Thank goodness John Sayles insists on complete creative control of his movies, as no mainstream studio would have allowed that ending. While perhaps not his best effort, if you want a prime example of why John Sayles makes good movies, and why, at the same time, he'll never achieve mainstream success (not a criticism), this is your movie. Like most Sayles' movies, this one is a slow character-and-location study with a plot that doesn't emerge from its shell until the third act. David Strathairn plays a hero I wouldn't mind growing up into someday, which is usually Ed Harris' job.
- The Limey ... Terence Stamp plays an ex-con who travels to the US to avenge his daughter's death. Stamp's performance is so good, I can't imagine anyone else in the role. The movie is low-key, and like so many of Soderbergh's movies, the gradual fleshing-in of the past is as interesting as the action that moves the plot forward.
- Man of the Century ... While I don't know if I'd go so far as to give it my highest recommendation, I can't add much to dgeiser13's excellent review. I rarely found this movie laugh-out-loud funny, but my wife and I smiled through the whole thing. I was also pleased to see that the movie brought together the worlds of the twenties and the nineties without making value judgements on either.
- The Man on the Moon ... Jim Carrey is perfect as Andy Kaufmann. I've never understood Kaufmann because I've always thought of him as an unfunny comedian. Far better to think of him as a performance artist (the first?) or controversialist. I love biographies that can make me interested in a person I'd previously written off. This is such a biography. Wish I knew how much of it was true.
- Me Myself I ... Practically the same movie as The Family Man. This has the advantages of coming first, being less mawkish, tying up the loose ends tighter, and being dominated by a very good performance from Rachel Griffiths (who I understand is now enjoying some deserved popularity for Six Feet Under). I laughed more at The Family Man though.
- Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. ... I didn't know who Leuchter was, but he is a self-taught expert on making execution devices more "humane", and he later became a prominent Holocaust denier, a cause which unsurprisingly led to a sharp decline in his business. Two amazing things about this documentary: Leuchter's execution anecdotes are positively chilling, and documentarian Errol Morris manages to convey what a pathetic man Leuchter is without ridiculing him. Ebert's review of this movie is one of his better ones.
- My Best Fiend ... A documentary by Werner Herzog reflecting on his long, truly tempestuous relationship with Mad Hatter actor Klaus Kinski. At times reverent, more often appalled, it's a bit hard to watch without feeling it was unfair of Herzog to have the ultimate last word by making the documentary after Kinski's death. Still, it's clear Kinski was around the bend, and many of the anecdotes are jaw-dropping, including the story of the guy that voluntarily cut off his own foot with a chainsaw while filming Fitzcarraldo. I'm not going to tell you why; you'll have to watch the movie for that. Oh, and based on the footage, thank goodness the plan to have Jason Robards (and Mick Jagger!) star in Fitzcarraldo were scrapped (as much as I respect him generally).
- Not One Less ... Zhang Yimou is incapable of making a bad movie. This one made me ashamed that I ever thought I didn't have enough money. Very slow at first, but ultimately enjoyable and educational. Remarkable sidenote: no professional actors were used in this movie - all performances are from people of the same name and profession as their characters.
- Notting Hill
- Pushing Tin
- Shower ... I dunno, a little bit of Cheers, perhaps a touch of Northern Exposure, but more rooted in family and tradition, less overtly funny and/or quirky, and taking place in a Chinese bathhouse in modern Beijing. Avoids hammering you with the sentimentality, except perhaps in the treatment of the mentally disabled brother. He wasn't so relentlessly, unrealisitcally endearing as is often the case with such characters, but something undefinable left me feeling manipulated. Still pretty darn good though, and it looks like there are worse ways to spend your time than whiling away the hours in a bathhouse. A nice pace of life to vicariously absorb.
- The Straight Story ... Richard Farnsworth was wonderful and Sissy Spacek was distracting (perhaps because I just saw her in In The Bedroom, but I suspect I wouldn't have liked her performance under any circumstances). Fortunately it's much more his movie than hers. The movie is so slow and gentle it's soothing. It's perhaps the slowest (earning it a spot here rather than the corresponding "middleweights" list), lowest-key feel-good movie I've ever seen, and the scene with the two old fellas exchanging WWII stories is positively heart-breaking.
- Stir of Echoes
- Tarzan
- Topsy-Turvy ... I enjoyed this movie quite a bit once I realized it wasn't going to be the laugh-riot the previews suggested it would be. Why do they do that? Is it really necessary to resort to trickery to bring an audience in to see a good movie? But I digress before I've even started. While most of my Gilbert & Sullivan comes from Sideshow Bob, I nonetheless found this to be an interesting and entertaining account of their tumultuous relationship, and their production of The Mikada (which followed on the heels of their first failure (or so the movie presents it - can anybody speak to the historical accuracy of this movie?)). The cast is excellent, and Jim Broadbent shares a brilliant and heartbreaking moment with Lesley Manville as she tells her story to him under the pretext of sharing an idea for his new play (indeed, I think she starts out that way in earnest, with no ulterior motive, and then the dam breaks oh-so-slowly; at first a trickle, but there's no stopping it once it's started). Anyway, with one viewing under my belt and my preconceptions dispelled, this one will likely move up the ranks on a future rewatch.
- The Virgin Suicides ... While the characterization was a little thin to draw me in emotionally to the central tragedy of this movie, I thought it did a wonderful job of depicting the smaller triumphs and tragedies of everyday adolescence. Very nicely done; it's like witnessing adolescent exhileration, joy, awkwardness, embarrassement, and pain in microcosm.
Guilty Pleasures
- Cruel Intentions
- Deep Blue Sea ... I was shocked, SHOCKED, at how much I enjoyed this. I hadn't even heard of it, and picked it up on a lark at the video store. Tense, action-packed, and with some great surprises that will keep you guessing as to who (if anybody) will get out alive.
- Lake Placid
- The Mummy
- Mystery Men ... I have no excuse. Well, perhaps except enjoyment of William H. Macy, Janene Garafalo, and Greg Kinnear. And Casanova Frankenstein has to be one of the finest spoof-villian names ever. But hey, I kinda liked Hudson Hawk too. There, that oughta scare 'em away.
- Payback ... I can see why this movie was welcomed by decidedly mixed reviews, but I think it's underrated. It's dark and at times ugly, but it works because of Mel Gibson. I couldn't point to any concrete thing he did to suggest he's not playing the material straight, but somehow there's a glimmer of humor about his character that makes it all more enjoyable than it has a right to be. With Gibson at the center, the funhouse-mirror supporting characters just add to the unique atmosphere of the movie.
- Titus ... Wow, so this is what happens when ol' Will goes on a bender and wakes up days later, naked in a dumpster, a finished play clutched to his chest. Some of the language still sparkles and bites, but only some of it. The rest drowns in the absurdity of it all (the play lost me early, when Titus hands the reins of the empire to the blatant psycho, and does it really take that many scenes to figure out how to communicate with the handless, tongueless woman?). You can make a bad movie out of a good script, but you can't make a good movie out of a bad script. Julie Taymor and cast almost manage an exception to the rule, but I can't quite rate this any higher than "strangely hypnotic." I kept thinking I'd fast-forward it, but every time I tried I felt compelled to quickly revert to the speed intended. The whole thing is a mash-up: King Lear (aging father stuff) Hamlet (those poor, poor women), Othello (embodied pure evil in Iago/Aaron), A Clockwork Orange (goths and droogs), Hudson Hawk (Alan Cumming channelling Richard E. Grant), and... I don't know... Something technicolor and surreal.
- Wild Wild West
Could Have Missed
- Arlington Road ... This could have been a terrific modern tragedy, but it lost big points for the implausible climax (way too many places for the big plan to go awry). It also builds quite slowly, which I enjoyed, but might be a turn-off for some.
- The Big Kahuna ... Usually I don't like movies that watch like plays, but this was an exception. A strong script with strong (in a theatrical way) performances. I had quite a few chuckles at the dialog (although no belly laughs), and I really enjoyed Danny DeVito's final analysis of honesty. I'd have to think about it more, but this may be my favorite starring performance from DeVito.
- Blue Ridge Fall ... Not a bad little drama about four buddies who try to cover up a morally defensible (sort of) crime. Some decent if conventional grey-area ethics (there, I've gone and used "moral" and "ethical" interchangably; a linguistic no-no, I believe). I already feel it slipping from my mind though.
- eXistenZ ... I did enjoy the "nested levels of virtual reality" plot, and I thought the visual cues that trace through the levels worked pretty well, especially in hindsight. Actually the whole movie works better in hindsight, as lots of things I found ridiculous (and thus made the ride less enjoyable) made sense in the final analysis.
- Seven Girlfriends ... When this movie started up I had two thoughts: "I wonder if she'll pull an Isadora Duncan, nah probably not" and "Isn't that the guy from Wings? That can't be a good sign." Wrong on both counts, the scarf scene was a good off-kilter shock that gets the ball rolling and Timothy Daly is perfectly affable. It's even believable he would date so many impressive women, despite his self-centered tendencies. And there's an earnestness in his quest that's endearing. Not a great movie, but a pleasant surprise with some genuine laughs and enjoyable vicarious cringing (which I usually hate, but not in this case).
- South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut ... Really nails some bits, and the songs are fantastic. The whole Saddam Hussein thing dragged the whole thing down, unfortunately.
- The Thomas Crown Affair
Should Have Missed
- Analyze This
- Any Given Sunday
- Bringing Out the Dead ... I like Cage, but with no plot in sight, I could only take 35 minutes of his overplayed overwrought character here.
- Election ... I finally watched this all the way through, and I remain baffled as to its widespread appeal (90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes!). I can see where some folks would like it; the caricatures are all recognizable, and it's a fairly dark skewering of high school, politics, and (loveless) marriage. The cast was good, and Reese Witherspoon in particular was excellent. I guess my biggest problem was the "dark comedy" script was long on discomfort and short on comedy. There's plenty to cringe at, but not much to laugh at. Movies where all the characters are varying degrees of pathetic have little appeal for me. Update 6/12/08: tried it again, feel much the same way. It might be nosing up a touch in my estimation. Reese Witherspoon's character was more interesting for me this time. Well, more other viewers reactions to her. She gets a bad rap, but is it deserved? I'm not so sure. She rips down the posters and that teacher (not Broderick, no spoilers here) gets fired, but the first was a loss of control and it's unclear how much she orchestrated the second, if at all (I'm certainly inclined to put that one all on the teacher). Finally, as a metaphor for our national election process, I can see it, but it doesn't really click for me on that level either.
- Magnolia
El Sucko Grande
- End of Days
- The Ninth Gate
- The World is not Enough ... "The Franchise is not Enough." Possibily the worst Bond movie ever (although I'd probably have to give The Man With the Golden Gun the title).
Unranked
- 6ixtynin9 ... Between this and Last Life in the Universe I think it's safe to say that Pen-Ek Ratanaruang has me critically stymied. Not only am I unable to rank either of his movies so far, but I think I enjoyed this movie more than Last Life, even as I recognize the latter as superior. This one is more entertaining, but the dreamlike mix of comedy and violence put me off somehow. Still, if you're looking for a fresh take on the "somebody finds a pile of mob money, mayhem ensues" genre, this might fit the bill. And no matter what, our lead was very impressive.
Cloned From:
If Pixar itself made the third Toy Story movie and it was on par with the other two, I seriously think the trilogy would have a shot at being the best movie trilogy ever. And I mean that.
Agreed. I just hope the Disney-only third chapter doesn't suck so bad it taints the first two. Surely even with the animatory crap they've been cranking out lately, they can still get over such a low-slung bar, right?
Dang! i remember wanting too see Arlington Road when it was no tv but i missed it :-(
Just Thought i'd say that, no real reason! But you say it wasn't that good? i saw the trailer (Tv Trailer) and i was hooked! buti missed the actual film!!
Lots of people liked it, and I did for the most part too. It was mostly the ending that didn't work for me.
Don't feel guilty about the pleasure of Payback. Do feel guilty thinking Eyes Wide Shut is average.
Excellent point on Fight Club's violence that should be applied to so many movies.
I've moved it up a touch. It fits in better with those movies than the "average" ones in my mind.
Jim, you have a fantastic ability to attack the core of a film in your reviews. I constantly finding myself thinking, 'Oh yes, that's what makes this film good (or no good).' For example, The Road Home: "Sometimes 'simple' means shallow, but here it's very rich." And The Blair Witch Project: "I've never had such a strong sense of 'hey, this is really how it would go if you took three average... schmoes and stuck them in this situation.'"
You also frequently capture exactly my feeling about films that I just didn't realize or articulate: "Usually I don't like movies that watch like plays, but this was an exception." (Big Kahuna)
Wow, thanks, that's awfully nice of you to say!
Fight Club being eminently quotable - so true! I once tried to pick only one quote from every movie I like, and Fight Club was really giving me a hard time...
Do you remember what you chose? I don't think I could do it. Maybe the Lincoln quote...
Yeah, I liked that one too. But I think I cheated and chose three in the end (one of them being a "I am Jack's..." quote).
Ha, new idea for a list: My favorite Fight Club quotes! I will work on that...
Be sure to put Being John Malkovich on your to-watch list.
Good call, although I actually have seen that one, not sure how I missed putting it on the list!
Unfortunately, I tend to admire Charlie Kaufman movies but not enjoy them as much as I should. I'm pretty sure they'd all grow on me given repeat viewings; I'll have to give that a shot one of these days.