1994: Movies Sorted By Tier
Submitted by jim on Mon, 06/21/2004 - 11:21
Tags:
Loved
Hoop Dreams
Nobody's Fool
The Professional
Pulp Fiction
To Live
... A multi-generational Chinese epic. Zhang Yimou is incapable of making a bad movie, but this is one of his best. Gong Li is terrific, as usual. I need to see this again.Really Liked
Burnt by the Sun
... In the beginning, appearances suggest this will merely (if artfully) depict an important Russian family enjoying life, each other, and good weather at an idyllic country retreat. Unfortunately no idyll is safe in the Stalin-era Soviet Union, and the pace and subtlety at which the peace splinters is remarkable: slow but inexorable, like a crack in a windshield. Nikita Mikhalkov writes, directs, and stars, while his real-life daughter plays his fictional daughter, lending touching authenticity to their obvious doting affections for each other. A melodrama, but a beautiful one. No big surprise, in hindsight, considering I rented this upon reading it was one of Zhang Yimou's favorite movies.Chungking Express
... I owe this one a rewatch, as I spent a good portion of the first story getting into the mood of it, just in time for the second differently mooded story to start! The movie is composed of two stories that are unrelated except for 0.01 centimeters of overlap and lovelorn themes. While the stories are quite different, both capture the essence of being lovesick beautifully. Of the two I think I preferred the second, as it was hard not to love the waifish Faye. The camera techniques were also striking, from the almost impressionist chase scenes in the first story to the foreground/background time-shifting in the second. And to the credit of the translators, it may be the first dubbed movie I've seen that I found eminently quotable.Clerks
Fist of Legend
... It makes me sad that Jet Li has been subjected to such poor editing and choreography since trying to make it in American movies. All those I've seen have been unimpressive at best, and even several of his Hong Kong efforts have only moderately impressed me. I was beginning to wonder if there was any substance behind the hype. Then I watched Fist of Legend. Wonderful mostly down-to-earth fight scenes that reminded me how much I generally don't care for the wire-fu that's all the rage these days. Li's body control is so perfect he can make me envious just rising from a kneel - how is it possible to have such perfect posture without being at all stiff? I believe this movie is essentially a remake of Fist of Fury (not Fists of Fury - confused yet?), which I'm now going to have to see again as an adult (must have been 14 the last time). A side comment: it's really amazing that Woo-ping Yuen could make the non-martial artists of The Matrix look so good, but the fights there (while highly enjoyable) pale by comparison to his work with a pro like Li. Oh, as is usually the case, the dubbing sucks.Four Weddings and a Funeral
A Great Day in Harlem
Heavenly Creatures
... I always wanted daughters, and am thrilled I got my wish, but if ever there was a movie to make you think, "hmm, I wonder if sons would have been easier?", this is it. As a parent, it seems to me you're completely screwed if your kid ends up in one of these tightly-wound super-intense destructive friendships. Trying to break it up will only exacerbate it, but the alternative is no prize either. Kate Winslet's parents suck, but Melanie Lynskey's are just in a bind (the mother in particular) and that's illustrated well in this movie. The gulf that grows between mother and daughter has a tragic inevitability about it, and since they both seem powerless to stop it, it's hard to pin the blame wholly on either of them. This is Peter Jackson's work in microcosm, as you can see shades of his Dead Alive past and The Lord of the Rings future here.The Hudsucker Proxy
... I always kinda though this Coen brothers movie got short shrift. I watch it as a dark screwball comedy, and I can't find a thing to complain about. And it has Paul Newman and Tim Robbins in it, fer cryin' out loud!The Last Seduction
... Between Linda Fiorentino, Bill Pullman, and J.T. Walsh, I was predisposed to liking this. Fiorentino is perfect as the heartless bitch; a character we should hate for the monster she is, and yet we root for her (or at least don't overtly root against her) because of some undefinable charisma. Maybe it's confidence. Is confidence that attractive, even when it's used to such ends? Or maybe it's just 'cause I'm a big, dumb male. Well, while that's true, I don't think it's the cause here, as I love Fiorentino as an actress, but don't find her sexually attractive. I'd be curious to hear how men and women differ (if at all) in their reactions to her character. Anyway, the tension in this movie is not derived from if Fiorentino will screw people over, it's derived from how she's going to do it, and whether or not she'll ride off into the sunset or end up meeting some painful demise. One of the joys of this movie is trying to figure out how much she planned, and how much she improvised.The Legend of Drunken Master
... One of the better Jackie Chan vehicles. Kinda slapsticky in parts (particularly the beginning), but we are shuttled between the excellect fight scenes efficiently enough.Quiz Show
... Ralph Fiennes expressions as he grapples with the dilemma of being fed easy questions on national TV is worth the price of admission alone.The Santa Clause
... I think Tim Allen is an under-rated comedian-turned-actor (perhaps because of Jungle Boy or whatever that movie was called). Anybody that can steal the show from Tom Hanks (i.e. Toy Story) has got some chops. I love the scene where he's trying to explain to his son why they should keep the whole Santa-thing a secret ("because other people will think . . . oh, it doesn't matter what they think"). A fine Christmas story, one that I'll watch year after year.Speed
Glad I Saw
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Amateur
... I don't know how to describe this movie. "Atonal", perhaps? It can work in music, and it works here. The impact stealthily grows and then hits you at the end. I'll have to watch this one again someday.Bullets Over Broadway
The Crow
Eat Drink Man Woman
Immortal Beloved
The Madness of King George
The Mask
Maverick
Mute Witness
... A B-movie thriller that transcends its humble roots. It manages to be tense and gripping without stumbling too often into cliche or cheap scares (definitely more thriller than horror, although there is a bit of gore at one point). The sister and her husband are a bit too silly at times, but our lead is very effective, which couldn't have been easy, given her character's handicap.The Paper
Il Postino
The Ref
... There is no comedy that Denis Leary can't redeem to varying degrees. And this one was pretty good on its own.Shallow Grave
... Very similar to a A Simple Plan. They are both enjoyable, but the better-written Shallow Grave deserves top billing, and certainly a good clue that Danny Boyle had a great movie in him (his next movie, Trainspotting). Too bad it's been downhill since, although I also enjoyed A Life Less Ordinary (which I now notice finishes off the Danny Boyle/Ewan Macgregor hat trick).Guilty Pleasures
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Darkman
... Not one of Liam Neeson's prouder moments, but actually has a great comic book feel about it. Saw this with some college buddies when it first came out, and we thought it was good sick fun.Forrest Gump
True Lies
Could Have Missed
Ed Wood
Dumb & Dumber
Should Have Missed
Swimming With Sharks
... I'm sure in part my disappointment was due to this movie being described as "hilarious." It's far too mean-spirited for that adjective. Spacey was good, as usual, but any points the movie gained on that front were lost during the bizarro ending.El Sucko Grande
Airheads
... A thousand apologies to the instigator of this viewing. If there were just a couple more scenes on par with breaking down the band name, "The Lone Rangers" I could have almost called this a guilty pleasure. And now I find myself with nothing to say, because I was going to make a Dog Day Afternoon joke, but see that it has already been made in the referenced post. Drat! I thought it was unusual for me to come up with such an apt reference on my own!Blown Away
Unranked
Red
White
The Shawshank Redemption
Cloned From:
in my view you were abit harsh on Ed Wood
& Dumb & Dumber why?
love to know your thoughts on the movies
Dumb & Dumber was inches away from a guilty pleasure, but just didn't quite tickle my funny bone enough. A fair-to-middlin' entry for the Farrelly Brothers, in my estimation. Ed Wood I just couldn't get into, although Martin Landau was fantastic. I'd have to see it again to comment in more depth than that.
i have to ask why "Forrest Gump" would be considered a "guilty Plessure"? i don't understand. its a well known highly valued movie.
just wondering is all.
It's a gooey, drippy, schmaltzy, treacly confection. It has nothing to offer but it's overweening sweetness. I like candy as much as the next guy, but I still feel guilty when I think of my dentist.
That, and it went to the Oscars and came away with Pulp Fiction's ear, which is just plain wrong.
I find that, for many weird comedies that I saw long ago, like Airheads, really random parts of the movie stick in my head after I've forgotten most of the film. I remember two things about Airheads - the first being the Lone Rangers breakdown that you mention, and the second being the band's request of a football helmet filled with cottage cheese. I think if we analyzed all the odd things I remember about these movies, it could tell you much about my psyche. Or maybe I just like cottage cheese.
Ah yes, the football helmet full of cottage cheese. That would be the #2 funny moment. I can't for the life of me think of a third.
No apologies necessary. I just hope that it was a manly experience.
Hopefully investigator rather than instigator. More inciteful than inciting. More gravy train than grave. My Private Instigator's license should be revoked if I'm touting Ace Ventura, Bad Boys, Bachelor Party, Cobra, Commando, Convoy, Death Wish, Highlander, Tango & Cash, and The Warriors.
...eeewwww! Just the thought makes my Fletch crawl.
I do regret and am sorry for my part in making you eager to go to your just reward....
"We've got to send one person out."
"I'll go."
"One of the hostages, doof."
"Who's side did you take, Van Halen or Roth?
"ummm...Van Halen."
"He's a cop!"
"'Rodney King'? What's that mean?"
"He's that guy."
No apologies necessary from you either! I did laugh pretty hard at the "Lone Rangers" thing, so I got that out of it at least. And I watched and loved Full Metal Jacket last night, so thank you for that!
Alright, now I will confess. While I enjoyed The Last Seduction and believe Linda should have been nominated for Best Actress (she was ruled ineligible due to a technicality), I read all the raving reviews that year and found the film over-rated.
So that was the film I referenced on your Netflix queue list...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Ah ha! I wouldn't have guessed, partially because I had no recollection of the movie's release, or the raves. I would agree that if the movie was touted as "great" then it would be overrated. I did enjoy it quite a bit though, and it's a shame about the Fiorentino technicality. She really should get more work. She's delivered in spades in every movie I've seen her in.
Doing a tiny bit of research, it seems like she's vanished though. No work since 2002, and apparently nothing on the horizon. Oh, I see, she turned 40 around 2000...
Jim, I'm glad to see you scored a viewing of Mute Witness. I swear the early part of that movie has got to be one of the most tense sequences I've ever seen in a movie.
Oh yes, that entire drawn-out sequence was very impressive. I can't believe they managed to keep the tension high for such an extended period of time!
What's the "unranked" section for?
Did you really hate Shawshank so much you didn't rate it? Or is that just an indifference unranked? It's my personal favourite film, though I suspect your movie tastes are more developed than mine.
Not at all! I really liked it, but I feel like I have to watch it again to place it/review it. That's usually the case with my "Unranked" ones.