1998: Movies Sorted By Tier
Submitted by jim on Tue, 06/01/2004 - 01:05
Tags:
Loved
Life is Beautiful
... Everybody has said it, I'll second it: Benigni pulls off the risky "comedy in a concentration camp" (although I must say that his motive for maintaining his clowning in the face of unimaginable adversity made the film much more poignant for me than laugh-out-loud funny). I haven't been a fan of Benigni's comedy in the past, but here he really shines. His irrepressibility and obvious joy in life and his family make him glow. Everybody else was terrific, but this is clearly Benigni's movie to win or lose, and he triumphs.Out of Sight
... This is the movie where Steven Soderbergh sprang into the foreground for me. I love the way the movie moves in and out of time, and I thought the dialog was terrific. I'm tried and failed to become an Elmore Leonard fan (let's face it, he's no Carl Hiaasen) based on the strength of this movie.Shakespeare in Love
... While I'm a sucker for in-jokes, I think this movie succeeds as modernized meta-Shakespeare. All the elements of Shakespearian comedy are there - love denied, mistaken identity, cross-dressing, crossing class boundaries, entertaining supporting cast, and a romance that works. This movie seems to catch some flak here at The Listology, and I still can't really understand why (although I haven't seen Saving Private Ryan yet, so perhaps I'll agree with the Oscar resentment when I do).The Truman Show
... Touching and entertaining, I really didn't know if this movie was going to go for tragic or uplifting during the big finale.Zero Effect
... Quirky and very fun, and a terrific mystery. It gives the feeling that you could have unravelled the mystery yourself from the clues provided, even though I imagine that would be very hard (having to know about the history of bed sizes and California fire codes and all. :-)Really Liked
Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned
... There's no reason to compare Walter Mosley and Elmore Leonard except that they write in the same genre, but I will anyway: Mosley has a much better batting average when it comes to film adapations. True, the sample is small, but it's sweet. Man, it's nice to be reminded that Lawrence Fishburne can act, and when given such a rich character as Mosley's Socrates Fortlow, he blows the doors off! Each and every intertwined episode is worth watching, and you never drum your fingers waiting for a return to a different thread, as they all work so well. Socrate's evolution, both personal and in his relationships, feels completely natural and well-developed. I think just about the only thing holding this back from greatness is a bit too much voiceover, and a final chapter that doesn't quite bring the house down. We don't need to be convinced of Socrate's heroism - it's there for us to see.A Bug's Life
Following
... Christopher Nolan's first feature length movie, which he followed up with the marvelous Memento. It employs the same temporally fractured narrative structure, which my wife insists is mere gimmickry here, lacking as it does Memento's medical justification for the device. I say it's no more a gimmick than any other storytelling embellishment, like flashbacks or foreshadowing, but she's probably right (she usually is). Still, I thought the fractured timeline worked well, particularly as foreshadowing, and like any good puzzle it's a treat when all the pieces click into place. The movie's tight and crisp at only 70 minutes long, and yet the ending still packs a wallop of Usual Suspects magnitude. If you liked Memento I don't see how you can go wrong with this.Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
... A series of crimes all converge around our bumbling heros, four buddies find themselves in debt to a notorious gangster. Enjoyable characters, great dialog, villians you love to hate, and shot with almost manic energy. If I could pick a director to adapt Carl Hiaasen's, I'd by Guy Ritchie.Mulan
... Too bad about the musical numbers, which kept this movie from being the lone great post-Lion King animated feature (I actually draw the line at Aladdin, but everybody else draws it at Simba). While some of the scenes are enjoyable (naming the excellent training scene), the music and lyrics are so bland they water down the whole dish. Other than the music and Mulan's questionable taste in men, I can't find anything to complain about. Mr. Cranky can, though, in one of my all-time favorite reviews of his (note, though, that one bomb is actually the highest rating Mr. Cranky bestows).Pleasantville
... A good concept well-executed. Take two modern teenagers and teleport them into a Leave It To Beaveresque TV show. Reese Witherspoon and Joan Allen are particularly strong, which is saying something as Tobey Maguire and William H. Macy also performed admirably. And of course this is the kind of role JT Walsh excelled at before his untimely death. So often special effects are mere eye candy, but here they are integral to the story and they are beautifully done. The final third is a bit heavy-handed, but I can easily forgive that in this case.Run Lola Run
... Hyperkinetic, Groundhog Dayesque, and a fine fine off-kilter romance.Saving Private Ryan
... The legends are true. The first 27 minutes of this movie are amazing. It's a minor miracle that an opening action sequence can carry so well for a full sixth of a three-hour movie without numbing the viewer. While no movie can ever truly deliver the horrors of war to someone who has never experienced it first-hand, this does a good a job as any--certainly the best I've seen. And it was a timely viewing for me, as I am numb to wartime death as reported in the newspaper. It's good to be reminded, in an age when *even one* U.S. casualty makes the front page, how many thousands of soldiers have given their lives in the past. It is impossible for the rest of the film to live up to the opening, but it does an admirable job trying.Glad I Saw
A Simple Plan
... While Paxton's rather abrupt decent still bothers me, I thought this was a well-done story about a bad idea that goes awry exactly as it should.American History X
... A fine movie about hate and it's consequenses. The entire cast is terrific, and there are some terrifically disturbing scenes (as there should be in such a movie). In one scene the death blow is only seen from a distance, but the build-up is so effective as to make it one of the most disturbing cinematic murders I've seen. The movie is very ambitious and falls short, especially in chronicling Norton's philosophical descent and resurrection, but well worth seeing. Also a potentially dangerous movie for the gullible to watch, as Norton's skinhead is by far the most articulate character, while the voices of reason just utter mumbled half-hearted appeals to human decency.Antz
Croupier
... Somewhat maddening, but mostly in a good way, but that might be because I'm giving the filmmakers the benefit of the doubt that it all works, but I'm too dense to figure it out. Big spoilers:Anyway, I enjoyed it quite a bit, especially for a slow-moving, emotionally barren, possibly nonsensical story, probably because it does such a good job realistically building up the details of a dark subculture that may as well be a parallel universe. And the nature of Clive Owen's addiction is a twisted delight.Spoiler: Highlight to viewMarion's death is nicely mysterious, and the possibilities are intriguing. But the big heist/twist left me scratching my head. First of all, when coordinating such a plan, who depends on the reliability of answering machines? And secondly, I thought the heist failed? Why did it seem to turn out so well for the two (three, including our hero) we know were involved?Dark City
Elizabeth
Ever After
... A fun reimagining of the Cinderella story, and one which I'll share with my girls some day. Nothing earth-shaking here, just some nice storytelling and the performance you'd expect from Anjelica Huston (i.e. delightfully wicked). Drew Barrymore as our heroine ran hot and cold. She could cut loose and be in the zone on some of the emotional and/or spunky scenes, but too often some stilted bit of dialog would really ring a sour note. To be fair, some of those lines were probably impossible to deliver well.The Horse Whisperer
... I rented this reluctantly, as my wife hated the book. Turns out she preferred the movie, and I thought it was pretty good. The cast is strong, particularly the women, particularly Scarlett Johansson. Scores additional points for a shudder-inducing accident, some emotional scenes, and beautifully shot big sky country. Loses a few points for some forced dialog and mediocre chemistry between our romantic leads (although their performances considered separately were good).The Mask of Zorro
... This movie reminds my of the old Kung Fu movies I enjoy so much . . . The aging master takes on an impetuous disciple. Much training and adventure ensues. Fun from beginning to end.Meet Joe Black
The Negotiator
... Except for one ludicrous scene (where Jackson is standing in the window shouting at the snipers) this is an action movie with a pretty good head on its shoulders. It doesn't always turn out well when good actors try their hand at actioners, but Spacey and Jackson pull it off here.Ringu
... A pale imitation of the remake. While this original is still good, the scares aren't as scary, the pacing isn't as tight, the psychic stuff feels unnecessary, and the ending is too pat, even though the closing events are practically identical to those in the remake. The difference is the voiceover, which just makes dealing with the curse sound like an administrative burden rather than a bleak moral choice.Rushmore
Suicide Kings
... While there's some violence, this is an enjoyable "gangster lite" movie. Walken is well-cast, as are the preppie-looking actors that kidnap him. And as a bonus, Denis Leary gets to beat people up and be funny at the same time.There's Something About Mary
... I will happily crown this king of the cringe-humor genre, and I'd rank it much higher if it were a genre I cared for. Even so, I found myself laughing at many scenes in spite of myself. Suffered some pacing problems, but the laughs come regularly enough to compensate. And there's something to offend everyone; who could object to that?Waking Ned Devine
The Wedding Singer
Guilty Pleasures
Blade
... Wesley Snipes plays a half-vampire vampire-ass-kicker. That should be all you have to know to decide if you'll hate it or not. Oh, you also might need to know that it has Kris Kristofferson in it to fully inform your decision.Godzilla
... Shameless Jurassic Park one-upmanship. But I liked Broderick's meek worm-scientist action hero, and I'll enjoy Jean Reno in just about anything.The Waterboy
Wild Things
... Could this be more trashy or more fun? The plot and its twists are surprisingly good for a "Guilty Pleasures" movie.Could Have Missed
The Bird People in China
... An amalgam of Sonatine and Local Hero, but you'd be better off with either of those. A few nice moments amidst the muddle though.The Faculty
Gods and Monsters
... A very well-acted and well-directed story of an unlikely friendship. Ian McKellan is great, and Brendan Fraser holds his own when it matters (although I thought he dropped the ball in the scenes with his ex-girlfriend). Lynn Redgrave was perfect and I loved the scene where she is outraged at Fraser poking fun at her. The flashbacks are used to good effect. My main knock against the movie is that I found myself looking at my watch from time to time, but some nights my attention span is particularly short. Perhaps this was one of those nights.Great Expectations
Legend of 1900
... A simple story: Tim Roth plays 1900, a virtuoso piano player that is born on a ship and never leaves it. For the first half I thought for sure this was going to be a tier 1 entry, but by the end I found I had little emotional involvement with the characters. I should have been saddened by the end, but I was strangely unmoved. It's really a shame; such an opportunity that just doesn't quite deliver. But I really loved parts of this movie, and the piano-in-the-storm scene is worth the rental alone.Lost in Space
A Perfect Murder
Primary Colors
The Prince of Egypt
Ronin
Rounders
Rush Hour
... If you like Jackie Chan and are at least not annoyed by Chris Tucker, you'll enjoy this plenty.The Seige
... I'm pretty good at not living life (or watching movies) through the lens of 9/11, but this one is downright creepy to watch sometimes. Denzel is good, as usual, but perhaps overplays his hand a bit. Wraps up too neatly, but overall a decent suspense movie.Six Days Seven Nights
Sliding Doors
Slums of Beverly Hills
... A coming of age story that varyingly aims just north of Porky's, or just south of Say Anything. What makes this more interesting is that it's told from the female perspective, and the cast is strong. While far too many bits didn't work for me, I did laugh some and cringe some, which are both points in any coming-of-age story's favor. The spliced-in obvious body-double boob shots were bizarrely out of place though, I must say.Snake Eyes
Star Trek: Insurrection
U.S. Marshals
The X Files
Should Have Missed
After Life
... It's not you, it's me. Perhaps I was tired, but this one just really dragged for me. I liked the concept: the newly dead have three days to pick a single memory they want to take with them into eternity. There are guides to help. The movie is all about these folks (22 of them!) reflecting back on their lives, and their interactions with their guides. The movie starts intriguingly, as we are introduced to these characters through a series of interviews, shot from the interviewers perspective. But there was only so much of that I could take before my eyes started to glaze. There's quite a bit of interview footage. Finally, the story of the older man who just can't pick a memory from his (to him) depressingly average life, his guide, and the guide's (would-be?) girlfriend is supposed to be central (I think), but it gets shortchanged by all the other stories, which in turn really get shortchanged. All that said, the characters are exceedingly realistic and subtly drawn in just a few strokes. I can see where most folks that aren't card-carrying members of Short Attention Span Theater would love this movie.Bulworth
Deep Impact
Enemy of the State
Fallen
... Didn't live up to any number of SF stories using the same theme.The Gingerbread Man
... I don't remember how this came to be on my "to see" list. It was an adequate thriller, particularly when Branagh's kids are being stalked, but I could have given this one a miss. I found myself listening to the accents for authenticity. I'm no connoisseur of southern accents, but Robert Downey Jr. sounded perfectly Georgian, while I thought Branagh sounded vaguely (and distractingly) Texan at times.Lethal Weapon 4
The Man in the Iron Mask
The Opposite of Sex
... I saw this only a week ago, and it's already a blur in my mind. I remember it amused me during the first third, and because LBangs turned me onto Hal Hartley I got a kick out of seeing Hartley alum Martin Donovan in action. Oh, and I remember being pissed off at the intentionally condescending opening voice-over. Finally, I remember thinking Christina Ricci should never be blond. I realize a bad dye job might have been an intentional part of her character's general trashiness, but still.Pi
... Gotta try this again, though.The Red Violin
... The sub-stories that comprise the history of the violin are tales of love lost, obsession, innocence destroyed, etc. All powerful themes, which should invoke powerful feelings. But they were ultimately emotionally unengaging. And I found the ending of the movie unsatisfying in relation to the prophecy. Beautifully filmed, but that isn't enough here.Ronin
The Thin Red Line
... Except for the liberal use of the sky-cam and the National Geographic-cam ("see how beautiful nature is? see how ugly war is?") this movie brings nothing new to the war genre. It poses, proselytizes, and plods.You've Got Mail
El Sucko Grande
The Avengers
Samurai Fiction
... I came, I saw, I snoozed.Sphere
Cloned From:
Id love to know your thoughts on 'Rushmore'
lol (not me :) as you proberly guessed i really like it, its a classic in my mind.
your thoughts?
oh and you can check out my RushMore Review hope you dont mind the cheap plug :[]
I'm afraid enough time has passed that I think I'd have to give it a second viewing to review it properly. My mind isn't the steel trap it used to be (or that I wish it used to be).
But what about the blondeness of La Ricci in "Buffalo '66"?
I haven't seen Buffalo '66, although now that you mention it the blonde highlights she was sporting in Sleepy Hollow were quite fetching.