The Negligible Nineties
Jesse Walker has made it back to 1990.
https://jessewalker.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-late-gorby-era-ive-told-you-my.html
Communism was falling, but what about Hollywood?
Here's his top ten movie list:
1. Miller's Crossing
2. Ju Dou
3. The Reflecting Skin
4. An Angel At My Table
5. The Ear
6. Jacob's Ladder
7. Europa Europa
8. The Nasty Girl
9. Sink Or Swim
10. Metropolitan
I'm not exactly surprised, since Jesse made a 1990 list 10 years ago and it had many of the same titles. And now he'll feel a bit of deja vu when I reply a lot like I did 10 years ago.
First, Miller's Crossing. That it has a reputation mystifies me. This is probably the worst Coen Brothers films. I tried to watch it again a couple years ago and all I can say is the film hasn't grown.
I like Ju Dou--would probably make my top ten. Haven't seen The Reflecting Skin. An Angel At My Table is okay, but I don't love it. Haven't seen The Ear.
While Miller's Crossing has a reputation, no one I know but Jesse likes Jacob's Ladder. Ghost is far better. I remember when it came out one critic compared it to root canal. That sounds about right. It's best seen as an infomercial for chiropractors.
Europa Europa deserves a spot in the top ten. From what I remember of The Nasty Girl I think it would make my top twenty. Haven't seen Sink or Swim.
I can't neutrally discuss Metropolitan since it stars Taylor Nichols, an old friend of mine from college. And I've since come to know the director and some of the cast.
Here are Jesse's honorable mentions:
11. Paris Is Burning
12. King Of New York
13. To Sleep With Anger
14. Goodfellas
15. Quick Change
16. Miami Blues
17. No Fear, No Die
18. The Freshman
19. Close-Up
20. Gremlins 2: The New Batch
I think this list is better than his top ten. Haven't seen 17 or 19. Like, in varying degrees, 12, 13, 16 and 18. The rest would make my top ten.
Here are a couple other films that would make my top ten:
Life Is Sweet
The Match Factory Girl
Some other films I liked (at least in part):
Tremors, The Witches, The Grifters, Back To The Future III, Edward Scissorhands, House Party, Hamlet (starring Mel Gibson), Berkeley In The Sixties, Bullet In The Head, Cry-Baby, Joe Versus The Volcano, Wild At Heart, Longtime Companion, Reversal Of Fortune, Total Recall, Trust, The Krays, Daddy Nostalgie, Pump Up The Volume, A Chinese Ghost Story II
Other films of interest:
The Adventures Of Ford Fairlane, American Dream, Avalon, Awakenings, The Bonfire Of The Vanities, Dances With Wolves, Dick Tracy, Die Hard 2, Eating, Ghost (the stuff with Whoopi Goldberg is pretty good), Green Card, Home Alone, The Hunt For Red October, The Godfather III (it's been redone, but nothing can fix the central rot), Havana, Henry & June, La Femme Nikita, Men Don't Leave, Misery, Mo' Better Blues (Wesley Snipes is good), Mountains Of The Moon, Mr. And Mrs. Bridge, Narrow Margin, Opportunity Knocks, Pacific Heights, Postcards From The Edge, Presumed Innocent, Pretty Woman, Problem Child, Q & A, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, The Sheltering Sky, Texasville (which captured a mood well), Troll 2 (which Jesse makes note of), Truly Madly Deeply, Where The Hearts Is, White Hunter Black Heart, Without You I'm Nothing, Young Guns II
posted by LAGuy @ 12:39 PM
5 Comments:
Not only is Miller's Crossing great, but before Lebowski came out it was my favorite Coen Bros. movie. So there!
I think La Femme Nikita and White Hunter, Black Heart made it into the honorable mentions list last time around; this time you can imagine them bubbling under in the twenties, sparing us another argument about Clint Eastwood.
Miller's Crossing used to be a favorite and is on my list because of that but I've grown a bit lukewarm on it over the past decade or so. Ju Dou, Reflecting Skin and Metropolitan would have placed on my list a decade or two ago but also haven't viewed in ages.
Don't care for Jacob's Ladder at all. Feel like I've seen the PKD comparison thrown around a lot with this film but it always struck me as a bit too obvious and conventional to work. Lyne's pretty mediocre but I somewhat enjoy Flashdance, as stupid as it is (the Pittsburgh setting helps).
Haven't seen the rest of his top ten. From his other picks I've only seen 14, 16, 18 (all of which I liked, none of which I've watched in at least 20 years) and 20 (which is on my list).
1. The Decade of Destruction (6-part documentary, especially the first episode);
2. Gremlins 2;
3. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead; 4. Days of Being Wild;
5. Trust;
6. Misery;
7. The Swordsman (the sequel is even better but should be watched after this);
8. Bonfire of the Vanities;
9. Miller’s Crossing;
10.Bullet in the Head;
Others:
Shadow of China; Vincent & Theo; Nikita; Metropolitan; Boiling Point; A Chinese Ghost Story II; A-ge-man; Arachnophobia; Curry and Pepper; Die Hard 2
I wonder if people would like Dances With Wolves more if it hadn't won all those Oscars.
Awakenings it pretty good, with two fine performances. Pretty Woman made Julia Roberts a star, and is still fun. Avalon is no Diner, but it's still pretty good.
Not liking La Femme Nikita is a tell for Turing.
The Reflecting Skin is very very disturbing. I have never been able to watch until the end.
But I remember it so.....
NEG
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