The Year in Review

My reward at the end of a long "movie year" is that I get to sit back
and play snob.  I get to fall in line with the rest of the wagons and
exercise my "critical talents" by posting "top ten" lists and whining
about the "state of the cinema."  Boring.  I'd rather talk about
laughter.

Frankly, I don't know when I've laughed as much in the movies as I did
this year.  Sure, even the best films had problems.  PULP FICTION was
too long, FORREST GUMP was too nice, etc. etc.  But whatever their
faults, they had entertainment to spare.  From FOUR WEDDINGS to TRUE
LIES, comedy came from every corner and often when we least expected it!
It sprang from a sleeper sofa in CROOKLYN.  It balanced on two wheels in
SPEED.  It shattered on a starship in STAR TREK GENERATIONS.

Was there a week that went by without *something* to enjoy?

The disappointments came and they were no fun.  My expectations were
sky-high for John Landis and BEVERLY HILLS COP 3.  I also thought THE
SHADOW would be something special.  My mistake.  MAVERICK was a misstep
that I hope Dick Donner learned from, and MARY SHELLY'S FRANKENSTEIN was
just plain boring.  For every sigh, though, there was a surprise.  CLEAR
AND PRESENT DANGER made me forget the folly of PATRIOT GAMES, thank you
very much.  JUNIOR and DISCLOSURE were surprisingly strong.  So was THE
VAMPIRE, that triumph of tone.

Three surprisingly smart comedies came from "independent" filmmakers.
CLERKS, SPANKING THE MONKEY, and MY LIFE'S IN TURNAROUND were all made
on shoe-strings, and were all just as funny as any higher-concept fare.
The foreign features were also very good, with Ang Lee's EAT DRINK MAN
WOMAN ranking high on my list.  Revivals worth mentioning?  How about
the 30th anniversary edition of MY FAIR LADY?  I even got to see a copy
of Roger Corman's shelved FANTASTIC FOUR film!

(The bombs were there, too, and they were such easy targets.  Bruce
 Willis in THE COLOR OF NIGHT.  Nicholas Cage in GUARDING TESS.  Stone
 and Stallone in THE SPECIALIST.  Everybody in NORTH.  Next!)

So here is my "top ten" list, representing the best of what I saw in the
calendar year.  Not included are any of last year's leftovers, such as
SCHINDLER, PHILLY, and SHADOWLANDS.  Also missing are *this* year's late
arrivals, such as HOOP DREAMS and THE BOYS OF ST. VINCENT.


        MY TOP TEN                                HONOR ROLL

  1. PULP FICTION                            BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
  2. EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN                     ED WOOD
  3. FORREST GUMP                            FRESH
  4. TRUE LIES                               THE HUDSUCKER PROXY
  5. FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL             I LIKE IT LIKE THAT
  6. QUIZ SHOW                               LITTLE BUDDHA
  7. THE LION KING                           LITTLE WOMEN
  8. THE REF                                 NATURAL BORN KILLERS
  9. HEAVENLY CREATURES                      SPEED
 10. MY LIFE'S IN TURNAROUND                 WHAT HAPPENED WAS..


Copyright 1995 by Michael J. Legeros
Movie Hell is a trademark of Michael J. Legeros