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MORIARTY PRESENTS: THE NINETIES (90,91,92)

Someone asked for his opinion, right? by Fred4sure	Jan 3rd, 2000 12:35:30 AM
I'm sure someone did. I'd hate to think he offered up this platter of opinion all on his own.
Moriarty by DarthJoe	Jan 3rd, 2000 12:45:06 AM
What is Moriarty's day job? Does he have some kind of authority in Hollywood? Just curious.
I am...... by hayt43	Jan 3rd, 2000 12:48:38 AM
Yeah Yeah....etc. Nice List Evil One. Can't wait for more.
WOW! by wato	Jan 3rd, 2000 01:04:54 AM
I can't believe I read that whole thing. Kudos big M. It certainly was exhaustive. I had an opinion to share, but I forgot it about half way through.
This is getting intolerable by NamelessNarrator	Jan 3rd, 2000 01:25:45 AM
Moriarty's hyperbolistic, pretentious writing style is starting to annoy me, particularly when he puts together pieces like this one. What is the point of it all? Do I need this guy to tell what is good and what is not, from the last ten years of film? Of course not. Initially, I was excited by the prospect of Moriarty's "Rumblings" could offer. As the column evolved, however, it felt as though the tone and attitude slowly shifted. Having begun as another excited "geek" (as people call themselves around here) with insider info, Moriarty became increasingly distant, stating his opinion as though it was somehow THE definitive approach to a given topic. This might be tolerated if it weren't for such a obnoxious writing-style, in which everything is overwritten to the point of being trite. You know what I mean? There's never just a nice moment in a movie, it's always a tears-rolling-down-your-cheeks wallop of a scene. Moriarty's appreciation for such scenes are occasionally expressed to the filmmakers themselves, and we get to hear about it via his pleasant anecdotes. (Are those anything but a blatant exercise in name-dropping?) Anyway, if Moriarty is reading this, "No offense, guy." What I had meant to say, before I started criticizing Moriarty, was that he really missed it with "The Silence of the Lambs", and that I thought his remarks on "Batman Returns" were exceptional. On the latter matter, I entirely agree with the man, and have been saying such for years. Wouldn't you all agree?
Wow! by Big Old Banh	Jan 3rd, 2000 01:33:48 AM
And this is only the first of four! I must say i'm impressed that you're even trying to cover all of the 1990s, but to do it so not to leave out the wild shifts in cinema on the way. I've always been an unabashed Tim Burton fan, and even when he's not accepted by audiences (like the dark and often shockingly mean spirit of Mars Attacks) but to work out Batman Returns for what he'd done better (and sadly, to point out just what Shumacher ruined all over the place with his campy, tacky comic book sequels) is to say the least daunting. Speaking of which, when has Schumacher done anything right? I'll admit, i enjoy Falling Down, mostly thanks to Michael Douglas, and the Lost Boys was fun but always left me wanting more (but NOT a sequel, NO SEQUELS!!!) I disliked Batman Forever and was shocked by just how vile Batman and Robin was, but ugh! Neither of them prepared me for the disgusting and lame 8mm. Not only does it shamelessy rip off Hardcore, but it does it in such a piss poor job that i could care less about anyone in the film at halfway point. Cage's blank stare, trying to be tortured, Catherine Keener, totally wasted. Jaoquin Phoenix and Peter Stormare had fun chewing up scenery, but i totally lost interest when they both died within five minutes of each other.... oh well, enough of my anti-schumacher tirade (no, i'm not even going into Flawless) Thanks to Moriarty for bringing up lost comic gems like Quick Change, The Freshman, Death Becomes Her, and my al time soft spot favorite, R&G are Dead. How dare you leave out a brilliant performance from Richard Dreyfuss though?! hmmm, what else... (as i scroll through, apologise if this is so long, but really, there is a lot to comment on...) Ahhh, Delicatessen, along with City of Lost Children and even the problematice Alien Ressurrection (which works better if you watch all 3 of these films together) Thank you for acknowledging the very bizarre Naked Lunch. Weller and Cronenberg (along with Ian Holm) help make the unfilmable novel filmable... Sorry Moriarty, I hate Manhunter, i will take Silence over it any day. Both the book and the film suffer from bad pacing, which Silence keeps to a minimum while maximizing the tension between Foster and Hopkins (which is why, Hannibal simply isn't going to work without her) .... I disagree with you about Swimming With Sharks. Whaley works, Spacey works, Michelle Forbes works (much like in Kalifornia) even when the script doesn't. Sure the "twist" blew, but the actors didn't. ...Ohhhh, Cool World. a film that simply doesn't need to exist. And what a cast to waste too. it makes me wonder if there are 2 Brad Pitt's in hollywood along with the 2 Bruce Willis's. Ones that make good choices (Se7en, Fight Club, Pulp Fiction and the Sixth Sense) and ones that well, make things like Cool World and Color of Night... Sorry again Moriarty, but i have a soft spot for the VERY troubled Alien3. It's abrupt and mean to tear Hicks and Newt away from us so flippantly, and the movie has some big problems, but Fincher almost saves it with the final chase sequences ("here kitty kitty kitty") all right, but at least it didn't betray the Alien stories as much as 4, which is a nice French Expressionist film in the same way the aforementioned Delicatessen and City of Lost Children are, but nonetheless cares nothing about anything from the first three films... i like Glengarry Glen Ross but watching it reminds me just why American Buffalo doesn't work as an adaptation. I hope that the Dude makes his way onto your list later on, the Big Lebowski is very much like Raising Arizona and Barton Fink in terms of silly existential films (something Being John Malkovich makes me so happy about) here's to the rest of the ninties, which i'm looking forward to recapping.
Batman by Muph Daddy	Jan 3rd, 2000 01:43:52 AM
Why the hell does everyone rag on the first Batman movie. Dammit, if Batman shown in a gritty, noir'ish, Gotham ain't cool, then the Joker at least is the saving point. My only complaint is they killed off the Joker, but what the hell, thats just my shitty opinion. At least we had two more "good" movies until the fagfest that was Batman & Robin.
HAVE THE LAMBS STOPPED SCREAMING !? by Darth Siskel	Jan 3rd, 2000 02:12:10 AM
I will forever be pissed when someone mentions Alien3. They had the chance to make it all a bad dream with Alien4, but they instead chose to clone Ripley. FUCK YOU FOREVER FOX!!! But Moriarty, what's up with not liking Silence of the Lambs that much? I think it deserved Best Picture that year. It was a stunning cinematic event that I will never forget.
batman movies by thinker	Jan 3rd, 2000 02:14:41 AM
Although I liked Batman Returns, I actually prefer the original. I hadn't ever really thought about the various villians as facets of Wayne's personality, that's a really interesting point. I suppose now I will have to watch it again. Also, in response to a comment in talkback about the killing off of the Joker, two things- One, I hate how they feel the need to destroy every villian they introduce in a movie, from first to POS last. Two- I don't think the Joker is actually dead. On top of the church, he makes several comments that indicate something odd is going on- "Sometimes I just kill myself" and "Time for me to retire". I always thought his death was somehow stage dressing to allow the shock of his return later on, had Jack been willing to reprise the character.
two things . . . by moviet00l	Jan 3rd, 2000 02:32:48 AM
For the life of me, I don't understand why he can enjoy The Last Boy Scout for being a wonderful, senseless cartoon of a movie but not see Robin Hood in the same light. I enjoyed both movies. To his credit though, Moriarty has officially changed my mind about Alien3. The movie itself is better than Moriarty makes it out, but ultimately, it wouldn't matter if had been better than the original, because the entire premise is a betrayal of our emotional journey through Aliens. So, just like Beastmaster 2 & 3 and Highlander 2 & 3, Alien 3 & 4 no longer exist. I look forward to the next installment, doctor.
two things . . . by moviet00l	Jan 3rd, 2000 02:37:02 AM
For the life of me, I don't understand why he can enjoy The Last Boy Scout for being a wonderful, senseless cartoon of a movie but not see Robin Hood in the same light. I enjoyed both movies. To his credit though, Moriarty has officially changed my mind about Alien3. The movie itself is better than Moriarty makes it out, but ultimately, it wouldn't matter if had been better than the original, because the entire premise is a betrayal of our emotional journey through Aliens. So, just like Beastmaster 2 & 3 and Highlander 2 & 3, Alien 3 & 4 no longer exist. I look forward to the next installment, doctor.
Moriarty hits it on the nose by Lazarus Long	Jan 3rd, 2000 02:59:31 AM
thanks for giving some long overdue credit to Rush (which might have won acting oscars if released now), A River Runs Through It (where Pitt is sent down from heaven), Glengarry Glen Ross (an all-you-can-eat buffet of acting), The Last Boy Scout (cooler and funnier than all the Lethal Weapon & Beverly Hills Cop films combined--"My girl's dead, and the guys that did it are up at Spago eatin' Chicken Marsala."), and The Freshman (although if you really want proof of his still-existent acting chops, watch him effortlessly steal every scene from an almost equally-amazing Johnny Depp in Don Juan DeMarco). Which reminds me, wasn't Brando supposed to be in Sean Penn's film of Gabriel Garcia Marquez' Autumn of the Patriarch? Is this project still alive. I'll also thank Moriarty for taking some air out of Silence of the Lambs (a great thriller, but not as good as Michael Mann's Manhunter and definitely not deserving of a BP oscar). Dances With Wolves I find to be a travelogue about as heavy-handed in its "apology" to Native Americans as Brando's 1972 Oscar refusal, but not as ballsy. I can stomach this winning best picture, but if ever the best director award should have gone to a different film's helmer, Scorsese should have had it for GoodFellas. Next to Citizen Kane's dissing, the worst oscar crime in the award's history. I'll stop here. Hoo-haa!
Nice work, M, nice work... by agentcooper	Jan 3rd, 2000 03:11:04 AM
Moriarty: Good God, it took me two hours to read your exhaustive essay. It is now three a.m., I will be dead tired all day at work tomorrow, and I don't care. My favorite part about reading your tour of the decade was remembering my own first viewings of each of the films you mentioned: where I saw them, who I saw them with, the state of mind I was in, the influence the various films had on me. Thank you for the obvious time and work you put in. I, of course agree with some of your choices and disagree with others, but the list is so long and so well thought out, at this time, I will simply applaud your efforts and say that I look forward to reading your thoughts about the rest of the decade. Cooper Out...
by 00spool	Jan 3rd, 2000 04:03:41 AM
a moment of silence for my nigga BIGGIE SMALLS! a moment of consilence foe my nigga EDWARD O. WILSON! Goddamn if this fucking web thing won't be over in five years! Right now ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND IDIOTS LIVING IN EFFICIENCY APARTMENTS are sending stop animation to ron howard's idiotic web site when they should be working on a GRAND UNIFIED THEORY! the web is done! invest in biotech because it'll all be CRONENBERG in 10 years.
Whoah by The Kid	Jan 3rd, 2000 04:43:01 AM
Between this and masturbating, it took me until 4:31 A.M. (the current time) to finish this article and the subsequent TalkBacks. Now it's 4:32. I think I started around 1:something, signing on yet again for a fix (I really need these updates) and finding this by accident (though I've found new things by clicking on "More" before). 4:33. 4:34. Good job, Mr. Moriarty. This list makes for intriguing reading. Try not to kill yourself making three more of these (it's three, right? Not four, because this would count as one out of the four you said you were writing at the beginning of this first one...4:36...I think I need to finish this). Looking forward to the next one (on a weekend, hopefully, now that it's the last day of Christmas Break, oh how I hate high school).
Alien3 by chiefy	Jan 3rd, 2000 04:47:17 AM
Well, M, you mentioned that every film out there has a defender. The truth, as I see it, is that every single film out there hits us each differently, making us each see what we want to see in them. You wrote extensively about "Batman Returns," documenting each moment that made the film for you, giving your overall take, and telling us why it's such a great piece of filmmaking. Personally though, I cannot enjoy BR. I really think that it, like the original, is an example of Burton taking the Batman concept and strangling it to death with that quirky dark humor of his. He is a filmmaker that leaves too much of his own fingerprints on a idea for my tastes, and when that idea doesn't jive with his conventions perfectly, the results can be ugly. But we all see films and pick the messages we want to see out of them, and that leads me to Alien3. For me, the Alien series has always been about Ripley. She and her island of rational thinking amidst the chaos perpetrated by the Alien creature and the reactions of the humans around her to it. Alien3 is the ultimate character study of a woman who has been broken, who has suffered beyond imagination at the hands of the universe. She's had every loved one cruelly taken from her, been deposited in one hellish situation after another. But she still manages to go on, to keep fighting. It's a deeply sad film. The look on Ripley's face when she's told about Newt's fate, and later when she examines her in the morgue, never fail to touch me deeply inside. Her suicide at the end is the ultimate act of a woman who won't surrender, won't take comfort over her own sense of duty, ever. That has always been Ripley to me. Yes, it hurts that Newt, Hicks and Bishop die. But it's those cutting, unconventional moments that give this film its power, that let us examine Ripley and her motivations and her inner workings. Maybe that's where I go wrong; maybe the focus shouldn't be Ripley. Maybe it's beyond simply her for most people, and Hicks' and Newt's deaths are not justified. However, I hope that people hate Alien3 on its own terms, and not simply because it wasn't what they were expecting following Aliens. M, your statement that Alien3 could have been better than Alien and Aliens and still been unforgiveable for the first five minutes saddens me, in this regard. Maybe there is a negation of Aliens' emotional peak. But I don't think that sequels should ape their predecessors in tone. Alien3 has own emotional base, just as Aliens distinguished itself from Alien in that regard. It was a bold move, in my opinion, to try to let the movie stand on its own terms, especially given the success of Aliens. In case I haven't been heretical enough, I also think the acting and script are just fine, certainly better than Alien: Resurrection, and on par with its predecessors. Weaver in particular is great, and Charles Dance does a great job as well. The sets and effects are breathtakingly desolate, very involving. So there it is. I know a lot of people hate this movie, and I know it's angering when you think someone else has totally missed the merit or worthlessness of something. I, for one, seem to be the only person who saw Star Trek: First Contact to hate it with a vengence, and can't understand what people see in it. But our taste in film is as unique as ourselves, and this is what allows for differing opinions such as these. BTW, looking forward to the rest of the retrospective, M.
xmen trailer by 00spool	Jan 3rd, 2000 04:55:53 AM
chiefy has given us all a very special sentance. read it aloud four times and then watch the ending of Naked Lunch four times and you will feel like when you drink airplane gas: "She and her island of rational thinking amidst the chaos perpetrated by the Alien creature and the reactions of the humans around her to it. She and her island of rational thinking amidst the chaos perpetrated by the Alien creature and the reactions of the humans around her to it. She and her island of rational thinking amidst the chaos perpetrated by the Alien creature and the reactions of the humans around her to it. She and her island of rational thinking amidst the chaos perpetrated by the Alien creature and the reactions of the humans around her to it.She and her island of rational thinking amidst the chaos perpetrated by the Alien creature and the reactions of the humans around her to it. She and her island of rational thinking amidst the chaos perpetrated by the Alien creature and the reactions of the humans around her to it."
Witches was Terrible! , a disgrace by BathTub	Jan 3rd, 2000 06:13:53 AM
it didn't come near the book, took its own path and was the worse for it
Wow. I'm impressed by Kiwi-1	Jan 3rd, 2000 06:42:40 AM
That is quite some work. I'm tired just from reading it. And you have another three more coming? I'm looking forward to it. Some comments (and I warn you, this may take a while). Edward Scissorhands - Man, do I love that film. Ed Wood may be Burton's best, but it's not your typical Burton. Scissorhands, on the other hand, is why I love Burton. La Femme Nikita - Wonderful movie. I only saw it this year, although I saw the terrible remake a while ago. But I really want to see a letterboxed subtitled version. Quick Change - Why do people not know about this movie. Please, watch it. One of Bill Murray's most perfect performances. Didn't he write and direct, as well? The Freshman - I had forgotten about this film. Thank you, Moriarty, for reminding me. I saw this film years ago, before I had seen The Godfather films. Must see it again. The Bonfire Of The Vanities - Well, at least we did get The Devil's Candy from the film. I learned a lot from reading that book. Rozencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead - Yes, Oldman and Roth are perfect here, their timing incredible - witness the verbal tennis match. If only people would leave Shakespeare In Love and seek out more Tom Stoppard. Hilarious. The Fisher King - Beautiful, terrifying, brilliant. Favourite part? Where Perry runs through the streets, re-living his wife's death, and being chased by the knight. Delicatessen - Lost Children is brilliant, but only Deli has the bedsprings scene. Glengarry Glenn Ross - So theatrical, and yet it never once felt theatrical. Alec Baldwin was brilliant, and as always I am impressed by Mamet's writing. How does he turn profanity into poetry? A Grand Day Out - Very good, but they showed it on TV recently sandwiched between The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave, and it felt weaker as a result - more directionless. So always watch AGDO by itself, and TWT and ACS as a double feature, and they are much more enjoyable. But it is an impressive job. Check out the Aardman Animations site if you can - www.aardman.co.uk ** Batman Returns
Witches by Teko	Jan 3rd, 2000 08:19:33 AM
Roald Dahl's work (along with Pinkwater and Seuss) has been a major influence on me, so I'm a bit opinionated when it comes to film adaptations of his books. Roeg's The Witches was faithful and brilliant all the way through, with amazing puppetry by Henson, but the altered ending RUINED it. The book's ending was so perfectly poignant...why did it have to be tinkered with...sterilized...Hollywoodi zed. I personally think that DeVito's Matilda is the best adaptation of a Dahl book yet, but perhaps I'm alone in that.
Well, Moriarty,... by r_dimitri22	Jan 3rd, 2000 08:42:55 AM
I could not agree with you more on the problem with Alien 3. It was a complete betrayal of Aliens, one of my favorite films. I concur completely regarding Unforgiven and Glengarry Glen Ross. Nothing revolutionary about those opinions. The surprise of all this was that you might have convinced me that Batman Returns is a quality film. I only saw it once at the theater and remember being unimpressed. Perhaps I should give it a second chance.
Professor MORIARTY - You're WRONG about "Presumed Innocent" (199 by Templer	Jan 3rd, 2000 09:29:03 AM
That this film was some sort of a misfire is a common misconception. WB's "Presumed Innocent" grossed $221.3 Million Dollars at the Worldwide Box Office. The film had a budget of $27 Million Dollars, so not only was it a hit at the Worldwide Box Office, but it was a very profitable film as well. ----- The Domestic Gross for "Presumed Innocent" was $86.3 Million Dollars; the International Gross for the drama was $135 Million Dollars: It's Worldwide total was $221.3 Million Dollars. This film was one of 1990s biggest hits, especially Worldwide.------ Great film, by the way. If anyone hasn't seen this gem of a film, make sure and check it out, it's a real winner. A real nail-biter, and a lot of surprises. Very tense.
My Faith in Moriarty is Shaken by Alanh	Jan 3rd, 2000 09:44:32 AM
He hates DEAD AGAIN, but likes BATMAN RETURNS?!?!? I didn't think anyone on the planet enjoyed BATMAN RETURNS, which was clearly the worst by far (and this is saying a lot) Batman film. Come on, missile armed penguins? By comparison DEAD AGAIN had perhaps the best script of the year. Its a powerful, effective movie, although it does go way over the top in its conclusion. Maybe Moriarty just could stand the use of Reincarnation as part of the plot. That said, I agree with most of what he said. But I hope that his opinions for these two movies somehow got switched.
This is what we needed... by Peregrin	Jan 3rd, 2000 09:54:00 AM
....another fucking list to ring in the new millennium. Between this and Harry's Top 30 I'll have enough paper with which to wipe my ass for the next 100 years...
Crispin Glover & "Husbands and Wives" by smilin'jackruby	Jan 3rd, 2000 10:42:47 AM
Goddamn, Moriarity, it took me forever to read your list, but as you are Moriarity, I did just that, the whole damn thing. Of course, I didn't agree with you on everything, but did on others, foremost of which is Crispin Glover. Somewhere, somehow, this man is one of the greatest comic geniuses of our time and is going virtually under the radar. His music (especially the sobbing performance of "Man on the Flying Trapeze") and his epic retarded midget films that are coming out make him a wacked out genius. As for the Wood-ster and "Husbands and Wives," while that is one of his best movies, I would disagree with you on saying that it was his last great drama. I am an unabashed Woody Allen fanatic and am always, always, always interested to see what's coming next, including "Sweet and Lowdown" which I enjoyed on a certain plane. Regardless, congratulations Moriarity on releasing this insane document. Can't wait to read the next ones.
What happened to Hallenbeck? by Marvin Martian	Jan 3rd, 2000 10:56:05 AM
Hey, Moriarty I noticed in your brief write up of The Last Boy Scout that you referred to AICN's Joe Hallenbeck as our "fallen" comrade. I was out of the country for a few months this year with highly limited internet access, so I missed a fair bit of news on the site. I had wondered why Hallenbeck hadn't posted anything recently...What happened to him? Is it as severe as I think it is?
Yes! Men it Work is one of the worst.... by wash	Jan 3rd, 2000 10:56:17 AM
...piece o' sheeite's ever made! You called it on that one, Moriarty. I'm just suprised you can still remember it...it's been blocked from my memory for years.
Moriarty: That comment on "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot" by ABking	Jan 3rd, 2000 11:02:56 AM
Stallone might be my favorite actor, but even I can admit that he made one of the worst pieces of SHIT when he did "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot". On a different note, I also LOVED "BATMAN RETURNS" and am glad you did a long piece on it.
Die Hard 2 is great! by mthiel	Jan 3rd, 2000 11:10:46 AM
A few weeks ago I saw Die Hard 2 on DVD and realized that it still holds up very well today. This is probably my favorite non sci-fi action movie (mostly because I feel that movies such as Superman 2 are better). Of course, Moriarty is the same person who didn't put Naked Lunch, a movie that made no sense whatsoever, on the worst of '92 list...
Re-read the list, wanted to throw in a couple of opinions... by agentcooper	Jan 3rd, 2000 11:26:12 AM
*Quick Changewas indeed hilarious, but the fact that it flopped caused Bill not to direct again. See this film if you haven't yet. It deserves an audience. Alien3just rotten. They betrayed us in the first five minutes and never recovered. I read an article in Premiere magazine shortly before the film was released wherein Fincher was quoted as saying that he did not make this film for fans of the first two, he made this film for the three or four of his friends who knew things about camera angles and lenses. I hope they enjoyed it. I was so surprised that Seven was as good as it was. Fincher has recovered nicely, as we all know, but his current work doesn't make up for this stinky little cinematic enema.Toyswas a bad film filled with good moments. It's too bad Levinson couldn't make it work. HOWEVER, Toys has one of the best songs ever written for a movie as its theme. The song is called "The Closing of the Year," written by Hans Zimmer and Trevor Horn. It is a beautiful song which has become a holiday favorite at my house. If the movie had been better, I'm sure the song would be on the radio every holiday season. If you haven't seen the movie yet, you owe it to yourself to check it out for this song. I'm not kidding. It's that good.Bonfire of the VanitiesI am the only person in the United States that bought this film on Laserdisc. I actually enjoyed it when I saw it in the theatre. Looking back, I think that this was because I saw it with good friends and it capped off a great evening. Also, I had not read the book before I saw the movie. Ultimately, the film is severely flawed, but I still watch it every once in a while and remember the great time in my life when I first saw it. That is the power of the movies-to transcend what is actually onscreen and open the floodgates of memory and emotion.Hook*Before its release, I fully expected this to be the greatest film ever made. For its first half hour, it was, then Julia Roberts makes her first appearance, then we go to the Backlot called Neverland, the script falls apart, Dustin Hoffman chews scenery for an hour, and we have three or four endings. I don't think the film is as bad as Moriarty makes it out to be, but it was quite disappointing at the time. Anyway, just some thoughts.
Thanks, Moriarty.. by Otter	Jan 3rd, 2000 11:40:17 AM
Thanks for a nice retrospect; I'll look forward to your future installments. As for all you whining little bitches, don't click on it if your inept little browsers can't handle it; disconnect your Atari 2600 programming unit and go and buy a real computer.
long, but bloody great job Moriarty by Hotspur	Jan 3rd, 2000 12:08:01 PM

Batman Returns rocked and Alien3 sucked! by Darth Brian	Jan 3rd, 2000 12:39:04 PM
Kudos on your examination of Batman Returns. It kicked major ass. Every time I see this movie and the part where Selina and Bruce realize who each other are, I can't help but cry my freaking eyes out. They both know at this point how impossible their love for each other is and now what are they gonna do about it? Fight? One of the most poignant moments ever captured on film. Schumacher and Goldsman totally fucked up the next two films. Goldsman keeps going on record as saying that the scripts were great, that we should read the script before judging him, but how could the script be any better? They made Batgirl Alfred's niece for crying out loud. What a total disregard for the original source material. I can forgive them making Joker the one who killed Batman's parents because of the duality expressed between the two characters. i.e. Joker: "You made me". Batman: "You made me first!" Great bit of dialogue. Anyway, on to Alien3. What a total piece of garbage this was. Nothing made any sense whatsoever. First of all, how the hell did any Alien eggs get onto the Sulaco? Ripley blasted all the eggs to bits. The queen detached herself from her eggsac to chase after Ripley, and no, she wasn't carrying any eggs with her. Second of all, even if there was a way for eggs to get on the Sulaco, the eggs wouldn't have hatched until it detected some kind of life around them. Hello?! Everyone's in hypersleep! No life signs! The eggs wouldn't have hatched until the Sulaco got where she was going. Then when she finds out that Newt is dead and they want to find out if she's been impregnated, they perform an autospy on her. But, when Ripley suspects she's carrying an Alien fetus, she uses the fucking medical scanner on the escape pod! WHAT??!! Why didn't they just use that on Newt instead of cutting her open???!!! Fucking morons!!! I hated that movie. Hated hated hated hated hated hated hated hated hated hated it! Oh well, that's all I've got. Great job, M. Can't wait the read the next installment. l8r
King of Kings by Kentucky Colonel	Jan 3rd, 2000 12:43:56 PM
Thanks for mentioning one of the great gangster flicks of all time, King of New York. The scene where Frank White is getting it on with his lawyer in the subway, when the young guys try to stick him up but instead end up working for him ("Meet me at the Plaza...I have work for you") well is just amazing. And the ending? Did he or didn't he? Wow! And what about all the folks in that movie that "went on" like Snipes, Fishburne, and that NYPD guy? Wadda movie!
Alien, Batman and a couple more by Alessan	Jan 3rd, 2000 12:55:36 PM
Good roundup, Moriarity. A few comments of my own: I agree wtih you completely on Alien3. That movie was a clear case of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, not only producing a bitter, unhappy movie, but also sullying the memory of its predecessors. Strangely, you are the first reviewer I've ever read who's adressed this feeling of betrayal. Besides that, the movie had one other, basic flaw - scale. Call me simple minded, but after seeing scores of aliens being popped off left and right by guys with machine guns, why am I supposed to be afraid of just one creature? **** Thanks for the in-depth Batman Returns piece. You've reaffirmed my love of this film, the best of the series. Since I don't read comics, departures from the source material don't bother me - as far as I'm concerned, Batman in entirely Burton's creation. I think that the film's only flaw, outside some plot holes and logical stumbles, is the lack of an action climax. I think that this is one instance where giving in to popular convention would have been the right move. Besides those caveats, a classic film. *** A last note - you disliked a couple of films which I consider major guilty pleasures - Point Break and Robin Hood. Sure, they're severely flawed pictures, but I think that their good points overcome their bad; The first, due to the off-the-wall, gung-ho, damn-the-torpedoes approach to narrative (not to mention Anthony Kiedis); and the second, due to the last half-hour and the prescence of Morgan Freeman.
Murray, QUICK CHANGE, And An Early 90's Fave by mrbeaks	Jan 3rd, 2000 01:00:44 PM
Didn't Murray end up hating directing so much that he essentially handed the reins over to Howard Franklin? At least, that's the way I remember it. Still love that film, though. Also, as long as we're discussing the early part of this decade, I'd like to mention a film that is often forgotten: DIGGSTOWN. A great, rowdy film with a wonderful ending and great chemistry between James Woods Oliver Platt, Bruce Dern and Lou Gossett, Jr. If you've never seen this Michael Ritchie classic (his best work since THE CANDIDATE,) I urge you to rent it immediately.
No Trust? by Justy	Jan 3rd, 2000 01:03:14 PM
Granted, when you're only really doing the best ten of a year, things are going to be left out, but I have to recommend an early Hal Hartley movie by the name of Trust, with Adrienne Shelley and Martin Donavan... Just check it out, it deserves notice (and is very hard to describe. The best I can say is that it perfectly sums up the fact that the generations that came up in the 80s and 90s are between a rock and a hard place: life, and our parents).
Hey, chiefy by Oldie	Jan 3rd, 2000 01:19:12 PM
I agree with you totally about Star Trek: First Contact. It was an insulting abomination. *** Hmmm... The rest of the list looks good to me, but then I haven't seen most of the stuff on it in a few years, so I don't know...
I saw BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES five times at the movies by The Cars	Jan 3rd, 2000 01:35:39 PM
and still haven't taken a shower. What De Palma did that was right was not to take Wolfe's novel quite as seriously as you did.
Batman Returns by Pfangirl	Jan 3rd, 2000 02:14:25 PM
God bless you, Moriarty, for your indepth piece on Batman Returns! I've been having this argument for years now and it's nice to know that there are people out there who share the same and RIGHT view. Joel Schumacher should ber shot, every copy of Batman Forever and Batman & Robin destroyed and Burton's Bat preserved for all time to take it's rightful place in cinema history. And long live Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman!!!
What DePalma Did Right With BONFIRE..... by mrbeaks	Jan 3rd, 2000 02:29:52 PM
The opening tracking shot is majestic. After that, it's all one very painful folly from a director who still hasn't completely regained his footing.
I DONT CARE!! Clive Barkers NIGHT BREED!!!!!! by mckracken	Jan 3rd, 2000 02:35:31 PM
the 12 tribes of the moon were born ten years ago in the cemetary city of Midian by a brilliant genious known as CLIVE BARKER. LOVE IT, HATE IT, I dont really care, I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!! I WANT TO OWN IT ON DVD...I WANT the TWO SEQUELS that will never happen!!! --McK
Dead Again by ClarkGoble	Jan 3rd, 2000 03:24:45 PM
Wow - _Dead Again_ among the worst? This was always a little gem I've treasured; a film I always assumed was a critical and cult hit. It's one of those films we always break out among friends, and example of Emma Thompson and Kennith Branaugh before they went Hollywood and started making crap. Am I the only one who loved the visual style, the story and the performances? I still remember only seeing this because Robert Ebert said we should, showing the clip of Robin Williams and Branaugh with the laughable idea of reincarnation that works within the film. While not in my top 10 by any means, it's always been one of my favorite films.
Batman Returns? by ClarkGoble	Jan 3rd, 2000 03:31:10 PM
While _Batman Returns_ was always stylish the one word I'd choose to describe it with is claustrophobic. The plot was too dense for the time a film could give - it was a plot in search of a miniseries. Visually the film always looked closed in, unreal, like it was being filmed in a set. It didn't look like a city. This was especially true of the park in front of the shopping mall. Visually that claustrophobia really bothered me. Finally it was claustrophobic in that there were too many characters vying for screen time. Rather than just the Joker, we had three villians. Unfortunately that was the one thing kept from this film for later films, one of the many, many things that made the later ones fail. I should add that while the German "gothic" look was brilliant, it did so by adopting a lot of unsavory images. The Penguin comes from the role Jews took in the style Burton borrowed from. I'm certain no anti-semetic messages were intended, but there was something troubling about the style. It bothered me in the same way that the Nazi-chic of _Starship Troopers_ did. But at least that film could claim to be using it's images in the pursuit of satire and irony. _Batman Returns_ couldn't. While the first film had it's weaknesses, it was much stronger than this one.
Miller's Crossing by Spock Jenkins	Jan 3rd, 2000 03:40:02 PM
I liked the list, but most of all I loved the fact that Miller's Crossing was the first movie you mentioned. I love everything that the Coens have ever made, but I think this Prohibition-era gangster flick is far and away the best thing that they have ever done. Gabriel Byrne exudes coolness in every frame. Albert Finney, "the Dane", even the little fat kid is awesome. The Coens have a magical gift to breathe life into every single character they create. Their use of period-specific (and in movies like Fargo, location-specific) lingo is truly amazing and unmatched by anyone else. "What's the rumpus?" will forever live in legend. This is the kind of movie that no matter how many times you see it, you will get something new every single time. I make every single one of my friends watch it if they haven't seen it yet. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you run, not walk, to the video store and rent it.
cool by Lord Shell	Jan 3rd, 2000 03:44:25 PM
Nice to see someone else appreciates Batman Returns. Usually when I mention that it's my favorite Batman movie, I get either laughter or strange looks. I think the main reason it did so poorly was that everyone was expecting a DIFFERENT movie. Something lighter and 'kiddified' (Remember the Batman Returns Burger King glasses? Hee hee. Every time I think of the BK glasses it makes me remember my favorite line: 'Just the pussy I was looking for.') And this movie was a dark metaphor for a fractured personality rather than a 'slam-bang action movie'.~~~~~As for Aliens3 . . . yeeesh! The entire premise of Aliens was based around Ripley's guilt over the deaths of her original crew. Overcoming her fears and saving the new crew (ESPECIALLY Newt) was the way of coming 360 degrees-to redemption (Has anyone ever seen the cut scenes involving Ripley's mother? Just wondering.) And then in A3 ALL THE FUCKING PEOPLE SHE FOUGHT TO SAVE IN THE PREVIOUS MOVIE ARE DEAD IN THE FIRST FIVE MINUTES-AAAAAAAAGGGGGHHH! MEN HAVE BEEN KILLED FOR LESSER OFFENCES! Ahem. Pardon me. It would have been far better to have let the movies end with Aliens than have subjected the world to Alien3 and the putrid Alien: Resurrection. I have also been led to understand that many of the most vile script changes have come from Sigourney Weaver herself (I may be wrong-I am simply repeating rumors. If it is true I think Sigourney should see if 'writer' is anywhere on her resume.) If you don't have any respect for the previous source material then DON'T DO THE FUCKING MOVIE! Is that so hard to understand?
Dead Again again by r_dimitri22	Jan 3rd, 2000 03:45:10 PM
The climax sucked royally, but I thought the supporting performances/characters of Wayne Knight and Robin Williams alone made the film worth seeing.
Crossing Miller's Crossing and re: Lord Shell's comments by r_dimitri22	Jan 3rd, 2000 03:53:36 PM
Lord Shell>> You echo my feelings about the Alien franchise exactly. So this is what it's like when doves cry!..... As for Miller's Crossing, I can appreciate it, but I just did not enjoy it that much. I like my satire delivered with the subtle tap of a single raindrop as opposed to the crushing blow of a sledgehammer. Perhaps it's just the subject matter; I hated Analyze This as well.
I thought Clapton wrote Tears in Heaven... by r_dimitri22	Jan 3rd, 2000 03:56:47 PM
...in honor of his dead baby son. Did he also write it because he was under contract to do a song for the movie Rush, or am I mistaken?
Am I the only one who liked Point Break? by Cineman	Jan 3rd, 2000 04:02:33 PM
I thought that movie rocked. It wasn't trying to be a brainy action thriller. It was one of those leave your brain at the door flicks, pure brain candy. After seeing this, I just new Keanu Reeves was an awesome action hero. That movie is such an adrenaline rush! I gotta agree with the Glengarry Glen Ross comments. That is probably the best acted film ever. Mesmerizing to watch, you can't take your eyes off the actors and every line is memorable. I thought Barton Fink was better than Miller's Crossing. From the chemistry between Tuturro and Goodman to the scene stealing of Tony Shalhoub and Steve Buscemi , that film is a masterpiece.
Oh, and... by r_dimitri22	Jan 3rd, 2000 04:05:21 PM
I love Point Break as one of my guilty pleasures. Good action, good philosophy, and the nihilistic ending (a la Dirty Harry) for which I am a sucker. It is the only time that I remember being impressed by Patrick Swayze, and Keanu doesn't have to go too far to play a surfer. Plus, you have Gary Busey in all his glory! However, I completely agree with you regarding Robin Hood. Maybe Alan Rickman was directed to play the villain in that ridiculously over the top manner, but I thought it was awful. (I do appreciate him as Hans Gruber and even that bad guy in Quigley Down Under, so I'm not biased against him. I am eager to see Galaxy Quest.) The only moment I liked was when Marion blew in Robin's ear to disrupt his supposedly perfect shot.
I AM LOOKING FOR LANEMYERS by SethPalmer	Jan 3rd, 2000 04:12:16 PM
LANE!! It's me!! Quentin2! I just re-registered!!! well.... I've found a GREAT messageboard called THE PANEL, and I have been looking for my old friend, LaneMyers (a passionate flamboyant man) because I want him to come to the board... Lane!!! Lane, if you read this, go to http://maty_k.tripod.com/index .htm It is the best messageboard online...made for people like you and I.
LOOK ELSEWHERE! by I Love Fox!	Jan 3rd, 2000 04:23:03 PM

"DEATH BECOMES HER" sucked ass! by sexualchocolate1	Jan 3rd, 2000 04:37:48 PM

MESSAGE TO: JimRyalto, Eternal, and DarthSiskel (the degeneratio by SethPalmer	Jan 3rd, 2000 04:59:50 PM
JESUS CHRIST, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU FUCKS STILL DOING HERE???... It's good to see your names, though. Brings back good memories. If you don't know yet, it is indeed me, quentin2. I have returned to this abonimable pit on a quest for the legendary lost LaneMyers. Man...now I'm thinking of those old thimes....makes me misty eyed. I've got to say, and I'm sure Harry and Moriarty will agree, AICN Talk Back was without the a doubt THE BEST FILM FORUM/MESSAGEBOARD ONLINE. Every time Lane and I would argue, I secretly cherished the time spent writing those profanity-filled, novel-length responses.... I'll tell you this, I used to love coming to Talk Back everyday responding and talking to people with various opinions. And you know what? I always read every single post. I always digested everything everyone had to say, and I responded accordingly on an individual basis. And you know what else I loved about those old days? You were 100% FREE to express your opinion...(well, you could say that you were 100% free to express your opinion in the primordial choatic AICN Talk Back that existed years ago, before Harry ever had the balls to ban anyone...man, in those days a typical subject line read: "I WANNA SEE ANAKIN AND OBI-WAN FUCK NATALIE'S CUNT AND ASS!!!! AND QUI-GON BETTER GET SOME OF NATALIE'S ASS TOO!!!"...but I digress...Those were chaos-filled days...)...where was I? Oh yeah. AICN TALK BACK REPRESENTED THE GOLDEN AGE OF MESSAGEBOARD/FORUM INTERACTION ONLINE. I don't know why, I don't know how, but for whatever reason the planets aligned and Talk Back was a PARADISE. Perhaps it was because of the pre-prequel hype, and most of us were prequel-hungry SW fans starving for rumors anyway...that's how the AICN gold rush of pre-1999 happened. But ALL of us were smart, concise, and to the point. These were not just obsessed SW fans, we were movie-buffs, movie-freaks, and movie-critics. Everyone had something intelligent to say and everything was worth reading. Even characters like "Da Phantom Nigga" always brought a smile to my face. The point is that EVERYONE CONTRIBUTED to the discussion! We were like happy hippies living on a commune. We all put in our share of work, and we got back what we put in, and EVERYONE WAS HAPPY. At the end of the day, after tending the Marijuana crops, we'd sit around the fire in a circle and exchange ideas....FREELY!!!!! And Harry.... Fat Harry... Well, the loveable skamp wasn't too directly involved, but it wasn't like it is now! Now we have the Emperor with no clothes strolling through the peasant streets once every year simply to wave and smile to his loyal citizens... BACK IN THE OLD DAYS, Harry was a normal guy, he was ONE OF US, and he's often drop in to say "hi", and to PARTICIPATE in the discussion...... OH GOD, HOW I YEARN FOR THOSE DAYS...... And then of course, there was the one, the only, the great, the amazing, the extraordinary Nietzschean superman, LANEMYERS..... Now he....he was such..SUCH A WORTHY ADVERSARY!!!!!! SUCH AS I HAVE NEVER WNCOUNTERED BEFORE.... I remember, we argued like cats and dogs from the very beginning......... we fought fiercely tooth and nail...... Lane even got me banned over a passionate Dogma fight. But in the end I realized... "Ya know what? This guy is a fucking genius! I like arguing with him!" He was a genius, a linguistic genius, pure and simple....the only online entity I have ever met that even came close to my intelligence. THOSE WERE THE DAYS WHEN EVERY POST WAS A PROFANITY-FILLED, NOVEL LENGTH SPEECH...AND TYPING IN ALL CAPS WAS OKAY!! LANE!!!!! WHERE ARE YOU!!!!!!!!! You know, when Lane (The Talk Back messiah) committed internet suicide, THAT'S when Talk Back's golden pillars came tumbling down. It was like watching glorious ATLANTIS sink into the ocean. Lane was like Atlas holding the Earth...without him, Talk Back fell......... After Lane left, the conversation became SHIT. People started leaving left and right, and in there places, a SHITLOAD of pre-pubescant wannabes showed up in full force ready to make one sentence responses to the AICN articles.... I stayed because I had one speck of naive hope left...hope that Talk Back would reach it's glorious peak once again... I posted and posted, but no one seemed to care, as no one did anything but post to each other like immature toddlers in a Playground trying to make each other cry. THEN CAME THE GREAT EPISODE 1 CATACLYSM. This was the final blow, the thousand-pound weight that broke the already-crippled camel's back. A great CIVIL WAR erupted on Talk Back, peace was torn asunder, and civility burned to a crisp. Talk Back was divided into THOSE WHO LIKED TPM and THOSE WHO HATED TPM. This was bad enough, as many horrors and atrocities were committed, and many good men died, but it got worse and degenerated even further in PURE UNBRIDELED ANARCHY when the two camps were divided even more into THOSE WHO LIKE JAR JAR and THOSE WHO HATE JAR JAR and THOSE WHO WANT TO FUCK NATALIE PORTMAN and THOSE WHO DON'T WANT TO FUCK NATALIE PORTMAN and THOSE WHO HATED GEORGE LUCAS and THOSE WHO STILL HAD FAITH IN GEORGE LUCAS and THOSE WHO LOVED THE SPECIAL EFFECTS and THOSE WHO HATED THE SPECIAL EFFECTS and THOSE WHO THOUGHT THE TRADE FEDERATION WAS COOL and THOSE WHO THOUGHT THE TRADE FEDERATION SUCKED ASS...AND SO ON AND SO ON AND SO ON..... I had no choice but to desert... I PACKED MY BAGS AND LEFT TALK BACK. .............................. .............................. .............................. ....... God, I took those beautiful golden age times for granted.... How I regret that now... All I can do is search for my old friend, LaneMyers, in the hope that AICN's one true messiah will be resurrected......
Bob Odenkirk by soylentphil	Jan 3rd, 2000 05:19:16 PM
Steve Oderkirk wasn't involved in the Ben Stiller Show, I don't think. The Bob most certainly was.
Point Break, you don't get it by Contacted	Jan 3rd, 2000 05:43:31 PM
I loved Point Break. It's in my top 25 movies of all time. Not only does it have great action scenes, it has a weird and wonderful philosophy around the whole movie. Watch it again.
Unforgiven by Joe Buck	Jan 3rd, 2000 05:48:56 PM
Thank you for bringing so many great movies back to the forefront of my mind and several bad ones as well. Unforgiven is one of my favorite films of all time. It's received a lot of unfair criticism, but I find it just about as perfect as movies get. It takes everything glorified in 80 years of Hollywood Westerns and just flushes it down the toilet. Glengarry is another one I'm completely in love with. As a salesman myself, Lemmon's performance destroys me every time I see it. I had almost forgotten about Rush and Quick Change, but I do remember liking them a great deal. I think you perfectly summarized Chow-Yun Fat and Hard Boiled and Dominique Pinon and Delicatessen. Plus whatever did happen to the guy from The Commitments? I also thought he'd be huge. I look forward to future installments.
Talkback is what you make of it by Doctor Doom	Jan 3rd, 2000 06:16:09 PM
Why do you need LaneMeyers? Just for someone to spar with? Step up and write the witty prose on talkback if you think it is missing. If you get banned, mail Harry or make a new talkback id. I would contribute more but I personally hate the format of viewing/posting to talkback. It's too much of a pain in the ass to try and follow a thread of discussion (especially when the talkbacks show up out of order). As for Moriarty's decade recap, it's a nice trip down memory lane, remembering when and where I first saw these movies and my impressions of them. Batman Returns... it is my favorite Batman movie, the one I can watch multiple times. Alien3, I remember seeing the trailer and literally jumping up and down excited. I wanted a continuation of the alien storyline, to find out more about the aliens, to see what ripley and hicks and newt and bishop would do. Instead I got alien3. I didn't like it the first time, because it was a disappointment. First of all, facehuggers -react-... they don't crawl around, eat through cryotubes, and impregnate. Then, the acid causes an electrical fire. Fair enough. But then the whole ship BLOWS UP BECAUSE OF IT?!?!? It's the fucking Pinto of spaceships! -THEN- the crash pod os recovered and the facehugger impregnates the dog. FACEHUGGER DIE AFTER 1 IMPREGNATION. goddammit. I like the movie now, but only as a standalone alien movie, not part of the alien series. The only thing that would have saved the movie for me, would be at the end, after hearing Ripley to sign off. Gazing at the pile of garbage and the escape pod, silence falling over the prison facility. Only to be broken by a haunting clicking noise coming from a ghostly, translucent figure, crouching, as it examines the scene and prepares for it's next move in the hunt... sorry, fan-boy wishing there...
New Order's "'81, '82, '83, '84" album by Uncapie	Jan 3rd, 2000 06:58:31 PM
The nineties I could do without. Especially how shitty the last two years were. Real shitty. As for music, I really miss that cool eighties sound. You gotta admit, that was a great time period.
Moriarty... by sth gekko	Jan 3rd, 2000 07:45:45 PM
... we need a ninties "best of" list from you like we need a Toto reunion tour. Shut the hell up you egocentric fop. -- Everybody be cool... YOU be cool.
"The chick in 'The Crying Game' is really a man!" "BOOO!!!!" " by Powerslave	Jan 3rd, 2000 08:13:23 PM
I didn't totally hate 'Alien3;' it was more of a disappointment actually, but it was light years better than 'Alien Ressurection.' Ever notice how the Fincher fanboys never bring that movie up? I was expecting an 'art-house snob' sort of list, but this one was alright, and the 'Evil Genius' schtick was restrained for a change. By the way, I liked 'Die Hard 2,' even though it's not as good as the first one, and 'Ford Fairlane' was really bad. It's only saving graces were the 'Beverly Hillbillies' joke, and the soundtrack was pretty good.
HERO by Outrider2k	Jan 3rd, 2000 08:18:53 PM
Ok..why the hell does everyone dismiss the brilliant and touching Hero (1992) with Dustin Hoffman in one of his best roles. Sure, the plot is somewhat sappy and manipulative, but Hoffman and Garcia deliver amazing, riveting performances. Give respect where respect is due!
Moriarty aka Calendar Geniuss by Efihp	Jan 3rd, 2000 08:25:03 PM
Moriarty writes.."and as far as I'm concerned, the film era known as "The Nineties" runs from January 1, 1990 to Dec. 31, 1999 -- 10 years" What a friggin genius. He knows that a decade runs 10 years beginning on the first day of the first month and ending on the last day of the last month. Give that guy a cookie.
Pretty good list... by gilmour	Jan 3rd, 2000 08:53:29 PM
Thank you for mentioning the brilliant, underapreciated Quick Change. Easily one of the best comedies this decade. The plot alone made me want to run out and rob a bank disguised as a clown. I still think Batman Returns is the WORST of the Batman films, yeah you heard me right. What a freaking crapfest, boring as hell! Point Break was a cool, guilty pleasure action film. I think its probably Keannu's best performance. Swayze's too. And thanks one again for mentioning Bruce Willis'great performance in Last Boy-Scout, even though its very flawed, I could watch that film over and over. Willis is just perfect, he looks and acts so cool in it. Die Hard 2 wasn't THat bad, I mean the first is an action classic but it still was entertaining and way better then the crappy 3rd film. Silence of the lambs was WAY overrated. There is nothing scary or thrilling about it yet its one of only 3 films ever to sweep the oscars, wtf???? Seven was WAY better, more thrills, better directed... And Foster's accent comes and goes in the film like Travolta's career!
You forgot one thing... by houndog	Jan 3rd, 2000 10:45:14 PM
I generally can't agree more with your list, particularly 1990. But where is Avalon? One of the best of that year and maybe Levinson's best period. I also want to thank you for mentioning some other faves like, Defending Your Life, Hard Boiled, and Russell Crowe in Romper Stomper. This guy is Brando revisited. I can't wait to see what happens when everyone else realizes it. Also looking forward to the rest of your list. Thanks for all the hard work!
my-dick-is-bigger-than-your-dick .com by Powerslave	Jan 3rd, 2000 11:24:48 PM
So Eternal is gone. Another [sarcasm]TalkBack Legend[/sarcasm]is no more. Come back, Shane...I mean Lane! Come back! Who the hell cares? Lane, Eternal, Quentin, Hallenbeck, and a few others were somehow revered because they knew a few big words and lots of four-letter ones. Did these guys ever make one post where they didn't use the word "f*ck" fewer than 17 times? They were just a bunch of foul-mouthed windbags who liked to argue, and revel in their so-called "legendary" AICN status. Eternal, you have made a bunch of 16-year olds very happy with your various epic rants. You can die in peace now. Your work here is done...
Life Stinks by Andy_Christ	Jan 3rd, 2000 11:30:34 PM
Sure, the movie sucked, but it did give us one good, useful line, that bit about the guy's "11's" being up. When talking about an old dog, that isn't long for this world, my brother and I will say "His 11's are up." When joking about how old our parents are, we'll say "Mom's 11's are up." It was not a completely worthless movie.
Well Damn... by Caspian	Jan 4th, 2000 01:33:54 AM
I like The Medicine Man, Prince of Thieves, and Point Break. Come to think of it, I've never really understood that whole Keanu Reeves is satan's gift to acting thing. I thought he did rather well in PB and it's one of my favorite movies. Not particularly a smart or jaw-dropping film but... I dunno... there's something about it. Must be that whole bank robber/surfer thing. I dig it.
Quick Change is a classic by The Thing	Jan 4th, 2000 02:14:55 AM
I've never laughed harder in my life than when Randy Quaid wigs out and jumps out of the cab after learning that Tony Shalob doesn't speak English. Blufftoni, indeed. Moriarty's analysis of Batman Returns was interesting. I've never looked at the film that way - I'll have to check it out again. I hated it the first time I saw it at the theater, and I've seen it maybe once or twice since then. Batman Forever explored the same territory - the whole spilt personality thing- but did is so heavy-handedly it was almost laughable. Joel Shitmaker wouldn't know subtlety if it bit him in his hack-ass. But if you're reading this, you probably already know that, don't you?
Quick Change and Malcolm X by Samthelion	Jan 4th, 2000 02:27:45 AM
I think this is a very good, well written article but I had one problem: your commentary about Malcolm X vs. Martin Luther King. What does this have to do with how the movie works? Just because X is a more electric figure doesn't make a movie about him any better than a movie about King. Stick to a review of the movie and don't delve into social or political commentary. This was an excellent movie, however, one of the top 10 of the decade. As a white male, this film gives a complete sense of what it must have been like to have been a black man growing up in the South and in Harlem in the 30s and 40s. It's a flawless portrait of one of our most controversial figures. Also, I was very glad to see Quick Change, which I saw thirty to forty times when I was 13. Who said this line - "How hot does this baby burn?"
BATMAN RETURNS was the begining of the end..... by Dead Eye	Jan 4th, 2000 04:34:47 AM
I'm Moriarty, but BATMAN RETURNS was about half as good as the first one. It wasn't the performance it was the screenplay. It was like the start of Batman turning into a comic book again. Come on, penguins with guided missles attached to them. All of a sudden Serina Kyle magically get rivived by cats (okay the coincedential Joker smile, in BATMAN, is kinda pushing it but so what not as bad as the latter). Yes, I know Burton does his sort of surreal world in his films. But he did make the character It took away from the realism, like their could be a Batman. Not totally, but started to. Then came BATMAN FOREVER, oh God don't let me start. I just hope it gets better.
Your writing rocks by Absolut	Jan 4th, 2000 05:15:39 AM
I need to catch up on my film watching...
Miller's Crossing, Hard-Boiled, Glengarry, Alien3, and others... by Nordling	Jan 4th, 2000 07:06:52 AM
*Miller's Crossing is the best Coen Bros. Movie so far, hands down. I love the Coens, and every film of theirs guarantees a first-night seeing, but Miller's was the best. "Where's me hat?" "I suppose you think you've raised hell. - Lady, when I've raised hell you'll know it." "I'm talkin' about friendship. I'm talkin' about character. I'm talkin' about - hell, Leo, I ain't afraid to say it - I'm talkin' about ethics." "Friends is a mental state." "Jeez, I open my mouth and the whole world gets smart." "They took his hair, Tommy. Jesus, that's strange. - Maybe it was Injuns." "...my sister? She's a sick twist, that one. -She speaks highly of you. -Yeah, well, you stick by your family." "Don't smart me. See, I wanna watch you scared. I wanna watch you sweat a little. And when you smart me, it ruins it." Get the picture? This one is one of the best of the decade.* Glengarry Glen Ross is right under Miller's Crossing for some of the best dialogue. "Coffee is for closers only. Do you think I'm fucking with you? I am not fucking with you." And Jack Lemmon will break your heart, while Kevin Spacey will pour ice on it.* Hard-Boiled is ballet for tough guys. Fucking great.* Alien3 isn't my favorite of the series, but I thought it far superior to Alien:Resurrection. This was a film made by committee, but some scenes still work, and it gave Fincher the directing chops to do Seven later on.* Unforgiven is the best Western ever made. The only other one that comes close is The Searchers. * No Silence of the Lambs in the top ten? What the hell? * There are no Batman movies. Read the comics. You'll see what I mean. EVERY ONE OF THEM HAS FAILED. * Scent Of A Woman is one of the most overrated films of the decade. Al did better work in other movies, and that Oscar was simply because the Academy couldn't go back in time to give him the oscar he so much deserved for Godfather 2...* Did my eyes deceive me? Where the hell is A Few Good Men? That is still one of the best courtroom dramas in some time...* JFK is brilliant. Too bad Oliver Stone only had three bullets in his gun (the other two being Platoon and Wall Street)***Okay, I'm done.
Ford Farline? by SCOTT1458	Jan 4th, 2000 10:05:57 AM
C'mon! It was a great movie, funny as hell, and it never took itself seriously. And JFK as the #1? You're as insane as Stone himself.
Ending of A Few Good Men... by gilmour	Jan 4th, 2000 10:41:24 AM
The ending is way too stupid to be on Moriarty's list. C'mon, you actually believe Nicholson's character would crack under pressure from Tom Cruise?
Toys by Incarnadine	Jan 4th, 2000 10:44:35 AM
Wow. Guess I'm the only person on the planet who liked Toys. It's actually very nearly my favorite movie. (No, I'm not being sarcastic in the least, in case anyone's wondering.)
Swinging on a Star by Hudson Hawk	Jan 4th, 2000 11:21:39 AM
Hey, C'mon, The Last Boy Scout as a vehicle for a great Bruce Willis performance. No way. Especially when placed alongside his Hudson Hawk in the movie of the same name. He was the complete opposite of his Die Hard persona and slightly reminiscent of the good ole Moonlighting days - and that is what made it so great! Last Boy Scout was formula and expected. HH was completely out there and unexpected - hence it didn't do well - but it was awesome in my eyes.
Gilmour... by COLE	Jan 4th, 2000 11:49:17 AM
...I believe that the essence of Nicholson's character is found in the fact that he did crack under pressure from Cruise's character. Nicholson was a bad ass who never thought he'd actually have to face consequences for what he was doing - he believed the ends justified the means. I'm not even so sure his character did crack, but rather, his character didn't care - he did not believe he was doing anything wrong, even though he was aware of his "wrong doings". In any case, the arrogance of Jack's character is what makes him "crack". I believe he knew what Cruise was trying to get out of him - he just didn't care, so he sufficed him through freewill. His character loved the fact that his decisions were important.
d) All of the above by seminole	Jan 4th, 2000 01:20:51 PM
Masterful. The thing i like about Moriarty is that he explains, simply and succinctly, what films were good and what were a waste of time. Beyond that, he is able to call attention to a great performance in a shitty film, Julia Roberts/"Pretty Woman," i.e.) That's criticism folks! A good critic should remind you why a film was good and worth (re)exploring. Moriarty does just that. I've got a large post-it note w/ over 30 films scribbled down that I missed first time around or else forgot about: "Indian Runner," "City of Hope," "Little Man Tate," "Rubin & Ed," "Waterdance."
The Ben Stiller Show by dougmac	Jan 4th, 2000 02:00:11 PM
...should never be forgotten!!!!
Blues vs. Blank by Martin Q Blank	Jan 4th, 2000 09:34:31 PM
Well, I'm obviously going to refute Moriarty's comment that Miami Blues is a better movie than Grosse Pointe Blank.... Are you crazy?
Devore... by sth gekko	Jan 4th, 2000 09:46:25 PM
...unlike a previous poster, I think you can handle a debate with Moriarty. For God's sake he included Point Break in his "best of" list. I'm pretty sure you can take him.--- Everybody be cool... YOU be cool.
The Batman 3 That Should Have Been by darthflagg	Jan 5th, 2000 07:31:40 AM
Way to go Moriarty. I always felt Batman Returns was one of those movies that would only truly be appreciated years after its release, much like Carpenter's The Thing or, dare I say it, The Phantom Menace. The trick with BR is not to look at it as a superhero adventure. On that level, it's disappointing. But as a gothic study of tortured characters as only Tim Burton can do it, it's some kind of masterpiece. Who knows how much darker and weirder he could have made the third one if Warner Bros. hadn't chickened out? Am I the only one who thinks Batman Forever would have tanked just like B & R if not for Jim Carrey? The rest of the list is pretty cool, too. I have to say the main reason I didn't like Pretty Woman was because of Julia Roberts, but that's me. Why do people say the last decade sucked. movie-wise? OK, so it wasn't as artistic as the 70s (the all-time great decade) but it was miles better than the 80s.
To Darthflagg by Pomona88	Jan 5th, 2000 10:44:05 AM
No, Jim Carrey's overacting was the main problem with the ass-rippingly horrid BATMAN FOREVER. What the fuck does that title have to do with anything anyway? BF is probably worse than the misbegotten BATMAN & ROBIN in my book. On the other hand, you are quite correct that 90's movies are far superior to the vapid dreck we suffered through in the 80's, e.g. THE BIG CHILL, a shallow excuse to sell a soundtrack. Did you ever notice how Siskel and Ebert loved all kinds of crap in the 80's only to turn around a couple of years ago and say, "Gee, the 70's were so much better"? I could have told them that.
Hook by not_a_jedi_yet	Jan 5th, 2000 07:08:29 PM
Anyone who hates "Hook" obviously has never read James Barries' original "Peter Pan." The script for "Hook" was incredibly true to the source material, and the performances were true to the original characters. I don't know what all of you were expecting, but many of us who have actually read the book enjoy "Hook" a helluva lot.
thoughts by Superunknown	Jan 6th, 2000 06:24:00 AM
I really liked Young Guns 2 and Bonfire of the Vanities. Anyone else?
The problem with Alien 3 & 4 by darthflagg	Jan 6th, 2000 07:07:39 AM
Young Guns II is a guilty pleasure. Bonfire had at least one good line "The truth has got to come out and there's only one way to do that . . . lie!" When I say Batman Forever would have bombed without Carrey, I mean that his fanbase probably made it a bigger hit. Anyway, the problem with the last two Alien films, IMO, wasn't that they were terrible. They were just pointless. They didn't add anything to the alien mythology. The only way to save the franchise is Aliens vs Predator. You know it makes sense.
HOOK??? by COLE	Jan 6th, 2000 10:59:09 AM
I really believe that HOOK was a horrible film. I mean, I think that this film (along with JP2) are perfect illustrations as to why Spielberg is NOT one of the greatest directors of all-time. I mean, the guy's a talentless hack!! Imagine if Stanley Kubrick ever directed films like those! Just imagine it for a second...Ughh!
FUCK HOOK!! by CrackDaddy	Jan 6th, 2000 11:05:00 AM
And fuck Spielberg too!!! They suck! My crack will engulf the bunch of 'em! HEY! STOP LOOKING AT MY CRACK!
Spielberg by not_a_jedi_yet	Jan 6th, 2000 03:41:54 PM
First of all, let me continue by saying that the flaws of "Hook" are entirely Spielberg's. I didn't mean to say it was a perfect film, only that the actors and the screenwriters captured the spirit of "Peter Pan" spot-on perfect. Unfortunately, these strengths are lost sometimes in the wake of Spielberg's over-the-top approach. Still, for true fans of Barrie's book, "Hook" remains an extremely enjoyable experience. On to Spielberg, I haven't seen people comparing him to Kubrick around here. The basic facts are, he's usually very good at what he does, but sometime's he isn't (can't that be said of all of us?). When he's on top of his game, he is unmatchable. What is wrong with you people? "Schindler's List?" "Saving Private Ryan?" "CE3K?" "Raiders?" And you call him a talentless hack? Do better, and I'll listen to you. Geez.
not-a-jedi-yet... by COLE	Jan 6th, 2000 04:06:37 PM
...hmmm, the one thing that all of those films have in common is - Germans portrayed as being super-evil!!!
Spielberg by Pomona88	Jan 6th, 2000 04:22:23 PM
Spielberg is an editor; he cannot direct actors. SCHINDLER'S LIST, a highly overrated film which relies largely on its subject matter for effect, is no exception. And neither is EMPIRE OF THE SUN, which some of you keep trotting out as an example of a great Spielberg drama. That kid was goddamn awful.
Thanks Panoma88... by COLE	Jan 6th, 2000 04:31:16 PM
...well said.
Riddley Walker... by COLE	Jan 6th, 2000 05:03:53 PM
...well, I'd have to say Kubrick's resume is infinitely more powerful, and speaks for itself: THE KILLING, PATHS OF GLORY, SPARTACUS, LOLITA, DR STRANGELOVE, 2001, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, BARRY LYNDON, THE SHINING, FULL METAL JACKET, and EYES WIDE SHUT. All much better films than any of Spielberg's films. For that matter David Lynch's career (consisting of ERASERHEAD, THE ELEPHANT MAN, DUNE, BLUE VELVET, WILD AT HEART, FIRE WALK WITH ME, LOST HIGHWAY, and THE STRAIGHT STORY) is also superior. Forget not my friend, that Spielberg directed shitbags like HOOK, JP, JP2, SL, and SPR. Those films are pretty bad.
To Riddley by Pomona88	Jan 6th, 2000 05:16:33 PM
Sorry, Riddley, we're sober enough to recognize that Spielberg is great at editing actions scenes, but weak as far as directing actors. You don't seriously expect me to take RAIDERS as a example of good acting, do you? It's a feel-good action flick with an amiable yet wooden actor in the lead.
Pay attention, RW by Pomona88	Jan 6th, 2000 05:52:25 PM
I specifically differentiated between editing and directing when I made my comments about Spielberg. Maybe you should read posts a little more carefully before you call someone a crackhead.
Boyz N the Hood 1991 by TheButcher	Jan 7th, 2000 12:15:54 AM
What The Butcher wants to know is why was this movie not mentioned in your list Mr. Moriarty.
Pre-Hollywood John Woo by Toe Jam	Jan 7th, 2000 01:31:52 AM
Thanks for including "Hard-Boiled," undoubtedly one of the three best action movies of all time. An funny personal anecdote: A few years ago, while strolling through the theatre section of London, I happened to pick up a lobby card for "Hard-Boiled" in a record shop. For some inexplicable reason, I was enamored with the picture of Chow-Yun Fat holding a shotgun while cradling a baby with his other arm. Instinctively, I pinned this card up on my bedroom wall, as if it were one of my all-time favorites, when in fact I knew nothing about it. Guess it just had that kind of magic, huh? It would be two years before I would actually see the movie, and thankfully it lived up to all my greatest expectations. Anyone who liked "Face/Off" (and I know that are at least a few of you), run to your local video store and rent "The Killer." They have it at the nearby chain store (I won't mention names) here in the nether region that is eastern Nebraska, so they should have it wherever you live. In my opinion, it is superior to "Face/Off" in that it is more characterization-driven, and you don't have to put up with the showboating of Cage and Travolta. Plus the ending is much more satisfying (wouldn't you have liked to see Cage and Travolta's characters iron out their differences and go postal on the "real" bad guys). John Woo uses "The Killer" as a blueprint for "Face/Off" every aspect, but you will not be disappointed. They are not the same movie in any capacity. By the way, does anyone know who will be playing the main villain in Mission: Impossible 2? I can't imagine Woo directing a movie that doesn't have a good guy and a bad guy that are on equal footing (i.e.: Van Damme/Henriksen, Slater/Travolta, Cage/Travolta). I'd be surprised if they didn't have a respectable actor/actress playing opposite Cruise. Last but not least: Harry, I'll see what I can get for you on Alexander Payne's next project (he shot "Election" just 5 miles down the road, and I've heard that he'll be coming back to Omaha to make his next). I've also heard rumblings that the story involves the mid-life crisis of a working-class man. Hopefully, it will stand up next to "Election" (and to think that film was an MTV Production!). Anyone who follows my advice and checks out "The Killer," feel free to email me at merlin76@mindspring.com with your thoughts, complaints, etc. Thanks!
"Boyz N the Hood" by Toe Jam	Jan 7th, 2000 01:40:19 AM
P.S. I gotta echo the Butcher's sentiments. Just where in the hell is "Boyz N the Hood"? Obviously, Moriarty must have some personal problems with this film, or else it would have been in the Top 3 of that year. Every person that I have met who didn't like "Boyz N the Hood" has either been a closet racist who didn't like this movie because it "sympathized" with the gangsta culture, or a complete idiot. Here's to hoping Moriarty has some other reason for this glaring omission.
dear God I hate how people bitch for the "glory days" of Talkbac by Tall_Boy	Jan 7th, 2000 03:46:44 AM
its the same as it always was. People who bitch about flicks. 'twasn't "glorious" it always was. Get over it. It didn't change, you just grew up a bit. Be happy for that fact. PS- The best Batman movie is "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" then the Burton flicks. . .So I like Cartoons. Sue me.
What's wrong with Senor Spielbergo? by darthflagg	Jan 7th, 2000 11:47:27 AM
So what if he's populist? He's made at least seven classic movies - Jaws (no one can dis this), CE3K, Raiders, ET, Jurassic Park (if you weren't gobsmacked by the T-Rex escaping its pen, you're a flippin' liar), Schindler and Private Ryan. Hook and Lost World were a bit shit, but nobody's perfect. And yes, Boyz N the Hood is a good film.
SCREW John K. by Irie	Feb 9th, 2000 02:30:39 PM
And it was HE who screwed up Ren and Stimpy. If he'd been professional, and not wasted so much time and money--Nickelodeon might have not seperated him from his show. In this case, don't believe John K. He's spun this into and "artist vs. management" story--and while I won't disagree the show was better when he was in control, Nickelodeon had given him a VERY long leash--and it wasn't enough. He deserves all the failure he's endured since,and it's nice to see that he's gotten what he deserves--especially since he's treated SO MANY ARTISTS so poorly (talk to MOST of them--and you'll see what I mean.). Not the handfull of sycophants with their heads up his VERY large asshole, but the one's who actually DRAW the show.
A Fincher boy bringing up Alien Cubed... by Sith Lord Byron	Feb 9th, 2000 02:33:29 PM
...you all don't get it. The first two minutes of Alien3 are in my opinion the most profound of the entire series. You bitch that killing off Newt and Hicks nullifies all that Ripley fought for in ALIENS. That's the fucking point! Ripley's efforts are in vain, and once you people grow up you will realize that shit like this happens in real life ALL THE TIME! Killing Newt and Hicks makes the tragedy that is Ripley's life so much more poignant. The suicide at the end is the best way , the only way the trilogy could have ended. And yes, and should have remained a trilogy. I actually like Resurrection, but I think the ending on Cubed was so much more emotionally devastating than anything I had seen prior (and I mean that as the highest of compliments). Oh, and about the film being ugly? Again...THAT'S THE FUCKING POINT! To paraphrase James O'Barr, we have to look for "the undescribable beauty in absolute ugliness," and Fincher found it. All of the complaints you fanboys level at Alien3 are almost always directed at things that actually make the movie better, that make the movie work. Sometimes there's not supposed to be a happy ending. Tragedy exists. Deal with it.
Joe vs Pretty Woman by Ted Terrific	Feb 9th, 2000 03:25:06 PM
Not only do the makers of Joe vs Volcano owe me two hours, they owe me 20 bucks, and it only cost me $5 to get in. I don't think many people thought the message of Pretty Woman was "Be a hooker - meet Prince Charming". Nevertheless even if the message was amoral, does this make it a bad movie. See my post after 1994.
Batman Returns and Alien 3 by PoxyVonSinister	Feb 10th, 2000 03:02:50 PM
Wow, reverse your feelings on both and you have me. I thought Batman Returns was a joyless mess, more obesessed with weirdness than with any kind of coherent story. Burton's transformation of the Penguin character robs him of any pity or dignity. The tragedy of the character is that he has everything Bruce Wayne has -- the money, the wit, the style, the social graces -- except for the looks. But since he "looks funny," he is shunned. But how could anyone help but shun DeVito's fish-gnashing misanthrope? The Schreck sub-plot just clutters things up, and neither the Penguin story or the Catwoman story let each other have the depth they need to be meaningful. And it's so nice to see that pretty much ANYBODY can hack the security codes of the Batmobile, and that EVERY vehicle Batman comes up with is about as fragile as an ultra-light. By the time the giant penguins come waddling down for the requeim, I had had about enough. As for Aliens 3, okay, so two major characters died in the beginning. Life sucks, get a helmet. So Ripley dies. Way it goes. This film was about Ripley finally gaining control of her own life. For three movies, she has not been in charge of her own decisions, be it because of Weylan/Utani or because of the aliens. They stripped her of her real family (the daughter she left behind in hyper-sleep), her first surrogate family (the crew of the Nostromo) and her second (Hicks and Newt). Sure, you can say "Hey, they survived the second movie, what a horrible thing to do." True, but that's life -- how many soldiers survived Normandy and the Bulge only to get killed miles from Berlin? Life is not fair, life does not guarantee happy endings. And just as Ripley reaches out to the doctor, the aliens take him away as well. She has absolutley nothing left to live or fight for, save for the one thing she finally does fight for -- control of her own life. She dies, yes, but on her own terms, and in that last drop into the flames, she takes back what the aliens and the Company took from her, sending both their plans up, literally, in smoke. If only Batman Returns had HALF the emotion of that climax, I'd have walked out happy.
Attenburough made the perfect Shadowlands by Portnoy	Feb 13th, 2000 04:02:15 PM
Attenburough may be a bad director, but if so, Shadowlands must be a fluke. The performances in this movie are outstanding. Everything about the movie is beautiful. I have to give at least some credit to the director for this. Other than that, I agree mostly with Moriarty. I'm glad to see someone else speak out about the piece of shit that was Alien 3 and also someone who understands the perfect simplicity of Joe Vs The Volcano.
If only people got Batman Returns, I'd be happy by darthflagg	Feb 4th, 2001 02:39:31 PM
Alien 3 didn't suck, but it came pretty damn close!
Gandhi by grungies	Nov 30th, 2007 08:59:37 PM
I know this is really damn old, but the fact you could call the director of a masterpiece like Gandhi a pedestrian hack is mind-boggling. And to think I respect you.
Seriously by DeadPanWalking	Jun 30th, 2008 02:25:17 PM
Yeah, I don't understand why Russel Crowe isn't a bigger movie star either. What gives? Ha.
what are the chances by imascooby1985	Jun 30th, 2008 04:07:58 PM
of everyone from the Dark Knight/ Hellboy 2 talkback coming here and getting this TB back on the top 10 list? Come on folks, if the Lost TB's can do it, so can we!
I doubt this talkback will reign supreme again by GenPion	Jun 30th, 2008 04:49:00 PM
But I must say, I loved Batman Returns. And Alien3 was good. Not amazing. But good. As was Resurrection (even if it was entirely unnecessary). Not every film can match the power of Alien or Aliens and the sequels, while good, are examples of this.
whattt? by The InSneider	Jun 30th, 2008 10:49:57 PM
how do u not like ghost or die hard 2? c'mon mori, get it together! i smell a revisiting or two.
man oh man by imascooby1985	Jun 30th, 2008 11:37:06 PM
Its so weird to weird the TBs from 2000 and see the unrelenting Moriarty bashing. Moriarty went from being apparently hated on here to being possibly the most popular reviewer on the site. He is my fave at least.
I have to say by PacmanFever	Jul 1st, 2008 05:27:15 AM
I liked Bonfire, Men at Work, Ford Fairlane, Die Hard 2, Dead Again, Toys and (gulp!) Cool World. Some of them much more than the films in your Top 10 lists. But I agree with you on Flatliners, and you seem to dig Hudson Hawk, so its all cool.
Where the fuck did these folks come from?? by Orcus	Nov 10th, 2009 02:17:04 PM

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