Ain't It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news.

MORIARTY'S '90s List - 1993 (Part 1)

another thing about last action hero by vernfett	Feb 9th, 2000 12:47:59 PM
you forgot about the contest the studio had to see who could spot the most mistakes in the film i think it was over one hundred of them
Hey Moriarty by StarBarella	Feb 9th, 2000 12:52:37 PM
You'll never win any awards for getting things in on time...but when you deliver, you deliver. It's going to take a while to read it...but it looks wonderful.
Moriarty, you didn't mention in Super Mario Bros... by PipsOrcle	Feb 9th, 2000 12:52:56 PM
...that one of the biggest faults was Luigi not wearing a moustache! What moron ever suggested this? I tell you, sometimes Hollywood can just be so incompitant with what it does, that it pisses us off.
...What about Army of Darkness by LonelyFox	Feb 9th, 2000 12:53:09 PM

A Few Observations..... by mrbeaks	Feb 9th, 2000 01:03:35 PM
Well done, old chap. Here's some thoughts..... 1) O'Donoghue didn't kill SCROOGED, Richard "Radio Flyer" Donner did. With a fucking vengence. That it still holds up as entertainment is a tribute to the brilliant Bill Murray. Long live GROUNDHOG'S DAY. 2) Yeah, LAST ACTION HERO is, for the most part, garbage, but there are a few gems hidden in the swill. The HAMLET parody, that ridiculous car chase where cars bounce around like in a video game, and Tom Noonan as the killer. The rest, however, can go curbside. 3) Although you said it was a pretty thin year for film, you still couldn't fit SFBF on your top ten list. Zaillian's film would be a mortal lock for most years this decade. 4) Didn't Winter & Stern's FREAKED come out in '93? So, where is it? Few films have ever made me laugh that hard.
Remains Of The Day is a great book, but only a good film by mooch	Feb 9th, 2000 01:08:38 PM
I reckon Remains of the Day is my favourite novel of all time actually. Maybe Catcher In The Rye beats it. Anyway, the film focussed far too much on the political side of things.
A major thing you forgot about LAST ACTION HERO by ABking	Feb 9th, 2000 01:13:37 PM
If you watch John McTiernans Hollywood profile for interview for directors on the Uncore channel, you would see where LAH went wrong and why. Basically, John said the studio didn't know if they wanted an action fest like T2 or a comedy like TWINS. They combined the two so they would have a bigger event film than Arnold's own T2 at the box-office and be the number 1 film of the summer. Little did they know that script does matter (even though Arnold was a god at the box-office and he and action = money, money, money). Now when I watch LAH, I like the film better than when I first saw it and hated it to death. You can see what could have been, if McTiernan and Arnold had played it straight like the kick ass PREDATOR. I hope McTiernan and Arnold work together again because he is one of the true masters of the action genre. Too bad ROLLERBALL didn't star Arnold because we would have a THE RUNNING MAN for the year 2000. That film had some classic Arnold one-liners like "you need a light", "that hit the spot", "I'll be back" "he had to split", "hey lighthead, hey christmas tree"... you get the point.
ABking on CLIFFHANGER, Harry and Moriarty by ABking	Feb 9th, 2000 01:17:58 PM
CLIFFHANGER was a DIE HARD clone??? CLIFFHANGER was a movie you wanted 2 hours of your life back from??? WOW. That comes as a surprise. Moriarty, you're in the minority. CLIFFHANGER is it's own movie and NO Die Hard clone. Stallone and Harlin gave audiences something they hadn't seen before in a setting that was never really used for an all out action/adventure movie. The cinematography, the sound effects and the special effects were AMAZING (no wonder it got nominated for 3 Oscars -Best sound effects, best sound effects editing and best special effects). Why else do you thing this movie brought Stallone back and semented Harlin's reputation (after DIE HARD 2, another KICK ASS movie Moriarty hated) as one of the best action directors around. CLIFFHANGER and JURASSIC PARK gave audiences a WILD ride that Summer I'll tell you. I find it funny when Moriarty or Harry tries to put down Renny. You can't. His only movie mistake was CUTTHROAT ISLAND (not including his early work before he made it big). DIE HARD 2, CLIFFHANGER, THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT and DEEP BLUE SEA are all top notch/over-the-top , out of this world KICK ASS movies. Why can't you and Harry admit that. Audiences seemed to have enjoyed those movies. They all made alot of money with the exception of THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT being a minor hit (counting worldwide). When Renny Harlin reteams with Stallone for INTO THIN AIR and it comes out next summer and ROCKS HARD, I hope you and Harry can at least admit that.
cliffhanger by mista fong	Feb 9th, 2000 01:28:52 PM
ok, i've lurked long enough. cliffhanger is 2 wasted hours huh? maybe you've never noticed this, but some of us(and we aren't all unwashed and/or missing teeth) enjoy movies because they're fun, and aren't necessarily looking for the greatest cinematic/acting event in history. i'd much rather watch stallone waste bad guys and grunt and blow shit up then watch some actor express his feelings or watch spielberg try to make us cry. when sly military pressed that fucker and skewered him on a stalactite i stood up and cheered! can i get a hell yeah?!?!?!
Right On - "Fearless" and "The Remains of the Day" by smilin'jackruby	Feb 9th, 2000 01:41:37 PM
Two of my all time favorite films. At least "Son of the Pink Panther" had funny opening animated credits. Other than that - BIG TURKEY!!!
Where's The Fugitive? by knight_of_Ni!	Feb 9th, 2000 01:41:42 PM
This was hands down the most satisfying action movie of '93, nominated for best picture, extremely rewatchable, and not even a peep. Kinda surprised. How many other TV show to movie translations have worked this well? It wasn't a Die Hard knockoff, the pace was relentless (think of one moment where someone isn't either being chased or chasing, I dare you), and it had THE killer visual/sound moment with the train wreck. It proved August wasn't necessarily the ass end of summer movies and that Harrison could still open a movie. I'm just saying, THIS was the movie of '93 for me, everything else was just fodder.
Jurassic Park by Ted Terrific	Feb 9th, 2000 01:45:31 PM
For pure action/entertainment, this was an almost perfect film. Not to compare it with Schindler,Age of Innocence, etc. but it should make the top 10 somewhere, at least the top 15. Don't hold the sequel against it. This was exciting and sometimes genuinely scary. The only scarier thing in 1993 was Ricci being forced to smile in AFV.
It's about time... by agentcooper	Feb 9th, 2000 01:51:23 PM
Somebody recognized Dazed and Confused. That movie can be watched over and over, it's so good. And the most of the cast have become major, or at least rising, stars: Matthew Mochonahey (or however you spell that last name) Parker Posey, Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason London...even Renee Zelleweger is an extra. By the way, Scrooged is one of my favorite Bill Murray films. Say what you will about it, I love that Bill gets free reign to be the most cynical, meanest, most lowdown person in the world for an hour and a half: "Oh my gosh, did that suck. Now I have to kill all of you..." "I couldn't get the antlers glued on this little guy's head." "Have you tried staples?"..."You can hardly see them nipples." "See, and these guys are really looking..."
Cliffhanger: one of the best action/adventures ever made by ABking	Feb 9th, 2000 01:58:53 PM
Mist fong, I agree. But CLIFFHANGER is more than fun. It is considered by many (critics as well as movie fans) as one of the GREATEST action movies ever. Moriarty makes it seems like CLIFFHANAGER belongs in the same paragraph as SUPER MARIO BROS. I don't think so. I don't have to say how AMAZING the first 10 minutes are. The rest of the movie plays like on amazing out of this world stunt sequences after another (along with the great cinematography). The air-to-air transfer scene is a WOW!!! It is listed in the Guinesse Book as the hardest and most expensive air stunt ever filmed. The scene where Sly finds the first case filled with 30 million and the action begins is a WOW!!! I love the sound effects of the bullets and the avalanch along with the slow motion shots of Sly. The scene when Sly and one of the bad guys are going down the mountain while fighting is a WOW!!! Just feel the excitment and listen to that score and enjoy the ending to that scene. I could go on and on about the KICK ASS action scenes but let me tell you about the end scequence. It is WILD, WILD WILD!!! The wildest end scene that year aside from JURASSIC PARK. When Sly jumps over the edge of that cliff and grabs on to the ladder and then the helicopter begins to pull the ladder and Sly down...then it crashes into the side of the mountain and breaks apart, then Sly falls at least 60 feet from the top to the helicopter and begins to fight Lithgow...WOW, WOW, WOW!!!. This scene alone was worth my money. Moriarty, and you say Harlin can't film action scenes??? Ya right. Not much directors can film better action scenes than Harlin. John Lithgow was also one of the things that made Cliffhanger so great. His sceneary chewing performance and accent was a joy. No one can say anything bad about Lithgow in this movie. In closing, all I have to say is CLIFFHANGER lived up to it's name. It was a CLIFFHANGER of summer 1993 (aside from JURASSIC PARK that is).
"Last Action Hero" and "Cliffhanger." by Powerslave	Feb 9th, 2000 01:59:00 PM
Moriarty, you might want to hold off on reading "Extremely Violent," aka "Last Action Hero." Apparently, the original draft of the script is absolutely terrible; the only reason it was even purchased in the first place was because Arnold liked the concept. Who cares if the script was lame? I think your referring to "Cliffhanger" as 'action death porn' is a cheap shot. True, the rest of the movie didn't live up to the great opening sequence, but it was a solid action movie nonetheless. I liked "Cliffhanger" enough to buy it. I remember the trailer for this movie vividly: easily one of the best previews of the '90's.
Um, Cliffhanger did suck. by All Thumbs	Feb 9th, 2000 02:02:38 PM
I have so many problems with that movie, I just plain refuse to watch it anymore.
You could write movies, Moriarty! by bijou27	Feb 9th, 2000 02:39:56 PM
Your comments on Last Action Hero kind of make me wonder what else you could put on the screen, given the opportunity...
Why CLIFFHANGER Was A Disappointment by mrbeaks	Feb 9th, 2000 02:42:08 PM
Because it came on the heels of the best damn trailer I have ever seen. Making great use of Harlin's visuals (the guy can compose a shot,) and Mozart's Requiem, the coming attraction promised an action phantasmagoria. Instead, we got a vile, overlong piece of trash that rarely delivered (I do like the scene with Michael Rooker getting the crap kicked out of him by that psycho ex-soccer player.) Harlin bounced back with THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT. Unfortunately, nobody noticed.
My 2 cents. by gilmour	Feb 9th, 2000 02:45:22 PM
I thought Carlito's way was just brilliant and the most underrated film of 1993. I know we had seen the story many times before, but the performances were perfect and how about the last 10 minutes in the subway and trainstation? NAILBITING!!! Remains of the day was the best film of 93' bar none! it was f*cking perfect! Cliffhanger was good fun. C'mon Moriarty It was inspired by Die Hard but it was fun indeed.
Something that always bugs me... by All Thumbs	Feb 9th, 2000 02:46:05 PM
When people criticize "Schindler's List", they often mention the use of color and say it is a manipulation. My first reaction to that is a giant "DUH!", but my brain tells me to remind them that the use of color as a story-telling device has been going on since movies first started. Silent films were often tinted with color to reflect the emotion of the scene. Griffith used a reddish tint during battle scenes and burning scenes to symbolize the hell they were. Another use of color is the colorizing of certain elements to bring attention to them. In "Schindler's List" it is the little girl in the red coat and the gold of the ring at the end. I found it to be a wonderful and touching throw-back to the similar uses in the silent era and not just a manipulation. I just saw the final scenes of the classic silent film "Greed" today and there is a great scene where they flash from a fight between the two main characters and what they are fighting over -- a sack of gold, highlighted in the movie as bright cold with some red blood splashed across it -- true "blood money."
Where the hell is Jurassic Park on any of these lists? by Niiiice	Feb 9th, 2000 02:53:47 PM
Not even a special mention anywhere? Come on, despite the fact that the sequel was terrible and the series is now being milked from maximum cashage, there's no denying the impact that Jurassic Park had. This was THE summer event movie, one of few where the movie made good on the hype. At the very least, it represented an enourmous technical achievenment in bringing realistic looking dinosaurs to life on the big screen...and it made for 2 pretty damned entertaining hours as well
I got exactly what I wanted from Cliffhanger - by Nordling	Feb 9th, 2000 03:33:05 PM
Two hours of shoot-em-up good time. Gotta go with ABKing on this one - Cliffhanger was a fun action film.
"Good, bad - I'm the one with the gun..." by Nordling	Feb 9th, 2000 03:35:00 PM
Shame on you, Moriarty - Army of Darkness was the most fun 90 minutes I had in the cinema in 1993. I remember my buds and I leaping from our seats when Ash jumps up to get the chainsaw - ans with a "Snikt!" pops into his hand socket. For shame.
Jurassic Park killed the Last Action Hero by Niiiice	Feb 9th, 2000 04:29:47 PM
Arnie and pals didn't stand a chance.
Moriarty writing... by BobBarker	Feb 9th, 2000 04:47:17 PM
The old man does lurk, and occasionally post, at the screenwriter's newsgroup I frequent...
why I have a right to dislike Schindler's by Lazarus Long	Feb 9th, 2000 05:18:56 PM
Moriarty, it's a little unfair to accuse anyone who didn't like Schindler's List of being too cynical to enjoy anything. Although I consider myself cynical about much in the world, the end of It's a Wonderfu Life where Harry Bailey toasts George: "My brother, the richest man in town" always brings tears to my eyes. In short, I don't turn away every heartsting pull. You say that anyone who criticizes Schindler's is dismissing the great performances, cinematography, etc. How is this so? With every movie we can admire aspects of it and still not be satisfied with the piece as a whole. In my opinion, the ending of a film has the most weight on my final judgment. If you can't bring that sucker home, then something always feels missing. How many films have WE ALL seen that you're enjoying, and rooting for, and then the ending is some sanitized insult to the audience? It happens all the time; it's probably the #1 problem of most movies (besides having a shitty script to begin with). I believe Schindler's sells itself out at the end. I think taking historical license for drama's sake is okay, and I don't even have a problem with making Oskar a nicer guy than he actually was. But to use the audience's POV identification with Schindler and turn him into a weeping breakdown at the film's end, it winds up cheapening everything that has come before. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE. It rings utterly false, and if you are going to disregard that you aren't doing your whole part as a viewer. Whether this is Spielberg's idea or Zallian's is irrelevant. Spielberg was in charge of the film as a whole, and it was his decision to once again not let the story speak for itself. The epilogue of the agonizingly long cemetery march drains all the remaining life out of the film, which again at the end is roadkill on the cinematic highway. It had a chance to make it across, but alas, it was caught by Spielberg's "headlights" shot. The fact is, most any film by a competent director about the Holocaust was bound to move people. Especially a famous Jewish one like S.S. (coincidence with those initials?). But watch any documentary about the Holocaust and you will have a much more moving and eye-opening experience. There's more power to me in the final movements of the Age of Innocence, because it's not black & white good vs. bad. There are complicated emotions involved, and our emotional investment in Newland's character is not taken advantage of with a cheap plot device. The ending is painfully sublime, and earns our committment.
In defense of Mario Bros. by crackerfarmboy	Feb 9th, 2000 06:31:44 PM
Moriarty let me just say that I don't direct this only at you but at the numerous legions of people that continously take shots at the Super Mario Bros. movie. To me it's very reminiscent of the backlash that Episode 1 received. Did you miss the plot? This film was about evolution. It's as clear as day. Some dinosaurs lived in a seperate dimension and evolved into human like characters. Then Mario and Luigi (simian descendants) meet up with these alternate "men". Then the action starts. The meeting of the two races of men produces a rather witty commentary on the diversity of '90s American lifestyle. I think you need to see this film again. For the record I enjoyed Leguizamo in his role very much. He added an intangiable level of confidence to the character of Luigi.
sharon stone, you ignorant slut by tommy five-tone	Feb 9th, 2000 06:48:39 PM
let's face it, sharon stone is a one-trick phony with an inflated sense of self-worth who assumes she's brilliant and expects everyone to follow suit. william baldwin had one or two good roles before descending into banality. joe eszterhas writes like a fucking pig. and philip noyce's stock of good will (accumulated after dead calm) is rapidly diminishing. put 'em all together: sliver! absolute tripe! "i wanna do something exciting! i wanna see pearl jam!" still, the sex scene to massive attack's unfinished sympathy is pretty hot - it's the only good thing in this flaccid, moronic filet o'shite.
Good list, but... by The Starchild	Feb 9th, 2000 08:24:33 PM

I think Spielberg realized a basic need for the audience at the by Nordling	Feb 9th, 2000 08:43:18 PM
the fact that by the time the ending rolled around, they NEEDED to mourn. I for one have absolutely no problems with the ending - Schindler breaking down as the lives he saved surround and embrace him. Sure, it didn't really happen. That's the wonderment of movies. It worked for me, and I'm glad of it. When I saw SL for the first time, I was absolutely devastated. When I came out, I said "That was Spielberg's Citizen Kane." And it still holds up. This is, in my humble opinion, a flawless movie. And the greatest film of the 1990s.
Good list, but... by The Starchild	Feb 9th, 2000 08:56:20 PM
Oops. First time poster. :) Anyways, good list, Moriarty, but what about the best action movie of the year, THE FUGITIVE? It was certainly a better movie than JURASSIC PARK, which made alot of money, but was essentially just a glorified special effects showcase. Spielberg could have done so much more with CGI than just make a monster flick. JP should have been more like CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. MENACE II SOCIETY and JOY LUCK CLUB should have been somewhere on the list as well, possibly as replacements for BACKBEAT and GROUNDHOG DAY, which I thought were good, but not listworthy.
Way to go, Lazarus Long! by Dutch_Engstrom	Feb 9th, 2000 10:08:31 PM
I couldn't agree more with Lazarus Long and his comments regarding Schindler's List. A real problem with critiquing this movie is the subject matter-because the movie is about the holocaust, and because it was so personal to the much-beloved Spielberg, anybody who criticizes it is viewed by many people to be an insensitive asshole. Or if you're not Jewish, people act like that must be why you can't appreciate the film, as if any human being can't relate to the mass deaths of other humans. There are many different levels on which a film must succeed, and Schindler's List fails on several, especially at the end with that contrived breakdown scne. Also, the film's structure tends to lull many viewers to sleep. Holding an audience captive is the director's most important job, but I've talked to many people about SL, and few can admit to watching the whole film from start to finish without either stopping it for awhile, or dozing from time to time. Yes, the performances were great, yes, the look of the film was great, but give me a well-made holocaust documentary anyday. Hell, give me Saving Private Ryan any day.
LAH not the train wreck... by dominican dandy	Feb 10th, 2000 12:03:54 AM
...it has been made out to be. If you want to say it was disapppointing fine but it had a lot of good elements. A few scenes showed that McTiernan can still knock a good action scene out of the park and the Arnold as Hamlet scene is funny stuff indeed. Also the kid was appealing, not obnoxious like kids often are. And any movie that can skewer the ridiculous '555' phone numbers that populate tv and film can't be all bad.
Movies about chess by Veidt	Feb 10th, 2000 12:04:06 AM
Moriarty, I imagine your first favorite '90s movie about chess must be the very underrated film Fresh. I think that's a true classic of sorts and its final image of the tear rolling down the boy's cheek is just terrific.
To the Chuckle-head who liked The Fugitive by Slip Mahoney	Feb 10th, 2000 03:02:00 AM
Take Tommy Lee-Jones out and what do you have? A Movie-of-the-Week. Don't get me wrong. I love Harrison Ford whenever he is in a movie by Lucas or Spieberg. Put him in anything else and I'd rather watch ice melt. Much more exciting. And the identity of the actual killer? Any casual movie fan figured it out the moment homeboy from The Punisher and The Living Daylights appeared as Dr. Richard Kimbles best friend. All this guy had ever played was villians! Take one of the coolest 60's semi-anthology dramas and turn it into a run-of-the-mill Hollywood thriller. See if I care. Just don't be backward-ass enough to think that it was actually a good movie.
Let me get this straight by Futureboy	Feb 10th, 2000 11:38:38 AM
Moriarty-you were working as a studio tour guide in 1993-and that makes you some sort of an expert in what makes a film great?? Give me a break. Better yet, give us all a break and spare us anymore of this bloated drivel you call film critique. I doubt that I'm the only person here who is insulted by your condescending tone-"this movie is great, because I say it is!" If you need to continue to have these wetdreams about you being some sort of influential media critic-just remember one thing-the rest of us don't give a rats ass.
Does it bother anyone . . . by Poetamelie	Feb 10th, 2000 03:20:46 PM
. . . that the Times reporter lost his job because Sony threw a hissy fit about a bad test screening? That bothers me a lot that Sony could throw its weight at the Fourth Estate like that--especially over such a vulgar waste of celluloid as THE LAST ACTION HERO. Remember how they actually tried to buy ad space on the side of the Space Shuttle to promote it? Thank goodness Sony's clout didn't sway NASA.
an absolutely incredible scene by tommy five-tone	Feb 10th, 2000 04:27:39 PM
in SFBF, the kid arranges the toys in his room so they're like a three-dimensional chess face-off. zaillian did it so damn subtly that when it finally hit me what was happening i almost burst into tears of joy. i don't play chess (i'm too damn stupid, that's why) and i don't really know a lot about it, but that summed up what the game is all about. this is a freakin' great scene and it makes SFBF one of the best movies of 1993, if not ever. oh, and ABking? i hope to GOD you're not serious when you hope mctiernan's 'rollerball' resembles arnold's 'the running man' in any way. bachman's 'running man' novel is a goddamn pedal-to-the-metal badass classic and ah-nuld and his crew fucked it up big time with all those cheesebag one-liners and low-rent production values. still, with mctiernan looking at chris klein for the 'rollerball 2000' lead, i can't say i've got my hopes up - why not wait a while and get in hugh jackman or something?
Stalagmites by Juvenal	Feb 10th, 2000 11:28:35 PM
He impaled the guys eye on a stalagmite, not a stalagtite. There's a difference.
Some Advice by Kilowatt	Feb 11th, 2000 04:58:19 AM
Hey, great job on the list,but could you please stop using the word "film"? Find a damn thesaurus. This article gave me seizures.
Whoopsie... by bijou27	Feb 12th, 2000 09:55:42 PM
My apologies to Moriarty. So he does, huh? I have to admit, I'm not suprised.
Oy by Zeb	Feb 13th, 2000 04:11:37 PM
Maybe you wouldn't take up so much space if you'd limited the number of runner-up entries. Grow some cojones and drop the last several flicks. This is an example of the epidemic that has overcome this previously ideal site, the symptoms of which include, but are not limited to, intense concentrations of hyperbole. Shut up, I say, and start judging films on merit instead of their ability to kick viewer ass. I'm sick and tired of having angst about the internet. Please, please, redeem your credibility, whoever you (think you) are.

Talkbacks

MORIARTY'S '90s List - 1993 (Part 1)

User login

Quick Talkback

Talkbacks