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MORIARTY'S '90s List - 1993 (Part 2)

man, i missed alot of movies in 1993 by devil0509	Feb 9th, 2000 01:10:17 PM
Maybe it's cause I got married that year...maybe it's cause my father in law passed that year, but I remember seeing about zero of these movies. Anyway, a hell of a lot of that list is unfamiliar to me. One thing though, in True Romance, yes the scene with Hopper and Walken is awesome, but I always liked the flick for the very kinetic scene where Slater confronts Gary Oldman.
I Was A Conan Fan From Day One by mrbeaks	Feb 9th, 2000 01:12:26 PM
What a great first episode! He gets threatened by Tom Brokaw in the hall, tries to kill himself, and tops it off with a John Goodman and George Wendt Indian leg wrestling match. I knew right away that it was a show for me.
What a nice trip down memory lane... by Coopcooper	Feb 9th, 2000 01:23:48 PM
All jokes aside, I don't know what the point of this is. I don't think there's anything to say. This place just looked so lonely without any responses (I'm sure someone will have a post about how they're first by the time I get back to it). I liked the mention of Brad Pitt's role in Kalifornia. I just gave that movie another viewing recently. Also the Dennis Hopper/Christopher Walken scene in True Romance is classic, although I liked the movie overall. I thought Jason Scott Lee sucked as Bruce Lee though. Oh well.
looking good so far by Xcalibur	Feb 9th, 2000 01:25:05 PM
I am unfamiliar with much of this list, maybe because I was only about 12 in 1993, but I do agree about Christina Ricci and Ashley Judd. And Anthony Hopkins is great in almost anything he does.
Congratulations by Coopcooper	Feb 9th, 2000 01:31:47 PM
One of the few boards without someone saying "I'm first!" Thanks. Yeah, the scene with Clarence and Drexl is great. Also Alabama's confrontation with the now famous James Gandolfino is very intense. Shoulda went with the original ending though.
Moriarty, I'm impressed... by All Thumbs	Feb 9th, 2000 01:52:36 PM
Your writing can be really eloquent when you truly care for what you're writing about. Thank you for putting into words how I and others on this site feel about Leo's performance in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?". I, too, had friends who thought Leo was actually disabled when they saw the film. Then I reminded them this was the guy off of "Growing Pains" and sometimes they wouldn't believe me. "What's Eating..." will go down in my book as one of those overlooked movie gems.
Brad Pitt/True Romance by agentcooper	Feb 9th, 2000 02:12:41 PM
I think the Brad Pitt performance you should have picked was in one of the worst movies of the decade: Cool World. Actually, I think this film came out in 92, but the performance is great. In his follow up to Thelma and Louise, Pitt somehow managed to do what Gabriel Burn and Kim Bassinger could not: bring life and charisma to this horrible concept. The fact that his performance was the only thing that made the movie bearable convinced me that he would go on to bigger and better things. Now, if he'd do more things like Fight Club and less like Meet Joe Black, I'd be right...Now, Moriarty, about True Romance: Yes, the scene between Hopper and Walken was one of the highlights of the film, but that movie was so fun and satisfying in a way that very few films are. Seriously, man, how could you not be affected by this ride on the wild side? I loved the heightened stakes, the the spirit of the characters, and the (then new) stylized Tarrantino dialogue. The film is full of great performances: Slater, Arquette, Oldman, Pitt, Gandolfini, Rubinik, Rappaport, and even Bronson Pinchot. Sure, the film may be derivative, (I've never seen Badlands) but it works on its own. I would put it on my Best of the Year list.
Mantegna/Allen by Anton_Sirius	Feb 9th, 2000 02:50:25 PM
What's Love Got To Do With It had all the fireworks and got all the acclaim, but Joe & Joan's work in Searching For Bobby Fischer was the best of the year, maybe of the decade. It's the best portrait of a loveless marriage I've ever seen.
Boys of St.Vincent was a t.v movie... by gilmour	Feb 9th, 2000 02:55:21 PM
Conan is indeed great but I miss Letterman from the 80's too. The guy was a f*cking riot! Not that tired old man who doesn't seem to care anymore on CBS.
I'm First! by Dutch_Engstrom	Feb 9th, 2000 02:58:20 PM
Just kidding - I put that in there for the sake of Coopcooper. I agree with most of Moriarty's comments, as always, except that I'll go to my grave arguing that both "Schindler" and "Fearless" are overrated. Fearless definitely has it's moments, but after watching two hours of Rosie Perez screaming "I miss my Bubble!", I just can't consider that movie any where near a best-of, in addition to that lame ending with the strawberry. Also, I've got to stick up for True Romance, one of my very favorite films. Yes, I've seen "Badlands" - and T.R. was plenty different (and better!) in many ways. Great performances, awesome script, and a TRULY great performance by Brad Pitt made it a terrific movie...
Jason Scott Lee by DRJSWAY	Feb 9th, 2000 03:26:33 PM
Do you know why JS Lee didn't recieve any acclaim for Dragon? Hollywood is so biased against Asians (especially Asian men). Think about it. There are no Asians in hollywood that are respected as actors. Sure, we like Jackie Chan and Jet Li because they can fight but who actually respects them as great actors? Blacks and Hispanics actos complain about the lack of respect they receive in Hollywood but at least there are Black and Hispanic actors!! Asian actors are almost nonexistant or ignored (as in the case of Jason Scott Lee). Can anyone name me one Asian actor in Hollywood right now that is successful? DRJSWAY
Rudy, SHUT IT!!!! by Mae, SHUT IT	Feb 9th, 2000 03:57:38 PM
I'm not gonna tell anyone to shut it today but I wanted to say how the real Rudy came to my school about 5 years ago and he was a nutcase. He came to give us an inspirational speech but all he talked about was how he would wear his sisters underwear and she would chase him around the neighborhood trying to get it back, after that the movie never seemed the same.
........ by BIC	Feb 9th, 2000 04:35:23 PM
OH! THESE MOVIES ARE SOOOO GOOD! SO VERY VERY GOOD! THESE MOVIES ARE THE BEST EVER! FOR ME TO POOP ON!
Jason Scott Lee by Bryan	Feb 9th, 2000 05:20:32 PM
Thanks for mentioning Jason Scott Lee in DRAGON. I think that's a great performance too, and one thing that's amazing about it is that he really looks NOTHING like Bruce Lee. His face doesn't look like him and he has a completely different body type. But somehow, especially in the fight scenes, he manages to contort himself to the point where you can really start to think of him as Bruce. I think the movie is a lot of fun, too. It has its hokey moments but I like seeing a biopic that frequently leads into great martial arts sequences. The alley fight with the angry chefs are particularly memorable.
Homicide: Life on the Screen! by Shrevie	Feb 9th, 2000 06:40:16 PM
THANK YOU! It's nice to hear my favorite TV show ever praised. You nailed it. NYPD Blue, debuting one year after Homicide (who's pilot was directed by my man Barry Levinson), not only ripped off its groundbreaking camera style, but replaced any attempt at subtle storytelling and realistic acting with MTV lighting and butt shots. Week after week, through its heroic struggle to stay on the air without pandering to TV sensationalism (and without the benefit of Emmy campaigns...the only reason it was NEVER nominated for best drama), Homicide pulled off the miracle of being more riveting than most theatrical films I've seen over the last seven years. p.s. Can't wait for the reunion movie this Sunday! But how is it that Daniel Baldwin is back?
i can't believe it's not buttah... by tommy five-tone	Feb 9th, 2000 06:54:07 PM
...and i can't believe i didn't notice that jason scott lee and bruce lee actually didn't look like one another. but it's true! in that case, extra props to JSL for giving such a totally convincing performance. dragon's not a great movie, but JSL was fuckin' wild!!!
Here we go again... by sth gekko	Feb 9th, 2000 07:56:48 PM
... with Moriarty telling us what films were "great" in his opinion. Has it occured to you, my man, that your opinion is exactly what it is? Every time there is an end to a decade, we have to put up with ridiculous Best Of lists. I appreciate that this was the end of the century (for those who can not actually read their calendar), but what do these lists amount to? Perhaps an oppotunity to "fill up space" until Harry gets back? Yes, I know that many have waited with baited breath for your new 90's list and the ever popular oppotunity to suck up to you, Moriarty, but there are those of us who really don't give a rat's ass what you think. You folks can flame all you like, but that does not make the exercise behind this "list" any more viable. You thought Jason Scott Lee was great in "Dragon"- I was bored stiff and thought he was quite wooden. Also, anyone who can not appreciate "True Romance" for fun filled ride it was has no business making a list about anything. As far as your opinion on the film, you talk about the done-to-death scene between Walken and Hopper and manage to indulge in that most popular of current sports events- making a gibe at Quentin Tarintino (wow, how original). Was the Walken/Hopper scene original and wonderful? Yes. Has it been talked about until we can all quote it verbatim? Yes. .... So the reason, again, behind your obvious "Best Of" list is what again? A more insightful approach would have been to mention Oldman's job of a Brittish actor portraying an American pimp who thinks he's black in a way that is realistic- and in a much more fearless manner about his looks than Penn dreamed of in Carlito's Way. Really, these lists could be put together by an infant, and as for what you think about the whole of the 90's in the film... who asked you? --- Everybody be cool... YOU be cool.
Jeff Bridges by Samthelion	Feb 9th, 2000 11:38:51 PM
I will agree that Bridges performance is brilliant: the best of the year for my money and possibly the best of the decade. But Bridges had done a lot to prepare us for this role. It wasn't a Jim Carreyish jump from "Dumb and Dumber" to "Truman Show". Bridges showed his remarkable range by playing an alien in a human's body in Starman and then followed it the next year by playing smart and suspicious (brilliantly) in Razor's Edge. He played eccentric in Tucker and brilliant in Baker Boys. He played slacker in Cutter and Bone (and later in Big Lebowski) and idealist in Winter Kills. I was blown away by Fearless, but not surprised. Bridges will only surprise me if he gives a bad performance. Fearless may be the best work on his career, but just about everything else he's ever done (and definitely the films I mentioned) are just a tiny notch below.
Doc by Harvey Dent	Feb 10th, 2000 12:40:02 AM
It would be a damn shame if nobody mentioned Val Kilmer in Tombstone. I can understand not putting Tombstone on your best picture list, but Doc Holliday is one of the most magnetic characters of the decade, and Kilmer certainly benefits by comparison to Dennis Quaid in Costner's longwinded Wyatt Earp.
1993 WAS the brilliant year of the '90s by Duke Ray	Feb 10th, 2000 08:54:16 PM
Moriarty, all due respect, but far from "disabusing us of the notion," your own list shows what an awesome year 1993 really was. And the fact that you didn't even get around to mentioning IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER or MAP OF THE HUMAN HEART (a flawed, but often wondrous movie), and Hopkins's other incredible performance of 1993 (as C.S. Lewis in SHADOWLANDS) just proves the point. There are sucky movies every year (your list of bad ones is mostly merely mediocre movies -- ooh, catch that alliteration, baby!); but, very VERY few movie years have as much true movie artistry and filmmaking craft as 1993 had.
Yay by Dingo Wrangler	Feb 10th, 2000 08:57:00 PM
I'm glad someone finally remembered Flesh and Bone. It was an amazing movie, and it showed that Quaid and Ryan have real acting chops, they are the real thing, not just a pretty face. And Caan is truly scary here. But what about "The Adventures of Brisco County Jr." in your honorable mention catagory? I used to watch this show, then flip away afterward. I only realized later on that X-Files was more than just "Silence of the Lambs- THe Series", but I still like Brisco better. Bruce Campbell's wacky charm, his machismo, his trick horse, Lord Bowler.. why DID they cancel this show!!! It beat the living hell out of Wild, Wild West, the movie and the Show!
HEHEHEHEHE by Chiz	Feb 11th, 2000 09:51:35 AM
Triumph The insult Comic Dog! snicker he is the best dog ever !!! .... (you know the rest)
forgotten movies of '93 by moviebuffster	Feb 11th, 2000 01:37:12 PM
Just to add of few movies that seem to have been forgotten. Cronos - One of the most original vampire movies ever. Bad Lieutenant - Harvey Keitel at his absolute best finding it hard to be forgiven for everything's he's done and seen....POWERFUL Joy Luck Club - This is what all women gathering movies should be like....I cried for hours In the Line of Fire - John Malkovich as one of the greatest villains in the 90's if not the greatest and a truly suspensful movie (remember those!) Bronx Tale and Mad Dog and Glory - Robert DeNiro having the best year in front and behind the camera. Bronx Tale being a different kind of gangster film, one with alot of compassion and heart. Mad Dog and Glory being one of the most unique love stories (it didn't hurt that Uma was naked either!) Guilty pleasures include Body Snatchers...."WHERE YOU GONNA RUN, WHERE YOU GONNA HIDE, NOWHERE, CUZ THERE'S NO ONE OUT THERE LIKE YOU LEFT....AAAAHHHHHHHH" and Rookie of the Year...don't ask I just love the hell out of it And for the best film of '93 - The Secret Garden. Working at a small town movie theater, you tend to get alot of talkitive teenagers that you have to watch. We were playing this movie and I had to sit down in there to watch a row of girls. Suddenly I was captivated by the movie. I couldn't believe it cause I had no real desire to watch it. When we closed the theater down, I snuck back and watched it after hours by myself and I've been a changed human being since. WATCH THIS MOVIE!

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MORIARTY'S '90s List - 1993 (Part 2)

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