My Top Ten Favorites of 1991:
I suppose this big screen remake of the classic sitcom wasn't all it could have been. Yet I still found it fun and entertaining enough to include in my top ten. My favorite bit was probably the beginning, where the family gathers on the roof to pour boiling oil on Christmas carolers, and Raul Julia, Anjelica Huston, and Christina Ricci were particularly memorable as Gomez, Morticia, and Wednesday. Worst bit: Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester, the main plot gimmick. Is he Fester, or an impostor?
Beauty and the Beast
Disney had a great run in the late 80's and early 90's, probably not any more noticeable than this movie, the only animated film to be nominated for Best Picture (These days, animated films have their own category). For the longest time, it seemed like nobody could liven up old fairy tales like Disney could!
Cape Fear
A dark movie, it is Robert DeNiro who makes this a classic, and some of Scorsese's old fashioned direction and choices in music and cinematography. But then, I always loved thrillers.
The Fisher King
This one is on the strange side, but Robin Williams' performance is worth the price of admission, and truthfully, Amanda Plummer (Christopher Plummer's daughter) and Mercedes Ruehl were pretty darned good too.
JFK
I'm not the biggest fan of Oliver Stone, and critics haven't been all that kind to this retelling of the investigation into the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 and the preceding years. What I liked about it was the way it presented so many theories about what really happened that it becomes rather difficult to believe it was simply one man in a book suppository.
The Silence of the Lambs
Even darker than Cape Fear, this movie was perfect in its conception and execution, and deserved it's Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor Anthony Hopkins, Best Actress Jodi Foster, Best Director Johnathan Demme, and Best Adapted Screenplay by Ted Tally. The only downside is it's very grueling subject matter, with one character based on mass murderer Ed Gein (same as Norman Bates of Psycho and Leatherface of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), and that's not even including Hopkin's brilliant, psychopathic Hannibal the cannibal!
Soapdish
"I'm guilty - guilty of love, in the first degree!"
"Stop calling me Mr. Lohman!"
"They put me in a turban, Rose. A turban!"
This movie was a very fun, comedic romp through the world of soap operas, and the entire cast has a heyday with the material.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
A great sendoff for the original series cast has the crew of the Enterprise embroiled in political intrigue when Kirk and McCoy are accused of killing the leader of the Klingons, and Spock must figure out a way to rescue them and uncover a conspiracy. There's a lot of plot here, but also some great character moments as well, including Christopher Plummer as the evil Klingon General Chang and Kim Cattrall as Spock's new Vulcan protege.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
As with the Alien movies, this second outing by director James Cameron was arguably the best of the bunch. Purposely following some of the concepts Joseph Campbell outlined in his book about mythology, this not only has some great action and special effects, but the story moves far beyond what was in the first movie, delving deep into philosophical and metaphysical thought, while continuing to tell the story of killer robots from the future.
Thelma and Louise
To round out the top ten, I chose this "road movie" about two women who bond after a tragedy. The film has a lot to say about modern feminism, and had a startling ending that everybody was talking about.
The Best of the Rest:
Backdraft
City Slickers
Dead Again
Father of the Bride
Hot Shots!
The Last Boy Scout
Little Man Tate
Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear
The Rapture
The Rocketeer
A "searing" drama about firefighters, Jodi Foster's film about a child prodigy, a Kenneth Branagh/Emma Thompson thriller, two family oriented comedies, two parodies, a Rocketeer, a pretty good Bruce Willis action film (with lots of profanity), and an interesting, though nearly pornographic, independent film that ends with the second coming of Christ are all films that made it onto this list of other films I liked.
The Worst:
The Butcher's Wife
Child's Play 3
Dying Young
Ernest Scared Stupid
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
Hudson Hawk
Naked Lunch
Nothing But Trouble
The People Under the Stairs
Pure Luck
This was a bad year for Demi Moore, as you can see from the posters on the right. But once again, horror movies and comedies, and horror comedies, top the list of the worst from the year, and that includes some of the worst sequels featuring razor clawed boogie man Freddy Krueger and the demon doll Chucky. Meanwhile, Dying Young, with Julia Roberts caring for a dying Campbell Scott, was grueling to sit through, and I found David Cronenberg's film version of William Burrough's Naked Lunch disgusting and unwatchable! Remind me never to make the mistake of actually reading it!
For comparison, here are the biggest box office hits of that year, along with the films that garnered the most Oscar wins and Best Picture and Best Director nominations. Yes, City Slickers DID win an Oscar (for best Supporting Actor Jack Palance). I never saw Bugsy, The Prince of Tides, or Boyz n the Hood, and I actually thought Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves wasn't all that great, though I liked the Bryan Adams single.
Notable Oscar Films Biggest Box
Office Hits
The Silence of the Lambs Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Beauty and the Beast Robin
Hood: Prince of Thieves
Bugsy Beauty
and the Beast
JFK Hook
The Prince of Tides The
Silence of the Lambs
City Slickers JFK
The Fisher King The
Addams Family
Thelma and Louise Cape
Fear
Terminator 2: Judgment Day Hot Shots!
Boyz n the Hood City
Slickers
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