My 40 Favorite Films of the 90's - 2 - Schindler's List (1993)

Schindler's List (1993; Universal Pictures)

Director: Steven Spielberg

Writers: Thomas Keneally (novel); Steven Zaillian (Screenplay)

Starring: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes

This is the film a lot of hardcore film fans probably expected to be #1.  It currently ranks #7 on the IMDB top 100, it’s #8 on the American Film Institute’s, and it won an impressive seven Oscars including best picture.  It’s probably as close to “perfect” as a film can get.  The only reason it is number 2 on my list is because the number one slot is reserved for my favorite film of all time.  It’s a personal choice, and does in no way mean I think less of this movie.  That said…

Schindler’s List tells the story of industrialist Oskar Schindler (Neeson), a shrewd businessman who operates in the employ of the Third Reich for the war effort while turning a profit, but in the end, he is faced with a choice: greed, or the right thing.  The film is told in two parts: the first focuses on the Nazi’s advance in power and their segregation of Jews into the ghettos, the second centers on the Final Solution, where the remaining few were shipped to camps and a systematic genocide began.  Meanwhile, Schindler himself is hiring a number of Jewish workers for his factory and as he is essential to the Reich’s success at the time, he becomes an obstacle of sorts for the cruel Nazi Lieutenant Amon Goeth (Fiennes).  Schindler’s right-hand man Mr. Stern (Kingsley) begs him to help, but at first Schindler is reluctant until a fateful encounter at a Nazi train depot almost finds Stern in Birkenau until Schindler cames to his rescue.  After this near loss of his colleague and friend he is inspired to do all he can to save as many lives as possible by signing them on as recruits for his factories to protect them from the trains to the concentration camps.  Of course, there is a lot more to this film than that, but for a core synopsis, that’s the best I can word it.

Schindler’s List forces the audience into a hard position.  If you were Oskar Schindler, how far would you go to save these otherwise-doomed souls from the hands of the evil Third Reich?  Because, his stand against Hitler’s forces could have not only cost him his enterprise, but his very life.  Yet, the revelation that he can use his influence to help people, even if it is just a few in the grand scheme, makes his actions all that more meaningful.  This is a story of one man doing all he can to save only a few lives at the risk of losing his freedom.

The film is shot in beautiful black and white, having a deep contrast creating a very crisp look.  Every shot is astounding, too.  There are beautiful scenes juxtaposed against a rightfully-mournful tone.  Likely the most striking and memorable visual moment shows a young girl in a bright red dress against the entirely black and white scene.  This one piece of symbolism has become the defining image of the film from an artistic standpoint.

The performances by all involved are just excellent, too.  Ralph Fiennes in-particular gives a grim and harrowing Oscar-nominated performance as the Nazi officer.  Every scene with him is just chilling.  Unlike a cartoonish villain lacking humanity, we see that in him because we know what he is, but his performance is quite understated despite a few shocking moments.  Liam Neeson gives the best performance of his career here and shows a hint of just how much of an essential performer he could have continued to be if it weren’t for the dreadful Phantom Menace grinding his career to a screeching halt for nearly a decade.

I railed against the Oscars a few times during this list but the Academy got it right in 1994, because in-spite of not ONE actor from this film winning an Oscar, the movie as a whole was recognized for the artistic achievement it was.  There are very, very few films that really depict the Holocaust in any capacity for a few reasons.  First, it isn’t the sort of subject one associates with “entertainment” and secondly, if you mess things up, you are through.  Nobody will respect you as a filmmaker again.  This goes all the way back to the notorious Italian Nazi exploitation flicks of the 70’s which have gone down in legend as some of the most deplorable pieces of cinema ever filmed.  So, it’s understandably-rare to see a quality, successful film tackle this subject, especially as masterfully as Schindler’s List does.

My 40 Favorite Films of the 90's - 15 - Ed Wood (1994)

Ed Wood (1994; Touchstone Pictures)

Director: Tim Burton

Writers: Rudolph Grey, Scott Alexander

Starring: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jeffrey Jones

Edward R. Wood, Jr. is one of the most captivating and bizarre anomalies in the history of filmmaking.  Hardcore movie fans know his name.  He is the legend behind such “disasterpieces” as Plan 9 from Outer Space, Bride of the Monster, and (most notoriously) Glen or Glenda.  Widely-regarded as one of the absolute worst filmmakers in the history of the medium, Ed Wood’s story makes for some great comedy.  This is a funny and heartfelt tribute to a filmmaker whose schlock was once mocked, but is now considered an inspiration to many hopeful artists.

Ed Wood chronicles the rocky career of the titular director who, along with a small band of friends, created some of the worst movies ever made.  It explores everything from Wood’s boundless enthusiasm, to the aging Bela Lugosi’s crippling addiction.  The legends and myths about Wood’s less-scrupulous tactics are drawn and highlighted as comical moments of weakness fueled by desperation.  It all comes together to make a bright, cheerful and warmhearted tribute to the storied director and his endless, and very much deluded, optimism.

Johnny Depp gives my favorite performance of his celebrated career here.  He plays Wood as a fast-talking Hollywood man who is crippled by his immense lack of talent, which he always fails to see or admit.  Every touch and idea of Wood’s quirky filmmaking is presented in Depp’s energetic, bright-eyed performance.  Alongside Depp is a cast of supporting performances that just nail their real-life counterparts perfectly for anyone who has seen a film by Wood (I own both Bride and Plan 8 on DVD).  Martin Landau landed a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the sad and broken Lugosi, the former star of the legendary film Dracula who, by the time Ed Wood came into his life, was a shell of his former self.  It is a heartbreaking and loving piece of acting from a legendary performer.

Tim Burton directs Ed Wood as a black and white picture attempting to recreate some of Wood’s style.  He shows us the ins and outs of Wood’s more infamous moments, all taken from a book that was a first-hand account of the notorious director’s dedication to his art.  This is both a loving tribute and a brutally-honest expose, and is a must-see for anyone who loves film, or is interested in gaining a further understanding the medium.  

Succumbing to cliche, I end with Criswald’s famous line from Plan 9 From Outer Space:  “And remember my friend... future events such as these will affect YOU in the future.”

My 40 Favorite Films of the 90's - 17 - Philadelphia (1993)

Philadelphia (1993; Tristar Pictures)

Director: Jonathan Demme

Writer: Ron Nyswaner

Starring: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Jason Robards

I sat and thought carefully about how I would approach this film.  If you already know what Philadelphia is about, I’m sure one could understand how difficult this subject is, both on an emotional and (unfortunately) a political level.  That said…  Here we go:

By the late 80’s the AIDS scare was in full effect, with many people unsure how the disease operates, and despite educational material being out there, most people preferred to be afraid of the victim rather than the disease itself.  Much of this fear was founded in bigotry, as AIDS was originally considered an illness that only affected gay men.  Despite this being utterly untrue, the facts did not alter the stigma.  As we began to understand the disease HIV, and its progression into AIDS, things and attitudes began to change, but even by 1993, there was still a great deal of ignorance about the subject.

Philadelphia is the incredibly challenging and heartfelt story of an attorney named Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks), a gay man who contracts the dreaded virus.  After his termination from his firm, which was claimed to be due to negligence, he concludes it was because of his own bosses’ ignorance and bigotry.  Beckett asks another attorney named Joe Miller to help him with his case, but is turned down as Miller is himself a homophobe.  Feeling alone and fearful, the young Beckett steadfastly begins to file his own case.  With support from his partner Miguel (Antonio Banderas) and his family, Beckett struggles with his future.  Ultimately, with guilt and empathy, Miller comes around and offers to represent the man.  This leads to a rough trial both in the courtroom and in the life of a horribly afflicted man.

Philadelphia is an emotional and complex exploration of the time and the fear and unfair prejudice surrounding the AIDS epidemic.  The associations of the characters reflect of a variety of feelings about the subject, discrimination and acceptance and the struggle of a man who becomes the center of a charged political melee.  Hanks won his first of two Academy Awards for his performance in this film, as only the third actor to be nominated for playing a gay character in a Hollywood film.  Philadelphia won other awards including a Golden Globe for best drama as well as a list other international statuettes.  

Philadelphia is a rough sit made even more emotional by its characters.  Tom Hanks gives an incredibly moving performance here.  In particular, during his scenes on the stand, which most likely netted him the Oscar win.  The years leading up to Philadelphia were marked with a few hits and a lot of misses for the now-lauded actor, who was mostly known for comedies.  Philadelphia was not Hanks’ first Oscar nomination as he was nominated for the 1988 classic Big, and he received critical acclaim for his performance in the touching drama Sleepless in Seattle.  However, despite his recognition before the release of Philadelphia, the film marked a turning point in Hanks’ career, where he began focusing on more dramatic performances almost exclusively, with a line of Oscar nominated movies after 1993.

Denzel Washington gives an excellent performance as well, strengthening his already established dramatic resume as an outsider’s point of relatability to the subject.  The ideas of others change as he changes from a bigoted man to one who befriends and begins to care about Beckett and his plight.  Washington was perfect for this role.  He has a strong voice, tremendous screen presence and has always been an excellent dramatic performer.  Here, however, I would argue he gives the best performance of his excellent career.  We see a transformation in Joe Miller through him, and throughout the movie, even when the character’s views are detestable, he has a charm that is instantly gripping, and as he warms to Beckett, we feel their bond growing.  The two actors have an admirable chemistry that works and paints a vivid picture of a man whose heart steadily changes over the course of the story.

These performances, along with just about every other aspect of the film, makes Philadelphia a must-watch classic.  It is one of the most celebrated films of the 90’s for good reason, it is a strong, heart-wrenching story told wonderfully through masterful performances.  Jonathan Demme, who won an Academy Award for his Oscar-sweeping 1992 film The Silence of the Lambs, was a perfect choice for this movie.  He uses an interesting device throughout the film showing us a number of scenes with actors appearing to break the fourth wall.  While this begins as a strange little idea that would likely take one out of the movie, instead, here it puts us in the shoes of the characters and as the film goes on, is used to show us the pain and fear of Andrew Beckett as he steadily deteriorates.  There is a love for these characters that we feel through Deme’s direction, which makes the movie that much more powerful.  When screenwriters and directors really care about the characters they are creating on screen, the viewer can certainly tell.  They feel like real people, and in Philadelphia, it is very, very easy to forget, from time to time, that despite the film being loosely based on a true story, is not real itself.  Philadelphia is easily one of the greatest, and most heartbreaking films ever made.

My 40 Favorite Films of the 90's - 19 - Princess Mononoke (1997)

Princess Mononoke (1997; Studio Ghibli,
Miramax (U.S. Distributor))

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Writer: Hayao Miyazaki

Starring: (Original Japanese Cast) Youji Matsuda, Yoriko Ishida; (English voice cast) Billy Crudup, Claire Danes

Anime is a modern type of filmmaking that spans many genres and ranges from quality dramas to silly romps.  Spanning decades in Japan and growing immensely in popularity in America in the late 90’s due to the domestication of series like Dragonball Z, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop, and with the help of movie releases like the cult classic Akira and the wondrous piece of fantasy Princess Mononoke or もののけ姫 (Mononoke-hime) in Japanese.  Written and directed by the Walt Disney of Japanese animation, and arguably the second greatest animation director in film history (after the great Disney, of course), Hayao Miyazaki, Mononoke is a fantasy that is powerful and brilliant in every way.

The story begins following a warrior name Ashitaka, who is cursed by a rogue boar that became possessed by a evil spirit.  When he returns home he is forced to exile so as not to curse the rest of his village.  He travels a great distance on the back of his companion, a “red elk” (that isn’t a freaking elk, by the way) named Yakui.  Hoping to find a cure for his ailment, he seeks aid from the spirits of the forest that guard the untouched natural landscape from the fires of man, in particular those coming from the nearby forge fortress of Irontown.  Run by a headstrong matron named Lady Eboshi (Minnie Driver), who rescued many of her working girls from the cities’ brothels to help forge more powerful weapons, the town awaits the return of its men and readies itself for war against the animal spirits.  When the town is attacked by a nimble and fearless girl named Mononoke, who refuses to identify herself as human as she grew up with the guardian wolves in the nearby forest, Ashitaka rescues her from her fate but is wounded in the process.  Nursed back to health by the wolf girl, the young warrior is now caught in the middle of a war between his fellow man, and the spirits of nature that could cure him of his curse.

Typically, the man versus nature theme is done very, very poorly.  This is especially the case when the story has a shoehorned, heavy-handed environmental message in it.  Films like Avatar always came off to me as more PSA than film, especially since that movie in-particular is just several hours of Cameron telling everyone how “awesome” he is.  However, Mononoke actually shows us the struggle of violence against nature and puts us in the shoes of the creatures and lives destroyed by man’s lust for power.  Mononoke herself is a direct contrast to Eboshi. The titular heroine is gruff, strong and devoted to her forest family, while Eboshi is arrogant, beautiful and willing to sacrifice her own people to get what she wants.  The most interesting thing about this contrast is how the characters are introduced.  When we first meet Eboshi, it is a natural assumption to assume she is good, while Mononoke, clad in furs and a wooden mask, wields a dagger and slashes and dives at the frightened villagers.  

Princess Mononoke plays with expectations, and is actually, and surprisingly, not bound by too many cliches, despite the obvious references to Burroughs’ Tarzan novels as well as a number of other man-vs.-nature stories.  It is an inspired story that is both empowering and heartbreaking.  We see the once-mighty spirits stumbling and bleeding from the powerful weapons of the humans of Irontown.  They are prophets of their own doom, so willing to give in to their collective fate.  We see that nature becomes helpless against man’s rage unless some are willing to help fight with and for it.

Like all of Miyazaki’s writings, this film has touches of Japanese folklore and spiritualism in it as well, and the cultural elements of his movies are often some of the of most fascinating parts.  Environmental themes aside, this is a great allegory to growing into one’s self, overcoming the past and accepting who you really are.  It pulls you into the world and shows you the pain each character is feeling without being emotionally-manipulative, instead it relies on one’s own empathy to truly relate to and understand what these characters are going through.  What is even a greater testament to the complexity of this film: I did not even scratch the surface in terms of plot.  There is a lot going on here that tie the emotional elements and themes of the film together better than most that have tried have been able to do in narratives past.  Miyazaki created a masterwork here, and it is widely regarded as one of the greatest animated films of all time.  It earned this title, as Princess Mononoke is a deep, engaging masterpiece, and even though it is only my second favorite film of Miyazaki’s (Spirited Away is my #1), it is certainly high among the greatest animated features in the history of movies.

My 40 Favorite Films of the 90's - 27 - Fight Club (1999)

Fight Club (1999; 20th Century Fox Pictures)

Director: David Fincher

Writer: Jim Uhls

Starring: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter

Fight Club is the 1999 film adaptation of the novel of the same name from writer Chuck Palahniuk.  It is a funny indictment of unbridled consumerism, drawing comparisons to shopping from Ikea with enslavement and disease.  It is certainly an anti-establishment message shoved into a strange series of parallels and metaphors.  So, who better to put together a plot puzzle like this than the man who directed The Game and Seven?

Edward Norton plays a (sort of) unnamed narrator who is tormented by his endless fight with daily life and his sudden urge to buy increasingly-useless crap from the consumer catalog du jour.  Depressed and struggling with crippling insomnia, our narrator begins to attend various support groups for disease and addiction for things he does not even suffer from, only to feel… something.  This therapy works, until a woman named Marla (Carter) begins showing up for the same groups, becoming a plaguing distraction.  During a business trip, he meets an outgoing, fast-talking man named Tyler Durden (Pitt), who seems to have none of the same fears and worries he suffers from.  Essentially, he is the narrator’s polar opposite.  A freak disaster leads the narrator to contact Tyler and they meet up, becoming friends, and eventually, this leads to them fighting in an alley.  Over time, this one fight evolves into hundreds, all over the country, from multiple groups of Fight Clubs, and replaces any need for support groups and shoulders to cry on.  Things grow and grow, becoming even more desperate, and Marla is dragged back in with Tyler, with whom she begins a very, very loud sexual relationship.  With the narrator's own vision of what Fight Club becoming distorted into a movement that has grown far out of his control, the film’s tone becomes extremely dark and more than a little threatening, all leading to a climax that is surprising and kind of terrifying..

Fight Club is a brutal rejection of casual consumerism.  It mocks marketing, and even has the Club members use that marketing as a weapon against the system they feel has enslaved them.  The mood shifts from comic to thriller steadily throughout the film, but from the very beginning there is a sense of unease.  We are told early in the film that “With insomnia nothing’s real.  Everything’s far away.  Everything’s a copy of a copy of a copy…”, and that is exactly what much of the first act feels like.  Scenes are very dreamlike, full of strange imagery of floating catalog price information and CGI penguins.  There are subliminal images that flicker and disappear, almost like hallucinations, and the whole production has this very cold, artificial feel to its benefit.  The surrealist elements of the film never feel too out of place since we are meant to be seeing this world through the eyes of a troubled man.  

David Fincher was the perfect choice to direct this movie.  He is able to weave incredibly complex and layered narratives into a cohesive and captivating story.  He is probably better at this than just about any other director working in Hollywood today, with successes like Zodiac and The Social Network telling stories that span several years with a great deal of coherence, something that is very difficult to do without losing your audience.  Fight Club just may be one of the most ambitious film adaptations of all time.  Not because of thousands of fighting soldiers and castles that need to be modeled and CGI’d, but because it is a story told in first person, from the perspective of an individual who sees the world very differently from the way most people do.  Fincher’s ability to put you in the eyes of this one broken and desperate man is simply astounding.  

Now, I am trying to stay vague with this article because if you have not seen this movie yet, it is a must-watch.  It is violent, gritty, and even a little convicting.  You could have been doing something great, and you did nothing productive.  In a shocking and brutal, but funny scene, Tyler holds a young man at gunpoint for “wasting his life” and not pursuing his dream career, for which he lets the man live with the promise that he will pursue a better life.  It is mean, but it is also honest.  Fight Club certainly has a little bit of preachiness to it, which is usually a turn-off, but I never got the feeling that this was based on some schizophrenic’s insane ramblings like I did with tripe like The Day After Tomorrow or overwrought, heavy-handed ripoff material like Avatar.  I was entranced by the film’s fun visuals and darkly humorous tone.  The screenplay is freaking outstanding and every performance is damn good.  Brad Pitt gives what is probably my favorite performance of his career as Tyler Durden and Edward Norton is bringing his A-Game as an awkward, nerdy doormat who is transformed into a tough-as-nails, takes-no-crap badass over the course of the movie.

My 40 Favorite Films of the 90's - 29 - Trainspotting (1996)

Trainspotting (1996; Channel Four Films)

Director: Danny Boyle

Writers: John Hodge

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle

My number 29 is the film that was voted by the UK public as the greatest Scottish film of all time, Trainspotting.  An examination of the lives of a group of twenty-somethings living in poverty in late-80’s Edinburgh and their constant struggle with heroin addiction, Danny Boyle’s award-winning film is a smart and occasionally horrifying melodrama.  This is easily one of my favorite films based on the theme of drugs and drug abuse as it has one of the best tonal shifts of any film I’ve ever seen.

The film primarily centers on Renton (McGregor), who narrates the film and expresses his thoughts on shooting up and coming down, as well as his inner-struggle about getting clean.  The film starts off with a funny series of narrations that run down why he and his friends do the things they do.  Unlike many other characters we see in movies, Renton is represented as loving heroin.  We hear from him the details of the high and the way it is narrated it seems almost as though the film is trying to sell the drug to its audience.  However, about halfway through the film the events take a dark turn and things get more than a little out of control.

Trainspotting is funny, but also very, very dark.  There is violence, tragedy and consequence, however the film never feels preachy.  Danny Boyle shows us some of Renton’s hallucinations that come in escapism, but also come in the form of terrifying torment as his family executes a harsh plan to force Renton to clean up, keeping him in a room as he is left to go cold turkey, a truly painful and awful experience.  As Renton writhes, sweats and screams, we see it and feel it with him thanks to Boyle’s masterful use of camera work and his flawless execution one of the most horrific scenes in film history.  I will not ruin it, though, as Trainspotting is a must-see.

Danny Boyle went on to direct the awesome 28 Days Later and was shortly-thereafter acknowledged by the Academy for his film Slumdog Millionaire.  Trainspotting is a film that looks very good, while also being occasionally unwatchable.  It is graphic, gruesome and disturbing but is never gratuitous.  Every scene has meaning to the plot, as Renton and his friends struggle with moving on from their addictions, but the drugs always seem to win.  It is tragic and smart.  It is neither a pro-drug comedy or an anti-drug propaganda film.  Instead Boyle just shows us these characters’ respective realities, as grim as they may be.

My 40 Favorite Films of the 90's - 31 - The Lion King (1994)

The Lion King (1994; Walt Disney Studios)

Directors: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff

Writers: Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts

Starring: Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones

The Lion King is Disney’s telling of Hamlet.  That’s it.  Well… Okay, the story follows Simba, a young lion who is the heir to an undefined “kingdom” in Africa called the Pride Lands.  The story is “adapted” from a number of sources including the works of Shakespeare, the Bible and an anime from the 1960’s from Japanese Animation pioneer Osmau Tezuka titled Kimba the White Lion.  The various sources of the film, with the exception of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, were not properly cited when the film was originally released (as is unfortunately typical with Disney).  This led to some notable controversy surrounding the film.  With all that, is the Lion King still a quality production?  Well, yes.

Despite the stolen premise and the disingenuous way in which it is presented, The Lion King is a strong production that set the standard for animation for years upon its release.  The film follows Simba, a young lion cub who, after witnessing the murder of his father, the king Mufasa, flees and lives his life in exile from his homeland.  There, he befriends two layabouts named Timon and Pumba, who act as the obligatory comic relief of the film but also as a parallel to Simba’s real responsibility to his homeland.  When Simba meets up with his childhood friend and promised future mate Nala, he learns of Scar’s overthrow of the crown, and his oppressive and destructive rule.  It is now Simba’s duty to return to his home and face the usurper of the throne to face his true destiny.

The story is a rather simple one, really.  It is about denial of one’s true self, and about the ideas of reason and responsibility.  Shakespeare, being a playwright for the people, often depicted the ruling class as slovenly or lazy to an extent and this story reflects that trope.  Simba, as an adult, starts off absorbed into Timon and Pumba’s laissez faire lifestyle, forgetting his roots and role in the world entirely.  The arc is his facing of adulthood.  It is a strong character shift and a well done part of the film.  It all culminates in a climax where Simba squares off against the evil Scar in the wasteland that was once his home.

Production-wise, everything about this film is top-notch.  The animation is some of the best of the studio’s history, the music is quite good, despite a few slightly annoying numbers that go on a little too long, and the story is big in scale yet it is told very accessibly for all audiences despite its source material.  The voice acting is also very good, especially Jeremy Irons as Scar.  I do love Irons as an actor and here he is funny and intimidating as Hell as one of the best movie villains ever, right down to one of the best damn musical numbers in the history of film “Be Prepared.”

As far as the rest of the music goes, it features some powerful moments.  Much of the film’s music was composed by one of my favorite artists, Elton John, and his contribution is notable.  It is a much more sophisticated soundtrack for the time.  The Disney Renaissance was littered with “kid-friendly” musical moments and for every “Part of that World” or “Be Our Guest” there was an over-silly and rather schmaltzy number like “You’ll be in My Heart” or this film’s contribution to bad Disney Music, the reason for the creation of the Mute and Fast-Forward Buttons, “Hakuna Matata”.  Still, there is one moment in this movie that hits me to the core every time I see it. The film ends as it begins, hence the film’s theme, “The Circle of Life”.  It plays as Simba’s son is presented to his subjects and the film ends on a triumphant pound of the drum.  It is a fantastic use of exposition-free storytelling and is one of the most powerful moments in cinema.

All-in-all, this was definitely the best animated film of the period, and I am not the only person to say so.  Disney was on a roll with hits leading up to this film and yes, I do like The Little Mermaid, and I am not ashamed to say it.  I think it’s a lovely story told quite well with likable characters and top-notch production value.  Beauty and the Beast was good, but not great, and Pocahontas was a successful little piece of shameless revisionism with a nice coat of paint, so take that for what you will.  However, this period also gave us Hercules, a film I most certainly did not like (except for James Woods as Hades, because Woods is a badass no matter what he does.  He wins forever.)

The Lion King has also been the subject of much accolade since its release.  Its music and score was nominated for and won multiple Oscars, it won best Comedy/Musical at the Golden Globes, it currently ranks at #57 in IMDB’s Top 250 and is a common fixture in books and lists of “Greatest Films of All Time”.  It is a memorable, nostalgic and vibrant work and, despite its flaws, it is a classic movie that I think will become one of the principal staples of the best of modern cinema that will be remembered, preserved and revered for generations to come.

My 40 Favorite Films of the 90's - 39 - Groundhog Day (1993)

Groundhog Day (1994; Columbia Pictures)

Director: Harold Ramis

Writers: Danny Rubin, Harold Ramis

Starring: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell

Comedy is hard to get right and so few writers, directors and actors have been truly successful in the genre because of this challenge.  The 70’s and 80’s were really good to comedy for a couple of reasons.  The rise of popular variety and sketch comedy shows in the 60’s and 70’s, as well as a vibrant and influential independent movie boom that started to take root in the mid-60’s helped to opened the doors to comedy in forms most had not even imagined.  A handful of essential comic writers and directors also came out of this small group of influential individuals, including Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Terry Gilliam and a focus of this article: the late Harold Ramis.

Starting later than his high-ranking peers, Ramis began working on the star-making 1970’s television series Second City TV, alongside fellow comic talents like Rick Moranis, John Candy, Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy, just to name a few.  These connections, and their associations with performers on the even-more-successful Saturday Night Live (which debuted in 1975), allowed for a period in the 70’s and 80’s of some of the greatest comedies of all time, during which numerous close bonds were formed between actors, producers, writers and directors, many of which remain in-tact to this day.  This melting pot of talents worked with each other consistently over the years in films such as Trading Places, The Great Outdoors, Vacation and Ghostbusters.  Still, those films just scratch the surface of the groundwork that was laid during this ten year comedy boom.

However, by the end of the 80’s, in spite of their influence and success at the start of the decade, comedies had taken more of a sideline to successful thrillers and big-budget action movies, as the high-powered producers struggled with the rising indie talents for control over the box office.  Ultimately, thanks to big-box sequels like Aliens and Lethal Weapon 2, and franchise hitmakers like Batman and Robocop, the little guys that made such an impact just a decade before were starting to dwindle in their ability to stand up against the studio titans.  One common step taken by a number of 80's stars was to embrace the new reality, and start making films that were marketable thanks to star-power, a few of these movies worked, but most of them did not.  

At the same time all of these late-80’s blockbusters were taking over the toy aisles and home video market, a new, younger generation of filmmakers were rising in the ranks in the underground.  They were inspired by that previous generation of independent filmmakers that had seemed forgotten by the masses.  This led to an impasse.  On one side were the “sellouts”, who many fans believed were just conforming, and on the other were rising filmmakers like Spike Lee, who were fighting the conformist filmmaking style and crafting a voice of their own.  This parallel ebbs and flows throughout all mediums in popular culture from time to time.  David versus Goliath, the little guy versus the Man, ect.  Still, by the time this war had started around 1990, a few of the guys who were once embraced as the young, fresh talents had already given into the Hollywood lifestyle and its accompanying ideals of fame-first and the selling of market-ready, prepackaged crap.

Groundhog Day seems to be a rejection of those ideals, but I believe any subjective or objective analysis of the film could produce arguments in either direction.  Is Groundhog Day a cliche-ridden, one-joke Hollywood comedy?  Or, is it an indictment of the cynical style of screenwriting and film production that has led so many careers into the proverbial gutter?  It is certainly an interesting film conceptually, either way.  It is made even more interesting as it was written and directed by Ramis and starred Bill Murray, a close friend of his and frequent collaborator.  These two were both accused by some for becoming “sellouts” by the end of the 80’s, so there is definitely a jab or two at those accusations of their supposed rejection of artistic values in favor of fame in the film.

A bored, tired and arrogant big-city weather man named Phil arrives in Punxsutawney, PA on February, 1, the eve of the day the titular groundhog, named  Punxsutawney Phil, will predict whether Spring has come or if there will be six more weeks of Winter.  Ready to be done with this gig he sees as demeaning, Phil takes his crew, including producer Rita (played by 80’s superstar Andie MacDowell) and cameraman Larry (Chris Eliot) and prepares for the trip home.  Only, things do not work out as planned.  Unable to leave due to a blizzard (which Phil had incorrectly predicted will miss the area), the weather team set up in a hotel for a night to wait out the winter storm.  Only…

The movie really starts here, as the film has Phil living the same day over and over again.  The same events happen time and time again and the only thing that changes are our lead’s reactions to each situation.  During the film, Phil is forced to rethink his treatment of others as the long-term effects of several, seemingly innocuous, actions and statements are seen to end in a surprisingly tragic or simply unhappy way.  The film takes a darker turn as it progresses and each repeated scene becomes a way for us to see any possible outcome.  

There is a lot to Groundhog Day from a story standpoint.  Who knows? I may be reading too deep into what is essentially a film that has Bill Murray be himself while everyone else acts out the same scene ad nauseum, but I have always liked this movie for being a comedy that intentionally does what so many films do, repeat the same ideas and fade into the background.  I see Phil’s shifting reactions to these moments as a reflection of many film fans to the ever-present and constantly growing blob of Hollywood’s contempt for its very audience.

My 40 Favorite Films of the 90's - 40 - Audition (1999)

Audition: 1999; Basara Pictures

Director: Takashi Miike

Writer: Daisuke Tengan

Starring: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina

Kicking off this list of my 40 favorite movies from the 90's is one of the hardest sits of my life.  I watched Audition shortly after its release and was disturbed, disgusted, shocked and yet I loved every minute of it.  I will not hold back in saying that Audition is easily one of the most disturbing films ever made as director Takashi Miike is a master of sensory filmmaking and with films like Gozu and the Happiness of the Katakuris he blends different visual and tonal ideas, all having a certain visceral feel to them.  Audition is built upon a very simple, yet structural, use of tension and as it grows and grows the events in the movie become even more disturbing, revealing one of the most hard-to-watch final acts of any film I have ever seen.  

The plot follows a widower named Shigeru (Ishibashi) who is convinced by his brother to hold a fake audition for musicians, with the true intention being to find a new wife for the lonely man.  The one perfect girl, Asami (Shiina), seems so beautiful and so sweet to Shigeru and we get the same impressions of her from the start.  However, this expectation is promptly crushed as the film progresses and, at the start of the 2nd act, we finally get a glimpse into just how disturbed she really is.  The conclusion of this film is a prolonged, slow and quiet torture scene, where we can hear and even feel the acupuncture needles going behind the eyes and the piano-wire sawing Shigeru's feet off.  It is all done in graphic detail and with a shocking level of intimacy, especially in the sound production, which is some of the best in the horror genre.  Every sinew, every severed vein, ever prick and prod is heard over a deafening silence, otherwise only broken by a heavily-drugged and nearly-paralyzed Shigeru’s stifled cries of pain and Asami’s gleeful yet eerily-soft singing.

Now, despite its disturbing premise and final scenes, Audition is a beautiful film.  It is all very soft and delicate, with lots of close shots and lingering scenes that do not feel dragged out, instead they all add to the boiling pot.  There are a few scenes in particular that are framed just beautifully.  Long shots down a dark hallway lit in the foreground by a soft blue fluorescent light, and beautifully-framed scenes of silhouette and interior scenery that are surprisingly not boring.  Miike is very good at visual tone, and he uses the cold, sterile fluorescent lights of Shigeru's life to contrast with the warmer golden of Asami’s.  It is meant, I believe, to be a siren’s song for the audience, as though she can bring warmth and color to his world again.  We know in the end, however that this will not happen.

15 of the Most Depressing Movies I Have Ever Seen

I do not recall what prompted me to write this list.  I was going through my mind about movie lists and topics that are not tackled too often.  Then it hit me, most people watch movies to be entertained, some watch films to be challenged, or to explore an artist's work, but tragedy is not new to films, from Old Yeller to Titanic, major Hollywood films are filled with great stories of loss, suffering, pain, and grief.  So, of all of the films I've seen (some on this list I still wish I hadn't), what are the ones that left me beaten, feeling so low, so depressed that they still effect me to this day?  I did not take me long, as I knew, for certain, what my top five would be, but the others came easily over a few hours of refreshing my memory of all the movies I have seen (those of you who know me know what an undertaking that can be for me), and I compiled a list of 15 titles that had the strongest impact on me.  Most of these films I have only seen once, because that is all it took, and really, there are only two films on this list that I flat out do not recommend, and you will know them when you read what I wrote.  However, for the remaining 13 films, consider this a recommendation, but note that there are no happy-fun movies here, so be prepared to feel like crap after you watch any of these films.  So we begin with one of those movies I said I refuse to recommend:

15- Happiness (1998)-

I start with a film I cannot recommend just based on moral grounds, and there are not many films that I have seen that I immediately regretted watching, but this is one of them.  There are scenes in this movie I do not even want to talk about.  Happiness is a contrast to the “perfect American families” portrayed on sitcoms, overlaid with the dark undertones of pedophilia, incest, revenge, jealousy, you name it.  It is an examination of what we force ourselves not to see, or think about, and makes us question the morals of ourselves, and those around us.  I find it is the tonal contrast makes this movie simply disturbing.

Written and directed by Welcome to the Dollhouse’s Todd Solondz, this is a grim ensemble piece with a lot of great performances, and little moments of brilliance shine through but are overshadowed, at least in my opinion, by just how unflinching it is, especially in its explorations of sexuality.  This is not an easy film to watch, because as characters arcs start to reach their shudder-inducing conclusions, all of the things we feared would happen finally do, and then we see the final act wraps up all of the acts committed with their respective consequences, one realizes that the things we do not want to see are not only all around us, but could be right next door.

14- Precious (2009)-

This stunning Oscar-winner follows the virtually hopeless life of an African American teenager growing up in the bleakness of an American ghetto.  The lead character suffers from every type of abuse possible from virtually every angle, and this account, as told in autobiographical form is far too real, and leaves one forced to sit and reflect on everything we have been shown.   The story centers on Precious, a teenager, pregnant for the second time, who enrolls in a new school and tries to take the first steps to escape the prison-like conditions in her life.

Many parts of this movie are very hard to watch, or even hear.  The stories of Precious’ past, the emotional abuse, the gritty cinematography, the brutal reality; it all just hits so hard.  This is one of the best films of recent years, and it has a strong emotional truth behind it.  Seeing this character as she spends her entire life unloved and in destitute is a sorrowful tragedy.

13- Vera Drake (2004)-

This is a controversial film about a woman who performs abortions outside of the law in England in the 1950’s, that paints a picture of morality and consequences.  Everything falls apart when the authorities discover her actions.  No matter where you stand on the abortion issue, this is a powerful drama that tells a brutal truth: Whether something is legal or not in the eyes of the state does not eliminate the demand and the will to fill that demand.  Brutal, graphic and ultimately tragic, this film will definitely make you think.

Vera Drake is a film about desperate acts, and the lengths some people will go for closure, as well as a look at loss and fear, and the things we do to overcome them.  Everything comes to a head when Drake is found out by the British police and then we find even more tragedy in her life, compounding the great burden she already carries with her.

12- Hotel Rwanda (2004)-

During the height of an era plagued by Central African genocide, a respected hotel owner houses refugees in his establishment, in hopes of saving as many lives as possible.  We see as he tries to protect these few lives, and struggles with his inability to do more.  This mostly-ignored period in recent history is shown to us in this film that is a blend of tragedy and heroism.

This film depicts a truly dark and tragic period in recent history, and for many, the horrors have not ended.  This is a powerful drama and is probably, due to the protagonist’s heroic nature, the least depressing film on this list, and that is definitely saying something.

11- Million Dollar Baby (2004)-

I jokingly called Clint Eastwood’s grim answer to the typical sports film the “Anti-Rocky”... I’m sure I wasn’t the only person to thought this... and then immediately felt bad about it.  This film follows a girl who wants more than anything to be a championship fighter and eventually gets a broken man named Frankie to train her.  During a prize fight, a cheap shot from her opponent causes the lead, Maggie, to fall back and break her neck on a stool.  Rendered paralyzed from the neck down, Maggie slowly deteriorates until she begins asking Frankie to end her life.

Million Dollar Baby quickly morphs from a fairly typical sports movie into a very deep and grief-filled examination of the morality and legitimacy of euthanasia in those who cannot survive without life support.  The last act of this film is so dismal and the performances of all involved are so good that I just cannot finish this film.  I saw it in theaters when it launched, and have not finished it since.  It is a testament to the film’s impact, and how well done it is, but the subject it addresses is far too important for casual viewing, at least for me.

10- Requiem for a Dream (2000)-

Requiem for a Dream is a chilling exploration into the effects of drug use and dependency.  The four focal characters are Harry and Tyrone, two overly-ambitious and heavily addicted drug dealers, Marion, Harry’s girlfriend, and Sara, Harry’s mother.  The stories intersect as each character is dragged deeper into a depressing and brutal series of events.  Harry’s heroin abuse worsens as he and Tyrone get a hold of a stash of drugs they intend to sling for a great profit, and the money rolls in, but after Tyrone is arrested put on a prison work crew, Harry hits rock-bottom, and begins to lean on Marion for drugs and money to keep his fledgling enterprise afloat.  Marion, also an addict and falling deeper into desperation resorts to prostituting herself to help her lover.  These stories intersect with the story of Sara.  An elderly woman who shares her days with her friends and her nights watching the same infomercial seemingly on a loop.  She gets weight loss pills from her doctor, obsessed with her size, and promptly becomes addicted.  Sara’s story is easily the most disturbing, filled with hallucinations brought on by a lack of sleep, a lack of food and the euphoric effects of the drugs.  

Darren Aronofsky’s stunning cinematography and brutal honesty in the depiction of the darkest depths of chemical dependency will leave you feeling crushed, battered and bruised.  The contrast of the early scenes’ almost blissfulness as the characters experience an escape from the harsh reality that is shown to us in increasingly graphic detail creates an inescapable mood and an air of chilling sadness.  Seeing the lovable Sara fall to pieces, become a beanpole and then get institutionalized where she received electroshock therapy because she still refuses food, it is just so gut-wrenching.

9- We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)-

Told in the aftermath of a brutal school massacre committed by a disturbed teenager, the shooter’s mother is forced to recount and examine what just went wrong all the while piecing her life together amidst a climate of blame, anger and fear.  A psychological horror film of sorts, this movie attempts to explore the mindset of a person who would execute such an atrocity, and forces the viewers to become part of that child’s mind.

We Need to Talk About Kevin is a movie about a topic that most people just don’t want to think about.  School shootings are a rare, but horrifying reality and this movie looks at why these things happen.  The realism of this movie makes it just that much more powerful, and Tilda Swinton’s performance as the mother of a lost soul is a heartbreaking scene-stealer.  This is a movie about how a single horrifying act has long-lasting repercussions that affect not only the shooter and victims, but the family of the very killer.

8- A Serbian Film (2010)-

This is easily the most controversial, and visually disturbing, film on the list. A Serbian Film is a graphic, dark, ultra-violent shock-exploitation film about a man who is forced to perform truly horrifying acts on camera.  The story follows man named Milos, a retired porn actor who is pulled into a ghastly world of underground pornography; tricked by a corrupt and detestable filmmaker..  For Milos, there is no escape; the only option seems to be to embrace the evil that is thrust upon him.  Almost every scene after Milos starts filming is filled with gruesome hideousness, and we see Milos crumble and weaken as his resolve is shattered, and he begins to become what can only be described as a monster.

I have not seen the uncut version of this movie and even with that I cannot emphasize enough that I will not recommend this film to ANYONE, I regret watching the version I did, let alone the unedited version.  This one has been out for a while but if this happens to be your first time hearing of it, DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE.  This is a cruel, vile, disturbed film and that is exactly what it is supposed to be, but that does not make it good?  No.  This movie is more gruesome and disturbing than any horror movie I have ever seen, and the acts committed will turn any sane person’s stomach and make them cringe.  This movie is virtually unwatchable, and though it does have some artistic merit as it is well-made and superbly-acted, it is almost entirely unbearable.

7- Grave of the Fireflies (1988)-

If you thought that Japanese animation was all magical girls and giant robots, you should watch this truly harrowing film.  Grave of the Fireflies is a truly grim depiction of the lives of two orphaned children in Japan during World War II.  Many of Studio Ghibli’s films are allegorical, but this film is almost too literal at times.  After Sieta’s sister, Setsuko, dies at the age of five from starvation, he is forced to cremate his own sister in a crude fashion, and he carries her ashes around with him in a small can.  This is arguably one of the single best anti-war films ever created, and is one of the most tragic films ever put to celluloid.

Every piece of imagery in this movie is deliberate and focused.  It is tragic, moody and beautifully-animated.  This is one of the few movies on this list that I would actually recommend to casual viewers because it is easily among the better animated films created in the last thirty years.

6- Dancer in the Dark (2000)-

This is a real downer of a movie.  It follows the woman named Selma who suffers from a congenital disease that causes blindness, who travels from Czechoslovakia to America with her son who also suffers from the disease.  She works to get him the money needed for an operation, only to have it stolen by the man with which she was having an affair, who stole the money to help with his own family debts.  Things escalate and he ultimately dies, leaving Selma to take the fall for his death, for which she bears some responsibility.  The film ends with her on death row, and with her ultimate execution.

The thing that adds to Dancer in the Dark’s disturbing nature are the strangely out-of-place musical numbers that highlight the darker scenes.  They come in the form of Selma’s fantasies, which are a sort of defense mechanism that she uses when things become rough.  Two come to mind, one where she dances with the man she’s convicted of killing’s corpse, and one where she sings right as she is about to be executed.  This is one disturbing movie.

5- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)-

The son of a Nazi concentration camp officer begins a friendship with a jewish prisoner, with only a fence separating them, and as the movie progresses, their bond becomes stronger.  The film is most known for it’s extremely tragic ending, which I will not spoil, but given the premise, you can probably at least sort of guess it.  

This is among the grimmest movies about the Holocaust I’ve ever seen (not that there are really any movies on the subject that are not depressing as all hell), the Boy in the Striped Pajamas is an exploration of childhood innocence set against the backdrop of one of the most horrific periods in human history.  The entire movie has a feeling of melancholy, even as we see these two children live with limited understanding of what is really going on around them. From the time the two boys meet until the movies crushing conclusion, this is a movie that will never be able to forget.

4- Lilja 4-Ever (2002)-

Anytime a movie opens with the character contemplating suicide, you know you’re in for a downer.  This film, told in flashback, is a painful depiction of the desperate life of a teenager in an Estonian slum who is left behind by her mother who emigrates to America.  Out of desperation, Lilja falls into a life of prostitution and just as she thinks she has found her escape, a man who offers to take her with him to Sweden, she finds herself dragged deeper into an even more painful and brutal life.  

This is a film where we see no escape for the protagonist, and everything she suffers from is palpable, conceivable, and it feels all too real.  The grim nature of this movie is essential to the story it is trying to tell.  This is a horrific and crushing depiction of the sexual exploitation of women, and it is very hard to watch, as the film is very well made, adding to its brutality.

3- Melancholia (2011)-

In Lars von Trier’s winning drama, Kirsten Dunst plays Justine, a bride-to-be who, on her wedding night is filled with terror as a massive, mysterious planet named Melancholia appears and the events of the film lead up to the end of the world.  Throughout the film, Justine is depressed and pain is in the air, while her sister Claire tries to keep things together.  The ending is a contrast between the two characters, with Dunst accepting her fate and her sister in a far more emotional state.  

The name really says it all here.  This is a movie where the deaths of every person on the planet are inevitable.  This is not some Roland Emerich disaster porn where we are supposed to enjoy watching a catastrophic disaster, this is a bleak and sorrowful experience.  On top of the powerful emotional aura this film exudes, there is also the sheer beauty of von Trier’s direction which adds to the mood significantly.  I would actually argue that this is one of the most beautiful films ever made, it is a shame it is so damn hard to enjoy.  

2- Sophie’s Choice (1982)-

I stand by the statement that this is, hands down, one of the greatest films of all time.  It is also one of the most tragic.  Sophie is a Holocaust survivor haunted by the past that finds solace in the a man who is captivated by the atrocity.  Grim and painful images of German concentration camps and harsh reality is the norm in this harrowing movie.

All the while, as if the Holocaust references were not grim enough, we are brought into a love triangle with three flawed characters.  The story ends as tragically as it began and maintains a level of sadness throughout.  Still, this is a fantastic movie and is, arguably, the single best film on this list.

1- Angela’s Ashes (1999)-

How did anyone not see this coming? Seriously? This true account of a poor Irish boy named Frank’s life as he travels from Brooklyn to Limerick, Ireland.  It is a story centered on  family tragedy and the very real effects of poverty.  The catalyst of the story is the death of Frank’s newborn sister, and from here it is one dark, and very real moment after another.  The family suffers in Ireland due to his father’s IRA ties, rendering him unemployable by most.  Add to that his abusive alcoholism and things just seem that much bleaker.  Their home is best described as squalor and the world seems stacked against the young Frank.

Angela’s Ashes has become a legend among depressing films due to its bleak depiction of poverty in Ireland.  It is a hard film to sit through because it is just so grim and the reality of the movie is a testament to its quality, but this is not a film you watch for pleasure as it is far too dismal.