November 2013 -- Letterboxd Capsules

The Abyss (James Cameron, 1989) [letterboxd capsule]
I can think of several ways the movie could be more satisfying, but the truth is, after the death/resurrection/emotional climax, Cameron had nowhere else to go except into the pit. The theatrical version cuts his hokeyness a bit (thankfully), but it would never satisfy so long as he was committed to bringing us into direct contact with the aliens one last time. He forces them to become a contrived plot point rather than a mysterious texture.

Thankfully, there's lots of sturdy suspense and memorable setpieces leading up to that moment so the film still works for me overall.

Aliens (James Cameron, 1986) [letterboxd capsule]
There is a raw, relentless physicality to this that makes the film particularly intense.  The death of Vazquez has always resonated with me in a strange way.  The pain in her voice when she cries out "oh no" after being paralyzed by an acid burn on her leg....it's more than just imminent death, it is the deep sting of failure.

Any Given Sunday (Oliver Stone, 1999) [letterboxd capsule]
Stone's overwrought professional football movie is very entertaining (I've seen the film several times even though I don't think it's that great) but it thinks it is way more insightful and observant than it truly is.  Add to that Stone getting a little carried away with his collage style editing and some frustratingly thin characterizations.  I think Jerry Maguire played the changing-face-of-pro-sports-in-the-90's card way better, though it is fun to watch Al Pacino scream at Cameron Diaz.

1992 Cii Movie Awards

This list and awards compiled February 28, 2013

                      For the criteria of choosing the awards, click here.

Top 10 Films of 1992

1. Lessons of Darkness (Werner Herzog)
2. The Player (Robert Altman)
3. Malcolm X (Spike Lee)
4. Wayne's World (Penelope Spheeris)
5. Batman Returns (Tim Burton)
6. Aladdin (John Musker & Ron Clements)
7. A League of Their Own (Penny Marshall)
8. Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood)
9. The Last of the Mohicans (Michael Mann)
10. Glengarry Glen Ross (James Foley)

Honorable Mentions: Patriot Games (Phillip Noyce), Baraka (Ron Fricke), Raising Cain (Brian De Palma), Rock Hudson's Home Movies (Michael Rappaport), Under Siege (Andrew Davis)

Best Actor

Dana Carvey – Wayne’s World

Clint Eastwood – Unforgiven

Tom Hanks – A League of Their Own

Jack Lemmon – Glengarry Glen Ross

Tim Robbins – The Player

* Denzel Washington – Malcolm X

Best Actress

Geena Davis – A League of Their Own

Whoopi Goldberg – Sister Act

* Michelle Pfeiffer – Batman Returns

Sharon Stone – Basic Instinct

Sigourney Weaver – Alien 3

Best Supporting Actor

Alec Baldwin – Glengarry Glen Ross

Danny De Vito – Batman Returns

* Gene Hackman – Unforgiven

Michael Madsen – Reservoir Dogs

Al Pacino – Glengarry Glen Ross

Best Supporting Actress

Lara Flynn Boyle – Wayne’s World

* Madonna – A League of Their Own

Rosie O’Donnell – A League of Their Own

Miranda Richardson – The Crying Game

Greta Scacchi – The Player

Marisa Tomei – My Cousin Vinny

Best Director

Robert Altman – The Player

Werner Herzog – Lessons of Darkness

* Spike Lee – Malcolm X

Penny Marshall – A League of Their Own

Phillip Noyce – Patriot Games

Best Screenplay

Aladdin (Ron Clements, John Musker, Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio)

The Crying Game (Neil Jordan)

Lessons of Darkness (Werner Herzog)

* The Player (Michael Tolkein)

Unforgiven (David Webb Peoples)

Best Cinematography

Alien 3 (Alex Thomson)

Baraka (Ron Fricke)

* Lessons of Darkness (Paul Berriff & Rainer Klausmann)

A River Runs Through It (Philippe Rousselot)

Unforgiven (Jack N. Green)

Best Editing

Basic Instinct (Frank J. Urioste)

* Lessons of Darkness (Rainer Standke)

The Player (Maysie Hoy & Geraldine Peroni)

Raising Cain (Robert Dalva, Paul Hirsch & Bonnie Koehler)

Under Siege (Don Brochu, Robert A. Ferretti, Dov Hoenig & Dennis Virkler)

Best Film Score

Aladdin (Alan Menken)

* Basic Instinct (Jerry Goldsmith)

The Last of the Mohicans (Randy Edelman & Trevor Jones)

Under Siege (Gary Chang)

Best Production Design

Alien 3

* Batman Returns

Malcolm X

Newsies

Unforgiven

Best Ensemble Cast Performance

Aladdin

* Glengarry Glen Ross

A League of Their Own

The Player

Wayne’s World

1992 Movies Seen (56 features seen as of 03.01.2013)

3 Ninjas (John Turteltaub, 1992)

Aladdin (John Musker & Ron Clements, 1992)

Alien 3 (David Fincher, 1992)

The Babe (Arthur Hiller, 1992)

Baraka (Ron Fricke, 1992)

Basic Instinct (Paul Verhoeven, 1992)

Batman Returns (Tim Burton, 1992)

Beethoven (Brian Levant, 1992)

The Bodyguard (Mick Jackson, 1992)

Captain Ron (Thom Eberhardt, 1992)

Chaplin (Richard Attenborough, 1992)

The Crying Game (Neil Jordan, 1992)

The Cutting Edge (Paul Michael Glaser, 1992)

Death Becomes Her (Robert Zemeckis, 1992)

El Mariachi (Robert Rodriguez, 1992)

Encino Man (Les Mayfield, 1992)

A Few Good Men (Rob Reiner, 1992)

Forever Young (Steve Miner, 1992)

Glengarry Glen Ross (James Foley, 1992)

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (Curtis Hanson, 1992)

Hard-Boiled (John Woo, 1992)

Hoffa (Danny DeVito, 1992)

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (Chris Columbus, 1992)

Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (Randal Kleiser, 1992)

Honeymoon in Vegas (Andrew Bergman, 1992)

HouseSitter (Frank Oz, 1992)

Kuffs (Bruce A. Evans, 1992)

The Last of the Mohicans (Michael Mann, 1992)

A League of Their Own (Penny Marshall, 1992)

Lessons of Darkness (Werner Herzog, 1992)

Lethal Weapon 3 (Richard Donner, 1992)

Malcolm X (Spike Lee, 1992)

The Mighty Ducks (Stephen Herek, 1992)

Mr. Baseball (Fred Schepisi, 1992)

Mr. Saturday Night (Billy Crystal, 1992)

My Cousin Vinny (Jonathan Lynn, 1992)

Newsies (Kenny Ortega, 1992)

Of Mice and Men (Gary Sinise, 1992)

Passenger 57 (Kevin Hooks, 1992)

Patriot Games (Phillip Noyce, 1992)

The Player (Robert Altman, 1992)

The Public Eye (Howard Franklin, 1992)

Radio Flyer (Richard Donner & David M. Evans, 1992)

Raising Cain (Brian De Palma, 1992)

Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino, 1992)

A River Runs Through It (Robert Redford, 1992)

Rock-a-Doodle (Don Bluth, 1992)

Rock Hudson’s Home Movies (Mark Rappaport, 1992)

Scent of a Woman (Martin Brest, 1992)

School Ties (Robert Mandel, 1992)

Sister Act (Emile Ardolino, 1992)

Sneakers (Phil Alden Robinson, 1992)

Under Siege (Andrew Davis, 1992)

Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood, 1992)

Visions of Light (Arnold Glassman, Todd McCarthy & Stuart Samuels, 1992)

Wayne’s World (Penelope Spheeris, 1992)

Cinema Haikus #001-#004

Burden of Dreams (Les Blank, 1982)

Pull a ship though the

Jungle and you can swallow

Indigenous spit

[cinema haiku #001]

Exiting the Factory (Louis Lumière, 1895)

As subjects pass by

Are documentary film's

Questions still looming?

[cinema haiku #002]

Young Mr. Lincoln (John Ford, 1939)
Fonda is tall and
Can carry a speech like Abe's
American myth

[cinema haiku #003]

Nashville (Robert Altman, 1975)
Celebrity crazed
Country of musicians sell
Ideals for records

[cinema haiku #004]