Back to the Pictures is a new segment where the Mezzo-Culture Staff will put on our nostalgia caps and choose a random year of film to list the top 10 of that year. We do this not to expound on our lists (as we recognize the arbitrary nature of doing this), but to give a list of films to revisit. Plus it’s just a fun game to play. Feel free to put yours down below!
1995. Set squarely in one of the best decades in film, in retrospect, the year in general seems more qualified to be called good than great. VHS was the dominant face of home video, with DVDs being in their earliest stages. After a 6 year hiatus, Bond was back on the big screen with Goldeneye. Waterworld was captivating audiences worldwide...So, here are our picks for the films of the year, which in some ways is a hair brained combination of best, favorite, and unavoidable nostalgia.
Kyle:
10. Batman Forever
OK, if you're still here, just hear my pleas. Sure the characterization of Two Face is way off base, most notably with him flipping his coin multiple times to achieve the result he wants. Jim Carrey is only there as a cash-grab. Val Kilmer is...eh. Joel Schumaker had one more movie before he nearly annihilated it with The Film That Shall Not Be Named. But this one was a great piece of entertainment that makes the 10 year old in me giggle with excitement. Oh, and Robin was in a live action film that didn't totally suck. I'm a big Robin fan that for years Hollywood has misunderstood and neglected. Although this film did not perfect the character, at least he was THERE.
9. Pocahontas
A frequently overlooked part of the Disney Renaissance, I've always seen this as very underrated. Although it's massively inaccurate, it IS sympathetic to the Powahtan people and their struggle against the English. The voice cast is very good, with Mel Gibson portraying a character in John Smith who falls in love with someone who isn't White, Christian, or Anti-Semetic, which is saying something for this guy. The irony also isn't lost on me that Christian Bale is in this, who later played John Rothe in the much superior The New World. The soundtrack is superb, with Color of the Wind being among my favorite songs. Now that I've publicly admitted this, I'm gonna go hide now.
8. Crimson Tide
In retrospect, this is a lot more calmer of a movie than Tony Scott's more recent fare. Gene Hackman does his GD best as a constantly angry Submarine captain who tussles with Denzel Washington over whether or not they should launch missiles at Russia, assuredly starting World War III. I've got to admit, I haven't seen this one in a while, but I was suprisngly impressed by what a tight, exciting thriller this one was.
7. Apollo 13
With such a great cast in this one, it was impossible for it NOT to be good. Tom Hanks is his standard as the lead and Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gay Sinise, and Ed Harris in supporting roles. Ron Howard's direction here is very good and makes a near tragedy heroic and victorious. With triumph like the moon landing and disasters like Columbia and Challenger, it's hard to remember that our nation's finest can sometimes succeed despite extraordinary circumstances.
6. Casper
A chief example of the advances effects made during the decade, this film was far from a mere excuse for testing technology. This film's heart and charm has stayed with me for years, even now as I look back on it. The cast is very good, offering up some of the best cameos in film history, in my opinion. The other Casper films have paled in comparison. If you haven't seen this one, check it out. It's among the first f/x films that had characters with personalities I cared about.
5. Goldeneye
I've never had too high regard for this one as a pure Bond film, but as an action movie, it's one of my favorites. Making his debut as Bond, Pierce Brosnan's smirking, smart ass take on the character is among my favorites. Judi Dench also made her debut as M, and in my opinion, should stay as the character the rest of her life. The story takes advantage of the fall of the Soviet Union and has many duplicitous turns in the plot. The action is among the best of the franchise and it proves that the character can be both an action star and sly spy.
4. Casino
Martin Scorsese. Robert De Niro. Argument made. Goodbye....no really, this movie is easily among the best of the year, as well as an important film of the decade. Basically, this is Goodfellas in Vegas. Of course, there's more than that, but if you liked that one, you should also like this one. With Sharon Stone acting as one of my all time most hated female characters and Joe Pesci as an even crazier mobster than he played in Goodfellas, they round out a very good cast that inhabit 70s-80s era Vegas. As with his other Mob epic, Scorsese with a camera is just such fun to watch, endlessly entertaining you while simultaneously unraveling the seems of the characters like no one else can.
3. Heat
Another De Niro crime epic famously combined him with the likes of Al Pacino, two of cinema's greatest actors who exploded onto the screen during the 1970s. It's amazing it took them this long to act along side one another. This could easily have been a massive disappointment, like Righteous Kill was. But with Micheal Mann at the helm, this heist thriller was easily among the best films of the 90s. The pacing and direction just leave you guessing up until the very end, that's as gracefully subtle as the rest of Mann's films.
2. Toy Story
I recently watched the trilogy together a week or two ago and marveled at how truly great all of the films are. The original was a trailblazer in every facet of the word. The first film to be completely computer generated had much more heart than many live action films made today. The voice cast is among the best for any animated film, adding so much personality and diversity to Andy's gang of toys. The juxtaposition of the cowboy and the spaceman is so striking and powerful that the images it produces will stay with you forever. Oh, and the movie is endlessly entertaining and fun for anyone to enjoy. Just thinking about this one brings back so many wonderful memories.
1. Se7en
Much darker than the last film I named, Se7en transcends the typical police procedural to become one of the most visceral, disturbing, and gritty experiences I've ever had. The backdrop is classic: a cop on his last week is tasked with solving a set of grisly serial killings while breaking in the new guy. Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt's chemistry is unmatched, both able to hold their own against each other in crucial times throughout. The religious motives of these killings make them even darker and more sadistic, setting up questions we must all grapple with long after the closing credits conclude. And to think, this MAY not even be David Fincher's best film?
Phillip:
10. Braveheart
The big winner at the Oscars, Mel Gibson’s directorial effort is a big blockbuster picture on a level of few others. Although it deserves some acclaim as the most epic film of the year, that really is all it has going for it, short of some inspiring speeches and awesome battles. Plus, I mean, Mel being Mel, it doesn’t get much better. To be honest, I could only find nine films from this year I thought went above and beyond standard. So this one is filler for 10, and I thought between this, Mallrats, and Die Hard With a Vengeance, it deserved it the most.
9. Devil in a Blue Dress
A lot of you have probably never heard of this movie, and it’s because it was released at the wrong time in history, but at the same time it was the perfect moment. I know that last phrase really makes no sense, but hear me out. The film is a neo noir (really big in the nineties) set in the late 40s about a black detective who returns from World War II, gets laid off from his factory, and decides to be a private detective. It sounds a little hokey, but it’s played out well in the film. The film uses racial tensions in this time and his case as an allegory for the mid-nineties, a very tumultuous time for race relations. The reason it was released too early in history is because it stars Denzel Washington and features a breathtaking performance by Don Cheadle. It plays it safe at the end, but the tone and look alone are fantastic enough.
8. Sense and Sensibility
From the director who would later bring us Brokeback Mountain, this Jane Austen adaptation pales in comparison to Joe Wright’s Pride and Prejudice, but still manages to be a fine literary adaptation. Although Ang Lee’s direction is modestly good, it is Emma Thompson’s lead performance that carries it. She is probably the perfect Austen leading lady, sorry Kiera Knightly. Plus it costars a pre-Snape, post-Hans Alan Rickman. "Number 8? So be it."
7. Casino
I have recently warmed up more to Scorsese’s early 90s work, notably this film and Goodfellas. When I first watched this Las Vegas crime epic, I thought what I’m sure many thought, “Oh look, Goodfellas in Las Vegas.” When viewed again though, I appreciated all the subtle differences here. Sure, some of the characters (notably Joe Pesci) are somewhat the exact same and some of the effects shots are bad (the Deniro bomb dummy a highlight), but the film is great fun. Remembered for its continued experimentation of multiple narrations, it is a film that tries lots of things, fails at some, but exceeds at others. Plus, it’s Martin Scorsese, so who am I to say it failed anywhere?
6. Apollo 13
Ron Howard is truly one of my favorite directors I never seem to talk about. He has one quality other directors don’t: consistency. He is capable of making enough films in a period and they are all relatively good. This is one of his absolute best. It is not a masterpiece, but it comes awfully close at points. Tom Hanks’ performance is entirely believable and watchable. It isn’t as showy as Forrest Gump or makes as large a statement like his character in Philadelphia; instead it is just pure, old-fashioned movie star acting. Also, I just love the Apollo mission stories. They’re one of my favorite pieces of history, and this film has become such an integral part of re-telling it and bringing it to light in the culture’s minds again.
5. Heat
Michael Mann has always been hit or miss for me. He’ll hit dead on greatness with some and miss any semblance of quality the next. This is his opus though, and probably always will be (though I can hear arguments for Collateral). Al Pacino and Robert Deniro costarring was the big buzz here, but the action and pure adrenaline in the film is enough. Not to mention the screenplay, which bests nearly any other heist film. Oh, and let’s not forget Val Kilmer’s hair.
4. The Quick and the Dead
When it comes to Westerns, I always have and always will be a fan. This remake by Sam Raimi stands on its own though. Superb filmmaking from a personal favorite, Raimi combines all the things that made the Evil Deads great, made Spider-man fun, and made Darkman original. Sharon Stone gives the best performance she ever has, and Russell Crowe plays the coolest priest in maybe the history of film. The film also features greats like Gene Hackman and as of then untested stars like this kid named Leo Dicaprio.
3. Toy Story
Oh, goodness. Basically, this is my childhood surmised in two words. This is both because I loved the movie and because “toys” and “stories” were important things to me. This is still the best film Pixar has done and all the juices we love from the studio flow here in their first effort. The voice cast includes Tom Hanks (again proving why he is without a doubt the actor of the decade) and Tim Allen, along with a slew of others we recognize still in Pixar films today. It utterly pains me this isn’t number one, but it could be on another day with another thought process.
2. Se7en
Although he had debuted with Alien 3, this was David Fincher’s first opportunity to show the world what he was going to do since his commercial to feature transition. This is the best serial killer film of the 90s (you’d be surprised at how many there were), and would be of all time, had it not been for Fincher’s other serial killer film. Seven features great performances from Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, not to mention Kevin Spacey playing one of the best villains of all time. The screenplay is hauntingly original, the opening credits are squirming, and the end is my favorite of all time. Yeah, I like this movie a little bit.
1. The Usual Suspects
I still remember the first time I ever saw this film it blew me away. Many already know the ending to this one, but whose fault is that ultimately? Still one of the best crime thrillers I have ever seen, and definitely the best of the neo-noirs populating the nineties, Bryan Singer’s debut promised great things. The screenplay here is one of the best I have ever seen, juggling the thriller aspects and the darkly comic moments perfectly. Plus, the cast here featuring Benicico Del Toro, Pete Postalwathe, and of course the mesmerizing Kevin Spacey are in great form. The decade may be topped with acting by Tom Hanks, but Kevin Spacey definitely ruled 1995.
Interesting to note some of the films I have not seen still from this year, though out of all these, the only one I see that has a consensus with it is Bottle Rocket. I plan to watch it sometime . . .
Also very interesting to note that even though Kevin Spacey’s two films rank in the top, Tom Hanks and Robert Deniro also have two films on the list. No directors repeat this time though.
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