The MoFo 1990s Countdown pt II - Preliminary Thread

Thanks for hosting. Will participate. Will also participate in the group watch thing.

recommendations:

When We Were Kings (1996) Leon Gast


The Rainmaker (1997) Francis Ford Coppola


Night Falls on Manhattan (1996) Sidney Lumet


In the Line of Fire 1993 Wolfgang Petersen


Presumed Innocent (1990) Alan J. Pakula


Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai 1999 Jim Jarmusch


The Last Boy Scout (1991) Tony Scott

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The 90s Group Watch for the 90s Countdown is the perfect way to promote a 90s movie that a person thinks should make the countdown. I see alot of people posting recommendations, so many in fact that I end up not reading most of them, but the group watch will guarantee that some MoFos will watch your movie and maybe, just maybe put it on their countdown ballot.

I'm glad I crawled out from under my rock in time to catch this Countdown! There are definitely some old favourites I'd like to rewatch, and I'm sure there are a ton of films I haven't gotten around to yet that I might finally watch after all these years haha.

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Good to read you again. Are you planning on doing 2024 MoFo Awards?

Thanks! And yeah, I just put the thread up actually!

I've been really busy the last few months since I got a new job, and I feel like I've hardly seen any 2024 films, but I'm looking forward to catching up on those as well.

I think I'll alternate between new releases and 90s flicks to keep things interesting haha.

I’m just seeing this thread now. I feel like I can make a top 25 of each genre from the ‘90s so cutting it down is gonna be tough.

Hao and Tsai are both Slow Cinema people (I felt Tsai tries to be aggressively so). Yang was not, so that difference in your experience isn't surprising. That said, I do dig Hao, and Tsai can have emotionally powerful endings after his build-ups, so I'm usually a fan of the former, and find myself liking the latter, but IDK how often I'd feel the need to revisit Tsai in comparison. Good films though, IMO.


The Scent of Green Papaya is Tran Anh Hung, who also did Norwegian Wood (I think based on a Murakami short story?) and, in the last couple of years, The Taste of Things... which are three titles I know of as having a lot of acclaim but have never seen. I even bought a copy of the first two at some point with the intent of eventually watching them. Maybe that eventually is now?

Slightly off topic but I love this film, it's beautiful, I also love Papayas the orange ones tho. Might give it a try.

The Taste of Things... at the start I was like, "The hell... really, I'm watching a flipping cooking show?" by the end I'm thinking how beautiful it was and ranking it 5th on my 'Top Films of the Year' list. (that happened again in 2023 with Wenders Perfect Days, and all the detailed toilet cleaning, but by the end, I loved it... the movie, not the toilets)

As to his work in the 90s, The Scent of Green Papayas is beautiful, lyrical... I wrote no reviews or even a quick write-up that I can find, but it lingers in my memory. Cyclo (1995) was another good one, though I didn't rate it as high (others in Trần Anh Hùng's filmography? The Vertical Ray of the Sun (2000) I wasn't wild about, it was fair. I haven't seen his others).

Trailers

Scent


Cyclo

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Completed Extant Filmographies: Luis Buñuel, Federico Fellini, Satyajit Ray, Fritz Lang, Andrei Tarkovsky, Buster Keaton, Yasujirō Ozu, Carl Th. Dreyer - (for favorite directors who have passed or retired, 10 minimum)

Question: do made for tv movies qualify?

Forgot about this. Need to get back with my yearly recommendations.

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Oh, hells bells! I had it as no made for TV movies, but see I only mention miniseries and TV series in the rules.

Let me look at the ballots (none so far, so the cats not out of the bag). Lets say...

No made for TV movies unless it had a theatrical release at some point in the decade (things like The Snapper, and yes, Gotti, which was mentioned earlier, did have theatrical runs. The Last Seduction (1994) is another - it was intended for the big screen but was shown on TV to try and secure a deal, (unfortunately that action caused Linda Fiorentino to lose a much-deserved Oscar nom). But yeah, that's another that got a theatrical run and so is eligible.

I'll go add this to the rules in case people miss seeing it here.

Moving on to some 1992 ponderings and recommendations!

Glengarry Glen Ross - I'm glad to see this film being mentioned slightly more often nowadays. 10-15 years ago, most people didn't know about it and how much it bangs.

Hard Boiled - Crazy action. Not as good as The Killer, but still a lot of fun in case someone's looking to nominate crazy action films.

Unlawful Entry - One of those that I haven't seen in a very long time. Barely remember it, but I do remember enjoying it.

The Power of One - See above. Stars Morgan Freeman and Stephen Dorff. Haven't seen it in ages.

Basic Instinct - This one I do remember even though I haven't seen it in decades, but I really don't know how well it would hold up now. Does it have a chance?

My Cousin Vinny - Another one I don't remember much. I do remember not being a big fan. Am I wrong?

Sneakers - Same with this one. Great cast, but I don't remember it sticking with me.

There are a couple more that might be shoo-ins for my list, Unforgiven, A Few Good Men, Aladdin, but the above are some of the ones I'm curious if I should revisit.

Ballot submitted

My Cousin Vinny is one of my all-time favorite comedies. It's a lock for my list.

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If I answer a game thread correctly, just skip my turn and continue with the game.
OPEN FLOOR.

My Cousin Vinny is a perfect film.

How about some 1993 ponderings and recommendations!

Red Rock West - This one got some deserved attention during the Neo-noir countdown. I'm not sure if it'll make the cut for me, but at least it's worth considering.

Malice - This one was a big favorite of mine back in the day. I revisited last year and it held up really well. Again, not sure if it'll make my cut but it is a lot of fun.

Carlito's Way - Great one. Easily on my Top 5 from De Palma. It has one of the most impressive "one shots" I've seen in the last act.

Ninja Scroll - Not sure if it'll make my cut, but it is my favorite anime; a genre I'm actually not that accustomed to.

The Man Without a Face - Putting Mel Gibson's faults aside, this is an impressive debut. Used to watch it often back in the day.

Fearless - Haven't seen this since the 90s and I barely remember anything about it. However, I've become a fan of most everything I've seen from Peter Weir so I should probably revisit this.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape - I remember really liking this, but it's another one I haven't seen in a very long time.

Alive - The Society of the Snow put a bit of a spotlight on this one last year. I haven't seen that one, but I did see this one back in the day and it really stuck with me. A truly remarkable story.

Romeo Is Bleeding - This is another one I haven't seen in a very long time, but that still stuck with me pretty hard. Gary Oldman!

In the Name of the Father - Arguably a lock on my ballot? or at least for the short list. Yet another one I used to see often. Great performances from DDL and Pete Postlethwaite.

Cliffhanger - This one has to be one of the best 90s action films, up there with Speed and the like. At the very least, it has one of the most chilling openings ever.


Some obvious one like Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, The Fugitive.

I re-watched this for the run up to the neo noir countdown. Still holds up pretty well, but didn't end up on my ballot.

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