The Resident Bitch Prepares for... the Most Recent MoFo Countdown

I've heard of it, but haven't seen it. I may check it out.

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I watched this a few days ago and just realized I never posted it here:



Now and Then
(Lesli Linka Glatter, 1995)

It’s been quite a few years since I last watched this one. I remember liking it, and I remembered a lot of the lighter moments like the girls watching the boys skinny dip at the lake and then stealing their clothes, or the vanilla pudding balloon boobs one of the girls stuffed her bra with. However, I’d kind of forgotten about the darker parts and about how well the young actresses performed in this. The scenes with the characters as grownups were unnecessary and and I think the film would be better off without them, but I still really enjoyed this. It probably won’t make my balance as there are too many movies from the 90s that I like and too many with more nostalgic values than this one, but I’m glad I gave it another watch.

Citizen X
(Chris Gerolmo, 1995)

I know I watched and enjoyed this movie at some point back in the 90s and it may well have been among the many movies my family recorded onto VHS (probably during one of HBO's "free preview" weekends). However, in the 30 or so years since then I had completely forgotten about it and so tonight's rewatch might as well have been a first viewing... and an impressive one at that.

I expect movies about serial killers to be creepy or at least really sad - and it was sad and maybe a little creepy, but the emotion I felt more than anything was frustration and in no way is that statement a criticism of the movie. This is because Citizen X is not really a movie about a serial killer. It's a procedural film about a detective who doggedly tried for many years to battle against the infuriating bureaucracy of the USSR and the incompetence of those in charge so that he could identify and stop a monster. This man is played by Stephen Rea, who gives a stellar performance that really kept me gripped to the screen - and who made me realize that I really ought to seek out more of his work. (I remember him in Interview With the Vampire and I know I need to rewatch The Crying Game since I barely remember anything about it, but I'm open to other suggestions). He really carries the movie. But Donald Sutherland as Rea's commanding officer (and one of the few competent men in the film) and Max Von Sydow as the psychiatrist who aides in the investigation are also excellent. Really though I don't think there were any weak performances and the story the movie tells is really quite compelling, so I'm really glad to have been reminded of this movie. Sadly its chances of making my ballot are slim, but only because there is a lot of competition and only 25 slots to fill. This decade just leaves me too spoiled for choice.

Paradise
(Mary Agnes Donoghue, 1991)

For a movie that is about what this movie is about, I was really expecting a much bigger emotional impact than what it had to offer. Don't get me wrong, I thought the performances were all fine and the basic story was good, but I really struggled to connect with its characters. In particular, I found Ben a difficult man to root for (which I was not expecting, given the casting). So I wasn't exactly pulling for him and Lily to work things out, which made it difficult to be invested in their story. The scene where a drunken Ben nearly rapes Lily didn't exactly help matters either.

Willard's story and his friendship with Billie was a little better, but I still felt mostly detached from what was going on. Which is a shame really, because the movie does have a good cast and a decent premise. Perhaps if I ever give it a rewatch it might grow on me, but as it stands there's no way this gets my vote.

Lawn Dogs
(John Duigan, 1997)

I really don't have a lot to say about this one. I really strongly disliked Mischa Barton's character and was pretty apathetic to everyone else. I think movies about classism can be really engaging and well made, but I didn't feel much of anything watching this one and nothing about it stood out to me as anything special.

The Big Lebowski
(Joel Coen, 1998)

At one point, this was a top ten movie for me. It's one of a rare few movies that I loved on first watch and it has continued to hold a special place in my heart since then. That said, after tonight's viewing I definitely don't feel the same way about this movie that I once did. I still love it - it still had me laughing at a bunch of the scenes (especially the "Gutterballs" sequence and anytime Jesus appeared) - but comedies often have diminishing returns for me and though this movie held up way better than many others have, it ultimately is not immune to the problem.

Still it's pretty much guaranteed a slot somewhere on my ballot.

Just a heads up because someone could recommend it to you

Do not watch Bad Boy Bubby

Due to a scene with an animal, you would lose your mind

I'd never heard of that and just read up about it. JFC that's horrific. I will definitely avoid it.

Truly Madly Deeply
(Anthony Minghella, 1991)

If there's one thing that can reliably take me out of just about any live-action movie or television show it's ghosts or the resurrection of any dead character. So when I watched the trailer for this and saw that Alan Rickman plays a ghost, I had reservations. A lot of reservations. Having now seen the movie I can say those reservations were well founded. It's nowhere near as egregious as something like 2017's A Ghost Story (Sheet Affleck ) or that part of the show Grey's Anatomy where Izzy was having sex with her boyfriend's ghost, but I was never able to get past my aversion to the spirit BS and actually engage with the movie and its characters. Weirdly though I don't mind Ghost from 1990 (probably because Patrick Swayze was hot. Alan Rickman is no Patrick Swayze).

Which is not to say there's really anything wrong with it. The performances were fine. If this sort of story was my kind of thing, I would probably like it, but it isn't my thing and I didn't like it so here we are.

Mystery, Alaska
(Jay Roach, 1999)

I give precisely zero shits about hockey - or sports in general - so despite my love of Russell Crowe, this isn't a movie I watch often. Actually it had been so long since my last viewing that I had completely forgotten almost everything about it. But for whatever reason I had an urge to watch it and it is a 90s movie so here we are.

And I had a good time with it. It gets a bit silly and really cheesy at times but I like the characters and it's got a strong cast. Also I'll never object to watching Russell Crowe in his prime (and damn does his hair look great in this) so, yeah I was happy. This doesn't have a hope in hell of making my 90s ballot - though if we ever do a sports movie countdown it'll get my vote - but I'm happy.

An Affair Of Love (Une liaison pornographique)
(Philippe Blasband, 1999)

I really liked the look of this movie. The use of color, the angles, and the way the shots were framed were all quite impressive. However, if I notice and remember these sorts of things in a movie, it usually means I was bored - and that was very much the case here. I hated the structure of this movie. It was like a mockumentary without the comedy - it kept going back and forth between scenes of the two characters together during the affair and separate interviews with them some time after it had ended. It also had very little story to tell and we the audience never really get to know the characters. In fact, the characters don't even get to know each other, at least not until near the end of movie. We don't even learn their names and they don't learn them either. And the first act of the movie is a whole lot of talking. For a film with a title that literally translates to "A Pornographic Affair," it's incredibly tame. The characters kept alluding to some sort of really kinky/unusual sexual act, but they never name it or describe it and we never see it - just repeated scenes of them entering and exiting a hotel room. There are some sex scenes, but it's all pretty vanilla love-making. And I'm not saying that I needed to see some crazy sex act, but a movie needs to give me something - something to watch or something to feel - and it did neither. I think I was meant to feel something at the very end but the movie had so completely alienated me by that time that all I felt was relief that it was over.

Cutthroat Island
(Renny Harlin, 1995)

Upon its release, this movie was a massive failure. It bankrupt the studio behind it and earned a Guinness World Record as the biggest box-office bomb of all time. It has a 40% score on Rotten Tomatoes and 5.7 IMDB rating.

And I truly could not care less. I've seen it many times over the years and consider it good, stupid fun. I like the characters, I like costumes, I like the story, and I like the cheesy one-liners like "Bad Dawg!" It's a swashbuckling good time that does the girl-power thing in a way that doesn't irritate me, plus Matthew Modine looks great in it so I'm good. It's by no means a big favorite and I probably won't vote for it, but I like it.

Have you seen Proof?

It features a very engaging performance from Crowe and also some great hair.

Yes, but it's been ages and I'd kind of forgotten about it. I used to have it in my collection but got rid of it because it was on VHS and I no longer had a way to play it. Looks like I can stream it for free on Prime or get the DVD for $10, so I'll have to give it another shot.

Not sure how much you'll enjoy it (I'm still not feeling like I have a great grasp on your film tastes), but I liked it overall. I thought all three central performances were pretty great, although the story sometimes didn't totally come together.

I vaguely remember liking it and I remember it having something to do with a blind man taking photos, but that's all I can recall. I really should revisit all of Crowe's 90s work. There are some gems there. The Quick and the Dead, Romper Stomper, and L.A. Confidential are all definitely contenders, but I remember liking some of the others as well.

The War Zone
(Tim Roth, 1999)

This was a really challenging watch. After cricket's content warning, I did a little reading about the movie before committing to watching it so I had some idea of what I was getting into - or at least I thought I did. I was expecting a movie that would make me feel for its characters but this did not. Instead all I felt was revulsion - and not just because of the abuse that is shown and fully acknowledged or the even more disgusting abuse that is implied near the end - but because of the interactions between its two young stars. The relationship between Tom and Jessie bothered me immensely and it served as an obstruction to my ability to connect with them and feel for their situation. My revulsion to this film was so strong that I had to take repeated breaks which, while it gave me relief, only furthered my disconnect.

So ultimately I can't say that I liked it. I do think the performances were all very strong and the way that it is filmed certainly captures the bleakness of its story. I also think as a piece of art, the movie probably deserves a higher rating than I am giving it, but my rating system reflects my viewing experience more than anything else and it is for this reason that I settled on the rating that I did.

Sleepy Hollow
(Tim Burton, 1999)

Love him or hate him, I think one has to acknowledge that Tim Burton knows how to make a good looking movie and Sleepy Hollow is no exception here. The color palette and costuming are absolutely gorgeous. That the film stars Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci - two gorgeous people - adds a lot to its visual appeal. The film also features Christopher Walken and Miranda Richardson - a couple of oddball actors that I also enjoy (unfortunately the cast list includes Jeffrey Jones as well, but I'm willing to overlook that), so I'm quite happy to look at it.

As for the story and other aspects, it's a little up and down. The movie is... a lot. Tim Burton takes great liberties with Washington Irving's original work, but the basic idea of a headless horseman terrorizing people lends itself well to Burton's style. Having said that though, this is a much darker movie than I remembered it being and also darker than I typically expect from the director. It's more violent and gory than I had remembered as well, though it retains plenty of the whimsey and (perhaps too much of) outright silliness that is typical of Burton's movies.

While an earlier Tim Burton/Johnny Depp 90s collaboration is certainly a lock for my ballot, this remains firmly in the "maybe" category. I did have a good time though and I'm happy to have seen it again. Also I now have a really strong urge to rewatch 2002's Brotherhood of the Wolf, which has very similar vibes.

Army of Darkness
(Sam Raimi, 1992)

It's been long enough since I last watched it that I'd kind of forgotten how much I love this dumbass movie. The puns and one-liners are cheesy as hell, the prosthetics and practical effects are crudely charming, and Bruce Campbell hams it up like crazy, making for one hell of a fun time.

Inventing the Abbotts
(Pat O'Conner, 1997)

Inventing the Abbotts is about some very ordinary things. Set in the late 1950s, it follows brothers Doug and Jacey Holt and their relationships with the wealthy Abbott sisters, Eleanor, Pam, and Alice, as all of them struggle to find their own identity and deal with the awkwardness of young love and the jealousies and conflicts that spring up between them.

A film about such mundane topics could easily be forgettable (and unfortunately some of the reviews I've found online would have you believe that it is), but it's always stuck out to me as being very human and relatable. And what makes it so remarkable to me is the strength of its performances. Of course, Joaquin Phoenix is adorable as younger brother Doug but he also brings the role some really heartfelt emotion that brings me to tears in more than one scene. But he's not alone in talent here. Liv Tyler also gives a strong performance as his love interest Pam and the two have really good chemistry together here (enough so that they were an item for awhile after working together on this movie). Billy Crudup is also excellent as older brother Jacey - a man obsessed with the misguided notion that something is owed to him by the Abbotts and Jennifer Connelly equally so as Eleanor Abbot, a girl obsessed with escaping the expectations of her family. Will Patton is also solid as Lloyd Abbott, patriarch of the Abbott family and a man obsessed with keeping up appearances and with keeping Jacey away from his daughters. But watching it tonight, one performance that stood out to me was Kathy Baker as Helen Holt, mother of the two boys. Hers was probably the most understated of the group, but also perhaps the most powerful - of a working single mother trying her best to guide and support her sons while receiving no support from anyone else.

The pacing is a bit meandering, but at under two hours it never overstays its welcome for me and it allows plenty of time to just sit and observe its characters and to understand their motivations. It's a really sweet movie and one that will almost certainly secure a place somewhere on my ballot.