Best Films Of 1991
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- DirectorKathryn BigelowStarsPatrick SwayzeKeanu ReevesGary BuseyAn F.B.I. Agent goes undercover to catch a gang of surfers who may be bank robbers.The greatest bank robbing film in history. It's also one of the greatest action films in existence. Still a highly underrated film by many, but this adrenaline filled thrill fest also has a large legion of cult followers who swear by it. Kathryn Bigelow has since directed an Oscar winning Best Picture, The Hurt Locker. While that film was good, to me it really isn't nearly as good of an overall film as this one is.
"Workin a f'n drop car...Are you through Mr. Wizard? Let me know if you find Jimmy Hoffa under the seat..." Gary Busey as Pappas
9.5/10 - DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsWarren BeattyAnnette BeningHarvey KeitelThe story of how Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel started Las Vegas.Barry Levinson has had a number of very successful films and many of them well loved by critics as well. To me, he never made a better film than this one. In fact this may be the most underappreciated mafia crime film around. The lead roles played here by future real life husband and wife Warren Beatty and Annette Benning are tremendously done by both. Ben Siegel is a very interesting historical character no doubt, and Beatty was basically born to play this role. If outshone in the film by anyone, it is only by his future wife and acting Goddess, Annette Benning. I honestly don't know how she wasn't at least nominated for an Oscar for her role here. I'd take this performance over Foster in Silence Of The Lambs any day, not that Foster isn't great too, she is. However I think this role is far more challenging really, and it's absolutely nailed by Benning here. No wonder Warren fell in love with her, lol. The Oscars are nonsense anyway, especially when you look at them in a historical context. All the great films they've entirely missed over the years plainly exposes them as the joke they are. Anyway, what a fun and interesting film this is in so many ways. I'm not sure how many times I've now seen this film, but it's definitely a lot, and I still love it and laugh every time.
There is also a great supporting cast here with many strong performances including Elliott Gould, Ben Kingsley, Joe Mantegna, and Bebe Neuwirth. None are better than Harvey Keitel as Mickey Cohen however. 9/10 - DirectorOliver StoneStarsVal KilmerMeg RyanKyle MacLachlanThe story of the famous and influential 1960s rock band The Doors and its lead singer and composer, Jim Morrison, from his days as a UCLA film student in Los Angeles, to his untimely death in Paris, France at age 27 in 1971.This biopic is not for everyone. It's certainly no Bohemian Rhapsody, a rock biopic that was obviously aimed to please the average crowd. Jim Morrison is certainly far more of a divisive figure in rock history than Freddie was, and this film shows a lot of that truth. And really, one of the best things about this film is that it is quite uncompromising. It stays true to its subject, which primarily is Jim himself.
There are many film fans who have noted Val Kilmer's role as Doc Holliday in Tombstone as being one of the greatest acting performances in history. It is a great and very likable role and performance no doubt, I'm a big fan of it myself. Kilmer as Jim Morrison however is probably even more impressive of an acting performance overall. Though it is certainly not meant to be even nearly as crowd pleasing as the Doc role was written to be. Many true fans of The Doors and Morrison and other film lovers however will greatly appreciate this dedication to authenticity. Many critics have said that Val literally becomes Morrison, and that really does seem to be the case here. Morrison was loved by many fans, but he also had his share of controversy and detractors. In terms of realist biopics, there are very few that can really even compare to how close to reality this film comes in capturing the main character. The reality of The Doors while Jim was alive was quite extreme for sure. The film is a trip into the unique and powerful music of The Doors, as well as a journey with Jim into his poetry, the mystical unknown, and into the rock n' roll excesses of fame and massive substance abuse. It takes a certain type of viewer to fully appreciate the film for sure. I actually saw this in the theatre way back in its original run. I've been a huge fan ever since. 9/10 - DirectorSean PennStarsDavid MorseViggo MortensenValeria GolinoA Vietnam vet comes home to his small town and finds himself in conflict with rules that his brother has vowed to uphold.If you're a big fan of Paul Schrader films, I strongly suggest taking a look at Sean Penn's debut as both writer and director. It reminds me a good bit of some Schrader films at times, and to me, that's a good thing. This is one of the best human dramas in the history of film in my view. I think the film is a lot more simple and beautiful than many may see the first time they watch it. There is a lot of thoughtfulness put into this film, a lot of love. It's not overly complex in my view, but it is very deep at the same time. You can tell that at least in this time period, Sean Penn was truly in love with film, and he put a lot of that love into this project. That really shines through this picture I feel. It is somewhat dark, and many have called it sad or even heartbreaking. To me though it is actually a very beautiful film. I love this film quite a lot. It has a real dark human beauty to it in my view.
Morse and Viggo are both great in this.
9/10 - DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsJodie FosterAnthony HopkinsScott GlennA young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.To me the direction is really the thing that makes this film special. The feel of the film brought to us by Jonathan Demme is excellent. I also saw this in the theatre during its original run, as many did. Silence in fact set a new box office record at the time for an R rated film. 8.5/10
- DirectorJohn SingletonStarsCuba Gooding Jr.Laurence FishburneHudhail Al-AmirFollows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence, and future prospects.Stunned me as a teen, I loved it. It's still a great film today.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroNick NolteJessica LangeA convicted rapist, released from prison after serving a fourteen-year sentence, stalks the family of the lawyer who originally defended him.I'm a pretty big classic film lover, but personally I definitely prefer this Scorsese reversion over the original. De Niro is excellent here, and the entire cast is great.
"I can out-learn you. I can out-read you. I can out-think you. And I can out-philosophize you. And I'm gonna outlast you. You think a couple whacks to my guts is gonna get me down? It's gonna take a hell of a lot more than that, Counselor, to prove you're better than me!"
Scorsese and De Niro's Max Cady is likely one of the most intimidating psychopaths in the history of film.
Don't get me wrong however, the original film is definitely strong as well. - DirectorOliver StoneStarsKevin CostnerGary OldmanJack LemmonNew Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison discovers there's more to the Kennedy assassination than the official story.Three hour films are rarely this tense, especially impressive when you consider that most people already know much of the outcome.
- DirectorTerry GilliamStarsJeff BridgesRobin WilliamsAdam BryantA former radio DJ, suicidally despondent because of a terrible mistake he made, finds redemption in helping a deranged homeless man who was an unwitting victim of that mistake.The film has a few flaws for sure, but at the same time there are just so many great things about it too. Overall, it's a pretty easy film to love for many. 8.5/10
- DirectorJames CameronStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerLinda HamiltonEdward FurlongA cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.Many feel this film is the best in the what now seems like an endless franchise. I would entirely agree. In fact, it's quite a bit better than any of the others in my mind. If you were to make a list of the best action films in history, you certainly can't do it without at least considering this one.
- DirectorFrank OzStarsBill MurrayRichard DreyfussJulie HagertyA successful psychotherapist loses his mind after one of his most dependent patients, an obsessive-compulsive neurotic, tracks him down during his family vacation.Crazy funny
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenMia FarrowMichael KirbyWith a serial strangler on the loose, a bookkeeper wanders around town searching for the vigilante group intent on catching the killer.
- DirectorRon UnderwoodStarsBilly CrystalJack PalanceDaniel SternOn the verge of turning 40, an unhappy Manhattan yuppie is roped into joining his two friends on a cattle drive in the southwest.This film is pretty darn funny. Easily one of the best fish out of water comedies of the decade. 8/10
- DirectorAlek KeshishianStarsMadonnaDonna DeLoryNiki HarisDocumentary following singer Madonna on her controversial Blond Ambition tour in 1990.I'm a little surprised to see this rated so low on here actually. Then again, Madonna has always been a person to divide a crowd of people. The greatest thing about that is that she always did it with a laugh and a shake of her ass too. She has always loved to provoke the boring and scared people of society, and who cannot love her for such a thing? I recall this documentary actually being raved about a good bit by most critics when it was first released, and I think it's held up well over time too. Anyway, the thing that makes this film special as a docu really is that Madonna just doesn't really care if you don't like her. She's pretty honest, in fact overly blunt at times. Only the stupid would bother to doubt her ability as an artist, or her intellect as a business woman/promoter. 8/10
- DirectorBryan GordonStarsFrank WhaleyJennifer ConnellyDermot MulroneyJim is the dorky son of a local cement contractor who lives at home and has no direction. Josie is the gorgeous daughter of a wealthy businessman who dreams of leaving town. They find they have a lot in common."You're the town liar, aren't you?"
8/10 - DirectorLawrence KasdanStarsDanny GloverKevin KlineSteve MartinThe fates of several people are randomly intertwining. Their sympathy of each other faces multiple differences in their lifestyles.7.5/10
- DirectorPeter MedakStarsTom CourtenayChristopher EcclestonEileen AtkinsThis drama reveals the controversial postwar 1950's London murder trial that sent an intellectually challenged young man to the gallows for a murder he did not commit.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsSusan SarandonGeena DavisHarvey KeitelTwo best friends set out on an adventure, but it soon turns around to a terrifying escape from being hunted by the police, as these two women escape for the crimes they committed.
- DirectorIrwin WinklerStarsRobert De NiroAnnette BeningGeorge WendtReturning to Hollywood 1951 after working in France, a movie director meets McCarthyism head-on.
- DirectorJohn DuiganStarsNoah TaylorThandiwe NewtonNicole KidmanTwo freethinking teenagers - a boy and a girl - confront with authoritarian teachers in their boarding schools. The other students treat this differently.
- DirectorGarry MarshallStarsAl PacinoMichelle PfeifferHector ElizondoJohnny has just been released from prison, and gets a job in a café beside waitress Frankie. Frankie is a bit of a loner, but Johnny is determined their romance will blossom.
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsJohn TurturroJohn GoodmanJudy DavisA renowned New York playwright is enticed to California to write for the movies and discovers the hellish truth of Hollywood.
- DirectorKevin ReynoldsStarsKevin CostnerMorgan FreemanMary Elizabeth MastrantonioRobin Hood decides to fight back as an outlaw when faced with the tyranny of the Sheriff of Nottingham.
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsJeremy IronsTheresa RussellJoel GreyKafka works during the day at an insurance company, where events lead him to discover a mysterious underground society with strange suppressive goals.
- DirectorRandal KleiserStarsEthan HawkeKlaus Maria BrandauerJedJack London's classic adventure story about the friendship developed between a Yukon gold hunter and the mixed dog-wolf he rescues from the hands of a man who mistreats him.