🐵🙊🙈🙉🐵
/////
Shootist Drama - Braveheart
9/10
Historically I'm harder on this than I should be or than it deserves. If I ignore the historical accuracy aspect and just view this as a sprawling medieval epic in the vein of something like GOT or LOTR, then it's pretty decent. And I probably owe it a rewatch through that kind of lens with a more open mind.
Comedy/Horror - Tommy Boy
6/10
Does not benefit from the fact that I can't separate this and Black Sheep in my mind or memory. Also doesn't help that I love Chris Farley as a side character but am meh at best to him as a lead. Maybe a controversial thing to say, but feel like he got that Owen reverence from dying so young. Anyway, since despite not being anything close to a memorable favorite personally, I know I enjoy(ed) it enough to rank a point past middle of the road.
Blockbuster - Die Hard: With a Vengeance
10/10
Wanted to dock this a point because I feel like the ending was considerably weaker than the rest of the movie, but then again... The rest of the movie is just so damn good, and it's always going to be hard to impossible to live up to Hans' end, and I'd take a 95% perfect Die Hard with a meh-ish ending over Die Hard 2 which was just meh-ish straight through. The question is, which relationship was better: John & Al or John & Hey, Zeus?
Children's Movie/Foreign Language - Babe
7/10
Feel like this deserves to be a point higher perhaps on its own merits, but I honestly don't remember any of the plot points and scenes still lasting in my memory might just as well be from Babe 2. Love that this, Happy Feet, and Mad Max are George Miller's most known life's work. Anyway, I vaguely recall this being good enough to possibly get some Oscar consideration or something? Also, I feel like the special effects really hold up for the time. I mean, talking pigs were like a light year jump from Bruce in Jaws.
Wild Card - Mr. Hollands Opus
5/10
Haven't seen, have always meant to, always confuse this with Krippendorf's Tribe... even though I've seen and love Krippendorf's tribe. Having one haven't seen isn't going to hurt, I don't think, when everything else on Shoot's roster is so impeccably solid.
Sequel/Holiday Movie - Goldeneye
10/10
The be-all-end-all Bond movie as far as I'm concerned. The debut of the GOAT Bond, excellent support cast and characters, and provided the premise for the perhaps the most revolutionary console video game ever. Good God is Pierce a tasty dish. Was this the first time a Bond movie featured a Bond with more sex appeal than the Bond girl?
Action/Thriller - Se7en
10/10
Perfection. Honestly a little surprised this missed my Top 100. What a way to round out a very stacked-feeling roster.
/////
PB Drama - Before Sunrise
5/10
Haven't seen. This is that prequel to the other Ethan Hawke/Julie Deply movie you or
Big Pete recently drafted. Again, despite loving everything I've seen that he's been in, the concept of Ethan Hawke is still off-putting to me. Thus, no interest in ever checking this out.
Comedy/Horror - Clueless
8/10
At least you rebound with a generational classic. Not THE funniest thing, but certainly a bit underrated and overlooked these days. Feels like this really nails the vapid empty consumerism of the 90s teenagehood. Feels like this should've made Alicia Silverstone more of a thing, but I guess maybe she didn't necessarily want to be a thing?
Blockbuster - Toy Story
11/10
Beyond perfect. Like to infinity and beyond perfect. Such a mindblowing experience as a kid. And even still now, looking back and considering the history and context. Bonus point for making my Top 100.
Children's Movie/Foreign Language - La Haine
5/10
Haven't seen because of course no one has seen this because it's some obscure French film. However, as a rule, French films have dope nudity... So this probably wouldn't be a total waste of time, no matter how dull the exploration of existential despair here is.
Wild Card - The American President
9/10
Exposed to this as a kid because I think it was one of my mom's favorite movies. Whether it deserves this reputation or not, I recall it being really good. Like Pretty Woman meets West Wing. And honestly, I'd probably rather give this a rewatch over Braveheart.
Sequel/Holiday Movie - Father of the Bride 2
10/10
Love the first. Love the second. Can't say which I love more, as both are so good. Excellent pick!
Action/Thriller - The Usual Suspects
5/10
Giving this a five as a courtesy since maybe it isn't that bad of a movie. But the overhyped overrated twist is absolutely not worth it, and without that (whether spoiled or taken out of the movie) the rest of the movie is just middle of the road meh from what I can recall. I know I'm in thy minority, and someone was bound to pick this for this year, but honestly a little disappointed it was
PB. Perhaps a consequence of the draft order, as this doesn't feel at all remotely like the thinking-man's quality film I've grown to expect from
PB's picks. Anyway... A five is the safest, fairest score here. On a rewatch, I could easily see this falling to a 4 or lower.
/////
Dr.
EmperorDrama - Casino
5/10
Haven't seen. Intend to, want to, tried starting it once but either got interrupted or bored fast. Feels like the lesser sibling to Goodfellas from what I have seen and know about this. That said, I'm sure I'd take Casino ten times out of ten over Raging Bull.
Comedy/Horror - Bad Boys
8/10
Good, great action movie, solidly entertaining, arguably iconic, and a big deal in the careers of Smith, Lawrence, and Bay... But at the same time it doesn't 110% float by boat the way it does for others like
UT. I'd have it comfortably ahead of Usual Suspects but behind DHwaV, so score feels right.
Blockbuster - Apollo 13
10/10
Recently rewatched, so freshly reminded how great this movie was. Shit like this and The Right Stuff eat Gravity's and First Man's lunch. Highly recommend to anyone who hasn't seen. Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris... Now those are MY kind of Usual Suspects.
Children's Movie/Foreign Language - Jumanji
10/10
Great pick, great concept, great book, great movie. Didn't think the hybrid reboot sequels would live up, but was pleasantly surprised. Also, the animated TV show that spun out of this was great too. Jumanji has generated a low key great lil franchise.
Wild Card - Crimson Tide
7/10
If I'm being honest, I'm confusing lots of parts of this with The Hunt for Red October. In fact, my recollection of Crimson Tide is Courage Under Fire meets The Hunt for Red October. But those are two pretty solid films to be a mix of.
Sequel/Holiday Movie - Batman Forever
7/10
The first Batman I remember seeing in theaters, and so it will always hold a near and dear place in my heart even if it's one of the terrible ones. Chris O'Donnell felt like an uninspired and too old choice for Robin considering Val Kilmer wasn't that much older than him, but that's really it for casting gripes. I dug Val's turn as Bats second only to Bale. Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, and Uma Thurman killed it respectively as Two Faces, Riddler, and Poison Ivy. And that Seal track. Yessss...
Action/Thriller - Heat
9/10
A little long and a little bloated for my liking, but that's really my only gripe. Otherwise a fun character study tucked into a great action movie, with engrossing cat and mouse elements and compelling side/support characters. Even if some of the action sequences were a little too farfetched to be believable, they were still fun to watch. And the chemistry proved to be pretty good after all between the legendary Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy.
/////
Shootist: 57/70
PB: 53/70
Dr.
Emperor: 56/70
/////
Well, I'll be dammed. Closer than I thought and a surprise result. On paper or whatever, before scoring things up, I presumed I'd be voting Dr.
Emperor and
PB would be blown out. And now here I am voting
Shootist in a nail biter.
