The MoFos Top 100 of the 90s Countdown - Redux

Ed Wood gave Burton a chance to do something more character than style driven. Originally a Columbia Picture, the studio allowed it to go to Disney due to Burton's decision to shoot in black-and-white (Disney produced the film through its Touchstone Pictures banner). The movie proved financially unsuccessful, returning only $13.8 million against an $18 million budget, but was met with critical acclaim upon release, with particular praise for the performances and the makeup, and won two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor for Landau and Best Makeup for Rick Baker, Ve Neill and Yolanda Toussieng. The film is now considered to be a cult classic and one of Burton's best works.

Rushmore, my first Wes Anderson movie seen in the theaters.... though to be honest, I went because of Bill Murray (always loved Bill). Murray took the role because he was a fan of Bottle Rocket, he's since become one of Anderson's most frequent collaborators and will appear in his 10th feature (Covid prevented him from being in Asteroid City, though he shot a promotional clip later). Jason Schwartzman's just behind Bill in that regard.

Sara Tanaka (Margaret Yang) went from movies to medicine; she's now a doctor in Chicago. Alexis Bledel can be seen as a student in an uncredited role.

In 2016, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Wood was previously #49, Rushmore was #87

two movies i remember liking but i don't recall much about the movies themselves.

42. Rushmore (1998)
One of Wes' best. So witty and quirky.

41. Ed Wood (1994)
Couldn't get on with this when I watched it, need a rewatch.

No votes.

This double shot of Bill Murray supporting performances is making its third MoFo appearance. Rushmore (#87) and Ed Wood (#49) both made the first 1990s list and both also showed on the MoFo Top 100 Comedies, with the Wes Anderson at #54 and the Tim Burton at #69.

__________________
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

It should surprise no longtime MoFos that Rushmore was in my Top Five. As I have relayed many times, I saw Rushmore at one of its very first public screenings in October of 1997, at the Austin Heart of Film Festival. I instantly connected with it on a deep level and have been a megafan of both it and Wes Anderson ever since. It also contains the first great performance from the second phase of Bill Murray's career and has informed most of his choices since. It was one of those movie experiences that so matched my own dark sense of humor, optimistic melancholy, burning but often misplaced romantic desires, cinematic style, and overall worldview that I wondered how Anderson had peered directly into my head and heart to “steal” this flick from my soul. I saw Rushmore five more times theatrically when it was released in the spring of 1998. As I count the days until the release of The Phoenician Scheme (twenty-three), even with Wes Anderson's subsequent triumphs, all of which I adore, Rushmore remains my favorite among favorites in his filmography.

I had Rushmore as my fourth pick, accounting for twenty-two of its 124 points.




I had read a biography of Edward D. Wood Jr., The Nightmare of Ecstasy, a couple of years before Burton's film was released. As a child of the '70s and '80s, I discovered Ed Wood through the feature film It Came from Hollywood (1982)...



In my ever-growing film mania as a teenager and then into my twenties I had started reading almost as many books about films and filmmakers as I was devouring films themselves, starting with the classic Hitchcock/Truffaut. In the midst of reading about masters such as David Lean, Segio Leone, and John Huston I stumbled upon that Ed Wood bio and could not resist. I have two Ed Wood collections on Laser Disc that includes Plan 9 from Outer Space, Jail Bait, Night of the Ghouls, Glen or Glenda, and Bride of the Monster. I was into him and his no-budget anti-masterpieces before Johnny Depp made him cool. Pre-Ed Wood (1994) I don't think many who dealt with the man in real life could have described Wood as anything like a wide-eyed idealist, but the fictionalized cipher of a sort of funhouse mirror version of skidrow Orson Welles created by Depp and Burton is a wonderful fantasy and an endlessly fun, if sanitized, trek through the seedier underbelly of Hollywood. A grittier, more realistic, and frankly historically accurate portrayal could have been made by somebody like John Waters, but the fantasy version presented here is pretty gosh-damn terrific and has become iconic itself.

Ed Wood was nineteenth on my ballot, for seven of its 125 points.


That makes eight of mine with, I fear, maybe only eight more coming.

Holden Pike: 1990s Part Deux
4. Rushmore (#42)
5. The Thin Red Line (#53)
8. A Perfect World (#61)
9. Short Cuts (#55)
12. Barton Fink (#57)
13. 12 Monkeys (#50)
19. Ed Wood (#41)
23. Dead Man (#85)

Rushmore was my number 9. It's a fantastic film with a smart screenplay and wonderful performances. I like Ed Wood a lot, but didn't have room on my ballot for it.

Seen: 60/60

Rushmore is my sixth film to appear on the countdown! I had it at 15! Ed Wood was a definite contender for my list as well.

12. The Player (1992)
14. Good Will Hunting (1997)
15. Rushmore (1998)
16. Porco Rosso (1992)
19. Barton Fink (1991)
21. Jackie Brown (1997)

Two unequivocally great ones.

42. Rushmore (1998) - So close. I thought about Rushmore a lot while putting my ballot together, and I dare say if I were redoing it today it would find a spot. Surely I could have shifted aside something for it - but I think (and I hear this a lot, so it must be true for a lot of people) the sheer amount of time it's been since I last saw it hurt the film's chances. I do love it though. I've seen all of Anderson's stuff, and Rushmore is extra pleasing for being made before his pastel colour-saturation and whimsy were cranked up to insane levels. Bill Murray is fantastic in it, and one of my favourite aspects. The especially young Jason Schwartzman is a delight as well. I knew this would appear whether I added to it's tally or not - and perhaps that influenced my decision to leave it off. A certainty for a Top 50 if we were submitting those.

41. Ed Wood (1994) - So close as well! I was a huge fan of this film from the time it was released until at least the late 2000s, and the only slippage concerning how much of a fan I am is the fact that I've hardly seen it since the half dozen or so times I watched it back then. What helped me love it was the fact that I was already fascinated with Edward D. Wood Jnr. and "Nightmare of Ecstasy" was one of the first books I ordered online when internet shopping became possible. I think I made every single person I knew watch this film if they hadn't seen it already. So how did it miss out on a place on my ballot? The same as Rushmore I think - it's been too long since I last saw it, and as such my fondness has dipped a little. I'm sure a rewatch would remind me just how much I loved this to begin with. Anyway, it's nice to see it here, because it'll always have a special place in my heart.

Seen 59/60

__________________

Have seen so far: 23- The Nightmare Before Christmas - I remember enjoying this movie when I saw this, one of the best animated musicals out there.

Starship Troopers - A decent sci-fi alien invasion movie, I remember watching this because denise richards was in this movie.

American Beauty - Saw this awhile ago and I thought it was alright, nothing special to me.

Rushmore - This movie was okay and one of my least favorite coming of age type movie.

Have not seen so far: 38

My Ballot List So Far:
#4 - Dumber and Dumber
#5 - Clueless
#25 - Fear - One Pointer

__________________
Survive the Night: My Favorite Horror Movies Thread
https://www.movieforums.com/communit...ad.php?t=71450

44. Jackie Brown (1997) Great film. Didn’t vote for it and not my favorite QT or anything but I do really like it. It’s definitely interesting to watch a Tarantino film where the script is based on other material. While it’s clearly his dialogue it does have a different sort of vibe. Also a more mature vibe at times which I think was a nice change of pace.

43. Trainspotting (1996) I like this one but not nearly as much as its cult following.

42. Rushmore (1998) I also like this one a bit. But I definitely like other Wes Anderson more. Although I must say I miss this version of Wes. I wish he would dial back his visual style just a bit so the characters would come to the foreground again. It feels like it’s visuals above all else now.

41. Ed Wood (1994) Not seen this one yet. But I want to.

Rushmore was my #3. Wish it was higher, but very glad it’s here. It started my love for Wes, and it hasn’t wavered. This is my go to when I’m in the mood for him randomly though. Max is a tremendous creation of a character played spectacularly by Schwartzman. I have never enjoyed Murray as much as I do here and that includes the fantastic Lost In Translation. The writing here is just spot on for me. It’s dense, funny, and poignant at times. Maybe his aesthetic was still forming here, but I still think it’s s great looking movie. Wes’s frames are unmatched, well maybe Bergman’s match, but you get the point. Can’t get enough. Everytime I watch this I think almost every other writer would have made Max the smartest guy in the room. Wes really goes the opposite route and I think that’s what makes the character so endearing despite being extremely flawed. Rushmore rocks.

Ed Wood is very good but didn’t make my list. My last watch was underwhelming. I really am getting the itch to do a Burton marathon soon, and maybe Wood will propel back into my favorites of the decade. I’m confident I feel this is Burton at his very best.

__________________
Letterboxd

“Except for markf, you’re all a disgrace to cinema.”

Ed Wood didn't make my ballot, but I'm glad it placed so high because it's one of the most endearing movies I've ever seen. It basically provides a recipe for a happy life. Ed Wood is comfortable in his own skin in being open about enjoying cross-dressing, he's a good friend and he believes in his friends even when nobody else does like we see in his relationships with Bela Lugosi and Tor Johnson, and most importantly, he loves his job. Sure, he was doubted to the point of revulsion for the quality of his movies and his...tendencies, but he didn't let any of that break his stride, nor should it have.

On a side note, I love Landau as Legosi. It may be my favorite performance in a movie. Besides how well he recreates the actor's performances ("pull the string!"), he brings genuine laughter as well as he brings genuine tears.

Yeah, here we go, both of these are on my ballot.

Rushmore is for me Anderson's best film, distinctively in his style but still rough around the edges in the best way. I also have some admittedly personal fondness for the movie because it is so clearly based (in part) on my own high school. Just a perfect balance between quirkiness and profound human feeling.

Similarly, Ed Wood is Burton's best, and, like in Rushmore, its collection of oddballs are plumbed for their surprising depths. Really, these two films make an excellent pairing (including Bill Murray as the on-screen link). Ordinarily I dislike biopics, but this is one way to get it right--it mimics Ed Wood's totally unrealistic but incredibly heartfelt approach to filmmaking and to his conception of his own work.

Rushmore was my #6, Ed Wood my #8.