The MoFos Top 100 of the 90s Countdown - Redux

Yes and... yes?

Sure, it's possible to not have a personal preference for someone's style, while recognizing it as good. It's also possible to not like a person's style and recognize it as being not good because it isn't quality or doesn't fit the premise, world, or tone of the piece of art. I don't think Michael Bay goes for realism in his action, but that doesn't stop anyone from criticizing his movies for being ridiculous, just as a lot of the big speeches in Sorkin’s work are ridiculous and out of step with the stories and films. But it's their style right? OK, so is the claim that having a style make something pass as inherently quality work? OK....

I think A Few Good Men while not presenting itself as a full fledged courtroom procedural, does try to work within the realm of being grounded somewhat in reality, so when we have big pompous scenes like the Can't Handle the Truth! speech, it's just not appropriate and is a writer grandstanding.

Also I don't have time at the moment to address each item of fallout that I apparently laid out a landmine for in criticising Sorkin and A Few Good Men and the triggering effect it created.

It is interesting however when I observed that Sorkin does appeal to academic circles how triggering that was that several deemed it urgent to report their tuitions and college degrees. Geesh. Is it OK for me to still find Nolan a bad director because he can't hold his camera still or frame shots? Is it OK also to critique how he has unjustly gained such a huge following too which gives the illusion that there's more there than what I believe there truly is.

I also don't like Lord of the Rings either for what it's worth nor find those films to be good. . And Sorkin is still an over evaluated writer... even if a person only paid $10,000/year in tuition and has a philosophy, English, or journalism degree.

No, I said in my original post that the dialogue isn't appropriate for the specific scene and that he's using big speeches in a way as to cover for not having his stories resolve themselves naturally. That what I mean when he's "Mr Smith Goes to Washington-upping" his stories.

For a character to be goaded into confessing to a crime and answering a question that the judge has already dismissed as contempt in one's own story is just a cheap crowd pop equivalent of screenwriting. And yeah, I don't like Sorkin in part because he himself will tell you how great he is... multiple times across multiple interviews and he's not great and A Few Good Men is contrived silliness where you can just write a big speech instead of coming up with a creative way to end your story.

No, I said in my original post that the dialogue isn't appropriate for the specific scene and that he's using big speeches in a way as to cover for not having his stories resolve themselves naturally. That what I mean when he's "Mr Smith Goes to Washington-upping" his stories.

For a character to be goaded into confessing to a crime and answering a question that the judge has already dismissed as contempt in one's own story is just a cheap crowd pop equivalent of screenwriting. And yeah, I don't like Sorkin in part because he himself will tell you how great he is... multiple times across multiple interviews and he's not great and A Few Good Men is contrived silliness where you can just write a big speech instead of coming up with a creative way to end your story.

You just... can't handle the truth

My guess is Robert Altman. Short Cuts will show up first and then The Player. It feels too early for Spielberg or Tarantino to show up.

100. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
99. Sonatine (1993) [-56]
98. The Celebration (1998)
97. Gummo (1997)
96. Fallen Angels (1995) [-18]
95. Office Space (1999)
94. True Romance (1993) [-47]
93. Porco Rosso (1992)
92. Interview with the Vampire (1994)
91. Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
90. Three Colors: Red (1994) [-36]
89. The Crow (1994)
88. My Cousin Vinny (1992)
87. Total Recall (1990) [-37]
86. Gattaca (1997)
85. Dead Man (1995) [-50]
84. A Few Good Men (1992)
83. Dumb and Dumber (1994) [-24]
82. Strange Days (1995)
81. Before Sunrise (1995) [-11]

Strange Days is a criminally underseen film

See, I was going to go with Tarantino myself.

You all totes missed the point. Tomorrow's reveal will be the first director, counting backward from 100, who has a second film show up in the countdown. Not that tomorrow's reveal will be two titles from a single director nor the first director revealed who has more than one film on the entire countdown.

Geesh.

The first director with two films on the list just might appear on Friday morn - I think, maybe, it's possible - Who could it be? (time will tell)

You all totes missed the point. Tomorrow's reveal will be the first director, counting backward from 100, who has a second film show up in the countdown. Not that tomorrow's reveal will be two titles from a single director nor the first director revealed who has more than one film on the entire countdown.

Geesh.

It will be Chungking Express; that's where my money is at for the reveal