The MoFos Top 100 of the 90s Countdown - Redux

Except that Galaxy Quest is not "just a comedy", it isn't even a parody in the traditional sense of the word.
It's a mix of real world and fantasty, parody and homage to both the series and its fanbase, and then it also has an actual adventure in it.
To say that they "have their cake and eat it" is an understatement.
It's really amazing to see how they managed to combine the different themes in such a seamless way.
I"m not saying that it is a one of a kind, but it could be, and it has partially inspired one of the great Black Mirror episodes.

Absolutely SHAMEFUL that it's not in the top 5.

Ah shucks ... thanks!

But based on my read of your tastes from previous posts, I doubt they will be entering any of your lists.

One is a family drama/comedy with a beautiful dynamic between father and daughters, and a silly reveal at the end.

Another is an obscure drama/comedy about identity and relationships.

The third is just a sentimental favorite where I first began to appreciate some of my wife's culture when we watched it together.

All will be revealed after No. 1 !!

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Oh gosh. This is one of those movies I keep feeling like I have to apologize for not having seen. Based on the feedback, I might have to see it after all ...

The basic logline in a pitch would be ¡Three Amigos! meets "Star Trek".

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They were actually sold together in a DVD set.

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Boldly going.

On second thought, I think it was Gladiator, not Dances with Wolves.

Galaxy Quest is one of my favorite 1990s films. I've never thought it insulted Star Trek nor Trekkies. I always thought it paid homage to the series and its fans while showcasing its own story. Maybe I've just always thought it was hilarious and didn't mind some ribbing with my admiration for Monty Python and Mel Brooks? Who knows? I'm a huge Star Wars nut and I love Spaceballs, so there's that. Yeah Galaxy Quest is #6 on my ballot.

I haven't seen Dazed and Confused. It's not really a conscious avoidance so much as I've just never gotten around to it. I'm sure it's fine, it's obviously popular here. I just forget it exists.

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I'm beginning to think I greatly overestimated the chances of a lot of the films in my list. We've only had 6 of them, leaving 19 left with 36 opportunities. Most of them are pretty mainstream, but it's still not looking great.

It's nitpicky, but one thing that bothered me about Galaxy Quest is Tony Shalhoub's character is named is Fred Kwon. Was he supposed to pass as Asian? Was it written with the character meant to be Asian, and they just never changed it?

I don't think it was insulting the franchise or their fans either. I found a few laughs out of it, but for a film to make my list, it has to be hysterical.

I finally got around to watching Chungking Express recently... not in time for the Countdown, but around when Fallen Angels came up (which is another film I intend to watch sooner rather than later). I liked the second half of the film way more than I did the first, and that first half really drags my overall opinion of the film down. I'm hoping there's still room on the Countdown for another one of Wong Kar-wai's films to appear.

Braveheart is a film I liked well enough when I last saw it... but I also don't think I've watched it since I was a teenager (not in its entirety, anyway - I did catch parts of it on tv over the years though). I definitely remember a lot more about it than I do Dazed and Confused, which outside of the moments that have become memes, I'm not sure I can recall a single other scene from.

Galaxy Quest was on my ballot for the Sci-Fi Countdown, then again a few years later for the Comedy Countdown, but now that even more time has passed, did it even make my shortlist this time?

...

Yes, of course it did! Give me a Countdown where Galaxy Quest is eligible, and I'll vote for it. Just put the paper down in front of me - no need to ask any questions. NEXT!

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Both comedies I like quite a bit, but that I'm not as much in love with them as most people. Galaxy Quest, I haven't seen in a very long time. I'm only not a Trekkie, but I haven't seen any of the classic Star Trek films or TV shows. I do remember enjoying it anyway, but it's not something I've felt the urge to go back to.

As for Dazed and Confused, I've seen it a couple of times; last one was probably within the last 10 years. I think it's pretty good and I've enjoyed it every time I watch it, great characters and quotes and all... but again, it's not something that sticks with me much beyond that.


SEEN: 44/64
MY BALLOT: 5/25

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Also, yesterday's Chungking Express and today's Dazed and Confused put both Wong Kar-Wai and Richard Linklater in the list of directors with multiple entries. Wong had Fallen Angels at #96 and Linklater had Before Sunrise at #81.

These last two batches have also brought the biggest point gaps between films with 6 points between Ed Wood/Braveheart and Galaxy Quest/Dazed and Confused.

Came very close to voting for Galaxy Quest, and likely should have looking at the bottom of my list, but knew it would get plenty of support. Easily in the top two 1999 movies for Alan Rickman, Sam Rockwell, and Tim Allen.

Doubtful on that last part. I know this countdown has a lot of different participants than last time, but Chungking Express is usually the number most popular WKW after In the Mood for Love. For the longest time those were the only with Criterion discs, so that probably affected it (but also, just regular people's tastes).

The other two from the 90s that might show up higher on individual people's ballots are Happy Together and Days of Being Wild, but neither made it last time and at this point would require a particular fandom for specifically one of those two to have built up here over the years. Seems highly unlikely (unfortunately).


Wrt Chungking Express, I think people are generally remembering the second half a lot more. Though people often also like the little bit about the pineapples and the shots of jukebox in the first half. Just me guessing. It was the lowest ranked WKW that made my ballot, just personally speaking.

Not sure I've even heard of Galaxy Quest.

Dazed and Confused is pretty great, but it didn't make my ballot.

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It’s pretty obscure, but the joke is that like David Carradine in Kung Fu, he (Shaloub) is a non-Asian playing an Asian role. A television throwback joke.

I read the quick synopsis of Chungking Express and it sounds like it could be my type of movie. I try not to completely avoid movies just because of subtitles, so I might give it try if I get a chance.

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Galaxy Quest is one of my favorite sci-fi comedies. It's a fun adventure and a great tribute to Star Trek. It was #17 on my list.

Dazed and Confused has a terrific cast of up-and-coming actors who have since made names for themselves, but it's just not my type of movie. Nothing that they do in the movie was anything that I did in school, and it's not my type of music.


My list so far:
4. Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
6. Good Will Hunting (1997)
15. My Cousin Vinny (1992)
16. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
17. Galaxy Quest (1999)

He’s a Jewish guy pretending to be Asian to get more roles, it’s why he squints a little whenever someone says his name, to make his eyes look more Asian. There’s also a line where he says, “My name isn’t even Kwan it’s Kwanstein” or something like that. An earlier, R-rated cut of the movie had more jokes about it and a whole bunch of drug references. All of this got edited out to bring it down to PG, but his character acting stoned and a brown paper bag he carries around that’s implied to have drugs in it are still in the final version of the film.