The MoFos Top 100 of the 90s Countdown - Redux

Yeah, I'm positing early tonight because I can feel myself about to crash, it's not been a great week or so, and I'm going back to the docs in the morn for another round of tests - fortunately I still have a weeks' worth of write-ups in the bank, and other stuff pre-prepared (like the 'just missed the 100' list that'll be shared before the top 10) - so even though I'm running on fumes, I can just pop in and post.

But enough of that, here's some of this...

Casino is based on New York crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi's book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas. The author contacted Scorsese about taking on a film adaptation... after he released the book, but Scorsese encouraged him to "reverse the order", movie, then book (he had a hole in his schedule after something happened with Clockers - Spike Lee eventually directed that one with Scorsese as producer)

While De Niro and Pesci were locked in early, the role of Ginger saw several considered for the part, including Rene Russo, Cameron Diaz, Nicole Kidman, Melanie Griffith, Uma Thurman, Madonna and Michelle Pfeiffer. It eventually went to Sharon Stone, who earned critical acclaim, and a Golden Globe win, as well as a Best Actress nomination from the Academy.

Scream was inspired by Gainesville Ripper murders and satirized the clichés of the slasher genre. Developed under the title Scary Movie, the script became the subject of an intense bidding war between multiple studios before Miramax Films purchased the rights. Wes Craven, despite turning down the opportunity multiple times, agreed to direct the film after he had read the script, as he was determined to re-establish himself after several career setbacks.

It was not expected to do much at the box office but wound up a surprise hit.

Casino was slotted 36th in the last 90s countdown, so pretty much the same, while Scream took a leap from #89 to 32 here.

When I first saw The Sixth Sense in the theater, I never saw the twist coming. Then I watched it again after knowing the twist, and it's still a great movie. That's what makes it my favorite M. Night Shyamalan movie. As soon as I found out the twist at the end, I wanted to rewatch it to see all the clues that I missed along the way, and even after seeing the clues, it's still rewatchable. It was #23 on my list.

The Lion King is a movie that I like more for the songs than for the movie itself. It's a good movie, but it's far from my favorite Disney movie.


I'm not a horror movie fan, but I watched Scream for the Horror Movie Countdown, and it was okay, but definitely not a favorite movie for me.

I know that I've seen Casino, but there are so many gangster movies, and many of them have the same cast, so they tend to blend together in my head. If I remember correctly, this was okay, but not near the top of my gangster movies list.



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)
23. The Sixth Sense (1999)

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I saw both Scream and Casino once each back in the 90s. I don’t remember what I thought of Casino, but I definitely didn’t like Scream.

Seen: 59/70
My Ballot:
2. Dances With Wolves (#36)
7. A Perfect World (#61)
9. Point Break (#79)
10. Edward Scissorhands (#64)
12. True Romance (#94)
17. The Fifth Element (#56)
24. Interview With the Vampire (#92)
25. Untamed Heart (One Pointer)

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Scream is fun, it was my #38. Even as someone who dislikes horror movies, I liked it, and having made Nightmare on Elm Street, Wes Craven's certainly among those qualified to make a slasher parody (and he's got a bit of that Raimi-esque camp). Watching it really does make me wish there were more whodunnits.

Surprised to see it place above The Lion King.

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Scream (1996) was #2 on my list. I liked Casino too.

Thank you for keeping up with this! And good luck at the docs!

Scream is my #14! It really started a renaissance of slasher horror, after 'mass murderer horror-thrillers' spent about 5 years dominating the field of scary movies. The sequels are mostly alright (the only one I didn't like was 2), but the first had a visceral edge, especially in the opening scene, which is one of the best in horror movie history.


I also really like that in the series the killer changes every movie. It's always someone you know. It's always someone you thought you could trust. The only flaw the series has is it's stuck in the past, never willing to be completely original.



I'm also surprised that it beat Lion King.


Casino is fine, but I've always considered it one of the lesser Deniro crime movies. It's not bad, but it's up against a lot of competition.


Seen: 35/68
List: 9/25

32. Scream (1996) - I watched the whole Scream series a couple of years ago in preparation for the latest entry. The first is, of course, the best - I rated it 4.5/5 and had this to say on letterboxd : "A very astute and expert balancing act came off when it comes to Scream - a knowing and complexly comedic look at the teen slasher genre which is itself a teen slasher movie. Too self-referential, and it breaks the fourth wall and lets all the tension escape the room. Too serious or wrenching and it's no longer a fun examination of 80s horror films. It manages to be both fun and tense by letting it's characters in on everything - watching Halloween on VHS and letting these films be the driving force behind a series of murders occurring in the small town of Woodsboro. Killing it's most famous star in the film's first scenes and featuring all the slasher's tropes or completely reversing them, Scream did everything right and looks great for it's age. It did what Wes Craven was trying to do in Wes Craven's New Nightmare, bringing a sense of culture, artistry and self-acknowledgement to a cinematic corner oft pointed to in derision, sometimes fairly, sometimes unfairly. A generation had grown up going to these movies, and were particularly ready to examine a portion of cinema that was rarely given a second look. A really smart movie, and a good horror film on it's own - those two aspects going hand in hand in perfect unison. Still great to watch." This is a particular lofty position for it on the countdown. Not the kind of movie I'd vote for, but it deserves the plaudits it receives.

31. Casino (1995) - It's been a long, long time since I last saw Casino from start to finish, but in the intervening years I've caught scenes and still remember it quite well. Still, when it comes to these type of crime dramas even the best rarely make any of the ballots I've ever put together. I'm just not a massive fan of them. Seeing it here does remind me though that I really ought to watch this one again some time soon - I've been meaning to. I remember it most for scenes involving fingers, and scenes involving bad decisions made by Robert De Niro's character that have you slapping your forehead and exclaiming "oof!"

Seen : 68/70

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I quite like Scream, although apparently it isn't on my ballot. I've only seen it once, and I do have some minor misgivings. They're nothing extreme, and make me wonder why I excluded Scream from my ballot. The slasher genre is fine, although I've admittedly run out of steam with it as a whole (some are still watchable for me). I just think Scream suffers an identity crisis. Is it supposed to be spooky and scary or campy and parody? Can it work as both? Does it work as both? Does it fail at both and work as neither? It has some good chills and the setup is fine. I just don't quite know what the film is supposed to be.

I won't say much about Casino. It used to be on TV summer of 2009 when I was reeling and I had zero energy, so I caught pieces, but never the beginning, and it looked really bad. Then I learnt Scorsese directed it, and realized why I couldn't stand what I had seen; his films are not my thing. I've never liked a thing he did. I can't even tell you what character is in what movie. They all feel the same.

With Scorsese, my main gripe with all of his films is that they are simply scenes strung together by twine and duct tape with the same characters in the same universe doing unrelated things to the previous, and the next, scene. There are no segues. I've never seen him film a complete story. He basically does sketch crime instead of sketch comedy, and pastes it together with chewing gum and says, "Uh, I guess I'm done," and releases crap.

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Two films from my old top 250. I think enough time has passed now to call Scream an absolute Horror Classic. Only felt comfortable not voting for it because I knew it would place without my vote. Casino is dropping a little in my personal lists. While Donnie Brasco, Goodfellas and Clockers remain steady in their positions. Nice to see both films on the countdown. Ofcourse The Lion King is on my animation list while The Sixth Sense isn't on any of my favs lists.

Seen 63/70
Ballot 6/25

5. A Few Good Men (1992)
6. The Remains of the Day (1993)
7. Carlito’s Way (1993)
8. Dances with Wolves (1990)
12. Point Break (1991)
21. Home Alone (1990)

In my top 100:

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Well, I knew my luck had to stop for a while after several days with entries making it from my list. But they're movies I like so I'm glad they made the countdown.

Scream is a fine, sometimes funny movie (Matthew Lillard, Jamie Kennedy) with some beautiful women (Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, etc.), my favorite character, Dewey (David Arquette) and the beginning of the dirty deeds of the fiend known as Ghost Face, whose mask just seems to travel on and on, from killer to killer. The movie had fun goofing on horror movie cliches but keeping it serious with Ghost Face slicing his way through the cast, and Wes Craven did a fine job making a comeback after a dry spell. I think I saw the sequels up to the fourth installment, but I just kind of lost interest after that.

Casino is good stuff with Martin Scorsese doing his usual great job with casino rulers and underworld types, with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci teaming up again and doing fine work as friends who are not exactly the buddy-buddy type. The movie is stronger for that. Sharon Stone is good as De Niro's wife who likes the finer things in life. Of course, it wouldn't be a great Scorsese film without violence and lots of it. The vise scene is brutal, as is the baseball bat sequence. And I loved that Scorsese cast against type several comic actors like Don Rickles, Alan King, and Kevin Pollak, who all did a great job. And the movie, set in Vegas, looks fabulous, all sparkling and shiny in Sin City. One of my favorite Scorsese films.

I voted for neither but it's great to see them make it. I especially didn't expect Scream to score so high and I think that's kind of cool.

My list:
#1 Leon: The Professional #35
#5 Braveheart list proper #40
#6 Dances With Wolves #36
#12 Dazed and Confused list proper #37
#13 The Sixth Sense list proper #34
#18 The Fifth Element list proper #56
#20 Galaxy Quest list proper #38
#25 Apollo 13 list proper #68

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Not only my number 1 choice made it on, my second favorite is here too.

Casino is my favorite Scorsese movie. It's remarkably well-written, witty and full of terrific characters. The chemistry between De Niro and Stone is excellent, and Joe Pesci delivers another viscerally intense performance. I could listen to this man raging all day long and never get bored.
The desert scene is one of the finest confrontations ever put to film. Ace enters the argument knowing he's in the right, but by the end he's been completely humiliated by Nicky and made to feel like he's worth less than nothing.
The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous, every scene is so vibrant and beautifully lit. I especially like its use of reds (And not just the blood).

I also often bring it up as an example of how quickly 3 hours can go by if you're entertained all the way through. You can barely believe it's already over once you reach the end.

It reached a nice, respectable spot. I'm glad so many others share the love I have for this film.

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Casino's only other MoFo List appearance was the first time we did the 1990s (#36) while Scream was #89 there but also #13 on the inaugural MoFo Top 100 Horror Films and #18 on the sequel to that list.

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Coulda sworn I had Scream in my list
Alongside missing Total Recall, I find this truly annoying.

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I saw and liked both Scream and Casino, but neither made my list.

Seen: 70/70

i found scream to be just ok and i fell asleep during casino and never went back.

Up to 36 for 70 seen.

Neither one made my list, but both are among my most watched.

Scream was the best of the 1990s horror revival due to its willingness to poke holes in horror tropes while playing like a horror movie at the same time. From the shocking opening sequence that quizzes Casey (Drew Barrymore) on her horror knowledge, Scream grabs you and doesn't let go until the closing credits. Sydney (Neve Campbell) holds her own with the top final girls in the genre with her blend of intelligence and empathy. And Craven allows the supporting cast to shine as well: Courtney Cox as reporter Gale Weathers whose initial ruthlessness leads to Sidney knocking her down and is softened thanks to her conversations with local sheriff Dewey (David Arquette). Jamie Kennedy as classmate Randy who has seen enough horror movies to have a list of what to do and not do in order to survive one. Skeet Ulrich as Sidney's boyfriend Billy who mixes a bad boy persona that drives Sidney wild with occasional moments of insensitivity. It'll make you pine for stove top popcorn and be wary of any phone calls while watching a horror film.

Casino, for better or worse, is Scorsese at his most charismatic. The story of Sam (Robert De Niro) and his efforts to build a successful casino in Las Vegas in the 1970s, much like Scream, starts out with a grabber of an opener. And then you get to see the rise and fall with the help of several cautionary tales: his enforcer Nicky (Joe Pesci), his wife Ginger (Sharon Stone) and her con-artist ex Lester (James Woods). There's perfect needle drops (you'll never think of Gimme Shelter the same way after seeing this one), mobsters (natch) and the price of staying neutral as the world changes around you. Throw in a solid supporting cast: Don Rickles (!), Alan King, Kevin Pollak and you got a film that will stay with you long after the credits roll.

LIST:

16. The Lion King (33rd)
19. The Sixth Sense (34th)
21. JFK (59th)
25. Hurricane Streets (1 pointer)

Casino was always a big movie for me, although I didn't see it at the cinema. Late 90's, early 2000's I went to Vegas almost constantly it seemed. I was involved with a lot of bad people and bad things, and I had a lot of problems. Christmas of 99 my friend killed a drug dealer in the parking lot of Palace Station. He was very lucky to get off due to the dealer being a very bad guy. I used to feel a connection to the movie, but I'm glad those days are behind me. I do think the movie takes a little downturn around the 2 hour mark, and that baseball bat scene is horrible. I watch all of the most disturbing movies I can find, but maybe that scene is too realistic or hits too close to home. I just down like it and I think Scorsese went a little too far. The first couple of hours are incredible though.

If Scream came out in 96, that was probably the first time at the cinema with my future wife. It was a disaster. Harvard Square, drunk, causing a scene in the cinema, and a crazy night to follow. I never really knew what I thought of the movie until I finally watched it again four or five years ago. It was better than I thought, but not a consideration for my ballot.

5. American Beauty (#45)
8. Carlito's Way (#62)
9. Casino (#31)
14. The Player (#52)
15. Strange Days (#82)
24. Three Colors: Red (#90)