Tyler Durden's Best Of The Year

1995: Se7en

1995 has and will be the hardest year to choose in this list. I have chosen David Fincher's Se7en as #1 pick, but it had some mighty competition. My main runner-up is Mel Gibson's compelling Braveheart, which is a well-directed feature. My other main runner-up is Toy Story, which I will be writing a paragraph about it and it's sequels in this post. My other runner-ups are Bryan Singer's fantastic The Usual Suspects, Michael Mann's extarordinary Heat, Ron Howard's brilliant Apollo 13, and lastly, Casino. Some consider it to be a lesser Scorsese, but I still like it and rank it higher than Gangs Of New York or The Aviator. Those are my runner-ups and now I'd like to say a few words The Toy Story films, my favourite trilogy of all time.

The Toy Story Trilogy is, really, the only trilogy to have three consistently good entries. Lord Of The Rings, The Godfather, The Terminator, & Star Wars Originals all have a weak moment, and even the Star Wars Prequels has two good chapters (The Phantom Menace & Revenge Of The Sith), but is let down by a wooden Attack Of The Clones. Toy Story is a brilliant feature, which opens up the trilogy and introduces you to it's main characters and their way of life; they're toys who came to life when their owners are away. They have a fun, routine life; until a new toy comes into their life. Buzz Lightyear, space ranger, is instantly popular with the other toys, except Woody, the ex-most popular toy in Andy's room. This complex feature, masquerading as a kid's movie, explores the themes of friendship, jealousy, envy and betrayal; and rather well too. And while I prefer the sequels, I can see why anyone could prefer it as the best of the trilogy. But in my opinion, the sequels are even better. Toy Story 2 delves into Woody's background, introduces new characters and looks into a new, emotional theme; when kids grow up and get tired of their toys. No matter for the characters while they're in Toy Story 2 mode, they still have one whole movie to worry about that. And eleven years later, it comes. Toy Story 3 is the best of the series. It addresses the fact that children do grow up and they do get tired of their toys. It also explores survival, old friendships, betrayal, and most harshly, goodbyes. The Toy Story Trilogy can evoke emotions like no other movie can and is the perfectexample of what film trilogies should aspire to. It has a brilliant opening, an exciting middle and a beautifully touching ending. What more could you want.

Anyway, on to Se7en.



Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) is one week from retiring. But in this week, he must break in a newly transfered detective named David Mills (Brad Pitt) and solve a serial killer case. This serial killer is murdering his victims based on the seven sins;
Gluttony
Greed
Sloth
Envy
Wrath
Pride
Lust
Over this week, the victim list grows and so does Somerset's relationship with Mills and his wife Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow). Together, Somerset and Mills investigate and solve more clues until a shocking conclusion which will surprise and stimulate the viewer.



Se7en is it's director's work. Sure, the performances are solid and the screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker is terrific, but you really have to give Fincher the credit. He has created a nameless city plagued by crime and darkness that is downright scary and terryifying. The shaky camera movements during the scene Mills chases the killer is almost like you're in the movie running with him. Every scene is this film is notable, but the way Fincher films the ending is remarkable and brilliant. It is tense and horrorfying and extremely well-directed. The ending is far and away my favourite moment of this film.

However, this film would definitely not have happen without Andrew Kevin Walker's screenplay. There is perfect dialogue and well-written scenes and the deaths couldn't be more cretive and original. The characters are awesome, with Mills a young hothead and Somerset a seasoned, well-read and well-educated detective.

The performances in this film are solid. Morgan Freeman creates one of the best roles of his career as Somerset, as a man who doesn't want to be where he is, but is compelled to stay. Brad Pitt is one of my favourite actors and he creates yet another good performance as Mills. Mills' rage and hotheadedness is perfectly captured by Pitt's presence. Kevin Spacey is the standout in this film, and started his 90's streak. The performance I really have a problem with Gwyneth Paltrow's. She is ok as Tracy Mills, but never really engages with emotions that her character must evoke.

The Oscar-nominated editing is also good and the soundtrack is great, especially through the opening credits.



Is Se7en Fincher's best? You will find people that will support that statement, or you'll find people who won't. I don't think that this is Fincher's best, but it is a close runner up with his other notable '90's film.

__________________
"George, this is a little too much for me. Escaped convicts, fugitive sex... I've got a cockfight to focus on."

Seven was great. Fincher's best by far.

__________________
"Certainly there is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and like it, never really care for anything else thereafter." - Ernest Hemingway

While I don't agree with that statement, I can't blame anyone for thinking it. Se7en is a terrific, well-made film.

1994: Pulp Fiction

It's really hard to find a movie better than Pulp Fiction in terms of the best of 1994. My distant runner-ups were Oliver Stone's career best Natural Born Killers, Robert Zemeckis' beautiful Forrest Gump & Frank Darabont's excellent The Shawshank Redemption. I'm sure there are other films in 1994, but the fact that they are forgettable means either I didn't like them or I haven't seen them. 1994 was an ok year for films.



Pumpkin (Tim Roth) & Honey Bunny (Amanda Plummer) are having breakfast in a diner, while they discuss robbing the diner and taking wallets from the customers. They initiate the hold-up, but the scene breaks off and heads to the next chapter after the title credits.

While Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson), a hitman for the mob, drives, Vincent Vega (John Travolta), another hitman, talks about his experiences in Europe, including French fast food outlets and hash bars in Amsterdam. They head to an apartment complex to retrieve a briefcase from Brett (Frank Whaley), who has transgressed against their boss, Marcellus Wallace (Ving Rhames). While heading upstairs to the right apartment, Jules tells Vincent about how Marcellus had someone thrown off a fourth floor balcony because this person had given his wife a foot massage. Vincent informs Jules that Vincent has to escort Marcellus' wife while Marcellus is out of town. The two get into character and go to retrieve the briefcase and dispatch Brett, while Jules recites a bible passage.

Vincent & Marcellus Wallace's Wife.

In a near-deserted cocktail lounge, Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis), an ageing prizefighter, accepts a large sum of money from Marcellus to take a dive in his next fight. Jules and Vincent show up at the lounge, now dressed in t-shirts and shorts and Vincent has a brief conflict with Butch before returning the case to Marcellus. Vincent then heads over to his drug dealer Lance's home, where he buys some high grade heroin. He thens head over to Mia's home to escort to Jack Rabbit Slims, where they have an enjoyable evening, until they return to Mia's and Mia mistakes Vincent's heroin for cocaine. She O'Ds and Vincent quickly takes her to Lance's house and they manage to save her. Vincent and Mia decide to keep this a secret.

The Gold Watch.

Butch dreams of when he was a child and when he was paid a visit by Captain Koons, who was friends with Butch's father during WW2. Butch's father died in POW camp and, before he died, he gave Koons his gold watch to give to Butch. Butch decides not to through the fight and he accidentally kills the opposing fighter. He jumps into his getaway taxi, where the death obsessed female cabbie informs him of the fighter he killed. They converse, until she gets Butch to where he needs to be. He heads into a hotel room where his wife is staying. His wife Fabienne (Maria De Meideries) finds next morning that she forgot to pack the gold watch. Enraged, Butch heads back to his home to retrieve it, where he runs into multiple disturbing and violent situations.

The Bonnie Situation.

The film returns to Jules and Vincent executing Brett. After they kill him, another man busts out of the room and starts shooting at them, missing them everytime. The astonished Jules and Vincent shoot him dead. Jules believes this is a miracle and that God intervened and it is a sign for him to retire from being a hitman. They drive away from the apartment building with one of Brett's associates, Marvin (Phil LaMarr) in the back. Vincent asks Marvin for his opinion on the miracle and accidentally shoots him in the face. The car and the hitmen are now stained with blood and brain matter.

The two hitmen head to Jimmie of Toluca Lake's (Quentin Tarantino) home, where they are informed that Bonnie, Jimmie's wife is due back from work soon and that they need to get the situation under control soon or Jimmie will get a divorce. They call Marcellus, who sends in the Wolf (Harvey Keitel), who immediately takes charge of the situation. He orders Jules and Vincent to clean out the car and change into the shirts and shorts. After the situation is under control they head to breakfast.

Epilogue

Jules and Vincent head to a diner for breakfast and discuss more about Jules' decision to retire. Vincent heads to the bathroom and while he is in the bathroom, Pumpkin & Honey Bunny hold up the diner. The two diner bandits and Jules engage in a Mexican stand-off, where they negotiate what happens now.

Described as "a cultural wasteland", Pulp Fiction could well be the most influential film ever made. The sheer amount of iconic scenes is outstanding; Jack Rabbit Slims, Ezekiel 25:17, The Wolf, The Diner Hold-up, the list goes on. Laced with killer dialogue and unforgettable characters, I might go one step further and say Pulp Fiction is the most popular film of all time (at least, tied with Star Wars). The non-linear and sequenced storyline is part of the fun with Pulp Fiction. It brings you a range of cool, violent and downright hilarious situations and the dialogue is brilliant in each scene.

Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece is only what it is with it's Oscar-winning script, full of pop culture references and excellent dialogue. The characters are extremely well-written, especially Jules Winnfield, a bible quoting, burger loving hitman. To pick my favourite scene is hard, but there really is none better than the Jack Rabbit Slim Twist Contest or Royale With Cheese. Most importantly, this movie is movie for movie lovers made by the ultimate film buff. This is easily the best of Tarantino's career.

The performances from it's ensemble are all-round brilliant. Ving Rhames is good as Marcellus, Tim Roth is great as Pumpkin and Eric Stoltz makes a good screen presence in about 10 minutes of screentime. The other cast members work well, but four performances in this film stand out. Bruce Willis proves himself to be an actually good screen actor, not a movie star. Uma Thurman is at her Oscar-nominated best as Mia Wallace, a cheeky gangster's wife, a performance only matched by that of Kill Bill. The stars of the show are most definitely Samuel L. Jackson & John Travolta, who are dynamic as a pair of the most likeable killers ever put on screen. Their chemistry is magnetic and the presence is greatly appreciated.

The soundtrack to this film was the first CD I ever owned and I instantly loved it. It's full of great tracks and dialogue from the film.

Pulp Fiction is the Royale With Cheese, The Big Kahuna burger or any other reference from the film. In a word, it's awesome.

Good choice. A great film. Not sure if it would be my pick or not, but it'd be so close that I really can't quibble.

Favorite Tarantino film. One of my 10 favorite movies. Classic.

nice script haha i mean review tyler.

Some comments on your 90s picks so far:

I've no argument against you picking Fight Club. I've already commented on it elsewhere around these parts and if I recall correctly I gave it +

Saving Private Ryan is good, but to call it the best war movie ever is a bit of a stretch imo. Still, I rate it a solid

Clearly I agree with your pick for 1997. The cast deliver one show-stopping performance after the other. I've already said plenty on this film in my own thread, so never mind about these nay-sayers here .

I don't know why everyone likes Fargo so much. It's good, but I think more highly of Blood Simple, No Country For Old Men, The Big Lebowski, Miller's Crossing and perhaps also O Brother, Where Art Thou.

I won't quibble about Se7en either. Solid thriller, but I hardly think it's Fincher's best. I thought you were gonna go with Toy Story. It's a surprise that you rate the trilogy so high, but haven't picked any of them as your top films of the year.

I too chose Pulp Fiction as top film of the year.

Good stuff, mate, keep it up.

I do think highly of the Toy Story Trilogy, but of course, I rate Fight Club higher than Toy Story 2 and I do think the first Toy Story is the weakest. But if I do a best of 2010, the best of the trilogy will definitely make an appearance.

Explain?

Really? I thought it was the best one.

I think that the first Toy Story is the weakest, too. Great first hour, but if falls away quickly after that and, by the end, I'm just bored and waiting for it to finish. There again, I think the 2nd is the best, so what do I know.

While they all are consistently brilliant, Toy Story was outdone by Toy Story 2 & Toy Story 3. Maybe it's because 2 & 3 are more enjoyable or more emotional, or there is way more character development (especially in Toy Story 2; probably the best aspect about No. 2), but I just liked the sequels more. Toy Story is a great film, they all are, but if I had to choose the weakest, it would have to be Toy Story.

1993: What's Eating Gibert Grape


I've started to reboot this thread after deciding the rest of my 90's picks and half of my '80's picks.

My runner-up this in this year is Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List. I only began to respect and like SL recently, so I decided it was too soon to choose as my best of the year. The one other film that was a contender was Spielberg's other '93 flick Jurassic Park, which I have declared to be his last great blockbuster film. Other '93 films I enjoy are True Romance, Groundhog Day, The Firm, The Fugitive, Mrs. Doubtfire & Cliffhanger. I liked Falling Down, although not as much as others. All in all, a good year for film.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape opens with a young man standing on the side of the highway with his younger brother, obviously waiting for something. The younger brother is growing impatient, but suddenly, a cavalcade of shiny caravans appear riding along the highway. His younger brother is instantly excited and jumps with joy. This man is Gilbert Grape and his younger brother is Arnie, a teenager with a developmental disability. They live a quiet, uneventful life in Endora, a town where "nothing much ever happens". That is until, Becky arrives in town when her grandmother's caravan breaks down.

WEGG is simply put, a nice film. It has no real major events, apart from some of Arnie's playful escapades. Instead, it is a poignant experience, offering beautifully touching moments and deeply portrayed emotions from each main character. It doesn't have what Schindler has in terms of filmmaking, but in terms of emotion development, this character study has bucketloads.

Gilbert is unhappy. It's definitely clear from his facial expressions and tone of voice. He has no real purpose, except for taking care of Arnie, a job which he does take on with a certain paternal state of behaviour. His life is most definitely changed with the arrival of Becky, his "release", someone who frees him from the boundaries which his life, job and family bestow upon him.

I especially like his character change around the middle of the film. Of course, Depp is excellent in his subtle performance and creates the quiet center of the film.

But, however much you love the script, direction or characters in this film, there's no going past Leonardo DiCaprio's career best performance as Arnie. DiCaprio perfectly captures every aspect of his character in his brilliant performance. He is heartbreaking and deeply convincing as Arnie, a character who can't help but tug at your heartstrings. I love DiCaprio's performance in this film and he is probably the main reason I love it so much.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape is admittedly slow paced and lacks any real events or climaxes, but works as a moving character piece. Stunning performances from it's two leads drive it to excellence.

+

Sorry about the short review, but there's not really much I can say about this film other than what I've said here.

I know I'm joining an old discussion but on the Toy Story subject I also think the first; while still being wonderful, is the weakest. Or the least brilliant. Seems a shame to label it weak

When the 3rd film was out there was a review I read which had the great line "Before this no film series has ever started with a masterpiece and got progressively better."

this movie nice review

__________________
Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Buddha

1992: Glengarry GlenRoss

1992 was a good year for film, although not a great one, in my opinion. My two runner-ups are Reservoir Dogs & Unforgiven. One is a terrific heist thriller and the other is one of the greatest films in the Western genre. Both are excellently made dramas that are both eligible for best of the year, but I love ensemble films and there are few better than Glengarry GlenRoss. Other films I liked from 1992 are The Last Of The Mohicans, Batman Returns & Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Glengarry GlenRoss shows two days in the lives of a group of real estate salesmen, who are shaken up after a vicious motivational speech from Blake (Alec Baldwin), sent by Mitch & Murray, the owners of the real estate agency. Blake presents a competition to the salesmen after a torrent of verbal abuse. The competition is to see who can make the most sales. Each salesman has a different reaction to this competition.



Glengarry GlenRoss is basically a showcase for each appearing actor. Every performance in this film is top-notch, but I'll come to that sooner. Glengarry GlenRoss is, in my opinion, the best ensemble drama around and I believe it is a crime that it's screenplay was not nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar. The dialogue is foul, hilarious, convincing, believable and downright brilliant. The best lines are saved for Blake, who unleashes a volley of great lines. Some of the greatest ones include:

Blake: We're adding a little something to this month's sales contest. As you all know, first prize is a Cadillac Eldorado. Anybody want to see second prize?
[Holds up prize]
Blake: Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is you're fired.

Blake: A-B-C. A-Always, B-Be, C-Closing. Always be closing, always be closing.

As I have said, every performance in this film is as good as the next. Jack Lemmon is at his best as Shelley "The Machine" Levine, a salesman in an incredible slump who tries to grasp whatever's left of his past glory. Al Pacino was rightly nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, as he is undeniably magnetic as office hot-shot Ricky Roma, who's "Where did you learn your sales?" rant is one of the greatest insults in film history. Every other performance is worth mention, but my personal favourite performance in this film is definitely Alec Baldwin as the mean-mouthed Blake. He is only in it for 7 minutes, but what a 7 minutes. Baldwin may have bested this performance in other films like The Cooler, but this performance for me is what made me recognise Alec Baldwin as an extremely good actor.



It may not have the superior stroytelling that is endowed with Unforgiven or Reservoir Dogs, but it is has so much to recommend it, not to mention some of the most superior performances of the 1990's.

A great movie

1991: Cape Fear


In a desperate effort to seem unpredictable, I decided not to choose my all time favourite film, Terminator 2: Judgement Day as my best of the year. It's still the greatest in my opinion, but it's no fun just to write a few easy paragraphs about my favourite film, since I already did that for countless high school essays. T2 is my main runner-up. It's a marvellous film, featuring Jim Cameron's best direction and a strong emotional backbone. I cannot think higher of this film than I already do and I was very close to predictably give it the top spot. Other films I liked/loved were The Silence Of The Lambs, The Prince Of Tides, Delicatessan (which is my favourite Jeunet film), Thelma & Louise, Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, Beauty & The Beast & JFK. A great year for film, second only to 1999.



Martin Scorsese is one of the most respected directors of all time. There are many debates on which of his films is his finest, with Raging Bull, GoodFellas or Taxi Driver usually competing for the fan's favourite. If you asked 6 months ago, I would definitely go with The Departed or GoodFellas, no question. That is until I saw what I now believe to be Scorsese's best film to date.



Max Cady is an ex-con, seeking vengeance after a 14 year stint in prison. His target is his former defender, Sam Bowden, who deliberately hid files to ensure Cady's conviction. Cady unleashes psychological torment on Sam, his wife Leigh and teenage daughter Danielle, before escalating to vicious games, including poisoning the family dog and attacking Sam's colleague, with whom he is on the verge of an affair. Cady's plots begin to seem more dangerous and psychotic.

Cape Fear is my favourite Scorsese film for many reasons. One of the main reasons being that it's a slasher film, but one that's tackling with many complex character agendas and issues. Sam and Leigh aren't perfect in any way. Their marriage is crumbling and they certainly don't trust each other. Their daughter Danielle rebels by trying to explore sexuality and drug use. The "perfect family" that was established in the original is tossed away here, in favour of dealing with marital issues and teen problems, albeit fleetin at best.



Cady also remains a likeable character, through the despicable and terrible acts he commits. He can also, at least to me, remain a little sympathetic. I know I would go after the guy who obstructed my chance of not going to prison. Little, though, is the operative word, as Cady is a strong force of terror and ferocity.

Scorsese's direction is nothing short of extraordinary. Every scene is as good as the next, thanks in no small part to Marty's terrific camera angles and the wonderfully textured cinematography, which makes the film seem like Nightmare On Elm Street, to which the film's photgraphy is very similar. The screenplay features some great dialogue, all the best lines saved for Max Cady.
"Counsellor, oh counsellor?".

Although all these elements make this film what it is, the acting is what makes it perfection for me. Nick Nolte is very good as Sam Bowden, as is Jessica Lange as Leigh Bowden, who make a very convincing pair. Juliette Lewis upstages them both as Danielle, and has never topped her vulnerable performance in this film. There are some amusing cameos from the stars of the original film, but the best performance in this film from Robert De Niro. He is PERFECTION as Max Cady. Over the top and camp, but somehow remains frighteningly real, DeNiro is at his best as Cady, in a role which should have won him an Academy Award. I can't express how much I love DeNiro's performance in this film, being my second favourite performance by any actor of all time.



Top that off with an exciting climax and a wonderful score and you have Cape Fear, the film that beat out my all time favorite movie for the best of 1991. If you haven't seen it, do it now.

A pretty good remake