1990's Countdown Group Watch

Noises Off
(Peter Bagdonovich, 1992)

Comedies in general are not really my thing. Sometimes they can work. If there's a good romance involved or some other kind of emotional glue holding it together or even if it's just so out there and bizarre that it can't help but be amusing, then it's got a chance at working for me. But slapstick? No. Just no. It's not for me and neither is this movie.

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@Takoma11 will choose the next movie.

Gattaca is pretty good, but could've been so much better. I feel that the conflict between Ethan Hawke and his brother is never properly fleshed out, as opposed to his relationship with Jude Law (plus Law is terrific in his role). Once they pushed JL aside to dedicate the last act to the brothers, it sorta fizzles out. I had it in the periphery of my list, but there are too many great films with no issues for me to include one that I struggle with.

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Ok, I know I'm not participating in this, but since I already shared my thoughts on Gattaca, why not some of the others?

This the Vince Vaughn one? I know I saw it, remember liking it, but it's been 20+ years. I don't remember it at all.


I think I might've shared my thoughts on this one, if not here, somewhere else on MoFo, but here's my Letterboxd review. I'm a fan and who knows? It might or might not pop up on my list.


Saw it back in the day but didn't really resonate with me. Haven't seen it since.


This is the other end of the spectrum. I saw this back in the 90s, even before Jackson did Lord of the Rings, and I loved it. It's a film that has really stuck with me and I recommend it often. I haven't seen it in a long time and I can still feel it under my skin. I should really revisit it.


Big fan of this one. Saw it in theaters back in the day and remember I was blown away by the opening (no pun intended) and the film overall. I used to see it often back then, but then sorta drifted away. Revisited it a while ago and thought it held up nicely.


Big, big fan of this one. Another one that I saw back in the day and I liked it a lot. Revisited it a couple of years ago and whoosh! I was surprised how much it improved, even though I already liked it; not only as far as the comedy goes, but as far as the tragedy and the drama it presents. Here's my Letterboxd review, but this one has a high HIGH probability of featuring on my list.

I own this one on VHS. Remember it was a blind buy back in the 90s, mostly because Crowe was the talk of the town after L.A. Confidential, and people kept bringing up this film. I'm not as big a fan of it, which you can see on this review from when I last rewatched it, but Crowe is pretty good in it.

Romper Stomper Trivia: Check out the story of Crowe's co-star, Daniel Pollock. Very tragic, and Crowe even wrote a song to him called "The Night That Davey Hit the Train" with his band Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts.

I'm hoping to get a full viewing of Gattaca in before the deadline and do a proper write-up, but I love the look of this movie (it's near-future sci-fi stuff), and I'm a big fan of all of the relationships between Hawke's character and the other characters: his brother, his co-conspirator, Thurman's character, the doctor, etc.

I also love the fact that it's the main character's interest in space that is his true love, and his romance is secondary to that. I adore the last 5 minutes of this movie.

The central trio of actors are all very good (especially Jude Law as the embittered rich kid), and I think the secondary cast is also very strong.

I watched Gattaca a few years ago, and I liked it. It's a good sci-fi thriller with a couple of good twists that I didn't see coming. But I thought the romance part should either have been expanded or cut out of the movie completely because it wasn't really fleshed out very well. It took me a while to warm up to Jude Law's character, but he gets better as the movie progresses.

It probably won't make my list, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it make the countdown.

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If I answer a game thread correctly, just skip my turn and continue with the game.
OPEN FLOOR.

I've seen Gattaca several times, the first time was here on MoFo for our Movie of the Month, I believe it was Yoda's pick. I rated it a at the time. I've seen it a couple more times since then. It's a very stylish film, beautiful to look at with solid juxtaposition between the haves and have nots...With the 'haves' being the genetically enhanced people and the 'have nots' being 'natural birth' people who end up being janitors and what not. A class act sci fi.

@Citizen Rules will choose the next movie!

I've seen this movie many times, though not at all recently. I'll probably give it a rewatch.
Also, we're starting to get down to the wire. I'll probably only do one more round.

I watched this earlier this year. Performances are very good and there are some effective moments, but the screenplay didn't feel as strong as it could have been. 7/10 would be my rating, but it was never in contention for my ballot.

I saw What's Eating Gilbert Grape several years ago, and I remember liking it, but I don't remember much about it. It's already on my list of movies to rewatch for the countdown, so I'll try to bump it up to the top and watch it in the next day or two.

There's a scene early on in the movie where Gilbert (Johnny Depp) goes to meet a girl (Juliette Lewis) that was driving through town with her grandmother on a camping trip when their truck breaks down along the roadside, forcing them to stay near town for awhile. They're seated outside on a picnic table and the grandmother is looking proudly at Becky (Juiette Lewis) and telling Gilbert that she's the most beautiful girl in the world. One would expect some romantic music score to start up and Gilbert to look at Becky and say something like, 'yes she is'. But he doesn't do that. He doesn't say anything, not a word just silences. To me that was brilliant direction as like the audience I'm sure Gilbert was thinking Becky wasn't all that beautiful, though he does like her. That's honest, understated film making and for me that's what I love about What's Eating Gilbert Grape, a film where sentimentality is avoided even thought the situation is ripe for it, the director never milks emotions from the audience.

*If you haven't sent in your ballot yet, I hope you'll watch What's Eating Gilbert Grape and consider it for your ballots.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape
(Lasse Hallström, 1993)

Parentification. That's the answer to the question posed by this movie's title. It centers around Gilbert Grape, a young man saddled with the responsibility of caring and providing for his younger siblings, including his mentally disabled teenaged brother, and his shut in mother following the suicide of his father. Johnny Depp gives a very strong performance as Gilbert, showing us the quiet desperation that fills his life. Leonardo DiCaprio also gives an incredible - and Oscar nominated - performance as Arnie, Gilbert's disabled younger brother who is constantly getting into trouble. The supporting cast are also quite good, with Juliette Lewis playing a very sweet and sympathetic love interest (and ray of hope) to Depp's Gilbert, Darlene Cates showing the tragic humanity inside Gilbert's mother, Mary Steenburgen offers a glimpse of an equally desperate and trapped resident of Endor, and Crispin Glover and John C. Reilly as Gilbert's oddball friends.

I've always really liked the way this movie presents that feeling of isolation and quiet struggle. You see it in Depp's face. You see it when he lashes out or tries to run, only to return to his stifling obligations. You see it in the way he interacts with the people around him and you even see it reflected in the condition of the house he and his family share - its foundation sinking into the earth, the structure itself buckling under the immense weight of its burdens, barely holding together, ready to crumble at any moment. It's just a really solid and bittersweet drama that is no doubt among the best of its decade. I really hope it makes the countdown, but I'm really spoiled for choice so I don't yet know if it'll make my ballot.

I just finished watching What's Eating Gilbert Grape and I liked it. I have a lot going on in my family life right now, so I could relate to what Gilbert was going through with his family, and the stress of taking care of his special needs brother. (Taking care of a 90-year old with Dementia is very similar to taking care of a special needs person.) I thought that Gilbert had enough going on in his life that the part with him having an affair was unnecessary, but it didn't really hurt my opinion of the movie.

One of the things that I liked about What's Eating Gilbert Grape is that it reminded me that I used to like Johnny Depp, before he started playing a bunch of crazy characters. Gilbert was just a normal person who was going through real life situations.

As good as Johnny Depp's performance was, Leonardo DiCaprio's performance was even better. If I hadn't already seen him in other movies, I would have thought that he was mentally impaired in real life.

My list is too long already, so I don't know yet if this movie will make my list, but I liked it enough that it has a chance.

As usual I was burdened with work. Was finally free this weekend. Took a peek at the remaining noms, & went through them.


Arizona Dream
I admire the effort & the ambition. I am usually up for quirky movies, but I found it hard to get into this.


Romper Stomper
Was on my wishlist for ages. Finally got to watch it. I loved the fact that it doesn't make statements & simply presents things as they are. Crowe is amazing, to the point of almost terrifying.


I found this for free on YouTube. The comments below were disturbing & completely miss the purpose of such movies.


Nosies Off
Oh I loved this so much. It's silly & funny & surpsingly full of depth. Probably the best performance of Ritter, & I personally loved Caine.
The kind of movie I will watch again & still thoroughly enjoy.


Two movies I have watched multiple times so didn't this time.

Gattaca
One of my favourite Sci Fi flicks. Hasn't aged badly even if you watch it now.


What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Quite a well made movie, & while everyone will rave about Depp & Dicaprio, I thought Juliette Lewis was exceptional.

I'm thrilled to see somebody else checked this out and appreciated it. I hope it has a chance at making your ballot.

That's disappointing but sadly not surprising. So many hateful people in the world.

Just realized the deadline for the last round was yesterday. Whoops!

@WrinkledMind will choose the movie for the final round.