2. The Silence of the Lambs - [rewatch] Jodie Foster double bill! I actually did watch these two films really close together and I didn't do it on purpose at all. This is another film that I watched when I was really young and never really got the hype. I liked it, for sure - but never thought of it as a masterpiece really. But IT MOST DEFINITELY IS! 5 star MASTERPIECE. It's a perfect psychological thriller. Some call it horror, and that applies, for sure, but it's definitely more than that - which is why I think it was so successful at the Oscars. It won the Big 5 awards (Picture, Actor, Actress, Director and Writer). Anthony Hopkins created the perfect villain - someone who is absolutely terrifying, nightmare-inducing even, but also sympathetic and interesting and I don't think it's ever been matched (I cringed when I read that Taron Egerton contacted Hopkins before his Apex role to get advice because as much as I love Taron, I hope he doesn't think he came even close to this performance??? LOL). But I also have never seen Hopkins as anything other than Hannibal Lector - I do feel like he does just kind of speak with the same cadence and timing in every role so he always just seems a little terrifying. Anyway, Foster is also incredible as this young FBI agent who is smart but still learning. The whole film is just riveting - the dialogue is just note-perfect. It's fascinating that the film is really about catching an entirely different serial killer (Buffalo Bill), but Lector takes center stage at every moment. His escape scene is flawless. On a sidenote: it's CRAZY that Jurassic Park gets the credit for the "clever girl" line, but Hopkins delivers the line with perfection in this!
3. Event Horizon - [blind spot] I always thought this was like a cheesy 90s sci-fi and never really was in any rush to see it (and it's another film that I assumed that I watched, but once I started it, I realized I've definitely never seen this!). It was far better than I was expecting and Sam Neill (RIP) is incredible in it! The world-building, atmosphere, and effects are fantastic for a 90s movie. There's just a really good cast too - obviously Neill, but also Joely Richardson, Kathleen Quinlan, Lawrence Fishburne, Jason Isaacs, Sean Pertwee - all deliver. It's definitely more "horror" than I was expecting (it's sci-fi horror like the Alien movies). And *spoilers in case you too haven't seen it* the suicide scene is sooooo heartbreaking and unexpectedly tender for a film like this. I rated the movie 3.5 stars, but I really loved it so I think on a rewatch, I might even rate it 4 stars.
4. 10 Things I Hate About You - [rewatch] One of my favorite teen comedies EVER. As a Shakespeare junkie during my teenage years - this just hit every possible note for me. I actually debated my rating with this because I think it's one of the few teen comedies that stayed relevant and has more iconic scenes than others released in the 90s. And the dialogue is just SO well written - keeping certain Shakespearean terms while keeping it fresh and modern is so hard to do (example: the line "I burn, I pine, I perish" is IN the movie and it works!). Plus, the original play is incredibly sexist, but somehow this isn't (as much...). They added so much depth to the two female characters to really round-out the fact that she's supposed to be a "shrew" but she's not actually a "shrew". And I think making the dad a more protective, but loving figure is super important. Plus, he's hilarious ("those Dawson's river kids" made me laugh out loud). Joseph Gordon-Levitt is adorable and I don't think he's given the credit he deserves for his terrific filmography nor is he brought up when people talk about successful child actors. But I grew up with him (same age), and I remember being 13 and swooning for him in Angels in the Outfield and then 3rd Rock from the Sun. And then after this film, he started to do some really dark films (Mysterious Skin, Brick, Stop-Loss) in which he was incredible! AND THEN he did one of my favorite films OF ALL TIME (500 Days of Summer). I love him! Actually, what has he been up to?? I don't think I've seen him in a while?! Larisa Oleynik is also SUPER adorable - she should have been a much bigger star. Also, going back to those iconic scenes I mentioned - the three that I'm specifically referring to are: Julia Styles drunkenly dancing to Biggie's "Hypnotize" (my personal favorite scene in the movie), Heath Ledger badly singing "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" (when the marching band starts to join in - it's SO GOOD), and Julia's poem - the line "but mostly I hate the way I don't hate you. Not even close. Not even a little bit. Not even at all" still hits HARD. It's just genuinely entertaining and funny and cute and emotional. But even more importantly it's an extremely well-made movie (there's a GLORIOUS tracking shot!). So, I rated it 4.5 stars - but I'm really tempted to give it 5!!!
5. Moonstruck - [blind spot] I've always loved Cher (and Mermaids is one of my favorite movies!), so I'm not sure how I missed this. I genuinely think the thought of Nicolas Cage being in a more serious non-action role probably deterred me (sorry, he's not actually a good actor). I also didn't realize that this movie has so many Oscar wins (nominated for 6 and won 3! I only knew of Cher's win. But a Best Picture nomination for this is something). I liked it. It's fine. But I already forgot about it (watched it back in June). I remember that Cher is supposed to be 40 but they make her look 60. I remember that even though this is a "comedy/romance", Cage somehow still gives an outrageously dramatic over-the-top performance ("I lost my hand!" "I lost my fiance!" lol). I remember that it's very Italian. And I remember that there are some gorgeous shots of NYC. But...that's all I got.
6. Schindler's List - [rewatch] Okay...so my recollection of Schindler's List is going to see it in the movie theater for a class trip?! I'm assuming it was after it was released for a while because I would have only been 12 years old and I can't imagine they let a class of 12 year olds watch this? But I remember it being a big deal and a bunch of classes from all different schools went to see this - like they reserved the theater for the classes. And I do remember that we had to get permission slips signed from our parents...so maybe I was 12? THAT'S CRAZY! How was I not traumatized?? And there's so much nudity! I mean, most of it is not in a sexual way, more of a traumatized way, but still...was I 12?? Now I'm really curious, but I don't think I'll ever have the answer. Anyway, I only watched it the one time and decided that was enough (because I was probably traumatized and repressed it. Plus it's over 3+ hours long). So, it honestly felt like a first-time watch. Obviously, it's incredible. I shockingly don't rate it 5 stars, though, because it is, in fact, too long and could have benefitted from someone editing the shit out of it. But otherwise, it's perfect. I'm SHOCKED that Liam Neeson didn't win the Oscar for this, so I had to look up who his competition was (Tom Hanks - winner, Anthony Hopkins, and Daniel Day-Lewis!! That's tough. And now they just give the Best Actor award to anyone. HAHA!). Ralph Fiennes is also spectacular. And there are a few scenes that are so gorgeous - the little girl in the red coat is an all-timer, and the scene with the gun not working is perfect. Just perfect. The ending is so chilling too. I don't know, I have a feeling my brain will repress it again, but I'm really glad I rewatched this.
7. Young Frankenstein - [blind spot] This is one of my husband's favorite movies - and also his entire family's (they all quote it constantly and laugh hysterically and I have no idea what they are talking about), so I thought I should watch it (I kind of thought that I did watch it, but none of it seemed familiar except the quotes from his family that I recognized while watching it). And I loved it! I think this might be my favorite Mel Brooks movie! It's so funny and the cast is great. I love Teri Garr (I remember when she was revealed as Phoebe's birth mom on Friends and thinking how perfect that casting was. Just like how Marlo Thomas as Rachel's mom was genuinely genius casting.) and she's so beautiful in this. Marty Feldman as Igor, though, really got me. His line delivery had me DYING. It's hard to find films made 50 years ago that are genuinely hilarious and not even that outdated! It's mostly dumb jokes, but dumb jokes work well if the cast can sell them.
8. Anaconda (1997) - [rewatch] I added this to my watch list because of the remake that was released last year (that I surprisingly enjoyed?!). I vividly remember watching this in the movie theater and laughing my ass off. It was fun, ridiculous, and soooo stupid, but also very watchable and entertaining (or so I thought...). And I will always love JLo. I've never really been a fan of her acting, though (sorry, I know everyone thought she was snubbed for Hustlers but she was fine - and fine is not Oscar-worthy). I think she's more of a performer/icon/entertainer. Like, she has screen presence and charisma, but lacks the actual acting skills. BUT I LOVE HER. I was kind of hoping that this was going to be a great time, but I actually thought it was awful. And not the good kind of awful. Nothing happens for the first hour and then it's non-stop, but not in a good way. It's too chaotic to be good. The punching sound effects, the bad dialogue, and the super fake animatronic anaconda combined, really just makes this a terrible movie. And MY GOD Jon Voight's accent is unhinged! I'm more scared of Voight with that accent than I am of the deadly snakes.
9. Mystic Pizza - [rewatch] Such an adorable movie, but I think this is the movie that really cemented Julia Roberts as a STAR. I think most would cite Pretty Woman with this title, but she's got such a screen presence in this - it's just *incredible*. I just can't think of any millennial/gen z actress that has this much charisma onscreen (I'm not trying to knock younger actresses - there are a lot that I would describe as having a presence and star power - Emma Stone, Florence Pugh, and most recently Chase Infinity), but there is just something about Julia Roberts that is untouchable - nobody comes close to that magic. But I'm going to ignore that she's supposed to be Portuguese in this movie. I love the chemistry between these three women, and I think the story is really strong and split into different stories perfectly. It always feels connected instead of disjointed, even though some plot points have nothing to do with anything. I went to Mystic a while back for my birthday and it is a very cute little town (I don't think I got pizza because I'm a New Yorker and the only place I will ever order pizza is in NY or NJ. Period.). It definitely feels like its time (late 80s), which isn't a bad thing, but I don't think modern audiences will appreciate it. I laughed at the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and the Mar-a-Lago reference. The 80s were so tacky!
10. Presumed Innocent - [blind spot] I liked the tv series a lot (the ending was underwhelming though), and I realized while watching it that I've never seen the original movie. The thing is, while watching the show, I thought the whole time "the wife did it...duh" and then it had a different (and very dumb) twist. But I realize that they probably assumed that people have seen the movie so they didn't hide the fact that it could have been the wife, like they do in this movie. I guess what I'm trying to say in a very convoluted way is that I can see why this was such a big twist for this film. I highly doubt "the wife did it" would have ever crossed my mind. And the way they reveal the twist is INCREDIBLE, along with her confession!!! HOLY SHIT - Bonnie Bedelia gives a PERFORMANCE. I was not expecting it. It's a very good courtroom drama, but I do think it works better as a mini-series. This feels a little rushed for the depth of this story (and also ridiculous - they wouldn't let the guy being charged with the murder in the location of the murder with *just* his own lawyer?? Even when we were dumb in the 90s - that just wouldn't happen). Ford is good, but it's weird that he did this and then The Fugitive just a few years later? It's the same plot - this is just more courtroom focused. Also, there's a baby Jessie Bradford and an even babier Joseph Mazello!! So cute!
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